Post-Ketosis and Carbohydrate Intake

43501

Tfw had no idea whether to post this here, in general dieting or nutrition, since the question covers all three.

So, at the moment I'm undertaking a ketosis diet with extremely restricted carbs, moderate protein and high fat. You know the drill.

But I've been wondering something: when I hit my desired weight, what do I do with my carbohydrates? This diet is absolutely not sustainable for me for the long run and I have no idea how bodybuilders do it almost all the time.

Basically, up to this point, I haven't been counting my carbs whatsoever and just going crazy with it as long as I stayed within my calorie limit and got a lot of protein.

When I hit maintenance, I still want to practice a certain level of carb restriction (not to just go back to old habits), but how do I figure out by how much?

LazerMole

It depends on how you feel, and what your triggers might be.

Once I hit my maintenance, I'm still going to be low-carb, but I might add in a few starchier vegetables.

I'll be aiming for between 50-75g carb a day, most likely.

I can tell you one thing, though - no more bread and pasta for me. Those are huge triggers for me, and give me awful heartburn.

Just see how you feel in the long run, and don't blast your carbs up to max when you go into maintenance - add a few things you like here and there, and slowly increase them until you're comfortable.

43501

LazerMole wrote: »

It depends on how you feel, and what your triggers might be.

Once I hit my maintenance, I'm still going to be low-carb, but I might add in a few starchier vegetables.

I'll be aiming for between 50-75g carb a day, most likely.

I can tell you one thing, though - no more bread and pasta for me. Those are huge triggers for me, and give me awful heartburn.

Just see how you feel in the long run, and don't blast your carbs up to max when you go into maintenance - add a few things you like here and there, and slowly increase them until you're comfortable.

Thanks m80, I appreciate the input. Under 75g sounds way more tolerable than the "<50g, but ideally <30g" thing I'm doing now. I'm almost accidentally going over with things I normally considered very safe foods like carrots.

I almost never eat bread and pasta, but I had a lot of potato (and similar tubers) and long-grain rice in my diet. I look forward to being able to eat them again.

Lizabelle1212

If you're doing the Atkins diet, or similar, the Atkins website (for free) has a guide that walks you through which types of carbs to add back, how much of them, and at what point in your diet you can add them back. They also discuss maintenance carbs. I'd recommend checking out their website, since they've kind of become the "face" of the low-carb movement. Lots of free info that you may find helpful, if you haven't already looked it over.

NextPage

It is actually quite rare for bodybuilders (although there is a small percentage) to have a low carb or ketosis eating plan- carbs are needed for energy for workouts. I wouldn't worry about adding more carbs just make sure as many food choices as possible (while allowing for treats) are ones that leave you feeling full and satisfied so that you don't overeat in generally. You already stated that you plan on staying in your calorie limit so you should be fine. If you play around a bit with the macro split you will find the right eating style that you find sustainable. Sustainability of your eating plan is the most important factor in ensuring you don't go over on calories and maintain a long-term healthy weight.

feisty_bucket

43501 wrote: »

This diet is absolutely not sustainable for me for the long run and I have no idea how bodybuilders do it almost all the time.

They eat very differently right before competition-time than they do to get bigger/stronger. During regular times, they'll typically have big carb-up meals right after lifting to replenish glycogen stores.
Like so:
bodybuilding.com/fun/mohr114.htm

So that's something to keep in mind.
I eat quite a few carbs immediately after lifting, but very few non-veggie ones on other days. That's called "carb cycling". The general idea is to view carbs as a specific tool, moreso than a big staple of your diet.

As a useful rule of thumb, I like Mark Sisson's carb curve chart:
marksdailyapple.com/press/the-primal-blueprint-diagrams/#axzz3LbBBjkbL
He suggests 100-150g/daily as a maintenance level for most people. That's where I generally sit too.

Acg67

feisty_bucket wrote: »

43501 wrote: »

This diet is absolutely not sustainable for me for the long run and I have no idea how bodybuilders do it almost all the time.

They eat very differently right before competition-time than they do to get bigger/stronger. During regular times, they'll typically have big carb-up meals right after lifting to replenish glycogen stores.
Like so:
bodybuilding.com/fun/mohr114.htm

So that's something to keep in mind.
I eat quite a few carbs immediately after lifting, but very few non-veggie ones on other days. That's called "carb cycling". The general idea is to view carbs as a specific tool, moreso than a big staple of your diet.

As a useful rule of thumb, I like Mark Sisson's carb curve chart:
marksdailyapple.com/press/the-primal-blueprint-diagrams/#axzz3LbBBjkbL
He suggests 100-150g/daily as a maintenance level for most people. That's where I generally sit too.

You do realize Sisson is a moron, right? His cho curve is not based in any reality

asdowe13

feisty_bucket wrote: »

43501 wrote: »

This diet is absolutely not sustainable for me for the long run and I have no idea how bodybuilders do it almost all the time.

They eat very differently right before competition-time than they do to get bigger/stronger. During regular times, they'll typically have big carb-up meals right after lifting to replenish glycogen stores.
Like so:
bodybuilding.com/fun/mohr114.htm

So that's something to keep in mind.
I eat quite a few carbs immediately after lifting, but very few non-veggie ones on other days. That's called "carb cycling". The general idea is to view carbs as a specific tool, moreso than a big staple of your diet.

As a useful rule of thumb, I like Mark Sisson's carb curve chart:
marksdailyapple.com/press/the-primal-blueprint-diagrams/#axzz3LbBBjkbL
He suggests 100-150g/daily as a maintenance level for most people. That's where I generally sit too.

That carb curve chart is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.