Feeling weak on keto

betsy0426
betsy0426 Posts: 14 Member
edited November 23 in Introduce Yourself
I started Keto on Sunday I’m feeling really good about my Decision and I’m eager to see the weight come off. My question is, in the morning I am feeling very weak and shaky is there something I should or could eat before bed that might help with this?
I will add some details about me
I’m 5’4” 175lbs
I am exclusively nursing a 5 month old baby. And I am drinking just over a gallon of water a day.

Replies

  • betsy0426
    betsy0426 Posts: 14 Member
    I also used a keto test strip last night and it came back really dark.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    Feeling weak and shakey is usually a sign you're not getting enough of something. How much are you eating a day and what weight loss goal did you enter into MFP?
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    First, how many calories are you eating per day? Second, what did your doctor recommend with transitioning to keto while exclusively nursing?
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Salt. You need a lot more sodium when carbs and insulin are low, at least 3000-5000 mg a day. (2300mg of sodium = 1 tsp salt.) low sodium causes fatigue, headaches, nausea, BM issues, moodiness, muscle aches and spasms.

    It could also be signs of falling blood glucose levels when the brain is not yet adapted to running on ketones (and few ketonesare available yet). Because you are nursing, you may want to ease into the transition slowly to make it easier on you.

    You could also consider the bio-hack of taking MCT oil which converts readily to ketones which is a good source of brain fuel. This way your brain stops thinking it has hit the wall. Coconut oil has MCTs in it but it can cause the runs if you take too much of it too fast. Exogenous ketones like those made by Pruvit may help at first too.

    You could also wait it out. If it is due to low glucose in the brain, it will pass once you start making more ketones, often with 1-3 days. You can speed up the process with exercise or fasting... But I would not go too extreme as a nursing mother.

    Good luck. :)
  • travelmore86
    travelmore86 Posts: 2 Member
    Sounds like a case of the keto flu! I've done it in the past and experienced similar symptoms. A few issues mistakes I've made in the past while doing keto, include 1) not getting nearly enough calories (it's amazing how much you can actually eat in order to get the proper amount of calories when just doing proteins/veggies/nuts-I was so tired of eating), 2) making sure you really do get enough salt since you run low on electrolytes and 3) making sure you are getting enough fat. Especially if you're going to workout-having a little bit of a snack with fat while help fuel your workout.

    Usually about 3 days in is when I started to get the symptoms and after a week they cleared up. But of course, while nursing, do talk to your doctor about it and making sure keto is the right fit.
  • betsy0426
    betsy0426 Posts: 14 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    Salt. You need a lot more sodium when carbs and insulin are low, at least 3000-5000 mg a day. (2300mg of sodium = 1 tsp salt.) low sodium causes fatigue, headaches, nausea, BM issues, moodiness, muscle aches and spasms.

    It could also be signs of falling blood glucose levels when the brain is not yet adapted to running on ketones (and few ketonesare available yet). Because you are nursing, you may want to ease into the transition slowly to make it easier on you.

    You could also consider the bio-hack of taking MCT oil which converts readily to ketones which is a good source of brain fuel. This way your brain stops thinking it has hit the wall. Coconut oil has MCTs in it but it can cause the runs if you take too much of it too fast. Exogenous ketones like those made by Pruvit may help at first too.

    You could also wait it out. If it is due to low glucose in the brain, it will pass once you start making more ketones, often with 1-3 days. You can speed up the process with exercise or fasting... But I would not go too extreme as a nursing mother.

    Good luck. :)
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    Salt. You need a lot more sodium when carbs and insulin are low, at least 3000-5000 mg a day. (2300mg of sodium = 1 tsp salt.) low sodium causes fatigue, headaches, nausea, BM issues, moodiness, muscle aches and spasms.

    It could also be signs of falling blood glucose levels when the brain is not yet adapted to running on ketones (and few ketonesare available yet). Because you are nursing, you may want to ease into the transition slowly to make it easier on you.

    You could also consider the bio-hack of taking MCT oil which converts readily to ketones which is a good source of brain fuel. This way your brain stops thinking it has hit the wall. Coconut oil has MCTs in it but it can cause the runs if you take too much of it too fast. Exogenous ketones like those made by Pruvit may help at first too.

    You could also wait it out. If it is due to low glucose in the brain, it will pass once you start making more ketones, often with 1-3 days. You can speed up the process with exercise or fasting... But I would not go too extreme as a nursing mother.

    Good luck. :)

  • betsy0426
    betsy0426 Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you all so much I have been adding sea salt and pink Himalayan salt to everything I eat. I am not getting enough calories I did eat more fat bombs today. And I will have a salty snack before bed. I ordered MCT today so hopefully that will help.
  • betsy0426
    betsy0426 Posts: 14 Member
    Good news! I ate four fat bombs before I went to bed last night and felt great when I got up this morning. The bad news is it took forever to fall asleep and then the baby was up three times
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    betsy0426 wrote: »
    Thank you all so much I have been adding sea salt and pink Himalayan salt to everything I eat. I am not getting enough calories I did eat more fat bombs today. And I will have a salty snack before bed. I ordered MCT today so hopefully that will help.

    Just salting food may not be enough. Perhaps try the broth?
  • gigielshafei
    gigielshafei Posts: 1 Member
    Hi Betsy.. have u tried MCT oil? I have thyroid and before using that I used to wakeup very hard.. you can put in your morning smoothie.. cook eggs with it or put it in a hot drink.. also add more salt in your food (organic or hymalayan) or eat pickles and drink lots of water if you feel low.. best of luck dear
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    I am really nervous about the fact that you are nursing. Admittedly, I have no knowledge about keto & nursing, but I know making a wholesale change in your diet is going to affect a nursing baby, even if it's just a reaction to the change. Have you researched exactly how many calories you need to maintain your milk supply and are you not pursuing (or accidentally achieving) too steep of a calorie deficit? Be sure to talk to your doctor and put that baby's needs first! Wish you both well :)
  • lwjcybil8
    lwjcybil8 Posts: 2 Member
    Make sure you are getting plenty of potassium and magnesium. I also drink beef broth when I start to feel like that and within 30 mins I'm better!
  • betsy0426
    betsy0426 Posts: 14 Member
    My babies needs always come before mine. I actually am hopeful that this diet will help her gain weight she is currently in the 1st percentile at 12lbs and 5months old. I thought the high fat diet might help her. I am drinking over a gallon of water a day and my milk supply has increased. I did a lot of research about doing keto while nursing and I talked to a lactation consultant that was fully on board with the idea.
    In the past three years I have given birth to two babies and gone through 5 miscarriages. During that three years I gained 40lbs.
    I did order some mct oil on amazon I expect it will be here tomorrow. I felt great today! Thank you all for the advice.
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