keto diet - sides

[gymbabe]

Hi Ladies

Im 14 weeks out from my first comp and have just started a keto diet.

I have been on the diet 5 days and havent been hungry but i am extremely tired but unable to sleep.

Also today when working out, it seems my muscles did not want to "fire" at all and everything i lifted felt like a dead weight!

My question is when will i start feeling more energetic again?

Thanks

[VTliftVT]

From all I have read it will be somewhat individual but the norm seems to be in the one to two week mark. Your body has to adjust and resort to using fat as a fuel source instead of glycogen which when consuming carbs, is the body's main fuel source.

It seems that once you get adjusted many people feel better and have a more consistent energy level as the body is not spiking insulin throughout the day as it would consuming carbs.

Good luck with your diet!

[RationalGaze]

Totally normal to have reduced energy and appetite. You may want to add in ECA or even better Yohimbine (works the best without carbs for fat mobilization). Make sure you're doing a carbup as well. Give it a couple weeks and see how you settle in. Some people just do not do well on low carb. I get severe brain fog and lethargy unless I do at least one carbup a week with another low/moderate carb day added on.

[gymbabe]

thank you for your replies.

I will stick at it for another week and see how i go, i definitely have brain fog and its not pleasant

[VTliftVT]

Originally Posted by gymbabe

thank you for your replies.

I will stick at it for another week and see how i go, i definitely have brain fog and its not pleasant

I'm sure the brain fog is further exacerbate the effects of the low carb ha.

Make sure that you get some fiber in your diet with some fresh veggies and you may want to consider adding some psyllum husk in there a couple of times per day...otherwise you'll be cranky for other reasons

As RG stated, you definitely will want to add a carb up every week or two depending on how you feel. Maybe start now one every week and then move to every 2 weeks closer to your show....agian depending on your progress.

Edit: you will also want to make sure a good portion of your fats are coming from healthy fats. Fish oils, MCT oils from Borage Oil / Evening Primrose, Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, etc.

[EVERLAST]

Originally Posted by gymbabe

thank you for your replies.

I will stick at it for another week and see how i go, i definitely have brain fog and its not pleasant

I've been doing it since Jan-Feb pretty strict and have lost 60 pounds.
It sucked the whole time.
Fish oils seem to help.
Very depressed at times...not pretty.
Best for the short run diets.

[gymbabe]

Love the info thank you.

Tbh i have dieted before only for 6 weeks but just reduced carbs, this "diet" feels awful, tired but cant sleep, feel pretty low and cant do my favourtie thing properly, LIFT WEIGHTS !

As i said it will get one more week of my time and then if i am not feeling this energy surge that everyone keeps tellng me about then its goodbye keto!

[EVERLAST]

Fish oils at about 15 gram a day then drop to 5 gm a day after a week or so...supposed to elevate the serotonin levels. It does help.
Carbs increase them too. Ever notice the sleepy/happy feeling after a big carb meal?
You aint gettin any carbs...and that affects mood and sleep patterns...hence the lack of sleep. ZMA helped me sleep at first when this was new to me.
I usually wake up early and can't get back to sleep.
either way it sux.

[VTliftVT]

Originally Posted by EVERLAST

Fish oils at about 15 gram a day then drop to 5 gm a day after a week or so...supposed to elevate the serotonin levels. It does help.
Carbs increase them too. Ever notice the sleepy/happy feeling after a big carb meal?
You aint gettin any carbs...and that affects mood and sleep patterns...hence the lack of sleep. ZMA helped me sleep at first when this was new to me.
I usually wake up early and can't get back to sleep.
either way it sux.

I am fairly certain that would defeat the purpose of a keto diet...too many carbs/sugar alcohols etc will throw you out of ketosis.

GymBabe, I say stick it out another week and if you don't see the progress both in results and in how you feel then maybe your next step would be to consider a low carb approach or carb cycling instead of strict keto. It seems that the general consensus is that your lifts will go down some at first due to the lack of energy as your body is switching fuel sources but after that you should maintain a fairly level and consistent amount of energy. You know your body best and how you feel though so if you don't feel that you can benefit with this style of dieting then you have to make the decision of where to stick it out or chagne diets. Good Luck!

[Shelby]

gymbabe - you might also want to post up your exact diet so we can see if anything sticks out as "not right".

