Long time doing Keto and going to switch

[usedtobebig]

So after getting from 300lbs down to about 220 I needed a break from full time keto. I ate clean for a few weeks while keeping the carbs pretty low but restoring my sanity and got down to 210 after a while.
Age:26
Height: 5'9
Weight: 211ish
BF%: (probably inaccurate) +/- 26%


But now it's time to get serious again and get down to under 10% BF and be strong again. After reading everything about the cyclical keto diet, it looks like I would really mentally benefit from it, and since now I am going to begin to build muscle again, a better option.

My question is about my carb up days. I am a little nervous about spiking my insulin after all this time at super low or low carb. Am I going to need to ease into it or can I go have some pancakes in the morning. Because I could really go for some pancakes.

Second is quickly getting back into ketosis. I am a big fan of the UR spray and was looking at some of the other prototype products that may aid in helping get back in quickly instead of eating zero carbs, because I feel like **** if I don't eat some vegetables. Is this the best option?

I will do whatever is necessary to reach my goals, even if going 24/7 keto with no carb up is necessary. I've come this far and it was brutal, so I'll do what it takes. I just would love some opinions on where to go from here. Supplements, food intake, anything I can get.

 

[Lynks8]

Hey man. First things first: congrats on the weight loss! That's some serious transforming you're doing.

CKD (cyclical ketogenic diets) work very well. It is my go-to diet, with a few personal tweaks, of course.

You don't need to worry too much about your insulin spike on carb-up days, but there are steps you can take to help your insulin sensitivity. For one, never start your meal by eating high-glycemic carbs. I like to consume a fat source and/or some fiber ~15 minutes before eating my carbs.

Check out this study: Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels | Diabetes Care
-They found that the order of macronutrient consumption in a meal can greatly affect insulin response and blood glucose levels.

I also happen to be very carb-sensitive, with poor insulin sensitivity on average. Thankfully there are supplements that can help with this as well. My personal go-to right now is Olympus Labs Ignit3. Not only does it give me a lot of energy and suppress my appetite, it has several ingredients shown to help insulin sensitivity. It has been very popular here.

As for a product to quickly help induce ketosis, there are quite a few effective options. I'd look at KetoInduce by Evomuse or Ketoforce if you want to stick with prototype nutrition. Do you have a method for testing if you're in ketosis? Strips? (not the best option, but better than nothing). You may not need a keto-inducing product if you naturally switch back swiftly, as some do.

Key takeaways:
1. Always consume some fat/fiber before your carbs.
2. Grab a good fat burner if you want to help energy levels and insulin sensitivity. Ignit3 would be a superb option here with tons of other thermogenic and lipolytic benefits.
3. Keep track of your keto status. If it takes you a long time to get back, check out KetoInduce or Ketoforce.
4. Keep tracking your cals/macros and enjoy those pancakes! You've certainly earned them!

 

[john.patterson]

Congrats on the progress! I'm running a CKD diet right now, and it's definitely a great diet if you have a stricter schedule during the week.

If you've been doing SKD for a long period of time, then I would go about carb ups a bit differently the first few weeks. I would slowly reintroduce carbs on your refeed day, and I wouldn't go as high as some protocols suggest for the first few weeks you carb up. The design behind the carb up is to spike insulin and drive glycogen to the muscle. Since the muscle cells don't have any glycogen, they overcompensate and can hold more than usual. But since you've been on SKD, it's likely that your body will be very sensitive to insulin. For the first 2-3 carb ups I wouldn't go too crazy on a super high carb intake, and I would stick to lower glycemic carbs and see how your body responds.

I would also recommend adding in a GDA product to mitigate any carb spillover and to help enter ketosis faster after the carb up. Something like Slinmax would be a great option to take before your carb meals and again at the end of your refeed. Slinmax is a great formula that can help control blood sugar levels and drive glycogen to the muscle so it isn't easily stored as fat.

 

[freakstar]

hmmm my friend i was doing the same i did keto diet for 2 months so i will lose some fat of my bulking season after this i jump on carbs but im working with carb cycle system i think its very usefull and for me it works great

 

[4evafit]

I love keto

 

[Cole Dreyer]

Congrats on the progress! I'm running a CKD diet right now, and it's definitely a great diet if you have a stricter schedule during the week.

If you've been doing SKD for a long period of time, then I would go about carb ups a bit differently the first few weeks. I would slowly reintroduce carbs on your refeed day, and I wouldn't go as high as some protocols suggest for the first few weeks you carb up. The design behind the carb up is to spike insulin and drive glycogen to the muscle. Since the muscle cells don't have any glycogen, they overcompensate and can hold more than usual. But since you've been on SKD, it's likely that your body will be very sensitive to insulin. For the first 2-3 carb ups I wouldn't go too crazy on a super high carb intake, and I would stick to lower glycemic carbs and see how your body responds.

I would also recommend adding in a GDA product to mitigate any carb spillover and to help enter ketosis faster after the carb up. Something like Slinmax would be a great option to take before your carb meals and again at the end of your refeed. Slinmax is a great formula that can help control blood sugar levels and drive glycogen to the muscle so it isn't easily stored as fat.

There are some excellent points here. And I concur that I would ease into brining carbs back. Yes the body is in a very carb and insulin sensitive state to where your skeletal muscle tissue will overcompensate and you could store quite a lot of glycogen which means you could probably eat a high amount of carbs without issue.

However your digestion/gut is not used to various carb types because of how limited you have been for so long in carb intake. Keeping your carbs fairly moderate in amount (200-250g) for the first several carb ups would probably be wise.

From there you could add 30-50g per carb up day until you find your sweet spot.


Also as others have said congrats on the big weight loss! That is tremendous!