chrispnet

Sharing this for anyone interested.

I just had to put a guy on paid leave with direction to seek medical attention, and will be contacting his emergency POC to make them aware.
This guy went on the keto diet a couple months ago. Over the past month, his work has been on a nosedive decline, and over the past week, he has entered into bizarre erratic paranoid behavior.

When I engaged with him this morning, he readily admitted he thought the diet was screwing with him, and then went into a whole speech about how the office is plotting against him.

Not gonna go into all the details, but I'm hoping it's the diet and not a brain tumor. This guy was steady as a rock until a month ago.
Sharing with you guys FWIW...

Jonesy23

Doubt it' the diet.

Double tyme

BaBa Bouy

I have been on the Keto diet since the first of the year, he has other problems unrelated to the diet. I'm also down 12 pounds. Its a nice slow way to loose weight and I feel 10 times better. Those carbs and sugar really make you crash throughout the day.

mattttt25

It could be the diet causing severe dehydration. Or the diet combined with another medical condition.

Diverboy

A low carb diet or any diet that causes you to loose more than a pound a week will cause your work production to take a nosedive, but that's due to lack of energy or fatigue. Can also cause a change in mental function (mostly grouchiness or irritability), but not paranoia. Now, if he was taking one of those magic supplements they advertise on tv or some of the weight loss clinics are pushing, that could be an entirely different story. Since "supplements" don't have to FDA tested or approved, there is some scary stuff out there and it amazes me what people will put in the bodies due to a good marketing campaign.

Marlin308

This. He could be hypoglycemic and get real moody due to lack of sugar while on the diet that he'd grown accustom to. But the paranoia is something totally different. Sometimes mental illness hits people later in life.

chrispnet

Yes to all the comments. I'm not diagnosing him, and I hope it's less and not more.
He's been a steady performer for years...good man and steady as a metronome.
Whatever made him pop, I hope it's something simple like the diet...but not counting on it.

likwid

Be very careful with this fad diets. They can cause all kinds of issues.

Rolandt03

he has something else brewing! could have an underlying mental illness that is just now rearing its head. doubt its anything to do with the diet.

WaterEnjoyer

i have been on and off the keto diet since the new year. On for all except for a few weeks. Other than the first week of going in ketosis, i have more energy. I play hockey 2 times a week. On keto i recover from shifts much quicker. Last month i was off keto for about 3 weeks, i had to skip a shift towards the end. that may have been because of the diet change though. On keto, most of the time I do not need to drink water between shifts. I know it isn't scientific, just my experience.

I don't think it is good long term. THat is one of the reasons i come out of it. I came out of it today actually but will go back in next week or the one after.

Fishermohn

This had nothing to do with the diet

Splisskin

schoolsout1

not a fad "diet"

it's more of a lifestyle change. Now, I don't do Keto, but more of a high fat, low carb diet for the most part.

I'm back on it (minus the weekends and I still guzzle beer by the gallon), but it's definitely helped me lose some weight and I feel awesome. First week or so of getting over the lack of simple carbs is the worst, but I can eat an egg or 2 and some bacon in the AM now and not get hungry at all throughout the day. Eat meat, sat fats and green veggies at night with a few "fat bombs" for dessert and I'm good to go. Guy down hall started it after he and his wife came over for beers, etc a month or so ago and he says same thing.


That said, I do hope it is something simple, Chrispnet, but fear it isn't.

tunedportcj5

Likely nothing to do with the diet, or he's doing it horribly wrong. You body/brain runs off sugar... when there is no sugar to burn, it burns fat for its source of energy. YOU MUST INCREASE YOUR FAT INTAKE WHILE YOUR BODY IS IN THE STATE OF KETOSIS. If not, you'll crash and burn... Its important to keep your macros in check!

alacrity

antioxidants perhaps?

Tarpon65

This.

caltexflanc

That's way too broad a generalization. My experience with a low sugar and blood sugar generating (refined carbs with high Glycemic Loads), as well as many others I know, was exactly the opposite. Much more energy, stamina and clear-headedness almost immediately. My weight loss stalled out about 6 weeks in, but I kept at it because I felt so much better. After a little while, the weight loss kicked back in. Once I hit my target after about a year (-60 lbs) I kept at it with a little more "cheating" to level off the weight and don't think I'll ever change doing that. Lucky for me I love all food, so it's not hard when coupled with feeling this good.

Minnow

Google Keto Flu
https://blog.kettleandfire.com/keto-flu/

Diverboy

It is a broad statement, but in general, as I said, ANY DIET THAT CAUSES YOU TO LOSE MORE THAN 1 POUND PER WEEK will leave you with a lack of energy and constantly fatigued. For most, not all, but most, just eliminating sodas and other junk foods high in refined sugars from their diet and eating "clean" foods will give them more energy and clear-headedness (not sure that's a word, but it works for me). Yes, they will initially lose more than a pound a week for the first week or two, but you can't maintain losing more than a pound a week over the long term without feeling tired or fatigued.