When do you start feeling great on Keto?
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CoconuttyMummy wrote: »Thankyou both. That's it then. I'll stick with it, but at at the 30g-50g level as i know i felt great like that. Maybe i was choosing the wrong foods for me, or something. Man im sick of cheese, cream & butter already! It will be so nice to go back to fresh healthy vegetables and a nice portion of meat, with a dribble of coconut milk as my little creamy addition. Doesnt it just sound healthier already?! Does to me.
I eat between 30 and 70g carbs, most days, with gusts up to 100.
I was having problems sticking to lower levels, but turns out I was reacting to most things I was eating (dairy, chicken, almonds, stevia) AND dealing with mild reactive hypoglycemia. By cutting out those, adding protein to breakfast, and going a bit higher on my carbs, I'm still losing weight, feeling a LOT better, AND sticking to it.
Nobody here is going to tell you that VLC or keto works for everybody. I even asked if there would be any good reason to try dropping my carbs more and was told no, if it's working, stick to it, especially since this is the first time I've stuck to a way of eating over a week.0 -
Its a long process isnt it, discovering for yourself which foods you are sensitive to? Im convinced i must have some issues with intolerances as i do have the same sort of symptoms ive heard others speak about. Definitely getting rid of wheat, grains and excessive carbs saw my health improve but im still not 'right' so maybe i should give up dairy too for a while. I gave up cows milk 3 months ago b/c i realised how many carbs it contained and wasnt prepared to waste that many calories on a drink, but ive been reluctant to give up cheese, butter, cottage cheese & cream as i didnt want to limit my diet too much. But since going super low carb this past few days and consuming an unholy amount of butter, cream & cheese, and feeling ghastly on it, im inclined to remove dairy for a little while and see if that helps any.
What symptoms were you getting when reacting to your food sensitivities? Did you ever get muscle or bone aches and weakness, or is that unconnected?
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CoconuttyMummy wrote: »Its a long process isnt it, discovering for yourself which foods you are sensitive to? Im convinced i must have some issues with intolerances as i do have the same sort of symptoms ive heard others speak about. Definitely getting rid of wheat, grains and excessive carbs saw my health improve but im still not 'right' so maybe i should give up dairy too for a while. I gave up cows milk 3 months ago b/c i realised how many carbs it contained and wasnt prepared to waste that many calories on a drink, but ive been reluctant to give up cheese, butter, cottage cheese & cream as i didnt want to limit my diet too much. But since going super low carb this past few days and consuming an unholy amount of butter, cream & cheese, and feeling ghastly on it, im inclined to remove dairy for a little while and see if that helps any.
What symptoms were you getting when reacting to your food sensitivities? Did you ever get muscle or bone aches and weakness, or is that unconnected?
Bwuhahaha. If I'd gone to a regular doctor, they'd have diagnosed me with carpal tunnel. I'm 16 or 17 days in, and my wrists don't hurt, my shoulders are relaxing, and I have a TON more energy. My ears are clearing up (from ringing/itching). My hands and arms have been pretty weak for a long time, and it's going to take time for me to build those muscles back up.
Ask around and find yourself a good alternative doctor/chiro/nutritionist who deals with food sensitivies. My chiro (whom I heard about from 2 completely unrelated people) did muscle testing, and I react to gluten, almonds, corn, dairy, soy, eggs, most sweeteners, and chicken.
My list so far:
1.Down 9 pounds
2.Stomach not as bloated
3.Digestive system not constantly cranky
4.Wrists don't hurt
5.Shoulders hurt much less
6.Less constant ringing/itching in my ears
7.More energy
8.Muscles aren't aching
9.Not freezing all the time (just part of the time)
10.Depression/anxiety is lifting
11.Cravings seem to be almost gone
12.More energy
13.Happier
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Thats very interesting, Twibbly. Its great to hear youve nailed down what was causing your symptoms and that you're feeling so good lately. There's hope yet!
My list of symptoms are as follows:
1) tiredness & constant lack of energy no matter how much i sleep
2) muscle aches & bone aches that never go away. Painkillers dont touch it.
3) physical weakness (and i used to be strong but now i have no power whatsoever particularly in my upper body)
3) bad moods, depression & anxiety
4) constipation and diarrhea (sometimes at the same time!)
5) random stomach pains and bloating after eating
6) lots of trapped wind
7) strange body odour
8) hairloss (ive lost 50% of my hair volume and my hairline has receded like male pattern baldness)
9) body always cold
10) pain & swollen thyroid area (looks like i have a man's adams apple this past few years) but tests come back within normal range (although i am towards the borderline of hypothyroid, just not low enough for treatment)
11) dizzy spells
12) periodontal disease (that refuses to clear up, for past 4 years, despite countless antibiotics and good dental hygiene - although i do smoke).
