Christmas blow out

(Stu Shez ) #1

I hope I’m not the only one who chose to relax my rules over the Christmas and new year period and eat anything I wanted to… obviously this included epic quantities of bread, chocolate, Christmas cake, mince pies and beer!

I keto’d myself back into gear yesterday, my increase in weight a huge 14.4lbs over the eight or so days since I let my standards slip. Ho ho ho :slight_smile:

I’m not worried to be honest and know that the majority of that will be fluid and soon gone now that I’m back on track.

Anyone else enjoyed a Christmas splurge and getting back on it now?

(Rebecca 🌸 Frankenfluffy) #2

I’m reducing my wine and cheese consumption at the moment - I didn’t go off keto because that would have impacted on my T1 diabetes control, but I have had too much cheese, cream and booze over the last month or so! Hoping to have trimmed off the slight extra padding before the end of January…

(Jack Bennett) #3

I’m about 5 lb above average. I didn’t go too crazy on Christmas or NYE but I had some off-plan treats.

I think the regular work week and routine helps me stick to OMAD more easily and eat the same thing over and over. Holidays make it easier to hang out in the kitchen and overeat (even if the overeating is keto.)

(Rebecca ) #4

Happy New Year!
I had given myself "mental permission " to enjoy a few treats (which for me is chocolate) if I so desired…the amazing thing was, when there was an opportunity I didn’t really want it!! I enjoyed good , non-carby foods and enjoyed time with my family even more!!

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #5

I indulged quite a bit in our traditional holiday carbs but I offset it by timing meals and reducing the other times I ate. It’s not a something I’d do on a regular basis but it worked. The scale stayed the same this holiday season.

#6

yea that big bloat will leave you fast when you go back strict onto plan. 14 lbs. up in 8 days seems crazy but it isn’t for us on our plans :slight_smile:

I ate no carbs. I am carnivore so I just held plan.

I did drink. The alcohol and ‘diet soda’ bloated me up a bit. Felt kinda icky thru my few drinking days. Just can’t handle it anymore like I did back in the day.

But I didn’t gain up a lot of lbs. Just up like a lb. or so in bloat and that is gone now so I got thru the holidays in fine form.

(back and doublin' down) #7

I’m just not going to weigh. I think I offset most of the carbage with regular IFs, and didn’t go too crazy. Did enjoy eating out, enjoying some sweet treats.

But I also got sick with a really bad cold. Did the cold happen because I’d added sugar back into things already before Christmas? I will never know. I also lost my eyebrows! Was that the cold/compromised immune system/stress of traveling? ugh.

Back to IF 18:6 as work allows, and keto for January, will weigh on Feb 1st!

(Full Metal KETO AF) #8

This year I was in maintenance mode. I didn’t have any kind of what I would call a blow out, but I went off plan several times. My strategy is to limit my off plan eating to a meal or party, not a season of carb hell. So I tried to stay KETO most of the last few weeks. But had several parties where I drank and sampled a couple cookies or a piece of cake. I had a meal and ate potatoes and corn with Ribs/BBQ sauce once. I’ve made a few lattes with sugary liquor added. A bit of sushi, some potato chips, a slice of a wrap off a party tray etc. I bounced up and down a couple of pounds throughout but am still at my stable weight today. The bumps never lasted more than the next day. I think that if you’re fat adapted you can get away with “incidents” easily but not a full on departure from KETO, without setting yourself back. I thoroughly enjoyed the season without feeling deprived or having an adverse reaction to the sugar and carbs I ate. And there’s nothing to “get back to”. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Stu Shez ) #9

Well, you all were far more disciplined than I - well done!

I don’t have any metabolic issues and don’t really suffer any carb related problems except the old “Bread bloat” so I haven’t had any problems from my departure from keto. I’ve now fully deflated…ahem…and feel a more normal size around the middle :slight_smile:

I was fully fat adapted and below my initial goal weight before Christmas and I hope that I’ll still have some measure of that adaptation by the weekend when I’ll be pumping ketones again. A decent fasted outing on the bike will confirm either way!

My long term plan is to move from keto to low carb (around 50g) to promote metabolic flexibility and be “Dual fueled” so a little departure like this all part of me learning how I respond to reintroducing carbs - albeit a bit extreme in this case.

#10

I went off plan quite a bit, but I also tried to fast through many breakfasts and lunches the last week and a half. I wouldn’t say I went too crazy, but I gave myself permission to enjoy. The scale went up about 5lbs. I probably will not get back to being strict until the weekend. This is my one year ketoversary! I lost about 50lbs and went from an XL top and size 16 pants to a M and 10 pants.

