When I am in Ketosis during a low carb diet I don''t really feel that great. Most low carb advocates talk about all the wonderful benefits of Ketosis (and I have lost tremendous amounts of weight and lowered my blood sugar with it!), but I don''t have a high level of "well-being" during this phase. It''s kind of like right before you realize you have a cold and you have a day of "woozies" (or kids will get cranky) etc.....Is this normal? Or should I be feeling like I am at optimal health during this time? Any suggestions on how to improve my sense of "well being" during this phase?
Thank you
Weight Loss - Are You Fighting With Yourself to Lose Weight?
Recommended Answer:
Are you eating enough calories? Is your dietary fat ratio >65%? Are you eating a nutrient dense diet? Are you staying hydrated?
When you restrict carbohydrates, you quickly deplete glycogen stores. Glycogen holds 3x it''s weight in water, so depleting them is like wringing out a sponge. This causes dehydration & an electrolyte imbalance because you lose a lot of salts with the water. It''s very important for low carbers to increase their salt & potassium intake. Salt & potassium have a yin/yang relationship.
Salt and water work together to do important work in your body, including stimulating your metabolism, helping you detoxify, support your adrenals and making sure your nerves, hormones and immune system function properly.
I recommend dissolving half teaspoon each of UNrefined salt, potassium & ascorbic acid (vit.C) in 6-8 oz of water & drink every morning to replenish electrolytes. This can be done up to 3x a day if necessary. I buy a salt substitute (NuSalt, NoSalt, Morton''s Salt substitute, etc) for a cheap form of potassium. This should alleviate fatigue, headaches, dizziness or constipation caused by dehydration. Make sure you drink lots of water.
I really think this salt solution will help you feel much better. I would also recommend taking a vitamin B complex & a multivitamin daily. Have you had your vitD levels checked, they are lowest this time of year which can lower your immunity & sense of well being.
Lately, I''ve been taking tsp each of UNrefined salt, potassium & ascorbic acid (vit.C) and adding this to my drinking water jug & drinking this all day long. I have noticed a difference & plan to continue.
Refined salt may not be healthy, but UNrefined salt is vital to good health.
Unrefined salt contains over 80 minerals. Natural (unrefined) Salt is 85 % Sodium Chloride and Processed (refined) Salt is 98 % Sodium Chloride. The refining process ensures that salt won''t go rancid, but eliminates all of salt''s life-sustaining properties.
I recommend eating these 2 items daily. If you need additional fat or calories, you can add a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil to the ground flax seed cereal. I highly recommend virgin coconut oil for people needing quick energy - fats provide sustained energy, but coconut oil is the only fat that is converted to quick energy like a carb.
Half an avocado mashed with mayo seasoned with cayenne & eaten with pork rinds or celery.
Ground flax seed (4 Tbsp) 1/4 cup water, artificial sweetener, mix in a raw egg - let sit 10 min. to absorb liquid, put some cream cheese in the middle & nuke 2 min for daily fiber needs.
I''m a proponent of low carb diets & highly recommend a fat based diet to maximize health. All carbs >9g per hour trigger insulin & insulin doesn''t allow other hormones to function when it dominates the bloodstream. People think a low carb way of eating is for weight loss when actually it is for normalizing the body & allowing the body to finally function properly & is just as good for the underweight as overweight.
This is an example of my idea of a near perfect 2200 calorie diet (70% of calories from dietary fats & 100% of RDA for all dietary nutrients) & a good example of Atkins life plan - I would actually include much more vegetables, but this is an example of the basics to cover 100% of RDA for all dietary nutrients. Males would need 2500 calories though.
This has 108g total carbs but after subtracting fiber (which has no calories) only has 56g net carbs.
Perfect diet -
4 cups Romaine lettuce
2 med tomatoes
half cup sweet red pepper
1 cup kale
1 avocado
4 each strawberries
1 oz raw Almonds
1 oz chia seeds
1 oz flax seeds
3 oz raw sunflower seeds
2T butter
half cup coconut milk
1oz cheddar cheese
8oz plain yogurt
1oz canned oysters (about 4)
4oz can sardines
2 lg eggs
99g - protein
56g - net carbs - 108g total carbs less 52g fiber
170g - fat
total calories 2200
- NO. Forced ketosis is very bad and having high levels of ketones is deadly.
Having high ketones makes you feel sick and should not feel good at all. Period.
