The first six weeks on the Lion Diet are definitely the transition phase. And "transition" is honestly a nice way of putting it. It sucks. Some people get lucky and feel great week 2, most people with serious health issues have a very rough time for that first month and a half, particularly the first 3 weeks. Throughout that period you just need to keep reminding yourself that it's normal, and it happens to almost everyone.
So for most of you, your body has been running on a high-carb diet and has to retool to run on fat and protein, and your gut is adapting at the same time. That comes with symptoms. A lot of people quit right before the diet starts working because they think something is wrong because it can get so unpleasant but you have to remember this is a huge metabolic transition, brain transition to run on ketones, gut microbiome transition, candida is dying off, oxalates are dumping... it's a lot.
Most of what you'll feel in these weeks is normal and temporary. Here's what tends to show up week by week, what helps, and how to tell when something is more than transition.
If you start cold turkey and dive straight into the diet from the standard American diet, expect harsher cravings and transition symptoms than if you wean in over one to three months. How to Wean Into the Lion Diet has the full weaning protocol. I highly recommend that first.
The first 48 hours: seems easy enough
The first few days maybe seem easier than you'd think. They usually are easy.
48 hours to Day 7: "I can't believe I'm doing this"
Common symptoms in the first week:
- Headaches
- Fatigue or brain fog
- Cravings, especially for sugar and starch - so basically everything
- Constipation or loose stools (usually one or the other)
- Irritability
- Nausea and a meat aversion. Sometimes this lasts for up to a month.
- Keto flu: light-headedness, weakness, that electrolyte-imbalance feeling
The most important thing you can do right now is get your electrolytes right. Your body dumps sodium as it lets go of stored water, and potassium and magnesium matter too. If you don't replace them you may feel awful, (and you might anyway). Salt your meat heavily, drink salted water if you're headachy, and make your own electrolytes or buy an unflavored powder.
Days 7-14: digestive, fatigue, and nausea
This is where you think something must be wrong. Your symptoms can't be normal. Transition symptoms usually seem to get worse until somewhere between Day 7-14 and start lessening by Day 21. You may notice:
- Digestive shifts. Most people get either constipation or diarrhea for the first one to four weeks while the gut adapts to more fat and zero fiber. Diarrhea can happen while bile production catches up to the higher fat intake.
- Fewer bowel movements. Your body is using more of what you eat, so smaller and less frequent bowel movements are expected.
- Energy swings. A dip is common, and many people notice a boost by week three-six.
- Sleep changes. Some people sleep dramatically better right away. Others have weeks of disrupted sleep before it improves.
- Nausea and a meat aversion.
- Mood swings. Especially common in the first 3 weeks while your blood sugar regulation changes.
For me, I stopped crying in the morning at the two-week mark. That was my first sign the diet was actually doing something for my depression. My joint pain also resolved around Day 14. That was likely faster for me because I had already been on an extremely restricted diet for years prior. Usually it takes longer than that for people with joint pain/arthritis.
Weeks 2 to 3: sometimes pain gets worse
Some people notice their pain getting worse around weeks two to three. This can be oxalate dumping, and it can be a normal part of the transition. It doesn't happen to everyone but a sudden flare around here is definitely not abnormal.
Oxalate dumping can look like rashes, itching, joint pain, plaque, even sandy feeling eyes. If you were previously on a vegan diet or ate a lot of greens like spinach and kale drinks, this could be worse.
This generally doesn't last more than a few weeks.
If this gets absolutely brutal, adding in black tea can help some people slow the oxalate dumping.
Pain from active inflammation usually improves noticeably by week four, sometimes earlier. Keep a note of how your pain feels each day so you can see the trend instead of judging one bad day. More in How Long Does It Take Until Joint Pain Begins To Subside?
Any time in weeks 1 to 6: nausea and meat aversion
Nausea and meat aversion can both show up during the transition. This is worth reiterating because it's incredibly common. Even if you ate a lot of meat before, even if you come from the keto diet, even if you love steak, it can hit you. And it sucks. It's not unlike a pregnancy meat aversion.
All I can say is, it gets better and goes away completely or nobody (like myself) would be able to do this diet long term. So I'll give you some things that can help:
- Pressure cooked meat/soup
- Jerky
- Overcooking meat so it's crunchy (crunchy things)
More ideas in I Have No Appetite for Meat? What Should I Do?
Weeks 3 to 6 and beyond
This is when the early symptoms might start clearing. But don't lose hope if you take longer. Especially if you're on medications. But sometimes this is when joint inflammation begins to subside, mood may feel more stable, there may be periods of more energy and less brain fog and digestion may be improving.
- Joint pain from active inflammation: usually noticeable improvement by week four, sometimes earlier. BUT not everyone falls into this category, I've spoken to people where it took 7 months and then they went into remission from things like ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis. It's impossible to say who falls into the fast or long category.
- Depression and anxiety: without prior medication, mood usually improves in six weeks or less. With prior psych meds it can take significantly longer. Do not stop taking medication, especially if you've been on it long term, it can cause neurological damage. This can be dealt with in time.
- Skin issues like eczema and psoriasis: unfortunately from what I've seen, skin issues seem to take longer to clear up than almost anything else. Acne is fast, psoriasis and eczema can take longer, months sometimes. I don't know why, and it does heal on this but it may take longer.
- Digestive symptoms: often the fastest to respond. Many people feel substantially better within one to two weeks.
Six weeks seems to be the minimum to get through the transition period. Full remission usually takes longer, anywhere from 12 weeks to 9 months depending on your condition, its root causes and the medications you've been on.
What helps
| If you have | Try |
|---|---|
| Headaches, muscle cramps, brain fog, fatigue, light-headedness | More salt and electrolytes. Most of these resolve almost immediately with enough sodium. |
| Constipation | More fat, more salt, more water, meat broth (not bone) |
| Loose stools, bloating or diarrhea | Leaner cuts first, then ease into fattier ones. More lamb or bison, which aren't aged like beef. Fresh, unaged meat and DAO enzymes for histamine. |
| Cravings | Just stick it out. If you are absolutely going to cheat, have some honey. |
| Feeling worse overall | Treat yourself to your favorite cuts and pretend you have the flu and take care of yourself. |
When to be concerned
If you started the diet and feel worse, the most likely causes are transition symptoms, and don't change medication while you're doing this or you add in another variable.
- Psychiatric medication: do not suddenly stop it. Read How to Treat Psych Med Withdrawal/Side Effects before you change any dose.
- Undereating: You can't not eat forever. If you have fat to lose, you can not eat for longer than you'd expect, as your body burns through fat supplies (which can also cause unpleasant symptoms as fat stores toxins you'll have to detox). If you find yourself underweight, and with a meat aversion so severe you are not eating, you can't safely continue the diet. You need to eat. Jerky and pressure cooked meat soup can help with this and it's rare, but I've seen it happen.
The transition is temporary. Keep salting your meat, keep it simple, and give the diet the time it needs to work.