Every time we start something new, every time we decide to make a change, we are venturing into the unknown. And if it’s also a decision to make a drastic and decisive change in our diet, we tend to be scared at the beginning. We are faced with questions and doubts. Of course, a flood of information does not help us make a firm decision. Suddenly, we are faced with the fact that our diet is the subject of questions, doubts and various discussions in our neighbourhood, among family members and friends.

Here are 10 things I wish I had known at the start of my LCHF journey. 

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF SALTS AND ELECTROLYTES

Of course, at the beginning, I saw somewhere in the literature the advice that you should salt your food a little more at the beginning. But I didn’t even bother with that because I was convinced that I was eating enough salt and diverse food. Well, apparently that was not the case, because I depleted my electrolyte reserves so badly that I fainted twice. Yes, actually. Fainted. Before you start panicking – I’m basically very prone to dizziness and fainting, so this wasn’t the first time. Besides, my low blood pressure doesn’t help… HOWEVER, if I had known that electrolytes were necessary and very very important, I could have prevented this. So if you are experiencing the following signs in the first days and weeks of the LCHF/KETO way of eating:

• feeling unwell,
• dizziness,
• muscle aches,
• headache,
• drowsiness…

this can be a sign of electrolyte deficiency. The loss should be replaced with salt, electrolyte supplements or salty bone broth (salty beef broth also helps). Some people even drink water from pickles, it is said to help enormously.

2. KETO FLU

In fact, electrolytes and keto flu are strongly linked. Keto flu is a list of different symptoms that MAY (but not necessarily) occur when switching to a LCHF/KETO diet. In fact, the name is quite correct – we feel like we have the flu. We are all aching, tired, no will, no energy, we just want to sleep, our head hurts, our feet hurt, … many of these symptoms can be eased or prevented with ELECTROLYTES (how – see point 1.). But electrolytes will not necessarily be enough. The body has to “switch” from a glucose source to a new source – fat. And since sugar is a kind of drug for our organism, this process is a kind of deprivation. But don’t worry, these symptoms and the feeling of being unwell pass very quickly (a couple of days), or may not appear at all. But it is good to push through, even though the brain is crying out for the Milka chocolate and a warm bed. But once the keto flu passes (if it even occurs), the energy goes up sharply. I promise.

3. ACETONE BREATH

Yes, our breath can actually smell of acetone at first. But not necessarily. It is, however, a fairly widespread and common “side” effect, fortunately of a temporary nature. The reason is quite simple – the body starts to produce ketones (read what ketones are in the blog What are ketones?). And because the body is not yet fully adapted to the consumption of ketones, most of the ketones go out of the body – through urine and exhaled air. Our body quickly recognises ketones as useful energy source and starts to use them, so that the excess ketones are quickly cleared with exhaled air and urine. And the bad breath disappears too.

4. SWEATING

It doesn’t have to happen to everyone, but it is on the list of those common symptoms at the beginning. Well, it’s happened to me and I confess that I bought half a shelf of deodorants at the drugstore and almost gave up, because they were all without any serious effect. This too is transitory, it lasts for a short time, and it goes away quickly on its own. Our hormonal picture changes, the body goes through a detoxification process, any candida starts to die off, … and the body eliminates all these things through the skin. So, don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with you if you initially find that your favourite deodorant lasts exactly 1 hour. It will settle down in a short time, but in the meantime, some moisturising wipes, a spare T-shirt or a deodorant in your bag will come in handy.

5. ALTERED TASTE AND SMELL

Suddenly we like eggs and cracklings. And very salty food. Interestingly, we are no longer moved by the Milka chocolate with hazelnuts. But if we do happen to give in and eat a piece of our favourite chocolate or dessert, we quickly realise that it’s not what it used to be and what we remember. Sweet things suddenly become disgustingly too sweet. And 80% of the chocolate that we couldn’t eat before because it was too bitter is now just sweet enough. Interesting, isn’t it? Ah, the smell changes. Those of you who are mums will remember your pregnancy days when you sniffed EVERYTHING. Well, that ability magically returns on the LCHF/KETO diet. Fortunately without the side-effects of nausea.

6. HORMONES?

But this one is for women only. So, guys, you can skip this segment without guilt. The hormonal picture for women can change a little at first – especially if you’re losing weight. In most cases, what happens is that the cycle shortens or lengthens a little, and menstruation can be a little heavier. Don’t be scared, there’s nothing wrong. Your body is adjusting, your hormones are getting in the right place. Given that a side effect of a change in diet is weight loss, this is usually the reason for a slightly altered hormonal picture. Hormones are stored in fat, and when weight is lost and fat is used for energy, suddenly more of these hormones are released. The body will sort itself out, it just needs time. So if you notice a difference in the length of your cycle and the menstruation itself, there is nothing wrong, it will sort itself out (in my experience it all sorted itself out in 2 cycles). But of course, if the symptoms go on for a long time and there is no change for the better, go see a doctor.

7. SUDDENLY EVERYONE AROUND YOU HAS A PHD IN NUTRITION

This is a bit of a joke, but it turns out to be an interesting phenomenon. We decide to change our diet. Everything is well and good. Until the moment when the table goes silent at the sight of our plate, the amount of fat or the fact that we’ve eliminated a lot of things from our diet (yes, even rice and buckwheat porridge). The questions start rolling in:

“How’s your cholesterol?”

“Aren’t you afraid of clogging your arteries?” or

“Carbohydrates are essential for the brain”.

… and so on. Everyone goes through this and the best defence is KNOWLEDGE. So only start changing your diet when you have mastered the specific laws that go along with it. Only if you are well educated in the workings of the body, cholesterol and ketones, will the cholesterol issue not throw you off track and make you question whether you are really on the right track. It is interesting that nobody comments on the amount of sugar, but everybody stumbles over a teaspoon of butter in their coffee.

8. THERE IS NO HUNGER AND BREAKFAST IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY

Really! In fact, there is no hunger. And don’t eat because it’s 12 o’clock and it’s LUNCH TIME. Eat when you are hungry. Start listening to your body. Yes, you can skip breakfast if you’re not hungry. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

9. HOLESTEROL

As mentioned in point 7, everyone will be extremely “smart” about your cholesterol. Which of course is a perfectly logical reaction, given that we have always been brainwashed about how dangerous fat is and what happens to our blood vessels when eating too much fat. Well, we will write more about cholesterol another time, because it deserves a special treatment. But I heartily and sincerely recommend the book Cholesterol Truths and Fallacies. It is advisable to have your blood lipid results before starting the LCHF/KETO diet so that you can compare the results. Testing is not recommended in the first months as the blood picture is not realistic.

10. EGGS? IS THERE AN UPPER LIMIT WHEN IT COMES TO EATING EGGS?

No, there is not. There are never too many eggs and they are not limited to a certain number per day. All these guidelines are a thing of the past.

Conclusion 

Whatever your reasons for deciding to change your diet might be (health considerations, extra kilos, etc.), I advise you to educate yourself very well about the LCHF/KETO way of eating at the beginning, to not be scared of feeling worse in the first days, and to bear in mind that this is not a short-term diet, but a change of lifestyle. To make the selection of, foods and supplements easier, we have made it easy to find a wide range of things suitable for the LCHF/KETO diet in one place in our online shop www.lchf.style.

14.01.2018, Katja, LCHF Style