How quickly did the low carb flu start for you
mountainrun73
Posts: 155 Member
So I just started the low carb journey in earnest yesterday. I wasn't eating super high-carb prior, but decided to reduce my fruit and eliminate grains for a while to help with weight loss and hopefully seasonal allergies (which this year have lasted all spring and summer and now into fall) as well as IBS.
Today I feel like I have a cold. I knew to expect that, but wasn't expecting it so soon (2nd day in). Sipping on some bouillon right now and starting to feel a bit better already.
Just curious how soon after starting low carb others got the low carb flu (if at all) and your favorite ways to ease the discomfort.
Sorry I'm kinda new to this, though have been dipping my toes in the low carb/primal waters for a while now and reading a lot in this group. Thanks in advance
Today I feel like I have a cold. I knew to expect that, but wasn't expecting it so soon (2nd day in). Sipping on some bouillon right now and starting to feel a bit better already.
Just curious how soon after starting low carb others got the low carb flu (if at all) and your favorite ways to ease the discomfort.
Sorry I'm kinda new to this, though have been dipping my toes in the low carb/primal waters for a while now and reading a lot in this group. Thanks in advance
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Day three was the worse for me0
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I didn't do cold turkey. I was lowering my carbs slowly
before I found this group. Went I got to about 5% carbs
I was already drinking bouillon so I avoided the flu.
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KenSmith108 wrote: »I didn't do cold turkey. I was lowering my carbs slowly
before I found this group. Went I got to about 5% carbs
I was already drinking bouillon so I avoided the flu. OR
Good to know - how much bouillon/day? I am amazed at how quickly and well it worked! Still congested, but that's the "seasonal" allergies that haven't ceased this year! My energy perked back up after about 15 minutes.
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I think it hit me by the second day. I was tired, sort of weak, and had a headach. Keep up the bullion.
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Days 4-6. The rest aren't that bad. I don't remember which ones got me the first time, though. But I'm pretty sure even if I felt bleh on other days, I still got it the worst on 4-6.0
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mountainrun73 wrote: »KenSmith108 wrote: »I didn't do cold turkey. I was lowering my carbs slowly
before I found this group. Went I got to about 5% carbs I was already drinking bouillon so I avoided the flu. OR
Good to know - how much bouillon/day? I am amazed at how quickly and well it worked! Still congested, but that's the "seasonal" allergies that haven't ceased this year! My energy perked back up after about 15 minutes.
I replaced my coffee at coffee break with bouillon.
It's the salt I'm really after, the soup just tastes good.
On the weekends I usually skip it. OR
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mountainrun73 wrote: »Sipping on some bouillon right now and starting to feel a bit better already.
Yay! The salt will set you free! (Of flu, that is.)
I never had it bad. Some weird sinus thing. Mild headache. Mild fatigue. And lightheadedness. Especially after exercise. Eventually, I figured out that the more salt I had, the less severe the symptoms I had. It took me a while to understand why that is.0 -
I think it was during week 2 for me. I felt exhausted, lightheaded and had bad cramps in my calves. I started drinking chicken broth, pickle juice and purchased some magnesium and potassium supplements.0
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it hit quickly (by the end of the first day), was at its worst the second day and part of the third, and I had patches of feeling fine the end of the third day. I was feeling great by the end of the fourth day, and so was my husband. We did very low carb though (always under 15 net, usually under 10). We started the vitamins a few days beforehand though.0
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Thanks everyone for your responses! My symptoms are just feeling tired and like I'm battling a head cold/flu. Which is tough to tell if it's anything other than my allergies flaring.
@110challenge and @nvmomketo - I am so glad I'm not alone in getting it so quickly. @wabmester - "The salt will set you free" LOL!!!!!! This is my new mantra. You also mentioned the importance of sodium in another thread (which is how I remembered that bouillon is recommended in a couple books I've read on low carb)
@Jbarnes1210 - I've been taking magnesium to help with sleep off and on for a few months, so glad to hear that will help - I'll start taking it nightly for now. And I was getting potassium from bananas, so may have to supplement since they're so high in carbohydrate. And pickle juice!!! Of course! What a fabulous excuse to eat pickles and drink the juice.
Seriously, the people in this group are so helpful on all of the threads I've checked out! Thank you!0 -
I never had any symptoms at all. I managed to avoid it altogether. I had already gone without candy, my only carb problem really, for an entire month before I started Keto. I had not cut any other carbs at all until the day I started.
