Why Am I Exhausted On The Keto Diet

Not Eating Enough Fat

The common mistake of first-time keto dieters is they focus on restricting carbs that they neglect the amount of fats their diet has.

Keep in mind that keto is more than just a low carb dietits a high-fat diet too.

Its important to emphasize this since your body will be relying on fats for energy sources.

If youre not eating enough of it, youll undoubtedly experience low energy in your new diet.

Move And Exercise Gently

When you are tired, the last thing you would feel like is moving. But you still need to do it. If you give in to your tiredness and just lie on the sofa, your body will conserve energy. There will be no imperative to switch to fat-burning.

The trick is to do something below your standard level of activity, so that its easy.

If you already exercise regularly, try doing your normal workouts, but at about 50-70% below par. For example, go for a 15-minute run instead of 30 minutes, halve your weights for strength workouts, etc.

The purpose is to do something that would expend energy, without over-tiring you. Once your body adjusts to low-carb nutrition, you can go back to your normal exercise levels, and more.

What if you are not a regular exerciser? Just go for a walk. Doesnt matter how slow, or how short. Just do it. Drag yourself off the sofa and go.

S To Follow During The Keto Diet

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Keto Diet Is Too Low In Calories

To expand on the above point, your rate of weight loss is too high.

This is the part where you need to exercise patience and not fall for what youre seeing on social media or expecting results like Bobby or Sally.

You do you.

I always recommend a weight loss of 0.5% 1.5% per week. The more fat you have to lose the higher you can generally go, but when youre down to the last few pounds, you should expect to lose slower as to minimize any muscle loss.

For a 200 pound individual aiming for 1% of weight loss per week, that would translate to a 2 pounds per week weight loss MAX.

Sometimes you didn’t even mean to eat so little the keto diet or a low carb diet can often significantly reduce or eliminate hunger for people, one of the many welcomed side effects.

Your Blood Sugar Is Too Low

Low blood sugar is called hypoglycemia. This condition happens when theres too much Fat Storing Hormone in your bloodstream in response to too much blood glucose. Fat Storing Hormone floods in, trying to bring your blood sugar back into the normal range of 80-100 mg/dL. Its your bodys way of trying to normalize your body chemistry, but too much Fat Storing Hormone will drive down your blood sugar like a hammer pounding a nail.

And what causes high blood sugar? Eating too many carbohydrates!

If you get instant energy when you eat, you can tell this is a low blood sugar issue causing your fatigue. And if youve been fasting while still eating a fairly high carbohydrate diet, or consuming hidden carbs, youll definitely feel tired as one of the side effects of hypoglycemia.

But if you combine my Healthy KetosisTM way of eating with intermittent fasting, you can correct hypoglycemia over time.

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What Causes The Keto Flu

The exact cause of the keto flu is unknown, but experts have a few ideas. It may be related to the body adjusting to the low-carb diet, which can be associated with sugar withdrawal and changes to the gut microbiome, says Roach.

Genetics, dehydration and substantially changing the quality of your diet in a relatively short period of time are factors that may play a role in the onset of keto flu symptoms as well, says Wirtz.

If you decide to try the keto diet, its a good idea to work with a registered dietitian to ensure youre following protocols in a safe manner, adds Roach.

Keep An Eye On Your Electrolytes

Due to the water loss through glycogen depletion, your body will likely be losing electrolytes. Symptoms of electrolyte deficiency include fatigue, muscle cramps, dizziness, headaches and more. You may want to experiment with your sodium intake through salt in your food and may find you need to eat more salt to get the sodium in. Be mindful and see how much it takes to make you feel better. Adequate potassium and magnesium intake is also of importance heredrinking bone broth or supplementing can alleviate the issues that can arise from a lack of all these minerals.

As with anything, mindfulness is the backbone to success on a ketogenic diet. If you do not feel like something is working properly, do not look for different outcomes by doing the same things. You must be very open-minded and flexible when trying to find the sweet spot for your keto-adaptation. The tips above, along with the other basics involved in maintaining a ketogenic diet, will ensure you are doing all you can to optimize this process. Do be flexible, do be patient, and do be proactive. These traits will ensure you learn from this journey, and you will soon find out how the ketogenic diet will work for you regarding health and performance as well as for adherence. The key to any lifestyle change is how well you can adhere to the protocol over a period of time. View the ketogenic diet not as a short-term fix but as a lifestyle.

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The Hidden Cause Of Keto Fatigue: #3 The Accidental Low

Of all the potential reasons you feel tired on a ketogenic diet, this one is by far the most insidious. I see it happen time and time again in the clinic. And its an honest mistake. Its happened to me on more than one occasion.

When youre in ketosis, the hunger signals that arrive at your brain are not nearly as loud as they are when youre burning glucose for fuel.

