Keto depression
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My guess is low electrolytes too.
When you cut carbs you lose water and electrolytes in glycogen and because insulin falls (which help control water and electrolyte retention). Most keto'ers need at least 3000-5000+ mg of sodium a day to replace what you've lost. If not, the most common symptoms are fatigue, moodiness, headaches, stomach upset, BM issues, muscle weakness and spasms.
There is 2300 mg of sodium in 1 tsp of salt. I would try half a teaspoon of salt twice a day with water, plus liberally salting your food, as soon as possible. If that is the issue, it could resolve within hours.
It is possible that keto is causing it, or it is completely unrelated, but my guess is low sodium. Get more. It can't hurt unless you have kidney disease.
Good luck.
Some people have problems with keto that are something other than just the stock answer of "your electrolytes were too low".16 -
Hi everyone, I'm on my second week of the keto diet and have lost 2.3kg so far. I don't have any sugar spikes anymore but I seem to be feeling so low (depressed, sad,empty) can it be linked to my diet? I struggle to get enough fat and fibre in..I was wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same? I'm not sure if it's sugar withdrawals...would appreciate if I can get some opinions! Thanks
If I couldn't eat carbs, I would feel depressed, sad, and empty too. Are you doing keto for a specific reason or just because it seems like a good way to lose weight? You can eat the things you like and still lose weight. You just have to track your calories and ensure you eating in a defecit.9 -
Here is a Q&A on how dieting/ changing macronutrient ratios can lead to increased depression through modification of serotonin levels.
https://bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/carbohydrate-intake-and-depression-qa.html/
Which reminds me that one thing that has been found consistently with keto is that it tends to raise cortisol. I wonder if that could lead to the kinds of feelings OP reported, at least in some people? I would think it would be more likely to cause anxiety, but wouldn't rule it out.
People with depression have been found to have elevated cortisol, but I don't know if they know yet if that is a potential *cause* of depression or one of the results of it. Either way, it's something to consider if you're on a diet that is known to raise cortisol levels.6 -
Here is a Q&A on how dieting/ changing macronutrient ratios can lead to increased depression through modification of serotonin levels.
https://bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/carbohydrate-intake-and-depression-qa.html/
Interesting read, thanks for posting.
As I was reading, I wondered if taking 5-HTP would help, and sure enough it was one of the recommendations.
The OP is only two weeks in, however, so simply doing that may not suffice - in her case not doing keto might be a better plan.6 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Here is a Q&A on how dieting/ changing macronutrient ratios can lead to increased depression through modification of serotonin levels.
https://bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/carbohydrate-intake-and-depression-qa.html/
Interesting read, thanks for posting.
As I was reading, I wondered if taking 5-HTP would help, and sure enough it was one of the recommendations.
The OP is only two weeks in, however, so simply doing that may not suffice - in her case not doing keto might be a better plan.
As someone who has suffered mental health issues and seen the battles of watching a loved one battle, with suicide as an end result there is no way I'd stay on a diet which affected my state of mind, especially when science has proven said diet is no more effective with weight loss than one with higher carbs.
Science has shown that carbs affect the bodies production of serotonin. Science has shown that low serotonin levels are linked to depression. Keto won't affect everyone with these low levels of serotonin but if you are one where it does then don't persevere. Increase your carbs, even if just to the point of low carb rather than keto. Your mental health has priority.
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My guess is low electrolytes too.
When you cut carbs you lose water and electrolytes in glycogen and because insulin falls (which help control water and electrolyte retention). Most keto'ers need at least 3000-5000+ mg of sodium a day to replace what you've lost. If not, the most common symptoms are fatigue, moodiness, headaches, stomach upset, BM issues, muscle weakness and spasms.
There is 2300 mg of sodium in 1 tsp of salt. I would try half a teaspoon of salt twice a day with water, plus liberally salting your food, as soon as possible. If that is the issue, it could resolve within hours.
It is possible that keto is causing it, or it is completely unrelated, but my guess is low sodium. Get more. It can't hurt unless you have kidney disease.
Good luck.
Some people have problems with keto that are something other than just the stock answer of "your electrolytes were too low".
Yes. That's why I wrote:It is possible that keto is causing it, or it is completely unrelated8 -
My guess is low electrolytes too.
When you cut carbs you lose water and electrolytes in glycogen and because insulin falls (which help control water and electrolyte retention). Most keto'ers need at least 3000-5000+ mg of sodium a day to replace what you've lost. If not, the most common symptoms are fatigue, moodiness, headaches, stomach upset, BM issues, muscle weakness and spasms.
There is 2300 mg of sodium in 1 tsp of salt. I would try half a teaspoon of salt twice a day with water, plus liberally salting your food, as soon as possible. If that is the issue, it could resolve within hours.
It is possible that keto is causing it, or it is completely unrelated, but my guess is low sodium. Get more. It can't hurt unless you have kidney disease.
Good luck.
Some people have problems with keto that are something other than just the stock answer of "your electrolytes were too low".
Yes. That's why I wrote:It is possible that keto is causing it, or it is completely unrelated
It is possible that keto is causing it, or it is completely unrelated, but my guess is low sodium.
It is all about context. He's right, you know.12 -
sad and depressed? I'd go off of the diet. that's me.5
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if keto could make my health issues so bad to where I thought my body was shutting down and I was ready for hubby to take me to the ER then its possible it can cause depression.7
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karenlfarmer wrote: »Here is a good article:
https://www.self.com/story/this-is-what-eating-carbs-actually-does-to-your-body
Yeah, this article is full of untruths. While the brain does require glucose to function, as the article states, that glucose doesn't have to come from carbs you ingest. The body is capable of breaking down fats to make glucose - that's what the keto diet is about. Although many, if not most people would miss carbs if they gave them up, they are not essential for survival.6 -
QFT. Exactly this^^^Lillymoo01 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »Here is a Q&A on how dieting/ changing macronutrient ratios can lead to increased depression through modification of serotonin levels.
https://bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/carbohydrate-intake-and-depression-qa.html/
Interesting read, thanks for posting.
As I was reading, I wondered if taking 5-HTP would help, and sure enough it was one of the recommendations.
The OP is only two weeks in, however, so simply doing that may not suffice - in her case not doing keto might be a better plan.
As someone who has suffered mental health issues and seen the battles of watching a loved one battle, with suicide as an end result there is no way I'd stay on a diet which affected my state of mind, especially when science has proven said diet is no more effective with weight loss than one with higher carbs.
Science has shown that carbs affect the bodies production of serotonin. Science has shown that low serotonin levels are linked to depression. Keto won't affect everyone with these low levels of serotonin but if you are one where it does then don't persevere. Increase your carbs, even if just to the point of low carb rather than keto. Your mental health has priority.
5
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