Keto Carb Increase: When And How To Do It Right

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate protein, and low-carb diet. The recommended daily carb intake varies from person to person, but generally, it is advised to consume less than 50 grams of carbs per day to achieve ketosis. However, some people may need to restrict their carb intake to 35 grams or even 20 grams per day to reach this state. It is important to note that the keto diet is not meant to be a zero-carb diet, and there are some carbohydrates that are considered keto-friendly. When increasing carb intake, it is recommended to do so gradually and to focus on consuming carbs that are high in protein and fiber, such as bean-based pasta, crackers with seeds, or avocados. Additionally, it is crucial to be mindful of sugar intake when increasing carbs, as sugar is addictive and can lead to weight gain.

Increasing carbs after keto

After following a ketogenic diet for a few months, you may be eager to reintroduce some old favourites back into your diet. However, it is important to transition properly off the keto diet to avoid negative side effects such as bloating, blood sugar spikes, and increased hunger. Here are some tips to help you increase your carb intake after keto:

Focus on Complex Carbs

When reintroducing carbs, it is important to focus on complex carbohydrates that are high in protein and fibre. These include bean-based pasta, crackers with seeds, or sprouted breads. Avocados, cashews, and dark chocolate containing 85% cocoa or more are also great options. These foods will help you increase your carb intake while still providing essential nutrients.

Be Mindful of Sugar

The ketogenic diet is known for its low sugar intake, and you may have noticed a decrease in sugar cravings. When increasing your carb intake, be mindful of your sugar consumption. Avoid foods with more than 4 grams of added sugar, and be aware of naturally occurring sugars in fruits and honey. Opt for complex carbohydrates that will not cause a spike in your blood sugar levels.

Increase Gradually

It is recommended to increase your carb intake gradually to give your body time to adjust. Start by adding an extra 10 grams of carbohydrates per day from healthy sources like whole grains, beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables. You can increase this number weekly or every other week, depending on your goals and how your body responds. This gradual approach will help you find your desired carb range without overwhelming your system.

Prioritize Lean Proteins

Consider increasing your intake of lean proteins such as beans, tofu, chicken, fish, and lean cuts of red meat. This will help boost the thermic effect of food, which is the number of calories required to digest a particular food. It takes more calories to digest protein than carbohydrates, so this can support your weight management goals.

Listen to Your Body

Everyone's experience with increasing carbs after keto will be unique. Pay attention to how your body responds as you reintroduce carbs. Monitor your weight, energy levels, and overall well-being. If you notice any negative side effects, adjust your carb intake accordingly. You may find that certain types of carbohydrates sit better with you than others.

Seek Professional Guidance

If you are unsure about how to increase your carb intake after keto, consider consulting a registered dietitian. They can provide personalized guidance based on your health history, goals, and lifestyle. They can also help you determine your desired carb range and create a plan that works for you.

Net carbs vs total carbs

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. The diet involves taking an extremely low amount of carbohydrates and substituting them with fat to stimulate the body's fat-burning processes. The keto diet aims to bring the body into a state of ketosis, where it uses fat for energy instead of carbs.

Net Carbs

Net carbs refer to the total amount of digestible carbohydrates in a food product or meal. They are calculated by subtracting the amount of fibre and sugar alcohols from the total amount of carbohydrates. Net carbs are all the carbohydrates in food that can be absorbed and used by the body for energy.

Total Carbs

Total carbs, on the other hand, include all types of carbohydrates present in food, including fibre and sugar alcohols, which are not fully absorbed by the body. Total carbs include all the different types of carbs in a food or meal, such as starches, dietary fibre, and sugars.

Calculating Net Carbs

To calculate net carbs, one must first determine the total amount of carbohydrates in a food or meal by checking the nutrition label or using a food tracking app. Next, determine the amount of fibre in the food or meal and subtract this amount from the total amount of carbohydrates. This will give you the net carb count.

For example, if a food contains 20 grams of total carbohydrates and 8 grams of fibre, the net carb count would be 12 grams (20 grams total carbs - 8 grams fibre = 12 grams net carbs).

Benefits of Net Carbs vs Total Carbs

There are several potential health benefits to following a keto net carb diet, including improved blood sugar control, reduced inflammation, and a reduced risk of heart disease. The keto net carb diet can also help with weight loss, as it limits daily carbohydrate consumption to 20-50 grams, which can lead to ketosis and stimulate the body's fat-burning processes.

Additionally, focusing on net carbs instead of total carbs can increase the number of food choices available, as many fruits and vegetables are rich in fibre and contribute fewer carbs to a person's daily goal. This can be especially beneficial for people with diabetes, as it can help them better control their blood sugar levels and calculate their insulin needs.

