What Do You Love The Most?

[Satsuki]

lol.

Okay, as everyone knows already - I failed big time on keto. Not because of cravings or slipping up, but I had a full on detoxing off heroin-esque reaction to it. The first few days I was okay, foggy-minded but decent, energy was ok. By the time I hit full ketosis on Tuesday, I went downhill pretty fast. My heart was racing nonstop (my resting rate went from 56 to 68, I'm still hovering at 66-67) I was having crazy anxiety, I couldn't move without wanting to cry, I was forgetting how to do simple things, and last night I spent a few hours puking out everything I've ever eaten. Pretty extreme reaction! I spent the day today troubleshooting - my fat and protein macros were spot on, I was actively getting enough sodium. I was taking a potassium supplement too. So, what the fuck went wrong?
Theories:
1. I'm a literal moron who needed to not go from 500 carbs a day to 20 without easing into it first
2. There are some accounts of individuals on SSRIs (antidepressants) who experience extreme negative reactions on low carb diets, due to the relationship between serotonin and carbs, it results in a serotonin crash (can have physical and mental effects)
3. sugar detox is real, man
4. This is normal on keto and people are deluding themselves into "its not that bad"

Many people say if you can push past the symptoms for a few more days, it will get better. I felt like this was a lot more extreme than a lot of keto-ers deal with tho, so idk. I expected the depression and crying, but I haven't heard of anyone not being able to keep food down! that totally sucked. I didn't feel like myself at all and I did not like the way my brain felt. Today I took care to introduce some healthy carbs back in (fruits and some banana bread I made with almond flour and no extra sweetners.) I feel a lot, lot better already.

But I did learn a few things, firstly I need to cook my own damn food. This is the most cooking I have ever done for myself, ever. I'm normally eating snacks until dinner, basically - which are almost all carb-bombs. With the past days I was eating high fat/protein, I was not hungry whatsoever. Every thing I put in my mouth was filling, everything had a purpose basically. I want to make a conscious decision to eat more full-fat, protein-y things so I'm not encouraged to keep snacking.
The second thing I learned is being on the SSRIs make it so I do not feel full when I'm eating so many carbs, and therefore I want to keep eating carbs and sweets. It becomes a serotonin cycle of eat, feel good from eat, eat more. That isn't uncommon for your average citizen, but I feel like I have it almost twofold because it's like slamming that shit straight to my brain AND it's positively enforced by meds. Both the long term ones I'm on are notorious for making people crave carbs and sweets, which is why weight gain occurs so easily. Now, that's not to say I'm gonna go off the meds, they make my life a lot better overall but they make food and weight stuff harder for sure. Before these past few days, I never even understood this, and I certainly didn't internalize it. I feel like I understand better now, because I've never attempted to do anything differently.

Action plan going forward:
I'm going to keep refined sugar out as much as possible, especially in regards to breads/grains/snacks. When I'm eating good proteins and fats, I didn't crave bread at all. I think I'm still in low carb territory right now, but currently more in the 100-110 range rather than 20-30. I think on a normal day, around 150 is a good number to shoot for. That should keep me high enough to be able to have bananas and shit, keep me away from garbage, and a steady distance away from actual ketosis. I'm going to retool my macros so I can have something to follow (keeps me accountable.)

Oh, and I lost 7 lbs in 6 days. I don't think that's supposed to happen and prob no wonder why I feel like shit.

[cigsthecat]

Sats you bought a bike and did some cooking. This is a win.

[Calliander]

Okay, as everyone knows already - I failed big time on keto.

I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL I READ THIS

I need to cook my own damn food.

This is the thing that should be taken from any diet. Relying on pre-made stuff is the problem. If you can get to cooking your own things and not looking at it as some kind of huge imposition, you'll be better off. Food should be an effort you expend.

I don't have to keep track of my calories any more because I make 95% of everything I eat.

Anyway, I'm somehow still going on this no-metal thing. The other day I noticed Childish Gambino playing in the background at the gym, too, so that was pretty rad.

