Keto insomnia

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I've tried keto a few times but find the insomnia unbearable, I've tired electrolytes, sleeping pills, magnesium gylcinate etc.

I've been doing calorie counting and working my backside of getting my exorcise up, but I can't even shift half a pound.

I think the only way I'm going to get this last bit of weight off me is do keto again. I did it 2 years ago and lost 1.5 stone in 13 days. And no I didn't put it back on!!! I kept everything single pound of it off.

It's just the insomnia that keeps stopping me! It's sooo impossible to get through. Does anyone else have the same problem and have you found any magical remedies

Replies

  • Xerogs
    Xerogs Posts: 328 Member
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    I don't have any issues with sleep with a LCHF WoE since it takes away my acid reflux. That being said before I went back to a LCHF WoE I had to change what I ate and when I ate or it would keep me awake. I've always taken Doctor's Best Magnesium and Tumeric with BioPerine before bed which seems to help as well.

    Now the real game changer when it comes to sleep is getting into a sleep routine before bed. I turn off the TV and put down my phone well before I am ready to sleep. We also keep our bedroom really dark (black out blinds, cover all the those LEDs, and turn alarm clocks down to the lowest brightness setting). I also meditate when I want to let those pesky thoughts go, this calms me and usually sends me to sleep faster. Plus we keep to a pretty regular sleep schedule even on the weekends. Another thing is not to fret when you wake up in the middle of the night since that will keep you up, we naturally have sleep cycles through out the night so its worth understanding what they are.

    There is also this weird middle ground where if I go to sleep on an empty stomach I will have a hard time sleeping but if I eat to much or something heavy it will do the same thing. I can't have certain foods late in the day like steak. I'm not sure of your age but as we get older it's harder to sleep just in general. My wife takes a melatonin supplement (Sleep 3 I think) but still has nights where she tosses and turns. I also need about 1-2 hours to wind down after exercise otherwise that will keep me up too.

    When I was nearing my goal weight it became harder to lose weight. It's like your body adjusts and it just takes time plus I began focusing less on the scale and more on health and body composition. Stress and lack of sleep can hinder progress so you have to find what works for you Keto or no Keto. LCHF weight loss isn't linear, I've always dropped a few pounds a month (lots of ups and downs) until I plateau for a while then it kicks back in. What is more noticeable for me is my clothes fitting better, energy levels are higher, and overall less aches and pains.
  • squbadoo10
    squbadoo10 Posts: 2 Member
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    I am new to Keto, been on it for 3.5 weeks and I have found that my sleep has improved. I have been afraid that I would experience the insomnia and it has not happened. I don't eat anything after 7 p.m. except for water, and a chamomile tea at 9:00 p.m. I go to bed at 10:30 and I have had very restful sleep. When I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night it also has not been hard for me to fall back asleep.
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    So you say you lost 21lbs in 13 days? That's rather unlikely. I'm not trying to invalidate your experience, but if this was true then you had a calorie deficit of 5600 calories per day.

    Look, I know you're looking for help, but lets try this without hyperbole for now. What is your current weight, and what is your goal weight? If you only have a little bit to lose then weightloss will be slow. Think 0.5lbs per week, maybe 1. That is realistic and sustainable.

    Why would I lie, I did the keto diet and lost 1.5 stone in 13 days, do your research and see how much people loose in 2 weeks of doing the keto diet.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    So you say you lost 21lbs in 13 days? That's rather unlikely. I'm not trying to invalidate your experience, but if this was true then you had a calorie deficit of 5600 calories per day.

    Look, I know you're looking for help, but lets try this without hyperbole for now. What is your current weight, and what is your goal weight? If you only have a little bit to lose then weightloss will be slow. Think 0.5lbs per week, maybe 1. That is realistic and sustainable.

    Why would I lie, I did the keto diet and lost 1.5 stone in 13 days, do your research and see how much people loose in 2 weeks of doing the keto diet.

