Keto Brain Fog and Fatigue

S_Hinzman
S_Hinzman Posts: 48 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Started keto about 2 months ago and saw awesome results; however, I could never get passed the brain fog and fatigue. I tried all of the neccessary supplements (magnesium, potassium, pink salt, etc) but could never break free from it. I came down with a nasty nasty cold and decided to take a keto break and now I feel so bloated even though the scale is still good. Has anyone else encountered this with keto? If so, how did you get passed it?

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,419 Member
    Which part are you asking about, the Keto brain fog and fatigue, or the bloated?
  • S_Hinzman
    S_Hinzman Posts: 48 Member
    Both I guess.
  • caprihana
    caprihana Posts: 38 Member
    I'm not doing Keto, but I did used to suffer big time from fatigue and brain fog and bloating. I'm taking a pre and probotic combination supplement and ever since I've had a huge amount of energy. I also came down with a wicked cold last week but it still didn't me take to my bed so I'm very happy.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,419 Member
    S_Hinzman wrote: »
    Both I guess.

    Here is a link to the Low Carber Daily Forum: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum

    I am not a fan of Keto, I tend toward depression and too-low carbs is a trigger for that. I just try to stay around the default macros on this site, 50C 30F 20P. If anything, I tend to get more fat and fewer carbs, but usually no lower than 100g-150g carbs per day. That seems to be my sweet spot where I feel the best. Good energy, no depression, not triggered to overeat, etc.

    I hope you find your answers. I just wanted to say it doesn't have to be all or nothing with the carbs - there is a wide range.
  • HotFrieZ
    HotFrieZ Posts: 35 Member
    Agree with cmriverside. I have never been actually depressed but I get weird and feel sad when my carbs are too low and I'm not eating enough. I keep my macros about the same, may go down to 45% carbs at the lowest. Fruit and veggies are mostly carbs and I will not restrict my intake of those. I don't think most people gain weight but eating too many fruits and vegetables.
  • AmyG1982
    AmyG1982 Posts: 1,040 Member
    What are your carbs usually at? I’m the opposite of the people above and if my carbs are in the 100-150 range I feel worse but when I lower them to 30-50 I feel great. You may just need to play around with it to find your optimal range. Another thought would be if you’re eating enough fat? Bumping the fat up might help, with super low carb if you’re too low in fat too you can struggle a bit (eating fat gives your body easy energy to burn and can help with the fog)
  • S_Hinzman
    S_Hinzman Posts: 48 Member
    edited November 2019
    AmyG1982 wrote: »
    What are your carbs usually at? I’m the opposite of the people above and if my carbs are in the 100-150 range I feel worse but when I lower them to 30-50 I feel great. You may just need to play around with it to find your optimal range. Another thought would be if you’re eating enough fat? Bumping the fat up might help, with super low carb if you’re too low in fat too you can struggle a bit (eating fat gives your body easy energy to burn and can help with the fog)

    I was shooting for 60% fat, 30% protein, 10% carbs which I got pretty good at. Using coconut cream and MCT oil helped a lot to get my fat up there. I'll continue to play around with the macros to see if I can find my sweet spot. Now I'm trying 40% fat, 40% protein, 20% carbs. The transition is a struggle once you get used to eating a particular way, I'm noticing.

    When you're experimenting with the macros how long do you usually trial them before making adjustments?
  • AmyG1982
    AmyG1982 Posts: 1,040 Member
    S_Hinzman wrote: »
    AmyG1982 wrote: »
    What are your carbs usually at? I’m the opposite of the people above and if my carbs are in the 100-150 range I feel worse but when I lower them to 30-50 I feel great. You may just need to play around with it to find your optimal range. Another thought would be if you’re eating enough fat? Bumping the fat up might help, with super low carb if you’re too low in fat too you can struggle a bit (eating fat gives your body easy energy to burn and can help with the fog)

    I was shooting for 60% fat, 30% protein, 10% carbs which I got pretty good at. Using coconut cream and MCT oil helped a lot to get my fat up there. I'll continue to play around with the macros to see if I can find my sweet spot. When you're experimenting with the macros how long do you usually trial them before making adjustments?

    I find asside from any keto flu when just starting lower carb (which could take like a week) I typically notice changes within a couple of days but everyone is different so I’d say you might want to give it a good week or two just to make sure.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,419 Member
    That's a lot of protein at 40%...how many calories per day? I would increase fat before increasing protein. Too much is not necessarily a good thing.
  • S_Hinzman
    S_Hinzman Posts: 48 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    That's a lot of protein at 40%...how many calories per day? I would increase fat before increasing protein. Too much is not necessarily a good thing.

    I'm doing 1600 calories per day. Maybe I'll try to increase my fat to 50 and protein to 30. To be honest, it's hard to hit 40 for protein.
  • Coopjitsu10P
    Coopjitsu10P Posts: 17 Member
    S_Hinzman wrote: »
    AmyG1982 wrote: »
    What are your carbs usually at? I’m the opposite of the people above and if my carbs are in the 100-150 range I feel worse but when I lower them to 30-50 I feel great. You may just need to play around with it to find your optimal range. Another thought would be if you’re eating enough fat? Bumping the fat up might help, with super low carb if you’re too low in fat too you can struggle a bit (eating fat gives your body easy energy to burn and can help with the fog)

    I was shooting for 60% fat, 30% protein, 10% carbs which I got pretty good at. Using coconut cream and MCT oil helped a lot to get my fat up there. I'll continue to play around with the macros to see if I can find my sweet spot. Now I'm trying 40% fat, 40% protein, 20% carbs. The transition is a struggle once you get used to eating a particular way, I'm noticing.

    When you're experimenting with the macros how long do you usually trial them before making adjustments?

    https://www.ketogains.com/calculator/

    Try this
  • S_Hinzman
    S_Hinzman Posts: 48 Member
    Coopjitsu10P wrote: »
    S_Hinzman wrote: »
    AmyG1982 wrote: »
    What are your carbs usually at? I’m the opposite of the people above and if my carbs are in the 100-150 range I feel worse but when I lower them to 30-50 I feel great. You may just need to play around with it to find your optimal range. Another thought would be if you’re eating enough fat? Bumping the fat up might help, with super low carb if you’re too low in fat too you can struggle a bit (eating fat gives your body easy energy to burn and can help with the fog)

    I was shooting for 60% fat, 30% protein, 10% carbs which I got pretty good at. Using coconut cream and MCT oil helped a lot to get my fat up there. I'll continue to play around with the macros to see if I can find my sweet spot. Now I'm trying 40% fat, 40% protein, 20% carbs. The transition is a struggle once you get used to eating a particular way, I'm noticing.

    When you're experimenting with the macros how long do you usually trial them before making adjustments?

    https://www.ketogains.com/calculator/

    Try this

    Nice! Thank you!

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