Keto Science: Hydration l

The first week you start Keto, you’ll likely see a huge scale drop. This isn’t because you just lost 5-10 lbs in fat, it’s because you lost a whole bunch of water weight. Like a crazy lot. Congratulations, you have started the switch from running on glucose to running on ketones.

Carbs and glucose help your body retain water. When you make the switch, gone is all the water along with all of your electrolytes. Within the first 3-21 days, many people will suffer from the Keto flu. This malaise feels a lot like the flu (lethargic, headache, sore bodies, moody, a need to do nothing but sleep, sweating excessively as though you have a fever, dizziness/lightheadedness), but this is all about detoxing from sugar, the imbalance of electrolytes, and dehydration.

Different people have different theories on how to avoid Keto flu. Some people don’t get Keto flu at all, and some only get something mild. Others get Keto flu so badly they want to quit Keto. Don’t quit. Here are some tips:

1. Start slowly. I have never followed this, but have friends that have and avoided KF like bosses. They gradually cut carbs from their diet over 1-2 weeks, starting with a reduction that leads to ketosis like levels, doing a transitional period in low carbs (low carbs are generally considered to be 50-100 net carbs per day with the goal being carb reduction/restriction and not ketosis)

2. Stay hydrated. Drink at least 1/2 your body weight in water (I recommend at least 100 oz) and supplement with electrolytes. You can buy various electrolyte supplements on places like amazon, drink Powerade zero or Gatorade sugar free, or you can make your own “ketoade”

3. If/when you start feeling like crap, do the following:

Have some ketoade (24 oz)

Drink some pickle juice

Have a cup of bone broth, add pink Himalayan salt and some heavy whipping cream or a tablespoon of butter.

Wait 20-30 min.

If you still feel crappy after that, try another bone broth cup and add enough salt that it tastes “Briney” — we lose a lot of sodium with all that peeing you do the first week of Keto, so this should help.

4. If you still feel like crap, try having a snack with some berries, a low carb tortilla, or some natural peanut butter.

This is definitely the worst part of going to a Keto lifestyle, but I promise that it’s worth it– because after the “flu” you will feel straight up amazing. You’ll have more energy, you won’t crave sweets, and you’ll be living an entirely different life!

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