    Most people lose a lot of water weight initially due to the low carbs.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    So you say you lost 21lbs in 13 days? That's rather unlikely. I'm not trying to invalidate your experience, but if this was true then you had a calorie deficit of 5600 calories per day.

    Look, I know you're looking for help, but lets try this without hyperbole for now. What is your current weight, and what is your goal weight? If you only have a little bit to lose then weightloss will be slow. Think 0.5lbs per week, maybe 1. That is realistic and sustainable.

    Why would I lie, I did the keto diet and lost 1.5 stone in 13 days, do your research and see how much people loose in 2 weeks of doing the keto diet.

    But 1.5 stone of weight isn't the same as 1.5 stone of fat.
    That would clearly not be possible to lose that much fat in that timescale, you simply couldn't create that size calorie deficit (think of riding the Tour de France while not eating anything!).
    Sounds like mainly a dramatic water weight loss (glycogen is stored with water) which is a well-known phenomenon.

    Keto clearly isn't sustainable for you long term but I guess it depends on how much weight you have got to lose and if you can maintain at goal on a different diet. Contrary to popular opinion a weight loss diet and maintenance diet do not have to be the same. It might be helpful of course for some but that's not the same as being compulsory.

    If you want weight loss help as opposed to insomnia help, I'd suggest making your diary public as otherwise there's no data to go on.
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    So you say you lost 21lbs in 13 days? That's rather unlikely. I'm not trying to invalidate your experience, but if this was true then you had a calorie deficit of 5600 calories per day.

    Look, I know you're looking for help, but lets try this without hyperbole for now. What is your current weight, and what is your goal weight? If you only have a little bit to lose then weightloss will be slow. Think 0.5lbs per week, maybe 1. That is realistic and sustainable.

    Why would I lie, I did the keto diet and lost 1.5 stone in 13 days, do your research and see how much people loose in 2 weeks of doing the keto diet.

    But 1.5 stone of weight isn't the same as 1.5 stone of fat.
    That would clearly not be possible to lose that much fat in that timescale, you simply couldn't create that size calorie deficit (think of riding the Tour de France while not eating anything!).
    Sounds like mainly a dramatic water weight loss (glycogen is stored with water) which is a well-known phenomenon.

    Keto clearly isn't sustainable for you long term but I guess it depends on how much weight you have got to lose and if you can maintain at goal on a different diet. Contrary to popular opinion a weight loss diet and maintenance diet do not have to be the same. It might be helpful of course for some but that's not the same as being compulsory.

    If you want weight loss help as opposed to insomnia help, I'd suggest making your diary public as otherwise there's no data to go on.

    Well if its water weight how come I've kept every pound of it off for 2 years
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,187 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    So you say you lost 21lbs in 13 days? That's rather unlikely. I'm not trying to invalidate your experience, but if this was true then you had a calorie deficit of 5600 calories per day.

    Look, I know you're looking for help, but lets try this without hyperbole for now. What is your current weight, and what is your goal weight? If you only have a little bit to lose then weightloss will be slow. Think 0.5lbs per week, maybe 1. That is realistic and sustainable.

    Why would I lie, I did the keto diet and lost 1.5 stone in 13 days, do your research and see how much people loose in 2 weeks of doing the keto diet.

    But 1.5 stone of weight isn't the same as 1.5 stone of fat.
    That would clearly not be possible to lose that much fat in that timescale, you simply couldn't create that size calorie deficit (think of riding the Tour de France while not eating anything!).
    Sounds like mainly a dramatic water weight loss (glycogen is stored with water) which is a well-known phenomenon.

    Keto clearly isn't sustainable for you long term but I guess it depends on how much weight you have got to lose and if you can maintain at goal on a different diet. Contrary to popular opinion a weight loss diet and maintenance diet do not have to be the same. It might be helpful of course for some but that's not the same as being compulsory.

