Question Regarding Carb "Withdrawl"
 

Good morning everyone,

Like many here, I have re-started the LC WOE after a few years off (and a few pounds added - ugh!).

When I started LC a few years ago I went into carb "withdrawl" - and was pretty sick for about two days. This time, that hasn't happened (I am on Day 3). I will continue to monitor to ensure that I got into ketosis - but is it unusual not to go through withdrawl when you start LC the third or fourth time?

By the way, I feel fantastic and I am (of course) kicking myself for ever leaving this WOE.

AZProf

I didn't have the "keto flu", but from day 1 took extra salt in the form of two cups of broth that is a part of the clinic diet I used.
More on how to handle side effects: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb#side-effects

I suggest you do double check that you are following all the induction rules, the biggest challenge with LC "the second time around" is remembering the latter phases and not being as strict as induction requires. Addressed by Dr. Eades in this post: https://forum.lowcarber.org/showpos...2&postcount=158

I started eating very low carb about 15 years ago. No one was talking about the keto flu then and I never experienced anything that could have been called the keto flu. If it's not broken don't fix it.

Never had "keto flu". In my experience, tends mostly to happen to folks who aren't doing it right.... who're afraid of salt and fat, still. (My husband tries to have it whenever he starts... and he's NEVER eating right when he does. I tweak him, and he's all better.)

Hi, AZProf. Kinda where you are. DH and I started the Diet Doctor 2-week Keto Challenge nine days ago. We were generally low-carb before that, but added and subtracted a few things to kickstart Keto.

Neither of us has experienced "carb flu." By now, I'm well into ketosis, according to the simple dipstick test. DH (who is not and has never been obese) reports a light reading--but that's still meaningful, I think.

And as a writer/proofreader, I must comment: "withdrawl" only happens to people in the Deep South. For the rest of us, it's "withdrawal". (Hope you think that's funny, and not meant to be critical). :lol:

Enjoy the journey.

I sort of have a suspicion that maybe there's a bit of metabolic memory, that we learn how to handle fasting or a low carb diet etc. a little better with repeated exposures. If you look at the immune system, it's been shown that if you pair a ringing bell or shining light or something with exposure to bacteria, you can later actually trigger an immune response just to that noise, so I could see the body learning from environmental cues, the sort of food we're eating etc., to better handle glucose metabolism, electrolyte balances etc.

LOL! Love it!

Well, I spoke too soon - after a week of LC, I went into hard core carb withdrawl - worse than ever before, including unrelenting nausea, lightheaded-ness, and vomiting. Lasted three days. But am now out of it and feeling just fantastic.

I went online and read a few scientific articles about the "keto flu" and found out that it can show up after several days, or even a week, of this WOE. I didn't realize this - in the past, I've gone into immediate withdrawl after giving up the carbs. But I think my body was fighting ketosis, and I just had to stick to it for awhile to get what I wanted.

AZProf

Sorry to hear it hit you so hard. Hopefully you had a few strategies at hand to get it under control, and lessen the effects. And congrats on NOT quitting when the keto flu hit!

or you may have had a gastrointestinal bug? Some nausea can be part of keto flu, but "unrelenting" nausea and outright vomiting...never heard of that. Glad you feel fantastic now!