Nausea and headaches after 3 weeks
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KnitSewSpin
Posts: 147 Member
I have been low carb for three weeks now, starting my fourth week. I eat 20 net carbs, 70-75% fat, protein is usually about 80 grams per day, sometimes up to 100. I eat about 1400 cals per day. I am a 41 year old female, with 30 more pounds to lose.
I am still feel very nauseous every day. It is starting to make me doubt my low carb approach, although after several frustrating months of counting calories and not losing weight this seems to be the only thing that helps me lose weight so I don't want to stop.
Does keto make some people have nausea? I thought carb flu was supposed to go away after the first week but it's been three, almost four. Some afternoons I can't function. I do take a potassium supplement and use salt liberally. Any ideas?
I am still feel very nauseous every day. It is starting to make me doubt my low carb approach, although after several frustrating months of counting calories and not losing weight this seems to be the only thing that helps me lose weight so I don't want to stop.
Does keto make some people have nausea? I thought carb flu was supposed to go away after the first week but it's been three, almost four. Some afternoons I can't function. I do take a potassium supplement and use salt liberally. Any ideas?
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My carb flu lasts longer than the promised 2 weeks it's more like 4 weeks for me. I am 42...not sure if age has anything to do with it, but I thought it might ease some of your concerns to know you are not alone. Make sure you are getting in a lot of water to help detox. I have to watch my caffeine intake when LC too...I still have a cup a day, but I notice the effects of it more now than before.
Hope this helps a little bit. Hang in there!
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Make sure to get your water in daily, and try having a cup of chicken broth a day. Broth usually helps lessen the flu-like symptoms.0
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I've also noticed that I can only tolerate one shot of espresso where I would have three or four pre LC. I do try to drink broth but I hate how it tastes and it doesn't seem to make a difference with headache or nausea.
I will continue to low carb because it gets the scale to move for me. I can eat 1200 calories of low fat high carb for months on end and not lose weight. I can eat 1400 or more calories of LC and lose at least a pound a week.
I appreciate the suggestions and I'm glad to know it could take longer. My husband thinks it might be the splenda. i don't eat very much, usually just a teaspoon a day with breakfast, but I'm going to try to cut that out for a few days as well.
Thanks everyone!0 -
How much water are you drinking daily? Are you talking a multivitamin?
If you've gone from 4 espresso a day to just one, could you withdrawing from caffeine? That could cause the headache.
ETA are you eating/drinking anything with aspartame?0 -
When I was netting 20 - 30 carbs a day I made sure to eat every few hours to keep my energy up. If you get headaches eat some salt - that's really what the chicken broth is providing you - sodium.
Do these symptoms come on close to increased exercise? If so try to focus your carbs during your most active times of the day.
The more I exercised the more carbs I could eat and still lose so if you're active try increasing your carbs 5 - 10 grams a week and see if that helps. I stayed in keto with 50 - 75 grams but I work on my feet all day and am fairly active - YMMV.0 -
I drink a ton of water, I do take a multi plus potassium supplement. For exercise I walk 5-6 days a week, 30-60 minutes. I usually do pilates a few times a week, too.
I don't do any other artificial sweeteners and I'm taking a break from the Splenda to see if that makes a difference.
I'll try to take more salt, but I thought after the first week you didn't have to eat so much salt.
So far today I'm fine, no headache, or nausea, but usually that hits in the afternoon. Thanks for all the suggestions.0 -
I am almost a year in eating low-carb and I still will have the occasional days where I feel nausea or headachy, but I do noticed that if I haven't drank water enough or it is getting close to the end of the day I am still far from my daily 40g of carbs, these things will do that to me.0
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I was only nauseas in the first week / week and half. Probably because of all the fat, I wasn't used to that. The only think that I do sometimes get is that I'm a bit dizzy or feel weak. In the beginning I used to take some broth, but now I just add some salt to hot water and drink that. My mom thinks it's disgusting, but I don't really have a problem with it. I wonder if it might help with your headaches and nausea. Because dehydration can cause nausea and headaches, and when eating low carb and drinking a lot of water you don't hold on to much water anymore.0
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Louisette,
It's funny you just said that. I just was feeling nauseous so I put 1/4 tsp high potassium salt on my palm, licked it, and downed a bunch of water. I'm starting to feel better! I guess that is the trick. Also, I did cut out artificial sweeteners and I noticed that made a difference too.
My only question is do you have to keep eating extra sodium as long as you are low carb? Or does the body adjust?0 -
From "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" by Phinney and Volek.
Low carb diets are natriuretic - they make the kidneys dump sodium. Sodium deficiency can cause headache, dizziness and fatigue. With continued low carb intake and sodium restriction, at some point your kidneys start to excrete potassium in order to conserve sodium. Potassium deficiency can lead to muscle cramps, cardiac dysrythmia. it can also cause the body to lose muscle, even when there's plenty of protein in the diet.
On keto, we should consume 3-5 g sodium per day. Broth is the easiest solution.
There's a separate Phinney and Volek presentation that identifies 2 g sodium / day, so I'm thinking that the 3-5 g / day is during initial phase of LC, and the 2 g / day is once you've become keto adapted. Be sure to also supplement magnesium and potassium. For potassium, consider using Lite Salt, which is potassium and sodium. For magnesium, I like Slo-Mag. I've also used Saltstick, which are tablets with sodium, potassium, and magnesium, in the proportion your body loses these during exercise.0 -
I am having difficulty too, and am trying what everyone suggests and it's not working. I have had the headaches and have been very gassy, and on top of everything, not losing any weight for about 10 days. *sigh* let me know if anything works for you! I am trying to revamp.0
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I second, third or...forth? the recommendation of broth. I was constantly nauseous until I made it a daily drink (I haven had mine yet and I'm not feeling so good). I also add salted butter, which makes it creamier and I couldn't stand it in my coffee.0
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I've been forcing myself to drink broth twice a day and the problem is totally gone. In fact, I get a really good feeling from drinking broth all around. It's growing on me.. I buy Better Than Bouillon from the coop. One big teaspoon in hot water twice a day. I was starting to get heart palpitations and those are gone, too.
I should add that I found out artificial sweeteners make me really nauseous and it helped to cut those out, too.0 -
I keep carbs at about 50 grams a day but eat the carbs as quinoa for breakfast only so that by night time, the carbs are through. so for night time I'm in ketosis regardless.0
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I had nausea and lightheadedness with Keto, and I believe that it was low BP due to a salt deficiency common to Keto.
Check out this article: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/1b89uv/science_avoiding_keto_flu_explained/0 -
I've been doing the low-carb ketogenic diet for a few months now and occasionally, I still experience nausea and headaches when I haven't had enough water/salt.
Chicken broth with olive oil usually helps me or even salty water. I usually feel better within minutes!0
