The combination of carb restriction and ketosis is what makes the keto diet so effective for so many. The decreased hunger and increase energy levels that most keto dieters experience make it so much easier to eat fewer calories, improve health, and lose weight naturally.
Unfortunately, to reap all of the benefits of keto dieting, you may have to experience some unpleasant symptoms as your body adapts to low-carb living. These symptoms typically include mild digestive issues, mental fogginess, decreased physical performance, and other flu-like symptoms.
Before you get discouraged and give up on your hopes of having your ideal body, check out our list of common keto conundrums and how to address them. You won’t necessarily suffer from them, but if you do, there are many strategies that you can use to remedy these issues.
1. Mental and Physical Fogginess
When you first start keto dieting, the first day will probably feel great, but eventually, about 2 to 3 days later, the mental and physical fogginess will hit. You may find yourself staring at the wall for extended periods of time, feeling half-drunk, and being unproductive at work.
The primary reason this occurs is because your brain is used to running primarily on glucose (and it can’t burn fat for fuel). During the first day of keto, you felt fine because you still had some glycogen (our storage form of sugar) left to burn — but, after around 24 hours, you burned it all off. As a result, your neurons will stop getting the energy that they are used to burning, and your cognitive function will start to decline.
The good news is that if you can push through it, the cloudiness generally clears after a couple of days, and you will experience an elevated sense of mental clarity after your brain starts burning more and more ketones for fuel (this may take around one to two weeks of keto dieting).
Tips for alleviating mental and physical fogginess during the first few days of keto:
- Go super low carb for the first week (no more than 10g of net carbs per day). By doing this, you will force your body to use up your glycogen stores and get into ketosis much more quickly.
- Start your diet off with an intermittent fast. Intermittent fasting is a great way to speed up your induction into ketosis. To learn more about intermittent fasting, check out this article.
- Use high-intensity exercise and low-intensity exercise strategically. First thing in the morning on your first day of keto dieting, do some high-intensity exercise. On the following days, do some light exercise, like walking or cycling, to start your morning. By using exercise in this way, you will burn through your glycogen stores much more quickly and encourage your body to burn more fat.
- Consume MCTs when you start to feel fatigued. MCTs are the only fats that will go directly to the liver from the digestive tract where they are converted into ketones. By supplementing with these fatty acids, you will provide your brain with more fuel, so it doesn’t struggle when your glucose levels are low.
- Eat more low carb vegetables. The iron, manganese, and potassium in green vegetables all play a crucial role in keeping your mind clear and energy levels consistent. To learn more about what veggies you should eat while you are on keto, check out our guide on low carb vegetables.
2. Decreased Strength and Endurance
As your brain is struggling to energize itself during the first few days of carb restriction, your muscles will end up getting caught in the same conundrum as well.
Although your muscles are able to run on fat (unlike the brain), they still won’t be adapted to using mostly fat and ketones for fuel yet. As a result, you may experience a loss of strength and endurance.
Some keto beginners will find that they can’t follow the same workouts as before. They feel so drained so soon into their workout that they just can’t make it through their regular routine. The good news is that this will typically pass within the next month as your body adapts to burning ketones and fat instead of using mostly sugar for fuel.
However, if you’re training primarily consists of high-intensity activities that last longer than ~30 seconds at a time (e.g., sprinting, playing competitive sports, and lifting weights in sets that have more than 6 reps), you may still struggle to keep your performance at the same level as before. This happens because your body can not burn fat and ketones to fuel activities at high-intensities.
It doesn’t matter how keto adapted you are — your muscles will always require faster burning fuel sources like creatine phosphate and carbohydrates for high-intensity exercises. For this reason, you may need to incorporate more carbs in your diet or change your training strategies until your body is fully keto adapted and is finally able to refill its glycogen stores effectively (this can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months).
To prevent any loss in strength and edurance, try these strategies:
- Change your training regime temporarily. Focus on exercises that are of low to moderate intensity and/or high intensity that last for around 15 seconds per effort. Every three to five weeks, test out your capacity for high-intensity workouts by doing your original training regime. If you are still struggling, then give your body more time to keto adapt. To learn more about the rationale behind changing your exercise routine, check out our guide to keto and exercise. If you would rather not change your training regime for any reason, try implementing a targeted keto diet or cyclical keto diet instead.
- Implement a targeted ketogenic diet. You can do this by consuming a small amount of easily absorbable carbs before your workouts. To learn exactly how to follow the targeted ketogenic diet, read through this article.
