Quick keto question

jameybirch93
jameybirch93 Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've recently started the keto diet and aiming for 20g carbs a day max but I'm finding it difficult to to stay under that. I've managed not to go over so far but the urge to binge is real (as 20g carbs only really gets me my meals and no treats). Just wondering whether I'd still remain in ketosis if on some days I allowed myself no more than 50g carbs? I'd always try and aim for 20
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Replies

  • BurgerLovinBulker
    BurgerLovinBulker Posts: 38 Member
    I recently got off the keto diet after hitting a strong plateau. It dropped my weight 90lbs over 4mo, but was a ***** to keep up.

    Because of my size I allowed myself 28g of carb, but that was pushing it. I wouldn't go higher than 22-25g
  • Bluebell135
    Bluebell135 Posts: 3 Member
    When you say recently, how recently did you start? I started roughly 10 days ago, and the first couple of days were hard. I drank a lot of green tea to try to feel full. But after 4 or so days, it seems like most of my cravings for carby stuff went away.

    I also went into this thinking that there really wouldn't be any treats (which is OK for me because personally it's very difficult for me to have most "treats" in moderation. As long as I'm consuming enough fat, I don't really feel hungry between meals.
  • jameybirch93
    jameybirch93 Posts: 21 Member

    vismal wrote: »
    You would probably not stay in ketosis eating 50 carbs a day. If keto is making dieting harder then you might want to consider a different approach. Keto tends to work for people because it makes dieting easier. If this isn't the case for you then what benefit do you think keto will provide?

    I have an ED so any dieting I do is difficult. The helpful thing about keto is that I can't have much carbs as I find it easier to stay away than to eat relatively freely but with a calorie restriction like with other diets. I've just read on some websites that 20g gets you into ketosis faster but anything under 50g is good?
  • jameybirch93
    jameybirch93 Posts: 21 Member
    Bluebell135 wrote: »
    When you say recently, how recently did you start? I started roughly 10 days ago, and the first couple of days were hard. I drank a lot of green tea to try to feel full. But after 4 or so days, it seems like most of my cravings for carby stuff went away.

    I also went into this thinking that there really wouldn't be any treats (which is OK for me because personally it's very difficult for me to have most "treats" in moderation. As long as I'm consuming enough fat, I don't really feel hungry between meals.

    I started on Monday so I'm veering towards the end of day 5. I'm not craving bready or starchy stuff or even really carbs but I've always used chocolate and crisps, sugar etc as a way of coping so cutting it out completely is hard. It doesn't matter if I'm full or not. I'm dedicated to only having 20g I was just wondering if I did go over slightly how much it'd effect my ketosis. I had in my mind that if I were to have a bad day then I at least wouldn't exceed 50g but if that's going to knock me right out of ketosis I might need to reduce that number.
  • jameybirch93
    jameybirch93 Posts: 21 Member
    BurgerLovinBulker wrote: »
    I recently got off the keto diet after hitting a strong plateau. It dropped my weight 90lbs over 4mo, but was a ***** to keep up.

    Because of my size I allowed myself 28g of carb, but that was pushing it. I wouldn't go higher than 22-25g

    What size were you if you don't mind me asking? I'm 17 stone (was 17St 8 but today 17St 3)
  • The_Weaze
    The_Weaze Posts: 512 Member
    If you have an ED then you should discuss this with a health professional if you haven't already
  • DresdenSinn
    DresdenSinn Posts: 665 Member
    I just came off a true 2 week Keto diet yesterday (prior to that I was on a moderately low carb diet) , I kept under 20g of net carbs/day (total carbs minus fiber), even keeping under that my ketone levels would fluctuate from negative to moderate/large (4.0 to 8.0), on days where I exercised more the ketone levels were higher. I highly recommend you get some brand of ketone test strips to take the guess work out of it.
  • GunNut37086
    GunNut37086 Posts: 37 Member
    Going over on carbs WILL bump you out of ketosis. You can use test strips to measure your blood ketone levels, but if you aren't doing that it's a guess how many carbs you can eat and reach and/or maintain ketosis. A suggestion like 20-25 carbs is just that a suggestion based on averages. Your body may need to go as low as 20 grams (rare) or can tolerate as many as 50 grams (likely more rare). You can't know for sure unless you're measuring your blood ketone level.