13) burning in my muscles with only the slightest exertion
14) mental fog, confusion, slow reaction time, general dulling of intelligence compared to me at normal functionality.
Do these sound like food allergies or anything familiar to you?
Its nothing obviously medical because ive had every test under the sun - bloodtests, xrays, ecgs, mri's, ultrasounds, and the little camera up my nose into my throat (ENT clinic) and down my throat into my stomach or wherever they go (GI clinic). Everything has come back negative.
I was really hoping very low carb keto would sort these issues out but it seems something is still causing it.
I think i'll try going totally dairy-free for a while and see if that helps, although i do feel like im clutching at straws and fumbling in the dark a little.
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CoconuttyMummy wrote: »Thats very interesting, Twibbly. Its great to hear youve nailed down what was causing your symptoms and that you're feeling so good lately. There's hope yet!
My list of symptoms are as follows:
1) tiredness & constant lack of energy no matter how much i sleep
2) muscle aches & bone aches that never go away. Painkillers dont touch it.
3) physical weakness (and i used to be strong but now i have no power whatsoever particularly in my upper body)
3) bad moods, depression & anxiety
4) constipation and diarrhea (sometimes at the same time!)
5) random stomach pains and bloating after eating
6) lots of trapped wind
7) strange body odour
8) hairloss (ive lost 50% of my hair volume and my hairline has receded like male pattern baldness)
9) body always cold
10) pain & swollen thyroid area (looks like i have a man's adams apple this past few years) but tests come back within normal range (although i am towards the borderline of hypothyroid, just not low enough for treatment)
11) dizzy spells
12) periodontal disease (that refuses to clear up, for past 4 years, despite countless antibiotics and good dental hygiene - although i do smoke).
13) burning in my muscles with only the slightest exertion
14) mental fog, confusion, slow reaction time, general dulling of intelligence compared to me at normal functionality.
Do these sound like food allergies or anything familiar to you?
Its nothing obviously medical because ive had every test under the sun - bloodtests, xrays, ecgs, mri's, ultrasounds, and the little camera up my nose into my throat (ENT clinic) and down my throat into my stomach or wherever they go (GI clinic). Everything has come back negative.
I was really hoping very low carb keto would sort these issues out but it seems something is still causing it.
I think i'll try going totally dairy-free for a while and see if that helps, although i do feel like im clutching at straws and fumbling in the dark a little.
1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 14 all sound like things I've had. Before I went GF, I had 12-15 sinus infections a year, plus a few bouts of bronchitis. Nobody every mentioned anything about diet to me. If you've tried going to regular doctors and they haven't been able to help you (their normal response for me is that to try to give me painkillers or meds for heartburn), try the alternative medicine route. I don't go to the regular doctor anymore unless I flat out need antibiotics to kill something (and even then I try to kill it myself first) because they don't have any answers for any of my issues. I highly suspect I have something going on with my autoimmune system that is completely subclinical, other than the hypoglycemia and probably celiac. Mom is about to get another EMG (I might have the test name wrong) looking for lesions on the brain due to muscle weakness and some other stuff. I don't want to go that route.0 -
Its so frustrating, isnt it, how unhelpful doctors can be in these areas? Unhelpful and unknowledgable. (is that even a word? my brain is working slower than ever this evening lol duhhh)0
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Docs aren't trained in nutrition. Find somebody who is (e.g., Registered Dietitian). A lot of your symptoms sound diet-related.0
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You both may be right, but im in the UK and like many Brits i have no health insurance, since we pay our taxes towards the National Health Service. A Dietitian wouldnt be available on the NHS for me, unfortunately, so im forced to be my own nutritionist, by trial and error and through advice from more informed people like yourselves.
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CoconuttyMummy wrote: »You both may be right, but im in the UK and like many Brits i have no health insurance, since we pay our taxes towards the National Health Service. A Dietitian wouldnt be available on the NHS for me, unfortunately, so im forced to be my own nutritionist, by trial and error and through advice from more informed people like yourselves.
Argh. Are chiros in the health system there as well, or outside? Some of them do a lot with food allergies here in the US.
Also, search YouTube for muscle testing allergies or self muscle testing. That may help, but it doesn't work on everybody.
