I have been hitting the LC diet for a few weeks now, but my question is on how long can one stay in ketosis safely? My strength has stayed steady in the gym since I have been using the CKD but I am wanting to loose some more weight a bit quicker. I was thinking about doing a two week cycle (two weeks with very low carb, followed by a carb up weekend), do you guys think this would be beneficial? Thanks.

I have never stayed in ketosis longer than 2 weeks or so ... LOL ... so, I may not be the most experienced to ask this ...

So, I am moving it into the GENERAL LOW CARB forum.

I am sure you will get some good answers there.

I would think 2 weeks would be fine ... some LCers out there have been on this WOE for quite some time, in ketosis for most of it I am sure.

Thanks for your input, it was appreciated.

In Atkins' book, he says that it is safe to stay on induction for a long time, six months or even more if needed. Atkins says that if you have a lot of weight to lose, you may not be happy with staying on induction for only two weeks.

I plan on staying on induction for significantly longer than two weeks as I have a long way to go to my goal weight.


-- Nicky

I'm a bit over 2 weeks into this induction thing (plus having been on a different low carb plan for over a week prior) and i still am not in ketosis..i dont get it. most days my carbs dont even hit twenty...if im lucky, the keto stick may go to the second level..mostly trace amounts though....talk about frustrating!

diet-induced ketosis is safe as long as you are not Type I Diabetic and drink your water, from how I read the information out there. Atkins doesn't go into a lot of detail, but I've been studying the great fatty acid metabolism site Doreen led me to, and adding the "drink your water" caution is what I conclude at the end of reading that. The site also explains the chemical 'why' of ketobreath, by the way. It's really a cool site. (thanks, do!)

Shaw, don't get fixated on turning those goofy stix. You could be metabolizing the ketones other ways, the stix could be old, you could have missed the time of the day they would have shown positive, and if you're drinking a lot of water, they're never going to show much more than "trace."

smcknight, check on the CKD board about your question about changing the cycle of your KD--though I can't imagine it would be a problem!

I was under the impression that one could be in ketosis ad infinitum ; however, after reading through DANDR he states it's safe for 6 months - up to one year if you have excessive amounts of fat to lose. He makes the point that if you're not in 'glucosis' (his made up word for burning glucose) you're in lipolysis (another made up word?) and both are prefectly safe. Why put the limit then? (Raz I am going to go check out that link you posted - if the answer is listed there, sorry for the question )

One you reach goal you don't need to burn body fat to lose fat; but the idea that you're either in one state or the other contradicts what I have read - even when you are in ketosis you are ingesting carbs to a certain degree and they are being converted to glucose and consequently being burned.


Nat

Thanks for your feedback Razzle. I try not to let myself get discouraged with the sticks or with anything else on this diet, but when i saw that ten pound weight gain on the scale, i was ready to throw in the towel. I didnt though. I am sticking with it. Its bound to all come together.
Thanks again.