First day of keto. Feel sick

24

Replies

  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I'd bet money that what you felt was low electrolytes, mainly low sodium. Symptoms of low electrolytes are headaches, fatigue, brain fog, moodiness, stomach upset and BM issues, muscle weakness and possibly muscle spasms.

    When you cut carbs your insulin drops. Insulin is partially responsible for water and electrolyte retention. Most will lose water weight and sodium once insulin starts falling. You need to replace those lost electrolytes with at least 3000-5000 mg of sodium a day. For reference, there is 2300 mg of sodium in a teaspoon of salt. Eating a half teaspoon of salt a couple if times a day will help. Others prefer to have a couple cups of salty boullion, drink pickle juice, take salt tablets, or make their own salty Mio "keto-aide". There is usually no need to worry about taking too much sodium as your kidneys will excrete any excess, caution may be needed if you gave kidney problems but not if you are healthy.

    Also, early on in ketosis, you with use your glycogen stores which may take days to fully replace. You'll lose additional water and sodium with that.

    If you do not take care of sodium, you'll start leeching magnesium and potassium out of your body and they may get low too.

    I know it seems like a lot, but if you look into some reliable sources, you'll see it repeated.

    It is possible that too much fat too fast could cause some stomach upset and diahrrea, especially coconut oil. If you increase fat slowly over a week or month, that will not be an issue though.

    Good luck. I've been keto for a few years to control my blood glucose and help with other health issues. Happily it made weight management rather effortless for me too. I wish you the same success.
  • TheHuff_
    TheHuff_ Posts: 39 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I'd bet money that what you felt was low electrolytes, mainly low sodium. Symptoms of low electrolytes are headaches, fatigue, brain fog, moodiness, stomach upset and BM issues, muscle weakness and possibly muscle spasms.

    When you cut carbs your insulin drops. Insulin is partially responsible for water and electrolyte retention. Most will lose water weight and sodium once insulin starts falling. You need to replace those lost electrolytes with at least 3000-5000 mg of sodium a day. For reference, there is 2300 mg of sodium in a teaspoon of salt. Eating a half teaspoon of salt a couple if times a day will help. Others prefer to have a couple cups of salty boullion, drink pickle juice, take salt tablets, or make their own salty Mio "keto-aide". There is usually no need to worry about taking too much sodium as your kidneys will excrete any excess, caution may be needed if you gave kidney problems but not if you are healthy.

    Also, early on in ketosis, you with use your glycogen stores which may take days to fully replace. You'll lose additional water and sodium with that.

    If you do not take care of sodium, you'll start leeching magnesium and potassium out of your body and they may get low too.

    I know it seems like a lot, but if you look into some reliable sources, you'll see it repeated.

    It is possible that too much fat too fast could cause some stomach upset and diahrrea, especially coconut oil. If you increase fat slowly over a week or month, that will not be an issue though.

    Good luck. I've been keto for a few years to control my blood glucose and help with other health issues. Happily it made weight management rather effortless for me too. I wish you the same success.

    Wow thank you so much! Such a thorough and informational post. I really appreciate it
  • TheHuff_
    TheHuff_ Posts: 39 Member
    Try out cauliflower rice as a replacement for normal rice - alternatively there is a ‘zero rice’ type product similar to the miracle noodles (made out of non digestible starch so v low cal/carb)

    Doing that alone may significantly reduce your carb intake if you have a mainly rice based diet.

    Also, as @psuLemon mentioned you can focus more on increased protein rather than added fat. I follow a lazyish keto protocol (carbs 10-50) The only ‘intentional’ fat I add is when I have cream with berries (because it’s delicious). Every time I’ve checked on medical urinalysis/ketone blood testing strips I’ve been in ketosis (I don’t bother checking now because I’m not doing it for a medical reason - purely because it’s an enjoyable way of eating for me).

    Good luck

    I went and bought some cauliflower today! Thanks so much for your response
  • qweck3
    qweck3 Posts: 346 Member
    I'd suggest joining the Keto group on MFP. Not saying the information here is right or wrong but they can help you with a general consensus of regular practicers of Keto. There are a few diabetics on there as well.