- Try using a cyclical ketogenic diet. This keto diet approach provides you with another way of upping your carb intake so that you can improve performance and reap the benefits of ketosis at the same time. To learn exactly how to follow the cyclical ketogenic diet, read through this article.
- Make sure you are meeting your macronutrient needs. Consuming enough protein and fat is a crucial component of your diet success and exercise performance. If you are not eating enough fat or protein, you will not be able to optimize your workouts. To find out how much you need to eat of each macronutrient while you are on keto, use our keto calculator.
- Eat plenty of low carb vegetables. The iron, manganese, and potassium in green vegetables are all important for keeping your energy levels consistent. To learn more about what veggies you should eat while you are on keto, check out our guide to low carb vegetables.
Keep in mind, however, that you may not need to use these strategies at all. Some keto dieters have no problem adapting to carb restriction and will have no issue when it comes to following their usual exercise routine.
3. Digestive Issues — Constipation and Diarrhea
Whether you are experiencing constipation or diarrhea, your symptoms can easily be remedied. Some people may tell you that eating so much meat will clog you up and that all of the fat you are eating will cause diarrhea, but this is not true.
Typically, if you experience diarrhea in the first week of keto, it is because your body is excreting excess water, and one route it uses to release that water is your digestive tract. Once your body adjusts to having lower insulin levels, your stools should start becoming more and more solid.
If your stools are still runny after you are in ketosis, you may not have enough fiber in your diet to give your bowel movements enough bulk. On top of that, you can also experience occasional bouts of constipation for the same reason.
Tips on how to remedy digestive issues on keto:
- Eat more low carb vegetables. The minerals and soluble fiber in these veggies will provide your stool with some bulk while simultaneously remineralizing your body. This will help you prevent constipation and diarrhea at the same time. To learn more about what veggies you should eat while you are on keto, check out our guide to low carb vegetables.
- Get hydrated. Consume plenty of water and minerals to bring balance back to your digestive tract. For more specific recommendations on how much water you should drink and what minerals you need to prevent issues, read through this article.
- Practice stress relieving methods. Stress can cause both diarrhea and constipation. Keto dieting will increase your stress levels at first, so make sure you are getting enough sleep every night and practicing stress relief methods like meditation, yoga, and outdoor walks.
The Primary Causes of These Keto Conundrums
After learning about all of these side effects, you may be wondering why the keto diet can be so difficult for us to adapt to at first. Although there are many reasons for these keto conundrums, the three main culprits are:
- mild dehydration
- hormonal shifts during keto adaptation
- not being in ketosis yet
Whenever we restrict carbs, our insulin levels decrease, which causes us to excrete a lot more water and sodium. This rapid water and sodium loss can eventually lead to dehydration and diarrhea.
If the body never gets rehydrated and remineralized, then cognitive function and physical performance will suffer as well.
By restricting carbs, you will also be provoking hormonal shifts throughout your body. In particular, your cortisol levels will increase (to help increase blood sugar levels by stimulating gluconeogenesis and short-term insulin resistance) and your thyroid hormone levels will decrease (because fewer carbohydrates are being consumed). These hormonal changes will be most evident in the first few days of keto dieting, causing symptoms like insomnia, depression, fatigue, and a reduction in physical performance and cognitive function.
On top of all of this, it takes your body a couple of days of keto dieting before it starts producing and burning ketones for fuel consistently. In the meantime, your muscles and brain may not perform optimally because their primary fuel source is being restricted.
Fortunately, as you rehydrate your body and produce more ketones for fuel, your symptoms will dissipate and your hormones will start to balance out in a healthier way. If you’d like to learn more about what happens to your body as you adapt to carb restriction, check out this article.
Putting It All Together — From Conundrums to Clarity
Keto dieting is such a dramatic change from the typical westernized diet that you will probably encounter some side effects during your first week on keto.
Fortunately, there are many ways to remedy these symptoms, and once you adapt to burning fat and ketones for fuel, you will regain your energy and feel better than you did with your old way of eating.
To mitigate any issues you run into during the first week of keto, here’s what you can do:
- Use our keto calculator to find the macros that you should aim for to meet your goals.
- Restrict carbs below 10 grams of net carbs per day to get into ketosis more quickly.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Consume as many low carb vegetables as possible.
- Use intermittent fasting, high-intensity exercise, and/or low-intensity exercise to help speed up the keto adaptation process.
- Increase your energy levels by supplementing with MCTs.
- Adjust your workout regime, follow a targeted keto diet, or implement a cyclical keto diet, so that you can maintain strength and endurance.
- Prioritize sleep and stress relieving activities.
Implement the relevant strategies based on your goals, lifestyle, and symptoms. By doing so, you will be able to alleviate the mental fogginess, digestive issues, and other flu-like symptoms that you may experience during the first week of keto dieting.
For more specific info and recommendations, check out our guide on how to remedy the keto flu.
Hi there! I am just starting a ketogenic paleo diet. I’m on day four, and I have been feeling super nauseous and have low energy levels. I do a circuit training workout 3x a week for 40ish minutes and a low intensity steady state cardio session 5x a week for 30-45 minutes. What exactly would you recommend for me to do to help with the nausea and low energy- both for all day and also for my workouts?
Brooke,
As your body is creating new enzymes to deal with the fats as your main source of energy, you will feel weak (and you actually do become weaker for a period). I would suggest skipping or minimizing the workouts for a few weeks (2-3 weeks) while your body adjusts properly, and then readjust your gym schedule back to normal. I’d say that you’re probably pushing your body too far at the moment as it’s in a shock from changing eating habits.
Hi! What is strange to me, as a newbie, 13 days in on LCHF (70:20:10) is that I am only TODAY feeling the crappy flu like symptoms mentioned with Keto. I have felt, i.e. sluggish, sleepy, nauseated…. my burning question is, is this normal to feel this so late into eating very consistently as stated? I am worried I am still doing something ‘wrong..’ I have also just start supplementing with potassium, magnesium. digestive enzymes and kelp. I drink 2L water a day minimum.
I also started incorporating weight training back in (30 mins) 3 days ago; have trained twice now ( high intensity short weight based training only). Would this play a part?
p.s. Keto test sticks show nothing to date.
I look forward to any feedback you might have for me (its greatly appreciated!)
Cath,
If the keto sticks show nothing at all then I’d guess you’re most likely fluctuating in and out of ketosis. I’d make sure you track your meals and make sure you’re not overconsuming on carbs or protein (use the calculator on the site to figure it out). As for the keto flu, your new supplementation sounds good, but make sure you’re also getting enough sodium into your diet.
Hi Craig, What is your take on prurigo pigmentosa? I have been religiously following your 30 day keto diet for about 2 weeks and started to notice clusters of red small rashes all over my chest, back and abs, and when I did a search on the internet, prurigo pigmentosa came up lots and seemed to look exactly like my rash. Is this something you know about and what do I do about it? Thanks
To be honest, Ang, I haven’t really read much into it. Out of the >10,000 people I’ve helped on keto, I really have only had about 2-3 of them complain about a rash. You may have better luck posting in the forums because I believe one of the older members there had the same problem and now she doesn’t. She may have some insight for you. I’d suggest asking your GP if you have one.
Hi Craig, first — thank you for this site, info, meal plans etc. (I ordered a meal plan & super appreciate it). I’m into LCHF for about 14 days..it has taken me a minute to get my macros dialed. I’m on day 1 of “Keto flu” & it’s hell! I made the mistake of weighing myself and I gained 6lbs… Pretty sure I’m dehydrated (or woke up like that)…my blood sugar was 71 and Keto stix don’t show a significant amount of ketones. I guess I just want to hear that this is “normal”…. I’m going to stick with it & hope to get to the other side soon! I would agree with you on decreasing workouts…my legs are so heavy & feel like they weigh 100lbs alone! Thanks Again!
Hi Craig!
I started the keto diet about two weeks ago. Unfortunately I am unable to keep track of the specific grams and percentages of carb/fat/protein, but I’m doing my best to estimate and eat proportionally. I’m wondering- if I end up with some extra carbs every so often, will this throw me out of ketosis? How possible is it to stay in ketosis without religiously counting percentages? And, if I do fluctuate in and out of ketosis occasionally, will I experience the “keto flu” every time? (This is complicated by the fact that I have daily headaches which have surprisingly similar symptoms, so I can’t really feel if I have the flu.) What are your recommendations? Thank you!
It depends how many extra carbs you end up with. I would highly suggest tracking what you eat for at least a few weeks so you get a better grasp on the types of foods to eat. It’s very possible to be keto without tracking at all – once you have that kind of grasp.
If you keep electrolytes up, you shouldn’t experience keto flu at all 🙂
I would add make sure to limit your protein to what you need to maintain your lean body mass, excess protein will be turned into glucose.
Definitely a good one, as well!
Im 24 hours into the diet and I’m feeling the headache. Is it normal to have it hit so fast?
Generally it can be. Make sure you’re keeping electrolytes up and water intake up.
Hi, I been doing fasting and ketos for about 2 weeks. I am down 6 pounds and lost lots of inches around my tummy and hips.
Glad to hear it’s going so well!
Hi, i am going into my second week and im in keto but the scales are not showing any shift in weight…is this normal? when will i start loosing weight?
Typically you see weight loss within a week. Have you calculated and been following your macros from the keto calculator?
Stay off the scale. It’s not going to accurately reflect what’s happening inside your body. Measure your progress by how your clothes fit; check the scale maybe once a week or so.
Good point!
Hi, i was following for 3 weeks but with my kids activities I wasn’t as prepared as i thought and didn’t pack enough food so i “fell off the wagon”. My most challenging problem is the cravings, even after 3 weeks. I’ve never had a strong will power. Any suggestions ?
Sometimes I like to pack emergency snacks in my purse. If I failed to do that then usually I can pick up some Volpi’s at the grocery store (little cheese sticks wrapped with meat like salami, a bag of pork rinds from the corner store, etc. Sometimes you can even find hard boiled eggs and plain cheese sticks. You’re saying you packed food though so that’s probably not much help. Maybe you need to bring more with you? Or was there another type of food there that your snacks didn’t compare to? I find the recipes that use almond flour to be super filling. It might be fun to make one of the bread loaves and bring a few slices along too. I get cravings too, but I try to just find a keto alternative for it.
Yep. Hyperhydration. The first time I heard of it was in Air Force basic training when a guy died of water intoxication from drinking too much water. It was the strangest thing I’d ever heard.
I am down 4.8lbs in 4 days but I am having chest pain, is that normal?
You might be low on electrolytes. Please check out the tips on this page, and of course get it checked out if upping your electrolytes does not help you: //www.ruled.me/guide-keto-diet/#common-side-effects-keto
You might be low on electrolytes. Please check out the tips on this page, and of course get it checked out if upping your electrolytes does not help you: http://www.ruled.me/guide-k…
Thank you for the aside on complex carbs before a workout while you are adjusting- it was my intention to make the big switch after my race on Sunday (a week away) but after spending time all weekend with my keto friends I thought hey I’m 2 days in if I just keep at it. Of course the one concern is if I will adjust quickly or not- my long-time keto friend and guru said if worse comes to worse and you’re not out of the poorer symptoms, eat complex carbs before your race but like 2 hours before so you’re not running when your insulin is very high- that or a carby bar (mmmm KIND chocolate/almond/sea salt barr…) right beforehand. It’s a relief to hear that advice lining up with yours here. Any tips on ‘least offensive’ complex carbs because I’ll be trying to go right back to keto if I do make the break to save my first race of the season.
Is it normal around day 3 to have bad anxiety and not able to sleep?
Hi Elizabeth, I also deal with anxiety. Sometimes if my electrolytes are off I experience symptoms that are similar to when I have anxiety (heart palpitations, etc.) I also experience a decreased need for sleep for a week or so after going into ketosis, but then that normalizes.
As long as I drink enough water, take in enough salt, and get enough potassium and magnesium (I supplement) then I have less anxiety on keto than I do on a standard diet.
Since moving to Arizona, I have found that I have to drink smart water most of the time. I drink at least 33 ounces a day, When I backed off, the heart palpitations and muscle spasms set in. I had never associated the two until the palpitations got really bad last march. Then I noticed when I drank a huge bottle of smartwater t they went away. At the point I figured this out I was on a heart monitor and had 97 in one day. Now, I haven’t had one in over 3 months. It’s very easy to become imbalanced, especially if your drinking a lot of water, which flushes your system.
Hi C.J! I used to live in Las Vegas and it was amazing to me how much water I would have to drink there, and how easily I became dehydrated. I worked outside and had to drink a lot of Smart Water too. Be safe out there in the heat!
On my third day I had an incredibly hard time sleeping, and generally I sleep like a baby. It went away a day or two later.
