Falling off the Keto Wagon and Getting Back With a Vengeance!

Last updated on February 20, 2020

Its been a while since I posted, that’s because I was traveling for attending a family wedding in a different state. And I also need to confess that I had to get off the Keto wagon for it. Indian weddings as most of you know are grand affairs, where lots of food and drinking are involved. Had it been a matter of a day or so I might have managed, but the wedding rituals were for a week and the traveling time was additional. So I took a conscious decision to get off the Keto wagon to see how my body reacts. I am glad that I dropped out of Ketosis, as the way my body reacted was an eye-opener for me.

Although I started by introducing carbs slowly and steadily, my body just could not handle it. My stomach went for bonkers, I had severe dysentery for the first three days and even after that, it seemed as if my body had forgotten what to do with carbs.

Anyway, that took some adjusting, and in the mayhem of the wedding, I really didn’t have time to worry about a bad tummy. The second thing that I noticed was lethargy. I have been on Keto wagon from 1.1.2015 and while you are in it, you feel so supercharged that you forget about terms and feelings like laziness, boredom, lack of energy and no zeal.

I don’t yawn at work and these last three to four days, I feel so sleepy and disinterested, that I am shocked at myself. All this year I was sleeping only after midnight and waking up fresh as a pansy. But once off Keto wagon, I could not stay awake after dinner, and it was so difficult to get out of bed.

Also Read: Happy Birthday to a New and Amazing me! | Keto Transformation Story

The third thing that I hated about being off Keto wagon was the way my body felt. I could feel pudginess all over, my tummy was loving the carb fuel and longing to get back to out of proportion. My hair feels listless again. I hate it! People around me have started saying that you have lost enough and now you should maintain this weight by going back to your old lifestyle.

I have just one answer for them- Nothing Doing! How can I let the hard work that I have put in for almost a year, go to waste? How can I even risk to go back looking the way I used to a year back?

I am glad to report that after this break, I am ready to get back on the Keto wagon with a double vengeance. And all of you, who face the same questions and dilemmas like me about the diet, go ahead and give these answers.

1. Won’t all this fat clog your arteries?

When you eat butter it does not travel straight to your bloodstream. If you are imagining blood flowing with a layer of oil slick, then you need to grow up. Our bodies have evolved over millions of years and can take very good care of themselves.

Please say- My arteries are not like drains in a kitchen that get clogged with fat deposits. Clogging of arteries is a complex medical problem, which cannot be blamed just on the fat.

2. Won’t you end up raising your cholesterol level?

If humans were herbivorous all the dietary cholesterol that we consume in a Keto diet would surely lead to atherosclerosis in them. But humans are not herbivores and except a few humans who fall in a category called “hyper-responders,” most humans can digest cholesterols from food and not let it affect their cholesterol levels. Yes, it does affect the blood lipids but that is in a good way as they do not affect the LDL levels at all. In other words, our livers are not pressurized and they only make as much we need.

Please say- The cholesterol in the diet will not affect the total blood cholesterol level. In fact since you are eating cholesterol, your body has to make less of it and manages to strike a balance in the blood level.

3. How can fat make you thin, it will only make you more fat?

Fat never makes you fat, only when you eat extra fat that gets deposited as adipose tissues in your body. When you eat fat the quantity might be less, but it satisfies you for a longer period of time. Compare a cheese omelet with a few slices of bacon, with a fried egg with four slices of toast. The quantity of the former might be less but it is more filling. When you are on Keto, it is very difficult to overeat. According to many studies when you go on high fat and low carb diet, you actually lose weight and also increase your lean mass.

Please say- Going on Keto is the easiest way to lose weight, without sacrificing your satisfaction of eating well. You get to lose your stores of fat and increase your lean mass.

4. But Priya with all that saturated fat you might have a heart attack one day?

They all will say that, but I am going to listen to science. For your information I just got my blood works done and all is good.

Please say- According to most recent studies saturated fat has no connection to a heart attack.

5. How do you stay energized?

Fat is my body’s fuel. The fat that I eat and the fat that is stored in my body is my source of energy. Let’s not forget that a gram of fat gives you 9 calories. Look around humans have been storing fat in their bodies since time immemorial. They do it for later, for leaner times and when they are hungry. Fats are ideal for all kinds of activities.

Fat is king!

Please say- We have been accumulating fats in our bodies, to be used as a form of energy from day one. You don’t think we accumulate it for having a sexy backside.

6. But isn’t fat low on nutrients? How will you fulfill your vitamins requirement?

You will be glad to know that choline an essential nutrient for the proper functioning of the liver is found in egg yolks, which is rich in fat. Vitamin K2, which is essential for bone metabolism, and proper health of the arteries, is found in butter. Fish oil which so many of us take as a supplement on Keto is the richest source of Vitamin D. Lastly, fats might be low on vitamins, but they definitely improve the availability of fat-soluble vitamins in the food, at the time of cooking.

Please say- Egg yolks, cod liver oil, butter, and olive oil can easily classified in the category of healthy superfoods. And if you don’t have fats you won’t be able to absorb the nutrients in the foods, especially the greens.

7. How can the brain function properly on fats?

The brain, in fact, runs on glucose. But like a hybrid car, it can work just fine on petrol or diesel. Hence, it works just fine on glucose or fat. The ketones which are derived from the fatty acids are more than capable of taking caring of all the needs of the brain. The brain does need some glucose, but it is a known fact that it works much more efficiently when the fuel is a combination of ketones and glucose.

This enhanced efficiency means that you can go for hours without actually eating food. The fat stores in your body will keep the brain up and running. Unlike the situation when you are dependent on carbs and your brain gets foggy if you miss lunch. And if you are wondering where will the glucose come from, our bodies make upto 150grmas of glucose every day, by a process called gluconeogenesis.

Please say- The brain runs more efficiently when you run it on a combo of ketones and glucose. I won’t exchange the supercharged feeling for anything.

So, what did I miss? What else have you heard, and how do you respond?

Let me and everyone know in the comments!