KETO / LCHF RASH - How to get rid of it?
Options
Replies
-
EbonyDahlia wrote: »I've been keto for several years, and I remember having some itchiness in the early days. I read somewhere it was something to do with the fat excreting from your skin creating a histamine effect when you first switch from sugar burning to fat burning. It didn't last long though, and I think adjusting my macros a bit for more protein and a little less fat helped.
Yeah I also read that some foods, like mushrooms, that we include in the diet are high in histamine and since your body is low in carbs, somehow it can't fight it as well and it causes the rash, lol! There are so many theories! And your idea of increasing protein is great! I don't understand why people increase carbs instead of protein... But I hope you are right and it goes away!! Thank you sooo sooo much !
It's largely because proteins can drive the insulin response similar to carbs, and there is a huge fear that protein (as it can convert to glucose) will kick you out of ketosis. But I think it's more fear than reality because most people can definitely hit 1g of pro/lb of lbm without an issue.
Also, most people (not all) can increase case to about 40-50g and still stay within ketosis, especially if you are working out.
It makes sense to me... I'm going to try it this way !! Thanks again !!!
0 -
psuLemon beat me to it.
I can be around 40 and still be in Keto. The wiggle room is admittedly really really nice. ;D Good luck!!!! 2 -
It could be coincidental?0
-
I would say stop the diet for a couple weeks and see if it goes away. Is the seriously diet more important than getting rid of the rash? If it doesn't go away then you can go back to the diet and the fern will have more info to help find a solution.5
-
crooked_left_hook wrote: »I would say stop the diet for a couple weeks and see if it goes away. Is the seriously diet more important than getting rid of the rash? If it doesn't go away then you can go back to the diet and the fern will have more info to help find a solution.
I ’d like to reserve adding carbs back into my diet as a last resort because of all the benefits I've seen in my body, mood, energy, focus... and I've lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks eating delicious things! My rash doesn't bother me and it's small... My bf's rash is very very bad, and huge and everywhere, he feels the same benefits too with the diet, that's why we were looking for alternatives... He will increase carbs
1 -
crooked_left_hook wrote: »I would say stop the diet for a couple weeks and see if it goes away. Is the seriously diet more important than getting rid of the rash? If it doesn't go away then you can go back to the diet and the fern will have more info to help find a solution.
I ’d like to reserve adding carbs back into my diet as a last resort because of all the benefits I've seen in my body, mood, energy, focus... and I've lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks eating delicious things! My rash doesn't bother me and it's small... My bf's rash is very very bad, and huge and everywhere, he feels the same benefits too with the diet, that's why we were looking for alternatives... He will increase carbs
Keep in mind the first several weeks is largely going to be glycogen/water depletion...
But you can definitely add a bit of carbs back into the equation to see if it helps... but you still have room to stay in ketosis.5 -
Incidentally, I did under 20g of carbs for about 4 years. In the last 3 months I've increased it to a 40g target, but under 50g as a hard target. I am still in ketosis - probably because I've been fat adapted for so long but it means I can spoil myself with a few things like pumpkin and blueberries 2
-
What? No. The fact "Keto rash" is rare means it is less likely that this rash has anything to do with your diet, and more likely that it's just a coincidence. Rashes just happen randomly. If people in our household started getting rashes on their backs around the same time, the first suspect would be the laundry detergent. Manufacturers change recipes sometimes without warning and they can cause reactions. It's happened to us more than once. Or perhaps you're adding more detergent than you need to the wash, or the machine isn't rinsing properly.
It's a big assumption that the Keto diet is the cause, imo. You seem very convinced that it is but I can't see why.4 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »
What? No. The fact "Keto rash" is rare means it is less likely that this rash has anything to do with your diet, and more likely that it's just a coincidence. Rashes just happen randomly. If people in our household started getting rashes on their backs around the same time, the first suspect would be the laundry detergent. Manufacturers change recipes sometimes without warning and they can cause reactions. It's happened to us more than once. Or perhaps you're adding more detergent than you need to the wash, or the machine isn't rinsing properly.
It's a big assumption that the Keto diet is the cause, imo. You seem very convinced that it is but I can't see why.
