Going on a 10 days vacation, therefore quitting keto

(Yal La) #1

Hello,

I am new to this forum and to the keto diet. I must say I really love it so far. I feel like I am a keto and health expert with all the information I gained for the last few days about ketosis. I strictly eat keto for 3 days now while intermittent fasting (18-6 and 20-4) and apart from diarrhea I feel great and I love my energy, getting leaner and my meals which are delicious. I do want this diet to become my lifestyle which I will defenitely do.

As the title states, I am going on a trip in about 1 month from now. I am sure I can maintain my keto diet but I will not do so. I do want to enjoy icecreams, delicious foods at restaurants, easy sandwiches and so on for my holidays. So yes, I do want to have the keto lifestyle, but not on holidays when I go with family. I am not going to cook separately from my family and things like that.
Now I am wondering if I should quit keto already right now or is it alright to quit one week before im going on vacation for example? I do not want to be bloated or have the (ill) symptoms of quitting while on vacation.

I will go back to keto for a 100% after the trip, I love all the benefits and I am really happy to have discovered keto. It would seem obvious to already quit right now so I will surely not have any symptoms but I do want to get the most out of it. Personally I think if I keep eating keto for 2 or 3 more weeks I should be burning more fat instead of when I quit right now (not sure if my thinking is true though). I am aware that I will get this so called water weight back. How long will it take for the bloating and other symptoms to become normal once quitted keto? What are your personal experiences or thoughts?

To summarize my questions,
Should I quit keto already right now or is it alright to quit one week, two weeks or a few days before im going on vacation?
How long will it take for the bloating and other symptoms to become normal once quitted keto?
What are your personal experiences or thoughts on quitting??

Thanks in advance!

(LeeAnn Brooks) #2

Not really sure…

I too am going on a 10 day vacation in a little over a month, but I plan on remaining on Keto during our trip. Sounds like you still view Keto as a restriction of some sort.

I can certainly understand if I was going someplace known for its cuisine. When we travel, part of the experience is trying the local foods and it would feel like I’m missing out if I didn’t get to experience it. For example, who can go to the Bahamas and not try cracked conch and beans and rice? Or go to New Orleans without trying jambalaya and craw dads?

But while there are certainly regional differences in the states and some pockets of truely unique cuisines, much of its traveled and available cross country now, so it’s not something you ONLY get to experience while traveling. Like maybe I try some Carolina style BBQ if I’m going there to see if the version my local BBQ place is authentic, or some New England Clam Chowder if I’m going to the East Coast, but for the most part if I can have it where I live, I can easily pass it up on vacation.

I will be going down to Kentucky/Tennessee. There isn’t much there I couldn’t easily get in MI if I wanted it. Grits I guess, but I have zero desire for grits. I did have some lovely fried green tomatoes last time we were in the area. I began making my own after that. That would probably be my only real temptation. (That reminds me I need to try using pork rinds or almond flour as a coating)

Oh, and we will probably go whisky tasting, but I’m a lightweight with that to begin with, so I won’t be putting back a lot.

(Omar) #3

I would not plant to ruin my vacation.

#4

I’ve been eating this way for over a decade (currently carnivore for 2+ years), and being on vacation or over a holiday is the LAST time I’d ever eat off plan. When I’m on vacation, I want to feel my best, and that’s when I’m eating very, very low carb. Since I’ve been carnivore, I’d traveled and been on cruises, and even with this WOE that many regard as restrictive, I’ve been able to eat well and enjoy myself.

(Yal La) #5

I appreciate your reply!

Sounds like you still view Keto as a restriction of some sort.

I do indeed as I am not going to maintain it on this vacation. Obviously it would be best but I just won’t because of the reasons I stated above. I will go back on keto after. I know it isn’t ideal but I just want to know how to handle it best to quit for a little while without having to deal with the symptoms on vacation.

Good that you plan on remaining on keto. Fried green tomatoes yum. I hope you will have a good vacation!

(Yal La) #6

I would indeed feel best when I remain on keto during my vacation, I agree. I am just going to skip this one how stupid it may sound. It’s not like I felt that horrible before keto. I do look up to your lifestyle tho, good things!

(Steve) #7

Just from my own experiences on here, you’re not going to find a lot of people that are supportive of going “off plan” for any reason. :slight_smile: It’s like a religion for some people.

