Is it common to have fatigue 6 months into low carb diet?
Replies
-
On Monday this week I went back to my original macros, and this morning guess what, I woke up really hungry and with a swimmy head. I had a protein shake ASAP and was on route to the gym and I felt tired and had slight blurry vision (this always happens before a migraine with aura is to come on). I drank tons of water and kept the migraine at bay but I felt light headed and couldn't do the exercises I had planned. I felt really bummed.
So my question to you all is - do you think after a while your body adapts to a diet and perhaps just wants something more? I know every body is different but I am wondering if my body wants more carbs?
The dehydration results in low blood volume (not necessarily low blood pressure). The dehydration is caused by sodium losses. All you have to remember is "water follows sodium."
The sodium losses are due primarily to ketone losses. The fewer carbs you ingest, the more ketones and sodium you lose in your urine.
As you've discovered now multiple times, the fix is simple: more sodium to replenish the losses, or more carbs to stop the losses.
The losses are highest in the first week, so yes, there is some adaptation. But if you've been at a consistent carb level for 6 months, you've probably adapted as much as you're going to. Either replace the lost sodium, or prevent the losses by keeping your carb intake higher.
Most nutritionists and doctors don't (yet) understand this, but they will as low-carb becomes more popular.
2 -
Thank you @wabmester - the interesting thing is that my nutritionist also works as a personal trainer (not mine, he owns the gym though) and they don't call it a keto diet (or at least didn't to me) but definitely use the low carb high protein formula to help people get leaner. According to him he'd never had a client who ended up with a sodium (or magnesium or potassium) deficiency after following macros and food intake similar to mine. His suggestion was to play around with the numbers and see what works for me.
@Sarahb29 do you know how one goes about carb cycling? I am not concerned about staying in ketosis - I was mainly doing low carb/high protein on recommendation from my trainer. My goal was to be leaner but eventually get stronger - so strength training is my ultimate goal. I am close to my goal weight - oh the last 3 lbs - so maddening to feel like this at this point. I adopted this diet as a short term strategy and then was going to follow up with trainer/nutritionist to check in on new macros/calories once I reached my goal weight.0 -
Not Sarah, but here is a link on the different kinds of ketogenic diets, such as cyclic ketogenic diets aka carb cycling.
http://www.ruled.me/3-ketogogenic-diets-skd-ckd-tkd/
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/cyclical_ketogenic_diet.htm0 -
Thank you @wabmester - the interesting thing is that my nutritionist also works as a personal trainer (not mine, he owns the gym though) and they don't call it a keto diet (or at least didn't to me) but definitely use the low carb high protein formula to help people get leaner. According to him he'd never had a client who ended up with a sodium (or magnesium or potassium) deficiency after following macros and food intake similar to mine. His suggestion was to play around with the numbers and see what works for me.
Him not seeing it and recognizing it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, nor that his macros didn't prompt it in some people. Odds are good that it was the reason some of his former clients dropped out of his programs. That's not to say his program is bad, just that a number of people experience something less than 100% positive, blame the system, say it "doesn't work" for them, and find a new one, instead of doing the necessary tweaking.3 -
Thank you @samanthaluangphixay ! I will read the two links.0
-
Dragonwolf wrote: »Thank you @wabmester - the interesting thing is that my nutritionist also works as a personal trainer (not mine, he owns the gym though) and they don't call it a keto diet (or at least didn't to me) but definitely use the low carb high protein formula to help people get leaner. According to him he'd never had a client who ended up with a sodium (or magnesium or potassium) deficiency after following macros and food intake similar to mine. His suggestion was to play around with the numbers and see what works for me.
Him not seeing it and recognizing it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, nor that his macros didn't prompt it in some people. Odds are good that it was the reason some of his former clients dropped out of his programs. That's not to say his program is bad, just that a number of people experience something less than 100% positive, blame the system, say it "doesn't work" for them, and find a new one, instead of doing the necessary tweaking.
^^This.
I eat at a similar carb level as you (typically in the 50-80 grams/day range), and while I don't have *as severe* symptoms as my SO does with the sodium losses, I do still get them. (He eats less carbs than me and also works outside in a physical job). I agree that the reason you are experiencing them now and not when you started is because it is a lot warmer now.