[EasyEJL]

also although not necessarily any consolation today, it tends to get easier and less bothersome on your 2nd + future keto diets, as your body seems to fall into the adjustment to burning ketones more easily after the first time

[gymbabe]

well it seems my dark mood has passed and im feeling much better and i even managed to train legs today with a much improved energy level!
I started to feel better after my first meal today and then got better and better as the day went on. Very strange but im not complaining, its actually quite surreal considering how terrible i felt yesterday, i just hope my sleep improves then i will be a happy lady.
My diet is as follows

meal 1 2 whole eggs 4 egg whites
meal 2 35g whey 1 tbs peanut butter
meal 3 150g chicken and 50g broccoli
meal 4 same as 2
meal 5 150g lean red meat or salmon, 50g brocolli

suppsmulti vit, primrose oil, fish oil

this is the pro fats week, i then alternate, protein/fat with protein veg next week

[EasyEJL]

from my belief set, thats too much protein and not enough fats for you to easily reach ketosis. Part of initially getting in is not having excess protein to convert to glucose by gluconeogenisis. I'm not sure what you weigh, but at least for initial time to get into ketosis less than 1g/lb of body weight in protein is a good idea, .8g seems to work well, with balance of daily calories from fats.

[gymbabe]

thank you for that info easy, i will remember that for future reference.

[Shelby]

Originally Posted by gymbabe

well it seems my dark mood has passed and im feeling much better and i even managed to train legs today with a much improved energy level!
I started to feel better after my first meal today and then got better and better as the day went on. Very strange but im not complaining, its actually quite surreal considering how terrible i felt yesterday, i just hope my sleep improves then i will be a happy lady.
My diet is as follows

meal 1 2 whole eggs 4 egg whites
meal 2 35g whey 1 tbs peanut butter
meal 3 150g chicken and 50g broccoli
meal 4 same as 2
meal 5 150g lean red meat or salmon, 50g brocolli

suppsmulti vit, primrose oil, fish oil

this is the pro fats week, i then alternate, protein/fat with protein veg next week

This is more along the lines of a Palumbo diet for females than a true "keto" diet but it will still work very well.
You should add 10-15g fat to meals 3 and 5 though, something like 1/4 cup raw nuts or 1tbsp macadamia nut oil or extra virgin olive oil.

[EasyEJL]

I think the number that gets bounced around is roughly 1.5g of fat per g of protein. Its not easy to do thats for sure.

heres an example (although its missing quantities) of a fairly normal keto diet

8 AM Breakfast:

2 Eggs or Salmon or Mozarella cheese or 30 g whey protein if in a rush
50 grams of Almonds
11 AM Pause:

100g strawberry with or without cream (depending on the mood )
some nuts (almonds, macadamian, brazil) or cheese
1 PM Lunch:

Salmon or Truit or Chicken or Beef
Mozarella
Green Salad
Greens: spinach / Bussel sprouts / Green beans
Sometime a few small tomato or heart of palms
4-5 PM Second Lunch:

Nuts
Cheese
8-PM Dinner:

Greens: spinach / Bussel sprouts / Green beans / Broccoli
Any kind of meat or fish (this meal is at home so I can cook)
Cheese
10-11 PM Last meal:

Yogurt with low carb content
Sliced ham or smoked salmon

notice the nuts + cheese at basically every meal, thats to provide that volume of fat necessary. Its definitely odd to get used to at first.

[gymbabe]

Originally Posted by Shelby

This is more along the lines of a Palumbo diet for females than a true "keto" diet but it will still work very well.
You should add 10-15g fat to meals 3 and 5 though, something like 1/4 cup raw nuts or 1tbsp macadamia nut oil or extra virgin olive oil.

Hi shelby, i forgot to add the nuts and oil, i am already having 20g of pecans or cashews or a extra virgin olive oil

Also i had never tasted peanut butter until i started this diet ( everyone goes into shock when i say that) but i am definitely a convert

[VTliftVT]

Originally Posted by gymbabe

Hi shelby, i forgot to add the nuts and oil, i am already having 20g of pecans or cashews or a extra virgin olive oil

Also i had never tasted peanut butter until i started this diet ( everyone goes into shock when i say that) but i am definitely a convert

The best peanut butter out there taste wise that I have found is smuckers natural creamy....if shelby would let me i would eat an entire jar with just a spoon and some milk to wash it down....mmmmmmmmm

[EVERLAST]

Originally Posted by VTliftVT

I am fairly certain that would defeat the purpose of a keto diet...too many carbs/sugar alcohols etc will throw you out of ketosis.

GymBabe, I say stick it out another week and if you don't see the progress both in results and in how you feel then maybe your next step would be to consider a low carb approach or carb cycling instead of strict keto. It seems that the general consensus is that your lifts will go down some at first due to the lack of energy as your body is switching fuel sources but after that you should maintain a fairly level and consistent amount of energy. You know your body best and how you feel though so if you don't feel that you can benefit with this style of dieting then you have to make the decision of where to stick it out or chagne diets. Good Luck!

not saying to eat carbs... just pointing out they increase serotonin levels as do the fish oils I AM SUGGESTING for use. And you're right...that would defeat the purpose huh?

[gymbabe]

VT that sounds delicious!

I have also heard that peanut butter and jam bagels are great

Why am i talking about all the foods i cant have