Keto Fatigue: Why Do I Feel So Tired?

Starting a ketogenic diet can be challenging, and it's common to feel more tired and weaker than usual during the initial stages. This keto fatigue occurs as the body transitions from burning carbohydrates to burning fat for energy. Carbohydrates provide a quicker energy boost, whereas the body has to work harder to convert fat into energy. This metabolic shift can result in symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, and other side effects commonly referred to as the keto flu.

However, there are ways to combat keto fatigue and improve your energy levels while on a keto diet. Here are some strategies to consider:

- Ensure adequate salt intake: Salt plays a crucial role in managing the negative side effects of keto. Increase your salt intake by seasoning your food generously or adding a teaspoon of salt to a glass of water in the morning.

- Achieve true ketosis: Restrict your daily net carbohydrate intake to less than 20 grams to ensure you're in a state of ketosis rather than a low-carb but non-ketogenic state, which can cause exhaustion.

- Avoid an accidental low-calorie diet: Keto suppresses appetite, making it easy to undereat. Calculate your daily calorie needs using a formula like the Harris-Benedict equation to ensure you're consuming enough calories to maintain energy levels.

- Stay hydrated: The keto diet can lead to dehydration, which contributes to fatigue. Drink plenty of water and consider taking electrolyte supplements to maintain hydration and replace lost electrolytes.

- Consume healthy fats: Fat is the primary source of energy on a keto diet. Include healthy fats like nuts, seeds, and oily fish in your meals to provide your body with sufficient fuel.

- Eat regular meals: Eating at regular intervals helps the body burn fat and use it for energy. Aim for at least three meals a day, spread evenly throughout the day.

- Avoid dirty keto: Opt for whole, unprocessed foods like high-quality proteins, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats instead of processed keto-friendly snacks, which can contribute to fatigue.

The keto flu

Symptoms of the Keto Flu

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Tiredness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Muscle soreness
• Cravings
• Constipation
• Difficulty sleeping
• Foggy brain
• Irritability

There are a few reasons why the keto flu happens. Firstly, it is a result of the body adjusting to a new fuel source. Usually, carbohydrates provide the body with energy in the form of glucose. When carbs are substantially reduced, the body burns ketones from fat instead of glucose. This switch to burning fat for energy is called ketosis.

Secondly, the keto flu may be related to carbohydrate withdrawal. The body experiences an increase in the amount of sodium, potassium, and water that is released in the urine, which can lead to dehydration. Insulin is also involved in transporting glucose to the brain. Before the brain starts to use ketones for energy, it will have less fuel, which can lead to fatigue.

Additionally, genetics, electrolyte loss, dehydration, and individual differences in how the body adjusts to the new diet may also contribute to the keto flu.

How to Manage the Keto Flu

• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
• Eat more frequently and include plenty of colourful vegetables in your diet.
• Avoid strenuous exercise during the initial adjustment period.
• Replace electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium.
• Get enough sleep and reduce caffeine intake.
• Gradually reduce carbohydrates instead of cutting them out all at once.
• Ensure you are consuming enough fat and calories.

Not eating enough calories

If you're feeling tired on keto, it might be because you're not eating enough calories. Ketosis suppresses appetite, making it easier to stay in a calorie deficit throughout the day. It's common for people to unintentionally go too low in calories when on the keto diet. Undereating reduces your body's production of thyroid hormones and other energy hormones, and over time can even crash your metabolism. Not eating enough can leave you feeling exhausted and is a relatively common problem with people new to keto dieting.

If you've tried low-calorie diets in the past, you might be bringing the wrong mindset to keto. Even if your goals include weight loss, you can experiment with eating more calories to boost your energy levels and fight fatigue. For the next 2-4 weeks, eat healthy keto-friendly whole foods and allow your appetite to guide your food intake. You may be surprised to discover that your tiredness vanishes without slowing down your fat loss results.

If you're worried that you have a slow metabolism, don't be. It's usually not a big deal on keto. Evidence shows people often burn fat and lose weight on keto without counting or intentionally restricting calories.