Work on getting your electrolytes balanced, you likely need a lot more sodium/magnesium/potassium than you have been getting. Then if you don't start to see an immediate improvement, see a doctor.1 -
Do you think now that my body is getting close to my goal weight I should up the calories I am eating (keeping macros the same) for my level of exercise - 4 to 6 hrs a week (gym and on my feet)? I was reading this page http://www.tingfit.com/lose-fat-reduce-body-fat-percentage-basic-math/ and after using the tools there my recommended calorie intake should be 1472/day. Then I used the MFP guided setup to see what the app would say and to loose 0.5lbs/week at my current weight in order to reach 126 lbs -- it also recommends eating 1500 calories/day. My only concern is that I have been eating 1290 calories all this time and ultimately weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit so I don't want to end up gaining weight. Any thoughts on this?0
-
According to him he'd never had a client who ended up with a sodium (or magnesium or potassium) deficiency after following macros and food intake similar to mine.
It's not really a "deficiency" (but it can develop into one). Your body compensates. How does it compensate for sodium losses? By dumping water. That keeps the sodium concentration in the blood the same as before.
How does it compensate for the loss of water while trying to maintain blood pressure? By constricting blood vessels.
So the end result is that you have narrow "garden hoses" delivering blood to tissue when you used to have big fire hoses. It still works most of the time. Not so well during exercise. Not so well when you stand up from a sitting position.
Blood tests won't show it. Only the symptoms let you know what's happening: light-headedness, fatigue, and headaches.
BTW, carb cycling is probably the worst thing you can do. You'll feel great on the high-carb days, but your body will have to re-adapt to low-carb each week. It'll be like Groundhog Day -- you'll keep reliving the "flu" symptoms.3 -
Do you think now that my body is getting close to my goal weight I should up the calories I am eating (keeping macros the same) for my level of exercise - 4 to 6 hrs a week (gym and on my feet)? I was reading this page http://www.tingfit.com/lose-fat-reduce-body-fat-percentage-basic-math/ and after using the tools there my recommended calorie intake should be 1472/day. Then I used the MFP guided setup to see what the app would say and to loose 0.5lbs/week at my current weight in order to reach 126 lbs -- it also recommends eating 1500 calories/day. My only concern is that I have been eating 1290 calories all this time and ultimately weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit so I don't want to end up gaining weight. Any thoughts on this?
How much weight loss are you currently seeing?
If 1500 is the number of calories where you should lose .5/week, then the number where you would stay the same weight would be 1750 calories. I'm in the camp of not being militant about the 1290 calories.0 -
@deksgrl I have been losing approx 0.25/0.5lb a week (at the end of 3 - 4 weeks I drop a solid pound). When I started this routine and entered my weight in MFP (140 lbs in Jan) I went for the calorie intake that was recommended 1290. But today when I entered my current weight at 129 lbs I suggested 1500 calories.
How do you adjust your calories?0 -
Do you log exercise? Because MFP will give you the calorie goal necessary if you did not do any exercise and then add more calories when you exercise. Also, these calorie calculators are estimates, it doesn't mean that your body burns exactly that many. And another thing to consider is accuracy in measuring, logging. This is another reason I'm not militant about counting calories because I know that I estimate, I do not use a food scale for accuracy. As long as I am losing at a reasonable rate (and it sounds like you are), or I am staying the same and not gaining, then it is all good. Since you are losing .25 to .5 pounds a week, it sounds like you are doing fine with exactly what you are doing.0
-
@pjoh127
You are asking a lot of questions, as i mentioned before, for someone without an Open Diary. You have gone from your Dr to your Nutritionist to your trainer and back here with the same basic questions.
You are 3 pounds from goal, which actually means you're "at goal".
Why not try the additional balancing of your electrolytes for a couple of weeks and then think about "tweaking"..... salt/magnesium/potassium.
Good Luck @pjoh127 and do know that overall you're doing a wonderful job with fitness & weight control.
Thanks @wabmester, have very much enjoyed reading your clear and concise explanations for our WOE.1
