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Eating carbs after not eating carbs for a while

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SteveSprawl
SteveSprawl Posts: 20 Member
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I have been doing keto for almost 4 weeks. For a cheat meal I had some shredded wheat and experienced a massive amount of bloat. Is this common?

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  • SadKitty27
    SadKitty27 Posts: 416 Member
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    In my experience it is. Carbs require a lot more water to process, and that could be the reason why. I'm sure there is someone around here with a better take on why this happens :)
  • JisatsuHoshi
    JisatsuHoshi Posts: 421 Member
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    1 gram of carb holds 4 grams of water retention ... so to explain:

    While doing ketogenic dieting you deplete glycogens (broken down carbs) from your muscles & liver. Because of the glucose depletion you lose water weight at the start of the diet.. As SadKitty was mentioning you need water to push the carbs back into your muscles. So when you carb up for the first time in weeks you are gaining back water weight. It cannot be avoided.

    I gain 4~5 lbs of water weight usually after my refeeds, but goes away after a few days.
  • SteveSprawl
    SteveSprawl Posts: 20 Member
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    Thank you both!
  • LauraDotts
    LauraDotts Posts: 732 Member
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    I had a small piece of cake for the first time in over a year on Sunday at a wedding reception. My ankles have been swollen ever since. I'm hoping it will be gone by tomorrow.

    However, are you retaining fluid or does your digestive system feel bloated and uncomfortable? If it's the latter then you may have just discovered that you are wheat or gluten intolerant.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
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    I find I can over carb with anything wheat/gluten free and not feel it. Now that I've been keto since March, I have had my fair share of days when my carbs are higher than others. I do the occasional scoop of icecream (in a cup, no gluten) and I often include sweet potatoes or even regular potatoes in my diet in smallish amounts. Trust me when I say this, ITS THE WHEAT. I tried some low carb tortillas with only 5g net carbs, I was bloated and starving the rest of the day. Miserable stuff!
  • JisatsuHoshi
    JisatsuHoshi Posts: 421 Member
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    I had a small piece of cake for the first time in over a year on Sunday at a wedding reception. My ankles have been swollen ever since. I'm hoping it will be gone by tomorrow.

    However, are you retaining fluid or does your digestive system feel bloated and uncomfortable? If it's the latter then you may have just discovered that you are wheat or gluten intolerant.

    Interesting. didnt know about the wheat/gluten intolerant thing. Well I'll know in thr next few days. Gona be slamming down several boxes of them oatmeal poptarts ha!
  • shar140
    shar140 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    I find I can over carb with anything wheat/gluten free and not feel it. Now that I've been keto since March, I have had my fair share of days when my carbs are higher than others. I do the occasional scoop of icecream (in a cup, no gluten) and I often include sweet potatoes or even regular potatoes in my diet in smallish amounts. Trust me when I say this, ITS THE WHEAT. I tried some low carb tortillas with only 5g net carbs, I was bloated and starving the rest of the day. Miserable stuff!

    This. When I do eat carb-ier things, I keep it gluten-free. It's the wheat. Symptoms can vary though, depending on the source and amount of it, for me. Headaches, fatigue/lethargy, bloating, etc.
  • Jasmine_James
    Jasmine_James Posts: 188 Member
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    I've taken breaks from keto (I don't like calling them "cheats") about every 4-6 weeks since the beginning of the year (usually for vacations and weddings). Sometimes I feel fine after and even lose more weight. Other times within minutes I feel like there's a balloon in my belly and I'm miserable. It hadn't occurred to me that it might be gluten. Headed on vacation next week and was planning to go off keto. I'll try to avoid gluten products and see if that helps. Thanks for the information and advice!
  • mrsek09
    mrsek09 Posts: 32
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    I find that when I take a break from keto, I feel bloaty and gross. However, I have not paid attention to if it is after eating only glutenous products.
  • JisatsuHoshi
    JisatsuHoshi Posts: 421 Member
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    I'll be taking a few days off keto here for a bit. since im still packing my stuff to into new place. I will be having limited time im the kitchen for the next few days as well as less time for the gym...

    Gona switch to over to just low carb diet 80g~100g max a day while taking my glucose disposal agents (alpha lipoic acids) + L-cartinine and green bean extracts to help minimize carb processing and fat gains.

    I'll try keep in mind about eating gluten free stuff to see if it helps with the bloat issue and give my .02 cents about it later.

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