ketosis in maintenance?

[ShannonK]

I was wondering about this. Do you remain in ketosis even through to the maintenance? It seems to me that ketosis is what keeps the cravings at bay. Does that mean that ketosis could be a good measure for knowing when you have reached your CCLL? (you get bumped out of ketosis)

Thanks for any tips you have. I have reached maintenance before but I went straight from extended induction to goal weight. Big mistake. I am not doing that this time!!

[sallyseachange]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

You're wise not to jump from extended induction to maintenance. If you go up the OWL rungs you learn how different foods affect you and you train yourself to eat correctly, which includes coping with the odd "yen" ("craving" seems to me to be too strong a word for the advanced levels of Atkins... at least it was/is for me).
As you increase the carbs to pre-maintenance level, you probably go in and out of ketosis... so you need to be able to cope with changes in your appetite. Cravings cease to be too much of a problem because, by this time, you are conditioned to eating the Atkins way.

Everyone's a little different but I really don't think it's a great problem if the plan has been followed to a 'T'.

[Evansmom49]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

I don't have my book with me but I believe once you go through the rungs and hit around 50g of carbs per day you will no longer be in ketosis. As usual YMMV.

[Georgiana]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

I don't have my book with me but I believe once you go through the rungs and hit around 50g of carbs per day you will no longer be in ketosis. As usual YMMV.

That number (50 g) is actually just the upper carb limit Dr. Atkins gave for the ketostix to change color. But ketosis is defined as burning fat for fuel, not as you being able to change the color of the stix. There are many reasons why stix may stop changing color and being out of ketosis is only one of them. So as you reach 50 carbs, you will still be in ketosis, just not peeing acetoacetate on the stix.

Does that mean that ketosis could be a good measure for knowing when you have reached your CCLL? (you get bumped out of ketosis)

Nope, because of what I've explained above.

Do you remain in ketosis even through to the maintenance?

Yes. You will be burning more carbs as your carbohydrate intake increases, but you will be still burning fat, which is how Dr. Atkins defined ketosis in DANDR. Being in ketosis is not necessarily related to losing weight (i.e. to your CCLL). If your appetite returns, you will need to see whether you've added a new food or whether you went over your carb limit... and if things get out of control and you begin to gain weight, you should go back to Induction for a short time and then quickly move through OWL without allowing more than a 5 lbs gain.

[ShannonK]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

Thank you so much for your replies. The last time I did Atkins, I never worked through the rungs properly or tried to find my CCLL. I am interested to know if people really do find that magic number!

[mcarr36]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

I maintain at 25 net carbs a day. Sad, I know. However, I have been maintaining my goal weight for many years and I go in and out of ketosis. I don't check very often.

[Louisea]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

Is it possible to go out of ketosis for ever and stop Atkins? How long does it take to get over the symptoms of feeling light headed, sick and tired etc as you take in more carbs and come off Atkins?

[liv]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

Is it possible to go out of ketosis for ever and stop Atkins? How long does it take to get over the symptoms of feeling light headed, sick and tired etc as you take in more carbs and come off Atkins?

Certainly most people come off ketosis when they are in maintenance. I come off ketosis as soon as I OWL because my ketosis threshhold is way down there. But I am still on Atkins - I am low carbing and regulating bloodsugars and food intake just by limiting bad carbs.
So you do not have to be in ketosis to do Atkins. (I think that is a myth perpetuated by those who did not read the book) When I come off ketosis just by adding 5 extra healthy carbs I have no effect (except my appetite goes up and I have to watch it) but if I suddently eat something really carby I will will feel a bit woosy because my body is not used to it.
Hope that helps Louisea.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

>>as you take in more carbs and come off Atkins>>

Why do you want to "come off" Atkins?

>>Is it possible to go out of ketosis for ever and stop Atkins?>>

Yes, it is always possible to stop doing Atkins.

J.

[Louisea]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

Very interesting. thanks. I don't want to stop the principles of low carb / complex carb food intake, but i don't feel, in my opinion, that being in a state of ketosis is good for my body for a long period of time. I was severely limiting my carb intake to 20 g a day for 2 months, and my periods stopped. I "stopped" atkins, by which I really mean the induction phase, introduced more "good" carbs back into my diet, and after 3 days, my period returned (it was 3.5 weeks late). I feel much better for eating some complex carbs, and much relieved and less worried now that my cycle as returned. Now is the interesting phase. Naturally I don'[t want to put any weight back on, so I have to find a level where this doesn't happen as I continue to eat some more healthy carbs.

[liv]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

Sounds like a good plan.
Don't forget to educate yourself on the fact that protein and fat are healthy too. Our boides do very well on both those macro nutrients.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

I "stopped" atkins, by which I really mean the induction phase, introduced more "good" carbs back into my diet

To all newbies, and the not-so-newbies who are confused, please note:

Atkins has four phases:
1) Induction
2) OWL
3) Pre-Maintenance
4) Maintenance

The main reason that Atkins gets a bad reputation, is that most people assume that the 2 week Induction period is the entire "diet".

So when you move off of Induction and start adding healthy carbs, you do not "stop Atkins"... you move onto OWL.

I was wondering about this. Do you remain in ketosis even through to the maintenance? It seems to me that ketosis is what keeps the cravings at bay.

Shannon, my understanding is that you go in and out of ketosis in the Maintenance phase. Having said that, I know that for myself, I have been in Maintenance since November 2007 and know that I am rarely in ketosis (if ever). And yes, this becomes quite tricky for me, as the appetite suppression factor is non-existant. So that makes it all the more important to carefully progress through the rungs and phases to find your CCLL and CCLM, and to determine which foods pose a problem. Unfortunately, I have many, many foods that pose problems. Thankfully, most non-starchy veggies are completely safe for me, and as long as I make most of my net carbs come from them, I can eat up to 40g net carbs to maintain.

[sallyseachange]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

...i don't feel, in my opinion, that being in a state of ketosis is good for my body for a long period of time. I was severely limiting my carb intake to 20 g a day for 2 months, and my periods stopped. I "stopped" atkins, by which I really mean the induction phase, introduced more "good" carbs back into my diet, and after 3 days, my period returned (it was 3.5 weeks late).

As I understand it from others' experiences (and my own), weight loss can, and often does, have an effect on hormone levels and causes changes in ones cycle. It's quite normal and it levels out in a short time.
I had just entered menopause when I started Atkins, and suddenly got several periods again. After a while they stopped for good. Many others have had cycle changes too.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: ketosis in maintenance?

>>i don't feel, in my opinion, that being in a state of ketosis is good for my body for a long period of time.>>

Why not?

"Ketosis" is just shorthand for "fat burning". The opposite of fat burning is "sugar burning"? Do you think that using sugar for fuel is better for your body?

That's the question Dr. Atkins asks.

And perhaps if you move to OWL, you will find that you are eating more "good" carbs.

Progressing up the OWL ladder is how Atkins works.

What complex carbohydrates did you add back in?

J.