    I've used Keto and am off pills completely with an average 3 month blood sugar of 104. It works in controlling diabetes but many tweaks will need to be done to get to your fit.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I'd bet money that what you felt was low electrolytes, mainly low sodium. Symptoms of low electrolytes are headaches, fatigue, brain fog, moodiness, stomach upset and BM issues, muscle weakness and possibly muscle spasms.

    When you cut carbs your insulin drops. Insulin is partially responsible for water and electrolyte retention. Most will lose water weight and sodium once insulin starts falling. You need to replace those lost electrolytes with at least 3000-5000 mg of sodium a day. For reference, there is 2300 mg of sodium in a teaspoon of salt. Eating a half teaspoon of salt a couple if times a day will help. Others prefer to have a couple cups of salty boullion, drink pickle juice, take salt tablets, or make their own salty Mio "keto-aide". There is usually no need to worry about taking too much sodium as your kidneys will excrete any excess, caution may be needed if you gave kidney problems but not if you are healthy.

    Also, early on in ketosis, you with use your glycogen stores which may take days to fully replace. You'll lose additional water and sodium with that.

    If you do not take care of sodium, you'll start leeching magnesium and potassium out of your body and they may get low too.

    I know it seems like a lot, but if you look into some reliable sources, you'll see it repeated.

    It is possible that too much fat too fast could cause some stomach upset and diahrrea, especially coconut oil. If you increase fat slowly over a week or month, that will not be an issue though.

    Good luck. I've been keto for a few years to control my blood glucose and help with other health issues. Happily it made weight management rather effortless for me too. I wish you the same success.

    You don't replace liver glycogen.. if you did, your body wouldn't produce ketones.

    That doesn't make sense to me. Liver glycogen will be replaced. It may not be immediate, but it is replaced. Those in ketosis do (usually) eat some carbs; plus they become quite good at gluconeogenesis (which occurs in the liver).
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I'd bet money that what you felt was low electrolytes, mainly low sodium. Symptoms of low electrolytes are headaches, fatigue, brain fog, moodiness, stomach upset and BM issues, muscle weakness and possibly muscle spasms.

    When you cut carbs your insulin drops. Insulin is partially responsible for water and electrolyte retention. Most will lose water weight and sodium once insulin starts falling. You need to replace those lost electrolytes with at least 3000-5000 mg of sodium a day. For reference, there is 2300 mg of sodium in a teaspoon of salt. Eating a half teaspoon of salt a couple if times a day will help. Others prefer to have a couple cups of salty boullion, drink pickle juice, take salt tablets, or make their own salty Mio "keto-aide". There is usually no need to worry about taking too much sodium as your kidneys will excrete any excess, caution may be needed if you gave kidney problems but not if you are healthy.

    Also, early on in ketosis, you with use your glycogen stores which may take days to fully replace. You'll lose additional water and sodium with that.

    If you do not take care of sodium, you'll start leeching magnesium and potassium out of your body and they may get low too.

    I know it seems like a lot, but if you look into some reliable sources, you'll see it repeated.

    It is possible that too much fat too fast could cause some stomach upset and diahrrea, especially coconut oil. If you increase fat slowly over a week or month, that will not be an issue though.

    Good luck. I've been keto for a few years to control my blood glucose and help with other health issues. Happily it made weight management rather effortless for me too. I wish you the same success.

    You don't replace liver glycogen.. if you did, your body wouldn't produce ketones.

    That doesn't make sense to me. Liver glycogen will be replaced. It may not be immediate, but it is replaced. Those in ketosis do (usually) eat some carbs; plus they become quite good at gluconeogenesis (which occurs in the liver).

    I don't know how it doesn't make sense. As a result of glycogen depletion (non skeletal/muscle), your body will produce ketones for an energy source. If it repleniselhed glycogen through glucenogenesis, it would stop producing ketones, so you would be back to burning carbs instead of ketones. Your liver can hold roughly 300-500g. A level that would never by achieve through keto dieting.