Yes, I'm convinced that is related to Keto, although our rashes are different, the only thing we have change is the food... He does his laundry and I do mine we don't mix it either, same detergents, same amount, machine is relatively new... And we've researched a lot and people gets rid of it by increasing carbs 
0 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »
What? No. The fact "Keto rash" is rare means it is less likely that this rash has anything to do with your diet, and more likely that it's just a coincidence. Rashes just happen randomly. If people in our household started getting rashes on their backs around the same time, the first suspect would be the laundry detergent. Manufacturers change recipes sometimes without warning and they can cause reactions. It's happened to us more than once. Or perhaps you're adding more detergent than you need to the wash, or the machine isn't rinsing properly.
It's a big assumption that the Keto diet is the cause, imo. You seem very convinced that it is but I can't see why.
If people only change one variable (the diet), wouldn't you make that assumption first, especially if this is something that has been discussed in the community prior. The OP isn't the only person who switched to keto and got a rash. The only thing I can say, is take one of the couple off the rash to see if it goes away. If it's laundry detergent or another variable in the house, than the rash won't subside for either.4 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »
What? No. The fact "Keto rash" is rare means it is less likely that this rash has anything to do with your diet, and more likely that it's just a coincidence. Rashes just happen randomly. If people in our household started getting rashes on their backs around the same time, the first suspect would be the laundry detergent. Manufacturers change recipes sometimes without warning and they can cause reactions. It's happened to us more than once. Or perhaps you're adding more detergent than you need to the wash, or the machine isn't rinsing properly.
It's a big assumption that the Keto diet is the cause, imo. You seem very convinced that it is but I can't see why.
If people only change one variable (the diet), wouldn't you make that assumption first, especially if this is something that has been discussed in the community prior. The OP isn't the only person who switched to keto and got a rash. The only thing I can say, is take one of the couple off the rash to see if it goes away. If it's laundry detergent or another variable in the house, than the rash won't subside for either.
The thing is that skin chemistry is immensely complicated, so you've never changed just one variable.2 -
ronjsteele1 wrote: »I do not understand why they say this is rare. Of the people that I know that have done keto about half end up with this rash. That's not "rare" in my mind. If they stick it out it eventually goes away but that can take a long while. Of those I've known that have had it, it has taken as long as several months to go away. I'm not a keto person but from what I've seen, it's harmless.
Lol this thread is really selling this diet.12 -
Eat some carbs5
-
UPDATE:
My SO increased carbs 3 days ago, and the rash is disappearing!! It's like magic!
He added to the diet a cup of sweet potatoes chips (homemade with butter), he's super happy!! He says once the rash is gone, he will start lowering the carbs until finding a balance... (he started farting again )
My rash was very tiny and is pretty much gone by now! I stopped fasting and started eating more, but still keeping my macros and grams of carbs controlled.
*** Thank you so much to everybody that have tried to help us! Really appreciated! ***
8 -
UPDATE:
My SO increased carbs 3 days ago, and the rash is disappearing!! It's like magic! He added to the diet a cup of sweet potatoes chips (homemade with butter), he's super happy!! He says once the rash is gone, he will start lowering the carbs until finding a balance... (he started farting again )
My rash was very tiny and is pretty much gone by now! I stopped fasting and started eating more, but still keeping my macros and grams of carbs controlled.
*** Thank you so much to everybody that have tried to help us! Really appreciated! ***
Thanks for the update, was wondering how things were going with you guys 1 -
If it's a histamine issue, you may need to take an antihistamine to break the cycle. Taking diphenhydramine (Benedryl) should take away the itch and start to fade the rash. It might make you sleepy, but it should give you relief.2
-
cnurenasue wrote: »If it's a histamine issue, you may need to take an antihistamine to break the cycle. Taking diphenhydramine (Benedryl) should take away the itch and start to fade the rash. It might make you sleepy, but it should give you relief.
He took some antihistamine and it didn't work, also applied calamine lotion and it didn't stop the itch... Only thing that works is increasing carbs! It's like magic, I swear!3 -
cnurenasue wrote: »If it's a histamine issue, you may need to take an antihistamine to break the cycle. Taking diphenhydramine (Benedryl) should take away the itch and start to fade the rash. It might make you sleepy, but it should give you relief.
He took some antihistamine and it didn't work, also applied calamine lotion and it didn't stop the itch... Only thing that works is increasing carbs! It's like magic, I swear!
The power of carbs is strong!!!10 -
"Our goal for our macros were 75% fat 25% Protein and 5% Carbs"
I know I'm late but, I think you might have a rough time meeting these goals.
2
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 393 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 937 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions