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Keto Flu And Electrolyte Imbalance [so Important!]
Keto Flu and Electrolyte Imbalance [SO IMPORTANT!] Keto flu! If youve been following a very low carb diet and any of the following sound intimately familiar, theres a good chance you have the dreaded keto flu. Im shaky today, and my head hurts. Im feeling pretty weak today. I have a terrible headache!! And feeling shaky What have I done?! More than a few times I have felt like shaky and dizzy like I was going to pass out. Im shaky, headache, heart is fluttery is this normal? Severe leg cramps while sleeping? Calf muscles are constricting and waking me up! Been keto for four weeks now. The last couple weeks Ive been getting Charlie horses at night. What can I do to fix this?! You may be wondering, What kind of medieval torture is this? Why would anyone subject themselves to this willingly? All of the above are comments seen on the daily in keto forums. Doubleplusungood AF right? If I were a newbie, seeing this would likely make me run for the hills. Yes, all these symptoms are normal when youre experiencing whats commonly referred to as keto flu. However, for the sake of all thats ACTUALLY flu, Ill refer to it as what it actually is: electrolyte imbalance. Im petty like that, #sorrynotsorry. Luckily for you, there is a way to avoid all this yuckiness and lead a cramp-headache-shaky-flutter-brainfog-free keto lifestyle. Electrolytes are minerals present in your body, necessary for the proper functioning of your heart, muscles, and nerves and to carry out and regulate a number of processes such as maintaining your bloods chemistry and muscle action. They are obtained from either food or drink. What happens to electrolytes when you restrict carbohydrates in your diet? Your kidneys shift from retaining water and sodium to dumping both at a faster rate! Due to homeostasis, o Continue reading >>
8 Ways To Blast Through Low-carb Flu And Dive Into Ketosis
Have you just started a low-carb diet? Do you find yourself feeling exhausted and overcome by tiredness? Perhaps you are thinking that going low-carb wasn’t a good idea after all… You might already know that these symptoms are not uncommon, especially if you are doing low-carb for the first time. Also known as “low carb flu” or “Atkins flu”, this phase is completely normal – although by no means pleasant. This condition occurs when you cut your carb intake sharply, to about 20-30g a day, in order to induce ketosis. What is low-carb flu? Your body is used to running on carbs. It’s been operating this way for decades. Cutting carbs in favour of fat is a huge change for your metabolism. Your body needs some time to adjust to this change. This period of adjustment can sometimes cause flu-like symptoms. Fatigue is the most common one, but you could also get muscle cramps, headaches, dizziness and mental fog. Some of these symptoms are markers of sugar withdrawal. Sugar addiction is real and common, so trying to break away can be difficult. Low-carb flu is not actual flu Please note that “low carb flu” does not include fever or respiratory cold-like symptoms such as coughing or sneezing. If you are experiencing any of these, it means that you might have actually caught an infection! So it would be a good idea to postpone starting your diet until you are all clear. How can you fight tiredness and other symptoms of low-carb flu? First of all, remember that it won’t last forever. Low-carb flu usually lasts around 3-5 days (although could be 1-2 weeks for some unlucky people with high metabolic resistance). Here are some simple tips on making this transition easier. 1) Eat more fat Fat is the key to this whole issue. You must eat lots of it – a lot more th Continue reading >>
The Dreaded Keto Flu
For all the excellent benefits of the ketogenic lifestyle, getting there can be a physically rough road. The primary reason for this is what is known as the “keto flu”. Almost everyone who has changed their life to the healthy ketogenic lifestyle has had to deal with the keto flu, and some have had a worse deal than others. Background The keto flu is the common name for the induction phase of ketogenesis. That means it’s the period of time when your body is getting used to the changes you have made to what you eat. When you change what you eat, you change everything about how your body operates and functions. Inside your gut (where close to 70% of your immune system lives) are billions of bacteria, and they are all battling for dominance. If your diet consists of highly refined carbs, the types of bacteria that thrive in your gut (e. coli, h. pylori, candida a, etc.) will be inflammatory and detrimental to your immune system. By changing your diet to be high in fat, those same bacteria die off rapidly, because they don’t have their preferred energy source. This massive bacteria death has consequences. These consequences are typically: Diarrhea Headaches Nausea Lack of mental focus and clarity Fatigue In short: You feel like you have the flu. That’s because, in a way, you do. Your immune system is taking a beating when you make the change, because it has grown accustomed to the way things have been. But once you get through the induction phase, and you start to feel better, your immune system will be several times stronger and more efficient. That’s one of the reason that Ketovangelists don’t get sick (and when they do, it’s not nearly as bad as it could have been). Changing Fuel Sources The best way to think about what you’re doing to your body is to i Continue reading >>
What Is The Keto Flu Or Low Carb Flu And What To Do About It?
Keto flu symptoms, mitigation and getting over excess carbohydrates Any major dietary or lifestyle change has the potential to cause discomfort or lets face it, even mess you up for a bit. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘flu’. It’s the most common time during which people will quit their dietary or lifestyle shift as many simply feel they are unable to function without significant carbohydrates and snacking throughout day. Here we’ll discuss the major downside to starting a ketogenic diet or a low carb one, and how to minimize the discomfort often accompanying this adaptation period. Like most people you’ve probably spent 20 – 60 years feeding your body a significant amount of carbohydrates and much of them from poorly chosen overly processed sources. Your cells, organs, central nervous system and brain have all adapted to it through hormonal and metabolic responses normally running in the background. Switching fuel sources, like eating less carbs and more fat, is likely to throw your body and brain for a loop. To be clear, the “keto flu” label is a bit of a misnomer. It’s more akin to carbohydrate withdrawal symptoms resulting from a shifting hormonal states and imbalanced electrolyte adjustments that are along for the ride. Regardless, this buzz term is in the general consciousness now so we might as well keep using it for now. Before diving into the details, keep in mind that the following four books should teach you nearly everything you need to know about low carb and ketogenic diets, including how to handle the keto flu. The rest of the relevant science is dispersed amongst hundreds if not thousands of papers only a search away on PubMed. If you want to ask questions about it or be part of our community please visit Ask BreakNutrition. Sympto Continue reading >>
What Is Ketosis
Ketosis is a metabolic reaction that occurs in your body, when following the OPTIFAST® VLCD™ Program Intensive level. This means your body shifts from using primarily carbohydrates to using fats as an energy source resulting in a reduction of body fat stores. Ketones are by-products that are created when your body has to switch to fats for energy. It means your stores of glycogen or carbohydrates have been depleted. One of the consequences of ketosis is a decrease in appetite, which helps make following the OPTIFAST® VLCD™ Program Intensive level much easier. As the OPTIFAST® VLCD™ Program causes only a mild ketosis; it is a very safe approach to weight loss. Before your body transitions into ketosis, you will most likely feel hungry and you may experience some side-effects such as: Fatigue Lack of concentration Nausea & Headaches These side-effects should only last about 3 days and most symptoms usually pass by days 4-6. This is what we refer to as the 3 day challenge. Following the initial 3 day challenge you will experience an increase in energy and reduction in appetite which, in the Intensive level, will result in a consistent and successful weight loss. It is important to know that these are typical symptoms and you should try to stick to the program as prescribed or otherwise you will simply pro-long these first few days of the OPTIFAST® VLCD™ Program. Of course, if you are concerned about your symptoms or if they persist, speak to your doctor, dietitian or pharmacist as they can advise how to overcome or correct these before coming off the program. Once your body is in ketosis, any excess ketones that your body does not use for energy are excreted via your urine and breath (thus the incidence of bad breath in some cases). This therefore allows you to Continue reading >>
Keto Flu: Symptoms And Relief
Many people (not everyone!) who start a low carb diet experience what’s called the “keto flu” or the “induction flu” in the first few days while the body is adapting to burning ketones instead of glucose. What is keto flu? The basic symptoms are: headaches nausea upset stomach Lack of mental clarity (brain fog) sleepiness fatigue It’s called the “keto flu” for a reason: you feel sick. I’ve gone through it, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Fortunately, it only lasted four days (2 of them were pretty bad) but then suddenly I woke up feeling much better, less hungry and my energy level was high and consistent throughout the day! While at one point (or three or four) I thought to myself: “what the serious F am I doing? I’m going to die!” but I plowed through it, and when it was over I didn’t regret a thing because what I gained mentally and physically was 100% worth it. Keto and autoimmune disorders I have an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis, and Fibromyalgia to top it off. So, I’m no stranger to brain fog and fatigue, but the fatigue and brain fog that comes with keto flu is a little different, and feel much more like having the regular flu. How long will the keto flu last? It depends. Some people don’t experience any symptoms at all, but some suffer anywhere from a day to a week. In rare cases up to 15 days. Everybody’s bodies are different, and some people handle switching over better than others. You might consider starting keto on the weekend or sometime when you’re able to get good rest deal with the symptoms. For those of you that are going through the keto flu, don’t give up! I know you feel like it’s never going to get better but stick with it and you´ll be so happy you did! I’m telling you, waking up r Continue reading >>
Keto Flu: An In-depth Guide To Beating It
