I'm going to be a bit harsh - by giving up and binging, you're going to have undone the all good work you had already done by your 6 days worth of attempting ketosis... so
don't do that again!!!
But you can still eat a low carb diet without getting into ketosis and still see reductions in your glucose levels (and weight). If you're a type 1, "plain ordinary" LCHF may possibly be a safer option unless you already have good control of your glucose levels.
It takes time and effort, but if you go down to a maximum of 20-25 g carbs a day, be very strict with what you eat, and keep it up for two weeks, you should definitely achieve and be staying in ketosis. You body needs a bit of time adapt and learn how to burn fats instead of its usual carbs. Eat plenty of food high in fats and oils, plenty of
very low carb green vegetables,
moderate amounts of protein as this can be used for glucose if other sources of carbs are low or lacking, drink plenty of water and make sure you get adequate salt and potassium , as your kidneys will be flushing out more.
Once you're nicely in ketosis then you can up your carbs a little, say up to 30g to start with, and be able to stay "ketotic"
. But you do have to remember that it's a longer term option and your diet needs to be sustainable - if you get frustrated and binge you'll just knock yourself out of ketosis, and probably have to start over. With a normal low carb diet the odd binge doesn't really matter so much.
I did two weeks at 20g carbs a day and can now manage between 30 and 50g and stay in ketosis, but this will vary with individuals depending on metabolism and activity, so some people can handle more carbs and still be in ketosis. I was just extremely strict with what I ate carbohydrate wise, and ate a similar diet to
@Brunneria, with possibly a bit more fat and less protein. Lucy's nutritional calculator link is a good one to use, but there are also plenty more if you search online, and some of these are more complicated and specific "keto calculators".
If you are type one, you may already have a meter that can check ketone levels and this is the most accurate but expensive way of checking. Testing urine with Ketostix tends to be a less accurate guide as this will only test for waste ketones in your wee and you'll often see less of them as your body get more efficient at using them, so sometimes it can appear as if you're no longer in ketosis. I use a Ketonix "breathalyser", which is a bit expensive to start with but it's just a one off cost, and is generally pretty accurate.
blood concentration (millimolar) Condition
< 0.2 not in ketosis
0.2 - 0.5 slight/mild ketosis
0.5 - 3.0 induced/nutritional ketosis
2.5 - 3.5 post-exercise ketosis
3.0 - 6.0 starvation ketosis
15 - 25 ketoacidosis
Keep at it this time and you'll get there!
Robbity
