Tiredness and low carbs

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lounpaul
lounpaul Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Is it normal to feel so tired when starting out on a low carb and high protein diet?
Headaches too!

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  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Only if you ignore the advice about electrolytes esp sodium. Add 2-3 grams per day of sodium to counter the loss from reducing insulin. Google "atkins flu" or "keto flu". Bouillon drinks are a common remedy.
  • lounpaul
    lounpaul Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks for the advice! :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Also to add on to yarwells comment, add foods high in potassium (dark leafy greens) as it will help balance electrolytes and it should be low carb high fat. You only need about .6-.8g of protein per lb of weight.
  • aeb09
    aeb09 Posts: 424 Member
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    Yes it's normal. Can last 3-5 days. Add back some electrolytes and increase your salt intake and it should clear up.
  • HealthierRayne
    HealthierRayne Posts: 268 Member
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    I don't really understand why people would want to eat so low carb that they get something labelled as "keto flu". That seems very backwards to me. I understand that low carb diets tend to see quick results on weight loss but personally I would never want to have zero energy and feel sick just to lose weight fast. (not to mention quick fixes tend not to last long term)

    Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

    Regardless, I hope you start to feel better soon!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Also to add on to yarwells comment, add foods high in potassium (dark leafy greens) as it will help balance electrolytes and it should be low carb high fat. You only need about .6-.8g of protein per lb of weight.

    +1 for this.
  • rmerrifi
    rmerrifi Posts: 14 Member
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    Your body will kick up ketone production soon and you'll feel right as rain. Stick it out!
  • lounpaul
    lounpaul Posts: 11 Member
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    HealthierRayne wrote: »
    I don't really understand why people would want to eat so low carb that they get something labelled as "keto flu". That seems very backwards to me. I understand that low carb diets tend to see quick results on weight loss but personally I would never want to have zero energy and feel sick just to lose weight fast. (not to mention quick fixes tend not to last long term)

    Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

    Regardless, I hope you start to feel better soon!

    If you knew how much carbs I ate before you probably wouldn't think that cutting back on carbs would be a bad thing.

    My choice to do this is also not about a quick fix either.

    I appreciate your comments are well intended however people try 'different' diets for different reasons.

    Regardless, I'm sure I'll feel better soon thank you
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited April 2016
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    HealthierRayne wrote: »
    Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

    Humans generally don't eat whole grains, that's why we have wind and water mills as historical artefacts. I've only seen pigeons eat whole grains, other birds ignore them and eat the other stuff I put out.

    Oh, you're a vegan. 'Nuff said.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    yarwell wrote: »
    HealthierRayne wrote: »
    Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

    Humans generally don't eat whole grains, that's why we have wind and water mills as historical artefacts. I've only seen pigeons eat whole grains, other birds ignore them and eat the other stuff I put out.

    Oh, you're a vegan. 'Nuff said.

    humans don't eat whole grains?
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    @lounpaul If you are feeling crampy along with your fatigue and headaches, magnesium may be the issue. Try a magnesium supplement that ends in -ate or an epsom salt bath!

    Also - look for a No Salt or Lite Salt - it has potassium in it, if you are having a hard time finding low carb potassium rich foods.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
    edited April 2016
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    SideSteel wrote: »
    yarwell wrote: »
    HealthierRayne wrote: »
    Carbs are not evil, protein is not this magical thing. Sensible eating where veggies and fruits and whole grains are not demonized seems much more reasonable.

    Humans generally don't eat whole grains, that's why we have wind and water mills as historical artefacts. I've only seen pigeons eat whole grains, other birds ignore them and eat the other stuff I put out.

    Oh, you're a vegan. 'Nuff said.

    humans don't eat whole grains?

    I immediately had the same response as we have been eating whole grains for thousands of years.
  • UncaToddly
    UncaToddly Posts: 146 Member
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    lounpaul wrote: »
    If you knew how much carbs I ate before you probably wouldn't think that cutting back on carbs would be a bad thing.

    I am right there with you LOL. Especially after finding out I was insulin resistant it was a double whammy with WAY too many calories and way more carbs than my body could properly process. I just punched in (for curiosity) a typical stop at Burger King for dinner and came in at 4047 calories and 351g of carbs. And that was just ONE meal. Basing it on that I was probably at around 8,000 calories and 600-800g of carbs per day. Amazing to think I am working to stay at roughly 10% of the high end of that.
    My choice to do this is also not about a quick fix either.

    Good for you and the same is true here. I didn't have a real issue with headaches or low energy or anything. That may have been a result of the eating frequency tied to training my body to use protein as the primary source of energy.

    In the past I would often eat all day long with high carb foods like cookies and chips and cake and bagels and such but getting more regimented with eating smaller meals/snacks that were high protein and low carb around every 2 hours made it FEEL like I was constantly eating. Ifyou aren't doing that, you might want to try that and see if it helps.

  • lounpaul
    lounpaul Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks for all your comments. Im going to try each suggestion and see what happens.

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