Must I Be Keto Forever? (aka Can I Start Eating Carbs Again?)
Must I Be Keto Forever? (aka Can I Start Eating Carbs Again?)
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00:00Most of us have changed our diets at one time or another. Over the past years, the ketogenic diet
00:05has risen in popularity because it works for fat loss, produces energy-rich ketones, and offers
00:10many enjoyable and easy-to-prepare food choices. But a keto diet cuts out some fun foods,
00:16like certain fruits, potatoes, and bread, and special treats like birthday cake.
00:22This leads many people to ask, can I ever go back to eating carbs? This video explores when it is
00:28right and not right to step back from your keto diet.
00:33If you started a keto diet, something specific attracted you, whether it was the health benefits
00:38of ketones, blood sugar regulation, or weight loss. That goal you initially set will affect
00:44the answer to the question we are exploring, which is, must I be keto forever? One of the
00:49things that we've lost sight of is the healing benefits of ketones. Doctors Stephen Finney and
00:55Dom D'Agostino are two influencers that helped the public appreciate the health benefits of ketones
01:01for both the body and the brain. The term ketogenic means ketone-making. Even if you
01:08reduce your carb intake, if you do not do so to the extent that your body is making ketones,
01:14then you are not technically following a ketogenic diet. Instead, you're eating a low-carb diet,
01:21and that might be fine for you, as I will talk about in a moment. But you will be missing out
01:26on the additional benefits of ketones, which include enhanced fat burning and appetite satiety,
01:31sustained energy, mental clarity, and a host of neuroprotective benefits.
01:36So if you want the healing benefits of ketones, the answer to the question is yes. To stay in
01:42ketosis, where your body is making ketones, you need to keep dietary carbohydrates very low.
01:48The way to know for sure if you are producing ketones is to pick up a glucometer online or
01:52at your local pharmacy, buy some ketone strips, and test a finger prick of blood.
01:57Your body will only make ketones if carbohydrates are deficient. You can do things to deplete carbs,
02:04namely intermittent fasting and exercise, but limiting dietary carbs has to play a role because
02:10carbs are easy energy for your body. When you eat them, your body takes in that easy energy
02:16and burns it. If the carbs are not there, your body knows that it still needs energy,
02:20so it breaks down stored fat and turns it into energy-rich ketones.
02:26That is an important point for many people interested in keto dieting. Your body makes
02:32ketones from fat metabolism. So if you are making ketones, you are burning fat. However,
02:38ketones are not the only path to fat loss. Fat will be released when you eat in a way
02:43that keeps the fat-storing hormone low. The fat-storing hormone is insulin, and it tends
02:49to follow blood sugar, meaning when blood sugar is low, insulin is low.
02:54So let's say your goal is to continue controlling your blood sugar or continue losing weight.
03:00Do you need to stay keto? This answer is a bit more nuanced and depends on your genetics,
03:06metabolism, and your sense of self-control. While it's a bit simplified of a definition,
03:10when blood sugar is low, the fat-storing hormone insulin is low, allowing fat burning to take
03:16place. Diet, fasting, and exercise are all ways to lower blood sugar. So the question becomes,
03:23how many carbs can you eat, how long must you fast, and which exercise will work best?
03:29The answer depends on your body. Here again, monitoring adds clarity.
03:35To monitor your blood sugar, you can use a glucometer with glucose strips or a CGM.
03:41A CGM is a continuous glucose monitor. The one I use is from Levels.
03:46The company makes it possible for people without diabetes to get this blood sugar monitoring tool.
03:51You attach this small device to the back of your upper arm.
03:55The Levels app then gives you continual blood sugar updates with only a few minutes delay.
04:00I don't wear my CGM every day of the year. You can, but you don't have to.
04:05I put one on for a couple of weeks at a time. Levels allows this flexibility so you can control
04:11your cost and use it like I do to really dial in and fine-tune my diet. I do that using the
04:18built-in macros tracking tool. When I eat something, I record it on my timeline by
04:23either scanning the barcode, selecting from recent foods, or just describing it.
04:29Two eggs, one tablespoon of butter, three ounces of sausage.
04:34Within seconds, Levels breaks down the macros for me so I can see right away how the carbs,
04:40protein, and fats that I just ate affect my blood sugar level.
04:44If you are interested in using a CGM to monitor your blood sugar, you can use my link,
04:49levels.link forward slash drbecky, to get an additional two free months of their annual
04:56membership. Whether you monitor your blood sugar or not, if your goal is to continue to lose weight,
05:01you want to be clear on how many carbohydrates you eat daily and track your weight. Some people
05:06will find that they need to continue eating a keto diet to continue losing weight, but others
05:11will notice that they do not need to limit carbs as strictly to get results. However, this is where
05:17the self-control checks come into play. It is possible to eat too many calories on a keto diet
05:24and stall weight loss. Also, if you are losing weight and making progress toward a lower HbA1c
05:30reading, it is good to ask yourself, how important is it to keep my momentum going? You've got the
05:36ball rolling. Even though there will be not-so-fun days ahead, it's easier to keep that ball rolling
05:42than to stop and then have to muster up that momentum again. Another question to consider is
05:48how slippery is the slope? Carbohydrates are addictive foods, especially refined and processed
05:54carbs like the 3 C's, cookies, cakes, and candies. The longer you are away from these foods, the less
05:59desire you have for them. But you have to get there, and that takes time. No one knows you
06:06better than you. If you add more carbohydrates to your diet, will you be able to stay on track?
06:11If you're not sure or you're worried that eating a refined carb treat will trigger cravings,
06:16remember the saying, none is easier than some, and hold off until the weight is off.
06:22That brings us to maintenance. The ultimate goal of healthy living is to create a way of
06:27eating and moving that is easy to follow, enjoyable, and effective. When you get those
06:323 E's in place, there is no reason or desire to go back to your old habits. That is the science
06:39and art of weight control. It's much like planning for retirement. You work and you save, but you
06:45also need to plan vacations and fun along the way. That word plan is important. If you have
06:51reached your goal and you are not in it for the ketones, must you stay keto? No, but you still
06:59need boundaries and planning. Boundaries are needed because while you might look at excess
07:04body fat as a problem, your body looks at it as an asset. To your body, fat is available energy
07:10that you carry with you. So it sees it as a great thing because when food is not available,
07:15survival is not a problem. However, today, a lack of food availability is not as widespread of an
07:21issue. On top of that, high carb processed foods are highly palatable, stimulating hunger rather
07:28than satisfying it. Here are some basics and boundaries for moving away from keto once you've
07:33reached your goal. Number one, know that you don't have to stop eating a keto diet. You can increase
07:39your calorie intake and stay keto. The number of calories you can add depends on your activity
07:45level and other factors. Start with a hundred calorie increase and go up from there as you
07:51monitor your weight. Number two, leave the processed carbs at the grocery store. Don't go
07:57down the cereal aisle. Don't go down the chip aisle. Ignore the end caps with the sugary treats.
08:04It's easier to resist the temptation at the store than in your home. Number three,
08:09if you increase carbs, choose one whole food per day. For example, one starchy vegetable,
08:14or one whole grain, or one fruit. If you are not at maintenance yet, that might sound discouraging,
08:21but carbs add up fast. One small baked potato has about 30 grams of carbohydrate.
08:27It's the same for one bowl of oatmeal or one banana. Adding one of these foods to your daily
08:32diet may work for your maintenance plan, but having two or three of them per day might not.
08:38And number four, make high-carb refined treats special, not ordinary. Foods like birthday cake
08:44and mom's famous potato salad can be enjoyed when they are reserved for special occasions.
08:49Make that your boundary. Put another way, know what a special treat is for you and have a plan
08:54for when you'll eat it. Don't just eat treats because they are there. There is no cookie
08:59cutter diet that is right for everyone. However, regardless of the diet you choose, it will take
09:04time to get results. Every once in a while, you want to step back and take a look at how things
09:09are going. To do this, know your typical carbohydrate intake, monitor your weight,
09:15and consider measuring your ketones and blood sugar levels. Thank you for watching. If you
09:20found this video helpful, please hit the like and subscribe button before you go.
09:24Have a great rest of your day.