Keto Flu? TMI?

RebeccaMaunder

I am curious about what symptoms other have had with the "keto flu". About 2 weeks ago I thought I had the flu and then last night and into today I seemed to have another flu. I am not sure if it is the keto flu as in withdraw from carbs or if I am actually sick or a combination of both. I did have a bit of a fall off the wagon and ate a lot of stuff I shouldn't have. I am trying to learn not to be hard on myself about it, but if what I am feeling is withdraw then I don't have to be hard on myself my body is doing it for me. So I will give you the symptoms... yesterday was day two of really getting back on track and my tummy was hurting and I started getting bowl issues, this morning I was shaking violently and throwing up, but after sleeping for a few hours and taking some gravol I was ok again. I've had a headache but other than that I am feeling much better.

Please share your thoughts. Thank you

anglyn1

I never threw up but I was nauseated for a few days. I was headachy and just felt tired AND blah. Drinking broth helped a ton so try and see if that helps you!

My husband tried keto for two weeks and never got over the flu...I think he was eating too little fat and skirting the line with carbs myself but I'm not sure. Anyhow he kept getting diarrhea, headaches, and fatigue.

ettaterrell

Try broth with extra salt, you have to get almost double salt with this Woe. I didn't get the so called keto flu and I think it's because I've already eaten lots of salt. I did however get migraines for awhile until sunny bunny told me to up my salt and shortly there after the head aches stopped

GaleHawkins

There are so many things that can make us feel bad it is really hard to know what is keto related or not.

High ketone levels = Flu Feeling in my case I have learned by testing.

The last 2 days I was really feeling like I could not get one foot in front the other. Yesterday about noon it came on strong again. I blew a .082 on my $15 ebay meter which was a record high (.030-.060 normal range). Using the Precision Xtra blood glucose tested 84 and blood ketone level was a record 4.0 when it is more around the 1-2 range even when it ketosis.

Within an hour after taking 30 grams of protein powder I was blowing .000 on the meter but did not have my meter to test blood levels.

This morning after 10 hour fasting I blew a .030 and my blood meter reported BG of 98 and 2.1 on blood ketone level. I feel much better with ketone levels < 2.5

Others may be different but high ketone levels makes me feel like I have the flu or something like it. The blood meter cost me $25 (some get them free) and each ketone test strip cost me $1.50 USA off of eBay. In my case it would be impossible to do keto in an informed way if just guessing at blood ketone levels. Normally I test once every 1-2 months.

Because I needed to grasp my blood glucose/ketone levels due to some blood work test reports I have tested 10 times in the past 30 days.

It was good to learn that in my case I feel like I have the flu if my blood ketone levels get up much over 2.0 reading.

It was good to learn that my fasting glucose levels will drop 15-20 points within 1 hour after I eat breakfast.

Sunny_Bunny_

It's hard to say if it's Keto related or from something else for sure. But, if you're getting a minimum of 3000mg of sodium, getting enough magnesium either from diet or supplementation and are at least minimally hydrated, it's at least slightly less likely to be related to electrolytes. Still doesn't completely rule it out. Could be your needs are just higher than the basic minimums. That takes experimenting. It also requires consistency though. Sometimes we might be on point with the balance but then have a day we aren't and feel all whacky again and tend to think "but I've been doing all the things..." In reality, we did all the things up until the day we started feeling cruddy again.
It's definitely likely that you've been teetering on the fringe of Keto and on the fringes is a tough place to be. You can even be on the fringes if your total carbs are less than 30. Some people find that eating "faux foods" and "Keto desserts" on a regular basis prevent them from achieving the Keto benefits they hear others talking about and teetering like that, prevents real adaptation from happening, which is where the more consistent feelings of balance and overall well being seem to happen.
The first month is most successful, in my opinion, if absolutely no sugar, other than what is in green leafy vegetables, and no grains at all are eaten. I also personally think introducing any Keto desserts and "faux foods" (bread replacements made from nut flours), should wait for at least a month and even then, are best saved for holidays and special occasions. Waiting on those things lets you fully adapt and not have any possible interference. It takes a major amount of will power, but most commonly, it starts to become easier and easier week by week until you don't have to rely on will power to keep away from those things. This isn't true to this extent for everyone, of course, but it typically is, at least to a degree that helps a lot more than not doing it that way.
So that could be one possible answer. It's also possible that your calories are generally too low. I don't know if you used one of the calorie calculators or not. I'll have to grab you a link. But maybe look into that to be sure.
A big possibility though, I think, is nutrition. Your most common foods aren't giving you a lot of nutrients. The things that are providing your largest amount of calories, aren't providing much else besides those calories. You could be experiencing some deficiencies. If you aren't a big fan of eating more meats and fish and/or green veg, I think you may benefit from some supplementation. I know it's a lot to balance, but there's so much more to it than just reducing calories and getting enough healthy fats.
Don't let all this stress you though. Adjustments are just part of the process no matter what your diet choice. Changing things up to see what happens and that kind of experimenting teaches us a lot of valuable information about our bodies. The changes you've made so far, have taught you that you are able to maintain a greater calorie restriction and I know that's previously been very challenging. So now, you have some new stuff going on.
Try to look at it as, it's time to make another adjustment and see where that leads you in a few weeks. As the months go by, the pounds will drop and you will learn so much about how to properly care for your unique body. If you are able to view the process in a healthy way like this, it won't waver your commitment to your long term success. Try to view any "setbacks" as data instead of failure. Then think about ways to get more productive data going forward.
You are doing all the right things by seeking answers and help and being honest with yourself. That's a huge success in itself.

Christine_72

I agree with the possible lack of proper nutrition... I had a quick scan of your diary and I don't see anything healthy in there. I don't mean to offend, but I think i wouldn't feel too well eating like that everyday.

RebeccaMaunder

Thank you. Totally not offended. I'm still learning and I know some days are better than others. I've made lots of mistakes but I've also learned so much. I'm not stopping at this as I've already seen so much happen I just need to figure out some stuff. I know I need to add in more veggies, which is hard for me as I don't like much. I'm not a dark meat or skin person so I have trouble with that. I just need to figure it out and I'm not sure what all that means. I keep checking out the diaries of others and doing as much reading as I can. I figure every step is better than no step. If you have suggestions I would love to hear them. Especially if you have suggestions for when you are out and need quick food. I live in Ontario and we seem to have less available options in some senses but I'm sure we've still got lots to work with.

totaloblivia

@RebeccaMaunder you have a great attitude - with an open, learning mind, you can achieve anything!

ettaterrell

I never leave the house with out a snack because I don't want to eat out and waist calories on high crap fast food (I do love it though lol). My go to for snacks to take is string cheese (now that it's colder and doesn't melt) and beef jerky. Anything that I can just stick in my purse for a quick fix till I get home... You have the right mind set, keep reading and don't be afraid to message people in here that's had success... I learned the most from them!!

KarlaYP

If you don't like veggies, why not stick with a primarily meativore woe, and throw dairy in too if preferred. I did this for several months and earned most of my success by doing so. Its just recently I've added in more veggies (more being twice a week, instead of once or none), so I am still considering myself meativore. I eat foods from the animal kingdom, and dairy. Easy to do, and you adapt very quickly to burning fat for fuel. Just a suggestion! Best of luck, and we are here, no matter what!

lithezebra

If you're looking for low carb vegetables, broccoli and cauliflower are both delicious tossed with olive oil and salt, and roasted until they're a bit carmelized and brown. They turn out best if you dry them really well before adding the oil. It's to get fat, because you can be generous with the olive oil, and salt, because they're yummy with a good sprinkling of any kind of salt you prefer.