Phase 2?

gingershonobi

hey guys

After 8 weeks or so of <20g daily of carb (some holidays for, vacations) my life has Led me to chill a little this week.

So instead of always hitting sub20 and sometimes hitting sub10 I've certainly been in the high teens or 20s for daily net carbs. For 5 days now.

I feel better. No scale gains, but I've been eating 2200 Cals a day (max) and busting a gut on the driving range each day so there must be some muscle feeding off of the protein, but golf works my back and shoulders.... So not easy to measure.

The problem is mental. I feel like I'm cheating. I feel like I'm going back to my old sugar/carb addicted ways. Like its a slippery slope back to bad ways.

Anyone else felt this?

How do you manage it?

G

FIT_Goat

There's no cheating. If you're meeting your goals and feeling good, then you're likely still within your carb tolerance. If things start to degrade, over time, you can also cut things back a bit. With a sub 20g average, I don't think you're really at risk unless you are hyper-sensitive to carbs.

camtosh

What Goat said. I am regularly way above keto levels of carbs, but I feel good, in maintenance. Find the range that works for you and your goals. It's not cheating!

wabmester

I cheat all the time. Then I punish myself by going for a run.

Seems to work pretty well. You have to run pretty far to burn off a tasty cheat.

kirkor

wabmester wrote: »

I cheat all the time. Then I punish myself by going for a run.

Seems to work pretty well.

Sin:penance is not a formula for sustainable long-term success.

gingershonobi wrote: »

...my life has Led me to chill a little this week.
...For 5 days now.
...I feel better.
...No scale gains,
...The problem is mental.
...
...How do you manage it?

Well, with no scale gains you're ok for now. Without a meter you won't know if you're still in ketosis, but the fact that you're under 30 net should mean you're good.
Due to your mental stress, you should probably tighten the reins a a bit and hold the line at 25 instead, adjust to that a while.
What's your weekly caloric deficit?

wabmester

I was joking about the cheat/sin paradigm. My mindset is more "hey, the tank is topped off, so let's take this baby for a spin!"

I think the "slippery slope" is a real issue. Especially if you feel that you've been depriving yourself of something you really like. I imagine that's how binges happen.

The trick is to find stuff you really like on this diet, so you have no incentive to go back to your old ways.

KnitOrMiss

wabmester wrote: »

I was joking about the cheat/sin paradigm. My mindset is more "hey, the tank is topped off, so let's take this baby for a spin!"

I think the "slippery slope" is a real issue. Especially if you feel that you've been depriving yourself of something you really like. I imagine that's how binges happen.

The trick is to find stuff you really like on this diet, so you have no incentive to go back to your old ways.

Also, there is a LCHF version of/substitute for almost every old carb laden snack/indulgence you can think of. Google is your friend!! My fiance bought some cheese crackers that were taunting me from the kitchen counter. Luckily, I found homemade cheese crisps which he ended up liking better than his crackers, thank you!! LOL Google and ask here if there is something you are dying for....someone likely will have a recipe, suggestion, or idea!

Fat4Fuel2

Where are the extra carbs coming from? Veggies? nuts? dairy? "low-carb" wraps/bread? If it's from a natural source, it's less likely to hinder progress. However, if you're reaching for pho-foods (i.e. low carb wraps/breads) that can be a slippery slope, and you should probably avoid them until you feel ready to incorporate them into your diet, if ever. However, if you are feeling fine and seeing the results, listen to your body! It knows what it's doing.