Life After Keto

themek1985
themek1985 Posts: 9 Member
edited November 26 in Motivation and Support
Hi all...

I’ve been on the Keto diet for 16 days now. I love it. I’ve lost weight, I’ve only had to take Tums once (after eating raw onion), and I swear my brain feels clearer and I can think more clearly. I told myself I would go on this diet for one month to help me lose weight and also see if I can do it.

Now as the month begins to close, I’m wondering how I can avoid overeating carbs the way I used to. I never realized how many carbs were in the foods I loved until I started tracking them. Does anyone have any advice on this? Or how to slowly introduce the foods that you miss, such as breads and rice? Thank you for all of your support.

Replies

  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    The South Beach Diet original book has some very good suggestions for this (even though the meal plan doesn't follow the suggestions).

    Basically, do it slowly and keep your focus on whole grains. Add back one serving of a higher carb food a day at first, keeping the focus on whole grains as much as possible. So maybe one day fruit, another day rice, another day bread... As long as you can have that responsibly, add a second serving after a week or two, etc. Pay attention to your body to figure out when to stop adding more and identify any triggers.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Presuming you're going to keep logging your food, just plan your meals without a lot of carbs. If you've done keto for a month, you have surely been able to manage without - now just be selective, include the carby foods you want in portions that fit your calorie goals.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I think that if you miss something, whatever it is, you'll be overeating when you start "allowing" it again. Keto works best for those who don't care that much for carby foods.
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
    You must have discovered some keto recipies you liked in the last month ... use your new found knowledge to replace some of the carbs from the non-restrictive diet with some keto inspired ones
  • themek1985
    themek1985 Posts: 9 Member
    Wow- thank you all so much for the tips. I want to keep a low carb lifestyle and yes I will continue logging food. And yes- there are some recipes I like more than others. It’s also incredible how much sugar is in practically everything we eat, yet nobody seems to say much about it. BTW- I swear my head has never felt clearer on this diet. Has anyone else had this effect? Only thing that sucks is I can’t really work out- especially run.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Wow- thank you all so much for the tips. I want to keep a low carb lifestyle and yes I will continue logging food. And yes- there are some recipes I like more than others. It’s also incredible how much sugar is in practically everything we eat, yet nobody seems to say much about it. BTW- I swear my head has never felt clearer on this diet. Has anyone else had this effect? Only thing that sucks is I can’t really work out- especially run.

    I don't find added sugar in everything I eat, but I make a lot of food from scratch and the majority of my sugar comes from vegetables. I don't track sugar as I find it pointless - fibre is a better guide for me.

    Personally, i didn't notice any better clarity by eating keto/low carb. I found that I feel better eating bigger meals less frequently compared to when I ate multiple times a day. I wouldn't be doing something that sacrificed my energy levels though, which it sounds like keto does to you.
  • Keto_N_Iron
    Keto_N_Iron Posts: 5,385 Member
    not really. I love this way of eating. . . I've been eating this way for over a year and a half and don't ever plan on going back.
  • themek1985
    themek1985 Posts: 9 Member
    AKDiscer wrote: »
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Well the results are in. I lost 10lbs in one month- from 189 to 179. My head is 100% clearer. I miss certain foods but I don’t know if I can ever go back, now that I know how many carbs are in foods I used to love, and that I know that carbs make me gain weight. Thanks to all. Be safe.

    How much fat vs muscle did you lose? One of the issues with keto, especially if you're not strength training, is that you lose muscle...and that is weight you absolutely don't want to lose.

    Good question. I have a scale that connects to the phone via Bluetooth and gives this (approximate) data. Looks like I lost 2% of body fat and 5 lbs of muscle. Now although this is approximate, it is disappointing. However, I still feel the pros outweigh the cons. My clothing fits better, my face is slimmer, and my ultimate goal to be faster should happen. I hope to use this month to build muscle.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Wow- thank you all so much for the tips. I want to keep a low carb lifestyle and yes I will continue logging food. And yes- there are some recipes I like more than others. It’s also incredible how much sugar is in practically everything we eat, yet nobody seems to say much about it. BTW- I swear my head has never felt clearer on this diet. Has anyone else had this effect? Only thing that sucks is I can’t really work out- especially run.

