Still in Ketosis after epic fall off Wagon?

(Shalyn) #1

Not sure if posting in right place :roll_eyes:, Iā€™ve been eat A KETO lifestyle for around 6 month and doing great. Last night I emotionally ate Carbage. Pizza (a lot) and lollies. Iā€™m not having issue picking my self up this morning and getting back on the horse but I have a couple of questions.

  1. Why was my blood Ketones at .7 this morning? I assumed it would read 0. ( my blood ketones range from 1.0 - 2.2 fasted normally)
  2. Is this going to kick me in bum in a couple of days ( out of Ketosis)?
    This is not about cheating just wondering the science behind how Ketosis works when having a slip up as I did.
#2

If it was last night, you very well may have passed enough time to be back in light ketosis. Keto adaptation takes weeks, Ketosis takes hours (the number of hours can depend on several factors, but a decent concept is after 16 hours you should be back. Likely sooner if all your stores that fill up on glucose are not completely filled).

Other than that, 6 months may be enough for you to be primarily fat adapted and be able to withstand some brief deviations a bit better in relation to ketosis. If itā€™s already unregulated what is needed to burn fat and use ketones, and down regulated what is needed to burn carbs, it wonā€™t just flip a switch and be back in power carb burning mode, it will still be more prone toward ketone production (to an extent). This can actually be good and bad depending on how you look at it, since it can also mean your body may have more trouble dealing with the carbs in your body than it would be if you were regularly eating carbs, and too many carbs might cause you various issues (there can, for instance, be an adjustment period going back to carb based diet somewhat similar to adjusting to keto).

#3

Two possible options I can think ofā€¦

  1. You got away with a one off slip because you were well fat adapted beforehand.
  2. It will take a few days to bite you in the arse so donā€™t count your chickens just yet :wink:
(Shalyn) #4

Eactly what I was thinking, preparing for arse biting :joy:

(Shalyn) #5

Thank you for taking the time to explain :+1:t2::blush:

#6

You might be lucky. If I am riding high ketonix readings and have a night out with some wine and a meal, I am usually OK as long as that is it and back to usual the next day. I havenā€™t gone full out carbage but who knows.

I am glad you just picked yourself up the next morning and got on with it though. That is the main thing. Iā€™m sure you will be fine, even if you suffer a temporary drop. x

(Bart) #7

I broke a fast with real pizza a while back with 140 carbs worth of an all meat variety of pizza. My glucose shot up to 140 and my ketones fell from 6.3 to 2.1 in the couple hours that followed. The next morning they were up in the 3ā€™s and the days that followed they stayed in the 4-5 range while intermitant fasting. I never fell out of ketosis and in fact by non-fasting standards stayed in deep. I think due to the fasting my glycogen stores were depleted and the 700 or so calories of carbs went primarily to replinishing them. The insulin response to the carbs was definitely seen with the ketone drop, but whatever carbs were not turned into glycogen I believe were quickly burned off and ketone production was taking place in a a matter of hours after my meal, as I saw the evidence with my blood test when I woke in the morning. I also only say about a half of a pound increase in weight, so not much if any real water retention took place.

I was 14 months Keto when I did this little n=1 expirement. It was interesting but when all was said and done I would have enjoyed a ribeye more then the pizza that was at one time my favorite food to eat. If I had not been in a fasted state when I ate the pizza I believe I would have been kicked out after the meal but more than likely back in the next morning. My ketones are usually in the mid to upper 2ā€™s when I am eating my normal Keto routine. Maybe I will try it out sometime just for kicks.

Just thought I would share a similar experience I had, not sure if it is any help an any way, but what you experienced is not unique.

Remember everyoneā€™s tolerance for carbs is a bit different depending on metabolism. What may kick some out and set them back for days may not do the same to others. Some have to keep carbs around the magic 20g a day to stay in nutritional ketosis while others could have three times that amount. Just another reason why it is so important for everyone to figure out how their unique bodies work.

(Shalyn) #8

Thanks, Iā€™ll just KCKO :slight_smile:

(Shalyn) #9

Agreed, it didnā€™t even taste that good and I had to go to bed because I was in a coma! :joy: ā€¦ lesson learnt :+1:t2:. Thanks for sharing :blush:

#10

I think that is the sad thing about turning to old ā€˜comfortā€™ foods - they donā€™t actually give you any comfort and they make you feel even worse. I find there is a curve of desire and anticipation that peaks in your mind. By the time you eat the stuff you are already on the downward curve which continues after you eat it, landing you in a worse place than where you started. Unfortunately, for many of us, we have to experience this a few times to realise it. The trick is to do something to remember it - Vlog it, journal it, whatever you like but do something when it is all still there fresh in your mind (and probably the physical sensations in your body too) so that you can refer back to it the next time you want to do the same. It might be enough to steer you towards a better choice. Maybe also come up with some easy, go to ketofied treats that will hit that same perceived comfort spot. The good thing is that they will make you feel better and not worse.

(Shalyn) #11

Very good advise! I feel yuck today :nauseated_face:, not something I want to repeat in a hurry :blush:

#12

No I bet.

(Ashley Haddock) #13

I completely agree with @Daisy. I also think ā€œfalling off the wagonā€ and itā€™s after-effects are really eye opening. The way you feel afterwards and how the food isnā€™t as good as you remember really helps. You realize itā€™s really just not worth it.

#14

I agree. It can actually be a great learning experience. The trouble is it can also tip into weeks, months and years if you are not careful. Piling on the guilt is the worst thing you can do though. Just brush it off, get back on it and try your best not to do it again. Shit happens.

(Shalyn) #15

Update, got back in that horse and going strong! Thanks for your words of wisdom :slight_smile:

#16

Good for you. xxx