The FastDay Forum

Dear low-carbers,

I've managed to blow it today - no, not by indulging in my fantasy food scenario, but by seriously under-guestimating the carb levels of a recipe (the whole ghastly escapade is in my journal).

Long-story short: I've taken in 61g of carb - is there anything that I can do to avoid falling out of ketosis? Carb level last week was just 35g, was planning to move to 40g on Monday.

Would starving tomorrow help? I know more experienced low-carbers 'save' carbs for special days, but I'm not sure how that works.

Physically I'm not up to running a few miles as that might help, I'd suspect.

Any ideas, gratefully received - disconsolate FatDog

Hi:

It depends on you - your body. Some people stay in ketosis after eating twice as many carbs as you have. People like me fall out after eating 45g. But you can be back in ketosis (if you fall out) by tomorrow just by not eating any more carbs. (There is no such thing as 'saving' carbs according to the classes I have taken.)

Sorry, I really can't be of much help.

PS Your recipes are great. I trust you are planning a cookbook!

Hi FD sounds like a plan from simcoeluv, all the best and that you could be continuing to burn fat and stay in ketosis is a good point

Very stern voice and Scots accent "Just you wait!!"

I usually find upping fat intake is helpful, especially coconut oil

Tommy the Swede ate a Mars bar and stayed in ketosis.

Have a fats only day, and some exercise to draw down the glycogen reserves.

Phil, do you sometimes eat only fat? I could see myself having some spoonfuls of coconut oil but don't think I could manage great quantities of other fats, except maybe a glug of nice olive oil, but preferably with a squirt of lemon mixed in. Butter without veg or animal fat without the meat, no!!

I think its easier to drop out than it is to get back in! Low carb isn't very forgiving when it comes to cheating but I would think that as long as you leave it at the one blip and don't go totally off piste 61gr isn't too bad. I think its more of a problem when you have several days together as that makes it easier for the glycogen stores to build back up. The way it seems to work for me is that the occasional one-off blip as in say, Tommy the Swede's Mars bar, wouldn't actually knock me back. A weekend of just 40 to 50gr a day would do far more damage.

Dhana has smacked your legs so now you just have to be good!

Dhana, I have been trying to go more for the LCHF and its very hard to actually get fat levels to the sort of percentages they seem to advise. I can cut carbs quite easily but I suppose its years of being brainwashed to eat virtually fat free that makes eating fat in that quantity difficult. I made some fat bombs to boost my intake. Now if I could just dip them in some melted Dairy Milk they would be perfect!!

Miffy,
I know exactly what you mean! I am still having pangs of worry and anxiety when I have my coffee with cream instead of semi-skimmed, frying my eggs instead of boiling them and having them with ryvita! It's true what you said, years of brainwashing! I blame Rosemary Conley, myself! Guess she was brainwashed too! I am finding low or in my case lowER carb much easier this time round, mainly because of all the posts on here making me feel more confident in what I am choosing to eat. Also not eating nearly so much protein this time round and that makes things much more pleasant!

Rosemary Conley has a lot to answer for! I did the Yudkin diet very successfully in the late 60s but then, in the 70s when I was trying to shift post-baby weight, I fell for the fat free craze.

Carbs aren't that much of a problem for me. As well as being intolerant of wheat and gluten I really don't go much on grains in general. I don't eat the nightshade family as they make my arthritis worse so that's potatoes knocked in the head too! This time I'm trying to moderate my protein and up the fat.

Got weighed yesterday and was still up a bit on the normal scales but I went on the Wii later and that said I was back to my pre-plateau best. This morning the bathroom scales seem to have caught up too so I have my fingers crossed that I'll have broken through the 11st 11lb barrier by tomorrow (or at least some time this week!)

Phil, do you sometimes eat only fat? I could see myself having some spoonfuls of coconut oil but don't think I could manage great quantities of other fats, except maybe a glug of nice olive oil, but preferably with a squirt of lemon mixed in. Butter without veg or animal fat without the meat, no!!

Not really 100% fat, no. Cream with a bit of cocoa in it, that sort of thing. Macadamia nuts, desiccated coconut.

You got me thinking now - a 300ml pot of double cream served over three meals with enough nuts, coconut, cocoa, perhaps even berries to help it go down.

Think I could do that. Might try it when the ketone strips arrive.

PhilT, when put like that it actually sounds not only doable but very tempting! Raspberries are sooo good at the moment and I have some growing at the bottom of the garden....

What about pork scratchings? (Home made) virtually pure fat, and totally yum.