Hello!
I have a holiday coming up on Friday , big group in self catering cottage so to some extent I can go prepared with some Keto foods etc but I will be surrounded by temptation and it will be hard to remain strong, despite experiencing so many benefits of keto and knowing exactly what happens when i do indulge. This sounds a bit hopeless of me but I know what Im like if I just have a tiny bit of “something” . All the old cravings start up almost instantly, constant hunger, I get mouth ulcers on even small amounts of starch and retain water and go all puffy immediately…Is this normal?
Will I ever be able to eat any carbs or drink any alcohol without it setting off all these unwanted side effects? I guess its takes a long time to reset a metabolism?
Anyway… I know the answer to this really but is there any type of alcohol that maybe less triggering?
I drink soda water (uk, no sugar) with a slice of lemon and ice in it …that can feel like a real treat…must be the bubbles!
Help...holiday looming!
I don’t think so… These things effectively would kill ALL temptations in my case… Anything but near perfect health is pretty much unacceptable for me if I can do something about it…
The cravings may be normal especially if someone isn’t a veteran… I don’t really get cravings anymore but I still get compulsions and want to try out things I don’t even desire… It doesn’t worth it nowadays apart from calming down my inner rebel self who would feel too restricted without some indulgence. But a tiny is okay. Usually. I know what I shouldn’t even think about, we all have our weaknesses except a few special persons.
Don’t you have some safer items? I mean which don’t cause problems or trigger a binge (or just eating more bites than you planned)? And what goes well with your keto food?
Our mind has its things, after a very long time I know what rules are easy to follow even when I indulge a bit and where is the line where I just get lost… It’s useful to figure these out.
And sometimes we just need to sit down mentally and talk with our desires. They are often so stupid, I mean, clearly wrong and we just think we MUST eat the stuff, we would be soooo fine without that, actually. Temptations can be changed in some cases when we really think about it. Maybe you cling to the idea that eating some carby stuff not good for you is a good deal and that you miss out if you ignore it. But it’s not necessarily true. I indulge because not doing it is annoying (and impossible. I will get rid of those compulsions one day, they are way weaker than before), a worthy stuff is rare.
So decide which to let into your life, try to persuade yourself that it’s a bad idea to eat stuff that harms you…
It’s probably individual. No alcohol is triggering to me… Well you better don’t touch sugary ones but why would you? 
Vodka is probably safe enough unless you are an alcoholic or prone to becoming one… It’s very neutral. Then all the zerocarb spirits I imagine… Maybe not the still dessert-like ones like rum, it has a sweetness that may trigger wanting to eat sweet stuff… But it’s individual, I am fine with it.
Bubbles is good Carbonated water is soooo different from some normal water
Hi Cinders, you’re not hopeless at all! It’s called ""The Human Condition ". If we have catered to ourselves for years or even decades, it can be a hard to change things. You’re already taking control by taking Keto Friendly foods to the event. In past situations I have actually convinced myself that items available are “poisonous” to me, in order to avoid them! I have been able to teach myself that the food doesn’t make the event, but the people do.
Maybe you could make yourself a “special” Ketogenic Friendly treat of some sort to have during other after?
I don’t drink alcohol so I can’t offer advice about that. We drink Sparking Water with Lime at events.
Just go and enjoy the people and holiday…I’m sure you’ll find things you can classify as Ketogenic!
what I did was challenge me against temptation. worked for me cause I got that personality to challenge myself and then I take on that challenge hardcore.
So I said to me…no eating crap. Period. No matter what ever thru this event! I would go home perfect on plan, not one bite of food I didn’t want to pass my lips that was not on plan and I gave myself a pat on the back and said to myself, yes, you can live, live great, feel great, without ‘giving in’ cause giving in is truly just excuse after excuse to eat it when we know we don’t have to eat it. So I came home and gave myself a win and a big azz boost of self confidence in that I decided I am changing ME and I am taking responsibility to do just that.
hard, darn right it can be but when the event is over and you stayed on plan the sense of accomplisment and success is just stellar.
plus you know future events mean you can tackle easier since ya got thru one already.
alcohol is a weirdo one for all. all booze is booze 
key being if you have a drink does it lessen your resolve not to dive bomb into a cake or suck down a massive plate of mac n cheese 
that is up to you on that one on how it effects you truly.
But that is what I had to do. Take responsibility full on. Know I was not gonna die without eating that crap. Know I could get thru it and not have to be controlled ‘by darn food’ in my life ya know. Take back the reins and pull back hard and commit to the changes I wanted for me.
But that is me What I had to do!
Everything is a trigger. Sight, smell, texture, people ohhing and ahhing over how darn good food is so sound comes into play and more but key is…can you say no to the barrage of triggers around you?
you can if you want it bad enough again that is what I had to do so you find what works for you best and hang onto those mind body and soul changes you need to make to follow your goals and change your mind and body. wishing you the best!!!
Same is true for me. That is why I don’t indulge off plan under any circumstances - and it is not difficult for me, unless I take that first bite. Then all bets are off. After an entire lifetime, I’ve finally come to accept that I am a bona fide food addict. If I’m eating clean keto, I don’t have any issue and I have full and comfortable control. You may feel that you are “missing out” being on holiday and not indulging like everyone else, but in the long run, you will feel better emotionally for it.