Youve been hangry before, right?

When youre hangry, your brain is screaming at you to eat. Youre absolutely miserable. The world is irritating when youre hangry. This is a strong hunger signal caused by low blood sugar.

But when youre in ketosis, the hunger signal can be a gentle whisper. This makes it really easy to ignore. The reason the ketogenic hunger signal is so subtle is that your brain have constant access to your body fat. All of us carry at least some body fat. So, theres always calories to be had.

When you burn glucose for fuel, youre dependent on eating to get enough energy. But when youre in ketosis, your body can always steal some energy from your fat stores. Thats why the hunger signals from ketosis can feel more like suggestions than actual impulses.

For reference, a healthy weight loss strategy is to decrease your daily calories by about 500. This should result in approximately one pound of weight loss each week. My patient had cut 3x that much every day!

Signs And Symptoms That Youre In Ketosis

On the keto diet, our body undergoes many biological adaptation periods, such as reducing insulin levels and increasing fat breakdown. When this process has happened, your liver starts producing a high amount of ketones to supply energy to the brain. Therefore, it isnt easy to know that your body is in ketosis or not. Here are some common signs of ketosis state:

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Better Focus And Concentration

Initially, the ketogenic diet may cause headaches and concentration difficulties. However, these symptoms should fade over time. People following a long-term ketogenic diet often report better clarity and focus, and some research supports this.

According to the results of a 2018 systematic review, people with epilepsy who follow the ketogenic diet report better alertness and attention. Also, these people showed greater alertness in some cognitive tests.

Other

• Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness

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• Ayl& imath kc& imath , B. U., & Çolak, H. . Halitosis: From diagnosis to management. Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine, 4, 1423

You Have A Stomach Acid Deficiency

Stomach acid deficiency is another very common condition. Your stomach acid is probably one of the most important fluids in the entire body because the cascade of negative effects that you will experience without enough of this important acid is cataclysmic. A lack of enough acid in the stomach can affect your ability to:

• absorb vitamins,
• prevent acid reflux and,
• break down proteins that create essential hormones like serotonin, which contributes to your happiness and well-being.

As well, without enough stomach acid, the food sits there without properly digesting, causing you to feel tired.

One excellent way to boost your stomach acid is to consume apple cider vinegar either as a liquid or tablets. And there are several more ways to encourage your body to make more hydrochloric acid in your stomach:

• Increase your potassium by eating more green vegetables
• Consume betaine hydrochloride, found in spinach, beef, and shrimp

Though stomach acid isnt the sexiest subject, its worth your while to correct a possible deficiency.

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Tips For Avoiding The Keto Flu And Getting Enough Protein And Fat In Your Low

Remember: Keto is a moderate protein diet, not a high protein diet. Tracking your protein and fats is equally as important on a ketogenic diet as tracking your carbs, because maintaining the state of ketosis depends on depriving the body of one macronutrient while amping up the intake of another macronutrient . Since carbs are so important to human functioning, this requires sufficient levels of fats and protein to offset the energy imbalance.

Below are some ideas for healthy fat and protein sources on keto:

• Lean meats and fatty fish including chicken, salmon, mackerel and turkey

• Red meats like prime cuts of steak and grass-fed beef

• Bacon grease for cooking

For more ways to ensure youre getting enough fat and protein in your keto diet while still maintaining weight loss, talk to your doctor, nutritionist or a registered dietitian.

Check Your Intake Of Carbs

As weve already discussed, the ketogenic diet is very low on carbs. That doesnt mean that you have to avoid carbohydrates entirely unless, of course, you are following keto to treat epilepsy. For most people, the right amount of carbs is between 30g 50g of net carbs each day.

Even if you think that you have gotten in all of your carbs for the day, being fatigued constantly might be an indicator to take a closer look at your carb intake and adjust it accordingly to fit your fatigue level.

You are first going to want to test your ketone levels each day to make sure that your body is actually experiencing ketosis. If you arent, then lowering your intake of carbs can relieve your fatigue.

Regularly testing your blood sugar is another strategy that can also give you some more insight. Some people also benefit from eating more carbohydrates, and if you are following a standard ketogenic diet, then keto-friendly vegetables and fruits are your best sources of carbs to make sure that you are staying in ketosis.

If you are an athlete or just live a very active life, you can use the cyclical keto diet or targeted keto diet to address your exhaustion and provide your body with the energy it needs to sustain long-term physical activity without feeling overloaded or exhausted.

We also prepared a video about 10 signs of ketosis:

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Common Keto Side Effects: Causes And Solutions

Common Keto Side Effects: Causes and Solutions

Posted 2 years ago

The Keto Diet is one of the most popular diet and lifestyle trends to emerge in recent years.