    I know you want to believe that keto dieters can achieve and perform at the levels that carb dieters are at, but they aren't. Its why there are so few keto elite athletes.

    As I understand it, the liver only holds 90-120 g of glycogen, and not 300-500 g. That sounds more like the muscles'glycogen store.

    The liver's glycogen supply can be used up in less than half a day for someone who is carb based for their fuel source. That will deplete their glycogen storage, but gluconeogenesis can make more. The body's minimum glucose use is about what the liver can store, and that minimum glucose need tends to shrink once someone is fat adapted and the brain is using ketones rather than glucose for fuel.

    It isn't a glucose/glycogen or fat/ketones debate. Someone eating zero carbs will still use all of those for fuel, just the amounts in each group will vary.

    I can see where you would say that one would never be in ketosis if the liver actually stored 300-500 g glycogen, but it doesn't. The body does become adapted to using fat and ketones for fuel so even if glucose is available, the body is not compelled to use only glucose unless excessive/high amounts of glucose are present. But glucose will get used along with fat and ketones.

    If you believe there is no glycogen stored in my liver, that means I am using glucose only as my liver produces it.... You do not believe that the liver will replenish and its own glycogen store?

    And Athletics have nothing to do with this topic unless you are referring to muscle glycogen stores, which definitely do not stay depleted. Glycogen is available there too.
  • TheHuff_
    TheHuff_ Posts: 39 Member
    Hey guys, sorry I don't know about this topic so can't really input anything but it's interesting to read your thoughts. Thanks :) I'm learning
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    TheHuff_ wrote: »
    Hey guys, sorry I don't know about this topic so can't really input anything but it's interesting to read your thoughts. Thanks :) I'm learning

    Sorry about the derailment of the thread. :blush: the science of very low carb is still in its infancy so debates tend to pop up.
  • happytree923
    happytree923 Posts: 463 Member
    Physical activity can also help to increase insulin sensitivity- you could try slowly adding in some exercise (if you aren't already) so you're not relying on diet alone.
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
    TheHuff_ wrote: »
    Hey guys! Wow so much response. THANK YOU SO MUCH. There's a lot to reply to so I'll be concise:

    The magnesium and electrolytes are a good idea. I'll look into them. For those mentioning multi-vitamins, I don't actually take any. Maybe I should? I'm concerned about expenses though and aim to get most of my nutrition from food.

    Regarding my extreme reaction to keto on the first day, I have no idea why. I cooked 1tbsp vegetable oil, half a small onion, half 1tbsp ginger garlic paste, 3 eggs, 2 cups raw spinach and salt and spice, with half cup grated cheddar cheese. It tasted amazing but I could only eat half. It was sickening how fatty it was. I also sprinkled some flax seeds on top. I've had 1 cup of grapes since then which has reduced the sick feeling but I'm surprisingly full considering how little I've eaten today.

    Meds: I don't take any meds and don't have diabetes but I have PCOS which is thought to be caused by insulin resistance, hence why I'm trying to reduce carbs etc

    I realise reducing carbs more slowly and not as extremely as keto but like I said, today was kind of a spontaneous experiment. Is it worth persevering and continuing?

    The food suggestions like avocado and nuts are great, thanks! I can't eat bacon.

    I didn't realise insulin is released every hour?? Wow

    I've been getting healthy for a while and have reduced things like chocolate. My main vice is foods such as rice :/ any ideas?

    I just can't fathom how much fat one needs to eat on a low carb or high fat diet. It's an immense amount! And I still don't understand how it's healthy except that it somehow burns as a cleaner fuel than glucose and reduces insulin resistance over time.

    Thanks so much again everyone!

    Hi @theHuff !

    How are ya doing? I’ve been on keto for months now - I started originally for weight loss but also for insulin resistance. I also feel more energy eating a varied diet with more vegetables than breads. Diet is different for everyone- I agree we all have to find what works best for each of us.

