Beer Cheat Day — Effects?

(Jim) #1

Hi all, tomorrow marks the end of four weeks for me being pretty strict with the keto diet. I have been under 20g net carbs (under 20g total carbs most days) and have been tracking my ketones with a blood monitor. I’m confident I’ve been firmly in ketosis the whole time.

Tonight, though, we’re going out to dinner with some friends to a tap house and I’d like to have a beer or two. There are no low carb beers at this place and I will completely demolish the 20g limit with even just one.

What would be the effect of this “cheat day”? I’m really trying to get fat adapted. If I have one and return to under 20g tomorrow, will I jump right back to ketosis? Would it have any other detrimental effects? What about if I had more than one?

(Robert C) #2

If you really have one or two and then take a long walk in the morning and skip breakfast and lunch - I think you’d be back in pretty quick.

Their effect will likely be stronger than usual and if the table gets appetizers - maybe bad decisions get made.

If you have several and wake feeling pretty bad - you might turn it into a cheat weekend. Ketones likely way down and scale weight climbs. If you really feel likely this is what would happen - I would skip all booze and get another month or two done before a bigger derailment.

(Jim) #3

I’m not worried about what I eat. I’m already planning on a bunless burger. I’m thinking even if I have two beers, my carbs will be under 50g for the day. I’ll be active tomorrow and am not worried about getting my carbs back under 20g tomorrow. I never eat breakfast, so that’s not a problem either. I could just order water, but I’d like to have a beer or two. But a major derailment isn’t worth it.

(Christiana) #4

You definitely have to know yourself on this one. I would opt for wine or hard liquor in this situation, but like other posters have said, if you really do only have one or two beers and don’t succumb to any carby temptations, you’ll probably be fine. I have seen so many cheats turn into months or even years of derailment, so proceed with caution.

(Robert C) #5

If you really want to stick with just one - tell your friend your plan and ask for strict support.

Also, who’s the designated driver?
Don’t assume that you could be safe even with a little alcohol.
I’m not talking about passing a blood test - I mean avoiding an accident.

(Jim) #6

Thank you. I do feel very confident I can get right back to it. The keto diet hasn’t been an issue for me at all. I do miss an occasional pizza or, mostly, sushi rolls. But it’s really not hard for me. I want to get to fat adapted but major weight loss isn’t my goal. I’m a pretty disciplined eater.

(Jim) #7

Thanks! It’s walking distance, even with two six year olds in tow. This is two families going out for a bite; not some bender. There’s zero chance it would be more than two beers over the course of 2+ hours.

(Jim) #8

Well I’m going to have at least one tonight and continue to track it. I just did a blood test and my ketones are at 3.6. We’ll see how that looks tomorrow. Thanks for the input everyone, but if anyone has further advice/thoughts, please feel free.

(Robert C) #9

Another thing you might want to think about.

If you “get away” with it this weekend (keep your numbers) - is that really it for a while?

Or, next Friday - you’ll be thinking about it again? Thinking about how many but still keep numbers.

Just another longer term to keep in mind - if you don’t go near slippery slopes - you probably won’t get stuck on one.

(Jim) #10

Fair point. Once fat adapted I plan to allow myself a little more leeway and, from what I understand, a night like I’m planning tonight wouldn’t be verboten. I would like to get and remain fat adapted, but I’m not planning to remain strictly under 20g of carbs for the rest of my life. If I’m misinformed about fat adapted as being less stringent, please by all means educate me. A friend of mine has said he is fat adapted and now only tries to stay under 50g of carbs and he regularly will have an IPA or two on a weekend evening. He says it has no ill effects for him.

(Jim) #11

I ended up having one pint of IPA. I ended the day with 42g of carbs. I will test my ketones in the morning to see how I fared. It’s funny that one pint of IPA is more carbs than I consumed in all other food for the rest of the day.

(Jim) #12

After my pint of IPA last night, my ketones are down to 1.3 this morning. Not terrible. It’s a little after 9:00AM here and I won’t consume anything other than coffee and water until noon. I plan to test again after lunch.

(Jim) #13

Back up to 4.1. So yesterday before beer and 40+ grams of carbs I was at 3.6. This morning down to 1.3 and this afternoon back up to 4.1. I think I’m safe to have a real beer every now and then on special occasions.

(Christiana) #14

Your numbers sound a lot like my husband’s. He is able to have occasional carbs and still maintain pretty high ketone blood levels. He’s really insulin sensitive, however, and has never dealt with obesity or any metabolic conditions, so he has a lot more leeway in his ketogenic diet than others with more derangement.

(Scott) #15

I had two IPA’s and three corona lights Sunday and the research continues. It only kicks you out of ketosis if you stress over it…I’m good!:beers: