Does drinking VODKA, with low calorie drinks, with no carbs in effect ketosis?? I have a nutrition book which says that vodka has no carbs in. I have been on the diet for 10 days now and have lost no weight, despite being extremely careful and keeping a daily diary of all food and diet intake. My ketones can be very high at different times of the day, but they can also slip back into negative or trace. I'm starting to wonder if alcohol is preventing weight loss, despite reading it is nil in carbs, or wether iam metabolically resistant, have an under-active thyroid gland.

some people tell me i wont see a difference for at least 2 weeks, however the book indicates that once in ketosis, your body becomes a 'fat burning machine'. Well the big question is, why hasn't mine, and am i 'flogging a dead dog' I am becoming really disallusioned. somebody please help, i need answers. Will this start to work? Should i give up the the alcohol? or should i give up all together??

Hi Yoshi

You don't say how many vodkas you are drinking . Just remember though that your body has to burn off the alcohol before it starts burning off the fat. Other than the scales, have you noticed any positive changes? Do you feel better, do your clothes feel more comfortable. Some people take longer than other to register weight loss on the scales but do notice it in other ways.

Hope this is of some help. Keep up the good work

1) You're not supposed to drink any booze during the two week induction phase. Not sure exactly why - you gotta read the book for that. Something to do with your body adjusting.

2) After that, you can drink "in moderation." Vodka, Scotch, Gin, maybe some others (not sure about bourbon) have almost no carbs, white wine only has a little, red wine a little more, and if you like beer, stick to light beers (but not Amstel light which isnt really all that light) or Guinness (5 -6 carbs per 12oz., I think)

What happens when you drink is you sort of put your ketosis on Pause... When you put booze into your system whilst you are low-carbing, your body stops burning fat and burns the alcohol instead. That's the bad news. The good news is that it doesnt take very long to burn it off and ketosis picks right up again after that.

In fact, I had 4 or 5 (I lost count!) 20oz. pints of Guinness last night and I am back in ketosis today (checked at noon and was in the mid range on the sticks.)

There is probably an issue there with the calories, since 5 pints = about 1000, but I work out a lot and only do that once or twice a week, and I seem to still be loosing weight, so I am cool with it. I could probably loose faster with out the beers, but who cares?

The Pause effect from booze is apparently different that the effect that a lot of carbs or sugar would have. That apparently puts your diet out of commission for a week or so. So, if you have a choice between a bowl of ice cream or a creamy pint of Guinness, go for the pint!

One more thing, since I've been on this diet, I find that 1) I get drunk faster - the stuff just hits me harder. Based on other people's posts here, that is common. 2) I can't drink nearly as much - I just don't want it - I start feeling queasy and the pints start taking a long, long time to finish, and 3) hangovers are much worse. I hardly ever drink enough for a hangover any more, but nowadays it takes less to produce one, and when I do go over my new low limit, I REALLY feel it the next day. I feel it that night too - I wake up several times during the night feeling queasy and crappy, and unable to sleep...


Anway, cheers and bottoms up!

Thanks for all your advice. maybe i'll give up the vodkas for a couple of weeks. i've slipped on the induction diet after 10 days, found i was slipping in and of ketosis, and found I was losing weight, really disheartening!!!! If you all think I should pursue it, maybe i'll take your advice. Saying that, I really do believe iam metabollically resistant. I found my clothes size wasn't changing, although I felt better within myself. Since slipping for 3 days, Ifeel bigger than ever, I suppose I need reassurance that if I keep it up, something will change. Keep my spirits up folks, and tell me that, if I do, with perseverence, I WILL START LOSING!!!! Thanks for your support, look forward to hearing from you all soon, with your confidence and positive feedback.

Byee 4 for now.
Yoshi. XXXXX

YOU WILL START LOOSING!!!

(fine print: unless you are one of the statistical few that have problems, that is, but you probably are not, so get back to induction, and read this board for lots of tips to help you out )