I'm worn out by 7-8 PM and in bed. I may not go to sleep right away, but I am tired enough to. I get up at 6 mostly sometimes a bit earlier. I'm only about a week in, but I have noticed I am more tired earlier in the evening.

monmyrunmommy wrote: »

Also, I am supplementing with Potassium, Magnesium and ALA daily. Any advice? Thanks!!

You mention potassium and magnesium, but what about sodium. Sodium is really the only one that matters. If you get sufficient sodium, you won't lose potassium. You also won't feel fatigued, and you won't suffer from the "flu."

Potassium is inside cells. Sodium is outside cells. Together they're used to maintain osmotic and ion charge gradients across cell membranes.

If you get insufficient sodium, your body starts dumping potassium to maintain the balance.

Salting your food is insufficient. You need up to 5 grams a day, which is like 2.5 teaspoons of salt. Soup is a great source since it usually contains about 1g of sodium per serving.

You dump sodium when you produce ketones. Your body maintains blood sodium concentration by lower blood volume (less blood = higher sodium concentration). Low blood volume is what makes you fatigued (and light-headed, and headache prone, e.g. "the flu").

The sodium problem is the biggest problem people have with this diet. It's explained well by Phinney and Volek if you like to read books.

No insult intended. You really have to love to read science to get through Phinney and Volek. It's targeted towards physicians, and even docs seem to resist reading it.

But I also mention it because everybody who doesn't read P&V tend to suffer through the "flu," and it's really a shame since it's so easily preventable.

The fatigue, headaches, feeling lightheaded, brain fog are what the Keto flu symptoms are. This is the single most advised thing on this board hands down. I didn't have any "carb flu" symptoms because I luckily had come across info about the sodium needs before I started and got A LOT extra right from the start. But even with that, I later had terrible leg cramps because I still wasn't quite getting enough! I had to get at least 5g at times to stop the cramps, 3 or 4 grams just wasn't enough and that's more salt than I could ever get from salting food or having just one cup of broth. The volumes of required sodium are so underestimated. It's very different from the carb life. Lol
Another thing that could boost energy would be to have some MCT oil if you're not already. That would mostly boost mental energy and relieve any degree of brain fog.
One question comes to mind since you mention that you start out tired until you're awake for a bit. Are you diabetic, pre-diabetic or insulin resistant at all? I ask because I'm wondering if blood sugar might be higher in the morning which is fairly common in those cases and you might not be making as many ketones until later because of the insulin response that would create. Just another idea to consider.