g_ortegam's Journal, 15 March 2019

*Sparticus (sorry) 

I have read that studies have been done about transitioning off Keto. They recommended transitioning over 20 weeks to the Mediterranean Diet by adding like 5 carbs a week extra slowly. They said that this approach did not cause weight gain in the study. 

You don't need a special diet to transition from one calorie deficit to another, you just need to ensure you're still in a deficit. 

First of all, I always reccomend if you have been feeling terrible to just give your doc a call... I also have been feeling terrible for the last several months (and of course did not call my doc), and after a wellness check at work, discovered that my blood pressure and heart rate are incredibly high. One of the top ways to get BP down is to cut the salt. The drawback is keto and low carb can be high in salt...and when you cut the salt out of those diets, you end up with the "Atkins flu". For me, that manifests itself as a major throbbing headache starting around 4 or 5 am every day (which disrupts my sleep). I have done both low carb and calorie counting in the past, and already know both work for me. I am back to eating a more well rounded diet as of this week, and have already noticed a drop in my blood pressure. AND, my resting heart rate went from 87 down to 78 in just seven days. 

Actually, "keto flu" is more likely from low electrolytes. Eating low carb and unprocessed foods, you get less salt; plus the kidneys shed it to correct potassium - sodium balance. Should add salt, have salty broth or bouillon; eat good dietary sources of potassium; and consider using "lite salt" or "no salt". 

I went through your diary and noticed an entry that mentions that you drink A LOT of caffeine. Caffeine causes dehydration. Dehydration I'd not as easy to correct as it would seem and it causes SEVERE fatigue, leg cramps and can even cause depression. If you have been dehydrated for a long time it can take 2 months to correct! Caffeine may be doing exactly the opposite of what you need it to do. It's a quick fix with long term bad results. 

Also: the first 6 months or so of keto WOE, muscle glycogen tends to be low; over time, the body makes glycogen from protein and glycogen stores in the muscles, gets back to pre-keto levels.