On a ketogenic diet, want to start eating carbs again...

Humbugsftw

How would I go about introducing carbs into my diet again without bloating up like a whale from all the water weight? I'm assuming it has to be done slowly, first introducing complex carbs such as fruits in small quantities etc before progressing onto cereal. Thanks in advance for any advice!

psuLemon

It's going to be difficult as the more carbs you eat, the amount of glycogen and water will be stored. You will automatically gain some weight back but I will note, you seem to have a good game plan already.

Humbugsftw

It's going to be difficult as the more carbs you eat, the amount of glycogen and water will be stored. You will automatically gain some weight back but I will note, you seem to have a good game plan already.

Would it be possible to kind of limit the 'collateral damage' as it were from water weight gain by going to the gym 4-5 times a week and incorporating more weightlifting exercises alongside cardio?

Chadomaniac

u have it spot on start off by adding in a fruit in the mornings (banana is ultimate) , then add in another fruit after workouts the next day including the banana at breakfast , slowly increase your carbs around 10 grams daily ... should avoid the bloat and shock

Humbugsftw

u have it spot on start off by adding in a fruit in the mornings (banana is ultimate) , then add in another fruit after workouts the next day including the banana at breakfast , slowly increase your carbs around 10 grams daily ... should avoid the bloat and shock

So basically introduce them before and after a workout, wait for my body to adjust, and keep adding them as time goes by in a slow and steady manner?

psuLemon

It's going to be difficult as the more carbs you eat, the amount of glycogen and water will be stored. You will automatically gain some weight back but I will note, you seem to have a good game plan already.

Would it be possible to kind of limit the 'collateral damage' as it were from water weight gain by going to the gym 4-5 times a week and incorporating more weightlifting exercises alongside cardio?

Just slowly introduce them until you hit 35% or so of your total calories. You will probably add another 5 lbs by doing it over time, but if you maintain a small deficit, it should affect you too much.

Chadomaniac

yes the best would be before and after workouts , thats when your body is using mostly glycogen .. so the carbs u consume wont really do much, then def add in some carbs at breakfast after a few days

Humbugsftw

It's going to be difficult as the more carbs you eat, the amount of glycogen and water will be stored. You will automatically gain some weight back but I will note, you seem to have a good game plan already.

Would it be possible to kind of limit the 'collateral damage' as it were from water weight gain by going to the gym 4-5 times a week and incorporating more weightlifting exercises alongside cardio?

Just slowly introduce them until you hit 35% or so of your total calories. You will probably add another 5 lbs by doing it over time, but if you maintain a small deficit, it should affect you too much.

What's the definition of a small deficit? I'm planning on keeping my caloric intake at about 1400-1600 even with carbs, currently my deficit is between 400-700 (depending on whether I have done exercise today, how much I've eaten, etc).

psuLemon

It's going to be difficult as the more carbs you eat, the amount of glycogen and water will be stored. You will automatically gain some weight back but I will note, you seem to have a good game plan already.

Would it be possible to kind of limit the 'collateral damage' as it were from water weight gain by going to the gym 4-5 times a week and incorporating more weightlifting exercises alongside cardio?

Just slowly introduce them until you hit 35% or so of your total calories. You will probably add another 5 lbs by doing it over time, but if you maintain a small deficit, it should affect you too much.

What's the definition of a small deficit? I'm planning on keeping my caloric intake at about 1400-1600 even with carbs, currently my deficit is between 400-700 (depending on whether I have done exercise today, how much I've eaten, etc).

20% below TDEE is where most people I have worked with seen the best results. Generally the smaller you are, the smaller of the deficit needs to be.

Humbugsftw

So I should be hitting 1700 calories a day, and I'm hitting about 1600 more or less so I think I am on the right tracks

Humbugsftw

Also, would it make a difference that I have only been on it for 4 weeks? Surely it would be easier to transition if I've only been doing it for a short period of time compared to people who have done it for months?