I didn't have a lot of broth, maybe every other day... I got most of my sodium from pickles, olives and pickle juice. I love pickles! Always have! And I was fully on the bacon bandwagon so I was eating quite a bit of that too. And of course adding salt to all foods. I don't think I ever felt any of the "flu" symptoms until I started walking. I would come back feeling dehydrated and again, pickle juice would fix me right up!0 -
I felt mildly light-headed for about 1 hour on the fourth day. Apart from that - nothing!0
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Day 2 for me. Broth is a godsend. And tons of water. And well, coffee. Coffee makes everything better.0
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inspirationstation wrote: »Day 2 for me. Broth is a godsend. And tons of water. And well, coffee. Coffee makes everything better.
Okay, that's when it seemed to hit me (yesterday). Today I feel a bit better. And yes, coffee makes everything better! I can't believe how much water I'm drinking - I always try to drink about 64oz/day, but I drank almost 100 oz yesterday!
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Day 2. Felt like garbage and had a migraine for a week. So awful {shudder}.0
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Day 2 and 3 were the worst for me. I had also eliminated caffeine so I was going through caffeine withdrawal. Chicken broth and dill pickles were my saviour. lol0
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Seems like the keto flu really sneaks up on folks who don't expect it. As in "what the heck is going on with me?!?"
It also seems like it can be largely avoided by salt / broth in good quantities from day 1. There are still symptoms because your body is changing, but definitely mitigated by salt / broth intake.0 -
Something that seems to happen quite often is "drinking a lot water", but that means you need even more salt. There is a balance of sodium and water to feel right. Lots of water and normal sodium levels dilutes it and can produce the same feeling as if the sodium level were low. Just be aware of this. Drink all the water you want, but keep the balance in mind.0
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For those of us who don't like salt on our food.
Morton"s Lite Salt is pretty good & a good source
of potassium.
Sunny_Bunny started me on this.
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KenSmith108 wrote: »For those of us who don't like salt on our food.
Morton"s Lite Salt is pretty good & a good source
of potassium.
Sunny_Bunny started me on this. OR
I'm going to have to check into this just because I never get enough potassium even how much I get in my coffee and the supplements are stupid. Each one is %3 of my daily needs.0 -
KenSmith108 wrote: »For those of us who don't like salt on our food.
Morton"s Lite Salt is pretty good & a good source
of potassium.
Sunny_Bunny started me on this. OR
Im glad it's helping you too. I love it. It's super easy and way cheaper than buying more supplement pills.0 -
Chew gum while you work!0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Something that seems to happen quite often is "drinking a lot water", but that means you need even more salt. There is a balance of sodium and water to feel right. Lots of water and normal sodium levels dilutes it and can produce the same feeling as if the sodium level were low. Just be aware of this. Drink all the water you want, but keep the balance in mind.
As a runner, I've heard of people getting hyponatremia during marathons, especially in hot weather due to high intake of water and not replenishing sodium. I'll make sure to track that. I have been drinking a lot of water (more than my usual 64 oz)
Day 4 today, and feel ok - yesterday I was SUPER cranky and pretty low energy. I'm going to try running this morning to erase the crankiness. Hopefully, I have enough energy!
My favorite salt to put on food is himalayan pink sea salt. It supposedly has more minerals than regular table salt.0 -
Never really noticed Keto Flu. I did carb reduction very gradually, not intentionally, it just took some time to figure out the right foods. I also like the pink sea salt and ate high sodium fish - kippers, sardines, smoked salmon, etc. all along. Leg cramps are still my bain if I don't pay attention. The magnesium suggestion helped.0
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mountainrun73 wrote: »
As a runner, I've heard of people getting hyponatremia during marathons, especially in hot weather due to high intake of water and not replenishing sodium.
Last December I ran a quarter marathon. I finished up, drank a bottle of water, and promptly blacked out. Thankfully, I was there pretty much by myself and no one noticed. I googled the symptoms after I got home (since this was my third or fourth time passing out after a workout), and found hyponatremia. Apparently, it can get you if you take NSAIDs before a run. Long story short, eat your salt, and be careful of working out after you've taken a pain pill.
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@slimzandra, don't forget potassium too. I was taking magnesium and getting sodium in but was still having leg cramps at night, sometimes to the point of feeling sore for a few days like a pulled muscle. I broke down and added a potassium supplement too and haven't had any more leg cramps! I guess I am the type who will always have to supplement.0
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