Ketogenic weight loss diet - how to become fat adapted?

(Sammie Torrance) #1

I’m a 19yr old 1st year medical student so nights out are a big part of my life & entry into uni right now. I’ve done the dukan diet before and lost about a stone but I wasn’t drinking at that point. About a year later I’m now doing keto and have already lost about 6 pounds but I do often feel weak and lethargic. My usual intake is 1000-1300 calories and I keep carbs below 20g and I make sure protein is never more than 20% of my calories. I check urine ketones regularly.

I know that when you drink alcohol on keto it takes you out of ketosis because your body starts processing the alcohol for energy instead of using the ketone bodies.
I’ve heard lots about people on keto eventually becoming “fat/ketone-adapted” after a few weeks of being in ketosis which seems to give them more energy and reduce hunger. I’m wondering if its possible for me to ever become fat adapted when I drink at least once a week. When I drink I only take vodka mixed with soda water and I keep keto friendly snacks ready for before I sleep and for the next morning. I also drink lots of water and take an electrolyte replacement product. This means I never break my diet or binge after drinking or the next day so I return to ketosis eventually.

So basically my question is – to become “fat/ketone adapted” (& hopefully remove keto flu) do you have to be in a constant state of ketosis for weeks or can you have dips in & out of ketosis (the way I do because I drink) and still become adapted?

Thanks so much!

(Allie) #2

Why not just ditch the alcohol until you are adapted and getting the benefits it brings, then go back to the once a week drink if you want to?

(Sammie Torrance) #3

thanks for ur reply!
how long would I have to stop for? and wouldn’t I just undo it all and not be adapted any more if I went back to drinking? or does it not work like that?
thanks again

(Liz ) #4

Being fat adapted and being in ketosis are two different things. Though I was likely in ketosis after three days, it took me 6 weeks of ketogenic eating to become fat adapted. That does not mean I am constantly in ketosis, it just means I burn fat for fuel instead of glucose. When you drink, you are occupying your liver with something other than fat burning so it takes a break from that. If you aren’t burning fat you probably aren’t producing many ketones as that’s where they come from. If you otherwise eat ketogenic diet you won’t lose your fat adaptation when you drink, you just won’t burn any fat during that time. I don’t know how long it takes your liver to process alcohol.

(Allie) #5

Once you’re adapted properly you can get away with more than you can in the early stages so it would likely do less harm then. No real limit can be put on adaptation time wise though, many people just need a few weeks.

(Allan L) #6

As soon as the liver is finished removing the toxic alcohol it goes straight back to its normal process. So depending on how much you drink that can be 3-5 hours after.

Drinking vodka and soda (my poison of choice too) once a week will not significantly slow down fat adaption but will give you extra calories to burn through when your body could be burning fat instead.

Keto flu is addressed by increasing electrolytes, not stopping alcohol.

The only thing that will throw you out of ketosis and slow down your journey to fat adaption is eating over 20g of carbs a day.