Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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My husband was VLC for about 9 days straight. He says he doesn't like the way he feels on it. After further discussion, I pull from him that he felt as though his body was eating at his muscles, close to his bone.

Has anyone else experienced this? Could it be the fat he feels? Should we put more veggies into his diet? He was eating probably 10-20g carbs a day, mostly at dinner. Help! He lost 9lbs and I like it!

Oh, and he was doing minimal exercise - just his day to day getting around.

flag	asked Jun 28 2011 at 15:50 Sara 2,573●4●16

Ben · Accepted Answer · 2011-06-28 16:16:43Z UTC

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To me it sounds like his body is acclimating to VLC, but I'm also curious about how much he is eating.

When I first starting eating VLC, my satiety meter was a little off, so I wouldn't eat enough. So his feeling might be legit, he just needs to eat more fuel.

answered Jun 28 2011 at 16:16

Ben
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This is true, he is also known to skip meals because someone's too lazy to cook. – Sara Jun 28 2011 at 16:20

Yeah. My money is on lack of fuel. – Ben Jun 28 2011 at 16:46

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That's what I was thinking, too. Sometimes the appetite suppression is very strong at first. – Ambimorph Jun 28 2011 at 16:50

Okay. I'll try feeding him more. – Sara Jun 28 2011 at 17:20

Asclepius · Answer 2 · 2011-06-28 15:54:07Z UTC

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Sounds like he might have been going though some 'low carb flu'. I'd recommend reading J Stanton's excellent post here.

answered Jun 28 2011 at 15:54

Asclepius
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I didn't think that was what it sounded like, but I guess you're right. I've done it before, and mostly had fatigue, assumed that was the flu. Thanks! – Sara Jun 28 2011 at 15:58

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Yes, weakness and fatigue are common during the first days -- sometimes weeks -- of eating vlc. The Gnolls post is great, and there's a less biochem-oriented one at Dr. Eades's blog here: proteinpower.com/drmike/ketones-and-ketosis/… – Rose Jun 28 2011 at 16:03

One thing that jumps out at me is that J Stanton points out that 'exercise tends to normalize broken metabolisms', and you specify that your husband was 'doing minimal exercise'. So he could probably raise his mood by engaging in some short intense exercise. In fact it'd be good for him to experiment with this approach and report back to us! – Asclepius Jun 28 2011 at 16:05

I'd have to trick him, I think. He refuses to admit that he is in any way broken. – Sara Jun 28 2011 at 17:20

Kelly · Answer 3 · 2011-06-28 16:08:02Z UTC

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definitely carb flu, it could last up to 3 months!!

Also when I'm deeply in ketosis I also get an aching in my bones, flu like as well. I try to just stay on the cusp of the line of ketosis, going in and out all the time, rather than deep into it for that reason.

answered Jun 28 2011 at 16:08

Kelly
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	Kelly..do you experience any mood issues in deep ketosis? And if the fatigue lasts three months doesn't that defeat the pupose of feeling better? Very curious about this one. – baconbitch Jun 28 2011 at 16:17
	I was only really in deep for a short period of time because it felt like i was high on caffine, very gittery, I guess that would affect my mood, but don't really recall. I eat about 50g carbs every day so I'm just holding on the line in ketosis and I'm much more confortable there....the 3 months I was referring to was the carb flu symptoms, one day I just felt like I woke up....not referring to ketosis there. hope this helps! – Kelly Jun 28 2011 at 17:48
	The 3 months is on the long side, and is usually only the first "real time" that you go into ketosis, and the body learns to give up carbs. Subsequent times are faster. – James Jun 29 2011 at 6:03

Muscle loss during ketosis?

3 Answers