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Thanks Twibbly - for my symptoms a chiro wouldnt be available to me on the NHS either, unfortunately. Basically you have to be almost at death's door before a GP will take any notice. I find NHS doctors here verge on the side of negligence more times than palatable. They dont take symptoms like mine seriously, no matter how negatively they impacts on our lives. Its OK if youve got a common disease or a broken arm or a cut that needs stitching, theyll patch you back up and send you on your way, but ive found anything more complex and/or not life-threatening theyre really not that interested and basically make you out to be neurotic and wasting their time. Can you tell i have very little faith in the NHS?! - Based on 34yrs of personal experience. Im sure we'd be lost without them, and they do do some great work, but they fail patients like me continuously.0
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CoconuttyMummy wrote: »Thanks Twibbly - for my symptoms a chiro wouldnt be available to me on the NHS either, unfortunately. Basically you have to be almost at death's door before a GP will take any notice. I find NHS doctors here verge on the side of negligence more times than palatable. They dont take symptoms like mine seriously, no matter how negatively they impacts on our lives. Its OK if youve got a common disease or a broken arm or a cut that needs stitching, theyll patch you back up and send you on your way, but ive found anything more complex and/or not life-threatening theyre really not that interested and basically make you out to be neurotic and wasting their time. Can you tell i have very little faith in the NHS?! - Based on 34yrs of personal experience. Im sure we'd be lost without them, and they do do some great work, but they fail patients like me continuously.
Do you still have regular periods? To me (not a doctor) some of those symptoms sound diet related (like IBS etc.) and some of them sound autoimmune (like Hashimotos), but some of them sound just like what the women on the perimenopause group complain about (the brain fog etc.)
I hope you're able to get it sorted. I assume they've tested for Hashimotos?0 -
Yup, i do still get periods if i stop taking my BCP (Yasmine), but i tend to take it back-to-back to alleviate symptoms of endometriosis and symptoms of raised androgens (i was on a high androgen pill for years and then started to get male pattern baldness, hairloss etc about 4 years ago, so i switched to an androgen-free BCP a couple of years ago when i learned of the possible connection).
Im not sure what Hashimotos is? I'll go google it. If its thyroid related ive had all of those basic tests, and just came back low end of 'normal', borderline hypo-thyroid but not in the range required for medication;.
I actually feel really good today. I upped my calories yesterday and kept my carbs around 22g instead of 10-15g and i feel 100% better. No weightloss still, but no weightgain (yet) despite eating a tonne of calories yesterday, so that's a relief. Im hoping ive turned a corner and become fat adapted and that im now going to see the benefits of a keto diet - but it could just be down to the huge increase in calories yesterday. I dont know yet so i guess i'll just keep at it and fumbling around in the dark until i discover what works for me. Its time to start biohacking, me thinks
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I was told once and read somewhere that you will be in keto if you keep carbs under 40g a day, it will just take longer to adapt but at the higher level it's a more gradual progression and some avoid the carb flu doing it that way. I know I feel best on a regular basis around 40.0
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Its definitely a relief to know that there is room to add more carbs if necessary and still stay in keto.
I cant believe how good i feel today after such a rough time the past week since going keto. I mean dont get me wrong im not yet brimming with energy, but i dont have the muscle aches & severe exhaustion that i did & i feel a lot more satiated today. Id really love to know if its raising my carbs from 10g to 20g thats made me feel so much better, or if its down to increasing my calories significantly yesterday, or (and this is what im hoping) is it because ive finally become fat adapted? Hmmm,0 -
Coconutty it was more like 4-6 months before I got to feeling like I do now at 8 months. I was in very poor health and had very little muscle strength and was racked with pain. I think due to my age and state of health it took a while for my organs to recover so I could start feeling better. I could not walk a quarter of a mile without resting in the beginning.
Stay the course but also rule out any other health issues. LCHF is not a replacement for good annual lab work, etc. Currently I am working to get my Vit D levels out of the 20's and into the 60's for example by the time of my July physical.0 -
Almost all of your symptoms are things I was having before I went LCHF, and nearly all of them have significantly improved over the last six weeks. Even my rate of hair loss has dropped noticeably.
The type of hair loss that you are experiencing is presenting differently than standard hereditary pattern baldness, so you're right that it's probably an additional factor. When women lose hair due to male/female pattern baldness, the hairline is almost always preserved. In everything I've read, when the hairline starts receding in women, it's almost always a hormonal issue outside of the usual androgen culprit, though you would have to talk to a specialist to find out what it could be.
Hypothyroidism runs in my family, (seriously, my mother, maternal grandfather and great grandmother has the lovely slit throat scar from having to have theirs removed) but every single one of them tested negative for it during the blood tests. Even tissue samples that were clearly abnormal tested negative after my mother's surgery. However, there is a saliva based test that they apparently do test positive for. My thyroid levels have been low, but I haven't presented enough symptoms that my doctors have been concerned, even with my family history, and I'm okay with that, but that means I have less info about the test than I otherwise might.
