This weekend challenge

(Richard M) #1

I will be leaving the comforts of my own home and traveling back to my hometown for a couple of days. I will be out of my comfort zone as far as staying on the Keto diet. To say I am stressed out is an understatement. There will be the traditional foods and drink(lots a Carb food and Beer). I am trying to process what I need to bring to hopefully not “fall of the wagon” but i am overwhelmed. I am not saying that Keto is some kind of cult and only a few members know how it works. I just don’t want to be the center of attention(please do not take that the wrong way) and having to explain why I eat this and not that and what are you putting that in my coffee.

Or should i just screw it enjoy your time and get back on Keto when I return home.

Any suggestion? Today marks my 30 day on keto. I have lost over 30lbs and I do not want to gain a lot of it back.

(bulkbiker) #2

Say you’ve got a stomach bug and are doing a 2 day fast?

Then you can sneak in some keto food when you are hungry or…

you could actually do a 2 day fast?

#3

Normally I go off keto if I have no problem with the food but after 30 days I was quite stubborn about getting fat adaptation :slight_smile: Nothing could get me off keto. Determination always won in my life.
But without that… I need to prepare. If I have some of my favorite keto foods, the temptation rarely comes.
As eating a ton of carbs isn’t an option me, no matter what, I should bring/buy my own food anyway if it’s not guaranteed there will be enough low-carb food. I shouldn’t face optional huge hunger after a not right meal without something to eat! (But if I have it, I don’t even eat the wrong, hunger-inducing meal.)

I don’t gain back anything if I eat carby for a few days but I definitely don’t feel good or enjoy my food nearly as much… So nope, that shouldn’t happen.

You don’t need to explain yourself in some detailed way. I would say I feel better this way (or that I fancy my food, both are true) and that should be enough. If not, that’s not my problem (but I personally gladly talk about my woe if the other person is responsive and open-minded).

It’s needless to be overstressed about this. Be prepared and don’t force anything if possible. And if you break keto, don’t do it with a ton of carbs, that may be unpleasant and I don’t find it a good idea anyway. Some little inevitable too carby stuff in your meat dish is one thing, eating “starch with sugar” type dishes galore is another. I’ve read about some people who thought the latter is a totally good idea right out of ketosis… And they regretted it.
Our sensitivity is different. I am not extremely sensitive to carbs but I can get carb poisoned on a low-carb (but far from keto levels) diet… Others have problems with certain items even in small amounts (I have that too, sugar - for example, fruit - alone is bad and I really don’t need much for that effect. but I can avoid the problem if I eat some fatty protein afterwards.)

So it’s complicated and no one can tell what you should be careful with. Sure, staying keto is the safest way but if it causes too much stress and discomfort… But it’s 30 days, it would be good to stick to it. Preparing food for a mere weekend should be easy. Resisting/avoiding temptation is another matter, some people is bad with social pressure… My main problem would be to persuade myself it’s a good idea to miss some delicacy I rarely meet… I probably would try to taste certain things, keeping my carbs low enough. If something is too carby, it messes with me anyway so I can persuade myself to avoid that. I think. It’s often a mental game.

So, my main advice is bringing lots of various nice keto food with you. Hunger is dangerous.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #4

Your profile says that you’ve been eating a ketogenic diet for only a few weeks. That means you are not likely to be fully fat adapted.

So if you were to take the “screw it” approach, you’d be delaying your fat adaptation, but not ruining things irretrievably. The problem with this approach is simply the question of getting back into this way of eating afterward. Some people find sugar and carbohydrate addictive, and such people are likely to find it hard to stop eating carbs once they’ve started up again. If you think you might fall into this category, that would be an argument against the “screw it” approach. You know yourself best.

There are also other strategies you can take. You can look for the most keto-friendly of the food that’s available and stick to eating that (meat, cheese, high-fibre vegetables, bacon and eggs for breakfast instead of cereal). You can also bring cheese, pepperoni, and pork rinds to snack on—and whether you’d want to bring enough to share or just have a secret stash is something to think about. (Probably depends on how many people will be there, I would think.)

Part of this will depend on how much control you will have over your meals. If you are staying in a motel and eating at restaurants, you can just order keto meals and have keto snacks in the room. If you are staying in your childhood home, and Mom will be hurt if you don’t eat her special carb-laden whatever, that’s a more-difficult challenge.

The reason you are eating a ketogenic diet might also be relevant here. If you are trying to reverse Type II diabetes, you can say that your doctor has advised you to stick to a special diet. Even people who are likely to sabotage a mere “diet” choice are likely to respect medical advice. (And you don’t need to mention that the doctor in question is Dr. Stephen Phinney or Dr. Eric Westman.) On the other hand, if your primary reason for eating ketogenically is to lose weight, you are still early enough in the process that your progress will not be greatly delayed if you stray off the diet for a couple of days.

