Keto Withdrawal: What Happens When You Stop?

Quitting the keto diet can lead to various physical and mental changes, both positive and negative. One of the most well-known side effects of stopping keto is the keto flu, which includes symptoms like stomach aches, nausea, dizziness, sugar cravings, and irritability. This occurs due to withdrawal from carbs as the body transitions from burning carbs to fatty acids for energy. Additionally, reintroducing carbs can cause bloating and intestinal issues, blood sugar spikes, and weight gain, especially if done abruptly. However, quitting keto can also have benefits, such as better cholesterol levels, more muscle mass, improved energy levels, and better gut health. To mitigate negative side effects, it's recommended to transition off keto slowly, focusing on unprocessed carbs that are high in protein and fiber, like bean-based pasta and sprouted bread.

Flu-like symptoms, aka the keto flu

• Stomach aches or pains
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Sugar cravings
• Cramping
• Muscle soreness
• Irritability
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
• Poor focus and concentration
• Brain fog

These symptoms can last from a week to a month, depending on the person, and can be managed by easing into the keto diet, staying hydrated, taking electrolyte supplements, getting plenty of rest, and doing light exercise.

To avoid shocking your system, it is recommended to reintroduce carbs slowly and gradually, focusing on unprocessed carbs like whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables. This will also help you avoid gastrointestinal distress, such as constipation, that can come with reintroducing carbs.

Blood sugar spikes

When you stop the keto diet, you will experience blood sugar spikes, which can be dangerous and have various negative effects on your body.

The Science Behind It

When you eat something high in carbohydrates, your body produces glucose and insulin. At proper levels, glucose and insulin are used for energy and are essential for a healthy, balanced body. However, too many carbohydrates can be detrimental. When you follow the keto diet, you deprive your body of its preferred fuel source, glucose, and this will happen 3 to 4 days after starting the diet. As a result, the body will start to break down protein and fat for energy, a metabolic process called ketosis.

The Negative Effects of Blood Sugar Spikes

Weight Gain

One of the main concerns when stopping keto is weight gain. The key to maintaining weight loss after keto is to adopt some of the healthy behaviours practised during the diet. This includes gradually decreasing fat intake while increasing lean proteins, vegetables, and wholesome carbohydrates like fresh fruit, whole grains, and beans.

Increased Risk of Disease

The keto diet encourages the consumption of fatty foods, particularly saturated fat and omega-6 fats from butter, red meat, and cheese. These types of fats are scientifically proven to be detrimental to your health and can increase the risk of heart disease, brain health, diabetes, ageing, and other diseases.

Slowed Metabolism

The keto diet mimics starvation, which causes the body to cling to every calorie, resulting in a slowed metabolism. This can lead to a limited diet, a bad mood, and difficulty losing weight in the future.

Weak Bones

Ketones are acidic and can pull phosphorus and calcium out of your bones, leading to stress fractures and bone problems.

Negative Impact on Brain Function

Carbohydrates are the optimal energy source for the brain. The keto diet starves the brain of fuel, resulting in fatigue, moodiness, and possible anxiety.

How to Mitigate Blood Sugar Spikes

To avoid the negative consequences of blood sugar spikes when stopping keto, it is crucial to transition off the diet slowly and gradually increase your carbohydrate intake. This will help your body adjust and reduce the risk of experiencing these adverse effects.

Weight gain

When you cut out carbs on the keto diet, you lose weight, but it is mostly water weight. This is because cutting carbs also depletes the glycogen stores in your muscles, and glycogen helps your body retain water. When you start eating carbs again, the water weight comes back. For every gram of carb you consume, you gain four grams of water. This can make you feel like you have gained a lot of weight very quickly, but it is mostly water retention.

The amount of water weight gain you experience when coming off keto will depend on how long you have been on the diet and how much weight you lost. If you have been on keto for a shorter period and only lost a small amount of weight, you may notice the water weight gain more.

To minimize weight gain when coming off keto, it is important to reintroduce carbs slowly and gradually. Start by adding carbs to one meal per day and see how your body responds. If things are going well, you can add carbs to another meal or snack. Continue adding carbs one meal or snack at a time until you are comfortable eating them throughout the day. This slow transition will help you avoid gastrointestinal distress, such as constipation, that can come with reintroducing carbs.

It is also important to choose the right types of carbs when coming off keto. Focus on unprocessed, whole carbs that are high in protein and fiber, such as bean-based pasta, crackers with seeds, or sprouted bread. Avoid sugary foods like donuts and cookies, as these can cause large spikes in your blood sugar.

Bloating

When on the keto diet, you are likely to have been consuming a low-fibre diet, which can lead to constipation. This is often cleared up within a few weeks of stopping the diet, but constipation can be uncomfortable and cause bloating.

Gas can also get trapped in your digestive tract, leading to a bloated stomach and pain. This is another common issue when stopping keto, as your body adjusts to the reintroduction of fibre.

The keto diet is also a low-carb diet, and when you start eating carbs again, you will gain some weight. This is mostly water weight, as carbs reintroduce water to the body. For every gram of carbohydrate, you gain four grams of water. This can lead to a bloated feeling, as your body adjusts to the new way of eating.

To help with bloating, it is recommended to focus on hard-to-digest carbs when coming off keto. These include bean-based pasta, crackers with seeds, and sprouted bread. Avocados and cashews are also good options. It is also important to stay hydrated and ensure you are getting enough electrolytes, as this can help to reduce the symptoms of bloating.

Increased hunger

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat eating style that puts your body into a state of ketosis, using fat for energy instead of carbs. This diet often results in weight loss, but it is not sustainable in the long term. When people stop the keto diet, they often experience increased hunger.

The keto diet is known for its ability to suppress appetite due to its high-fat and moderate-protein composition. However, when people start to reintroduce carbs into their meals, they may feel hungrier after each meal as the meals now contain less fat and more carbs, which tend to be faster-digesting. This increased hunger can be challenging for people who are transitioning off the keto diet, as it may lead to overeating and weight gain.

To manage this increased hunger, it is recommended to pair carbs with both protein and fat. This helps slow down digestion, boost fullness, and limit blood sugar spikes and crashes as the body readjusts to using carbohydrates for energy. It is also important to focus on healthy, whole carbs that are high in protein and fiber, such as bean-based pasta, crackers with seeds, or sprouted breads. These types of carbs will help prevent drastic blood sugar spikes and crashes, which can lead to fatigue and irritability.

It is also suggested to increase carb intake gradually, starting with one meal per day and slowly adding more over a few weeks. This gradual approach allows the body to adjust to the new diet and can help reduce the intensity of increased hunger. Additionally, staying hydrated is crucial as dehydration can cause irritability and can make you feel hungry when you are actually just thirsty.

Overall, increased hunger is a common side effect of stopping the keto diet. By implementing strategies such as pairing carbs with protein and fat, choosing healthy whole carbs, increasing carb intake gradually, and staying hydrated, people can effectively manage this increased hunger and navigate the transition off the keto diet.

Frequently asked questions