Here's another list:
Abnormal blood counts
Fatigue
Insomnia
Dizziness or fainting
Bluish discoloration of the fingers
Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
Soft, downy hair covering the body
Absence of menstruation
Constipation
Dry or yellowish skin
Intolerance of cold
Irregular heart rhythms
Low blood pressure
Dehydration
Osteoporosis
Swelling of arms or legs
Preoccupation with food
Refusal to eat
Denial of hunger
Fear of gaining weight
Flat mood (lack of emotion)
Social withdrawal
Irritability
Reduced interest in sex
Depressed mood
That's a slightly trimmed list for anorexia. Let me be very clear that I am not suggesting that you have anorexia! I am simply trying to point out that many of the symptoms on this list are due to not eating enough calories or getting enough electrolytes for your body's needs. I was eating about 1200-1300 calories a day due to laziness and lack of hunger before I went LCHF and my weight stayed pretty steady for about 18 months. I was foggy and felt terrible all the time, and my body started requiring extra sleep in huge doses in order to preserve my available energy. If I did not get this, and even if I did, I was barely functional after four or five in the afternoon. Your body will respond to a reduced input with a reduction in output as a self preservation method, and the only way you can affect this is to give it more of what it needs.
Smoking also reduces blood oxygenation and will heighten the sense of feeling cold, overall energy level, mouth health, and other things.
Look into things like the low FODMAP diets when working on eliminating foods. Here's an interesting list to read over: Stanford's Low FODMAP Info Sheet.
Good luck with your research.
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Wow, i have had all of those symptoms, minus the arms/legs swelling. Very interesting. You may well be right that i wasnt consuming enough calories.
I'm not feeling hungry or weak now, after my BPC with 1 tbsp chia seeds for breakfast. Its now 2.30pm and i havent had and dont need lunch, so today i forsee a lower calorie day, BUT i definitely think if you feel starving-hungry and have these type of symptoms, it is probably best just to not worry about calories tooo much and eat (keeping to LCHF) to satiety for a day or two. I think my body was in starvation mode and since having that 1 day at much higher calories it seemed to reset my system and alllow me to continue on a calorie deficit again without the intense hunger and loss of energy. I believe we should listen more to our bodies for sure...
Speaking of which, i know smoking is damaging my health in several ways, so now im feeling so much better in myself, i thought it was time i started quitting. So ive been using nicotene patches for the past 2 days and ive cut down from 20 cigarettes a day to about 7-10, so im struggling a little but ive been smoking since i was 12 yrs old (now 34) and thats a 50% improvement in 2 days, so not too shabby. Definitely being in control of what im eating and attempting to be healthier in that regard spurrs me on to give up smoking.
I'll look into the FODMAP diets, thanks. Ive never heard of these, and i know nothing about how to eliminate foods, (other than just stop eating them!) so this will be interesting.0 -
I am glad to hear that you are feeling better. Things were looking pretty rough there for a while.0
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AreteAndWhimsy wrote: »I am glad to hear that you are feeling better. Things were looking pretty rough there for a while.
Thanks Arete. Tell me about it! - I was *this* close to quitting and going back to cr@ppy carbs. So glad i ploughed on through. I wouldnt have endured it without the support and advice from you guys on this forum, seriously. I felt like death and that would have scared me off if you all hadnt held my hand a bit and reasured me that it should pass. So far that, a big fat thankyou!
Now i need to achieve a deeper ketosis (for some reason im still only showing trace or slightly deeper on my ketostix most of the time. Not quite sure why this is?) and i need to get that scale moving down again. If theres one thing ive learnt recently its to be more patient with this new WOE, allowing time for the body to adjust, so i intend to stick to plan and just hope that soon the weight will start evaporating.
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Coconutty, I've been so worried about you these past several days. Very glad to hear things are turning around a bit for you. 0
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Still think maybe you should get tested for Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). It's an antibodies test. The antibodies attack the thyroid & only definitive test is the antibodies one. My blood work comes back hypo & next time hyper. Sometimes low end of the ranges, sometimes high (that's the way this stupid disease affects me). I had majority of same symptoms as you. Am now on synthroid (for 16 yrs) but doses get changed regularly. With meds & this woe I am feeling much better. Hope this helps & hope you feel better soon.0
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I was under the impression that you didn't need to get very dark readings on the sticks, any reading at all is good because you're making excess and more excess isn't necessarily more beneficial. I don't know though, maybe I missed something.0
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Coconutty, I've been so worried about you these past several days. Very glad to hear things are turning around a bit for you.
