You’ve heard about how great a healthy low-carb diet can be. You know it’ll help you reach your health goals, like weight loss, and feel amazing… but instead you feel tired all the time.

Do not fret! Fatigue is not uncommon in the beginning stages of keto, it’s temporary in normal situations, and there are plenty of things you can do right now to remedy it.

First, Recognize It’s Probably Keto Flu

Feeling “tired all the time” is a common symptom of keto flu.

As your body adjusts to burning fat for fuel (entering ketosis) and gets keto-adapted, keto flu will subside. For tips on reducing keto flu or even prevent it all together, read How You Can Avoid the Keto Flu.

Sometimes, tiredness on keto is due to other factors that are easily remedied, as you’ll see below.

Natural Ways to Boost Energy When You’re Tired all the Time

Whether your fatigue is from keto flu or not, below are some tips for fighting tiredness on a low-carb/keto diet.

1. Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Calories from Fat

On the Keto Zone diet, fat is your primary food group (making up 70% of your diet).

If you’re not used to this and drastically cut your carbs, you might struggle to eat enough fat at first. This can make you feel tired all the time from lack of calories.

Make a conscious effort to eat extra fat:

• Cook your keto vegetables in high-quality oils and fats like coconut oil, macadamia nut oil, or ghee
• Make keto coffee with added MCT oil powder or coconut oil
• Choose fatty, grass-fed meats

Remember your other plant-based fats like avocado and low-carb nuts

2. Eat More Often Until Your Body Adapts to Low-Carb

Some people do well (and even have increased energy) fasting as they start keto. But others might need to eat more frequently at the beginning. Plus, low-carb diets are satiating because of all the healthy fats, so you’ll probably feel hungry less.

If you’re eating much less when starting your diet and suspect it’s making you tired, try to not skip meals and see how you feel. (Just make sure those meals are full of healthy keto whole foods).

Once you’ve become keto-adapted and your body is used to using fat for fuel, you’ll be more prepared to skip meals or intermittent fast if you want to.

3. Drink Tons of Water with Electrolytes

When you start a keto diet, your body loses a lot of water weight as it burn through your glucose stores.

This takes electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, and potassium with it! It can also leave you dehydrated unless you replenish that water. And a common symptom of dehydration and electrolyte depletion is tiredness, low energy, and fatigue.

Remedy this by:

• Drinking more water than you think you need—at least two liters per day. Carry a reusable water bottle with you at all times so you remember.
• Adding high quality sea salt to your food, a pinch of salt in your water, or taking Instant Ketones to increase sodium and trace minerals in your system.
• Sometimes supplementing with potassium or magnesium can also help, but it’s best to speak with your doctor first.

4. Don’t Yo-Yo on Your Carbs

To get into the Keto Zone, you need to eat 20 grams or less of carbs per day.

A ketogenic diet is unique in that the longer you’re on track, the easier it gets and the more benefits you experience. Staying consistent with your carbs is crucial because it keeps you in ketosis and the Keto Zone.

Once you’re out of the Zone, it takes time to get back in and you can experience transition symptoms (like tiredness) all over again.

This is why keto cheat days or cheat meals aren’t recommended and can just impede your progress. Try to stay on track as much as possible. Before you know it, you’ll be feeling great and avoid ever feeling tired all the time again.

5. Take Exogenous Ketones or MCT for Clean Energy

Instant Ketones can help you get into the Keto Zone faster and provide an instant energy boost. Similarly, healthy fats like MCT oil powder can help your body make ketones for additional low-carb energy.

Related: 4 Incredible MCT Oil Benefits and How to Choose the Best Quality

6. Get More Shuteye

No diet is a remedy for lack of sleep.

Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night, even if it takes time to get there. As much as possible, try to set a bedtime routine where you go to sleep and wake up at the same time—even on the weekends.

7. Eat Clean: Avoid Refined Oils and Low-Quality Keto/Low-Carb Products

The quality of your food has a huge impact on how you feel. Are you eating a junky low-carb or keto diet?

Make sure your foods are clean and high-quality: grass-fed, pasture-raised, preferably organic meats, healthy oils, and lots of leafy green low-carb veggies.

Resist temptation of packaged foods labelled as “low-carb” or even “keto” and refined oils. These can mess with your digestion, energy levels, and overall health.

Related: Healthiest Oils to Cook With (and Those to Avoid at All Costs)

8. Get Light to Moderate Exercise

It’s hard to move more when you feel fatigued, but light exercise may help boost energy levels. Try taking a quick walk or doing some yoga to get your heart rate up and move your muscles.

9. Don’t Rule Out Other Conditions

If nothing you try is working and you’ll been eating a ketogenic diet for a while, it’s possible something else is going on. Talk with your doctor about getting tested for hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, or hormone imbalances.

In most cases, though, feeling tired all the time at the start of a low-carb lifestyle goes away when you enter ketosis and make some adjustments like those above!

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