Will I still go into ketosis if I continue to drink tea with milk?

[LongChalk]

I’m trying to do Exante which says no tea with milk. But I really really can’t cope without a cup of strong tea each day. I’ve heard that milk can stop you entering ketosis which obv then defeats the object of half starving myself and drinking the disgusting shakes. Just wondered if anyone knew about this. Can you usually have tea with a tiny amount of skimmed milk on a VLCD and still trigger ketosis? Thanks

Be wary of any diet that restricts carbohydrate, fat or protein. A medical is definitely recommended before starting a ketogenic diet. One main reason for this is your ratio of protein will go up even if you don't eat more protein because of the decrease in carbs so be careful with your kidneys and drink plenty of water. I know it shouldn' t be a problem for someone with healthy kidneys but be careful all the same and get those urine stick (ketostix) etc to keep an eye on your protein levels etc and to make sure all your hard work isn' t in vain.

I regularly low carb and still drink tea. I check with ketostix and it doesn't stop me going into ketosis.

Good luck with your diet, you are doing something positive for yourself, and it is really tough.

I know that a lot of people have concerns about these kind of diets as it goes against traditional wisdom, but there is a huge medical trial through Newcastle Uni to reverse type 2 diabetes doing exactly what the OP is doing.

Hey Long Chalk. I' ve read some of your other posts mentioning your shot metabolism through years of yo yo dieting. As I mentioned in my previous post these sort of diets can put a strain on your kidneys and with you having done a lot of dieting over the years maybe you should be a little more careful than the average person who hasn' t dieted as much
Also whilst you might not want to hear it, I have a feeling that working on your confidence levels would help you more than most diets.
Whilst I don' t know you, please do look after yourself and take some care with what you do.

I've done Exante before and talked to others doing it and I think most people can get away with having a little milk so if you only have a few of cups a day no problem but if you drink a lot of hot drinks it can add up. Alternatives are unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk (the carton drinking type rather than the tins used for cooking), and unsweetened light soy milk which are all lower in carbs and calories than milk but you may not like the taste. Hot drinks do help if you feel hungry or cold as some people do when they start out on a vlcd so it's helpful to have something you like. Other alternatives are herbal teas (leaf based only according to exante not the fruit teas) and a hot drink made from the water flavouring. They advise you to avoid anything with citric acid in it as this may affect you getting into ketosis. However many people find it doesn't affect them so if you really like something with citrus or citric acid in it may be worth experimenting and see if you do feel hungrier after drinking these drinks.

Hi Long Chalk
I have the same question.As my BMI is over 25 I am doing a mix of Total Solution during the week and the Man Plan from Friday through to Sunday night.I could not do without milk so will continue to have around 100 mal
mls skimmed over 24 hrs.I've had so many false starts so I appreciate how hard it is.This diet may not work for everyone and so many people think that I'm mad but be true to yourself.Good luck😁