New to Keto and my stomach hurts :(
WeepingAngel81
Posts: 2,232 Member
Hi everyone! I am glad I found this group. I could use some help.
I am new to keto. This is days 6 for me, but in reality, fully following the diet for 3 days. I gave in to a couple of cravings the first couple of days. 4 days ago, my stomach started to bother me. It wasn't anything too terrible, just annoying. Then that night, I woke up with awful stomach pain! By morning it had subsided and became just annoying again. However, yesterday and today just plain suck. I did a lot of reading, and have been drinking a TON of water and added Powerade Zero, but the pain is pretty intense. At first I thought it was possibly constipation, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
After reading and learning that this is normal for many people on Keto, what are your thoughts and suggestions on getting through it? How long did this last for those of you who had stomach issues? I am nauseous, and I work 12 hour shifts for the next 5 days. I need to be able to get through work!
I am new to keto. This is days 6 for me, but in reality, fully following the diet for 3 days. I gave in to a couple of cravings the first couple of days. 4 days ago, my stomach started to bother me. It wasn't anything too terrible, just annoying. Then that night, I woke up with awful stomach pain! By morning it had subsided and became just annoying again. However, yesterday and today just plain suck. I did a lot of reading, and have been drinking a TON of water and added Powerade Zero, but the pain is pretty intense. At first I thought it was possibly constipation, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
After reading and learning that this is normal for many people on Keto, what are your thoughts and suggestions on getting through it? How long did this last for those of you who had stomach issues? I am nauseous, and I work 12 hour shifts for the next 5 days. I need to be able to get through work!
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If you don't have any health reasons not to, up your sodium intake. 3000 to 5000 mg per day is generally recommended. Some people need more. Powerade does not come close to enough. The more water or liquid you drink, the more sodium you will need to offset it.
Whenever I start feeling a little off, a cup of salty bullion with extra salt added fixes me up in 20 minutes max. Take some to work with you too. I carry boullion cubes in my purse, backpack, glove compartment. Salt doesn't bother me. I often just lick @1/2 tsp. out of my hand at home if I feel out of sorts.2 -
I agree with increasing electrolytes. Anytime I felt head-achey, gut-achey, crampy or otherwise unwell, I would drink some pickle juice. It felt like a magical cure all during those first few weeks of keto!! Also, take a magnesium supplement.
Could it also be too much fat? Some people go full-force on the fat bombs and bulletproof coffee, and that is not a wise move. Sometimes our bodies have a hard time processing too much fat, too fast. This can cause cramping or loose stool. Too much fibre can cause constipation. So maybe in addition to increasing electrolytes, just take a look at your food diary and see if you are getting too much more of one thing than your body might be used to?
I hope you feel better soon!
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What are you eating?0
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Probably about 1/2 teaspoon or less. I've found significant sodium variances in boullion. I recall McCormick had about 1100mg. Tone's has only 850mg. Some would say I should be more diligent and just.use.more.salt.period. but I happen to not be a fan of everything salty. During the heat of summer and taking walks outdoors, I do the "salt lick thing" before leaving the house but still have boullion cubes with me. I catch it early enough IMO.1 -
Thanks0
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Hi. I just saw this. I don't think it's actually normal on a keto diet to get awful stomach pain? Cramping yes. But I remember having awful stomach pain over 6 years ago. I think you should get your gallbladder checked. Just to be on the safe side. Especially if you are still in pain despite upping your electrolytes. JMO0
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Jigglypuff00 wrote: »Hi. I just saw this. I don't think it's actually normal on a keto diet to get awful stomach pain? Cramping yes. But I remember having awful stomach pain over 6 years ago. I think you should get your gallbladder checked. Just to be on the safe side. Especially if you are still in pain despite upping your electrolytes. JMO
This was my thought. Diets high in fat bring on gallbladder attacks. If this isn't the case it looks like there is a lot of good advice on this thread
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I could have sworn I responded to this, but definitely get the gallbladder checked out and look into digestive enzymes.0
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This same thing happened to me before I hit ketosis. It was painful but it went away. If you can, I seriously recommend that you do not give into cravings because it can make this keto flu last longer. I ate a lot of fats and drank water. The pain would go away within about 15mins of me chugging water and stuffing fats down my throat.0
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I have stomach cramps if I use too much MCT oil. 2 Tbs I am fine, 3 Tbs and about 3 hrs later I am in pain. Ditto for potassium.1
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Shannonigans84 wrote: »Jigglypuff00 wrote: »Hi. I just saw this. I don't think it's actually normal on a keto diet to get awful stomach pain? Cramping yes. But I remember having awful stomach pain over 6 years ago. I think you should get your gallbladder checked. Just to be on the safe side. Especially if you are still in pain despite upping your electrolytes. JMO
This was my thought. Diets high in fat bring on gallbladder attacks. If this isn't the case it looks like there is a lot of good advice on this thread
Well, it's obviously been a while since I came back to post an update, but yes, it was my gallbladder. I had some really awful and intense pain, and at first, I was told nothing was wrong since there were no gall stones found on an ultrasound. However, my CBC came back with elevated white blood cells. This was enough for the ER doc (on my 2nd ER trip) to order a PIPIDA scan. Not sure how many of you know what that is, I know I didn't, but it's a nuclear scan to check functionality of the gallbladder. Mine was not functioning properly and was removed last Friday. I guess it's been dying for a while, but I wasn't a high fat eater, so I never had enough issues that trigger pain.
The good news is, once my insides sette down, I will be able to attempt Keto again.1 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »What are you eating?
At the time that it was happening, I was eating avocado egg boats, with cheese and a bit of bacon for breakfast. I would drink coffee with heavy cream as well. Then for lunch and supper I was rotating meals. One day I was eating some sausage with carmalized onions and brussel sprouts, jalapeno popper chicken, mustard glazed pork chops with riced cauliflower, and "tacos" made with baked cheese taco shells. All of these were keto recipes I found on pinterest.
This was a pretty drastic uptake in fats for me!0 -
WeepingAngel81 wrote: »Shannonigans84 wrote: »Jigglypuff00 wrote: »Hi. I just saw this. I don't think it's actually normal on a keto diet to get awful stomach pain? Cramping yes. But I remember having awful stomach pain over 6 years ago. I think you should get your gallbladder checked. Just to be on the safe side. Especially if you are still in pain despite upping your electrolytes. JMO
This was my thought. Diets high in fat bring on gallbladder attacks. If this isn't the case it looks like there is a lot of good advice on this thread
Well, it's obviously been a while since I came back to post an update, but yes, it was my gallbladder. I had some really awful and intense pain, and at first, I was told nothing was wrong since there were no gall stones found on an ultrasound. However, my CBC came back with elevated white blood cells. This was enough for the ER doc (on my 2nd ER trip) to order a PIPIDA scan. Not sure how many of you know what that is, I know I didn't, but it's a nuclear scan to check functionality of the gallbladder. Mine was not functioning properly and was removed last Friday. I guess it's been dying for a while, but I wasn't a high fat eater, so I never had enough issues that trigger pain.
The good news is, once my insides sette down, I will be able to attempt Keto again.
@WeepingAngel81 - As you continue forward, please be sure to research digestive enzyme support. It took me several years on SAD, and then about 1 year on keto (no problems before hand) to reach the point where if I don't use enzymes (particularly with ox bile) with my meals, I'm in misery... Good luck!0