Drawbacks of Net Carbs vs Total Carbs

One drawback of focusing on net carbs is that it may increase the amount of sugar-free treats in the diet, which may not be carb-free. Additionally, food nutritional labels can vary and may cause confusion among consumers. It is also important to note that methods for calculating net carbs are only estimations, as everyone's digestive systems and bodily processes are different.

Most dietitians advise focusing on total carbohydrate consumption instead of net carbohydrates as the accurate measurement. The best diet involves consuming low-carb whole meals such as non-starchy vegetables, fruits with high fibre content, leafy greens, healthy fats such as olive oil, and high-quality meats and fish.

Transitioning Off the Keto Diet

When transitioning off the keto diet, it is important to focus on eating carbs that are high in protein and fibre, such as bean-based pasta, crackers with seeds, or sprouted breads. It is also crucial to be aware of the sugar pitfall and avoid consuming too many added sugars or naturally occurring sugars, as this can spike blood sugar levels.

While the keto diet focuses on net carbs, it is important to understand the difference between net carbs and total carbs. Net carbs refer to the amount of digestible carbohydrates in a food product or meal, while total carbs include all types of carbohydrates present in food. Calculating net carbs can be beneficial for weight loss and blood sugar management, but it is important to be mindful of potential drawbacks and seek professional advice when making dietary changes.

How to determine your carb limit

The amount of carbohydrates you can consume and remain in ketosis depends on your body, how long you've been on the keto diet, your exercise routine, and other factors. When starting a keto diet, it's advised to stick to 20 grams of net carbs per day or 20 grams of total carbs for therapeutic purposes. While 20 grams of total carbs will likely put anyone into ketosis, 20 grams of net carbs is the starting point for most people trying to lose weight or improve their general health.

To ensure your body fully adjusts to the keto lifestyle, it's recommended that you stick to 20 grams of net carbs per day for three months before experimenting with your personal carb limit. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting fibre (and sugar alcohols, if applicable) from total carbs. For example, a medium red bell pepper has 7 grams of total carbs and 2.5 grams of fibre, equalling 4.5 grams of net carbs.

The best way to determine if you're in ketosis is to regularly test your blood using a blood-ketone testing meter. When you first start a ketogenic diet, you'll see your ketone levels rise from "Lo" to 0.1 mmol/L, and you'll be in nutritional ketosis at 0.5 mmol/L. Other signs you're in ketosis include increased energy, decreased sugar cravings, and the ability to go longer between meals.

Once you've been in ketosis for three months, you can start testing your carb limit by gradually increasing your net carbs and testing your ketones and glucose with a blood-glucose testing meter. Start by increasing your net carbs to 25 grams per day for at least three days, testing to ensure you remain in ketosis. If you're still in ketosis, increase your net carbs to 30 grams per day for another week. Remember, everyone has a different carb tolerance, and some people can be kicked out of ketosis by consuming more than 20 grams of net carbs per day.

Factors that can influence your daily carb limit include emotional stress levels, coffee consumption, exercise, sleep, and the types of carbohydrates you consume. Emotional stress can impact your insulin response to stress hormones, so testing your ketones and glucose on a stressful day may show a rise in glucose, which can suppress your ketones. Coffee consumption can also affect glucose and insulin levels, so test your glucose before and after drinking coffee to see how your body reacts.

Exercise can impact insulin levels in two ways. Firstly, overtraining without rest days can raise cortisol levels, which impacts insulin and can raise glucose. Secondly, exercise activates glucose transport, and as this acute effect wears off, it's replaced by an increase in insulin sensitivity. Therefore, light exercise can help burn more fat and get you into ketosis faster.

Researchers have found that a single night of partial sleep loss impairs fasting insulin sensitivity, so it's best to test after a full night of sleep. Different forms of carbohydrates can also affect insulin levels differently. Simple sugars from candy and juice will rapidly increase insulin and glucose, while complex carbs are digested more slowly and will have less of an impact.

To find your personal keto carb limit, you can experiment with eating extra carbs and checking your ketone levels. Start by slowly adding 5 grams of complex carbs from vegetables or low-carb fruits per day, then measure your ketone levels. If your ketone levels drop, decrease your carb intake until your ketones are back up, and that is your new carb limit.

The Bottom Line

The perfect carb limit for ketosis depends on your body weight, fitness level, previous diet, and other factors. The more calories you consume and the more active you are, the more carbs you can eat while remaining in ketosis.

The role of protein intake

Protein is one of three macronutrients that provide calories, and it plays a big role in the keto diet. Proteins are broken down into amino acids, which the body uses to build new tissues, making protein essential for wound healing, injury recovery, and muscle growth. There are nine essential amino acids that we must obtain from food.

