Friday Night...

Have you permanently given up all drinking?

 

I can't believe that. He enjoys a good brew too much at times!

 

It might interrupt the state of ketosis, though.

 

I'm not an expert but I'm not sure a person is ment to stay in a state of ketosis for all his life

 

Yeah, I haven't drank alcohol in almost two months, and I honestly can't see going back to it anytime soon. For one, it makes me feel miserable, even in relatively small quantities. Second, alcohol is pure carbohydrates, and being on a ketogenic diet, doing as much as drinking a beer would throw me out of ketosis. Once you're out of ketosis, it can take several days to get back into it. And being in a state of ketosis, I don't even crave alcohol.

Marijuana is really my only vice these days, and for health reasons I tend to vape more than smoke.

But more and more alcohol just seems like something I can easily do without.

 

Ok, you may have explained this before but what is the benefit of being in ketosis if you don't have any fat left to burn?

 

Well, good for you then. Do what works for you. You seem happier these days. Or, at the least, you don't talk about being sad as often.

 

I hate alcohol, tastes and smells so bad.

 

I have suffered from a sort of existential depression since high school that has never completely lifted, though changing my lifestyle has certainly helped me to not be as depressed and given me a sense of well-being.

 

You're not supposed to drink it pure

 

I can relate to that. I'm the same way, but when I cut out certain foods and began exercising, it became worlds more manageable. I think some people just have a "sad" default setting.

 

Your body tends to self-regulate after a point, so it's not like you waste away to nothing or anything like that. If anything, ketogenic diets are just as effective at building muscle as they are burning fat. But besides that, the benefits of a ketogenic diet go way beyond simply weight loss and body composition. The energy and mental clarity I have since going on this diet is just incredible. I hate using the term "diet" because it implies something that is temporary. I should say lifestyle.

 

Wow, thanks

 

Now you can start enjoying beer too!

Yeah, I have the same problem with the word diet Anyway, I always thought ketosis was ment to be a temporarily thing but like I said, I'm definitely not an expert.

 

It can be a temporary thing, but it doesn't have to be. Most people go on a ketogenic diet and have such great results and feel so much better that it becomes a permanent lifestyle change. The only hard part for some is adjusting your diet accordingly, since so much of what people eat contains carbohydrates, and it's usually the refined, high-glycemic ones that cause blood sugar spikes that people tend to eat the most of. However, you can eat a lot of vegetables and, to a lesser extent, fruit, and still remain in ketosis.

Basically, in its simplest form, when you go on a ketogenic diet, especially long-term, you are changing your body's entire metabolic process from one that that relies on sugar for energy to one that relies almost entirely on fat. I believe, and the science seems to show, that ketones are the body's preferred source of energy -- esp. the brain. (Not that all diets work the same for all people.)

 

So what (do you think) would happen if you started ingesting more carbohydrates but still limit them a lot. But enough to get you out of the state of ketosis? Would your metabolic process get totally fucked up again because it doesn't only or mainly has to process fat/ketones but also more sugar/glucose again? Or would it adjust and balance things out, incorporating and processing all of the stuff you ingest? Would you gain more weight in fat again? Or if you combine it with the physical exercise you already do maybe keep on building muscle?

 

No, it wouldn't totally fuck up your metabolic process since you would still be keeping your insulin levels low and would therefore be in fat-burning mode at least most of the time. Most people who go on low-carb, non-ketogenic diets have great results. Going ketogenic is just taking things up a notch, so that you're literally in fat-burning mode 24/7. For the past two years or so I have been on a low-carb diet, keeping my daily intake to around no more than 100 grams a day. In the past two months, I have restricted that intake to around 30 grams a day, and almost all of it comes from fiber from vegetables, seeds and nuts.

The whole reason for initially going on a ketogenic diet was to lose some of the remaining fat I still have on my lower stomach. However, since doing more and more research and fully understanding the benefits to this diet, which go far beyond weight loss, I have realized that I would like it to be a long-term thing for me.

Even if I do decide to ditch ketosis at some point, I would still adhere to a low-carb diet, and could never see myself going back to the Standard American Diet ever again.

But anyway, I am starting to digress and take this thread way off topic. I also realize I tend to sound pretentious when it comes to this subject matter, but it's something I am really passionate about and could talk for hours at length about it.

 

Well yeah I did not expect otherwise! But I didn't expect you to ditch all good beers on a permanent basis. I see that was a later decision that comes along with deciding to stay in ketosis.

I only ask because I am curious and know you are passionate about the subject, so no worries about maybe sounding pretentious. Besides, it takes 5 days before it's friday again so I feel we can spend a page in here going offtopic :biggrin: (although maybe it would indeed be more appreciated to find this info in an appropriate thread)

 

Well, to be honest, I do think there will be occasions when I will drink, but it's going to be only on rare occasions, and probably not in large amounts.

It's a good thing I am not a very social creature, or else this diet would be nearly impossible to be on.