As for the alcohol, if I am going to drink, I stick to straight spirits (whiskey or rum usually) in a tall glass of water with ice. It doesn’t trigger carb cravings or going off plan for me, so I don’t look at it as a bad or dangerous thing - for me. Other people here may have a different feeling about it, and it might be a gateway to them. Good luck. I hope you figure out what is comfortable for you and have a great time!
I would bring lots of high fat protein and lots of very low carb treats for myself. If you feel the need to “cheat” then “cheat” by eating extra Keto foods and keep yourself satisfied - full.
Personally, I would strictly avoid alcohol since it may trigger snacking on foods that cause discomfort and would make me sick. I think eating this way becomes easier over time. I’m no longer interested in all the junk food, but we are all different and in different places on this road.
Have fun and enjoy the company!
One of the strategies would definitely be to bring your own keto food and stick to it as much as possible. Not feeling deprived when confronted with all the carbs will help. You can also use the mouth ulcers as an excuse to others for not taking something that “you simply have to try.”
Now, the mouth ulcers may or may not be less of a symptom over time. People sometimes do stop being allergic to whatever, but so far as I know, people with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance don’t ever get to the point where their symptoms diminish, so your future in that regard is hard to predict. I suppose it would depend on what precisely you are reacting to, and the precise nature of the reaction.
As for alcohol, I gave up drinking decades before going keto, but I understand that hard liquor has little to no carbohydrate, so should be safe. But, according to members of this site, it will hit a lot harder than you are accustomed to, so drink carefully! (At least you’ll be on site and won’t have to worry about getting done for drunk driving, lol!)
Try to reframe this in your mind.
Years ago, I finally quit alcohol and smoking. I love both. But I don’t feel deprived. I feel free.
On keto, I learned that my beloved nuts and veggies caused flair ups of my diverticulitis. So I gave them up. I don’t feel deprived, I feel cured.
After just 2 years of keto then carni, I no longer have inflamed and painful joints. I am not experiencing lethargy, gert, or reflux. I can run up a flight of stairs and not break a sweat. I can clean my plate without guilt. I no longer feel like the fat person in the room, and have shed all the shame and self hatred that goes with it. I buy clothes cuz they are cute, not cuz they hide my gut and butt. And I feel better than I have since my 20s.
I go out with friends who drink and smoke and eat all the food I love but no longer eat. If anyone asks why I can’t have a certain food… I say I can have anything I want. And that’s true. You can have whatever you want.
What do you want more?
I know my answer. I feel thankful, not deprived.
Yes yes what Robin said!
You don’t need the food that is bad for you and you can live without them just fine and you don’t miss out anything. You may feel it different when temptation hits and it may be a long time until you lose them if ever… But it’s amazing when it happens.
Both me and my SO stopped eating a bunch of food, I did it with several food groups, he did it more subtly but it was still a significant change. And we felt FREE. We went to shopping and it felt so, so good to see all the food we don’t need
I don’t like to be a slave to some food and compulsions… It’s nice to break free. Sometimes it happens instantly when we decide we give up something (me vs sugar and many other things. some temptation came back after 5 years but I was a different person then and never could go too crazy with them. or just once a year, it’s great from me)… And sometimes it takes a decade of training or something else (me meeting carnivore. it solved a lot of problems even if I can’t stick to it for long yet). But it’s always nice.
Sometimes it’s good to think about it… Why do I want this? Habit? Do I really want to eat it? Why? I was quite impulsive regarding food (especially hungry. hunger without enough proper food at hand, that often didn’t end well) but now I can wait and think a bit. But it’s mostly new, better habits and a bit different taste at this point.
Thankyou everyone, all very inspiring. I went shopping and am well prepared with keto food and i make my own almond and lemon shortbread biscuits and keto cheese scones for a treat and some Montezuma’s 100% chocolate (with mint oil…YUM!)… haha no-one will like that anyway!
I rarely drink as it is, its just nice to be able to enjoy one with friends occasionally and not always be saying no…people don’t like it…which has made me realise there is a certain amount of pressure I feel from others to indulge, I know I don’t feel good on it so I just need to be true to myself and stick to my guns! Yay happy holidays:rofl:
I personally couldn’t care less about the opinion of people who try to pressure me into drinking… I hate that thing with a passion, my country has very many alcoholics and the pressure is real, not in my own life, I am an almost-hermit with a good family and readiness to drink here and there, not every month and not much… So I had no problems but it easily causes problems for others and that’s awful. It’s bad with food too but it’s more normal to some extent…?
You should be on your own side and protect yourself. Drink if you feel like and if it’s not dangerous but not because someone can’t accept no. I would consider my mission to teach them some people will say no and won’t accept yes when it’s their own health and well-being and life. No one has the right to pressure when it’s about our own business.
I get it when one isn’t totally against something and says yes even if they wouldn’t do it all alone, I politely ate stuff myself (only if I liked that or was curious but still, the other person had some effect. even though she didn’t pressure me, probably pressure would have backfired…) but it’s not necessarily the right thing to do.
