Panic attack/rapid heart beat during exercise when beginning keto?
jpditano
Posts: 7 Member
Hi! On day seven of keto diet. Was feeling good until today -- went for a hike and felt extremely weak (mostly in my legs) and then very short of breath with rapid heart beat, excessive sweating, and strong feelings of anxiety. This went away after resting at the top of the mountain but once off the mountain I felt extremely nauseous and weak again. Symptoms went away after some salty broth and some berries/85% dark chocolate, but still feeling muscle fatigue. I have read that this might be reactive hypoglycemia. Has anyone else experienced this?
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IIRC, Drs.Phinney/Volek advise to stay away from strenuous exercise for the initial 4-6 weeks into keto. amount of time varies from person to person and partially depends on fitness levels. keto-adaptation is a stressful time for the body, as physiological responses start to alter.0
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For me, I got palpitations at night. This resolved with plenty of magnesium supplementation. Hope you get this fixed, but I agree with msmi that better to stick with resistance training until adapted. Changing your woe may be a stressor on your body until adapted, so avoid other stressors in the meantime :-)0
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Ok! Thanks! Planning to hike Katahdin July 3... hopefully all set by then!0
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Agree with the others.
I ran 5 km with a friend 4 days into my keto journeh and had a massive panic attack with racing heart that night. I'm now 6 weeks in and just finished a 5.5 km obstacle course run with no problems. So definitely don't push it the first little while.0 -
Hmm. So it does get better? As of today (day 11) I can't even climb two flights of stairs without burning in my quads and calves that goes almost to the point of not being able to contract the muscle. I am in decent shape and used to lift weights 3x week... Has been nearly impossible this week.0
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To get fully keto/fat adapted can take 4-12 weeks, depending on how aggressive your diet is on carbs, how broken your metabolism is/was, and other random individual body factors. Most people I know can get back to their previous normal exercise levels around week 3-4.0
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Ok! Guess I'll wait it out. I did pick up a Mg/Ca/Zn supplement.0
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IIRC, Drs.Phinney/Volek advise to stay away from strenuous exercise for the initial 4-6 weeks into keto. amount of time varies from person to person and partially depends on fitness levels. keto-adaptation is a stressful time for the body, as physiological responses start to alter.
Great advice above, and I experienced the same think. Volek's study of cyclists retested a 1 month and their performance was essentially unchanged to improved in 1hr max effort testing.
Best luck, jpditano! Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance is a really good read!
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Be sure to jack up your salt intake!0
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Be sure to jack up your salt intake!
Definitely working on it!
IIRC, Drs.Phinney/Volek advise to stay away from strenuous exercise for the initial 4-6 weeks into keto. amount of time varies from person to person and partially depends on fitness levels. keto-adaptation is a stressful time for the body, as physiological responses start to alter.
Great advice above, and I experienced the same think. Volek's study of cyclists retested a 1 month and their performance was essentially unchanged to improved in 1hr max effort testing.
Best luck, jpditano! Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance is a really good read!
Thanks, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that it is just still the adaptation phase!0 -
Today I broke down and had a cup of actual broth- it was the kitchen basics brand. Had sodium and potassium. I sucked it down w/ a straw to try and hide some of the taste. But within hours I felt like a new woman. My energy was back up and totally normal. Definitely recommend this over just salt water- at least for me. I think the potassium made a difference. Plan on choking down a cup daily.0
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Try putting some coconut oil in with the broth. I think it makes a super tasty fat bomb.0
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Hi! On day seven of keto diet. Was feeling good until today -- went for a hike and felt extremely weak (mostly in my legs) and then very short of breath with rapid heart beat, excessive sweating, and strong feelings of anxiety. This went away after resting at the top of the mountain but once off the mountain I felt extremely nauseous and weak again. Symptoms went away after some salty broth and some berries/85% dark chocolate, but still feeling muscle fatigue. I have read that this might be reactive hypoglycemia. Has anyone else experienced this?
When I read the first few sentences, this did sound like going low to me. I am diabetic, and pre-keto, I rather oftenly mis-applied my insulin (too much) and I would go low. All of the symptoms you listed are what happens when you go low.
The question to you would be, are you diabetic? If so, are you taking meds for it?
If not, I would check your electrolytes as everyone has said. Look at this website:
"Keto-flu" and Sufficient Intake of Electrolytes
Are You Having Charlie horse/leg cramps?
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan0
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