Temporary or Forever?

Homemaker57

Hey everyone! I won't bore you with a detailed personal history but I've successfully lost weight on paleoishlowcarb80/20 mashups before and right now I'm on day 2 of trying out keto for the first time. Lost 1.8lbs overnight, haha. Water weight is fun.

Anyway. I'm definitely struggling to adopt the idea of lifelong keto. I'm in it for the weight loss primarily, just to be honest. I'd like to say I'm motivated by "being healthy" but let's just be frank, vanity is a strong motivator. Hopefully I'll have increased energy and better endurance along the way and being healthy will be meaningful as well. So the question strikes me - if you use keto to achieve your goal weight, do you have to stay keto to maintain? Does anyone start with keto, then move to a more relaxed and less restrictive, more varied diet? I guess it just doesn't seem healthy to me to cut out huge huge categories of food for all eternity. Sweet potatoes are high carb but they're also full of vitamins and minerals, right? Grapefruit are sweet but they have some awesome components like limonene. Are you afraid of missing out on important nutrients, by limiting your diet to almost exclusively fat and protein?

Maybe it's just one of those things you have to get used to? Or maybe keto for weight loss and then portioned variety with maybe 50-150g of carbs is sustainable? I just always thought ketosis was a temporary situation to achieve a goal OR permanently for medical reasons but I'm finding out it's a forever thing for a lot of people and I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around it. Thanks for any responses! I hope you can tell I'm not trolling I just trying to get some questions answered.

Fvaisey

There are a number of people in this group and the Low-Carb group who plan on Keto as a way of life and don't plan on going back to burning sugar ever. Me included. I expect to be a little more flexible about my carbs one I get to my goal weight (17 more lbs!) There are a number of posters on here who have been doing zero carbs long term.

I am getting much better at not thinking about this as a "restrictive" diet. When my body reacts to the occasional carb overload I realize I just don't want to eat that stuff anymore.

It seems that prior to the advent of agriculture almost every human was on a predominately low-carb diet. If I look at it that way, with the explosion of health problems in industrial/agricultural societies it would seem that eating a high carb, low fat diet is most likely to cause you to miss out on important nutrients....

carsonheim

For me, the health benefits are compelling. Knowing what sugar and carbs due to my blood sugar, my insulin, and my overall well-being convinces me that this way of eating is one I will adopt for life.

KnitOrMiss

I plan to stay some form of low carb for life, as I'm insulin resistant and my body functions best this way.

I do plan to incorporate some things like sweet potatoes back in, but probably not things like grapefruit. You will find that all the things you are supposed to NEED on a carb filled diet are because of the carb filled diet.

So many things like vitamin C are needed because of how the body inefficiently processes carbs. And water retention is worse with carbs than most of things.

Hopefully @FIT_Goat will chime in here, because he's much more knowledgeable about the nutrients side, but if you are on a properly balanced even "zero" carb diet, you get all the nutrients you need from the different meats/proteins.

FIT_Goat

I do not handle carbs well, any carbs. This is especially obvious with what most people doing keto consider "acceptable" carbs, like fiber and sugar alcohols. Both of those will tear me up and make me suffer. Most other carbs also have significant pitfalls for me. I have experimented with allowing some back, it usually brings back health issues and I find it easy to spiral out of control and gain weight. For those reasons, and some others, I am keto for life.

Meat alone provides all the nutrients necessary for great health. If there's something that isn't found in meat, it isn't needed for health. I am not at all worried about missing important nutrients by just eating meat.

I don't know if there's a more specific question here. If you think you can thrive, going back to eating some carbs, then give it a shot. Everyone has the right and responsibility to determine what is best for themselves.

Yi5hedr3

I think drifting back and forth between 5-50 grams/day and 50-99 grams/day is a good long term strategy.
That way. even a "High" carb day, is still a "Low-carb " day!

nicintime

When I (we) was (were) younger we could handle the carbs OK (less badly), but they still took their toll on us physically (look up what excess carbage and processed food does to the body). It just doesn't show up till the damage is mostly done and the scale is begging for mercy.