When starting a ketogenic diet, some people experience initial side effects from carbohydrate restriction known as ‘keto flu.’ These symptoms can have some mild and potentially severe effects on the body. While the condition is popularly known as keto flu, people also commonly refer to it as induction flu, low carb flu, and Atkins flu. This article will explain what it is, why it happens, and the best strategies for avoiding or beating it. What is the Keto Flu? Firstly, it is not the real flu. It just shares the name because it has several of the same symptoms. Coming from a high carbohydrate diet, the body is well-adapted to using glucose for fuel. However, when restricting carbohydrate, the supply of glucose falls before the body has adapted to burning fat for fuel. In other words, your body is in ketosis but not fully keto-adapted. If you are curious about this, you can find out your level of ketosis by using ketone strips. The liver and gall-bladder need time to upregulate the number of fat-burning enzymes to burn larger amounts of fat efficiently. Severely restricting carbohydrate is a massive change to the way the body works and your body needs time to adjust to the metabolic changes. When Does it Start? There is no exact timeframe, but symptoms may appear as quickly as 10-12 hours after starting to restrict carbohydrate. For some people, it might be slightly earlier or later. Of course, there are also people who won’t experience the dreaded keto flu at all. How Long Does it Last? Based on anecdotes, this induction flu lasts somewhere between two days and about two weeks. The worst symptoms appear in the first few days and then taper off. Regarding the intensity of the symptoms, this likely depends on the previous diet, hormonal state, and prior carbohydrate Continue reading >>
What Is Keto Flu & How To Help!
Symptoms of Keto Flu: Keto flu is the name given to a set of symptoms some people experience when first starting keto. It’s not actually a flu and definitely not contagious, but it can become quite tiring. Keto flu symptoms are very similar to that of your regular flu and can last anywhere from a day to a few weeks! You may experience fatigue headaches cough sniffles irritability nausea Many people who experience these symptoms in the beginning of their ketogenic diet will believe the diet is to blame and carbs are good after all. Ironically, seeing these symptoms is a sign that you were very dependent on carbohydrates! Your body is going through withdrawal from sugar and carby foods. Subscribe for a FREE copy of our 14-Day Keto Meal Plan Withdrawal from Carbs There are studies that have shown sugar has the same effect on our bodies and brains as cocaine and heroine!1 The same areas of the brain are activated when one eats sugar as when one ingests cocaine. In addition, when we eat sugar, our brain sends messages for the release of dopamine, the “feel good” hormone. After some time, the release of dopamine is more or less regulated and less is sent out each time we eat sugar. The absence of large amounts of dopamine triggers our need to want more sugar, to get that same “feel good” feeling back. Coincidentally, drug addiction is exactly that. The brain remembers what made it feel good, even if you don’t- cravings aren’t random. When we stop eating sugar (or carbs altogether) our bodies can go through withdrawal. Many people report irritability and mood swings from the hormone surges, or lack thereof. Our bodies are recalibrating themselves without the influence of heavy factors such as carbs. Readjusting to Fat Headaches and fatigue can come from the sudde Continue reading >>
10 Signs And Symptoms That You're In Ketosis
The ketogenic diet is a popular, effective way to lose weight and improve health. When followed correctly, this low-carb, high-fat diet will raise blood ketone levels. These provide a new fuel source for your cells, and cause most of the unique health benefits of this diet (1, 2, 3). On a ketogenic diet, your body undergoes many biological adaptions, including a reduction in insulin and increased fat breakdown. When this happens, your liver starts producing large amounts of ketones to supply energy for your brain. However, it can often be hard to know whether you're "in ketosis" or not. Here are 10 common signs and symptoms of ketosis, both positive and negative. People often report bad breath once they reach full ketosis. It's actually a common side effect. Many people on ketogenic diets and similar diets, such as the Atkins diet, report that their breath takes on a fruity smell. This is caused by elevated ketone levels. The specific culprit is acetone, a ketone that exits the body in your urine and breath (4). While this breath may be less than ideal for your social life, it can be a positive sign for your diet. Many ketogenic dieters brush their teeth several times per day, or use sugar-free gum to solve the issue. If you're using gum or other alternatives like sugar-free drinks, check the label for carbs. These may raise your blood sugar levels and reduce ketone levels. The bad breath usually goes away after some time on the diet. It is not a permanent thing. The ketone acetone is partly expelled via your breath, which can cause bad or fruity-smelling breath on a ketogenic diet. Ketogenic diets, along with normal low-carb diets, are highly effective for losing weight (5, 6). As dozens of weight loss studies have shown, you will likely experience both short- and long Continue reading >>
What Is Ketosis And What Are The Symptoms?
