Transitioning from Keto to W30...

[Honeycrisp]

Hi! I gave up refined carbs Spring 2017, also junk foods, diet soda, aspartame etc... I've lost 35 pounds so far, and my resting heart rate has dropped about 30 bpm... it's around 60 now, it was usually 90ish! After a meal, it would often race up to 125bpm for a few hours. That was hell. The skipping palpitations have also stopped. I have been following a low carb, high fat diet (aka keto) but very recently began reading about the Whole30. I don't eat/like much dairy, and don't eat meat, only fish... I do miss sweet potatoes, bananas and healthy carbs that my current diet lacks! I think my body thrives on healthy veggies.. even if they have higher carbs! Which the keto diet frowns upon. W30 sounds like a much better fit for me personally. 

I want to find a healthy balance, where I can eat complex carbs & yet not have insane potato chip cravings. I must admit, I am a bit afraid of carbs now... because I've become used to avoiding or limiting them... I don't want to go off the rails... or gain weight back. I'm also a bit afraid of not being in ketosis, as that little purple stick marker gave me confidence each day. Silly?

I know that enjoying ALL healthy veggies and fruits is my long-term answer.. not eating bacon dipped in hollandaise sauce lol... So I've been researching paleo & W30, as it seems a better fit for my very uncarnivore like self. I *really* miss my fruits and veggies!!! I'm going to do my first W30 in the next few weeks... doing all my pre-reading and preparing now. I'm excited to start this new healthier phase! I'm a vegetable lover by nature, so this way of eating isn't that difficult for me... although ditching the flavored Stevia for 30 days will be hard... but I can eat potatoes!! A very fair trade indeed!

I'm mostly nervous about being out of ketosis, the keto community will scare the hell out of you about a baked potato... for real. They've got me thinking if I eat fruit I'll be pounding Snickers bars within a few hours. And... that my body will bloat, retain water and I'll feel sick, from eating carbs regularly. I must admit that my appetite, was for once in my life... controlled on keto... I snacked late night maybe 3 times over the last several months. Freedom. But I don't want to fear all the lovely fruits and vegetables that I know are healthful and delicious. 

Any advice is most welcome!! So happy to be here

[Honeycrisp]

Oops... also, which book should I start with? I thought "It Starts With Food" might be the right one.. then what's next?

Thank you ♡

[ShannonM816]

You don't have to fear carbs, but you don't want to go overboard with the, either. Start with a fist-sized serving of starchy vegetable at one meal a day, and limit fruit to not more than a couple of fist-sized servings per day.

Some people do stay in ketosis, even with some starchy vegetables and a little fruit in their diet, some don't, but even if you're not actually in ketosis, you can still have some of the benefits of it, like meals keeping you satisfied for 4-5 hours or more even mood and energy. I would put the ketostix away for at least the duration of your whole30 and focus instead on how you're feeling. If you feel like you're craving sweets, maybe back off on the carbs, especially the fruit, for a few days. As you continue on, you should find the cravings diminish and you can have some fruit without wanting to grab a Snickers bar.

You might consider keeping a food log of some kind, not to measure calories or anything, but just to record what you're eating and how you feel, to help track how eating different foods seems to affect you. It doesn't need to be fancy, it could just be a small notebook or a memo on your phone, or there's a place here on the forum if you're okay with other people seeing it.

As far as books, it doesn't matter what order you read them in, or even if you read them all. ISWF is the why behind the rules, and I think it's a great place to start. All the books are described here, I'd say just pick the one that you feel like addresses what you're most concerned with at the moment:   https://whole30.com/books/

You might also find this article interesting:  https://whole30.com/2012/08/carrot-train-to-crazytown/

[MeadowLily]

Read ISWF and then FFF.  Food Freedom Forever.

Yes. There are those who say you can live and stay in ketosis forever.  Do you think you can....that is the question. Long-term sustainability.

If there are insulin excursions with peanut m&m's and then hop back on the keto trail, bouncing back and forth, off and on - it's a choice to get off the merry-go-round with fear of food and carbs.

Here's what Melissa says.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYyjDRGHbrP/

 

[MeadowLily]

Honeycrisp... Apples are so good this time of year.

There's another member here from a line of highly trained chefs from France. Someone she knows went to a top notch European doctor and they said...."You know, fruits and vegetables didn't get you here." 

Preventing obesity and disease and food addiction is not about eating more food or swapping back in all of the carbs for fats.  I can tell you that fruits and vegetables didn't have  a thing to do with my original condition either.

[Honeycrisp]

Thanks so much for all that useful information Shannon! That really really helps me. I have a better idea where to start now, and how much to eat.

I have actually already experimented, and added roasted sweet potato and butternut squash in small quantities to a few meals here and there, to "test" my ketosis sensitivity. I found that I stay in ketosis, if I limit the roasted veg to around a cup, and only once per day... I tried two servings in one day, and was kicked out of ketosis. I know some people must stay below 20g of carbs per day, which is nothing! Its so restrictive, it sucks! I found that my ceiling is around 50g max. So if I don't go crazy, I can likely cycle in & out of ketosis... which I like.

"You know fruits and vegetables didn't get you here"

In my case, they kind of did.... mostly in the form of white potatoes... mashed, scalloped, french fried, as chips... yes, chocolate and grains were also part of the problem, but I've always been a salty person, more than a sweets person.... I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years... so potato chips were my drug of choice. There are a lot of fat unhealthy vegetarians and vegans! 

I'm going to enjoy potatoes again, but really watch my portion sizes & see if they trigger me... I really want to be able to enjoy them like a normal person.. but if they make my cravings go crazy... I'll need to deal with that. Thanks for your insights MeadowLily. 

Excited to get started! ❤

[Honeycrisp]

“A banana?! Are you freakin’ kiddingme? I haven’t had a a banana in a year and a half. I’m, like, over the moon with the prospect of eating a banana. I could weep, seriously. It feels like I’m doing something naughty even considering a banana. How messed up is that?”

Um, that is very messed up.

“You should be careful about eating so many carrots. Carrots are pretty high in sugar.”

This response makes us wish we had more middle fingers.

ha ha.. I'm dying... so true!!!

[kirkor]

With your particular background, you might consider doing a Whole30 minus potatoes only.  Treat potatoes as a reintro item, i.e. add back in in small quantities after 30 days and monitor your mood, cravings, digestion, energy, etc.