What happens when you jump off the keto wagon...
Running_and_Coffee
Posts: 811 Member
Believe it or not, I stayed 100% on keto for more than 9 months. That doesn't mean I never indulged, but the foods I indulged in didn't kick me out of ketosis. I brought a sugar free cheesecake to Thanksgiving, had a lot of Lily's chocolate and vodka with diet coke but that was it.
Then, on December 8, I had a party I'd planned for more than a year and had a few bites of "real" desserts, a few glasses of champagne, and it had zero impact on me. No ill effects aside from being up on the scale the next few days, which went away.
I have a half marathon this weekend and added some more carbs during training--still, no impact.
SO while on vacation last weekend (4 days) I decided to see what happened if I just ate like I used to...I figured I'd burn it off with the upcoming race and I knew how to lose it, etc. I had oatmeal for breakfast, ate bread with my dinner. wayyyy off the wagon. I tracked one day and had 175 net carbs. vs. 20-40 for almost a year.
Well, it's been over 24 hours and I have been completely sick. It is worse than the keto flu! In the bathroom nonstop, and yesterday I slept much of the day and had a sore throat and was dizzy. Today, it's just GI symptoms. I've been eating my normal keto foods and hope to get back to normal soon. And am also a little nervous that I won't be able to add any carbs for my race without activating these GI issues!
But anyway, just wanted to share this so you will know it's probably NOT worth it to eat the carbs once you've been completely fat adapted. I think my first "cheat" reactivated the cravings as I went on numerous getaways/date nights etc. over the year without wanting to go all out like I did! Live and learn!
Then, on December 8, I had a party I'd planned for more than a year and had a few bites of "real" desserts, a few glasses of champagne, and it had zero impact on me. No ill effects aside from being up on the scale the next few days, which went away.
I have a half marathon this weekend and added some more carbs during training--still, no impact.
SO while on vacation last weekend (4 days) I decided to see what happened if I just ate like I used to...I figured I'd burn it off with the upcoming race and I knew how to lose it, etc. I had oatmeal for breakfast, ate bread with my dinner. wayyyy off the wagon. I tracked one day and had 175 net carbs. vs. 20-40 for almost a year.
Well, it's been over 24 hours and I have been completely sick. It is worse than the keto flu! In the bathroom nonstop, and yesterday I slept much of the day and had a sore throat and was dizzy. Today, it's just GI symptoms. I've been eating my normal keto foods and hope to get back to normal soon. And am also a little nervous that I won't be able to add any carbs for my race without activating these GI issues!
But anyway, just wanted to share this so you will know it's probably NOT worth it to eat the carbs once you've been completely fat adapted. I think my first "cheat" reactivated the cravings as I went on numerous getaways/date nights etc. over the year without wanting to go all out like I did! Live and learn!
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Replies
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That’s really interesting, I read something similar on another post. Good luck with your half marathon! Have you stuck to your keto macros when training?
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That’s really interesting, I read something similar on another post. Good luck with your half marathon! Have you stuck to your keto macros when training?
Thanks! I did bump up my net carbs from under 20 to around 40 once I hit 60+ minutes of running. That didn't change much for me...and most of those carbs were from gels consumed during the run and protein bars for recovery, not your typical bread/pasta etc. Like I never did a real carb load.0 -
Wow! I had 2 days last week where I ate non-keto friendly food and I "gained" 5lbs and was bloated. Still waiting for those 5lbs to completely shed...but I did not like that feeling...at all!!2
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Sounds more like a flu to me. Good luck on your half.0
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I've heard comments about the gut biome changing after becoming keto adapted so how the gut handles food is changed a bit... Not sure how accurate that is.
If you are fat adapted, you'll most likely have transient physiological insulin resistance for a few days. You body may not be as good at handling carbs so BG levels, and insulin levels, may be artificially high for a while.