    On the upside, if you burn off the excess carbs super fast (I'm talking Spartan race fast) then you might stay in ketosis after cheating. That's the tricky part, your metabolism MUST burn the carbs before they get stored in your liver and disrupt the production of ketones.

    The keto diet was perfect for me. The struggle to reach ketosis was a reminder that no matter how bad I wanted a PB&J, it just wasn't worth starting over.

    My advice, find a substituted for whatever treat you crave. Google "keto fat bombs" you might find something to keep on standby that will get you past the cravings.

    --Good luck, Kevin
  • jameybirch93
    jameybirch93 Posts: 21 Member
    The_Weaze wrote: »
    If you have an ED then you should discuss this with a health professional if you haven't already

    They advise no dieting until in recovery but I've been trying to recover for 5 years now (and struggled for 7) and I'm just putting more and more weight on.
    DresdenSinn wrote: »
    I just came off a true 2 week Keto diet yesterday (prior to that I was on a moderately low carb diet) , I kept under 20g of net carbs/day (total carbs minus fiber), even keeping under that my ketone levels would fluctuate from negative to moderate/large (4.0 to 8.0), on days where I exercised more the ketone levels were higher. I highly recommend you get some brand of ketone test strips to take the guess work out of it.

    I do have keto strips somewhere in my room! Guess it'll take me a little to know what my body can tolerate or not.
    GunNut37086 wrote: »
    Going over on carbs WILL bump you out of ketosis. You can use test strips to measure your blood ketone levels, but if you aren't doing that it's a guess how many carbs you can eat and reach and/or maintain ketosis. A suggestion like 20-25 carbs is just that a suggestion based on averages. Your body may need to go as low as 20 grams (rare) or can tolerate as many as 50 grams (likely more rare). You can't know for sure unless you're measuring your blood ketone level.

    On the upside, if you burn off the excess carbs super fast (I'm talking Spartan race fast) then you might stay in ketosis after cheating. That's the tricky part, your metabolism MUST burn the carbs before they get stored in your liver and disrupt the production of ketones.

    The keto diet was perfect for me. The struggle to reach ketosis was a reminder that no matter how bad I wanted a PB&J, it just wasn't worth starting over.

    My advice, find a substituted for whatever treat you crave. Google "keto fat bombs" you might find something to keep on standby that will get you past the cravings.

    --Good luck, Kevin

    Thanks for the advice :) I have bought some low carb chocolate stuff in case I ever have a real urge. Despite my issues I'm trying very hard with this one and have a lot of motivation to change not only my weight but my lifestyle.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    jameybirch93 wrote: »
    vismal wrote: »
    You would probably not stay in ketosis eating 50 carbs a day. If keto is making dieting harder then you might want to consider a different approach. Keto tends to work for people because it makes dieting easier. If this isn't the case for you then what benefit do you think keto will provide?

    I have an ED so any dieting I do is difficult. The helpful thing about keto is that I can't have much carbs as I find it easier to stay away than to eat relatively freely but with a calorie restriction like with other diets. I've just read on some websites that 20g gets you into ketosis faster but anything under 50g is good?

    You need to work WITH your treatment team, not against their treatment plan...

    What are your stats?
  • bluets2011
    bluets2011 Posts: 241 Member
    I'm aiming at 30g and can't imagine going lower. As today I had a glass of water kefir, juice of a lime and courgettes it gave me 35g. I don't crave anything to be honest. Also some days struggle to reach my calories 1200 which is already low for my height 5.9
  • bluets2011
    bluets2011 Posts: 241 Member
    @DresdenSinn I had a look on Amazon but no idea about brands. Have you got any suggestions? Ta
  • DresdenSinn
    DresdenSinn Posts: 665 Member
    bluets2011 wrote: »
    @DresdenSinn I had a look on Amazon but no idea about brands. Have you got any suggestions? Ta

    I used THESE
  • bluets2011
    bluets2011 Posts: 241 Member
    Thank you @DresdenSinn
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
    Keto diets range and based on the person, will determine at what level you can enter in ketosis. Are you looking at net carbs are total?


