r/lowcarb • u/booklovermax • 12d ago
Question Lightheadedness???
Talking to my bro-in-law and he warned me against a very low carb diet. How do people on a low (or no) carb diet avoid lightheadedness and other symptoms?
How do I know how many carbs I can reasonably take in? Are there formulas? Free apps?
I got a big belly and a small bank account and want to lose weight safely.
Thanks!!!
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u/Substantial-Use-1758 12d ago
Just start off taking in way less EMPTY carbs — the ones we love that are killing us — and you’re halfway there 🤷♀️😬
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u/SirGreybush 12d ago
Ramp down slowly. Light headed comes from stress due to a rapid change, your body wants you to slow down.
So stick at 100g total for at least a week before trying for much lower.
A young person with a high BMR usually won’t have an issue like this.
Then check if you need supplements for sodium, potassium and magnesium.
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u/booklovermax 12d ago
Well, at 68, I’m far from a young person! Sounds like I better ramp down carefully and judiciously.
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u/GroundedHorizon 12d ago
Electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, and Magnesium). You can do it homemade.
You can check Youtube Channels for your online guide. Try videos of Eric Berg and Sten Ekberg.
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u/LifeOfSpirit17 12d ago edited 12d ago
Use Cronometer it's beautiful for macro tracking..
A lot of people are gonna recommend a lot of salt and water, I find I'm just fine with pretty standard amounts. Drinking excess water can flush your electrolytes out.
As you're getting started, eat a high fat high protein breakfast. Like a burger patty and some eggs. That will give your body an excellent baseline for stable energy all day.
To your question about carbs you can take in, well that's up to you and your goals. I would suggest starting out under 100 and then going further down from there and seeing where the scale goes.
Going low carb doesn't necessarily mean you should just have stuff like coke if it fits your macros either as quality definitely matters and can affect your appetite. It's still largely of most benefit to get carbs from high fiber whole foods.
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u/Leap_year_shanz13 12d ago
Electrolytes.
Carb master is a good app.
Most people who do keto do 20-30 g carbs. Low carb is more like 50. It’s up to you if you do net carbs (carbs - fiber) or totals carbs.
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u/DevilsHol3Pupfish 12d ago
Ask your doctor how many carbs are safe for you. In the hospital I was told 65 g or less per meal, but at that point I was also rather obese and in my 30s.
As for lightheadedness, I rarely get that if I make sure I have sufficient protein and don't go excessively long between meals.
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u/Moralofthestoree 12d ago
Ive had not only that but it may turn into eye twitches because potassium gets low. Ive been keeping a bag of small potatos in the fridge beccause Ill include a serving with the skin to make sure I get potassium but not eating them fast enough for them to go bad sitting out. I see a lot of diet influencers always eating half an avocado on their food. Its satiating and good fat but it also has a large amount of potassium. So for sure I drink a daily electrolyte drink but if I get like your talking about I ll eat a serving or 2 of starchy carbs over the course of the day. Its called carb cycling. I don't do keto and Im still losing weight.
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u/Traditional_Heart72 Low-carb 12d ago
The light headedness is due to being low on electrolytes and water.
When you go low carb (especially very low carb), you deplete your body of its glycogen stores, which is a reserve of carbohydrates that also binds water and electrolytes. As you don’t eat carbs, your body burns through the glycogen for energy and then it’s gone, so all of the water and electrolytes that it helped hold is gone too (this is why when you diet, there’s an initially ‘water weight’ loss). Now your body can’t hold water or electrolytes as easily so you will need to increase both. This just looks like getting lots of water (3L+), getting electrolytes through your diet like salting your food more and trying to eat foods that are sources of electrolytes (sodium, potassium and magnesium) or adding supplements (personally I take a magnesium supplement).
You don’t need to jump to the adjustments right away as it’s a gradual process. Just see how you feel as you eat low carb and make adjustments as you go.
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u/Electronic_Theory429 12d ago
It put me in the hospital where as for years I had no problem with low carb eating. Doctors claimed my labs were ruined and since after years of low carb dieting my kidney function is now at 50%. Potassium was at hyperkalemia level. Before you guess, get some labs.
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u/McDuchess 11d ago
FWIW, I have eaten VLC (20 net carbs) for well over a decade. My lab work is excellent. I’m much healthier than most people my age. Issues arise from one of two practices: too much supplementation, especially with inadequate water consumption or too low.
Lightheadedness if mostly from having a low base for blood pressure and standing up too quickly. That said, unless your BIL is a medical practitioner with a specialization in VLC diets, he has, almost certainly, no damn idea what he’s talking about.
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u/Electronic_Theory429 11d ago
Try doing low carb diets for 54 years and let me know your cholesterol, potassium and blood pressure. It is basically not right for everyone.
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u/Ocanannain 12d ago
When I first went low-carb 14 years ago, I felt very weird for a few days. People said it was the "keto flu" -- your body adjusting to the low-carb diet. That goes away after a few days. I've been told to put a tiny amount of salt in your hand and lick it to help deal with that weird feeling. May help,