But a sore throat sounds like illness to me. My guess is that you had some negative symptoms and it was exacerbated by a virus or bacteria. Hope you feel better soon.1 -
Thanks for sharing your experience. I haven't eaten had a high carb day for more than a year now. Don't think I will indulge any time soon after reading this post.1
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Thanks, I am feeling totally back to normal today! Maybe it was a cold of some sort?0
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If you really think you need carbs for the race maybe just use pure glucose. The tablets in the pharmacy or even Smarties candies are all glucose. You shouldn’t get the GI issues. The grains are more than likely the cause of those.0
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I cheated one day last week, went out for a coworker’s farewell and had butter chicken, naan and rice. A few hours later I was in complete brain fog, headachy, dizzy and zero energy whereas most other days I feel clear-headed and WAY more energetic than I have before I started this low carb lifestyle.0
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I added a lot of carbs (mostly OJ) to fight a cold; but stayed high protein, high fat, no junk food; and ended up with cravings. Gained 5-10 pounds.
But it seemed like it didn't completely kick me out of fat-burning mode. Your comments sound like confirmation; because I didn't get sick and did keep testing "trace" on the keto test strips.
Took a week+ of tracking my food again and being strict on my limits to get rid of cravings, but it was not bad. Now I'm trying to drop the excess weight and get back to maintenance.
I'm one of those people who can stay in ketosis on 50gm carb/day; and stay lo-carb on 100gm/day.
Thanks for your comments @Running_and_Coffee . Very good information to know. Much appreciated.
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Eating non Keto foods leads to inflammation, and ultimately more body pain (fibromyalgia pain) for me, and more headaches on a daily basis. Happens more with sugar, than grains, for me. The substance that affects me the worst is artificial sweeteners! I’m super sensitive to them. Will have a burning sensation in my chest now if I I accidentally get them. Then I also have inflammation, and same pain as already mentioned, leading to weight gain that’s almost immediate! So no Keto sweets for me!😔3
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tryphenahachey wrote: »I cheated one day last week, went out for a coworker’s farewell and had butter chicken, naan and rice. A few hours later I was in complete brain fog, headachy, dizzy and zero energy whereas most other days I feel clear-headed and WAY more energetic than I have before I started this low carb lifestyle.
Butter chicken, naan, and rice sounds right up my alley. I would have eaten that as well and dealt with the consequences. I've got a serious love for Asian food.Eating non Keto foods leads to inflammation, and ultimately more body pain (fibromyalgia pain) for me, and more headaches on a daily basis. Happens more with sugar, than grains, for me. The substance that affects me the worst is artificial sweeteners! I’m super sensitive to them. Will have a burning sensation in my chest now if I I accidentally get them. Then I also have inflammation, and same pain as already mentioned, leading to weight gain that’s almost immediate! So no Keto sweets for me!😔
I started keto specifically to deal with my inflammation and migraines, the weight loss has been a much needed bonus. I don't have an issue with artificial sweeteners, but I only use a touch of Splenda on occasion in my coffee. My joint inflammation is 80 - 90 percent better most days, the redness on my hands and other areas is vastly improved, my legs no longer swell, I can type for a bit without being in absolute agony, and now I typically only get a migraine when exposed to something that triggers one. The only thing that hasn't changed are my overall pain levels but I've been in pain my entire life so I'll just have to deal with it. Plus as of his morning I'm 81 pounds lighter.
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When I go off track I bloat up like a whale, feel so uncomfortable, my headaches and dizziness come back and I just generally feel like a tired blob.1
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I have Autoimmune and when I go off Keto my symptoms come back threefold. As much as I try other ways of eating I always come back to Keto and its instant relief - so weird! My body just loves Keto so for me I know I need to stick to it. I do have the odd non Keto meal and thankfully I get no side effects as long as its one meal or a day or two. Any longer and I flare up. Weight loss has just been a bonus really.1
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@shelbydodgeguy, congratulations on your weight loss!! And also on your health improvements! I understand how some pain conditions Keto just can’t fix. For me it’s the bulging, and herniated, discs in my neck and upper back. Those will always hurt. But to have relief from the migraines, and overall fibromyalgia pain is wonderful!
