Hi all

I have now being doing the 800 diet for 11 days and lost a stone which is great. My Glucose levels have come down to normal levels as well to 5.0 from 8.2. I have upped my exercise and am now regularly hitting 10k paces a day.

The problem is that my energy levels are very low. One of the hoped for benefits was the burst of energy which lots of people seem to get but I am still waiting.

Anyone else with the same problem?

Hi David knight
Welcome. Very well done on all fronts

I’m type 2 & 9 weeks on BSD as I need to lose more. My first 3 weeks I felt very tired & no energy but knew this would pass. And it did, we also felt the cold a lot. My husband ( prediabetic bloods) joined me He was tired too & had a few days of ‘Keto flu’. That’s feeling achy like real flu but caused by the diet. Didn’t last long.

Fuzzy headaches & feeling energised, even euphoric are some of the feelings you can get while your body adjusts. All this passes & may only last a couple of days. We’re individuals so will react a little different. More energy will come

Drink 2 -3 litres of water a day & up your salt & fat intake a little to help things along Reread the BSD book again & other posts on the forum. Check your calories you may need to go slightly over 800.

Both my husband & I are feeling happy & well. We’ve lost weight , blood sugars are down & this diet / life style is ours for keeps. He will Probably stick to 5:2 diet later, but I might have to go ketogenic (eating fat for fuel) as I have to go very low carbs to get good bloods. All this is fine & not frightening.

I can control my blood sugar now & maybe reverse it in time
Please sign our petition.
Good luck
Eureka

Hi David
are you getting enough fat in your diet? If you are restricting the carbs it needs another source of fuel to burn and if it doesn’t have it, your energy levels may decrease.

Thanks for your reply Eureka – I am reassured

Bill – my fat intake is down purely to reduce calorie intake. I am eating a lot of salads and stir fries with a bit of chicken, tuna, ham etc.

hi David Knight, welcome to the forums. As Bill and Eureka have said this can happen in the first 2 or 3 weeks. Stick with it and things will get better.
Re the fat, you are better off using some of your calories on fat as it will help you feel fuller. Add some olive oil or cheese to your salads. Have a full fat yoghurt for breakfast. these little changes do make a difference!!
Good luck 🙂

Hi, I am very new to this – have never joined an online forum in my life but here goes. I am very disciplined and I am one week into this. Now I am really struggling with very low energy and being cold. I am fine with the food and I am not particularly hungry – but on day seven, I am in bed at 8pm (before my kids) I just can’t keep my eyes open, or get warm. I have done 5:2 before, and have had no issues fasting in the past, in fact I quite like it. I have hypothyroidism but its treated and I am completely stable on that front. Also I have experienced diarrhea. Lovely, I know. I really want to do 8 weeks but this won’t work. I am not diabetic.

Hi brrrr

Feeling cold is a symptom of ‘carb flu’ which some people experience when they reduce the amount of carbs they eat, and also cut out refined carbs. If you put ‘Feeling Cold’ in the search box top right, you will find the thread where this is discussed.

The good news is that the feelings pass, relatively quickly, so my recommendation is that you press on at the moment as you may find that things get better quite soon.

Good luck!

thank you. does that account for the low energy too?

i am on week 3 energy levels improving but only slightly, weight is coming off slowly but am not following the plan in the book to the letter, i will probably go to the plan if i stop losing weight.

I am reliably informed from others on this forum that the lack of energy is to do with the lack of carbohydrates.

Good luck and keep persevering

I am just starting week 4, 1 stone down. Yes I get tired too and very tired…but I am starting to notice that there are also times when I have more energy. I can bounce up six flights of stairs now at the office which used to tire me every time. Each day seems different… just going with it.

thank you