So I am 350lb, a week into eating low carb. Should I really be eating about 280 g of protein? I bike 3xweek for total of 2hrs, and squat 1xweek; otherwise a lot of sitting. My carbs/protein/fats have been 20/65/118, 25/70/139, 33/46/101, 20/78/138, 75(ooops!)/128/153, 29/64/96, 35/79/95, and 30/131/240. I am tracking every food item with their macros and have a ketone blood analysis kit on its way, so I think I will eventually figure right macro mix by trial and error, but would like to now fine tune my macros to give the best chance of reducing how long this will take. Any comments or suggestions?
Thanks,
Mike
ok from the calculator on this site: 2366 calories. From those, 161g fats, 20g net carbs, and 210g protein. This answered one of my other questions: Only 20g carbs even at a high weight.
If the calculator is giving you that much protein then you might have the body fat percentage too low. You are probably over 60%.
You’d have to drink an *insane* amount of water in a very short amount of time to do that… don’t worry about it at *all*.
Do you think it is necessary for me to track my macros if I am only eating meat and green vegetables? I am mixing in some nuts and jerky (low carb) as snacks as well.
I tracked them for a week, then found my nutrients were all lining up naturally without having to stress about it.
Yes! It’s pretty easy to go over your macros without tracking. Even if it’s just with vegetables and nuts!
For the 1st time in about 15 years, I’ve developed a urinary infection. I’ve been doing Keto for about 2 weeks. Everything has been pretty easy so far as before going Keto I really didn’t eat bread or heavy on the carbs anyway. I drink at a minimum of 100 OZ of water a day and usually way more as we live where it’s hot. At least half of that is smart water. I stay away from antibiotics at all costs. Usually my go to has always been , for me and my family, cranberry juice. Since thats apparently out, now what? I refuse to get on the antibiotic merry go round ( I;ll go off Keto 1st) and how can I keep this from happening again. I’ve read a few accounts of this being a problem with repeated infection for people.
Noooo! That’s the worst. I’ve personally been able to knock out a bad UTI using uva ursi capsules (available at places like Whole Foods.) Obviously I’m also not a doctor. 🙂 Make sure you go see yours if you do not get better.
Take cranberry extract pills. No carbs. You can get them at Costco. Take it in the morning, first thing, on an empty stomach so the bladder will get it. Drink a glass of water with it. I used to get bladder infections once a year and this stopped it completely. Now I haven’t been taking cranberry for a while. I have just started keto 6 days ago and I am glad I read about this because I had no idea that this was an issue in keto.
Hi
I lost 4 kgs in 8 days of ketosis. I was 76.2 kgs on sept 03 now on Sept 10 my weight is 72.1 kgs. Apart from keto diet I’m also doing exercise which include cardio, weight training etc. I want to know how much maximum weight can lose in 1 month of keto. Also How to concentrate on reducing belly fat.
Safe weight loss is around 1-2 pounds per week, but some people lose more.
So I’m having the opposite issue from what is mentioned above when it comes to going to the bathroom. My stomach is super loud and gurgly and I’ve had diarrhea for the last three days. This is my fourth day going low carb (less then 20 carbs a day) Any ideas if this is normal? It’s been uncomfortable for sure.
Some people seem to experience this, but then it goes away after a few days. Could you be sensitive to something you’re consuming more of – like dairy?
I’m typically having BPC in the morning, a spinach salad made with 1 cup of spinach, two hard boiled eggs, half an avacado and two pieces of bacon crumbled topped with some olive oil and red wine vinegar for lunch, and then another salad for dinner with romaine and spinach and chopped chicken with the other half of the avacado and 2 more strips of crumbled bacon. If I’m hungry in between I might have another BPC. I’m not sure what would be causing this other then the big increase in fat possibly? I’m concerned it will stay this way though.
It might be the BPC. Can you cut it out for a few days and see if that helps?
Maybe I’ll go back to coffee with just a Tbsp of HWC to see if that helps. Thanks for all your help Laura!
I hope you get it sorted out! I had the same problem for months on end till I realized I’m dairy intolerant. I can’t drink BPC or whipping cream unless I’ve been in ketosis for a few weeks at least lol. It’s the WORST.
I have these issues too kristeek.
Did It get better for you?
BPC will do that to me initially. You have to up your amount of MCT gradually. I’ve been off it for a while as my local health stores were out of grass fed butter for a couple of months. Now I have it again, I’ll have to do a gradual increase with the MCT until by body readjusts.