I had allowed healing from intestinal surgery to derail me from eating Keto for a while. I’m just fortunate that I didn’t gain. Somehow I didn’t gain a bunch of weight, but the body aches returned, and the lack of energy was awful! I’m so glad I’m back!!
The benefits are so wonderful that we finally have doctors recommending this woe! Where four years ago it was considered a fad diet. Everyone I would talk to about it then thought I was crazy. Now you’re seeing it on tv and in magazines! I consider it life changing really!2 -
Reading this has made me seriously start considering changing my plan. I dont want to be like that ever. I dont know that this is the right way to go for me.... feeling conflicted.0
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I have Autoimmune and when I go off Keto my symptoms come back threefold. As much as I try other ways of eating I always come back to Keto and its instant relief - so weird! My body just loves Keto so for me I know I need to stick to it. I do have the odd non Keto meal and thankfully I get no side effects as long as its one meal or a day or two. Any longer and I flare up. Weight loss has just been a bonus really.
I've experimented a few times and have nailed down a few things that definitely trigger flare-ups. Had some Reece's peanut butter cups on Halloween and that did it. Domino's pizza will. Bertolli pasta. But so far rice hasn't seemed to do it as I tried out an Asian place a while back and didn't have a reaction. Unfortunately my once a year McDonald's McRib is also a trigger.
@shelbydodgeguy, congratulations on your weight loss!! And also on your health improvements! I understand how some pain conditions Keto just can’t fix. For me it’s the bulging, and herniated, discs in my neck and upper back. Those will always hurt. But to have relief from the migraines, and overall fibromyalgia pain is wonderful!
Thanks! I'm still far from healthy but feel better than I have in a long time pain aside. I've got major back issues as well and on days like today when it's chilly out I'm really feeling it.1 -
gimmekimchee_x wrote: »Reading this has made me seriously start considering changing my plan. I dont want to be like that ever. I dont know that this is the right way to go for me.... feeling conflicted.
The bad reactions to boosted carbs are very individualistic...I can go from a 10 carb day to a 300 carb day and it doesn't trigger any issues for me. I'm using keto for migraine control and last I tested it (about 6-7 months ago) I had to be high carb for 5 days consecutively before the migraines would return. I don't get any digestive issues beyond a bit of bloating and water retention, which is fairly normal anytime you have a sudden dietary change.
If what you doing is working and you are happy with it, don't let a potential negative stop you from continuing. If it's not working or you don't like it, then by all means tweak it.1 -
I concur that it must be individual in regards getting ill with carb swings. Never happened to me.0
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tcunbeliever wrote: »
The bad reactions to boosted carbs are very individualistic...I can go from a 10 carb day to a 300 carb day and it doesn't trigger any issues for me. I'm using keto for migraine control and last I tested it (about 6-7 months ago) I had to be high carb for 5 days consecutively before the migraines would return. I don't get any digestive issues beyond a bit of bloating and water retention, which is fairly normal anytime you have a sudden dietary change.
Same for me. I used to have migraines until I went keto. Cheated over christmas for 9 days. Went way overboard. Carb ranged approx 400-500g a day. Calories were over 3000 each day. Had been on keto for 3 months and the freedom to just eat what I liked when I liked wasn't good. Especially with the mindset that I wouldn't be able to have it once back on. I need restriction.
Anyway, I bloated (5lbs water), felt sluggish and gross and then about 7 days in I could feel a headache coming on that would niggle me over the next couple days. I was back on before it went into migraine territory. After water loss I was 3lbs of fat heavier.
Did cheat again a week later as it was my birthday, currently losing the water for that. Now there is no reason to cheat again for a loooong time. My binge snacking did drill itself as a habit though so struggling to suppress that. I feel hungry now for instance. But I've had plenty of my calories, fat and protein today. My body just expects a snack so have to re-train it. Since it was quite a gap, I also had keto flu a few days before second cheat. Now have it again but should be gone again soon.2