[Fe 26]

lol.

Okay, as everyone knows already - I failed big time on keto. Not because of cravings or slipping up, but I had a full on detoxing off heroin-esque reaction to it. The first few days I was okay, foggy-minded but decent, energy was ok. By the time I hit full ketosis on Tuesday, I went downhill pretty fast. My heart was racing nonstop (my resting rate went from 56 to 68, I'm still hovering at 66-67) I was having crazy anxiety, I couldn't move without wanting to cry, I was forgetting how to do simple things, and last night I spent a few hours puking out everything I've ever eaten. Pretty extreme reaction! I spent the day today troubleshooting - my fat and protein macros were spot on, I was actively getting enough sodium. I was taking a potassium supplement too. So, what the fuck went wrong?
Theories:
1. I'm a literal moron who needed to not go from 500 carbs a day to 20 without easing into it first
2. There are some accounts of individuals on SSRIs (antidepressants) who experience extreme negative reactions on low carb diets, due to the relationship between serotonin and carbs, it results in a serotonin crash (can have physical and mental effects)
3. sugar detox is real, man
4. This is normal on keto and people are deluding themselves into "its not that bad"

Many people say if you can push past the symptoms for a few more days, it will get better. I felt like this was a lot more extreme than a lot of keto-ers deal with tho, so idk. I expected the depression and crying, but I haven't heard of anyone not being able to keep food down! that totally sucked. I didn't feel like myself at all and I did not like the way my brain felt. Today I took care to introduce some healthy carbs back in (fruits and some banana bread I made with almond flour and no extra sweetners.) I feel a lot, lot better already.

But I did learn a few things, firstly I need to cook my own damn food. This is the most cooking I have ever done for myself, ever. I'm normally eating snacks until dinner, basically - which are almost all carb-bombs. With the past days I was eating high fat/protein, I was not hungry whatsoever. Every thing I put in my mouth was filling, everything had a purpose basically. I want to make a conscious decision to eat more full-fat, protein-y things so I'm not encouraged to keep snacking.
The second thing I learned is being on the SSRIs make it so I do not feel full when I'm eating so many carbs, and therefore I want to keep eating carbs and sweets. It becomes a serotonin cycle of eat, feel good from eat, eat more. That isn't uncommon for your average citizen, but I feel like I have it almost twofold because it's like slamming that shit straight to my brain AND it's positively enforced by meds. Both the long term ones I'm on are notorious for making people crave carbs and sweets, which is why weight gain occurs so easily. Now, that's not to say I'm gonna go off the meds, they make my life a lot better overall but they make food and weight stuff harder for sure. Before these past few days, I never even understood this, and I certainly didn't internalize it. I feel like I understand better now, because I've never attempted to do anything differently.

Action plan going forward:
I'm going to keep refined sugar out as much as possible, especially in regards to breads/grains/snacks. When I'm eating good proteins and fats, I didn't crave bread at all. I think I'm still in low carb territory right now, but currently more in the 100-110 range rather than 20-30. I think on a normal day, around 150 is a good number to shoot for. That should keep me high enough to be able to have bananas and shit, keep me away from garbage, and a steady distance away from actual ketosis. I'm going to retool my macros so I can have something to follow (keeps me accountable.)

Oh, and I lost 7 lbs in 6 days. I don't think that's supposed to happen and prob no wonder why I feel like shit.

Most of that is probably water. You pass most of the fat in your urine. Also, most people will drop 5 lbs just from cutting soft drinks.



There could be a third possible cause for your extreme reaction. Josh can correct me on this, it might be broscience, but some drugs and vitamins and minerals are absorbed into your body fat and just sit there. Burning that fat might have released a load of something that didn't play well with your current script. Also, keto raises your blood acidity which could have changed how your body played with your script (maybe? the acidity part is from a nutritionist though, so that part is probably true).