I’ve been looking for this as I’ve questioned how to best transition into keto. I recently tried to gradually transition, but that didn’t work out. It causes me to be unfocused and giving myself license to say “well, I AM just transitioning, so I can have SOME of these carbs and not ALL.” Unfortunately, that SOME eventually starts turning into ALL. So reading this lets me know that my next “trial” to “go hard” from the get-go is the right thing to do so my body can react accordingly.
Today is my first day doing the keto diet, and I am head in. I am incredibly hungry right now, but this is after I couldn’t even finish my dinner an hour ago, so I’m really confused at my body right now 😛 But, I’m coming from having a ton of carbs daily, especially coming off the holidays, and I ate terribly last night in preparation (I’m just doing the keto diet as a “challenge” right now, as the only way I can have any willpower is if I’m being competitive :P), so my body is craving those carbs hard right now!!
You can do this Lizzi!
I am just beginning this and would like to know what foods should i stay away from the first couple of weeks. Do i start adding in certain foods? I heard coconut and almond flour shouldn’t be consumed first 2 wks. Anything else?
Hey Cari,
In our beginner’s guide, we have a list of foods you should and should not eat that will answer your questions:
https://www.ruled.me/guide-keto-diet/
This guide will also provide you with all the information you need to follow the keto diet successfully.
If you want a more in-depth look at what you can eat, check out our keto diet food list as well:
https://www.ruled.me/ketogenic-diet-food-list/
Also, coconut flour and almond flour CAN be consumed in the first couple of weeks as long as you stay within your carb limit for the day. (We recommend staying below 35 g of total carbs per day.)
Hey Cari,
In our beginner’s guide, we have a list of foods you should and should not eat that will answer your questions:
https://www.ruled.me/guide-…
This guide will also provide you with all the information you need to follow the keto diet successfully.
If you want a more in-depth look at what you can eat, check out our keto diet food list as well:
https://www.ruled.me/ketoge…
Also, coconut flour and almond flour CAN be consumed in the first couple of weeks as long as you stay within your carb limit for the day. (We recommend staying below 35 g of total carbs per day.)
I’m on day 6 was big carb eater ( and wine lover) My macro is averaging 75%fat, 5 %, carb, and 20% protein but I have felt sick and have had headache for last 4 days. I drink plenty of water. Not sure if it’s just my body adjusting to lack of sugar and wine lol. I have been making a point of incorporating arugula and cauliflower and other Keto friendly veggies to make sure I wasn’t losing nutrients. Any thoughts?
Hey Osh Kiss,
This is normal, especially since your body is used to having a lot of carbs and alcohol.
We have an in-depth article on why this happens and what you can do to remedy these symptoms that you can find here:
https://www.ruled.me/keto-flu-remedy/
If the suggestions in the article don’t help you, please let me know.
Hey Osh Kiss,
This is normal, especially since your body is used to having a lot of carbs and alcohol.
We have an in-depth article on why this happens and what you can do to remedy these symptoms that you can find here:
https://www.ruled.me/keto-f…
If the suggestions in the article don’t help you, please let me know.
I’m on day 10 of Keto and I went through pretty bad bout of headache, nausea, stomach cramps and weakness between days 4-7, then felt fine but woke up this morning feeling weak, nauseous and diarrhea today. I have been pretty strict with highest macro carb day percentage of 7% and averaging 5% carbs , 70% fat and 25% protein .. any thoughts? I do drink plenty of water. Probably 1.5-2 litres a day
Hey Osh Kiss,
My first thought is: Are you eating enough vegetables/fiber?
Here is a guide to keto-friendly vegetables that’ll help you out:
https://www.ruled.me/best-low-carb-vegetables-ketogenic-diet/
Also, it sounds like you are having some symptoms of the Keto Flu still. Some of the suggestions that you’ll find in this article should help if upping vegetable intake doesn’t:
https://www.ruled.me/keto-flu-remedy/
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Hey Osh Kiss,
My first thought is: Are you eating enough vegetables/fiber?
