The keto flu, also called the carb flu, is a collection of symptoms some people experience when they first start a keto diet. These symptoms are the result of your body adapting to the minimal carb intake. They include nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, headache, vomiting, weakness, irritability, dizziness, poor concentration, muscle cramps and soreness, stomach pain, sleep problems, and sugar cravings.^[1]

Before you embark on your LEAN keto journey, be very clear that this is not a quick fix solution to weight loss. If anything, keto demands commitment and discipline since it can be rather restrictive. There are no grains and sugars on the diet so you will likely have to change everything you know about food consumption to this point. 

Instead, it is a lifestyle change that is not for the faint of heart. Eating the keto way will take real time and effort to yield results. 

During the initial phase of the keto diet, you are at higher risk of dehydration because your body rapidly sheds water. That is why some people lose between two and ten pounds during the first week of going keto. 

There are various reasons for this water release. For instance, the keto diet lowers glycogen levels, which reduces water retention inside muscle cells.  It also brings down insulin levels, causing your kidneys to shed excess sodium.

Therefore, it is crucial to drink enough water. Consume at least three litres during your first week on the keto diet. This will prevent dehydration and relieve keto flu symptoms. After this initial phase, you can reduce your water intake a bit because your body will not shed much more of it.

An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity when dissolved in water. Well-known ones are sodium (salt), calcium, and potassium. These electrolytes are crucial for the normal functioning of your body.

The thing is that if you are new to the keto diet, electrolyte levels in your body may change during the initial phase. Sodium levels, for example, may decline. This is because the keto diet lowers insulin levels, which causes the release of excess sodium. Calcium and potassium levels are often influenced as well. These alterations can cause various keto flu-like symptoms.

The solution? Consume enough electrolytes. Doing so can alleviate these symptoms and make adapting to the keto diet easier. To make sure you consume enough electrolytes, get some extra sodium into your diet, as well as keto-approved foods rich in potassium, such as green leafy vegetables and avocados.

Irritability and fatigue are two of the most common keto flu symptoms. Lack of sleep can exacerbate them by elevating cortisol levels, so make sure to get enough sleep. (In Chapter 10, we will look at how you can optimise your sleep.)

Because your body relies less and less on glucose when you go keto, your energy must come from another source. Many keto dieters go wrong by not consuming enough dietary fat. Failure to do so can not only cause hunger pangs but also lead to low energy levels and irritability. Make sure to eat enough healthy fat, in sources such as meat, fish, nuts, and healthy oils.

Fats are important, but not all fats. There is a long list of different types of fats some good and some very bad, and fats that effectively produce high levels of ketones in your body. Consuming wrong fats can result in producing more fat than burning them. 

Simply said, avoid consuming hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats. Example of these processed vegetable oils, artificial trans fats and processed foods laden with artificial fats. Instead, reach for the good fats including saturated fat sources, MUFAs, PUFAs and naturally occurring trans fats.