One last possibility is that if you mention you are trying out this keto diet thing, you will find there are other people doing the same thing. It doesn’t always show, just looking at them!

So just try to think the various options through calmly and rationally, and don’t worry that we will judge you for whatever decision you make. It’s your life, and you are in charge.

(Laurie) #5

Yes, it can be a problem. I’m fortunate in a way. Several months ago, I developed an unpleasant reaction to many plant foods (grains and vegetables). So I’m not tempted to eat them – not even to be polite. You are welcome to use this excuse if you wish. “I’m sensitive to certain foods, so I need to be careful … Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine.”

Some people have the personality to convert everyone around them to keto, but I don’t. I have always regretted saying anything about it. Even if a person is interested, they’ll make remarks about too much cholesterol or whatever. Or someone else will overhear you and take over the conversation. Someone will tell you what diet you should really be on.

A few suggestions:

Practice being a broken record: “No thanks, I’m good. No thanks, I’m good.”

Don’t respond to questions or comments about what you eat. Smile and change the subject.

Maybe you can absent yourself at mealtime and rejoin the group afterwards. Say you need a nap, or go for a walk, or offer to watch the children or fix the roof.

Help out in the kitchen, or with serving and cleanup. If you’re not sitting with the others, no one will notice that you’re not eating birthday cake or drinking beer.

We used to have a joke here: “The first rule of keto is, you do not talk about keto.” But it’s really up to you.

Congratulations on your progress so far! Best wishes.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #6

Bacon bits and pepperoni. White Claw hard seltzer - 5% and 1 gr carb per can.

(KCKO, KCFO) #7

I thought that was our Gospel not a joke. :grin:

I tell people I eat LowCarbsHealthyFats. Even my dr. is fine with that answer.

#8

Swing by a pharmacy and get a box of Bronkaid, it’s Epehdrine. It’ll wipe out your appetite and allow you to keep your food sanity. When I start getting stupid I pop a couple a day and I’m good. You don’t eat crap you shouldn’t when you’re barely hungry.

(Robin) #9

Totally get it. I never say “I can’t eat this or that”. because I can. It’s just a matter of choosing. So now, I say I could eat it, but I’m doing keto and I don’t wanna screw it up.” They’ll get over it.

(Jane) #10

You will make your own choices so I suspect you are asking what the results might be?

If you enjoy yourself w/o regard to keto then expect to gain a few pounds back in water weight. It will come back off quickly IF the weekend doesn’t derail you and you are able to get back to keto as soon as you get back. Expect to have more hunger initially after you get back but that will fade also if you keep your carbs low. You should be back into ketosis within 24 hours and can pick up where you left off.

This is not a “diet” but a lifestyle and these situations come up all the time. How you deal with it may change as you are further along into your keto journey. i.e. it generally gets easier.

(Richard M) #11

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I will use them. I’ll report back when I get home Sunday. But Paul made this comment. I need to ask how do I know I’m in it and how will it take?

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #12

Amy Berger provides the details and Perfect Keto an overview.

(UsedToBeT2D) #13

Embrace your KETO lifestyle. Don’t let people or situations derail you.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #14

Fat adaptation is a gradual process that generally takes six to eight weeks. It involves changes in muscle tissue at the cellular level: the reawakening of certain metabolic pathways and the healing of mitochondria damaged by too much glucose. During the adaptation phase, athletes generally notice a reduction in performance. Endurance performance recovers first, as muscles reaccustom themselves to metabolising fatty acids in place of glucose (they can limp along on ketone bodies, but they really prefer fatty acids). Glycogen stores take longer to re-normalise, but eventually explosive performance recovers, as well.

(Vic) #15

You could try to be bold and honest.

“I’m on a Keto diet, I dont eat that”

If people ask about it, say a few things, own it and be proud of it.

In general people do not care, the conversations will be very short before the subject changes.

I tried every way suggested in this tread, they all work fine, its easyer than you think to stay on the wagon.

Last year I gave up and just told those who care that I don’t eat plants, only meat. If seems to be no social problem, people barely care. My health comes first.

On the other hand, its not easy to hurt me.
I am a testosterone overloaded agressive tall male, not exactly the type to pick a fight with. If a Vegan decides to attack me, I let go a little bit of the thing I have to suppress all the time and eat them alive (verbally). Its the genes, what can you do.

(UsedToBeT2D) #16

What Carnivoor said!

(Richard M) #17

I am back. Only gained 1 pound. Had a lot of people say they noticed I lost weight. I respond that I cut out a lot of sugar. I ate healthy for the most part.

(Vic) #18

:+1:

(Laurie) #19

That’s great! Thanks for letting us know.

(Susan) #20

That is awesome, Richard! You did great, you should be proud of yourself. I hope that you had a nice time as well =).