    It's actually talked about a lot...and is really only applicable if you're eating a lot of highly processed foods...but even most of the processed food that I do eat doesn't really have a ton of added sugar. I'm not remotely keto, but I eat very little in the way of added sugars save for the occasional cookie or doughnut here and there.
  • AKDiscer
    AKDiscer Posts: 31 Member
    themek1985 wrote: »
    AKDiscer wrote: »
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Well the results are in. I lost 10lbs in one month- from 189 to 179. My head is 100% clearer. I miss certain foods but I don’t know if I can ever go back, now that I know how many carbs are in foods I used to love, and that I know that carbs make me gain weight. Thanks to all. Be safe.

    How much fat vs muscle did you lose? One of the issues with keto, especially if you're not strength training, is that you lose muscle...and that is weight you absolutely don't want to lose.

    Good question. I have a scale that connects to the phone via Bluetooth and gives this (approximate) data. Looks like I lost 2% of body fat and 5 lbs of muscle. Now although this is approximate, it is disappointing. However, I still feel the pros outweigh the cons. My clothing fits better, my face is slimmer, and my ultimate goal to be faster should happen. I hope to use this month to build muscle.

    that is considerable! It took a month to lose that, but it could take 3 or 4 months to put that back on assuming that your diet and strength training programming are correct.

    Please consider more weight training so that you can keep your precious muscle! Good luck to you :)
  • themek1985
    themek1985 Posts: 9 Member
    Good luck to you :)

    Thanks to all in this thread for the feedback and insight @AKDiscer @cwolfman13 @JustKeepTryin and many more

  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    themek1985 wrote: »
    now that I know how many carbs are in foods I used to love, and that I know that carbs make me gain weight. Thanks to all. Be safe.

    Carbs don't make you gain weight. Excess calories do.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited May 2018
    themek1985 wrote: »
    now that I know how many carbs are in foods I used to love, and that I know that carbs make me gain weight. Thanks to all. Be safe.

    Carbs don't make you gain weight. Excess calories do.

    ^ QFT. Calories determine weight loss, gain or maintenance, not carbs.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Not all calories are created equal. Some, but not all, carbohydrates digest right into sugar. If not used, they turn into fat, plain and simple.

    If you eat too much protein or fat, that energy will also become body fat.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Not all calories are created equal. Some, but not all, carbohydrates digest right into sugar. If not used, they turn into fat, plain and simple.

    If you eat too much protein or fat, that energy will also become body fat.

    Only if that results in a calorie surplus.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Not all calories are created equal. Some, but not all, carbohydrates digest right into sugar. If not used, they turn into fat, plain and simple.

    If you eat too much protein or fat, that energy will also become body fat.

    Only if that results in a calorie surplus.

    That was my definition of "too much."
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited May 2018
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Not all calories are created equal. Some, but not all, carbohydrates digest right into sugar. If not used, they turn into fat, plain and simple.

    Orly? What do the other carbohydrates digest into? And which carbohydrates do which?

    Did you know that complex carbohydrates are nothing more than long chains of sugars? Guess what the body breaks them up into so they can be used?
    (Hint: sugars)

    And there is no net fat storage from anything while in a caloric deficit. Keto or no keto.

    Keto is not a magical diet. It still is bound by the laws of energy balance, just like any other macro combination (and that's all keto is - changing your macro combination).
  • themek1985
    themek1985 Posts: 9 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Not all calories are created equal. Some, but not all, carbohydrates digest right into sugar. If not used, they turn into fat, plain and simple.

    Orly? What do the other carbohydrates digest into? And which carbohydrates do which?

    Did you know that complex carbohydrates are nothing more than long chains of sugars? Guess what the body breaks them up into so they can be used?
    (Hint: sugars)

    And there is no net fat storage from anything while in a caloric deficit. Keto or no keto.

    Keto is not a magical diet. It still is bound by the laws of energy balance, just like any other macro combination (and that's all keto is - changing your macro combination).

    I am well aware- what makes you think otherwise? Some carbohydrates (fructose, sucrose, etc) are made of polymers of glucose which yes, break down into their monomers of glucose in the body. The glucose molecules are turned into energy by our cells. Dietary fiber is also a carbohydrate, some of which is digested into smaller parts, others are excreted.