And, yes, I get it. Almost all of us have realized phenomenal improvements in our health due to this new WOE - but, as with everything, there’s a balance.

I too am going to be travelling in about a month (kicking off my “magical mystery tour” in India…then Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and may finish in South Africa). Was going to do a 5-day layover in China, but I’ll look at doing that next time. So, I’m planning on travelling for at least a couple of months, and, being a long-time foodie, I very much plan on trying EVERYTHING while I’m there. That DOES mean I’ll be going off Keto - but I’ll be remaining LCHF. Ideally, I’ll try to keep my carbs under 100g per day. There will likely be some days that I’m within the Keto-friendly range, but I’m not going to restrict my diet to only Keto-friendly foods.

I plan on transitioning about a week before I fly out on July 22nd. Just so I don’t encounter any carb-flu-like symptoms.

(Robert C) #8

I would do keto up until 3 days before the vacation (a week is not needed).

I would do it both to drop a few pounds first but, more importantly, simply for the practice.

As well, it will give you the added benefit of really feeling like you are on vacation from everything (including the keto WOE). If you eat like you are on vacation up to the vacation - you won’t feel that difference.

#9

Hmmm… everyone handles the changes differently, so this is a very individual question. But I would vote with @RobC: stay keto until a few days before so that you can maximize the benefits you’re seeing (congrats on those!) but also so that any negative jolts happen pre-vacation.
Have a great time!

(Yal La) #10

Hi fischersd,

That is the sort of answer I was looking for, thanks! limiting carbs to 100g would be alright? You have any experience yourself or you read about it?

(Yal La) #11

Thanks Rob, I’ll keep that in mind

(Yal La) #12

Thanks Madeleine, seems like I am going to quit it for 3-4 days before then.

(Steve) #13

No, I’m just trying to “minimize the damage” that carbs will be doing to my body while I’m travelling. I see food as a big part of culture and want to experience that as part of my journey. While a lot of the foods in these areas have a lot of carbs, they’re still no-where nearly as bad as the SAD. 100g is a line in the sand that I think is achievable. I’m going to try to calculate macros as much as I can when travelling, but nutritional labels aren’t going to be nearly as accessible - so unsure how successful those efforts will be.

I also have no idea where my “water mark” is yet - the amount of carbs you can consume in a day and not drop out of ketosis. I haven’t attained my weight and health goals yet (ideally, I would have before the trip, but “life’s what happens when you’re making plans”) :slight_smile: One day, after I have my body’s health where I want it to be, I’ll do some experimentation to determine how many carbs I can have and not drop out.

#14

One interesting thing to consider: sleep, activity, stress levels all affect your insulin sensitivity, so if you’re getting lots of time outside, moving around, happy with family… it’s possible that you could actually handle higher levels of carbs and not feel too many ill effects. In that case, eating what you’re excited to taste (but not going overboard with the carbs) might actually work fine for you.

(Yal La) #15

Makes sense indeed, I love sports/gym so I wouldn’t mind having a 30-60 min morning run each day on vacation. Besides I will still do IF aswell which might also speed up the process (idk, maybe :P)

(Steve) #16

Heh, yep, I’d still do IF. Snacking/grazing is still a bad habit. It’s a recipe to pack on the pounds. :slight_smile:

(Brian) #17

If you’re going to venture back into the carb world temporarily, perhaps you can do “carb-lite”. Eat the ice cream but only small portions, don’t sit down and eat a quart at a sitting. Eat a little bread if you want, just maybe not serving after serving after serving of it. Eat a small piece of the cake, just not a lot of it. If given the choice of non-starchy veggies or salads, make those kinds of choices, especially if those are things you enjoy eating. If given the choice of a good entree that’s relatively low-carb, take that. When you can’t make a good choice, try to minimize the amounts at least.

Do the best you can but not at the expense of ruining your vacation. Who knows, there may be days where you can actually do better than you are anticipating and without feeling like you’re left out.

Have a good time!

(Yal La) #18

Yea I wouldn’t eat 60% carbs again, ill moderate it. Thanks!

#19

Fasting and HFLC diet have increased my metabolic flexibility. I can tolerate carbs better not worse. Eating carbs does not make me feel bad. If my current weight is below my setpoint, it will rise, but it doesn’t increase my weight above that.

I wouldn’t worry about carb counts or macros. Just eat real food. That exists in every country.