Off of the keto diet introducing carbs again HELP!!

Deathofafatgirl
Deathofafatgirl Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been doing the keto diet for a year with success but I have run my course with it and would like to do a "normal" diet/healthy change by eating better but adding carbs back in. Has anyone gone from doing a high fat/protein diet (LOW CARB) to a normal diet with just watching calorie intake and nothing else. I would like to know what weight gain if any I should expect or actually what overall should I expect. Thanks :)

Replies

  • kevokie
    kevokie Posts: 53 Member
    Well, first I'm no expert.

    I took myself off the keto diet for about a month and maintained the weight within a couple of pounds the whole time. I would suggest adding some carbs slowly back into your diet to get used to them again. You should expect to gain some weight back, but that is because your glycogen stores will be filling again which tend to hold more water. If you are watching your calories and what exactly you eat, you should be fine. Just take it slow.
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    I would start by adding slow release carbs from vegetables and oats. And just gradually increase bit by bit. As long as you are eating at a calorie defecit you shouldn't gain fat, but your glycogen stores (I think they are called) will increase (these decreasing is why you get such a big loss at the start). So I would say it might take a few weeks but eventually your body will get the hang of what you are doing.

    I flip between low carb and regular counting calories and it is NOT TRUE when people say you will gain everything back if you go back to eating carbs. If you go back to eating the junk that put you the weight on then you will, but eat healthy on a calorie defecit and after a little while you will get back to losing weight.
  • Deathofafatgirl
    Deathofafatgirl Posts: 10
    Thanks so much. I was worried I was going to gain alot of weight back by just watching calories and doing the carb thing again. But like you said if i watch what I put in and do go back to eating horribly again I should be okay, Thank you Thank you!
  • Brian_VA
    Brian_VA Posts: 125
    Just be careful, it is not an easy thing to do. Suggest you aim for 100 carbs or so at least to start. Sort of moderate carb. See how you feel. That may even be a good level for life. You can always add more.

    You may feel ill when you start adding carbs back. And bowel habits may change drastically. Be prepared. Also when you add carbs hunger may be harder to control.

    I am also moving into maintenance but have decided to continue to abstain from most of the sugary starchy carbs. I know they are my triggers and I'd rather not battle them every day.

    Good luck!
  • oddyogi
    oddyogi Posts: 1,816 Member
    I would suggest eating them after hard workouts only. After a difficult and intense strength training session (lifting heavy weights), your muscles will suck up any carbs you eat. If you do it this way, eating high GI carbs would be best, though.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    I agree with the others that you'll gain back your liver/muscle glycogen stores (including water).

    For this reason I wouldn't be focused on the scale, I'd take measurements and use this as a guide to how well you are maintaining.

    You should be fine adding them back in if you follow the advice others have given, plenty of people cycle in and out of ketosis.

    I'd be more wary, as Brian_VA says, of increasing hunger and introducing trigger foods that lead to snacking, etc.

    If you're tracking all the time then this shouldn't be an issue, you should just eat according to how well you can sustain whatever macro balance you choose.

    I'm in the same position, I've been very low carb for 6 months or so and it's done the job so I'm moving back to something a little more balanced for some variety.
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
    Hopefully you've learned by now what your trigger carb foods are. If not gradually add a new carb one at a time for a few days minimum. I'm up to about 80 carbs and still in keto, no water gain, so if you do it slow you should be just fine! I'm not ready for maintenance I am trying to take a keto break and learn my limits.
  • Sarah_Wins
    Sarah_Wins Posts: 936 Member
    I was on 20g per day for 10 months, and recently went on New Rules of Lifting's suggested diet which is 109 carbs on active days, and 63 on rest days for me. I started by increasing fruit intake, then oats in the form of oatmeal, and eventually whole grain bread. I don't know if I'll ever go back to pasta and starches, if for no other reason than that I don't crave them anymore.

    In the first 2 weeks, I gained 5 lbs, which was alarming! But I spoke to some experts on here, including a nutritionist, who told me that was normal and just stay the course. It's slowly coming back off and I'm now just 1 lb up from when I started 4 weeks ago. Visually, I could swear I see a thickening around my mid-section, but my clothes are getting roomier in other places.

    Good luck!!

Categories