Is my fatigue normal at this stage - 6 weeks in

Hi all, so glad this forum is here!

I started on keto about 6 weeks ago. the first two weeks I cut down to <50g carbs a day, and for the last 4 weeks I've been having around 22g of carbs a day. The first few weeks I had the 'keto flu', which I expected and it did go. Having electrolyte drinks (water with salt and lemon) helped a lot. 

My issue now is that I'm waking up feeling exhausted every other day or so, and that lasts pretty much all day. On the good days I feel amazing, but like today for e.g. I'm grumpy, can't focus, and don't feel excited about anything. Physically I can go for long walks, exercise etc but in terms of focusing and mental clarity it's really lacking. 

Here's a typical day broken down - might be worth mentioning that I'm vegan:

Eating window is around 12pm - 8pm. I have a protein shake around 12, then some kind of fat bomb in the day. In the eve I'll have  a load of veg with something like an honest burger and a salad. Then I might have a keto cookie or small bit of dark choc. So my calories are coming in at around 1,700, with 22g of net carbs. I'm having easily around 2.5l of water, if not more. I currently weight about 146lb, and have lost 6lbs in the last 6 weeks. Just noting that I'm doing this for the energy and mental clarity than weight loss. I'm certain that i am in ketosis through using urine strips,  and the fact that I am generally just not that hungry most of the time. 

I do a fair bit of exercise. Sometimes it's quite gentle like a 5k walk, sometimes more cardio like a 5k run, and I go bouldering and swimming as well. So I'm exercising about 5-6 times a week for an hour or so each time. 

There are some other environmental factors that could be making me fatigued - it's very hot where I am now, i had a covid jab a few weeks ago, I am exercising more. 

Has anyone else found this around 6 weeks in? I would have thought my body would have adjusted to the new metabolism by now so I'm a bit confused. it's kind of affecting my work a bit so need to know how long this could go on for. 

Should I try upping the carbs given the amount of exercise i am doing? I just dont want to panic and make things worse by kicking myself out of ketosis by upping carbs.

Thanks!
 

1reply Oldest first
  • Oldest first
  • Newest first
  • Active threads
  • Popular
  • This is just a suggestion, but I've heard about people having trouble with their magnesium levels. It's a complicated issue, so I can't explain it myself, but maybe look into it. 

    Like
Like Follow
  • 2 yrs agoLast active
  • 1Replies
  • 149Views
  • 4 Following