Questions on ketosis, maintenance level carbs
 

First off-- I don't believe ketosis is dangerous. I've been on this plan since March 2004, lost about 20 pounds, feel better, etc. etc.

For a reason completely unrelated to weight loss or ketosis side effects, I have decided to take myself out of ketosis, to up my carbs to maintenance level, for a little while.

See, I apparently had an ovarian cyst rupture and bleed in my abdomen (that's the current theory to explain some severe pain this last week). The CT scan (to check my appendix, intestines) revealed that I have some fluid around my heart and lungs, some free fluid in my pelvis, and some ovarian cysts. No, there is NO WAY ths is due to Atkins-- I received an extensive list of possibilities from my doctor, and googled on my own. It can be due to a lot of serious things, a lot of less serious things, it can be totally ideopathic, but it's not from my diet.

HOWEVER, I want to relieve as much stress as possible from my body while we look into this. I don't believe ketosis is dangerous, but I feel like losing weight itself is a bit of a stress, and I want to remove that factor. My plan is to go to maintenance level carbs while this is going on, and to stick to basic Atkins principles-- veggies, meat, some fruit, some cheese, no trans fats, no sugar.

The problem is-- maintenance level carbs is determined by a person's individual carb tolerance! I was wondering if you folks could maybe tell me an average maintenance level.

My Atkins progress at the moment-- I've been in OWL, but I found that I stalled at anything over 25 carbs. Then I discovered that I was consuming a heck of a lot of calories, so I've been keeping my calories at 1600, and was just planning to figure out my CCCL at a managed caloric intake.

At the moment, I'm trying to get my caloric intake up to 2000, and my carbs to 30. The last few days, I have had a lot of trouble eating (abdominal pain, doctors visits, that horrible barium drink I had to choke down for the CT scan) so my goal this weekend is 30 carbs, 2000 cals a day, lots of fiber, lots of fresh veggies.

So here are my questions: Am I just paranoid about ketosis/weight loss in general being a stress on the body? As I said before, I don't think it's dangerous by itself. I just think it's a stress. I've never had heart trouble, and have no idea what the tests are about to turn up (lupus or rheumatoid arthritis are possibilities, but I have symptoms for neither), NEVER dealt with this kind of health issue. I just want to give my body all the resources it needs.

And what is an average maintenance level for carbs? I'm going to keep an eye on my caloric intake, and I don't care if I gain back 2 or 3 pounds. I don't want to go anywhere near the typical American diet, since I feel so much better on Atkins.

Thanks!

I've been maintaining for several months now, and find that at 1750 calories and anywhere from 20-60 g of carbs I can maintain my weight, even when in ketosis (with <30g carbs). That was with infrequent exercise also.
So maybe if you go to 40-50 g of carbs (I would add more vegetables and some fruit to get to this level) while keeping your calorie level constant you should do okay. You may have to cut down a bit on fat so you don't raise your calories too much. You should not cut down on protein since your body uses protein for repair (unless you're eating very high levels already - maybe more than 120g a day).

Good luck, and feel better soon.

I'm at 50 carbs, and my sticks are still telling me that I'm in ketosis, but that may be different for you. Perhaps instead of worrying whether or not your in ketosis you should just eat all of the fresh fruits and veggies that you want, just no sugar or carbage.

Good luck, and keep us updated on your condition.

Well kyrie, the fact that you have ovarian cysts implies to me you have PCOS, as I do. Like other diseases such as type 2 diabetes, PCOS is a disorder related to insulin signaling abnormalities. This implies to me your CCLM is going to be rather low and carbohydrate will never make up a sizable portion of your energy consumption.

I'm in maintenance and have done a lot of experimentation with carb levels. I've done induction, and I've gone as high as the 90s for a few. Personally I feel my best when carbs are in the mid 50's range. I allow lots of wiggle room for this (40-60), but generally I like staying around the 50s. Going too low makes me feel dizzy and tired. Going over 70 seems to really muck me up as well, and I get irritable, shaky, and ravenous.

Hope this helps.

Does PCOS cause a specific type of ovarian cyst? Mine are follicular, which is supposed to be very, very common. There are several kinds, though, and the follicular is only felt when it is formed containing a blood vessel, and bursts, thereby rupturing the blood vessel.

I'll look into, though. Also, it looks like 50 carbs will work well, but I'm going to have to find new stuff to eat-- I've only had 20 carbs so far today (plus lots more fiber), and 1100 calories, and it's almost bedtime! My appetite is just shot, with the lortab I'm taking.

Edited to add:
I've checked out some PCOS sites, and it doesn't really sounds like me. I have extremely regular periods. I also have no acne, no male pattern baldness, no facial hair. My blood pressure has always been perfect or low, and I definitely have never suffered from decreased breast size. The only symptoms that match me are being overweight, having high cholesterol, and having ovarian cysts, but I don't have multiple cysts-- just one on each ovary, and a possible third that may have burst.

I'll keep it in mind, but it looks like yet another diagnosis that doesn't quite fit what's going on with me. But thanks!