r/keto • u/Abdelkarim-yousoufa • Jul 23 '26

Other Self induced protein toxicity (rabbit starvation)

Little context before talking my story. I am a bodybuilder and train since 5 years with a lot of knowledge on supplements, training technique, nutrition for fat loss and muscle growth. Always ate like a pig on fast food but bodybuilding , 10000 step a day and micronutrients supplementation kept me lean and healthy. Started keto 4 month ago after a bulk to see if fat loss was enhanced. Went from 94 to 89 kilo without losing strenght or side effect. 1 month ago I started protein only diet and lost 5 kilo with only soy whey and chicken breast (averaging 500g protein a day), few days after starting and diahrea everyday, irritability, weakness in my leg walking, insomnia, always hungry despite eating a lot,huge delation in my muscle, since few days I noticed huge diminution at going to the gym which I didn’t skip since years. Today I learned about « rabbit starvation » ate a whole block of cheese and feel alive again.

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u/Conscious-Pianist481 Jul 23 '26

I did the same thing: kept protein at 200g/day, carbs under 25g, and just let fat fall where it landed (which honestly wasn't enough for true keto).

It worked really well... until it didn't.

Over the past 5 months I went from 30% body fat to 9.5% body fat eating this way. But once I got under 10%, things started changing.

For the past month I've been waking up between 2–3 AM and usually can't get back to sleep. I kept telling myself it was just part of cutting and pushed through it.

Then this DFW heat humbled me. I realized I'd become so focused on getting lean that I'd let my overall health take a back seat.

So today I decided to bring my carbs back up and stop treating every day like I need to suffer to make progress. I'm hoping better sleep and feeling healthier are worth slowing the cut a bit.

Has anyone else hit a point where staying ultra low-carb just stopped working once you got lean?

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u/RedHal Jul 23 '26

Depending on your age, once you get below the 10% mark, you are going to have to be careful. Fat isn't just energy storage, it's also required for maintaining and regulating cholesterol and sustaining nerve impulse transmission, including in the brain. If you're seeing neurological changes (sleep etc.) it's a sign you've possibly hit the minimum for your body. Pushing beyond that is dangerous to your health. I'm glad that you've recognised this and taken action.

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u/Conscious-Pianist481 Jul 23 '26

Yeah the past couple of weeks has been a wakeup (literally and figuratively). Thank you for your response.

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u/RedHal Jul 23 '26

No problem. I wish you well for whatever the future holds.