Morbid obesity and / or health issues pushed me (us) to realize what I (we) was (were) doing to myself (ourselves).

You'll find that many who eat this way for life are 50 plus. There's a reason for that.

Hope you succeed in your quest to look awesome - and that you can awake to how much more important health is than beauty before you reach the point that the option for both is out of your reach.

I'm guessing there are quite a few of us who wish we could go back.

You actually have that option.

Pretty amazing.

Homemaker57

Thank you so much for all of your responses. I really appreciate hearing your thoughts! I hear a lot of you saying carbs are a big problem for you. That makes a keto lifestyle very understandable; if you stray too much you feel poorly and/or have health concerns.

I hear some people talking about it like literally the only way to be healthy is to be in ketosis, anything else will cause weight gain and health problems. That just seems extreme to me because I know a lot of people who maintain their healthy weight on a variety of diets, you know? So that got me wondering if once you go keto you can never go back, sort of how if you greatly restrict calories you can slow your metabolism and even eating at what used to be maintenance is now a problem. Since some people maintain weight without keto, but some keto people were saying going off keto means weight gain... Just made me wonder. If it is something where you need to do it for life or not at all then I'd need a lot more research to make that choice, know whet I mean? So I think that dynamic is what was getting me.

Just to be clear, I care about my health! I just don't have any problems I'm aware of that I'm trying to solve, other than the weight. My lab numbers are great, my skin is fine, I don't get blood sugar swings, I don't have a lot of family medical history to worry about... So what I meant by that part of my post is that I do hope to have that "I didn't know I had a problem but it feels better now" health experience but as far as I've known so far, carbs aren't the end of the world for me. I don't get the digestion problems and illness and hypertension and other things I've seen mentioned. Right now my only health problem is my weight but even so no doctor has mentioned it so I'm mostly going off of how I want to look. If I did have a specific health concern I would definitely address that. Hopefully this will be a good way of eating for me and I'll stray healthy!

KnitOrMiss

The only automatic weight gain when going off keto is some water gain. You are correct that people without metabolic issues can maintain on most reasonable plans. Once you deal with any water gain, assuming you have no underlying unidentified issues, you should be fine to proceed on any reasonable plan that works with your body... Just be aware that added sugars are not a good thing in any plan - nor are overly processed foods. Any real food plan in reasonable balance should be fine.

Homemaker57

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

The only automatic weight gain when going off keto is some water gain. You are correct that people without metabolic issues can maintain on most reasonable plans. Once you deal with any water gain, assuming you have no underlying unidentified issues, you should be fine to proceed on any reasonable plan that works with your body... Just be aware that added sugars are not a good thing in any plan - nor are overly processed foods. Any real food plan in reasonable balance should be fine.

Thanks, I really appreciate that. That's what I thought but I wanted to hear from others. While I'm on keto I'll spend time learning more about health. I understand the basics but I get overwhelmed by the myriad of tiny details Ann's nutrients. There's so much information out there and a lot of conflicting information! Does anyone have a source they recommend, maybe I can read one article a couple times a week and by the time I'm at my goal weight I'll be a lot more informed.

KnitOrMiss

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

This group has a lot of information stored in the stickied starter post... It's easier to point you there, rather than copy and paste it all here.

Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore (and Dr. Eric Westman) as well as their book Cholesterol Clarity
The Art and Science of Low Carb Living is another one I hear a lot about
Wheat Belly

There are numerous sites and podcasts and such there, too...

Definitely educate yourself. There are a number of things you may never want to go back to once you learn why they damage our bodies long term, but there are some things you'll likely have no problems including periodically, and others more regularly.

nvmomketo

Ditto. I am probably a ketofile for life. I have insulin resistance and autoimmune diseases which have benefited from a ketogenic diet.... Lowering carbs seems to be the only thing that has helped. If I did not need to be so low carb I would probably try to incorporate more carbs back into my diet just because of the taste. I now know that carbs beyond veggies and some fruits are of no benefit to health, for anyone, and for about half of all people it is a problem. If you are fine with carbs, then eat them. I would.... Until I gained weight again - carby sweets are trigger foods to over eating for me. Darn it.