And with the growing body of scientific research appearing to support the safety and health benefits, Keto is likely here to stay.

However, a subset of individuals experience negative side effects on the Keto Diet, usually when first starting it. Luckily, most of these side effects can be mitigated by addressing a few gaps in your low carb, high-fat lifestyle.

In this article from our Keto Beginners Series, well talk about the most common Keto side effects and why they occur.

How Can You Deal With Keto Flu

As and when it hits you, keto flu can really lay you low andmay make you consider dropping the ketogenic diet altogether. However, thisneednt be the case: the flu doesnt have to last for weeks, and it doesnthave to be anything like as debilitating as many people find it. You simplyneed to know how to properly deal with it.

Apart from supplements, there are a few things we can put in place to make short work of the keto flu and give you your energy back.

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What Is The Keto Diet

Keto is categorized as a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. It transitions your body away from burning carbohydrate as fuel, to using predominantly fat. It can have a large impact on lowering your blood sugar and insulin levels while at the same time having positive implications for a whole host of other illnesses, including:

Compare a typical macronutrient breakdown for a keto eating plan to a low-carb diet:

Low Carb

• Protein: 20 25%

Why Am I Exhausted On The Keto Diet

The keto diet is one of the most popular diets right now. Those who follow the keto diet report weight loss, reduced blood sugar, and many other health benefits.

With all of these great benefits in mind, you have finally taken the plunge and started the keto diet. Now, all of a sudden, you are feeling tired and rundown. You may find yourself asking, Why am I exhausted on the keto diet?

Everyone seems to be thriving, while you cant seem to beat the fatigue. The good news is, fatigue associated with the keto diet is usually short-lived.

Lets dive in and see if the keto diet is the culprit of your fatigue, common reasons for being tired on keto, and how long symptoms typically last.

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More Fat = Fewer Symptoms

Increasing salt and fluid intake usually resolves most of the keto flu side effects. However, if you continue feeling poorly after following those recommendations, try eating more fat.

Due to decades of misinformation about fat being unhealthy, fat phobia is common among people who are new to low-carb eating.13 But if you sharply cut back on carbs without upping your fat intake, your body will think it is starving. Youll feel tired, hungry and miserable.14

A well-balanced keto diet includes enough fat to ensure youre not hungry after a meal, can go for several hours without eating, and have ample energy.

Be sure to increase your intake of fat at the start of your keto journey until your body adapts to using fat and ketones for most of its energy needs. Once youre fat adapted, let your appetite guide you in cutting back on fat a bit and seeing how much you need to feel satisfied.

In short: When in doubt, add butter or other fat to your food. And check out our top 10 tips for boosting fat intake. You can also follow our keto recipes, which have enough fat in relation to carbs and protein.

Why You’re So Tired Hungry And Exhausted On Keto But First

Look, I get it youre tired and hungry.

While you should expect at least some tiredness or hunger during a fat loss diet, you shouldnt have to slog throughout the day or daydream about food every waking second.

Unless youve dieted down to ultra-low levels of body fat like a bodybuilder that is.

The truth is, if you give it enough time and fix what Ill cover below you should feel satiated and have plenty of energy.

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The Effect Of Keto On Your Body

Keto changes the way that your body uses and stores the foods you eat, which can cause major changes in the way that you feel on a daily basis.

The term keto stems from the process that happens in your body when you choose to eat a low-carb diet.

Most of the time, your body takes sugar from the carbohydrates you eat and turns it into energy. If you eat too much sugar, your body stores the excess as fat in your liver and muscles.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, if you dont provide your body with enough carbohydrates and the glucose that comes from them, your body begins to break down stored fat and turns it into an energy source known as ketones this is known asketogenesis.

Once your body burns the stored fat and produces ketones for its energy needs, it enters a state of ketosis.This is where theketo dietcomes in its a low-carb diet that is meant to force your body into ketosis.

The Hidden Cause Of Keto Fatigue: #1 Salt Intake

Ive solved many keto flus with the simple addition of salt to the diet. And its not just my opinion that supports this. Research suggests that the addition of salt will help to lower the negative side effects of getting your body fat adapted.

If youre experiencing keto fatigue, your first step should be to amp up your salt intake. Generously salt all your food to your preferred taste. If youre still feeling tired, try adding one teaspoon of salt to the first glass of water you drink in the morning. If the thought of drinking salted water makes you gag, opt for 1 bouillon cube dissolved in water per day or 1-2 cups of bone broth .

Amping up your salt intake often gets rid of many of the keto-related side effects including:

• Muscle cramping
• Heart palpitations

But sometimes low sodium is not the problem. If youve already tried increasing your salt intake and youre not feeling any better, its time to look at step number two!

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