One of the reasons why most people are not able to stick to a keto diet for long is the weakness it causes.

Let’s see why weakness is a common side effect of a keto diet…

Why does a keto diet cause weakness or fatigue?

When you stop eating carbohydrates as recommended by the keto diet, your body is suddenly deprived of its source of primary energy. Even if you are eating foods rich in fats, for your body, not getting carbs is like complete deprivation of its primary source of energy. 

This happens because over several years, your body had been tuned to use carbs to meet its energy requirements. So, it takes time for it to realize it needs to find an alternative source of fuel and then, start burning fats. 

Until the time your body gets accustomed to burning fats, you will develop symptoms like lack of energy, weakness, and fatigue.

This is kind of enviable. However, bearing with this weakness is definitely not evitable. Let me reveal some effective strategies to overcome weakness caused due to a keto diet.

Drink plenty of water

Water has the ability to help you feel fresh and energetic. It will keep your body well hydrated and thus, prevent excessive fatigue.

Avoid exercises

It is not advisable to start any new exercise routine at the beginning of a keto diet. The excessive physical activities that your body is not used to will make you feel weaker by draining the sources of energy. 

You can start simple exercises a few days into the keto lifestyle and then, slowly increase the intensity and duration of activities once weakness subsides.

Try caffeinated beverages

Caffeinated beverages like coffee could help you avoid weakness to some extent. Caffeine acts as a stimulant and enhances mental and physical stamina and endurance. 

However, avoid adding sugars to the coffee and do not let this strategy turn into a routine. Excessive intake of coffee may cause sleeplessness and even dependency. Restrict to not more than 2 to 3 cups of coffee per day to avoid weakness in the initial days of your keto diet.  

It just takes you a basic understanding of how a keto diet works and why it causes some specific side effects in order to derive optimum benefits. Now that you know how weakness occurs in people who follow a keto diet, make sure you follow the tips discussed here to avoid it with ease.