Here is a guide to keto-friendly vegetables that’ll help you out:
https://www.ruled.me/best-l…
Also, it sounds like you are having some symptoms of the Keto Flu still. Some of the suggestions that you’ll find in this article should help if upping vegetable intake doesn’t:
https://www.ruled.me/keto-f…
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
I started a keto diet 8 days ago – all was going well, no hunger or signs of keto flu. Lost 3.5kg in weight in the first week and ketoStix show I’m producing a lot of ketones. However, yesterday I started feeling quite ill – very lethargic, headache, fogginess and upset stomach. I have been consuming less than 20g of carbs a day. It’s it likely to be ketoflu? It seems quite late to get it – most literature states that ketoflu starts within the first few days – NOT 8 to 9 days after starting……
I slipped over the holidays and returned to induction 5 days ago. I’m hitting my macros. I record everything I eat & drink in a carb manager app – lots of hidden carbs out there. I’ve stayed under 10 net carbs/day since I began & have dropped 4 lbs (water weight). I weigh 124.
This time the headaches, hunger & nausea really caught me by surprise. I salt everything and drink tons of water.
I will soldier on so I can make those 4 lbs of water turn into 4 lbs lost fat. I know it will pass.
Keto flu for almost 2 weeks now. Is this normal? I’m tempted to stop, and paranoid that something else is wrong! HELP!
Hey NorinaLuna,
Are you following the recommendations in this article:
https://www.ruled.me/keto-flu-remedy/
You might be dehydrated and running low on certain minerals, which can cause keto flu symptoms (the article above addresses this issue). It is also important to make sure you are eating enough calories (anything more than a 30% calorie deficit can cause keto flu symptoms).
If what I suggested above doesn’t help, then you may need to increase your daily carb limit until the flu symptoms pass.
Hey NorinaLuna,
Are you following the recommendations in this article:
https://www.ruled.me/keto-f…
You might be dehydrated and running low on certain minerals, which can cause keto flu symptoms (the article above addresses this issue). It is also important to make sure you are eating enough calories (anything more than a 30% calorie deficit can cause keto flu symptoms).
If what I suggested above doesn’t help, then you may need to increase your daily carb limit until the flu symptoms pass.
I have been following a primal diet 90% of the time for the past year and practice intermittent fasting 18 hours a day. I just started keto for the first time three days ago and I find that I wake up hungry in the mornings. Will this pass as my body gets used to even less carbs than it was getting?
Hey Gina,
Yes, it should pass, but if it doesn’t that’s ok too.
On days that you do feel hungry, try going for a walk, drinking coffee or water, and/or focusing on work. This will help decrease your hunger to the point where you forget about it.
Im afraid to consume 1600 calories a day!! I don’t eat much as it is…how am I going to do that?
my carbs are 20g, protein is 97g, and my fat is 129g. is this normal? and am I gonna lose weight? im afraid im going to gain!
Check out our free meal plan for an idea – your macros are very similar to it 🙂
I’ve been doing Keto for 2 months following very strictly and have lost 17 lbs but I drank beer on the weekend. It’s been a week and have not been able to return to Ketosis. What do I do? 😞
You could try some fasting and exercise to help deplete your glycogen stores. Typically you should be in keto after a week, though.
I just started the diet a few days ago and I feel fine…I keep hearing how bad it is in the beginning but I’m not feeling that so far. I got some test strips to see where I’m at with getting into ketosis, but is this normal? I’m under 20g of carbs a day and averaging around 100oz water/day. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Some people actually don’t experience the dreaded “keto flu.” This is normal.
Many different lifestyle and health factors determine whether or not you will get symptoms, and it sounds like your body is adapting to carb restriction gracefully. 🙂
Can you still lose fat in the beginning, before you are fat adapted?
Yes, you can. Being fat-adapted can help boost fat loss results, but it isn’t required to lose fat.
I spent 5 weeks doing a very strict keto diet with absolutely no results. My Dr. suggested I have blood work done (everything was normal) looking for any reason why keto was not happening. Jumped off the wagon for 1 night in the hopes of restarting the keto process… it’s been a week now, I’m experiencing some of the “keto flu” but still no results! I do use the urine sticks… according to the sticks, I have NEVER been in ketosis! I think I saw a trace once!
Any suggestions? I’m at a loss and losing faith &/or belief!
Hello Julie,
I’m sorry you aren’t getting the results you expect with keto. This has happened to me in the past as well, and it was so discouraging.
Regarding ketosis, it is possible that you are in ketosis and the sticks are giving you false negative results. Either way, I suggest focusing instead on your health and body composition goals rather than ketosis levels.
Our guide to keto weight loss plateaus has several recommendations that’ll help you:
https://www.ruled.me/ketoge…
If you have any further questions, let me know 🙂