Have you ever started the keto diet only to find that you feel terrible?
What happened to the promise of quick dress size drop, better brain function and buckets of energy?
Well you may have been a victim of the Keto Flu.
Now before I tell you how to avoid it..
Let’s start by talking a little about what it is. Unfortunately, for a lot of first time ketoers (is that a word), the keto flu discourages them from continuing.
Which is really a shame…
So what is the Keto Flu exactly?
Well, it’s a combination of flu like symptom that can occur during the early stages of a lower-carb diet.
For some people, it includes sluggishness, intense cravings, and lots of other flu-like symptoms.
The bad news is that these symptoms make a lot of people wrongly assume that keto isn’t for them…
When the truth is that people who experience the keto flu, usually need keto the most.
Keto flu symptoms are usually caused by one of three things…
- Hypoglycemia
- Problems with your adrenal glands
- Or an electrolyte imbalance.
The good news is that all three easily remedied. All by simply addressing their underlying issues.
Once you do, the keto flu can be significantly reduced and/or eliminated altogether.
Now, before I tell you how to do that…
Let’s talk a little about becoming keto adapted aka fat adapted.
You see, most people have been primarily burning sugar for energy their whole lives.
And when you stop COLD TURKEY…
Your body has a tendency to freak out a little…
Wouldn’t you?
What this does, is it forces your body to start burning fat for fuel…
Which is what we want…
But after SO many years of burning sugar a few things can happen initially…
For one, you can become hypoglycemic.
This happens as your body burns through all the stored sugar in your body and hasn’t yet learned how to burn fat.
This leaves you with an overall energy deficit (don’t worry it’s only temporary).
You can also experience what’s called an HPA Axis Dysfunction which involves your adrenal glands.
When your blood sugar drops suddenly, your adrenal glands will start pumping out the stress hormone cortisol and cortisol raises blood sugar. If this continues, then your body’s stress response becomes dysfunctional and stable blood sugar can be hard to maintain.
Finally, an electrolyte imbalance can occur due to a drop in insulin.
This happens because as your blood sugar drops, you no longer need as much insulin.
This causes your body starts naturally excreting more minerals, including sodium in your urine.
And because electrolytes and minerals are important for proper nerve conductivity, this can leave you feeling tired and give you brain fog.
So. what can you do about all this?
Well as you’re about to find out… A lot more than you think.
Keep in mind, the keto flu usually just lasts for 1 -2 weeks.
And before you say anything…
I know… For some 1-2 weeks of pure hell is unbearable but it does go away.
And after you become adapted to burning fat you will start to experience fast and healthy metabolism…
An abundance of energy…
And more mental clarity than ever before.
Now because I know that most people would rather not suffer for one day let alone an entire week or two…
I’m going to give you my top 7 strategies for beating the keto flu…
You didn’t think I’d leave you hangin did you? Never! Aren’t I nice? So here they are…
My 7 tips for beating the keto flu…
Tip #1 – Back off on carbs slowly…
Hey, you’ve been a sugar burner all of your life…. …and while depriving your body of sugar is the fastest way to get into ketosis it can also be a shock to your system.
For some people (we won’t name names) this is the end of their keto journey and that’s a shame.
We’re doing this for long term success and easing into it can help a lot…
Ideally, you’ll want to gradually lower your carb in take as you add more fats.
It’s really as simple as that.
Once you get to about 70% of calories from fat sources, see how you feel.
If you still feel sluggish, eat a little more frequently to help stabilize your blood sugar.
Tip #2 Eat more fat…
When you start reducing your carbs you have to make sure you are getting plenty of calories and a replacement source of energy.
Eating more fat can help make sure that your body has what it needs to keep making energy.
A little trick you can use is to start adding MCT oil to your diet.
It’s a great source of fat and easily converted into ketones.
It may take your body a while to get used to converting more complex fats into energy, so MCT oil can be a great addition to your diet.
Just adding a little MCT oil can make your initial transition into ketosis a breeze.
Start with a Tablespoon in your morning coffee or drizzled over your breakfast and progress to using it in more of your meals after about a week or so.
In addition, you should try to build all of your meals around a health fat source.
Things like avocados, olives or olive oil, coconut oil, coconut milk and grass-fed butter are all great choices.
Tip #3 Increase your salt & mineral intake.
When you become keto adapted, your insulin drops significantly.
And it only makes sense because you don’t have any sugar in your blood to deal with.
When insulin is low, your body naturally excretes higher amounts of sodium and other minerals.
The fix?
Add a high quality multi mineral to your diet and use plenty of sea salt.
You can also sip on organic broth throughout the day.
All of these strategies will help add some much-needed minerals to your diet and help resolve any symptoms you may have.
Tips #4 Hydrate well.
One of the consequences of excreting more sodium is that you also lose water too.
In order to remain hydrated, you’re going to need to increase your intake of water and other hydrating beverages.
In addition to water you can add organic chicken broth as well as bone broth to your diet.
Both of these are extremely good for you and not only help to hydrate you but they can also be great sources of minerals too.
You can also try adding a pinch of Himalayan sea salt and a squeeze of lemon to your water throughout the day.
Tip #5 Exercise.
Research shows that by simply being active you can help the transition from being dependent on sugar to burning fat for fuel.
And if you think about it, this makes perfect sense.
You see, exercise burns up your available sugar stores, so your body has to start looking around for another source of fuel.
Simply jogging for 15-20 minutes and doing some short sprints for 20-30 seconds followed by 2 minutes of recovery should do the trick. Don’t get crazy though…
Pace yourself and see how you feel…
Even just a 15-minute walk or hike can help.
Tip #6 Manage Your Stress.
Don’t get too caught up in your keto flu symptoms…
Doing so can use you unneeded stress and stress jacks up your cortisol levels.
Stressing our will only make things worse.
I promise these symptoms are temporary and you’ll feel so much once they’re gone.
If you do find yourself stressing out try grabbing a glass of water or some broth and drink it.
You can also try some relaxation breathing, a little meditation or light reading….
Anything to slow you down. Remind yourself that this is all temporary and soon you’ll be kicking some MAJOR booty.
And finally, tip #7…if all of the previous suggestions fail. Just eat more carbs…
If you try the strategies above and you are simply feeling like you are not adapting…
You may just need to give yourself a little more time.
Try to transition to clean, nutritious sources of carbs like sweet potatoes or blueberries.
You can still start ramping up your fat intake, but maybe one meal during the day you eat a nutritious carbohydrate source and give your body a chance to adapt.
After trying this out for a few weeks, retry a full ketogenic diet and see if your body responds differently.
There you have it…
My 7 tips for beating the keto flu…
Follow these and the chances of you suffering keto flu symptoms are very low.
Just keep in mind…
Your making changes and changes are stressful on your body.
But I promise you it’s all worth it.
And as I always say…
The best way to avoid the keto flu, is by doing keto the right way in the first place.
But what exactly is the right way?
That’s a great question, and one I answer in detail inside of the Two-Week Keto Challenge.
I designed the challenge to provide you with everything you need to do the ketogenic diet the right way.
And I mean everything.
I walk you through the keto diet step-by-step from A to Z including additional strategies to help you overcome the keto flu.
So, if you really want the best strategies to avoid the keto flu, let me show you how to really do keto.
Click the link below to join now.
Click here to join the Two-Week Keto Challenge and start your keto journey completely risk-free.
