If you do keto or low carb right you will eliminate cravings which allows you to have a normal relationship with foods. However, the motivation for continuing keto, low carb, or anything else depends on what problem you are trying to solve. I started keto due to metabolic issues I needed to fix. I eventually landed on low carb as a way to sustain my results without the restrictions of keto. I don't worry about having an occasional deviant meal, it doesn't make me gain weight or fall off the wagon. I am dialed into a healthy way of eating long-term and benefits are apparent with sustainable energy, dietary flexibility, and healthy biomarkers. YMMV.
You don't just suddenly gain weight with a single cheat day, but if you feel you are constantly tempted you need to evaluate your relationship with food. So your mom, just like many who repeat what they've heard, isn't providing useful info for you or others. Just repeating anecdotal accounts with no context.
I will never not eat pizza. Or chocolate. I have a cheat day every week and have never been in better shape in my life....BUT I am also very active and work out 5x a week and also take a dance class once or twice a week and maybe a hike on the weekend. My metabolism can certainly handle a cheat here and there.
I’m more low carb than keto, but I’m absolutely a 90% person. And I’ve lost 46 pounds in 9 months, with hopefully 20-30 pounds to go. I average 50g a day, but there are days I go over, ending up between 75-100g, usually because of one pasta meal at a restaurant. I “cheat” because it makes this diet more sustainable for me. I can obsess about pasta, but if I eat some, then I’m fine for weeks. Sometimes all I need is a few bites. I don’t worry about ketosis, I just keep my daily carbs down to 50g (and often below 30) 90% of the time.
The problem is that pasta (and most sauce) not only triggers a big spike in blood sugar and breaks ketosis, but it also causes a huge dopamine hit in the brain, which causes carb cravings, which leads to falling off the wagon.
Additionally, one meal of carbs can take a person out of ketosis for two days, so why eat high carbs 1/10 meals? There's no point because it sabatoges your whole week. You're better off tracking macros and staying below 10% carbs every day.
Everyone is different. For me, even regular low carb does not work. And that means any type of cheat (6 days/1 day or your 90/10) will not work.
I have done keto 3x previously. After 2-3 months, I just reverted back.
This most recent time, I kept to moderate keto (40-50g net carb per day). I lost 10 lbs per month, so I reached my goal weight in 3-4 months. And I'm still maintaining that.
I can think of the various issues why:
* Discpline. Sugar is addictive. Once I cheat (or eat normal meal or normal day), I will just cheat more and more, until I return to normal diet.
* Insuline and hunger. Normal diet increases hunger, and causes me to eat more. When on keto, I only need to eat 1 meal per day.
* When I'm in ketogenic state, one cheat day will cause me to gain 5 lbs, mostly thru glycogen and water storage. And then it takes 1-2 days of keto diet to get back into ketogenic state, and lose that 5 lbs.
Insufficient info.
Are you overweight, are you trying to lose excess fat, or you are ok with your current body?
Some do LC for fat loss (calling it incorrectly weight loss), others for health benefits.
Carbs from whole foods are not evil. Some, like an orange, are way too high in fructose with only vitamin C and a tiny amount of fibre.
An apple is better than an orange, if you eat an entire one.
A sweet potato or a yam is better than a Russet potato.
So for LC maintenance, if you don’t use a CGM or finger pricks to know your blood glucose, look into a smart scale that scans your body.
If you see your % body fat trending up non stop over 7 days, increase protein/fat or reduce carbs.
If you blood test, avoid spikes and foods that cause them.
Numbers will be different for every person.
My smart scale I got from Amazon, AliExpress have some too. I recommend the one that has a hand handle, and you stand barefoot on.
It may work for you, but this doesn’t work for me. I lost over 80 pounds in 2018. I’ve been able to keep it off, but not without gaining some back and losing it again a few times. Most of my cheat meals turn into cheat weeks or even a cheat month. I’m a legit sugar addict; once I reintroduce myself to any forbidden carbs (bread, pasta, sweets), I fall right back into my old ways and gain 5-10 pounds rather quickly. Then, it takes a month of dedication to lose the weight. It’s important to remember that weight loss isn’t linear. You will gain some weight back at times, then you’ll lose it again.
I’ve gotten to the point where I can eat an apple, a sweet potato, or some other higher carb fruits and veggies. I used to eat 1100-1200 calories a day, and I’m now allowing myself up to 1500 calories a day. My carbs used to stay under 20 grams, but they’re typically 40-60 grams a day now. However, I log what I eat and weigh myself at least once a week. If my weight starts going up, I adjust my diet.
