Returning to Keto: What I Learned Over the Past 30 Days

I'm embarrassed to say, that I let my blood glucose level get away from me, again.

Thirty days ago, I was feeling really, really, really bad and decided to check my blood sugar to see what it was doing. 

It was higher than it has ever been before! 

The shock sent me running back to Keto, hoping I still had the capacity to correct the imbalance through diet alone.

It's been 30 days since I returned to Keto.

I'm down 9.2 pounds and my average blood glucose level has dropped quite a bit. Low enough, that I'm no longer in danger of suffering with diabetic complications. Nor neuropathy.

What I want you to know is that Carb Creep is a real thing, especially, if you're doing a simplified low-carb diet where you just eat low-carb options, and not count your daily carb total at all.

That's where I ran off-track.

I forgot to keep track of how many higher-carb gluten-free foods I was eating per day.

Gluten-free foods tend to have more carbohydrates than the food they're replacing. For example, one large hamburger bun (homemade) will set you back 50 carbohydrates due to the amount of starches and sugar in the recipe.

Cutting that bun down to a kid-sized hamburger bun, about 3-inches in diameter, comes to 32 carbs.

Bush baked beans, in a can, will also cost you 32 carbs per half a cup. And you're likely to eat more than that unless you take the time to measure out that half a cup.

I knew this, but in light of wanting to go just gluten free, rather than low-carb gluten-free, I forgot to keep within my carbohydrate tolerance (60 to 120 carbs) because I wasn't keeping track.

I was just eating gluten free and hoped that my Keto habits would be enough.

It wasn't.

Carb Creep slips in when you aren't paying attention to what you eat.

Although, I drink diet soda whether I'm in ketosis or not, I was eating lots of carbs and sugar. And the scales were reflecting that non-mindful eating style.

I gained a quick 20 pounds over the past few months.

So 30 days ago, I decided to go Keto.

For good.

And now . . . I want to share with you what I learned over the past 30 days.

Returning to Keto Wasn't the Same as Last Time

This is a misconception that many low-carb dieters have. They expect weight loss to be just as fast as it was before. When it doesn't turn out that way, they walk away from ketosis, believing that low carb has stopped working for them.

On the other side of the coin, one might be inclined to think that if low carb didn't work out for you before, it's not going to work out this time, either.

Well, I'm here to say that isn't true.

Each time you go Keto, your body is going to react differently than it did before.

For example, in 2007, when I first returned to Atkins, I only lost a couple of pounds during the first 30 days. When I returned to low carb a couple of years ago, I didn't lose a thing. Even after several months.

Hunger level did not decline either time.

But this time?

This time, I lost 7 pounds during the first 2 weeks, and my appetite has been seriously blunted. I've had to literally cut my breakfast and lunch in half because I'm just not hungry.

Insulin Resistance Isn't Going Away – Keto is for Life

Keto is not a cure.

It's not a way of eating that you follow for a determined period of time and then move on to something else.

Keto is a dietary treatment for Insulin Resistance, Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes, and Metabolic Syndrome. 

It is also used to reduce inflammation and improve a fatty liver. Most doctors will also put you on low carb if you have hypoglycemia.

Start eating carbs above your tolerance level, like I did, and these illnesses are going to come roaring back.

I'm really struggling with this one.

The more I go off-plan, the stronger the dietary consequences become. Each time I go rogue, my blood glucose has risen higher than before.

Keto isn't a bandage. It's for life.

Portions Matter

For blood glucose control, portions are as important as the carbs, so what you focus on depends on your dietary goals.

In fact, portion control is a good way of slicing those carbs without feeling deprived. Just because the carton of CarbSmart ice cream says 2/3 cup is one serving, for 4- to 5-net carbs, depending on the flavor, that doesn't mean you have to eat that much.

The less you eat, the less insulin you'll need to take care of the glucose.

Blood Glucose Goes Up When Stressed

It's not all about the carbs.

