Leena Watts
The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat, and moderate-protein diet that is effective for weight loss. While it has many benefits, some people experience fatigue when they start the diet. This is known as keto fatigue or keto flu. There are several reasons why someone might feel tired on a ketogenic diet, including insufficient fat intake, irregular eating, dehydration, nutrient deficiencies, and a decrease in physical activity. Additionally, the body's metabolism switches from burning carbohydrates to burning fat for energy, which can cause a temporary decrease in energy levels. For most people, keto fatigue resolves within a few weeks, but if it persists, it is important to consult a medical professional.
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What You'll Learn
Keto flu
The keto flu is a collection of symptoms experienced by some people when they first start a ketogenic diet. These symptoms, which can feel similar to the flu, are caused by the body adapting to a new diet consisting of very few carbohydrates.
Symptoms of the keto flu can begin within the first day or two of removing carbs from your diet. For the average person, the keto flu can last a week or less, but in extreme cases, it can last up to a month. In rare cases, some people may never experience the keto flu, as they are naturally "metabolically flexible", meaning they can shift metabolic states without experiencing health symptoms.
The keto flu is not a result of contracting the influenza virus, and you will not develop a fever. However, it can cause a range of mild to severe symptoms, including fatigue, muscle cramps, stomach discomfort, and nausea. It can also cause a loss of minerals and dehydration, so it is important to drink plenty of water.
To reduce the symptoms of the keto flu, it is recommended to eat more frequently, including plenty of colourful vegetables, and to ensure you are consuming enough healthy fats. It is also important to get enough sleep, and to avoid strenuous exercise until your body has adjusted to the new diet.
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Lack of healthy fats
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, and moderate-protein diet that centres on the idea of reaching a metabolic state called ketosis. In ketosis, the body increases its efficiency at burning fat for energy. This metabolic state is achieved by depriving the body of one macronutrient (carbohydrates) and increasing the intake of another (fats).
If you are feeling tired while on a ketogenic diet, it could be because you are not consuming enough healthy fats. The keto diet is all about cutting carbs and eating more fat. However, some beginners bring a "fat-phobic" perspective to keto, which can lead to insufficient fuel in the form of fats, resulting in fatigue.
To avoid this, it is important to ensure that healthy fats feature prominently at every keto meal. Prioritize healthy fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in olive oil, avocado, and fatty fish to promote heart health. The keto diet also allows for the consumption of other high-fat foods such as red meats, nuts, cheese, and butter.
In addition to including healthy fats in your diet, it is also important to track your protein and fat intake, just as you would track your carbohydrates. This is because maintaining ketosis depends on having sufficient levels of fats and proteins to offset the energy imbalance caused by reducing carbohydrate intake.
If you are feeling tired on keto, it is important to address the issue, especially if it lasts for more than one to two weeks. Make sure to include healthy fats in your diet and consider tracking your protein and fat intake to ensure you are getting enough of these important macronutrients.
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Insufficient calories
The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat, and moderate-protein diet. The majority of the energy your body uses on keto comes from fat calories, which can be in the form of stored body fat or dietary fats that you eat. However, if you're not consuming enough calories overall, you may experience fatigue.
When you start the keto diet, it's important to be mindful of your calorie intake. While the keto diet is not a low-calorie diet, some people may associate the word "diet" with "low calorie." This mindset can lead to insufficient calorie consumption, resulting in fatigue. Undereating on the keto diet can reduce your body's production of energy hormones, and in the long term, it can even send your body into "starvation mode."
Additionally, when you're in ketosis, your body has constant access to your body fat as a source of energy. This can make the hunger signals from ketosis feel more like suggestions than actual impulses. As a result, it's not uncommon to be extremely deficient in calories and not feel hungry. Therefore, it's important to be mindful of your calorie intake and ensure you're consuming enough calories to meet your energy needs.
Furthermore, the keto diet is not a high-protein diet, and consuming too much protein is thought to prevent ketosis. However, consuming insufficient protein is a common mistake, especially for active individuals. It's important to track your protein intake along with your fat and carbohydrate intake to ensure you're getting enough calories and nutrients.
To address fatigue due to insufficient calories, it's recommended to focus on including healthy fats prominently in every keto meal. This can help ensure you're getting enough calories and providing your body with its primary source of energy on the keto diet. Additionally, it's important to eat regularly and spread meals and snacks evenly throughout the day to keep energy levels high and avoid slumps.
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Dehydration and nutrient deficiencies
Dehydration is a common side effect of the ketogenic diet. The body loses water weight before it loses fat, and high levels of ketones in the body can cause dehydration and an electrolyte imbalance. This is because the ketogenic diet is a very low-carbohydrate diet, and carbohydrates hold water in the body.
The keto diet is also a moderate protein diet, not a high-protein one. It is important to track protein and fat intake, as well as carbohydrates, to maintain the state of ketosis. Extreme carbohydrate restriction can reduce the intake of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies, including vitamins A, B6, E, K, and folate, as well as thiamin, calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium.
These deficiencies can lead to health issues such as constipation, muscle cramps, weakened immune function, and "keto flu" symptoms, including fatigue, headache, nausea, dizziness, "brain fog", gastrointestinal discomfort, decreased energy, feeling faint, and heartbeat alterations.
To combat dehydration, it is important to ensure adequate fluid intake and monitor hydration levels. To prevent nutrient deficiencies, it is crucial to include nutrient-dense foods in the diet, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. It may also be beneficial to take multivitamin supplements to ensure adequate nutrient intake.
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Poor sleep
The keto diet's impact on sleep may also be influenced by the quality and regularity of meals. Skipping meals or not consuming enough healthy fats can lead to insufficient fuel for the body, resulting in fatigue. Additionally, the keto diet's restriction of certain fruits and vegetables may lead to a deficiency in vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes, which are essential for overall health and sleep quality. Potassium deficiency, in particular, is a common issue that can cause fatigue.
Furthermore, the keto diet's emphasis on fat burning may disrupt sleep patterns. The body's metabolism adjusts to burning fat, which can affect sleep cycles and contribute to fatigue. This is supported by research indicating that the keto diet can increase delta wave sleep patterns, which may influence overall sleep quality and energy levels.
It is worth noting that the keto diet's impact on sleep and energy levels varies from person to person. While some individuals experience increased energy and improved sleep, others may continue to struggle with fatigue. In such cases, it is advisable to consult a healthcare professional to rule out any underlying health conditions or nutrient deficiencies that could be contributing to the issue.
To mitigate poor sleep and fatigue while on the keto diet, it is recommended to focus on consuming adequate amounts of healthy fats, maintaining a regular meal schedule, and ensuring sufficient intake of essential vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes, especially potassium. Additionally, staying well-hydrated can help counteract the dehydrating effects of the keto diet, which may also impact sleep and energy levels.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several reasons why you may be feeling tired on a ketogenic diet. One common cause of fatigue is the keto flu. Other reasons include not consuming enough healthy fats, not eating regularly, and not consuming enough calories.
The keto flu is a collection of symptoms, including fatigue, that some people experience when first starting a ketogenic diet. This is due to the body switching from burning carbohydrates to burning fat for energy.
To combat fatigue when on a ketogenic diet, try increasing your salt intake, eating regularly, and consuming enough calories and healthy fats.