What you should know about ketosis Ketosis is a state of metabolism whereby your body uses fat rather than carbohydrates as its main fuel source. In other words, ketosis occurs when insufficient amounts of glucose are consumed to meet the body’s needs and it turns to burning fat to make up for any deficit. This energy source is known as ketones. What are ketones? Ketone bodies are a by-product of the body burning fat stores for energy rather than glucose, think of them as exhaust fumes from when fuel is burned. To encourage ketones, the amount of insulin in your bloodstream must be low. The lower your insulin, the higher your ketone production. How do I know if ketones are present? You can test for ketones using strips you dip in your urine or you can buy a blood ketone testing meter. These are available from pharmacies or online chemists. If you’re diabetic you should have a ketone testing meter which you can get from your GP or diabetic nurse. Ketosis and Diabetes A ketogenic diet can help you lose excess fat, which is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome. So, what’s ketoacidosis? Less common in type 2 diabetes, but dangerous for type 1 diabetics with consistently high blood glucose levels, ketones can develop into a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). This happens when there is a severe lack of insulin and the body cannot use glucose for energy. The body then starts to break-down fat and body tissue as an alternative energy source. Ketones are the by-product of this process. While a certain level of ketones can be safe in non-diabetics – they can build up to a high level they cause the body to become acidic – hence the name, ‘acidosis’. To make it even easier and give you an informative breakdown of what you ne Continue reading >>
What Is Low Carb Flu, And How To Cure It
When people start the keto diet, they often are unprepared for the stress of the diet and end up feeling sick and tired. These symptoms are so common that they’ve been dubbed the ‘keto flu.’ This article details how nutrition, rest and hydration can all help alleviate the symptoms of the keto flu. A significant number of people follow a low-carb diet with a goal to lose weight, or to maintain a more ideal weight. Although time and again, low-carb diets have proven effective when it comes to weight loss and maintenance. In addition to the benefits associated with a low carb diet, there are some adjustments and side effects that a person must make. This particularly is the case at the start off a low carb diet regiment. One side effect of a low carb diet is what commonly is referred to as keto flu, or low-carb flu. There are some strategies that can be utilized to lessen the symptoms associated with keto flu. These strategies are tried and tested. Understanding Keto Flu Basics Keto flu is the moniker attached to the way some people feel upon starting a low-carb diet. The condition nabs the flu reference because the symptoms are quite similar to those associated with influenza. Keto flu erupts because a person’s body is used to relying on carbohydrates as an energy source. With the commencement of a low-carb diet, this energy source is eliminated to a significant degree. An individual’s body cannot rely on carbs as a primary energy source when this occurs. Some people equate keto flu to be somewhat like a withdrawal from drugs. As an aside, there is evidence that sugars, including carbohydrates, can be addictive for some people. The mechanics of a low-carb diet is to transition a person from relying on carbs to burn other fats for energy. The transition period be Continue reading >>
Ketosis Symptoms
Ketosis symptoms are a result of the way the body gets rid of the excess ketone bodies which build up in the blood stream when a person eats a low carb, ketogenic diet. In short, the body has three ways of dealing with excess ketone bodies: First, the muscles liver and brain can burn them for energy in the cells. Second, the body can breathe ketones out through the lungs. And third, the body can flush ketones out through the kidneys and urine. Legionella Testing Lab - High Quality Lab Results CDC ELITE & NYSDOH ELAP Certified - Fast Results North America Lab Locations legionellatesting.com The ketosis symptoms associated with the benign dietary ketosis caused by eating a low carb, ketogenic diet are not dangerous. They may differ for each individual, with the most common symptoms being: Ketosis breath, which has a fruity odor, and the person in deep ketosis may feel a sort of slight burning in the nose and a slight smell of ammonia. Dry mouth, which is alleviated by drinking more regular tap or bottled water. (Reverse osmosis water will make this worse.) In the first week of beginning a ketogenic diet, most people experience frequent urination followed by fatigue, as insulin levels come down, and the kidneys release extraneous water stores. Minerals such as sodium, magnesium and potassium are also lost with excreted urine, and it is the mineral loss that causes the fatigue. This can be offset by eating more salt, drinking more fluids, and increasing the intake of magnesium and potassium containing foods. (Dairy foods and avocados are high in potassium, and you can drink broth for more sodium.) A slight headache at first which goes away in a few days. This is usually a sign of not getting enough salt. Ketone bodies become detectable in the urine. Ketone bodies are molecu Continue reading >>
Signs That You Are In Low-carb Ketosis