Protein is important for weight loss, as it helps to slow down digestion, keeping you feeling fuller for longer. Because it takes longer to digest, it burns more calories during the digestion process. This is known as the thermic effect of food. Getting adequate protein while losing weight can also help to prevent muscle loss, which keeps your metabolic rate up, making it easier to lose weight.

According to ketogenic diet experts Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek, the most ideal way to calculate protein needs for people on keto is grams per kilograms of body weight (g/kg body weight). They recommend sticking to a target range of 1.2-2.0 g/kg body weight, depending on lifestyle. For instance, if you are a male who lifts heavy weights often, you may want to eat at the higher end of the protein range, while a smaller female who doesn’t do much weight lifting may do better at the lower end.

One concern that many people on keto have is that eating too much protein may kick them out of ketosis by increasing their blood sugar and insulin levels. While this could theoretically happen if you eat enough protein, it’s unlikely. However, this effect may be more common in people with type 1 diabetes. Sticking to the recommended protein guidelines of 1.2-2.0 grams per kilogram of target body weight should be adequate protein to support ketosis with no risk of breaking it.

People on keto may easily slip into a pattern of low protein intake because high-fat foods can be filling on their own. On a short-term basis, you may not notice any side effects or complications of low protein intake. However, an inadequate protein intake over time could lead to several problems, including muscle mass loss, appetite changes, weight gain, delayed wound healing or injury recovery, and fatigue. Low protein intake is also linked to a higher risk of death from all causes.

There are several keto-friendly foods that are rich sources of protein, including meats, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, and protein supplements.

Tips for Getting Enough Protein on Keto

• A piece of meat the size of a deck of cards is roughly 20 grams of protein. Most people will need at least 60 grams of protein per day, so aim to include at least a “deck of cards” worth of meat at each meal.
• Spreading protein intake evenly throughout the day is the easiest way to meet your goals. Protein is extremely filling, so it can be difficult to meet your goal if you’re trying to cram it all into one meal.
• Nuts, seeds, and cheese can easily boost your protein intake. If you’re finding that you’re just a little bit short on your protein intake each day, having nuts or cheese as a snack, or adding a sprinkle of cheese or seeds to your meals, can help push you over the edge to your goal.
• Meat and protein powder are the easiest ways to significantly increase your protein intake.
• For more exact numbers, a food scale is a worthwhile investment. Although you certainly don’t need a food scale to get enough protein on keto, it can be helpful if you want to track your intake more accurately.

Carbohydrates and exercise

Exercise is one of the most important factors in determining your carbohydrate limit on a ketogenic diet. The type and intensity of exercise you engage in can impact your ketone levels and, consequently, your carb limit.

High-Intensity Exercise

High-intensity training can be used as a tool to deplete glycogen (your body's storage form of sugar). This, in turn, can help you achieve ketosis more quickly. Examples of high-intensity activities include heavy weight-lifting, cross-fit training, and high-intensity interval training. It is recommended to perform at least one hour of such activities first thing in the morning, followed by a focus on recovery, rehydration, and mineral supplementation.

Low-Intensity Exercise

Low-intensity exercises, such as brisk walking, cycling, or dancing, can be used to enhance fat burning and increase ketone levels. Performing at least 30 minutes of low-intensity activity every day, ideally in the morning before eating, can help achieve ketosis and boost ketone levels.

Overtraining

It is important to note that stress from overtraining (long intense workouts without adequate recovery) can lead to increased cortisol levels, which impacts insulin and can raise glucose levels. Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate rest days and allow your body to recover adequately.

Exercise and Carb Limit

The more active you are and the more intense your workouts are, the more carbohydrates your body can utilize efficiently. This means that individuals who engage in regular high-intensity exercises may be able to consume more carbohydrates while still remaining in ketosis.

Finding Your Carb Limit

To find your personal carb limit, you can gradually increase your carbohydrate intake while monitoring your ketone levels. Start by increasing your net carbs by 5 grams per day and testing your ketone and glucose levels to ensure you remain in ketosis. If you get kicked out of ketosis, decrease your carb intake to the previous level, as that is likely your limit.

Protein Intake and Exercise

It is worth noting that higher protein intake is recommended for active individuals to supply important amino acids for muscle repair and growth. Additionally, research suggests that higher protein intake may not interfere with ketosis and can support overall fat loss goals for non-athletes.

In conclusion, exercise plays a crucial role in determining your carbohydrate limit on a ketogenic diet. The type and intensity of exercise can impact ketone levels and your body's ability to utilize carbohydrates efficiently. Finding your personal carb limit involves a balance between increasing carbohydrate intake and monitoring ketone levels to ensure you remain in ketosis.

Frequently asked questions