I will say that the very first time I cut all sugar, I was a ball of rage for 2 or 3 weeks. I felt like a vengeful god. I was really productive but at the same time just milliseconds from doing something regretful. I'm lucky the stars didn't align and I did something to get fired. For better or worse, I haven't had that reaction this time. I haven't regained the temper or the productivity.

[Fe 26]

lol.

Okay, as everyone knows already - I failed big time on keto. Not because of cravings or slipping up, but I had a full on detoxing off heroin-esque reaction to it. The first few days I was okay, foggy-minded but decent, energy was ok. By the time I hit full ketosis on Tuesday, I went downhill pretty fast. My heart was racing nonstop (my resting rate went from 56 to 68, I'm still hovering at 66-67) I was having crazy anxiety, I couldn't move without wanting to cry, I was forgetting how to do simple things, and last night I spent a few hours puking out everything I've ever eaten. Pretty extreme reaction! I spent the day today troubleshooting - my fat and protein macros were spot on, I was actively getting enough sodium. I was taking a potassium supplement too. So, what the fuck went wrong?
Theories:
1. I'm a literal moron who needed to not go from 500 carbs a day to 20 without easing into it first
2. There are some accounts of individuals on SSRIs (antidepressants) who experience extreme negative reactions on low carb diets, due to the relationship between serotonin and carbs, it results in a serotonin crash (can have physical and mental effects)
3. sugar detox is real, man
4. This is normal on keto and people are deluding themselves into "its not that bad"

Many people say if you can push past the symptoms for a few more days, it will get better. I felt like this was a lot more extreme than a lot of keto-ers deal with tho, so idk. I expected the depression and crying, but I haven't heard of anyone not being able to keep food down! that totally sucked. I didn't feel like myself at all and I did not like the way my brain felt. Today I took care to introduce some healthy carbs back in (fruits and some banana bread I made with almond flour and no extra sweetners.) I feel a lot, lot better already.

But I did learn a few things, firstly I need to cook my own damn food. This is the most cooking I have ever done for myself, ever. I'm normally eating snacks until dinner, basically - which are almost all carb-bombs. With the past days I was eating high fat/protein, I was not hungry whatsoever. Every thing I put in my mouth was filling, everything had a purpose basically. I want to make a conscious decision to eat more full-fat, protein-y things so I'm not encouraged to keep snacking.
The second thing I learned is being on the SSRIs make it so I do not feel full when I'm eating so many carbs, and therefore I want to keep eating carbs and sweets. It becomes a serotonin cycle of eat, feel good from eat, eat more. That isn't uncommon for your average citizen, but I feel like I have it almost twofold because it's like slamming that shit straight to my brain AND it's positively enforced by meds. Both the long term ones I'm on are notorious for making people crave carbs and sweets, which is why weight gain occurs so easily. Now, that's not to say I'm gonna go off the meds, they make my life a lot better overall but they make food and weight stuff harder for sure. Before these past few days, I never even understood this, and I certainly didn't internalize it. I feel like I understand better now, because I've never attempted to do anything differently.

Action plan going forward:
I'm going to keep refined sugar out as much as possible, especially in regards to breads/grains/snacks. When I'm eating good proteins and fats, I didn't crave bread at all. I think I'm still in low carb territory right now, but currently more in the 100-110 range rather than 20-30. I think on a normal day, around 150 is a good number to shoot for. That should keep me high enough to be able to have bananas and shit, keep me away from garbage, and a steady distance away from actual ketosis. I'm going to retool my macros so I can have something to follow (keeps me accountable.)

Oh, and I lost 7 lbs in 6 days. I don't think that's supposed to happen and prob no wonder why I feel like shit.

Most of that is probably water. You pass most of the fat in your urine. Also, most people will drop 5 lbs just from cutting soft drinks.