    If you want weight loss help as opposed to insomnia help, I'd suggest making your diary public as otherwise there's no data to go on.

    Well if its water weight how come I've kept every pound of it off for 2 years

    A common weight loss pattern, especially with a big cut in carb intake, is to lose a chunk of water weight up front (for reasons described above), then water retention sort of adjusts over time. If the calorie level is right, fat loss has been going on gradually in the background, while water weight makes dramatic grand gestures that look like big drama on the bodyweight scale. The fat loss will catch up, essentially.
    In that context, it wouldn't be surprising that you lost weight and kept it off.

    Eventually - and ample research shows this - the isocaloric high carb low fat diet and low carb high fat diet result in equal weight loss because equal fat loss, if protein levels are consistent between the two. The low-carb plan puts the scale drama up front chronologically, maybe helps people feel motivated. If the eating style is sustainable for them, long term weight loss results. The higher carb plan tends to spread the scale loss out somewhat more evenly, maybe with some water retention changes, but not such dramatic ones.

    I'd guaranteed that the laws of physics were respected, no matter what. That's what's behind folks saying you didn't have a 5600 calorie daily deficit, didn't do the equivalent of riding the Tour de France with no food intake, etc.

    Keto's fine, if keto works for you. It sounds like keto doesn't really work for you, but you want to do it anyway, because it was . . . successful? Your call, obviously.

    Best wishes, sincerely - I like to see people succeed, by any route that works, in a context of overall good nutrition. Keto can do that, for some, for sure.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,403 Member
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    All of this above. Would have replied earlier, but I'm in a different time zone and just got up. yes, all of this above. Keto is not magic. Keto itself doesn't not lead to fat loss. Eating in a deficit does. How you achieve that doesn't matter for your body. If eating keto is what keeps you happy and full then why not.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    So you say you lost 21lbs in 13 days? That's rather unlikely. I'm not trying to invalidate your experience, but if this was true then you had a calorie deficit of 5600 calories per day.

    Look, I know you're looking for help, but lets try this without hyperbole for now. What is your current weight, and what is your goal weight? If you only have a little bit to lose then weightloss will be slow. Think 0.5lbs per week, maybe 1. That is realistic and sustainable.

    Why would I lie, I did the keto diet and lost 1.5 stone in 13 days, do your research and see how much people loose in 2 weeks of doing the keto diet.

    But 1.5 stone of weight isn't the same as 1.5 stone of fat.
    That would clearly not be possible to lose that much fat in that timescale, you simply couldn't create that size calorie deficit (think of riding the Tour de France while not eating anything!).
    Sounds like mainly a dramatic water weight loss (glycogen is stored with water) which is a well-known phenomenon.

    Keto clearly isn't sustainable for you long term but I guess it depends on how much weight you have got to lose and if you can maintain at goal on a different diet. Contrary to popular opinion a weight loss diet and maintenance diet do not have to be the same. It might be helpful of course for some but that's not the same as being compulsory.

    If you want weight loss help as opposed to insomnia help, I'd suggest making your diary public as otherwise there's no data to go on.

    Well if its water weight how come I've kept every pound of it off for 2 years

    Did I say all water or mainly water?
    Until you re-add carbs the water weights stays off.
    Yes of course over two years you could have lost a decent amount of fat (well done) - but not in two weeks!

    You need to be realistic about what is possible in short timescales. Until you understand the basic mechanism of fat loss you won't see the big picture. Keto doesn't break the laws of physics. Fat is an energy store and requires an energy deficit to lose not just a change of fuels.

    I'll repeat the offer to try to help this aspect - "I've been doing calorie counting and working my backside of getting my exorcise up, but I can't even shift half a pound."
    Timescale and an open diary would help, nothing to go on at the moment. No-one knows your food or exercise logging accuracy or how long you have been trying. e.g. "working your backside off" frequently causes water retention over the short term with a stall in weight (not fat) loss.