    I was trying to think of reasons why you would feel so ill on day 1 before lunch. Typically for most people - keto flu or sugar withdrawal comes a few days into it. I did plug the ingredients of your omelette into the MFP and it came out to 51 grams of fat and over 600 calories. Maybe spreading out the fat throughout the day with smaller portions would help? I would probably feel sick with a whole half of cup of cheese too!

    A typical day for me - my macros are usually 60-65% fat. (Many people do over 70% on keto) It really depends on the types of foods you enjoy. I’ve been able to sustain weight loss and ketosis within a smaller range of fats. There are a bunch of sites that have macro calculators, that might help in planning it out.

    Hope my 2 cents adds some value!

    Cheers,
    M



  • raraCoco
    raraCoco Posts: 27 Member
    I have blood sugar issues and i've tried both keto and low carb in the past, They really weren't for me. My body would not adjust. Maybe you will have better luck, I hear it takes a while! If not, perhaps try a low glycemic diet to keep blood sugar steady. I also find it a lot easier to follow, I have way more energy as well !
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    TheHuff_ wrote: »
    Hey guys it's my first day of keto and I feel SOOO SICK. I'm not used to eating this much fat. Any advice? Please

    Keto in the long run is not good for you, look up side effects of Keto. If you feel sick its your body telling you its not right. Listen to your body.

    Have you done any research on keto diet? I have trouble finding negatives and multitudes of positives. So I tried it and couldn't be happier. This obviously doesn't mean it will be a good fit for all but if it is not working you need to stop or modify. In the long run is where I am putting my health.
  • SusannO
    SusannO Posts: 27 Member
    @TheHuff_ I felt a little queasy from the fat the first few days. It goes away. Make sure to put a dash of salt in your water and drink lots of water.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited September 2018
    SusannO wrote: »
    The science of low carb isn't new. In Greene's 1951 book on endocrinology and obesity, he specifically states:
    Foods to be avoided:
    1. Bread, and everything else made with flour . . .
    2. Cereals, including breakfast cereals and milk puddings
    3. Potatoes and all other white root vegetables
    4. Foods containing much sugar
    5. All sweets . . .

    You can eat as much as you like of the following foods:
    1. Meat, fish, birds
    2. All green vegetables
    3. Eggs, dried or fresh
    4. Cheese
    5. Fruit, if unsweetened or sweetened with saccharin, except bananas and grapes


    It's just some folks don't want it to be true. Just like the American Heart Association released a few years back that exercise was great for muscles and fitness, but did diddly squat for weight loss.

    If I ate as much as I wanted of meat, poultry, cheese, and fruit I'd be as big as a house. Those are all foods I easily overeat and I have more than once binged on cheese or fruit.

    There is certainly not consensus, in establishment medicine or in alternative medicine, that low carb is best. There is really not much data on long term health effects of keto. If you like to eat that way, and you feel good and feel confident it's working for you, that's awesome! I know there are folks out there improving their weight and bloodwork doing keto.

    I will again bring up the Blue Zones, though I know no one insisting low carb is obviously the healthier diet will address them.

    Of course all of this is a mute point, as OP is already trying out keto and got i think some great advice about strategy and how to feel better. Hopefully she's enjoying the back and forth at least and feeling better!
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    If keto is bad in the long run please site some examples as I am curious to know why?
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    SusannO wrote: »
    The science of low carb isn't new. In Greene's 1951 book on endocrinology and obesity, he specifically states:
    Foods to be avoided:
    1. Bread, and everything else made with flour . . .
    2. Cereals, including breakfast cereals and milk puddings
    3. Potatoes and all other white root vegetables
    4. Foods containing much sugar
    5. All sweets . . .

    You can eat as much as you like of the following foods:
    1. Meat, fish, birds
    2. All green vegetables
    3. Eggs, dried or fresh
    4. Cheese
    5. Fruit, if unsweetened or sweetened with saccharin, except bananas and grapes


    It's just some folks don't want it to be true. Just like the American Heart Association released a few years back that exercise was great for muscles and fitness, but did diddly squat for weight loss.
    It’s a great thing that scientific research has progressed so far since 1951 and we now understand how incomplete and outdated that advice is.

