I had the dreaded keto flu today.
No, I'm not contagious. And I am already sitting up and blogging about it!
I've been doing a lot of research about the keto diet. I am on day 6 of intermittent fasting. I average 12 hours of fasting a day, up to 18 hours. I eat usually within a 6 to 8 hour window.
I've been successful with the fasting. But want to take it up a notch. I mean, good LORD, I have been working on losing weight and getting healthy for FOUR YEARS NOW!
Sheesh! I will be dead and buried before I finally attain my weight loss goal at this rate!
So far, the research I've read is very positive. And I have seen dramatic positive change in oodles of people in the ketogenic Facebook group I have joined.
Most inspiring! I even joined a keto private chat group - and you know me, I am not a chatter!
I've kind of eased into the keto way of eating. But today, at breakfast with my mother, I went for broke!
I had a "Meat Lover's Scramble" at The Diner in Vancouver. Eggs, bacon, sausage and cheese scrambled up into delectable yumminess!
It came with toast and potatoes. But I told her to hold the toast and potatoes. She put it in a to go box and kept it warm for me. I took it home for my daughter.
I saved some of my eggs for my daughter too. The portion was enormous! I realize that part of reprogramming my eating habits lies in portion control.
It was a delicious breakfast. But about an hour later, I told my daughter that I needed her to take my granddaughter. She was in my room watching her favorite movie, "E.T" with me and playing a game on my Kindle. I felt like I was going to lose consciousness. Luckily my daughter was working from home today. She had plans to take Gracie to meet her friend and her little boy at the park.
As soon as they left, I crawled under the covers. And promptly passed out! I woke up about 45 minutes later, with a dry mouth, racing heart and feeling shaky. I got up and chugged some water. Then I looked up my symptoms. This is what I learned:
Apparently when you cut back drastically on carbs,
"your body produces less insulin and glycogen stores are depleted. For every gram of glycogen (stored carbs) three grams of water are stored as well.
No, I'm not contagious. And I am already sitting up and blogging about it!
I've been doing a lot of research about the keto diet. I am on day 6 of intermittent fasting. I average 12 hours of fasting a day, up to 18 hours. I eat usually within a 6 to 8 hour window.
I've been successful with the fasting. But want to take it up a notch. I mean, good LORD, I have been working on losing weight and getting healthy for FOUR YEARS NOW!
Sheesh! I will be dead and buried before I finally attain my weight loss goal at this rate!
So far, the research I've read is very positive. And I have seen dramatic positive change in oodles of people in the ketogenic Facebook group I have joined.
Most inspiring! I even joined a keto private chat group - and you know me, I am not a chatter!
I've kind of eased into the keto way of eating. But today, at breakfast with my mother, I went for broke!
I had a "Meat Lover's Scramble" at The Diner in Vancouver. Eggs, bacon, sausage and cheese scrambled up into delectable yumminess!
I saved some of my eggs for my daughter too. The portion was enormous! I realize that part of reprogramming my eating habits lies in portion control.
It was a delicious breakfast. But about an hour later, I told my daughter that I needed her to take my granddaughter. She was in my room watching her favorite movie, "E.T" with me and playing a game on my Kindle. I felt like I was going to lose consciousness. Luckily my daughter was working from home today. She had plans to take Gracie to meet her friend and her little boy at the park.
As soon as they left, I crawled under the covers. And promptly passed out! I woke up about 45 minutes later, with a dry mouth, racing heart and feeling shaky. I got up and chugged some water. Then I looked up my symptoms. This is what I learned:
Apparently when you cut back drastically on carbs,
"your body produces less insulin and glycogen stores are depleted. For every gram of glycogen (stored carbs) three grams of water are stored as well.
As those stores are depleted, our kidneys go from retaining water to excreting more of it. If you’ve done keto before, you may have noticed that you experienced a “whoosh” early on, where you lost a lot of weight and felt less bloated.
This is water weight resulting from the excretion of water.
The upside? Looking better.
The downside? With this flush of water, important minerals called electrolytes are excreted too...Electrolytes are specific nutrients in our bodies crucial for important functions like:
The downside? With this flush of water, important minerals called electrolytes are excreted too...Electrolytes are specific nutrients in our bodies crucial for important functions like:
- Muscle contractions
- Heartbeat regulation
- Body temperature control
- Bladder control
- Energy production
- Neurological functions
Without electrolytes, you wouldn’t exist.
Symptoms of electrolyte deficiency include:
- Heart palpitations or racing heart
- Feeling shaky, dizzy or weak like you’re going to pass out
- Headaches or migraines
- Leg or other muscles cramps, such as getting Charlie horses at night
- Trouble with constipation and bloating
These are all symptoms of what’s known as the keto flu, which occurs during the initial period where our bodies are adjusting to the lack of carbohydrates and switching to running on fats (ketosis).
The keto flu really comes down to electrolyte imbalances. If you don’t understand these symptoms you may come to the conclusion that keto just isn’t right for you — but in reality, it’s just an adjustment period."
So my gut instinct to down a bunch of water was correct! After I downed copious amounts of water, I made a big salad.
Then I took a multi vitamin. And I started feeling better! In fact, I am feeling like a new woman!
I plan on continuing this way of eating until I reach more goal weight. Then I will reintroduce some carbs like legumes and rice back into my diet. I would like to keep with the intermittent fasting. My mother has been doing it most of her life. She is 75 and fabulously healthy!
But now, I need to head out. I can have one more meal before my fast kicks in. Hey, I even found an intermittent fasting app! I love it! It is called "Zero" https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zero-fasting-tracker/id1168348542
I hope that my scale budges tomorrow. I have only lost 2 pounds so far. But I have gained discipline!
And that is something to be proud of!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Love,
Zita
P.S. Here are the last two hooping videos!
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