What is it that makes us self destruct? I’ve been keto since the start of the year. Lost 16lbs, although plateau for about 3 weeks (part of the problem?) & felt much better in myself. For some reason today I just lost the plot. I had a good lunch, chicken, bacon and avocado salad and felt full so decided not to eat in the evening as I wasn’t hungry. Went on to quaff a bottle of wine, eat a whole 90g bar of chocolate and then 60g of cashew nuts! What a numpty! As you can imagine I now feel really despondent. What triggers this ridiculous scenario and how to curb it. Bloody annoyed with myself!
Self destruct
Shinita
#2
Chocolate and nuts, I can relate, I wouldn’t even bat an eye, I need to eat a pound of dried dates in one sitting for that… Okay, that was my past, I hope I am a tad better now, after my successful fling with carnivore. It’s so much easier with meat.
Why, you ask? Well, some of us have an inner saboteur. I have a rebellious one that wants to feel FREE. It’s no big problem, it needs a (not too) relaxed day once in a blue moon, that’s it. As long as I enjoy my woe and don’t even feel I particularly restrict myself. If I resist temptation, that’s tiring and I will go off. I need to avoid temptation. After a while and using good food, it’s not that hard. Usually. Some items trigger us for longer. We should know if eating a little bit now and then or not even thinking about them is better. (Sometimes I realized I can’t choose, I WILL eat some but learned to eat them in moderation. And sometimes failed. And it immediately stopped on extreme low-carb. Sometimes one mostly harmless item triggers the worse ones.)
If it’s your first time, don’t be too hard on yourself. Of course it’s easy to go back to some nostalgic, delicious, probably old and strong habits. As time passes, you can learn, your taste change a bit or more… You learn to avoid sudden whims and learn to handle them. If you aren’t like me, at least but I slowly learn and change too.
I don’t think a short anger is bad, maybe it helps you to do better from now on! But don’t stress yourself too much. Get determined, calm down and keto on! Good luck!
“Self destruct” is a tad harsh… It’s a single step back, at worst.
And if you are able to get rid of trigger foods or just any food you don’t want to eat, do it. I don’t live alone and my SO keeps around my potential trigger foods so I need something else.
amwassil
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.)
#3
Don’t know, can’t help. But agree it doesn’t make sense, your inner child acting out passive/aggressive? Don’t kick yourself too hard, you’ll get over it.
velvet
#4
It isn’t important if you slip one day as long as you continue on your path and don’t fall into the same trap repeatedly. The Keto gods will forgive your sin. 
FrankoBear
#5
Numptiness is absolutely normal. Self destruction is taking the minor aberration and discontinuing the pursuit of health (and it’s hand-holding, skipping, friend, Happiness).
Put the episode behind you and re-start the plan.
Some find that a slightly extended non-eating window the following morning results in better results the following day.
We can learn from what you have experienced Jason.
- A bottle of wine may be a bit too much in one go. The alcohol can inhibit good decision making.
- 90g bar of chocolate ain’t so bad. Depends on the chocolate. If it was 95% dark chocolate, it’s hardly a ripple in the pond. And it goes so nicely against a full-bodied red.
- Great work at stopping at 60g of cashew nuts. It’s not hundreds of grams. Cashew ‘nuts’ are something that tend to disappear from a keto plan the longer you stick to it. They ain’t nuts and harvesting them from the fruit of the tree is quite toxic.
But to answer the question.
Physiologically there are a number of nutrient-seeking theories in the nutrition world. These are outside of the standard carbohydrate addiction problems many people face (see podcasts with Dr. Robert Cywes). The nutrient seeking theories are that the body’s physiology will drive eating behaviour until that nutrient need is met. It may be an essential amino acid, or an essential vitamin or mineral, or possibly an essential fatty acid. As the body seeks foods it remembers may have contained that nutrient a person can over-eat in following the body’s urging.
Eating nutrient rich foods at those times can help switch off strange needy feelings that aren’t ‘hunger’, but at the same time, are not complete ‘satiety’. Some people have found fast satiety with long chain fatty acids like stearic acid, these are found in animal food products. Others may eat some liver or sardines scrambled in eggs. Whereas others may find the ‘off’ switch in a hearty mug of salty bone broth.
The cool thing about being fat adapted and in nutritional ketosis, a calmness descends and one can shrug off a momentary side track from the way of eating, and effortlessly restart. The only thing gained being more knowledge about oneself and what one’s body needs.
Rclause
(Scott)
#6
I have a thing for wine and drink it nightly. I get the cashews thing too. I had a habit of using almonds as a desert especially the coco dusted ones. The only thing that broke that was going carnivore for me. A bit radical but it has been effective for now and the scale has started moving again.
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(a12ae827724fb57fb091)
#7
Thanks for the responses everyone and helping me regain a little perspective. Back on board today 11.8g carbs and in control.