The idea behind restricting your carb intake is to reach a state of ketosis in which your body, having used all its glucose stores, begins burning fat for energy. Urine and blood tests can confirm ketosis, but certain signs can also reveal the body's switch from glucose use to ketones for fuel, including the presence of acetone breath, a decrease in appetite and constipation. While low-carb diets help you lose weight, not much is known about the long-term effects of ketosis, so you should consult with your doctor before starting a low-carb diet. Video of the Day Noticeable Signs of Ketosis It takes about three to four days for your body to burn through your glucose and start using fat for energy. One of the first things you -- or more likely your friends -- may notice once you hit ketosis is your breath. Ketone production creates acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyric acid and acetone. Acetone is a toxic chemical you may know better as nail polish remover. It causes your breath to smell sweet or fruity, similar to nail polish. Feeling less hungry may also be a sign you've reached ketosis. Its been theorized that ketosis affects appetite hormones, decreasing your desire to eat, according to a 2013 article published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Although not a pleasant sign, constipation may also indicate ketosis. Without carbs, you're not getting enough fiber, which may make it more difficult to have a bowel movement. Measurable Signs of Ketosis Your breath, appetite and bowel function may indicate you're in ketosis, but you may want to confirm it with measurable tools. Your body excretes ketones through urine. Urine ketone testing strips, which you can find at your local pharmacy, are commonly used to test for ketosis. These strips may be able to tell you wh Continue reading >>
What Is Keto Flu? (plus 6 Ways To Cure It)
You’re tired and dizzy, you crave sugar, bread, pasta, and your mind wanders like crazy. You just started a ketogenic diet (or a Paleo or other low carb diet) and you’re suspicious if your new diet is making you feeling this crappy. Removing carbohydrates from your diet all of a sudden may well be the reason why you’re barely able to concentrate on this sentence! This can happen even on a Paleo diet if you remove too many carbs from your diet. And all this feeling of crappiness is due to something people call Keto Flu (or Carb Flu). Read on to find out what is keto flu, how long keto flu lasts, and of course, how to cure keto flu. (CARB FLU = KETO FLU) KETO FLU INFOGRAPHIC – please pin! Please feel free to pin and share this infographic about the keto flu. WHAT IS KETO FLU? Keto flu describes the flu-like symptoms that people starting a low-carb diet often experience. These symptoms are caused by your body being too used to receiving carbohydrates from the food you eat and not being able to change your body’s energy source when you stop eating carbs. (If you’re interested in the science, then this article provides a very detailed explanation of why keto flu happens.) Some people explain keto flu as symptoms resulting from withdrawal from carbohydrates (think drug addiction here). And indeed, there are studies showing that sugars (which are a form of carbohydrates) can cause drug-like additions. But don’t panic if you think you have keto flu. I’ve listed several ways to shorten that period of feeling crappy below. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF KETO FLU? If you just started a low carb or ketogenic diet, then you might experience keto flu symptoms like: Fatigue Sugar cravings Dizziness Difficulty focusing (or Brain Fog) Nausea Difficulty Getting To Sleep Irritab Continue reading >>
Here Are The Keto Flu Symptoms And How To Beat Them
Over the past few weeks, I’ve heard from a few low carbers who had questions about some issues they experienced. They all say that they had rapid weight loss, but some had severe headaches, some had joint pains, one even claimed they had diarrhea. One lady thought that I didn’t know these diets can do this, but alas I was fully prepared. These people were suffering from dreaded keto flu symptoms. Not only was she wrong in assuming I didn’t know about these pains, I’ve actually experienced all of these over the last few years. Some of these are easier to manage than others, but any one of these will send you running to the nearest fast food restaurant. That’s why I wanted to write everything I know about the keto flu and how to get over each of these common symptoms. Update: If you take a look at the comments section, you’ll see that MCT oil is my recommendation for many of the issues people ask about. So, I decided to write a few posts on what it is and why you HAVE to include MCT in your diet. Here’s the first post! Keto Flu Symptoms The format for this post will be where I list each of the common symptoms and I’ll describe it as best as I can. After that, I’ll write everything I know about how to beat the pain. Most of my recommendations come from my own experience while others will be from trusted sources. Also, I’ll continue to update this page as people reply with more symptoms. The Ketosis Headache Often describe as a migraine, the ketosis headache is one of the most painful of the keto flu symptoms – in my opinion. This mostly occurs in the first 24-76 hours of an LC diet. People suffering from this describe the pain as being in the head but hard to pinpoint it to any particular region. The entire outer head feels stuffy and the pain is ofte Continue reading >>
