First, small off-plan item

#1

After 7 months of no cheats and never going over 30 carbs, today I ate a cup of chowder at a restaurant. I imagine they put white flour in the sauce and it had a few potatoes. Obviously in the grand scheme of things this should be no big deal for me, but it got me to wondering how this may or may not affect me in the short term. I would guess that I ended the day around 40g total carbs, but white flour and potatoes are nowhere on the Atkins ladder. Grateful for any thoughts. I have lost over 50 lbs since a March and am at goal if that helps.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

I imagine it depends where you are on the scale of insulin resistance. If your HbA1C has come down and your fasting insulin is low, you will probably be fairly okay. As Dr. Phinney remarks, however, you’ve gone to a great deal of trouble to persuade your body to metabolise fatty acids and ketones instead of glucose, so it seems a bit counter-productive to make your metabolism switch back, however temporarily.

There is also the cancer risk from a high carbohydrate load to consider (as per doctors Champ and Seyfried), but I can’t imagine that’s really a consideration with regard to one cup of chowder in seven months. But it becomes more of a consideration, the more carbohydrate you eat, so the real question is how many more cups of chowder are there going to be over the next seven months? If you happen to be a carb/sugar addict, that is a pretty significant question, actually.

(Todd Allen) #3

I test my blood glucose after eating foods I don’t regularly eat. If my glucose spikes I don’t eat it again. Testing breath ketones for a sharp drop could be a cheaper easier alternative though I don’t think it is as responsive or accurate as it takes much longer for breath ketones to drop than it does for blood glucose to spike.

#4

Thanks for the replies. I have never tested my glucose outside doctors visits, but I have never been diabetic or prediabetic to my knowledge. I feel fine so far, perhaps a bit crabby this afternoon.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #5

You may not have even gotten out of ketosis depending on the actual carb amount and your individual carb tolerance level. At any rate a cup of chowder isn’t going to knock you out more than a day tops. Some can stay in light ketosis at 50g. of carbs but you can’t know without a blood ketone meter. I don’t own one so I don’t have to worry about it like you! It will all be good tomorrow. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Jane) #6

If you are on maintenance then no big deal. If you were still trying to lose weight it might set you back a week or so but not on maintenance.

I feel crappy if I’ve had too many carbs and it serves as a reminder of why I’m on this way of eating for life. A few days of very low carbs resets me, takes care of the crappy bloated feeling and gets me back on track.