Stress hormones like cortisol can raise your blood glucose. A rise in glucose is going to require more insulin to take care of it. Put stress on top of higher carbs and you can easily go over the 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) where diabetes complications begin.

I tested this on myself and found that stress caused my blood glucose level to go from an average of 103 mg/dl at mid-afternoon to 125 mg/dl.

Slightly less stress meant slightly less blood glucose.

The 115 mg/dl to 125 mg/dl I've been running is below the danger line, but if you don't pay attention to the stress you're under, and work to overcome it, you might blame the carbs for that 22 point rise.

And yes, if your blood glucose is running about 120 mg/dl or 125 mg/dl at mid-afternoon, due to a higher carb lunch, a bit of stress can push you from a healthy blood sugar count into the danger zone.

Weighing Everyday is Useless

This one, we've all heard before, and know it's true, but I want to show you what my weight did during these 30 days, as well as what my mind did as a result.

Starting Weight: 222 pounds

2 Weeks (Induction): 215 pounds (down 7 pounds)

3 Weeks: 212 pounds (down 3 pounds)

4 Weeks: 213 Pounds (up 1 pound)

30 Days: 212.8 Pounds (down 0.2 pounds)

Ending Weight: 212.8 (down 9.2 pounds)

Thirty days is relatively short when compared to the rest of your life, but the data above shows how unstable my water weight and undigested-food weight was at the beginning of Keto.

What you want to pay attention to is the downward direction, over time. For example, this morning's weight was 212.2 pounds, so the trend is still going down.

As a side-note, my clothes are fitting much, much better, which is a better measuring tool of success than a weight-loss scale.

Watch Your Thoughts, But Don't Listen to Them

This is the BIGGIE.

And why I'm still fighting the weight-loss battle after 45 years.

The mind keeps looking at all of the things that I can't have anymore if I go Keto for good.

I'm literally craving things that I have never craved before.

Yes, there are low-carb versions of most of the things I'm missing, which is why going just gluten free is a slippery slope for me; but I don't know if I've healed enough to be able to tolerate almond flour, even once in a while.

It's a version of the “What If” game.

I can see that.

What if I go Keto and I can't eat almond flour?

I already have to rule out wheat-protein recipes, due to the celiac disease. What if I can't eat paleo flours either?

I honestly didn't realize just how many carbs are in gluten-free foods. Overall, there really isn't that many more calories, so I let go of the comparison.

But this time, I took a step back and started reading the labels for carbs instead of calories.

Rice is calorie-shy.

Just 120 calories per ½ cup serving.

But the number of carbs in that ½ cup of grain is huge! There's 20 carbs in half a cup of steamed rice, and I never just eat just ½ cup.

I also like mine topped with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, which costs me another 10 carbs per tablespoon. So that pile of rice next to the roasted chicken could be as high as 80 carbs, all the carbs I can eat for an entire day!

Realistically, I can see how I got blown off course.

I can also see why I ended up going rogue so many times.

My mind wants to quit. The mind doesn't want to diet. The mind doesn't want to count carbs or calories or points.

It wants hash browns, cookies, cake, and sweet rice.

For me, weight loss is a side issue. It's not the driving force pushing me forward anymore. Controlling my blood sugar is, so that's given me a bit of space where I can stand back and watch my thoughts.

I'm literally craving everything that's bad for my blood sugar.

I'm dreading the task of measuring out and tracking every single carb I eat. Can't track accurately if you don't measure.

I'm also in a situation where hubby isn't going to follow me this time around, so my time in the kitchen is going to be greater.

I'm going to have to find me some comfort foods and start experimenting with a little bit of almond flour, hoping I've healed enough from the celiac disease to be able to handle a bit of fiber now.

Years ago, the low-carb community was using protein powder and crushed pork rinds for flour, both fiber free, but Yahoo Groups took down all of that info since people are using their phones to connect with each other through email rather than doing research through the archives.

It's a little scary to go Keto for life, but I'm up to the challenge.

How about you?

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