to not stop my "doctor's orders" diet now I'm supposed to

[ErnesttheBavarian]

My doctor strongly recommended I follow a Ketogenic diet for 3 weeks every 3 months for health reasons (not weight loss). I have now done my 2nd 'session'. Even when not following this diet, the foods I can eat are pretty limited. Despite that, I am heavier than I would like to be and would like to lose 5 kilos.

Anyway, after 3 weeks on this diet, I have lost maybe 2 kilos. This morning my piss-on-a-keto-stick showed me I am more iin ketosis than I ever have been.

I know I should stop the diet now, as it's heavy work on the liver and I should only do it for 3 to 4 weeks, but now I am stressing that I will put back on all of the weight.

Like I said, the diet is for health, not weight reasons, but I am frustrated at my seeming inability to shed any pounds.

IABU to ignore the doctor's advice and just carry on with it? Has anyone done this diet before (for either health or weight reasons? Dunno if it is a good diet for weight loss or not?)

Sugar free haribo online OP

There are a lot of myths around ketogenic diets. They can be very beneficial for many medical conditions including diabetes, epilepsy etc, but are contraindicated in many, many others-osteoporosis risk etc.

Without knowing your history and why your doc has suggested it, it wouldn't be appropriate for anyone to say whether you should or shouldn't.

I do follow it mainly and feel the best I have in years, processed carbs just don't suit me but I can tweak it or stop completely for 'occasions' like a Wednesday

Have you had a full thyroid screen done? Often that will be the cause of sneaky bastard residual weight.

If you are not eating crap, keep an eye on portion control, drinking plenty of water and still not getting anywhere then get yourself back to the GP.
That's all anyone should aim for rather than anything too restrictive full time.

I have lost 13lb with ww since October after dabbling with all sorts of things including LCHF, which wasn't good for me as I wasn't strict enough. I'm gluten free for ibs issues and it's fines - you Can adapt any recipe.

You say you have a Haribo problem and your portion control isn't great.

Well you've just solved your own weight issue.

When you "come off the diet"

DO NOT BUY ANY HARIBO or any other sweet

EAT SENSIBLE PORTIONS (if in doubt, weight everything and count calories for a week, it will educate yourself into what is a healthy portion size is for you).

If you follow those two very simple "rules" you will continue to lose weight.

Hang on a second! Two kilos lost in 3 weeks is plenty! That's over a pound a week (in old money) and you only have a small amount to lose overall, so that is a good weight loss.

Whatever you do, don't go down the path of obsession with those 3 kilos. That way madness lies.

It sounds like you need a regimented diet plan to stick to, otherwise your motivation goes out the window.
Try to alter your view so that you're not on a 'diet' as such, more that you're making permanent healthy changes to your lifestyle which you can keep to long term. Getting into a habit of strict dieting, then yo yo-ing in weight is very counter productive.

Fasting might work for you; one or two days fasting per week where you consume 500 calories a day and then eating normally but healthily the other five days. You would have to check this is suitable for someone with Coeliac disease.

It might help to not deny yourself your 'treat' foods, e.g. Haribos! but only allow yourself to eat those on say a Sunday?

Suggest you explain your issues and worries that clearly and understandibly are a major concern and impacting on your health and ask to see a dietitian. Good luck.

ChocChocPorridge - I was just dieting too enthusiastically at the time and had just had ds2 - she said ketones were high in urine and that's what would happen - wonder if she was just trying to scare me at the time - it worked and I started to do sensible dieting to lose 1-2lb per week then, not the general starvation regime I was on

bake off - that hasn't solved my problem though. That's literally telling someone they can lose weight by eating less and moving more! I can only avoid the sweets etc because I am on this diet. As soon as I stop I will spiral into uncontrolled sugar addiction! I don't think my portions are so big normally, it was just in the hotel, but it had a huge impact. Tha's why I am reluctant to come off - it is an amzing control which in 'real life' I havn't got.

I have tried saying I'll only have sweets on a particular day, but I cannot stick to it. Actually, once I eat a couple I don't even really enjoy them, but I am totally addicted to sugar and will eat the entire packet, even though I'm not enjoying them and then steal my kids' sweets, and then send my ds to the shop to buy more before the shop shuts!

I did 5:2 before and liked it. I got out of the swing of it. I need to mentally be in the right place for it, but I should try to get back to that.

This morning my piss-on-a-keto-stick showed me I am more iin ketosis than I ever have been.

Ketosticks aren't to be relied on. They are a great indicator but if they are dark pink, it generally just means you're not drinking enough water. I'm on a keto diet at the moment and the sticks are never more than rose pink because I drink 3-4L of water a day.

Why don't you go back to your doc and see what s/he thinks about you staying on the diet longer? I'm not sure where all the liver comments are coming from. Be interested in seeing any evidence for that...

Perhaps you could try replacing the sweets with something else? A big bowl of sugar free jelly? Strawberries? Or even sugar free sweets?
You're right, you need to be in the right head space to stick to healthy changes. You've made a good start with the ketone diet. Try to hold on to how much better you feel and look. You say yourself you don't enjoy all the sweets, remember the guilt and disappointment you feel after bingeing on them.

You have weaned yourself off the sugar so it's a good time to curb that habit now while your blood sugar is on an even keel. Good luck.

okay so your gluten free (like me) and possibly the reason you have an issue stopping the sugar is gluten free foods contain shit loads of sugar seriously ive put on weight just by buying gluten free stuff even the bread has loads its all so sweet (and im a chocoholic just eaten reese's peanut butter cups for breakfast)

go back to your doctors about the ketosis dont take a risk with your health like that but look at your diet in detail afterwards do you eat a lot of home made food or prepacked gluten free food?

try going vegetarian occasionally i find that so helpful when im eating too much shit no idea why it helps keep the weight down and the cravings at bay but for me it does

as a last thought following a gluten free diet means you're more at risk of osteoporosis so following a diet long term that will make it worse is not something i personally would do?

I should just stay away from the sugar! I have 3 tubs of heros/quality street and a multi pack of crunchies hidden under my bed! I can easily reisit them now on this diet, but I know once I 'can' eat them, I'll be hard pushed not to scoff the lot before Christmas!

I can't go back to the same doctor - I visited a clinic for health reasons in the summer to try and get under control. The doctor was there. I feel so much better on this diet.

Interesting about the osteoporosis. I didn't know about that. I'll look into it. Still, doc recommended it for 3/4 weeks every 3 months, so I guess if I did stick to that it should be ok.

I never eat 'GF' processed food, for the simple reason you can't get it where I live, so I only eat what I make myself, and I never bother with bread or cakes or anything. just meat, fish, dairy, veg. That's petty much it. and then my out-of-control-sugar addiction.

Right, I will stop soon. And will do 5:2. And try to avoid sugar. Maybe I'll do a quick ketogenic week after Christmas to stop my Christmas treats spirally into rampant cravings. Maybe that's how I manage myself better. I am nevertheless genuinely reluctant/anxious to stop. It's weid. it took me a month to force myelf to do it (I should have done it in October) but now I'm here I feel like stopping = standing on the edge of a cliff and being told to jump and it'll be ok.

Have you been tested for Diabetes? The Keto diet seems to be good for Type 2's - keeps Blood Glucose under control and helps weight loss.

Get all those sweets out from under your bed and bin them, Earnest, removing temptation is the only way!
After a while you will stop craving them and have bags more energy. Cold turkey from the sweets is the way forward.

I've done every diet under the sun! Weight came off quickly with Atkins but back on once I relaxed it. Only long term solution was exercise. Stared regularly exercising about 5 years ago and lost three stone (11 st something to 8 st something). I've regained one stone since as I didn't excercise much in pregnancy and haven't done enough since to shift the baby weight but it really does work if you're relatively careful with your diet too.

i stopped eating chocolate and sugar once i felt so much better then the kids stopped sleeping and i started snacking on the odd mars bar to keep me awake before i knew it i was back on the daily sugar again put all the weight back on and everything i feel shit about myself im making myself worse but its worse than bloody smoking with me

thing is when i actually do sleep i dont crave sugar as much ah well maybe when the kids leave home

Hi OP, I think you will be fine if you perhaps follow a moderate to lowish carb plan for now. Eating meals based on meat and vegetables and cutting out refined carbs seems sensible to me. Maybe also take up weight-bearing exercise to develop your muscles and increase metabolism.

Re the 5 kg gain, are you now in the 'overweight' range? I am just asking because sometimes your body gets fed up of being underweight for years and stabilises at a slightly higher weight and it will be hard to get it off. However, if it has now made you overweight, I can understand you wanting to lose it.

Have you looked into CBT to help you with your diet? There are some books (like www.amazon.co.uk/Diet-Trap-Solution-Train-Weight/dp/178180589X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480588401&sr=8-1&keywords=diet+trap+solution or www.amazon.co.uk/Lose-Weight-WITHOUT-Dieting-motivation-ebook/dp/B0045JLPRY/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1480588491&sr=8-13&keywords=david+nordmark) that give you exercises to practice daily; I lost a stone solely when reading this books just by being aware of what I was putting into my gob. note to self, must start reading them again

As for staying in ketosis, I wouldn't recommend it. I had HG in my first pregnancy, and felt like shit. I lost 3 stone in the first trimester ('luckily' I had it to lose) and wouldn't recommend it as a weight loss technique. As your doctor has prescribed it, I'd stick to his advice and stop after 3 weeks before having a break and starting again.

I'll look into those books, thanks.

I do like a good book :)

I can't chuck out the sweets. They were given by GF to dc. I will eat (all) some of them though.

I am neither over nor under weight. I am teetering around the 60kilos mark, and have done for years (bwn 57 to 60), but I had made it down to 58 kilos last year, after the summer I went up to about 63/64. I am really short and the extra weight really shows, and I can't fit into many of my clothes. I look and feel much better at the 58 mark, though I would like to get to more like 55. 60 is only just in the normal weight catagory, over that and I am officially overweight.

Unfortunately not as simple as that chocchocporridge. Low carb diets have never been proven to result in more fat loss long term. Ketosis is burning of babies own tissues fat and muscle and it not an ideal state to be in long term.

The reason a diet like this is not recommended long term is that is is not possible to meet all your micronutrient requirements on it long term and the chance of continued Ill health is therefore higher.

The only evidence based reason I know of for recommending ketogenic diets is in drug resistant epilepsy. I would suggest your request referral to a dietitian.