During the adjustment phase to the ketogenic diet, you may feel like you are catching the flu. Fatigue, fatigue, abdominal pain, and dizziness are common symptoms that beginners to the ketogenic diet may experience, but these symptoms do not come from a ketogenic virus or infected mosquito. No, we will explain to you here how it comes about, why some people are less susceptible, and how you can counteract keto flu.
The symptoms of keto flu aren’t even caused by ketosis, ketogenesis, or the flu. The keto flu is caused by the body’s reaction to restricting carbohydrates.
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, high-fat diet that can help you lose weight and maintain your health. Usually, the body burns carbohydrates to produce energy. With the ketogenic diet, you remove carbohydrates from your diet and instead train the body to burn fat.
Remaining in a fat-burning state has many health benefits, and it’s great for long-term, sustained weight loss.
However, it may take your body a week or more to get used to such a large metabolic change. The first time you start keto, you may have the keto flu. You will have a few days of flu-like symptoms as your body learns to switch from burning sugar to burning fat.
However, there are a few simple tips and tricks to relieve keto flu — and even prevent keto flu completely. That also depends on the respective body.
The symptoms of keto flu
On average, keto flu lasts about a week, and symptoms usually start within the first day or two of carbohydrate restriction. In some cases, keto flu can last up to a month, but it’s not that common.
- Cravings for sugar
- Brain fog
- Dizziness
- Bad focus and concentration
- irritability
- nausea
- stomach pain
- confusion
- aching
- Cramp
- insomnia
But don’t worry, you may have only one or two of these symptoms or none at all. The symptoms you get, the severity of the symptoms, and the duration of the keto flu vary depending on the person.
How long does the keto flu last?
Symptoms usually appear within the first day or two of starting the new diet. However, symptoms shouldn’t last more than a few days and should go away once the body has adapted to burning fat for fuel.
One thing you should keep in mind: the keto flu is not dangerous and only lasts during the transition to ketosis before it finally disappears. If the keto flu comes back over and over again, you may go in and out of ketosis. Check your diet for hidden carbohydrates and be sure to track your macronutrients — especially during the first month.
Why do some people get keto flu?
Some people are more metabolic than others — they can easily switch between burning glucose and burning fat.
However, if your body is not as metabolically flexible, you may get keto flu. Many people have it — the main cause of keto flu is an adaptation to ketosis. However, there are several other reasons people might get keto flu or reasons that keto flu symptoms are more severe.
Dehydration/electrolyte imbalance
When you eat carbohydrates, the body stores some of them as reserve energy. These stores are like an emergency energy fund in case you run out of food. In the first few days of the keto diet, your body burns all carbohydrate stores (glucose stores). Only when your carbohydrate stores are depleted does the body go into ketosis and start burning fat.
Carbohydrates require a lot of water to store, and as you break down your carbohydrate stores, you lose a lot of water. Most people lose between 1 and 4 kg of water weight in the first few weeks of ketosis.
When you lose that much water, dehydration can easily occur. With this water, you also lose electrolytes, which can lead to an electrolyte imbalance. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are often responsible for the fatigue, headaches, and muscle cramps that occur during the keto flu.
You eat too little at the beginning
You may not be used to eating low-carbohydrate and high-fat diets at first. It is easy to undereat during the first few weeks of the keto diet, which can lead to a lack of energy and difficulty concentrating. If you’re switching to the ketogenic diet, this is not the time to cut calories. Make sure that you eat plenty of high-fat food.
- Fatty Meat
- Butter
- Salmon
- Olive oil
- Avocados
- Coconut oil
- fresh greens etc.
You should keep your body abundant in fat and protein, especially in the first few weeks of the keto diet. Once you have entered ketosis, if your goal is weight loss, you can reduce your calorie intake. But you should eat a lot for the transition. This will ease the symptoms of possible keto flu.
Five Tips on How to Appease Your Existing Keto Flu Symptoms
If you get keto flu, these steps will help you get rid of it faster or at least relieve the symptoms.
1. Stay hydrated
Drink plenty of water at the beginning of the keto transition. You lose several pounds of water weight when you use up your carbohydrate stores, and you should replenish this water to avoid dehydration. So drink plenty of water throughout the day to reduce symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and nausea.
