Starting Keto

I highly recommend this awesome group ...Feel free to join http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

Amazing people with lots of info

I am a keto'er my macros are 5% carbs (20g) 75% fat and 20% protein .........Also don't forget sodium (to avoid the keto flu) Its recommended to have 3000 to 5000mg daily ...(pickles, pickle juice ...I make mio , water, and 1 tsp of morton lite salt daily ....Also make sure you take magnesium ( I use magnesium citrate) it helps with leg/foot cramps...look at pinterest, dietdoctor.com, ruled.me and wickedstuffed.com for keto recipes/desserts
Wishing you the best

I really dislike the term "keto flu". It's really a completely preventable set of symptoms caused by an electrolyte imbalance. When you cut carbs, insulin goes down and it is insulin that causes water and electrolyte retention. That's why keto'ers often lose a few pounds of water in the first week.

Because you will lose electrolytes you will need to increase your sodium intake to replace the sodium you've lost. You'll need 3000-5000mg, or more, of sodium per day. To give you an idea of how much that is, there is 2300 mg of sodium in one teaspoon of table salt. If you add a teaspoon of salt to water, take salt tablets, drink broth, make keto-ade, and salt your food liberally, it should help you avoid the fatigue, headaches, nausea, weakness, BM issues, muscle aches and spasms that are caused by low electrolytes. Extra water does not actually help and may actually make it harder to balance your electrolytes.

Some ketro'ers find they have a very slight dip in energy in the first few weeks or months of a low carb diet, until they are fat adapted. It is not a large dip in energy and generally is not a problem for people. If you are planning a major competitive athletic event, you could notice a difference in performance. Say a 50 minute 10K instead of a 45 minute 10k race.

I went keto about two years ago. I ate about 1500 kcal per day and that included about 20g of carbs and 70-90g of protein. I lost the 40lbs I needed to lose in about 6 months, without exercise. My energy seemed to increase. At the very least, my energy leveled out. I no longer had dips of energy in the afternoon, or a couple of hours after eating. My appetite dropped quite a bit and my sugar cravings stays quite low as long as I avoid many carbs or sugars. It's a real blessing to no have food on the mind, or have light headedness and shakes because I have not eaten for 2 hours! LOL After about a month or two, I also noticed an alarming increase in cognitive clarity. I could think much better.... That's one disturbing improvement that will keep me low carb for life. Oh, and my blood glucose levels are very steady and much lower.

I'm now eating around 2000kcals. My weight is pretty steady. A very slow loss is still happening.

Try the group linked above. They're a helpful bunch.

Good luck.

BlackPantherChick123 wrote: »

So if increase my sodium intake, it should help with the fatigue? Bc the worst feeling is feeling weak while trying to workout, even with enough calories and protein. I'm very nervous about this new diet but I really need to change my habits and so I can feel good about myself. I just spent 5 days straight eating whatever the heck I want and I have no idea how many calories I ate. All I no is that I went carb crazy. I'm estimating 3-5k a day. I did do some hiking to help me out and before the trip, I followed a strict diet but it caused me heavy cravings for carbs and sugar and I end up binging. I feel huge because I also had like 3 carb and sugar binges before the trip and now this. I hope the keto diet helps me bc I want my physique back and be able to fit in my new clothes I got. I love to workout so my biggest worry is the sluggishness and weakness.

It should. Try teaspoons of salt in water and broth and give it a week or so.

The first day of two has a bit of an energy hit, but it goes quickly. There may be a mild energy dip if your electrolytes are balanced but nothing extreme.