Relapsed 😕 Need advice and support please!

[EBbrave]

Hello, first time writing, but love the supportive threads I’ve been reading…I started Keto 1 mo. ago and found that unlike other ‘diets’ , I could actually stick to it as it tamed my cravings-until I went camping with my husband and his teenagers. I did ok until day 3 when I caved and had 2 beers and 2 s’mores! (I blame Colorado and the teenagers ) then I guess I had a F’ it attitude after that, thinking that I’d already blown it so…I did the same thing the last 2 nights. I managed to keep the rest of my eating in check, but…
Obviously I’ve ruined my fledgling starting Ketosis state (I tested for the first time prior to the trip and was only at a .3) I really want to get ‘back up on the horse’ but 1. Feeling defeated since my primary goal is to loose weight and I had only lost 3 lbs. in 1 month. (And that was Before the dreaded camping trip-sure it’s all back-don’t dare weigh myself now) 2. I’m not sure how to start over. Try IF or longer Fasting? (I haven’t done fasting yet as I heard you want to be well into ketosis first) Should I try the ‘eat an 8 oz. package of cream cheese for a day’ thing? Regular Keto eating? Help!

Up until my relapse I was loving how I felt and I believed this could be a life style/game changer for me. But now I feel like I’m at a cross roads and it would be so easy to get sucked back over to the dark side. Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!!

[iamse7en]

No big deal. Keep calm and keto on. It’s a marathon. As @Fiorella says: what’s your next step? Bacon and eggs.

[Ijjunne]

Welcome to the forum.

I’ve had the same experience as you. I was keto for a month when I attended my brother’s birthday (for me, it was cake ). After 3 days of bingeing, I decided enough was enough. I love life without cravings, feeling like I’m in control.

So I did a 3 days fast and it helped tremendously. But you have to be cautious here. Before keto, I’ve been fasting for a long time (from every type of IF to a 13 days fast), so I find it easy. Since you’ve never fasted before, it could be too hard for you and you’d end up discouraged.

So, my advice would be to go back to keto. The first few days, you need to eat more fat to prevent the cravings from sucking you back to the dark side . If you need encouragement, don’t hesitate to give this community a shoutout. You’ll always find someone here, me included. Keep calm and keto on, my friend .

[Shortstuff]

Stop beating yourself up as that will only make you feel worse. Put it behind you and move forward.

[Buttonwillow]

To restart, just start. No need to do anything special.

When you anticipate situations like the camping trip, take along some foods you can substitute. On that trip you might have sought out low carb beer. You could have made some fat bombs. You might have purchased some LC treat that you wouldn’t normally buy, due to cost or else problematic ingredients, but would taste really good. These sorts of things may not be ideal keto foods, but if they serve to help you avoid carby foods, it won’t hurt to have them occasionally.

Ultimately, of course, nothing replaces determination, forbearance, and patience. That’s the hardest part. Ask me how I know.

[wheeghee]

This is a normal part of the process.You’re finding your way. I would advise against special remedies like fasts or restrictions. For some of us that only makes it worse. Just hop back on the horse and keep on going. Bacon and eggs. KCKO.

[Jennifer_Fawcett]

It seems to me that this is not an either/or situation. Life happens. We have feast days, we celbrate, there may be an overindulgence or three, but that is what feasting is about. Consider the circumstances: you were with your husband and kids, in the middle of God’s great world, and enjoying life to the max. That day, enjoying life included some forbidden treats. It is important to see the bigger picture and your way of eating is just one small part of that. Quit flogging yourself and go have a bulletproof coffee.

[EBbrave]

Thanks so much for the kind words and advice. I did have eggs and bacon after posting which according to many of you was a good way to go. I’m jumping back on the horse so to speak and feeling better about my vacation. Keeping calm and Keto on!!!

[gardengirlkp]

I have to abstain from certain foods, even Keto foods-like all nuts and emulsifiers to avoid binge urges. For life. It wasn’t fun to come to that realization, but is is fun to be normal weight for 5.5 years after binge eating for 40. I’m 51 , so most of my adult life was pretty miserable with binge urges.

Here’s to being honest with yourself, abatainng from junk food for awhile and self discovery for recovery. Onward and be prepared for hard, yet rewarding work ahead. I find it very worth it.

[bokkiedog]

Don’t punish yourself. You committed no crime.

Think “I enjoyed those beers and the s’mores. And, you know what, they won’t be the last ones I ever have. And nor do I need them to be so. I will go camping again one day, and I may have two or three beers and some s’mores by the fire. And that doesn’t make me a failure, or a moral reprobate.And these brief, ridiculous, funny little excursions will do me no lasting nutritive harm. I will just ensure they are but the occasional punctuation points in the flowing sentences of my delicious, healthful keto poetry”.

So yes, think of these enjoyable lapses as punctuation points. An exclamation point or two, perhaps, at the end of a new and brilliant bit of writing.

You don’t punish yourself for using exclamation points.

And you don’t conclude that, just because you’ve used a couple of exclamation points in your recent writing, you might as well abandon vowels and consonants from now on! You just start writing again, a mere space after that exclamation point, letting your life’s glorious story of nutrition flow anew.

So pick up the keto pen, begin the next paragraph and enjoy the tale!

[EBbrave]

Thank you for the kind words-it really is about self discovery isn’t it?! I found that after my eggs and bacon this am I’m feeling satiated and back on track. Phew!