    However there is another pathway that the cells can use to create energy, or ATP, and that is the ketone, hence the name Keto diet. Ketones are produced from the digestion of lipids, or fatty acids. If your body has a lack of carbohydrates, it will begin digesting the fat stored in your body. Some of this fat is glycogen, which besides the liver is also stored in muscle, which is why it is possible to lose some muscle mass, which as I mentioned in this thread did occur- as well as body fat percentage.

    Magical diet? No. Diet based on science? Yes.

    What questions do you have about this?

  • Misty_1375
    Misty_1375 Posts: 759 Member
    not really. I love this way of eating. . . I've been eating this way for over a year and a half and don't ever plan on going back.

    Same here. Keto since January of this year.
  • themek1985
    themek1985 Posts: 9 Member
    UPDATE: I’ve successfully maintained this weight for two months. As a result of this diet, I’ve adopted the following eating habits:

    1. Eating a sandwich with one piece of bread cut in half instead of two.
    2. Making my own low-carb bread by substituting one cup of flour with flax meal
    3. Eating a protein bar or muscle milk for breakfast if I am hungry that morning
    4. Reducing the sheer amount of rice I eat
    5. Substituting wheat pastas for edamame flour pasta (Costco) and black bean pasta (Trader Joe’s) unless at a restaurant they have homemade pasta
    6. Closely looking at net carbs and making eating decisions accordingly

    I absolutely recommend this diet!
  • Dennis_dammit
    Dennis_dammit Posts: 1 Member
    My life after keto will most certainly be a continuation of the Paleo lifestyle. I have been eating paleo for almost two years now, with a lot of non-scale victories. Paleo is great, but I wasn't really obtaining all of my goals. I wanted to get down to 15% percent body fat and eliminate the need for my type 2 diabetes medications. With keto, I was able to achieve these goals in about two months, and my diabetes is in remission.
    Now it's time for life after keto!
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Not all calories are created equal. Some, but not all, carbohydrates digest right into sugar. If not used, they turn into fat, plain and simple.

    huh thats funny because Ive lost 44 lbs and over 30 inches off my body eating high amounts of carbs because I was in a DEFICIT of calories. I dont do keto and I burn fat just fine. Im losing fat now maintaining my weight and eating more than 150g of carbs a day. fat is lost in a DEFICIT no matter what way of eating you chose. I did keto as well for awhile and the fat loss for me was NOT any faster than it is eating high amounts of carbs.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    themek1985 wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    themek1985 wrote: »
    Not all calories are created equal. Some, but not all, carbohydrates digest right into sugar. If not used, they turn into fat, plain and simple.

    Orly? What do the other carbohydrates digest into? And which carbohydrates do which?

    Did you know that complex carbohydrates are nothing more than long chains of sugars? Guess what the body breaks them up into so they can be used?
    (Hint: sugars)

    And there is no net fat storage from anything while in a caloric deficit. Keto or no keto.

    Keto is not a magical diet. It still is bound by the laws of energy balance, just like any other macro combination (and that's all keto is - changing your macro combination).

    I am well aware- what makes you think otherwise? Some carbohydrates (fructose, sucrose, etc) are made of polymers of glucose which yes, break down into their monomers of glucose in the body. The glucose molecules are turned into energy by our cells. Dietary fiber is also a carbohydrate, some of which is digested into smaller parts, others are excreted.

    However there is another pathway that the cells can use to create energy, or ATP, and that is the ketone, hence the name Keto diet. Ketones are produced from the digestion of lipids, or fatty acids. If your body has a lack of carbohydrates, it will begin digesting the fat stored in your body. Some of this fat is glycogen, which besides the liver is also stored in muscle, which is why it is possible to lose some muscle mass, which as I mentioned in this thread did occur- as well as body fat percentage.

    Magical diet? No. Diet based on science? Yes.

    What questions do you have about this?

    Nope - glycogen (stored in the liver and muscle tissue) is sugar, not fat. Fat is stored in the adipose cells as triglycerides, which are then broken down into ketones for energy. Some of the triglycerides are also converted to glucose (when there are no other forms of glucose available) for the organs that can only run on glucose, like the red blood cells.
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