Keto Flu
Options
xosummerrainxo
Posts: 112 Member
Can I get some quick ways to get out of the keto flu? I've done this way of eating for quite some time but my keytones are measuring higher than they have ever been. And I've had a headache that just won't go away. I normally don't have trouble with this but I've tried everything. Any quick fixes to help myself alleviate this without completely ruining everything and having some high-carb cookies? LOL. I tend to suffer from migraines but I'm thinking maybe this is the keto flu since I am recently starting to lose weight again and cannot get rid of these headaches for over a week now. Any help would be definitely appreciated. Thank you
1
Replies
-
The launch pad has a thread on it. Keto aid is the way to go, I hear. I don't know how to link the thread here, sorry, but it's stickied at the top of the page.3
-
More salt or drinking broth usually helps. Probably not Keto flu if you've been in ketosis for weeks but you might be low on sodium or potassium. Cookies probably wouldn't help either - you'd just get a sugar headache and then maybe Keto flu when you started over again. If you feel increased carb levels would help try having half an apple slices with some peanut butter or cheese rather than going for the cookies2
-
Honestly I'm not really sure what this is. I've had a headache for about a week. Ketone levels just started showing in the urine sticks this past week or so. The headaches just aren't going away. So I was thinking it could be related. I appreciate the suggestions. I will definitely try those.1
-
Salt, salt and salt. When I get a headache, I add a teaspoon of salt to water. It usually helps. If I still hurt, I have another. Others prefer to drink broth a few times per day and others use salt tablets.
Electrolyte imbalance (low sodium, which causes low potassium and low magnesium) is the main cause of the keto flu. That fatigue, headache, brain fog, nausea, muscle aches and spasms are all mostly preventable. The only thing that seems impossible to avoid is a slight dip in energy (especially during workouts) in the first few days or weeks of LCHF as your body adjusts to using some ketones.
The headache means you need sodium. I wouldn't believe it at first and suffered quite the headache/migraine because I feared salt. I felt pretty goofy once I added salt an it went away. :blush. You need 3000-5000 mg of sodium per day if you've really dropped your carbs. A teaspoon of salt is about half of that.2 -
^^^^^this, this, and then read this again. Salt. Drink salty water, pickle juice, olive juice, bouillon....get the salt up and the headache will go.1
-
@xosummerrainxo my first two weeks were very hard because I went off sugar and all forms of all grains cold turkey and at the same time was very heavy into coconut oil. The first 90 days was a steep learning curve and I am still learning two years later. Everyone is giving good advice but it was only after I got the magnesium thing kind of figured out did things smooth out for me.
Because my long term pain levels of 7-8 dropped to a 2-3 in just 30 days it was a low brainer to stick with LCHF but it took time.
Welcome to MFP forums and best of success.
1 -
Sodium gets my vote too. I was extremely reluctant to add it but it works. My fav is a McCormick's chicken boullion in water and (usually) 1/2 tsp of table salt. My 1st sign of needing additional salt isn't a headache but rather "clamminess"/sweating. Hope you're feeling better by now.1
-
Keto flu is nothing more than low sodium (electrolytes).
If you don't start supplementing sodium from day 1 you will likely have the symptoms. By the time you get symptoms, your sodium is low enough that magnesium is being dumped as well so you need that also.
If you drink a lot of water, you need even more sodium. If you sweat a lot or are very active, you'll need even more too. DAILY NEEDS can actually be 6000, 8000 mg or more, for some people.
1
This discussion has been closed.