Tiredness and low carbs

lounpaul

Is it normal to feel so tired when starting out on a low carb and high protein diet?
Headaches too!

yarwell

Only if you ignore the advice about electrolytes esp sodium. Add 2-3 grams per day of sodium to counter the loss from reducing insulin. Google "atkins flu" or "keto flu". Bouillon drinks are a common remedy.

lounpaul

Thanks for the advice!

psuLemon

Also to add on to yarwells comment, add foods high in potassium (dark leafy greens) as it will help balance electrolytes and it should be low carb high fat. You only need about .6-.8g of protein per lb of weight.

aeb09

Yes it's normal. Can last 3-5 days. Add back some electrolytes and increase your salt intake and it should clear up.

HealthierRayne

I don't really understand why people would want to eat so low carb that they get something labelled as "keto flu". That seems very backwards to me. I understand that low carb diets tend to see quick results on weight loss but personally I would never want to have zero energy and feel sick just to lose weight fast. (not to mention quick fixes tend not to last long term)

Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

Regardless, I hope you start to feel better soon!

Sabine_Stroehm

psulemon wrote: »

Also to add on to yarwells comment, add foods high in potassium (dark leafy greens) as it will help balance electrolytes and it should be low carb high fat. You only need about .6-.8g of protein per lb of weight.

+1 for this.

Sabine_Stroehm

HealthierRayne wrote: »

I don't really understand why people would want to eat so low carb that they get something labelled as "keto flu". That seems very backwards to me. I understand that low carb diets tend to see quick results on weight loss but personally I would never want to have zero energy and feel sick just to lose weight fast. (not to mention quick fixes tend not to last long term)

Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

Regardless, I hope you start to feel better soon!

I have to wonder...if someone came on and posted that they had recently given up caffeine and sugary sodas and felt bad (tired, headaches), would you suggest they go back to caffeine and sugary sodas? Or would you suggest they maybe taper down...
If someone came on and posted that they felt bad (tummy aches) from adding vegetables, what would you suggest? Don't eat vegetables? I doubt it. I think you'd probably suggest: start slowly, your body will get used to the change etc.

Dietary changes can leave one feeling unwell at first. As can new exercise routines...

When I first went on my low CRAP diet, and cut drastically back on added sugars and heavily refined carbs, I felt pretty icky. Someone suggested adding beans to several meals a day and voila, I felt great! I'm glad they didn't suggest I go back to eating all the crap.

cheers

rmerrifi

Your body will kick up ketone production soon and you'll feel right as rain. Stick it out!

lounpaul

HealthierRayne wrote: »

I don't really understand why people would want to eat so low carb that they get something labelled as "keto flu". That seems very backwards to me. I understand that low carb diets tend to see quick results on weight loss but personally I would never want to have zero energy and feel sick just to lose weight fast. (not to mention quick fixes tend not to last long term)

Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

Regardless, I hope you start to feel better soon!

If you knew how much carbs I ate before you probably wouldn't think that cutting back on carbs would be a bad thing.

My choice to do this is also not about a quick fix either.

I appreciate your comments are well intended however people try 'different' diets for different reasons.

Regardless, I'm sure I'll feel better soon thank you

yarwell

HealthierRayne wrote: »

Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

Humans generally don't eat whole grains, that's why we have wind and water mills as historical artefacts. I've only seen pigeons eat whole grains, other birds ignore them and eat the other stuff I put out.

Oh, you're a vegan. 'Nuff said.

SideSteel

yarwell wrote: »

HealthierRayne wrote: »

Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

Humans generally don't eat whole grains, that's why we have wind and water mills as historical artefacts. I've only seen pigeons eat whole grains, other birds ignore them and eat the other stuff I put out.

Oh, you're a vegan. 'Nuff said.

humans don't eat whole grains?

sammyliftsandeats

@lounpaul If you are feeling crampy along with your fatigue and headaches, magnesium may be the issue. Try a magnesium supplement that ends in -ate or an epsom salt bath!

Also - look for a No Salt or Lite Salt - it has potassium in it, if you are having a hard time finding low carb potassium rich foods.

psuLemon

SideSteel wrote: »

yarwell wrote: »

HealthierRayne wrote: »

Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

Humans generally don't eat whole grains, that's why we have wind and water mills as historical artefacts. I've only seen pigeons eat whole grains, other birds ignore them and eat the other stuff I put out.

Oh, you're a vegan. 'Nuff said.

humans don't eat whole grains?

I immediately had the same response as we have been eating whole grains for thousands of years.

UncaToddly

lounpaul wrote: »

If you knew how much carbs I ate before you probably wouldn't think that cutting back on carbs would be a bad thing.

I am right there with you LOL. Especially after finding out I was insulin resistant it was a double whammy with WAY too many calories and way more carbs than my body could properly process. I just punched in (for curiosity) a typical stop at Burger King for dinner and came in at 4047 calories and 351g of carbs. And that was just ONE meal. Basing it on that I was probably at around 8,000 calories and 600-800g of carbs per day. Amazing to think I am working to stay at roughly 10% of the high end of that.

My choice to do this is also not about a quick fix either.

Good for you and the same is true here. I didn't have a real issue with headaches or low energy or anything. That may have been a result of the eating frequency tied to training my body to use protein as the primary source of energy.

In the past I would often eat all day long with high carb foods like cookies and chips and cake and bagels and such but getting more regimented with eating smaller meals/snacks that were high protein and low carb around every 2 hours made it FEEL like I was constantly eating. Ifyou aren't doing that, you might want to try that and see if it helps.

lounpaul

Thanks for all your comments. Im going to try each suggestion and see what happens.