#11

If by relax, you mean throw out the window yes! About 10lbs up for me, already coming back down and life returns to normal. Screw depriving myself of awesome stuff. Been keto long enough I know how to beat down the post binge cravings, coffee, coffee and more coffee!

(Scott) #12

I am up seven pounds I stayed keto in my food choices but on many nights had some beer and often a glass of Tawny port form a bottle my wife got me. I guess this is a roundabout way of saying I drank too much. The house guests are gone so it is time to normalize my routine. I’ll be back to normal in no time.

(Natasha) #13

I splurged but kept it keto-friendly. Ate sooooo much cheese, loads of almond flour keto desserts, too much HWC and lots of diet soda which I never usually have.

Yesterday was my first day of being back to moderation and I already feel a million times better.

#14

I found it very interesting to hear of Siobhan Huggins’ high carb experiment, which parallels a holiday ‘blowout’ (see other discussions that contain that inflammatory word “cheat”). :shushing_face:

Her context is that she was using nutritional ketosis, in part, therapeutically (so way different to @Stu_Shez) to help treat anxiety and depression symptoms as well as looking for body fat loss benefits.

Her predicted and difficult recovery is looking about 2 months from that drastic change to a high car.b (whole foods) experiment.

I added about 0.5cm on my waistline measurement from eating some fruit. So not facing a big, nor difficult recovery. It’s probably gone by now.

But it is worth mentioning Siobhan’s experience in the context where people may be using nutritional ketosis as a therapeutic aid.

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/search?q=cheat

(Stu Shez ) #15

Thanks @FrankoBear that’s a good point. I’m merely playing at this keto lark for a bit of interest, weight loss and out of a desire to be less controlled by sugar (as in forced back into the kitchen for more bread, another handful of sweets etc).

The consequences for me of having a blow out are minimal, as far as I can tell at this stage in my life. For others that may not be the case and I wouldn’t want people to experience setbacks in their own journey’s to feeling well.

:+1:

(Pamela) #16

I didn’t go for an all out carb fest, but I certainly relaxed and had a few traditional Christmas dishes. Thoroughly enjoyed my few cheats — mashed potatoes and cheesecake — but still managed to lose 6 lbs in December. Now I’m down 44 lbs since July! Still a good 50 to go but the numbers have really started to add up and I feel great. So glad I found keto! I’m convinced that a SAD diet would have resulted in weight gain the past month.

#17

I usually relax my diet before Christmas when I cook gingerbread and go to places with homemade cakes. Those times aren’t for keto for me, not even low-carb (<80g, my usual diet in the last 9 years) each and every day, at least it was until recently.

I ate way less carbs this time, the charming happy carnivores in this forum messed with my rebellious and hedonist selves or something :smiley: But I still went crazy a bit. And didn’t really enjoy it. My tastes didn’t change much on low-carb or on keto before, I still loved carby food (I just hated sugar. but not all sugary food, it’s complicated :D) but it seems it was possible even for me.

My weight doesn’t care if I eat sugary cakes galore, do keto or do carnivore for a little while. It’s always about the same, with its tiny water weight changes, since several years. But I attack with very very low-carb now and I will win somehow.
I won with keto already and carnivore is way more useful than my original keto, I just stayed as fat as I was (borderline normal BMI but very fatty belly, fat rolls and everything, it is NOT ideal).

The times after New Year are the easiest regarding my keto, usually zero temptation (I don’t resist them). May is the beginning of fruit season in my garden, I always feel compelled to use the time and do keto until that - but as time passes, fruit seasons gets easy too. Except when I have apricots. But the occasional slightly carbier day is fine for me. I don’t need and can’t handle well an insanely high-carb one. I don’t even enjoy it, I feel worse, I overeat, it doesn’t make sense to do it. I finally reached some peace of mind, lost certain addictions and stupid compulsions to eat something just because it’s there but only for now and it tasted and felt great before…

(Paulene ) #18

Yes, I had a bit of Christmas indulgence but way less than I would have has pre-keto. Pancakes for breakfast - a family tradition Christmas morning (we rarely have pancake otherwise). Roasted root veges - love roasted sweet potato and beetroot, but left the regular potato for others to enjoy. Couple of glasses of wine.
There was a 2 kg (4.5 lb) spike in my weight but is was gone by New Year, and I have since lost another .5 kg (1 lb).
So nice to start the New Year already on the way to losing weight and getting healthier, rather than just wishing for it like I previously did.