I just finished up a weekend of birthday celebrations (co-celebrated with my dad & mother-in-law). I really enjoyed the opportunity to share my special day with friends and family. I also enjoyed my fair share of wine, spirits and beer.
This is not a post of regret for enjoying drinks this weekend, nor it is a promise to never drink again. Its simply an update on my ketogenic diet experiment; how my body did following ingestion of alcohol and extra carbs.
To provide some context, pure alcohol does not contain any carbohydrates or sugar. Most people are able to tolerate a shot of hard liquor and remain in a state of ketosis. However, beers, especially microbrews, do contain carbohydrates (in the form of simple sugars), and consumption will stimulate an insulin response and halt ketone production.
I celebrated at a brewery over the weekend, and when in Rome….I enjoyed beer.
Today I feel off. Sleepy, sluggish and have a never-ending appetite. Thank-you beer for this carb hangover.
Perhaps its the alcohol, but its also likely the large amount of carbs I drank that are contributing to this hangover. I’ve come to learn that beer is the only alcohol not recommended while in ketosis for this reason.
So what to do?
No magic pill. No detox. I believe the quickest and best way of getting back into a state of ketosis is limiting the carbs and eating plenty of fat.
As I said, I don’t regret anything about my drink choices this weekend. However after learning from my body, beer likely won’t be my drink of choice in the future. Wine…I think it deserves equal experimentation.
A Whole New Fit 