Taper or go all in?

jodiecrandall

I have tried low carb before and was met with terrible carb flu. I've read all the info on avoiding that so hoping for a better keto adaptation this time. I've never been successful as I can't get passed the carb flu!

I'm debating on a sloooow reduction of carbs vs. just dropping to under 20 overnight. Given my past history with carb flu, think that would be better for me?

Thinking I could start by dropping to 100 carbs for a few days and reducing 10 carbs a day or every other day until around 20-30.

Thoughts? Advice? I am stocking up on electrolytes and lite salt. And boullian! I did buy potassium and magnesium pills too!

Thanks in advance for you help!

Sunny_Bunny_

I'd go all in.
"Low carb flu" is literally nothing more than low sodium that can be corrected within 15 minutes of a symptom developing. It can be 100% prevented if you are diligent to get a very minimum of 3000-5000mg every single day and ONLY drink when thirsty.
Drinking extra water on purpose for no reason other than you believe you're supposed to will create further sodium loss. If you add even more sodium, you can do that, but if you're not, you will create the "keto flu" by making sodium deficiency even worse
The sodium NEEDS are serious and can cause a person to faint or become severely dehydrated no matter how much water they drink. If it just goes right through you because your sodium is too low to retain it, it's only making the problem worse.
Of "keto flu" is the only reason to hesitate going all in, there's no need to worry. Just get sodium.
Going slower doesn't stop low sodium from happening. It just makes the process much slower so you don't notice it until later once it's bad enough to present symptoms.

JohnnyLowCarb

sunny_bunny has the answer!

Sunny_Bunny_

No one should EVER just power through it. It is a symptom of low sodium that can actually land you in the hospital.
A woman in another group had her 13 year old hospitalized with metabolic acidosis caused by extreme dehydration because even though she was drinking "lots of water" because she was telling her mom she was thirsty all the time, she was very dehydrated. The woman shared the labs and her sodium was low as well as lower end of normal potassium. In that group, which is common for many of them, everyone stresses "get lots of water", "take potassium and magnesium" and almost no one ever mentions sodium.
Well the girls potassium and magnesium were fine and was drinking like a racehorse. What she wasn't doing was getting sodium. It's the only one that is actually REQUIRED to be supplemented, at least in the beginning. Everything else is optional. But mainstream view of sodium is "it's not good in large amounts and it's just salt. It's not a vitamin or anything." Nobody gives sodium the attention it really needs and people are paying for it with physical symptoms they believe are a "normal part of keto adaptation". No. It's not. It's sodium deficiency. That's literally all it is.

KnitOrMiss

Personally, that 150 gram and down level is a deadzone of no control for me. I dropped from 400+ carbs a day to 35 grams a day overnight, suffered no adaption issues, and my body acted as if a golden light of perfection shone on it - because low carb was what it needed. If you have control of steel, then step down. For me, diving right into the deep end was the only way I could control any aspect of it.

However, whatever foods you are removing from your dietary intake, be sure to keep in mind the micro-nutrients that you're removing from your intake and to add them back in through lower carb sources - or through supplements if necessary. Otherwise, nutrient deficiencies and previous undiagnosed health issues can surface and derail you... If any issue that pops up last longer than a day or is uncomfortable, be sure to check in here to ask about it, as someone else might have experience in resolving the issue...including when it's necessary and urgent to seek qualified medical care.