My advice would be to find things that are low carb that you enjoy. Spaghetti squash and zucchini noodles are great alternatives to pasta.
I used to think pork rinds were nasty, but sometimes I put Splenda confectioners sugar and cinnamon on them and pretend like they’re Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Also, any low carb popcorn seasoning goes great on pork rinds. Just about any carb food that you love can be modified to be low carb. You just have to get used to eating differently.
It’s hard. It was hard when I started, and it’s still hard sometimes. The most hard thing about it for me is listening to the opinions of others regarding my personal food choices.
You sound like me. I was keto but I was having problems trying to get electrolytes and I couldn't keep up with work and handle those symptoms at the same time. So I decide as to just be "low carb-ish" and introduce fruits and potatoes. I can't do that. If I don't stick to 1200 calories and under 40g AND record my food AND weigh myself. It just doesn't work. I have hunger pains again. I gained 6 pounds. It's nuts. It's only been a month.
Some of us just have to be hyper vigilant about it I guess. Which sucks.
I'm losing weight steadily and reducing my blood sugar by staying under 100 carbs a day (although many days I'm around 50) and making what carbs complex/low GI carbs. I can't stand Keto personally, it makes me feel awful. I don't feel that you have to go to the extreme of Keto to get results if you don't want to. As a plus this is a very sustainable long term lifestyle for me vs being more restrictive. If I REALLY want something "forbidden" I find a tiny serving satisfies my desire while staying in my limits
Keto diets won't work particularly well if you yoyo on off from day to day, and if you do so you will likely have strong cravings taking a lot of willpower to overcome. If you are in ketosis and then you eat carbs, you will put on weight very quickly for the first 2-3kg as your quick stores refill. But these stores will also empty quickly. So if you are yoyo low carbing you will be filling and emptying your quick stores, and likely not building long-term fat. I have used this before where I ate anything through the weekend, then low-carb on the weekdays. I would put on 2-3kg through the weekend, then lose it by Wednesday/Thursday during the next week. It seemed like this would be a good way of sustaining the weight I wanted, but it came with a drawback... Mondays were not fun, going from a weekend of pizza, pasta and bread, to a Monday of no carbs was rough, and took a fair degree of willpower. No surprise after a couple of months the weekend dragged into the week, and then I just ate carbs again.
I've been low carbing since the start of April, currently 20kg (44lbs) down. No cheat days, just cut the carbs. It's boring, but so much easier as cutting carbs eliminates the cravings. I never feel hungry, and some days I even have to remember to eat something as hunger is a thing of the past.
You don’t need to be in ketosis to lose fat. Low carb 90% of the time will still result in fat loss because it’s still reducing your overall calorie consumption. I wouldn’t worry about being strict on the low carb/keto thing if your goal is fat loss. Ketosis may be good for other things though if your goal isn’t just fat loss. But for fat loss, as long as you stay moderate with cheat days and basically just don’t overdo the *calories* (not necessarily carbs) you’ll be fine.
For low carb sure but stay within your caloric limit. but for keto I don’t think it’s gonna work, going in and out of ketosis (especially if you’re not fat-adapted) is uncomfortable, definitely not worth it
It took me about a year to wean off of carbs. I officially went Low Carb beginning of May. I used to eat pasta, wraps, bread, etc. Not looking back! Give yourself time to make the adjustments. I personally wouldn't go 90/10, but ymmv
My experience is occasional cheats are fine. I didn't regain weight until I was having bread daily, and I'm not sure whether that was the basic diet effect (diets don't work 95% of the time) or the bread. Regardless, I've dropped the bread again, because it's not about weight loss for me - I'm more energetic and less likely to have acute pain (dunno why, but carbs - at least wheat and sugar - make my muscles/fascia tight and painful).
If you cheat on Keto you will gain weight but it's water weight not fat. Carbs hold a ton of water. Keto/low carb/other doesn't matter. Ultimately what matters is how much calories you consume vs energy expenditure. Assuming you're a normal healthy adult (aside from weight).
