6 ms·

I can only speak for myself, but in the period where I am keto-adapting, I feel irritable and have low self control... but once I'm keto-adapted (ie. in ketosis

I can only speak for myself, but in the period where I am keto-adapting, I feel irritable and have low self control... but once I'm keto-adapted (ie. in ketosis), I have MUCH better self-control than normal.

polskibus 9y ago
I'm curious about that - I'm no expert in keto-diet. How do you assess self-control? I mean, could it be just reversion to the mean, you swing into very low then bounce back and feel like it's better than it was before?
- Dove 9y ago
  I am in the same situation as Mattrix. Keto and fasting improve self control tremendously. And to answer your question . . . the difference is not subtle, so it's really obvious. For example, I was fasting last Sunday and did 6 hours of housework on a day I would normally play video games. I am fasting right now, and am destroying my work, doing chores on breaks, and cooking food for dinner. I can smell delicious food in the crock pot that I can't have for another four hours, and I do want it . . . but the desire is bothering me approximately as much as unwanted birdsong. Which is to say I barely even notice. It's a heck of a thing. Everyone should try it at least once.
  - cracell 9y ago
    Try what exactly? I've done 24 hour fasts several times and they basically just make me lose two days of productivity. One during the fast day because I'm completely worn down and another the next day as I'm still drained and takes a day of normal eating to get back to normal.
    - Dove 9y ago
      Try keto adaptation followed by fasting, at least once in your life. I mean, there are people who can't for health reasons, and I don't know if there are others for whom it won't "work" . . . but if it works it's a heck of a thing.
    - sasas 9y ago
      It's generally after the third day you start to feel better. A friend is doing this now and reported on the 4th day he has incredible clarity.
      - bonestamp2 9y ago
        Can confirm the 2-3 day transition and the clarity on the other side. But, you need to be well prepared for the transition and afterwards to ensure a worthwhile journey. Do lots of reading ahead of time to make sure you have everything you need to sustain after the transition.
        astura 9y ago
        I think you're confusing fasting (simply abstaining from food) with some sort of religious or spiritual practice. My first fast was 4 days when I was a teenager and it started as a joke "let's fast for the whole week then go to a buffet to see how much we can eat." That lead me to fast Monday-Thursday and we went to the buffet on Friday. Guess how much "clarity" that brought me? None.
        Dove 9y ago
        I would be careful not to overgeneralize from your personal experience, particularly not from a badly prepared / unguided experience. A sense of clarity after three or four days is something a lot of people report -- certainly enough to say it is a real phenomenon. I don't know if the experience is universal, but it does seem to be quite common.
        astura 9y ago
        Once again, you're confusing a personal religious/spiritual practice with the physical act of abstaining from food. They aren't the same. I never said it wasn't real, I certainly believe you feel it - If you're looking for a spiritual experience you'll certainly get one. I never said other people won't have similar experiences, in fact, cleansing rituals are a part of most of the world's religions. It's just that you are not speaking of fasting itself, you are speaking of a spiritual practice that incorporates fasting. Besides, I have a ton of experience fasting, I fast very frequently, short fasts every week (1 to 2 days), long fasts every once in a while, when I feel like it. I enjoy the physical feeling of fasting. I was merely speaking about the very first time I fasted.
    - MattRix 9y ago
      Fasting doesn't work for me except when I'm on keto, where it's no problem... though I should note I'm not talking about full day fasting, just "Intermittent Fasting". I will wake up, have a coffee+butter (~100 calories), and then not eat anything else until 2pm. Oh and I often run a 10-15km run before lunch and feel great during it, I think keto helps there too.
      - DiThi 9y ago
        I had similar experiences: When I'm on keto, I'm feeling hungry much less, and much less intensely. Sometimes I skipped lunch because I was focused on something and wasn't feeling like interrupting whatever I was doing. More importantly, I didn't feel super hungry a couple of hours after. I guess I was constantly in fat burning mode so my body didn't need to be switching gears. I stopped keto after a few months reaching my target weight, and was irritable and unfocused for 2-3 days.
- MattRix 9y ago
  As a person with ADHD I've had to learn to be aware of my current mental state at any given time. At certain times I have an extremely hard time concentrating, but those times are WAY more rare when I'm on keto. The other thing I've noticed is that I have much more patience with my kids (4 and 7) when I'm on keto. I can take them grocery shopping with me and they don't drive me insane, etc.

polskibus 9y ago

I'm curious about that - I'm no expert in keto-diet. How do you assess self-control? I mean, could it be just reversion to the mean, you swing into very low then bounce back and feel like it's better than it was before?

