Keep falling off the horse ... but getting back on

(cheryl) #1

So, I’ve been Keto for going on three years this coming December… but This past year – has been a huge struggle. Carbs have crept back in. When COVID first hit – I was beyond strict keto – but the long term stress – I have found the evils of comfort in carbs – and they have crept in over the summer… So, I’m trying to get back into a better groove again.

What or how do you tame the carb voice when it speaks to you? That has been a particularly problem lately…

Ideas? or do I somehow get a challenge going?

I find carb cravings go away after I’m strict keto… but am haivng problems getting there and staying there…

I’m open to all an any ideas.

Thanks,

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

One of the most helpful pieces of advice I’ve received is not to keep carb-rich food in the house. If I have to drive somewhere to get it, I’m less likely to yield to temptation. Naturally, following this advice can be difficult if there are others in the house who might object.

The other most helpful piece of advice I’ve received is not to swear off for ever, but simply to postpone eating carbs from today till tomorrow. Tomorrow, I can have all the glazed doughnuts I want; just not today.

(cheryl) #3

thanks Paul! I wish I could live in a carb free house… My kids and husband are all carb addicts… :frowning:

(UsedToBeT2D) #4

When you have a carb craving, look in the mirror, do you like what you see?

#5

yea mine too LOL and when I fell off the horse a bunch of times in the end the only thing that saved me was I ate all the best of the best foods I could on plan. I ate so decadent all the time, til super full, not one more bite of any off plan food could go into my mouth, and that saved me that time it took to ‘get back in the groove’ on plan and be satisfied and fall back into a great eating schedule again.

So eat all the best of the best ya love on plan food. Any and all times you need it…it helps you get thru the crazy phase of ‘getting truly back in control’, well it did for me :slight_smile: best of luck, oh and some willpower to boot saying if you want this eating lifestyle, then grab it and hold on for life! :slight_smile: but eating tons of good food is easier than that willpower part HAHA

#6

Tricky. Many tips that work for others can’t work due to your personal circumstances and especially your personality. I never could wait a day with eating something, often not even 10 minutes. After 10 years on low-carb, I may wait for a day but only if I don’t get some cooking experiment compulsion :smiley:
Sometimes it’s better if you stay away from things and are determined not to come back them any time soon, sometimes you need to be stricter than before. If I am lax or think I will eat carbs in a few days anyway, I tend to think it’s silly to wait. And it’s odd as I basically never desire carbs. I am just curios or lack proper food or my grapes are in season (it’s not necessarily a problem, I have this “summer carnivore-ish” abnormal style where my own fruits are allowed but most of my carbs come from animal products. I could call it keto but then I would eat too much carbs as that’s how I work when allowing eating plants. our mind has its things, I figured out what works for mine at the moment. I tend to dislike 100% and severe restrictions. surely many people are like this: being too lax is bad, being too strict is bad).
I love my own little challenges and own rules. And own special allowances :slight_smile: And trying or making new recipes. I must have my fun! So I do and try new things, sometimes a different woe (there are very different keto styles and we aren’t necessarily on our ideal one right away), try to keep my balance… And sometimes I fail, oh well, be it a single day only (it’s the smallest unit for me) and not even a crazy one and it’s still fine. And not way too often either. But these come with time. I slowly change for the better as the years pass. I blame carbs for the slowness, things quicken up when I really lower them.

I bake and cook carby food all the time, it’s no problem but that part needs time too. Exposed to carby food may desensitize us (it was quick with food I didn’t even consider food or didn’t like to begin with…) but it may trigger problematic behavior… We simply don’t cook carby but tempting-for-me food when I really want to stay on keto :slight_smile: I am lucky as it’s not even a compromise but a consensus, we are both happy with our food.

So… You need to find your own methods as we work very differently and we ourselves find different things too strict or too lax at different times on keto.

Challenge is nice. I plan a carnivore(-ish, I am highly optimistic and know the power of my determination but still) November since months and I am stubborn. This gives me a huge push! I will do Zornfast this week, it always gives me a little push :slight_smile: Fasting is a very good way to keep my carbs lower but it’s not the main reason I do it. Fasting is normal to me, not EF but one can do ZornFast without EF, it’s flexible. These things may help or be fun or something. If I feel I lose some fun from my woe, I need to add something. I did that as a newbie ketoer too. I felt so restricted even after my low-carb years. So I added little luxuries (carby ones, of course :smiley: it was logical to me. it helped my rebellious self who HATES feeling restricted), tried different things and when I felt I can’t stand this low carb intake, I went lower for a day or two :smiley: I never considered my originally generous carb limit really low again…

I can’t help with temptations as I don’t resist real temptations. I must avoid them.
Weak ones? I persuade myself, it’s not hard, I have good keto food and it feels better. I am a hedonist, that’s why left high-carb for good, low-carb solved a lot of problems and created none. Keto is stricter but it’s still easy if I want to do it myself… It makes no sense to ruin a few days of mine. Even if your carb cravings or compulsions without real desire or even joy in the process (those are the worst) can’t think straight. That’s why you have a working human brain, to sort things out, not just giving in.

Maybe you have some trigger, I mean, you get cravings because you ate something even if it’s still keto? In that case, being stricter may help. That’s the main reason I avoid vegetables (except in super tiny amounts). Carbs mess with me. Or maybe you eat some keto sweets and it gives your brain ideas…

I hope you will find something to make things better…

(Marianne) #7

Make sure you are eating enough meals and enough food at each meal to satisfy you until the next. If this means three meals a day for now, that’s fine. It won’t last forever until you will find you can go down to two meals a day or even one. Don’t force it. If you are doing that and find an unsettling urge to eat something “inappropriate,” have a hard boiled egg or chunk of pepperoni instead. I found the carb cravings became totally manageable when my body was satisfied with protein and good fat.

Don’t beat yourself up for struggling; acknowledge that you keep getting back up. Every success starts with one moment in time.

Best to you.

(Susan) #8

Fasting I think might be a good way to purge out the evil Carbs =).

I am sure that Fasting is not a foreign concept for you, since you have been on Keto for almost three years (which is great!). I have a husband who is a major major carbaholic, and all of our kids are as well (the two still living here that are 19 and 22 order take out almost daily as well, so Fast food maniacs) and there is always lots of junk food in our house too, so I can relate. When I am Fasting I feel like I am a super Keto heroine, and the site or smell of these foods makes me want to throw up.

Best wishes getting back on track!! When you are done Fasting, eat enough so that you feel happy and satisfied, as @gingersmommy 's suggests above, that is definitely a great idea!!

(cheryl) #9

yup. I’m familiar with Fasting… but ever since Covid hit… I’ve been struggling… It’s more emotional eating … and I can fast easier when I’m commuting. But maybe I’ll give it a try again soon.

(Susan) #10

Aww, okay, it was just an idea =). I know that not everyone enjoys fasting. It is effective for me, but of course all our bodies are different. Maybe just do really strict Keto for yourself for a bit to get back on track? The transitions since Covid hit are very difficult emotionally for sure, I can relate. I wish you the best =).