An n=1 experiment, PMS and Sweet Potato Fries

#1

Summary:

PMS Sucks! Cravings galore right before the active menstruation situation. I want to document an n=1 experiment with adding sweet potato to see if I can reduce the painfulness of cravings and still easily return to ketosis.

Questions

How would I feel after eating more carbs for a single meal?
Would I get knocked out of ketosis?
How long until back into ketosis?
Any other noticeable side effects?

Base Information

78 days Keto way of eating
5’7 Female
Starting weight, 267, current weight 245, goal weight 160ish?
Testing device, KetoMojo

Experiment Timeline

8:05pm previous night blood Ketones 1.2
4am Woke up
5am Went to work
6am Coffee with heavy cream
10am two hard boiled eggs with brown mustard
2pm ^ sweet potato street cart fries with lamb ^ 50 carbs
3:30pm Blood Ketones read “Lo”
3:30pm Took a nap
5:00pm Woke from nap
5:05pm Blood Ketones read 1.3
8:45pm Blood Ketones read 0.9

Results
A significant decrease in PMS cravings, on a scale of 1 to 10 it would be a zero after consuming of the meal at 2pm.
Interestingly, no hunger since 2pm meal.
I did not experience any stomach cramping, pain or nausea from 2pm meal.
I quickly returned to ketosis after a 50 carb meal, within 2 hours.
I am not sure if the nap was due to the carb increase or the very early day.
No other noticeable side effects.

I will perform this experiment a second time as needed, most likely next month.

(TJ Borden) #2

I’m all for n=1 experiments, but you don’t have to go to all this trouble to have a few sweet potato fries every once in a while :wink:

#3

Lol…I am a software/data engineer and really like data :blush: Experiments are FUN!

#4

Sweet potatoes sound safer than the bar of chocolate I ate tonight. Gotta love love those cravings :frowning:

#5

I have a stash of ChocZero Milk Chocolate Bark (keto) in my fridge for that exact reason!!

I flip between craving salty fried sweet potatoes or chocolatey goodness.

(Running from stupidity) #6

Justification as science! #awesome

(Nicole Sawchuk) #7

Look into Leanne Vogel (Healthful Pursuit) if you want to know more about carb cycling and women on keto. She has a wealth of information that might compliment what you are already doing and investigating!

I used to follow her years ago when I first started keto.

(Ken) #8

Occasional carbs are fine within a broader fat based nutritional pattern. To deny the metabolic benefits is Nutty Keto Dogma. One meal will probably keep them in the digestive system and not significantly refill glycogen. If you eat them at a meal, skip them for at least the next two so you insure you drop back into lipolysis. If fat loss is your goal, keep them very limited so you continue to burn fat.

#9

Thanks! I will check Leanne out :wink:

#10

Thanks for the advice!