Fvaisey

@Homemaker57 , If you get a chance to see a documentary called The Perfect Human Diet, you might get a bigger perspective on your question.

Got2believe

I'm going to be pretty much for life starting now, i've been on and off for years, started calorie counting (at 1200) about a week ago on your normal LFHC diet and watched the numbers rise and fall like I was on a rollercoaster, restarted keto and instantly a pound of water weight off my "lowest". This is just where I belong, though I am absolutely carb-addicted which will probably result in cheats now and then until I can put a control on my eating (probably when life improves). My cholesterol is off the roof, and it was normal when I was on keto, so I'm looking forward to it returning to normal again.

AbombAe

I think for me that this WOE is certainly going to be long term. I am not doing it for medical reasons, weight loss is my biggest goal here. But, being in constant ketosis for about 2 months now, I feel incredible. I don't crash, I don't really get the sweets cravings anymore. I never feel bloated after I eat, and I think most importantly I have been emotionally consistent. I used to have pretty decent ups and downs in my moods, and now I don't, I am consistently happier. I am finding that the more I get ketoadapted, the better I run, cycle, and just overall feel better. I think that for 'special' occasions I will still go out for sushi, maybe a slice of cheesecake (If I don't make my own, and make it keto), but even then.. I know I'll feel crappy afterwards, is it worth it?

Good luck on your journey!

carsonheim

AbombAe wrote: »

, I feel incredible. I don't crash, I don't really get the sweets cravings anymore. I never feel bloated after I eat, and I think most importantly I have been emotionally consistent. I used to have pretty decent ups and downs in my moods, and now I don't, I am consistently happier. !

This is EXACTLY how I feel. Nobody tells you (probably "the establishment" hasn't made the connection) that a high-carb/high-sugar diet can cause a lot of issues with mood and emotions. I'm so even-keeled now and also, a nice medium-high level of energy all. Day. Long. No crashes. ❤️ Keto for life!!

Homemaker57

Hey friends, any experience with heart rhythms and keto? In the past I've been diagnosed with inappropriate sinus tachycardia ("Sometimes your heart races, we don't know why, if you don't care we don't either"). The past few days I've noticed some various sensations so today I counted my pulse rate. It was about 100bpm which is barely tachycardic and not surprising for me, but I was quite alarmed to notice skipped beats. The sensation I felt at the skipped beat was something I've been feeling sometimes so I was unpleasantly surprised to find out what that was. My pulse was also changing pace from slow to fast and back again.

A quick Google search revealed that low electrolytes can cause this sort of thing. I obviously want to immediately get out of any kind of danger zone! I took mag citrate, drank water, ate meat and cheese, and am about to take potassium. Are a lack of carbs a probable cause, in which case I'll gladly eat a bunch because I don't care about my weight in contrast to cardiac health, or would have no effect and its all about electrolytes? What dosages should I be trying to hit daily? I was doing 250 mag citrate and a B complex in the morning, 99mg potassium in the evening, NuSalt sometimes and table salt often on everything. Aiming for 100oz water daily. Sometimes I missed dosages but I'll do better now.

Appreciate feedback. I'm between doctors now in a new state but I'll certainly address this once I get in.

Homemaker57

15-20 minutes after the mag my rate is clear down to about 80bpm which is my normal resting rate and feels normal. Wow.

Yogi_warrior

Its normal during the adaptation phase to experience what you are going through. Electrolytes can make difference.

Yogi_warrior

Short Version: Its too soon to ask this question, especially during the first few weeks of Keto. I did lose around 70 lbs (in 6 months) and also gained around 20 lbs of Lean Mass in last two years. Keto for me is a life style choice.

Longer version:
Though weight loss (lbs lost) is a good motivator, its also the reason people yo-yo so much. The cycle is Lose weight, gain weight, lose weight, rinse and repeat. People often focus on the numbers with out changing the underlying cause of weight problems, which could be behavioral or medical.