Keep a reusable water bottle close by that is always full so you can drink wherever you are. Always drink when you feel thirsty, or better BEFORE. Drink most of the water during the day so that you don’t wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom because sleep is also very important!
2. Refills the electrolytes
The body does not contain pure water. The cells are bathed in saltwater that contains electrolytes such as calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
- Magnesium supplement. Some rich dietary sources of magnesium are pumpkin seeds, avocados, cooked spinach, cashews, halibut, salmon, dark chocolate, and macadamia nuts.
- Increase your sodium intake. This will help counteract the water loss that occurs when starting a keto diet. Add more salt to your food. You don’t have to worry about it increasing your blood pressure because if you are on a low-carb diet your insulin will stay stable and low, which is a signal for your kidneys to keep excreting sodium.
- Eat keto foods rich in potassium. Potassium is another important mineral. This electrolyte is involved in regulating the heartbeat, muscle cramps, energy production, bladder control, and body temperature. If you are experiencing problems in these areas, you should consider adding more potassium-rich foods such as Brussels sprouts, pumpkin seeds, avocado, mushrooms, and zucchini to your keto meal plan.
- Eat high-calcium keto foods. Leafy greens, broccoli, chia seeds, salmon, and sardines are all high in calcium. And bone health isn’t calcium’s only job. It’s also vital for blood clotting, muscle contractions, and good cardiovascular health.
- Take an electrolyte supplement. If you need immediate, rapid relief, taking an electrolyte supplement will help replenish your levels faster than food can. A good supplement that definitely counters the keto flu is Keto Direct.
3. Increases fat consumption
Since your body no longer gets its energy from carbohydrates and sugar, it needs a lot of fat for fuel.
This means that you have to make sure that the calories that you used to get from carbohydrates are partially replaced by consuming many keto-friendly fats.
- Heavy cream
- Butter or ghee
- Coconut oil
- Eggs
- MCT oil
- Cocoa butter
- Palm oil
- Avocados and avocado oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Goose fat
- Pecans, macadamia nuts, and walnuts
- Lard and bacon
- Flax seeds, sesame seeds, and chia seeds
- Oily fish
MCT oil supplementation can help you beat keto flu by increasing ketone levels, which can make switching from carbohydrates to fat less uncomfortable.
4. Take exogenous ketones
Remember that one of the causes of keto flu may be because your body is trying to make ketones (from fat) and use them for energy, but it’s not quite there yet.
One way to relieve keto flu symptoms is to add exogenous ketones to your morning routine. These energy molecules are the same nutritional supplement ketone bodies that your body naturally produces.
An exogenous ketone supplement floods your system with ketones so you can take advantage of some of the benefits of ketosis even before you run out of glycogen stores.
5. Movement
Your exercise performance may temporarily suffer as the body adjusts to higher fat and lower carbohydrate intake. While you probably won’t be able to set a personal record during this time, that doesn’t mean you should stay in bed!
Exercising lightly 2–3 times a week can burn carbohydrate stores through faster and increase metabolic flexibility, which will help relieve keto flu symptoms faster.
Low-intensity aerobic exercise — like walking, swimming, or yoga — are good choices during a keto transition. Heavy training, CrossFit, and other intense exercises can be difficult until you are in ketosis.
Conclusion
Keto flu does happen, but it’s only temporary. Use the tips above to relieve symptoms and even avoid keto flu altogether. Also, keep in mind that flu-like symptoms will subside when you experience them. Just give it time.
When the hard part is over, you can look forward to weight loss, increased energy, mental clarity, and all of the other benefits of ketosis.
Also, remember to get as much sleep as possible during the early stages of the ketogenic diet.
At least seven hours of sleep per night is important for everyone, and even more important for the keto dieter. Getting lots of sleep helps reduce stress and fatigue.
And the easiest way to avoid side effects when starting keto is to take the right supplements from the start. While the keto diet should be based on healthy whole foods, nutritional supplements can help fill any nutritional gaps and make your life easier, especially at the beginning!
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