Dove 9y ago
I am in the same situation as Mattrix. Keto and fasting improve self control tremendously. And to answer your question . . . the difference is not subtle, so it's really obvious. For example, I was fasting last Sunday and did 6 hours of housework on a day I would normally play video games. I am fasting right now, and am destroying my work, doing chores on breaks, and cooking food for dinner. I can smell delicious food in the crock pot that I can't have for another four hours, and I do want it . . . but the desire is bothering me approximately as much as unwanted birdsong. Which is to say I barely even notice. It's a heck of a thing. Everyone should try it at least once.
- cracell 9y ago
  Try what exactly? I've done 24 hour fasts several times and they basically just make me lose two days of productivity. One during the fast day because I'm completely worn down and another the next day as I'm still drained and takes a day of normal eating to get back to normal.
  - Dove 9y ago
    Try keto adaptation followed by fasting, at least once in your life. I mean, there are people who can't for health reasons, and I don't know if there are others for whom it won't "work" . . . but if it works it's a heck of a thing.
  - sasas 9y ago
    It's generally after the third day you start to feel better. A friend is doing this now and reported on the 4th day he has incredible clarity.
    - bonestamp2 9y ago
      Can confirm the 2-3 day transition and the clarity on the other side. But, you need to be well prepared for the transition and afterwards to ensure a worthwhile journey. Do lots of reading ahead of time to make sure you have everything you need to sustain after the transition.
      - astura 9y ago
        I think you're confusing fasting (simply abstaining from food) with some sort of religious or spiritual practice. My first fast was 4 days when I was a teenager and it started as a joke "let's fast for the whole week then go to a buffet to see how much we can eat." That lead me to fast Monday-Thursday and we went to the buffet on Friday. Guess how much "clarity" that brought me? None.
        Dove 9y ago
        I would be careful not to overgeneralize from your personal experience, particularly not from a badly prepared / unguided experience. A sense of clarity after three or four days is something a lot of people report -- certainly enough to say it is a real phenomenon. I don't know if the experience is universal, but it does seem to be quite common.
        astura 9y ago
        Once again, you're confusing a personal religious/spiritual practice with the physical act of abstaining from food. They aren't the same. I never said it wasn't real, I certainly believe you feel it - If you're looking for a spiritual experience you'll certainly get one. I never said other people won't have similar experiences, in fact, cleansing rituals are a part of most of the world's religions. It's just that you are not speaking of fasting itself, you are speaking of a spiritual practice that incorporates fasting. Besides, I have a ton of experience fasting, I fast very frequently, short fasts every week (1 to 2 days), long fasts every once in a while, when I feel like it. I enjoy the physical feeling of fasting. I was merely speaking about the very first time I fasted.
  - MattRix 9y ago
    Fasting doesn't work for me except when I'm on keto, where it's no problem... though I should note I'm not talking about full day fasting, just "Intermittent Fasting". I will wake up, have a coffee+butter (~100 calories), and then not eat anything else until 2pm. Oh and I often run a 10-15km run before lunch and feel great during it, I think keto helps there too.
    - DiThi 9y ago
      I had similar experiences: When I'm on keto, I'm feeling hungry much less, and much less intensely. Sometimes I skipped lunch because I was focused on something and wasn't feeling like interrupting whatever I was doing. More importantly, I didn't feel super hungry a couple of hours after. I guess I was constantly in fat burning mode so my body didn't need to be switching gears. I stopped keto after a few months reaching my target weight, and was irritable and unfocused for 2-3 days.
MattRix 9y ago
As a person with ADHD I've had to learn to be aware of my current mental state at any given time. At certain times I have an extremely hard time concentrating, but those times are WAY more rare when I'm on keto. The other thing I've noticed is that I have much more patience with my kids (4 and 7) when I'm on keto. I can take them grocery shopping with me and they don't drive me insane, etc.