No breath ketones after eating out?

#1

Hi there.
I’ve been very religious about keeping my carbs low and meeting my macros and consistently show a positive reading on my breathometer. BUT, last Friday night and yesterday we ate at a restaurant. I chose wisely and thought I was eating low-carb but both times I have now I have no breath reading the morning after.

I know restaurants cook with ingredients that aren’t always listed and can’t always be avoided, but does a tiny amount of carby ingredients make enough difference to knock me out of ketosis? Or am I just not utilizing them right now since I may have ingested more carbs than usual?

Frustrating… I thought I behaved (both times) but keep getting zero readings after a restaurant meal.
Sue

(VLC.MD) #2

More details of the meals would help.

My feeling is you know the answer.

Making your own food is Keto. Eating out isn’t

#3

Bah humbug. Yes, I know that making my own meals is preferable, but I also want this to be a way of eating that I will maintain for the rest of my life and I can’t and won’t commit to never eating at a restaurant again - that’s just not practical or reasonable.

I had stuffed mushrooms, supposedly only stuffed with seafood and cheese, no bread crumbs. I passed on the bread and had a side salad (lettuce and ranch dressing) and main meal was a lobster tail and steak. I drank water with my meal - no other beverage.

So I guess the real question is am I really OUT OF KETOSIS or just temporarily not burning them, thus the lack of breath ketones?
Sue

(VLC.MD) #4

If you are it’ll be temporary. KCKO. Try a bit of a longer walk today to burn off any incidental carbs

#5

Oh, and I found a perfect way to ward off people who are constantly trying to get you to eat fattening, unhealthy foods. I was walking by the sales department Thursday and some of the guys kept calling me in to join them in their waffle bar (he had quite a set up in his office with the waffle-maker, fruit toppings, etc.) I kept kindly declining but you know salespeople, they never give up and are very convincing. They finally relented and said “well at least come in and have some fruit with us!” and I replied, “one bite of anything in this office and it will take me 2 full days to get back into ketosis.” Everyone went silent. LOL One of them finally said “well, since I have no idea what you just said, I guess I can’t argue!” LOL

By the time I got back to my office my phone was ringing and it was one of the sales guys saying “talk to me about ketosis, I’ve been reading about it and want to start right after the holidays.”

:wink:
Sue

(Ethan) #6

It’s likely that there was corn starch or flour in the stuffed mushrooms. The ranch could have had sugar.

You learn what affects you from each place over time. KCKO

#7

I agree, that’s probably where the culprits were hidden. But we’re talking about a tiny amount (I had three, small mushrooms and probably four bites of the salad) so it confuses and frustrates me that it may take a few days to undo that slight indiscretion. I had hoped that after 5 weeks of doing this I would jump back quickly after a few extra carbs.

(Allie) #8

Don’t worry about it, just get back on track. Once you’re properly adapted you’ll be able to enjoy treats like this without such a noticeable effect, but you do need to be more careful during adaptation.

(Dan Dan) #9

Is your Breathalyzer fully charged or have fresh batteries?

(James) #10

When I eat out I keep it simple. Steak, bunless burgers, steak, prime rib, steak, taco salad without that crappy shell, steamed veggies. Also the longer you have been fat adapted the easier the food pixies messing with perfectly good wont affect you so much.

#11

THAT’s the type of answer I wanted to hear! That someday in the distant future I will be able to occasionally enjoy an “old favorite” without undoing months worth of good!

#12

Not FRESH batteries but doesn’t turn itself off immediately after warming up like it does when I need to replace them. Thanks for the reminder, though.

#13

Another smile-producing answer - thank you. But shouldn’t we rename them from pixies to vixens?

James, you didn’t mention, but do you perhaps enjoy a good steak from time to time?
Sue

#14

Sorry about the three separate replies… even after reading the “How To” section I can’t seem to get the hang of multi-quoting in the same post.
Sue