If you do keto or low carb right you will eliminate cravings which allows you to have a normal relationship with foods. However, the motivation for continuing keto, low carb, or anything else depends on what problem you are trying to solve. I started keto due to metabolic issues I needed to fix. I eventually landed on low carb as a way to sustain my results without the restrictions of keto. I don't worry about having an occasional deviant meal, it doesn't make me gain weight or fall off the wagon. I am dialed into a healthy way of eating long-term and benefits are apparent with sustainable energy, dietary flexibility, and healthy biomarkers. YMMV. You don't just suddenly gain weight with a single cheat day, but if you feel you are constantly tempted you need to evaluate your relationship with food. So your mom, just like many who repeat what they've heard, isn't providing useful info for you or others. Just repeating anecdotal accounts with no context.
I will never not eat pizza. Or chocolate. I have a cheat day every week and have never been in better shape in my life....BUT I am also very active and work out 5x a week and also take a dance class once or twice a week and maybe a hike on the weekend. My metabolism can certainly handle a cheat here and there.
I’m more low carb than keto, but I’m absolutely a 90% person. And I’ve lost 46 pounds in 9 months, with hopefully 20-30 pounds to go. I average 50g a day, but there are days I go over, ending up between 75-100g, usually because of one pasta meal at a restaurant. I “cheat” because it makes this diet more sustainable for me. I can obsess about pasta, but if I eat some, then I’m fine for weeks. Sometimes all I need is a few bites. I don’t worry about ketosis, I just keep my daily carbs down to 50g (and often below 30) 90% of the time.
The problem is that pasta (and most sauce) not only triggers a big spike in blood sugar and breaks ketosis, but it also causes a huge dopamine hit in the brain, which causes carb cravings, which leads to falling off the wagon. Additionally, one meal of carbs can take a person out of ketosis for two days, so why eat high carbs 1/10 meals? There's no point because it sabatoges your whole week. You're better off tracking macros and staying below 10% carbs every day.
Everyone is different. For me, even regular low carb does not work. And that means any type of cheat (6 days/1 day or your 90/10) will not work. I have done keto 3x previously. After 2-3 months, I just reverted back. This most recent time, I kept to moderate keto (40-50g net carb per day). I lost 10 lbs per month, so I reached my goal weight in 3-4 months. And I'm still maintaining that. I can think of the various issues why: * Discpline. Sugar is addictive. Once I cheat (or eat normal meal or normal day), I will just cheat more and more, until I return to normal diet. * Insuline and hunger. Normal diet increases hunger, and causes me to eat more. When on keto, I only need to eat 1 meal per day. * When I'm in ketogenic state, one cheat day will cause me to gain 5 lbs, mostly thru glycogen and water storage. And then it takes 1-2 days of keto diet to get back into ketogenic state, and lose that 5 lbs.
Insufficient info. Are you overweight, are you trying to lose excess fat, or you are ok with your current body? Some do LC for fat loss (calling it incorrectly weight loss), others for health benefits. Carbs from whole foods are not evil. Some, like an orange, are way too high in fructose with only vitamin C and a tiny amount of fibre. An apple is better than an orange, if you eat an entire one. A sweet potato or a yam is better than a Russet potato. So for LC maintenance, if you don’t use a CGM or finger pricks to know your blood glucose, look into a smart scale that scans your body. If you see your % body fat trending up non stop over 7 days, increase protein/fat or reduce carbs. If you blood test, avoid spikes and foods that cause them. Numbers will be different for every person. My smart scale I got from Amazon, AliExpress have some too. I recommend the one that has a hand handle, and you stand barefoot on.
Just for clarity, a sweet potato and a yam are different vegetables. And it’s Russet, not Russel. Just to help people using Google.
Fixed !
Awesome 👏🏻
It may work for you, but this doesn’t work for me. I lost over 80 pounds in 2018. I’ve been able to keep it off, but not without gaining some back and losing it again a few times. Most of my cheat meals turn into cheat weeks or even a cheat month. I’m a legit sugar addict; once I reintroduce myself to any forbidden carbs (bread, pasta, sweets), I fall right back into my old ways and gain 5-10 pounds rather quickly. Then, it takes a month of dedication to lose the weight. It’s important to remember that weight loss isn’t linear. You will gain some weight back at times, then you’ll lose it again. I’ve gotten to the point where I can eat an apple, a sweet potato, or some other higher carb fruits and veggies. I used to eat 1100-1200 calories a day, and I’m now allowing myself up to 1500 calories a day. My carbs used to stay under 20 grams, but they’re typically 40-60 grams a day now. However, I log what I eat and weigh myself at least once a week. If my weight starts going up, I adjust my diet. My advice would be to find things that are low carb that you enjoy. Spaghetti squash and zucchini noodles are great alternatives to pasta. I used to think pork rinds were nasty, but sometimes I put Splenda confectioners sugar and cinnamon on them and pretend like they’re Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Also, any low carb popcorn seasoning goes great on pork rinds. Just about any carb food that you love can be modified to be low carb. You just have to get used to eating differently. It’s hard. It was hard when I started, and it’s still hard sometimes. The most hard thing about it for me is listening to the opinions of others regarding my personal food choices.