Keto fixed my behavioral problems (Craving, snacking, binging etc) and changed my relationship with food for ever. During the first 4 weeks of keto adaption, I didn't throw away carbs nor I hid them. Yeah, first 4 weeks were night mare going through symptoms of carb addiction withdrawal. But after initial 5-6 weeks, till date I never had to use will power or control when it comes to carbs or over eating. I do indulge in carbs, sweets on family birthdays or some special occasions. When I do eat carbs, I don't feel that great and I see some of those old cravings starting to come back.

Medically Keto helps for people with lower insulin sensitivity and some level of insulin resistance. Don't confuse with the normal or abnormal numbers doctors use to diagnose diabetes, insulin resistance. My doctor told me I had normal blood glucose but could never explain a weight gain averaging 2000 cal/day. I paid for additional testing from my pocket and found out I had average carbohydrate metabolism. What that means is, if I eat carbs or sugar ( paleo compatible or not) my body can only use part of them and other part is stored as fat. I supplement chromium which helps in metabolizing carbs. After being in Keto for last 2 years my body breaks down carbs much better than before.

The reasons why I have been on keto for more than 2 years.
1. I eat once or twice a day when I have time or if I am hungry. I am rarely hungry compared to when I had to eat every 3-4 hours on normal diet. Thats a disaster when you are busy or stressed.
2. I don't count calories nor have to use self control or do detailed meal planning. Even when I am stressed, traveling or busy I can maintain weight.
3. The energy through out the day with out crashing is awesome. I don't drink coffee nor use any stimulants.
4. I have no inflammation, soreness or pain. I can train like a freak and recover easily. Even 20 year old athletes, half my age can't keep up with me.
5. I don't want to go back to eating 1600 cals to maintain weight when I can feast every meal and not get fat.

I can write a book on why I wouldn't get off keto.

Christine_72

Going_The_Distance wrote: »

Short Version: Its too soon to ask this question, especially during the first few weeks of Keto. I did lose around 70 lbs (in 6 months) and also gained around 20 lbs of Lean Mass in last two years. Keto for me is a life style choice.

Longer version:
Though weight loss (lbs lost) is a good motivator, its also the reason people yo-yo so much. The cycle is Lose weight, gain weight, lose weight, rinse and repeat. People often focus on the numbers with out changing the underlying cause of weight problems, which could be behavioral or medical.

Keto fixed my behavioral problems (Craving, snacking, binging etc) and changed my relationship with food for ever. During the first 4 weeks of keto adaption, I didn't throw away carbs nor I hid them. Yeah, first 4 weeks were night mare going through symptoms of carb addiction withdrawal. But after initial 5-6 weeks, till date I never had to use will power or control when it comes to carbs or over eating. I do indulge in carbs, sweets on family birthdays or some special occasions. When I do eat carbs, I don't feel that great and I see some of those old cravings starting to come back.

Medically Keto helps for people with lower insulin sensitivity and some level of insulin resistance. Don't confuse with the normal or abnormal numbers doctors use to diagnose diabetes, insulin resistance. My doctor told me I had normal blood glucose but could never explain a weight gain averaging 2000 cal/day. I paid for additional testing from my pocket and found out I had average carbohydrate metabolism. What that means is, if I eat carbs or sugar ( paleo compatible or not) my body can only use part of them and other part is stored as fat. I supplement chromium which helps in metabolizing carbs. After being in Keto for last 2 years my body breaks down carbs much better than before.

The reasons why I have been on keto for more than 2 years.
1. I eat once or twice a day when I have time or if I am hungry. I am rarely hungry compared to when I had to eat every 3-4 hours on normal diet. Thats a disaster when you are busy or stressed.
2. I don't count calories nor have to use self control or do detailed meal planning. Even when I am stressed, traveling or busy I can maintain weight.
3. The energy through out the day with out crashing is awesome. I don't drink coffee nor use any stimulants.
4. I have no inflammation, soreness or pain. I can train like a freak and recover easily. Even 20 year old athletes, half my age can't keep up with me.
5. I don't want to go back to eating 1600 cals to maintain weight when I can feast every meal and not get fat.

I can write a book on why I wouldn't get off keto.

Your number 5 point.. Are you saying you can eat more on keto and maintain your weight than on a regular diet?