I am considering going very low carb or at least stopping my favorite carb - red wine. Even though my HOMA-IR = 0.9 I have withdrawal symptoms just from one glass of red wine. It’s not worth being thrown out of ketosis for three days just from drinking wine. I choose ketosis over wine. I never thought I would say that.
Do others have a problem with alcohol or a specific food? What are you doing about it?
I do not test so do not know my problem foods, and do not care. However I to have chosen Keto over a drink. Never imagined that would happen.
I love beer … the darker the better.
But as you say, I like ketosis better.
So, no beer for me.
I do, maybe once a month, have a single glass of red wine. But, I’m okay with that.
I don’t drink at all so the question is academic…
Would it matter whether you were, a) having a glass of wine all by itself while relaxing in the evening, or b) having a glass of wine with dinner?
I just wondered whether having it WITH a meal, even a very keto friendly meal, was different than having it apart from a meal.
Like I said, just academic, but was curious.
I have abstained so far (12 weeks), but I do intend to add wine back in once I know I’m firmly fat adapted. I’ll probably wait till the 6 month mark unless something social comes up.
I will see how it effects me then, but I fully intend to enjoy a glass now and then.
This is only an n=1. I started my keto journey in March 2017 at 440 lbs. I lost 90 lbs in the first 10 months. Faster at first, then slower, but still moving.
During this time I would buy a small bottle of Black Velvet on average twice a month and have a few shots on Friday and Saturday nights. Never more than 5 or 6 shots in an evening.
I plateaued in January at 350 until mid April when I got rid of the BV and HWC for my coffee. I’ve lost 23 lbs in the last 2 months.
There’s no way to know if these changes were the differences, or if keto lowered insulin enough to access more body fat. But I’m sticking with it.
Heavy Cream made me stall too. My Blood Glucose just wouldn’t fall when I used Cream, but when I eliminated it, my Blood Glucose dropped significantly. I was technically in Ketosis with the Cream, but when I eliminated it, everything changed.
I drink wine with a meal. Yesterday I ate lunch with a friend and had only one small glass of wine. I ordered a Greek salad with olive oil . Within a couple of hours I fell asleep at home without warning. Today I feel slightly hungover but it’s worse the next day when I have more than one glass of wine.
What I might try is tracking my glucose. There may be foods besides wine that elevate my glucose and then cause a drop.
@Anniegirl9 – be careful the first time you drink again lest ye get schnockered. My alcohol tolerance is gone.
My experience is now that I am well adapted, nothing knocks me out for long any more – no matter how much I carb binge, I can get back in ketosis in less than 24 hours. it seems that fat-burning is now my default and ketosis is just one IF away.
Dave, I have noticed that too with non alcoholic carbs. One IF and I am back into ketosis.
My genotype, however, has a way of recycling drugs and medication, so I get a much stronger dose than the average person. That’s why I now take zero Rx drugs at age 68. So my problem with wine may be due to the alcohol rather than the carbs.
Hi @Explorer Jana - sounds like we may be in a similar place in our adaptation. Age 68 and in Keto – how does it feel, and do you think it is contributing to your longevity?
(It’s a leading question – I must say that, at age 59, past the age of both my parents’ heart attacks, I seem to be getting younger and I credit Keto for the progress)
I’ve never been a big drinker to begin with, but I do enjoy a glass of wine now and then. Most times I don’t drink because I’m the only one who drinks it in my house, and I can’t go through a whole bottle while it’s fresh. So I didn’t drink a lot anyway.
I do miss it though. 
Dave,
Most definitely my current lifestyle is extending my longevity. As I’ve mentioned on other threads on this website, I’ve been keto for a year, use IF and EF, increase insulin sensitivity with 30 minutes of daily aerobics mixed with HIIT every 10 minutes, lost 72 lbs since last June. The list goes on and on.
One striking result is the feedback from long time friends who only see me every couple of years. One said, “you look 20 years younger”. Another very close friend simply did not recognize me. Especially my women friends want to know how I did it. I have personalized my method so much that it would be hard to duplicate.
The change that I’m most relieved about is that I am no longer growing tumors that have to be surgically removed. That’s my biggest joy. I will paste a link to my testing markers in case you’re interested.
Dave, just think; you’re a whole decade behind me. (I turn 69 in August.) Lucky you. I strongly recommend at least occasional EF for 3 to 5 days if possible. I do 7 days every 4 to 6 weeks. It’s my ‘fountain of youth’. 
Dave, here are my recent test scores after one year on Keto and 72 lbs of weight loss:
Cholesterol = 153
HDL = 111
Triglycerides = 34
LDL = 35
Cholesterol/HDL = 1.38
(Ideal-under 3.5)
HDL/LDL = 3.171
(Ideal-over 0.4)
Tri/HDL = 0.315
(Ideal-under 2.00)
Fasting Insulin = 4.2
(Range 1.1 - 17)
Glucose = 88
(Range 74 - 100)
HOMA-IR = .9
(Under 1.0 = Insulin Sensitive)
My waist/ht ratio = 0.596
BMI = 29.2
Hi Annie,
I enjoy a glass of red wine occasionally too. I know that red wine doesn’t keep as long as white. Would those smaller 5 oz six pack bottles of wine work for you? Not sure if it’s the quality you’re looking for. But that may be a way to indulge one glass at a time.
Yes, I do buy them occasionally, but my hubby bought me a beautiful wine cooler for Christmas. It’s got duel zones for white and red wines.
I have been collecting wines ever sense. Now I have a full wine cooler but I’m still affraid to drink anything yet. I know I’m fat adapted, but I want to be firmly adapted before I drink anything.
I’ve sort of set 6 months in as my mark before I will allow myself any alcohol. Then I will try a glass and see how my body handles it. If I’m good, I may open a bottle once a month and enjoy a glass a few nights in a row. Probably still won’t finish the whole bottle myself, as I couldn’t even pre-Keto. I know it’s a waste dumping part of a bottle, but it’s a bigger waste just sitting in my cooler unopened forever.
Annie, that sounds like a good plan to wait a few months. I think red wine only has 2 to 4 carbs per 5 oz glass. It’s quite likely that your body can handle one glass at a time. Just be sure your total carb intake for the day is under 20 grams. That’s so awesome your hubby gave you a wine cooler, when he’s not a wine drinker himself. 
Yves,
I am considering a similar change with dairy. The only dairy I eat is ghee, but I eat too much. I can use one teaspoon per day for the butryric acid benefit. But now I want to switch to more nutrient dense fat. Maybe the ghee is slowing my progress. Thanks for the tip.
Annie - FYI
I heard Carl recently say that he’s only eating protein right now. The only carbs he’s consuming are in his wine! 