    Scientific research much more resently recommended a low fat diet to promote heart health, oh wait my bad there was no real research to justify that conclusion.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited September 2018
    rsclause wrote: »
    If keto is bad in the long run please site some examples as I am curious to know why?

    There is no research definitively showing either way. There is some concern that eating that high fat (especially if you are eating a lot of sat fat specifically) may be problematic, but no research that I'm aware of. The low fat craze is over, but there is a lot of middle ground between "eat low fat" and "eat a lot of fat" and some in the medical/scientific community are concerned that we are swinging from one extreme right to the other, still with not enough data.

    That's kind of the point. No one should be saying it is definitely bad for you, and no one should be saying it is better or healthier than other ways of eating for everyone. It is certainly not necessary for weight loss, but very helpful for some.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    Ancel Benjamin Keys was an American physiologist who studied the influence of diet on health. In particular, he hypothesized that dietary saturated fat causes cardiovascular heart disease and should be avoided.

    The way I understand it he eliminated some of the study population that contradicted his hypothesis. It started after Dwight Eisenhower had a heart attack in office. It seemed at the time like a good way to reduce hardening of the arteries & plaque but no sound studies preceded the official recommended low fat diet. It now appears to possibly have an opposite effect but studies on this are very difficult and expensive. If a keto or LCHF diet turns out to be effective for heart health (I believe it is) I doubt there will be a abundance of costly studies because there are no drugs to be sold as part of the solution. So here we are lacking concrete research to prove or disprove a diet as good or bad. I tried keto after my research and feel comfortable with my health eating this way. Next step after six months pass is a complete blood work test to see what is happening inside.

    I think we can all agree that the changes to the american diet from the 70's to now has been a disaster for a large segment of the population. I hope we are all successful in getting to a health weight and healthy diet whatever method we subscribe to.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    rsclause wrote: »
    Ancel Benjamin Keys was an American physiologist who studied the influence of diet on health. In particular, he hypothesized that dietary saturated fat causes cardiovascular heart disease and should be avoided.

    The way I understand it he eliminated some of the study population that contradicted his hypothesis. It started after Dwight Eisenhower had a heart attack in office. It seemed at the time like a good way to reduce hardening of the arteries & plaque but no sound studies preceded the official recommended low fat diet. It now appears to possibly have an opposite effect but studies on this are very difficult and expensive. If a keto or LCHF diet turns out to be effective for heart health (I believe it is) I doubt there will be a abundance of costly studies because there are no drugs to be sold as part of the solution. So here we are lacking concrete research to prove or disprove a diet as good or bad. I tried keto after my research and feel comfortable with my health eating this way. Next step after six months pass is a complete blood work test to see what is happening inside.

    I think we can all agree that the changes to the american diet from the 70's to now has been a disaster for a large segment of the population. I hope we are all successful in getting to a health weight and healthy diet whatever method we subscribe to.

    Ummm yeah. Like I said, there is no research yet. You are the one who said you did "lots of research" and found all positives and no negatives.

    FYI, while the advice in the 80's and 90's was to reduce fat, there is no evidence anyone actually ever did that. The majority of Americans (as best as anyone can tell) were eating plenty of fat, even though they were buying some "reduced fat" items.

    As I said, there is a huge difference between saying "Low fat does not help" and "It's best to eat 70% fat". Not doing keto/low carb does not automatically mean low fat. I don't eat low fat or low carb, I eat moderately balanced macros, similar to most traditional diets around the world. If you are arguing against a low fat diet, I doubt many here would disagree with you.

    Except the occasional newer poster, none of us are saying keto is bad. Just arguing with the idea that it's clearly better, and warning that it might be too restrictive for some.

    Me doing research and a qualified study are worlds apart. I found a reasonable amount of evidence provided by medical doctors that made me think that I want to give keto a try. One poster did say that keto is bad long term and I was truly not itching to argue but understand why he felt that way. I am always learning like I in the past ate low fat and high carb because oatmeal with fruit is so good & fat is so bad.