On the keto diet, the vast majority of the energy your body uses comes from fat calories (in the form of stored body fat as well as dietary fats you eat). But similar to the unhealthy low-calorie mindset, beginners sometimes bring a "fat-phobic" perspective to keto. If you're afraid of eating healthy fats on the ketogenic diet, where fat is your primary source of energy, then you're going to feel fatigued. The good news is that fat doesn't make you fat. So make sure healthy fats feature prominently at every keto meal you eat.

Beyond your calorie and fat intake, your meal schedule can also affect your energy levels. Particularly for people just starting keto, who aren't fully fat-adapted yet, eating regularly is one of the best ways to provide plenty of energy for your brain and body. Try eating at least three meals a day at first, spread evenly throughout the day. If that doesn't solve your fatigue, you can also add a few low-carbohydrate, high-fat snacks.

Dehydration

To combat dehydration, it's important to increase your salt intake and ensure you're drinking enough water. Try adding small amounts of salt to your meals or drinking a cup of water with one teaspoon of salt in the morning. You can also try drinking bone broth or dissolving a bouillon cube in water.

Additionally, consider taking electrolyte supplements, as electrolytes are often lost due to the rapid reduction in your body's water content. Look for supplements that contain sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

It's worth noting that simply increasing your salt intake can help reduce many of the negative side effects of starting a keto diet, including heart palpitations and constipation.

Eating dirty keto

"Dirty keto" is a slang term for a ketogenic diet that ignores food quality. It is a tweaked version of the standard ketogenic diet, which promotes the consumption of fats, small amounts of protein, and very few carbohydrates.

The dirty keto diet involves decreasing your carbs and increasing your fats, but without considering the quality of the food you consume. It allows processed and fast foods, as well as prepackaged snacks.

Dirty keto typically includes foods such as:

• Processed oils (vegetable oil, hydrogenated oil, trans fats, mayonnaise, and canola oil)
• Processed meat (bacon, pork rinds, hot dogs, and pre-packaged meats)
• Soft drinks containing artificial sweeteners
• Fast food containing unhealthy oils, conventional meats, and unknown ingredients
• Pre-packed dairy products, such as milk and full-fat cheese
• Snacks, such as keto cookies and chips, roasted nuts, etc.

Dirty keto is more flexible and less costly than the clean keto diet. However, it can lead to some adverse health effects, including micronutrient deficiency, inflammation, and increased sodium consumption, which can raise blood pressure.

If you are feeling tired after starting keto, it could be due to several reasons, including the "keto flu," not eating enough calories, dehydration, or eating too much "keto junk food."

• Eat at regular intervals: Eating regular meals helps keep the body burning calories and prevents you from feeling the need to eat mindlessly.
• Eat more calories: Make sure you are consuming enough calories throughout the day and track how you feel when you consume more.
• Consume more healthy fats: Your body needs fat for energy, so make sure to include healthy fats like nuts, seeds, and oily fish in your diet.
• Ditch the keto junk food: Opt for whole, unprocessed foods like high-quality proteins, vegetables, fruits, and cheeses.
• Take supplements: Nutritional supplements can help combat exhaustion. Electrolyte supplements and B vitamins are especially beneficial for those on a keto diet.

Not eating enough fat

Fat is your primary source of energy on the keto diet, so if you're not eating enough of it, you're bound to feel tired. This is especially true if you're new to the diet and your body is still adjusting to using fat as its main energy source.

When on the keto diet, the majority of your energy comes from fat calories in the form of stored body fat as well as dietary fats that you eat. If you're not consuming enough fat, your body will be short on its primary source of energy, leaving you feeling exhausted.

To combat this, make sure healthy fats feature prominently at every keto meal. Some healthy fat sources to consider include:

• Nuts like walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts
• Flax or pumpkin seeds
• Oily fish like tuna, salmon, and sardines
• Lean meats and fatty fish like chicken, salmon, mackerel, and turkey
• Red meats like prime cuts of steak and grass-fed beef
• Greek yogurt topped with high-fat nuts or seeds
• Grass-fed butter or ghee
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Bacon grease for cooking

Frequently asked questions