Low Carb=Low Energy-anyone conquer this?

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Are you drinking lots of water? I never had this problem, so that's the only advice I can give. I felt better when I was on low carb and I was on it for a few years. I started on Atkins, which was very strict in the beginning. They're added lots of foods since I was on it. I still drink an Atkins Shake every morning, but that's about the extent of my low carb eating.

 

It’s probably detox. That’s why I suggested in the other thread to cut drastically for the first two weeks.

In the tradional SAD (standard American diet) way of eating, the body relies on sugar for its primary energy source. When you get off SAD and eat low carb (and especially keto), the body turns to its own fat stores for energy. When you switch from being a sugar-burner to a fat-burner, there is a lag in the body that doens't know where to get the energy from, so you feel sluggish with no sugar since your body isn't fat adapted.

I personally feel like going basically cold-turkey for the first two weeks is the best way to go, even if you don't plan to maintain that. Keto, at 20 grams or less of carbs a day for two weeks, will really get you to 1) adapt from sugar to fat burning and 2) eradicate sugar cravings. If you can make it through to two weeks, then you can start adding in things like berries, etc. for low carb sweet options.

Skip artificial sweeteners; your carbs should come from vegetables and nuts and really nothing else. If you *must* have something sweetened, use stevia or erithrytol. But really, if you can cut out all sweeteners for two weeks, you'll also be better off.

Lastly, you might consider reading up on intermittent fasting; this can also help transition to fat-burning and has a whole host of other health benefits.

But until you detox completely from sugar, you are going to have that low energy feeling.

 

Also, three meals and three snacks a day is a lie.....humans don't need to eat like that. We used to go days between hunts eating a few berries here and there and then gorge on a feast from a hunt. American food producers (and I use the word food loosely) rely on that lie to get us to buy more crap food. Eat real food once a day and you will feel (and look) much better.

 

make sure you are getting other sources of energy, such as natural fats and oils, and plenty of proteins. Also remember that low carb is not the same as no carb, I see a lot of people make that mistake. Low carb root vegetables such as carrots, suedes, beetroot, and turnips, and also squashes are good substitutes to the more starchy carbs you are used to eating. Turnip rice is a favourite in our house on low carb days - we put the raw turnips in the food processor until it looks like rice.

 

I remember when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I'd been living on drive through and snacks for decades. My body was haywire for about 2 months. The first year or so after I was quite faithful to the x veges, x protien, x carbs, x fat formula the nutritionist gave me.
Sometime during the 2 months of ugh, I developed cravings for strange things...green beans. Even now, 12 or so years later, I crave veges when I've been not eating "properly."
South Beach style diet was what I finally ended up on. Went for a lifestyle change more than diet. I still eat potato chips cause they are my kryptonite but by being gentle and slowly decreasing, it is now 1 to 2/week instead of 1 or 2 a day (bags).
Kayln's Kitchen blog and her slowcooker one are my regular haunting grounds. Oh, and Crossfit folks have all sorts of low carb/hi protein ideas, snacks, etc.
Good Luck!!

 

Hang in there, I find the first three days are the worst, but cold turkey is the way to go and the brain fog and extreme tiredness eventually lifts and you feel like you can conquer the world!

 

yeah....sorry, m&ms aren't low carb.

 

Yeah, some people call it the keto or carb flu during the first couple weeks when your body is switching from burning glucose to burning fat. Here's a random article I found from a google search but I don't know if their solutions work. https://blog.kettleandfire.com/keto-flu/

I always get really bad insomnia when I first start a very low carb diet but I usually have more energy.

 

Yeah, unfortunately the fake sugars can cause issues with your blood sugar levels.

I just had to ride out the keto flu, which wasn't fun and I could be a bit of a bear at times. Hang in there!

 

@AnneofAlamo Message me anytime to chat, I'd be happy to help.

I started with keto for about 6 mths and then these last 6 months transitioned over to a more paleo type of LC plan. I lost 70 lbs and have kept it off. My energy levels are great, I'm more alert during the day and get a better sleep now. I was burning ketones initially (keto diet 20 net carbs a day) but now am back to glucose burning with my carbs around 50-70 a day. I don't eat junk food, eat fruit/nuts instead. I don't use cows milk dairy (switched to coconut milk/yogurt, goat/sheep cheese) and do my own baking with stevia, monk fruit, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup and a bit of Erythritol or Xylitol.

Make sure you are getting enough healthy fats and protein and be wary of chemical/artificial products. I had a lot of inflammation in my body and that is all gone now, no more headaches, fogginess, stomach issues, etc. LC has been a game changer for me.

 

I eat lots of veggies so I don't technically do low carb, but I did go off of sugar and most caffeine and those had an unfun hangover. It took about a week to start feeling good again, and I feel better than I did before adjusting my eating.