    And i would agree that it would be beneficial to work with your treatment team. And if they haven't helped you, then find another.
  • anaxmann
    anaxmann Posts: 103 Member
    The amount of carbs that will kick you out of ketosis is individual. Most people can go up to 50 grams (or even higher) after they have stayed in ketosis for a while. The 20 gram limit is often mentioned because at that low intake you are more or less guaranteed to stay in ketosis. Also, remember that this net carbs, not total carbs, don't forget to subtract out fiber and sugar alcohols, although most would recommend avoiding sugar alcohols when you are trying to get into ketosis. Some people have different reactions to different sugar alcohols; sometimes their body reacts as if the sugar alcohol had been regular sugar.
    Keto strips aren't the greatest indicator of ketosis. Once I have been in ketosis (with ketones showing up on the strips) for a few days the strips indicate only minimal or no ketones; which is good because I don't want to be excreting them. If you are really interested, I understand that the blood-ketone testing units are a better indicator.
    If you are sticking to meats, cheeses, eggs, and low-carb veggies, staying under 20 g net carbs shouldn't be too difficult.
  • sharonays
    sharonays Posts: 3 Member
    jameybirch93 wrote: »
    I've recently started the keto diet and aiming for 20g carbs a day max but I'm finding it difficult to to stay under that. I've managed not to go over so far but the urge to binge is real (as 20g carbs only really gets me my meals and no treats). Just wondering whether I'd still remain in ketosis if on some days I allowed myself no more than 50g carbs? I'd always try and aim for 20

  • sharonays
    sharonays Posts: 3 Member
    Are you doing 10/20/70? Sometimes you can balance by eating more fat. Put a tablespoon of coconut oil or MCT oil into your coffee or your eggs. Eat extra butter somehow.
  • jameybirch93
    jameybirch93 Posts: 21 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    jameybirch93 wrote: »
    vismal wrote: »
    You would probably not stay in ketosis eating 50 carbs a day. If keto is making dieting harder then you might want to consider a different approach. Keto tends to work for people because it makes dieting easier. If this isn't the case for you then what benefit do you think keto will provide?

    I have an ED so any dieting I do is difficult. The helpful thing about keto is that I can't have much carbs as I find it easier to stay away than to eat relatively freely but with a calorie restriction like with other diets. I've just read on some websites that 20g gets you into ketosis faster but anything under 50g is good?

    You need to work WITH your treatment team, not against their treatment plan...

    What are your stats?

    Part of my disorder is fasting and restricting and I'm trying to diet instead of doing that to be more healthy. They're aware that one of my issues is 'purging' (not in the typical sense) so me dieting only goes against what they'd like but they understand that it's a part of my problem. Do you mean stats for my body or how much fat etc I'm consuming?
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Keto diets range and based on the person, will determine at what level you can enter in ketosis. Are you looking at net carbs are total?


    And i would agree that it would be beneficial to work with your treatment team. And if they haven't helped you, then find another.

    I'm looking at net carbs :)
    anaxmann wrote: »
    The amount of carbs that will kick you out of ketosis is individual. Most people can go up to 50 grams (or even higher) after they have stayed in ketosis for a while. The 20 gram limit is often mentioned because at that low intake you are more or less guaranteed to stay in ketosis. Also, remember that this net carbs, not total carbs, don't forget to subtract out fiber and sugar alcohols, although most would recommend avoiding sugar alcohols when you are trying to get into ketosis. Some people have different reactions to different sugar alcohols; sometimes their body reacts as if the sugar alcohol had been regular sugar.
    Keto strips aren't the greatest indicator of ketosis. Once I have been in ketosis (with ketones showing up on the strips) for a few days the strips indicate only minimal or no ketones; which is good because I don't want to be excreting them. If you are really interested, I understand that the blood-ketone testing units are a better indicator.
    If you are sticking to meats, cheeses, eggs, and low-carb veggies, staying under 20 g net carbs shouldn't be too difficult.

    It isn't difficult in that sense, some days I'm having 19g, some days only 7, it's just mentally I'm finding it hard because I binge a lot and it's a struggle refraining from that. That's why I was asking how much I could have in case I was having bad day and wanted to ear loads of *kitten* but was able to curb it somehow by having a few extra carbs. Just bought some low carb chocolate cakes though as I always try to save my carbs until late on when I get the urge where I can then choose to have something like a hot chocolate (still being under 20g) if I really want to.

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