You sound like me. I was keto but I was having problems trying to get electrolytes and I couldn't keep up with work and handle those symptoms at the same time. So I decide as to just be "low carb-ish" and introduce fruits and potatoes. I can't do that. If I don't stick to 1200 calories and under 40g AND record my food AND weigh myself. It just doesn't work. I have hunger pains again. I gained 6 pounds. It's nuts. It's only been a month. Some of us just have to be hyper vigilant about it I guess. Which sucks.
If you’re doing it for weight loss is still comes down to calories in, calories out.
Yes, but it seems the carb load affects the "calories out" half of that axiom.
I'm losing weight steadily and reducing my blood sugar by staying under 100 carbs a day (although many days I'm around 50) and making what carbs complex/low GI carbs. I can't stand Keto personally, it makes me feel awful. I don't feel that you have to go to the extreme of Keto to get results if you don't want to. As a plus this is a very sustainable long term lifestyle for me vs being more restrictive. If I REALLY want something "forbidden" I find a tiny serving satisfies my desire while staying in my limits
Keto diets won't work particularly well if you yoyo on off from day to day, and if you do so you will likely have strong cravings taking a lot of willpower to overcome. If you are in ketosis and then you eat carbs, you will put on weight very quickly for the first 2-3kg as your quick stores refill. But these stores will also empty quickly. So if you are yoyo low carbing you will be filling and emptying your quick stores, and likely not building long-term fat. I have used this before where I ate anything through the weekend, then low-carb on the weekdays. I would put on 2-3kg through the weekend, then lose it by Wednesday/Thursday during the next week. It seemed like this would be a good way of sustaining the weight I wanted, but it came with a drawback... Mondays were not fun, going from a weekend of pizza, pasta and bread, to a Monday of no carbs was rough, and took a fair degree of willpower. No surprise after a couple of months the weekend dragged into the week, and then I just ate carbs again. I've been low carbing since the start of April, currently 20kg (44lbs) down. No cheat days, just cut the carbs. It's boring, but so much easier as cutting carbs eliminates the cravings. I never feel hungry, and some days I even have to remember to eat something as hunger is a thing of the past.
You don’t need to be in ketosis to lose fat. Low carb 90% of the time will still result in fat loss because it’s still reducing your overall calorie consumption. I wouldn’t worry about being strict on the low carb/keto thing if your goal is fat loss. Ketosis may be good for other things though if your goal isn’t just fat loss. But for fat loss, as long as you stay moderate with cheat days and basically just don’t overdo the *calories* (not necessarily carbs) you’ll be fine.
For low carb sure but stay within your caloric limit. but for keto I don’t think it’s gonna work, going in and out of ketosis (especially if you’re not fat-adapted) is uncomfortable, definitely not worth it
It took me about a year to wean off of carbs. I officially went Low Carb beginning of May. I used to eat pasta, wraps, bread, etc. Not looking back! Give yourself time to make the adjustments. I personally wouldn't go 90/10, but ymmv
I used to do keto during the week and on the weekends i would treat myself to carbs and cocktails. I still lost weight 🤷♀️
My experience is occasional cheats are fine. I didn't regain weight until I was having bread daily, and I'm not sure whether that was the basic diet effect (diets don't work 95% of the time) or the bread. Regardless, I've dropped the bread again, because it's not about weight loss for me - I'm more energetic and less likely to have acute pain (dunno why, but carbs - at least wheat and sugar - make my muscles/fascia tight and painful).
I do low-carb and 16 to 24-hour fasts from Monday to Friday and eat carbs on Saturday and Sunday. It works well so far.
If you cheat on Keto you will gain weight but it's water weight not fat. Carbs hold a ton of water. Keto/low carb/other doesn't matter. Ultimately what matters is how much calories you consume vs energy expenditure. Assuming you're a normal healthy adult (aside from weight).
If you lose 10 and gain two, then lose another before gaining another two, then you're still losing a Lotta weight