Can’t do This much longer

I feel awful.  It will be two weeks tomorrow since starting keto and I feel like garbage.   Overly anxious, light headed, tired, foggy.  Just can’t do it.  I’ve been drinking Powerade zero to help with the electrolytes and sodium but it only helps short term.  Any more advice.  How long does it take to get past this?

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  • nobody?

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    • scjudd1986
    • CAD Tech
    • scjudd1986
    • 5 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Be sure to get potassium also. A great source would be avocados.

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    • Marsia
    • Marsia
    • 5 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    I have been doing low carb for about a month and intermittent fasting for the last week.  It was really hard at first because I was used to eating way more vegetables, and had trouble pooping, headaches, mood swings from not snacking, ... 

    But then I discovered how low in carbs salad greens are, and how high in potassium (something that is needed in large amounts as it functions as an electrolyte in your body).  So for one meal I make the hugest salad I can eat with some protein (sliced hard boiled eggs, shredded chicken, or in a pinch, bacon pieces, ...) and I put a lot of salad dressing (with no sugar) on the whole thing and eat a ton.  This helps for feeling weak, moody, and for sugar cravings. 

    I even make salad dressing out of ripe avocados and mayo and a few spices.  I also drink a lot of hot water with a lime squeezed into it with 3 shakes of sea salt (otherwise it tastes horrible), or I do about a half a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in hot water.  Most of all, eat a lot of good fats like coconut milk, a little bit of nuts, olive oil, ... so I don't crash.  If you don't cook a lot, you can get your good fats from salad dressings.  I make dips with salad dressing, avacado, and mayo and dip cucumbers in it.  Also coconut water is great for electrolytes.   

    This takes a while to find foods you like, but keep experimenting!

    Like 3
  • Thanks for the helpful reply! When did you notice you started losing? I haven't lost anything and was not smart and didn't do measurements so have no clue where I stand.

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    • Marsia
    • Marsia
    • 5 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    I didn't start with the low carb diet.  I started with just calorie counting, and after losing the first 25 pounds, I hit a wall and didn't lose more for about a month and a half.  Someone I know is an intermittent faster, so while looking that up, I discovered low carb, and I tried it because it is very much like the diet I grew up on.  We had a huge garden and my dad cooked insane amounts of veggies and really good meats.  I was very skinny as a kid and had  a ton of energy, so I knew this is a very healthy diet. 

    So I started doing low carb about a month and a half ago, and one day my husband decided to try it, too, and added intermittent fasting, so I joined him in also doing intermittent fasting.  I have been losing about a pound a week on the low carb so far (5 pounds total), and since starting the intermittent fasting (it's just been a couple weeks) I have gotten a lot skinnier in the midsection.  I need to add in more exercise, so will probably be losing more when I do.  

    Don't worry about losing weight at first, just get so you don't crash and are eating the right amount of calories. Also do weigh yourself and take measurements and use a keto calculator to make sure you are getting enough nutrients and the proper ballpark balance of protein, fat, and carbs. I used this one because it gives a pretty average calorie max and normal amounts of fats https://ketokarma.com/keto-calculator/ and because I have her Simply Keto cookbook, and I like her - she lost over 120 pounds on the keto diet, and has a very good website for beginners in case you are interested.

    Let me know how it's going for you!  I'd love to hear if anything worked or didn't work that I suggested! 

    Like 3
  • wow!  Thank you so much for your response, I really appreciate it.  I had just recently read up on the intermittent fasting and was going to start that this weekend! Keep in touch and I will do the same. :)

    Like 1
    • Jbeebe
    • Jbeebe
    • 5 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    chrisej9fe66  you should add spinach to your daily diet too. It has an awesome amount of vitamins and minerals. And lots of water and teas I find help. The newest thing I am trying is MCT Oil in my coffee every morning. I felt lousy for a couple days and now I'm good.

    Like 1
    • Marsia
    • Marsia
    • 5 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    chrisej9fe66 Yes, let's definitely stay in touch! Also if you like watching keto or intermittent fasting videos, Dr. Berg is very good and makes this all make more sense. He is the reason I eat lots of greens now. I agree, spinach is an amazing super food. I found a good article on why electrolytes are so important in case you are interested https://perfectketo.com/keto-electrolytes/ . Also be sure to get enough sleep! Good luck and hope to hear from you soon!!

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  • It will pass. Hanging in is hard don't give up. Stay the course. I have been having keto flu as well.

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    • Marsia
    • Marsia
    • 5 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    krjw4216a0 I don't really find this hard now that I started eating a ton of dark leafy greens a day (avocado and mushrooms are good, too).  The potassium in them satisfies sugar cravings and addresses a lot of the problems I was having with the keto flu.  Look up electrolytes and keto flu.

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  • Good for you ! Keep up the fine work of taking care of yourself.

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    • Marsia
    • Marsia
    • 5 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    How is it going now?  Any better?

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