There could be a third possible cause for your extreme reaction. Josh can correct me on this, it might be broscience, but some drugs and vitamins and minerals are absorbed into your body fat and just sit there. Burning that fat might have released a load of something that didn't play well with your current script. Also, keto raises your blood acidity which could have changed how your body played with your script (maybe? the acidity part is from a nutritionist though, so that part is probably true).



I will say that the very first time I cut all sugar, I was a ball of rage for 2 or 3 weeks. I felt like a vengeful god. I was really productive but at the same time just milliseconds from doing something regretful. I'm lucky the stars didn't align and I did something to get fired. For better or worse, I haven't had that reaction this time. I haven't regained the temper or the productivity.

[arjue]

That sucks Sats. If you're having that much of a reaction to it, it's probably healthier to stop. At least you're still focused on eating healthy, ultimately thats a victory.

So far this has been pretty easy for me. Hardest thing is when my housemates order pizza or eat sweet shit in front of me, it's just kinda depressing not being able to eat it. I don't own scales, but I'm pretty sure I'm losing weight.

[cigsthecat]

My idea? Don't buy a scale.

[Satsuki]

Cigs - haha if only I didn't live in a burning hellscape rn! But honestly getting the bike was the best decision I have made in months. I'm lifting again too, though I wasn't able to do it on the days that I was on the keto.

IP - I'm 100% positive it was water weight. I'll take it for now, whatever it is! Might as well get something from this ordeal. As far as something being released into my system, you may be onto something. I noticed that the effects were very, very, very similar to when I got serotonin syndrome back in December from switching some meds around. Lightheaded, crazy anxious, everything like that. I really wish I knew more about the chemical effects and fat absorption because my gut feeling is that the meds and extreme reaction to the keto are related. My heart rate is back to normal right now, but I had about 130 carbs yesterday and about 100 today. Doing ok in this range currently.
I wasn't irritable at all, I just wasn't myself! It's like all my intellectual capacity and curiosity went missing for a few days. I didn't want to do anything but sit and refresh reddit and sleep. It really sucked.

Arjue - that's wonderful! I'm so happy to hear it's been going so well for you. You seem to have eased into it really well!!!! Also you can totally have the pizza, but you gotta scrape off the toppings from the crust lol

Went to a baseball game today and managed to navigate the junk food with ease, I wasn't even craving it. Ate high protein/low carb (burger with cheese and bacon and no bun) and it was so filling I didn't want ice cream or anything like that. This would have been the total opposite if what I did before, which was get a salad and totally crave sweets the whole time.

[Satsuki]

Cigs - haha if only I didn't live in a burning hellscape rn! But honestly getting the bike was the best decision I have made in months. I'm lifting again too, though I wasn't able to do it on the days that I was on the keto.

IP - I'm 100% positive it was water weight. I'll take it for now, whatever it is! Might as well get something from this ordeal. As far as something being released into my system, you may be onto something. I noticed that the effects were very, very, very similar to when I got serotonin syndrome back in December from switching some meds around. Lightheaded, crazy anxious, everything like that. I really wish I knew more about the chemical effects and fat absorption because my gut feeling is that the meds and extreme reaction to the keto are related. My heart rate is back to normal right now, but I had about 130 carbs yesterday and about 100 today. Doing ok in this range currently.
I wasn't irritable at all, I just wasn't myself! It's like all my intellectual capacity and curiosity went missing for a few days. I didn't want to do anything but sit and refresh reddit and sleep. It really sucked.

Arjue - that's wonderful! I'm so happy to hear it's been going so well for you. You seem to have eased into it really well!!!! Also you can totally have the pizza, but you gotta scrape off the toppings from the crust lol

Went to a baseball game today and managed to navigate the junk food with ease, I wasn't even craving it. Ate high protein/low carb (burger with cheese and bacon and no bun) and it was so filling I didn't want ice cream or anything like that. This would have been the total opposite if what I did before, which was get a salad and totally crave sweets the whole time.

[cigsthecat]

You know what I think I'll do? From now on, every other time I order a burger I will swap between bun and no bun. Split the difference.