Aww *hugs* - i was worried about me too! But im a fighter! LOL. I knew deep down that i wasnt any different biologically from any other human being, so if the majority of folks were getting great results and feeling pecker then i figured i HAD to at some point. It was getting close to the point where i was doubting it, but you guys helped me to stay positive and battle through those horrible days.
Oh and guess what? It WAS worth it b/c this morning ive lost 1 pound! Woohoo! Not much but its huge to me b/c its the 1st loss ive seen in almost a month. Things are definitely looking up! x
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Still think maybe you should get tested for Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). It's an antibodies test. The antibodies attack the thyroid & only definitive test is the antibodies one. My blood work comes back hypo & next time hyper. Sometimes low end of the ranges, sometimes high (that's the way this stupid disease affects me). I had majority of same symptoms as you. Am now on synthroid (for 16 yrs) but doses get changed regularly. With meds & this woe I am feeling much better. Hope this helps & hope you feel better soon.
Thanks Sk8Kate, i'll definitely look into it. For the past couple of days my symptoms have been much much better, so im thinking it was/is food related, but i'll get checked out just incase.
Im really glad you're feeling better on this WOE - im hearing so many great health benefits regards keto, which is wonderful, as i find most 'diets' make you feel a whole lot worse.
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AreteAndWhimsy wrote: »I was under the impression that you didn't need to get very dark readings on the sticks, any reading at all is good because you're making excess and more excess isn't necessarily more beneficial. I don't know though, maybe I missed something.
That's reassuring. It would be nice to see a darker color just for reassurance but as long as im losing im a happy camper! (amazing how 1 pound lighter on the scale can make you feel so wonderful! - Today is a very good day!)
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I wonder if it was the BPC for breakfast yesterday that kept me going til 3pm that's got the scale moving down? Maybe theres something in this IF business b/c nothing else was seeming to work.
Mind you, ive only being doing keto for a very short time so it could just be keto in general that has started to work for me. Hmmm... i wonder.0 -
I'm so happy for you, @CoconuttyMummy! Especially because we were experiencing some "low carb flu" symptoms at the same time, I Have been reading your posts with great interest.
Congrats on getting the scale to budge! Have you been measuring yourself too, to see if you're losing cm/inches?0 -
Still think maybe you should get tested for Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). It's an antibodies test. The antibodies attack the thyroid & only definitive test is the antibodies one. My blood work comes back hypo & next time hyper. Sometimes low end of the ranges, sometimes high (that's the way this stupid disease affects me). I had majority of same symptoms as you. Am now on synthroid (for 16 yrs) but doses get changed regularly. With meds & this woe I am feeling much better. Hope this helps & hope you feel better soon.
I would too. My sister tested negative for Hash for a few years and then BAM did she ever test positive for it.0 -
mlinton_mesapark wrote: »I'm so happy for you, @CoconuttyMummy! Especially because we were experiencing some "low carb flu" symptoms at the same time, I Have been reading your posts with great interest.
Congrats on getting the scale to budge! Have you been measuring yourself too, to see if you're losing cm/inches?
Ahh, thanks sweetie. How are you doing? Are you starting to feel a little better too? I really hope so.
Yup i measured the other day and ive lost 1 inch off my waist and 1 inch off my hips, along with the 1lb weightloss i got this morning, so im really hopeful that things are moving in the right direction.
However, i had my BPC without chia seeds this morning and i was hungry by 11am, ate lunch then, hungry again at 1pm snacked then, and i'll be darned im still bloomin' hungry at 1.30pm. Not good. But im seeing my Dad, who lives 150 miles away, and my Aunt tonight so i dont want to feel yuck and out of energy, so i'll probably eat agaaain soon. Im hoping as long as i keep the foods strictly LCHF med/low protein and my carb macros remain below 20-25g these 'feed up' days hopefully wont have a negative impact, particularly as they seem to even out with low hunger days to follow. Hope im not kidding myself but i just feel like your body tells you when it needs more sustainance and maybe its OK to listen? Who knows. The scale will tell tomorrow i guess. So, good days and bad days satiation-wise, but i feel good in my self.
Tell you what might be making me hungry today - TMI, but my TOM just started very heavy, so maybe the hormones have an effect on hunger/cravings/?
And im definitely sticking with the chia seeds or hemp hearts in my BPC from now on, like in those Rocket Fuel Lattes for women. It might be a coincidence but i felt 200% more satiated and more level in mood, energy etc.
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