The Best Tips to Get Back on Track with Keto Diet - Dr. Berg's Skype Session

If you’ve fallen off the keto diet, try these tips to get yourself back on track.

Timestamps:
0:00 If you fell off the keto diet, here are the best tips for getting back on track
5:50 Here are some tips for getting back on keto
10:30 If you do keto half-heartedly, your body struggles to adapt and get the benefits

In this video, I explain how to get back on track if you fell off the keto diet. I interview my client Rita, who has so much to share with us. She’d been doing well on keto and hit some life stress which she says caused her to revert to her emotional eating habits for comfort. She feels the stress caused quick weight gain. Rita acknowledges that the foods she craves don’t even taste good anymore. But she’ll eat even when she’s not hungry because her body has once again gotten used to a higher carb intake. She doesn’t feel as satisfied as she does when she’s on a healthy keto.

Rita’s go-to comfort foods are sweets, bread, and alcohol, which she knows are particularly unhealthy for her. So I gave her the following tips:

Unhealthy habits are connected to the past, not the present. To keep yourself in the present, keep a food log. On the left side of the page, write down everything you eat and drink. On the right side, write down your motivation for eating and drinking those specific items. This exercise keeps you conscious and aware of your choices.

Then, focus on changing some of the motivations. Some obvious ones are eating for health and nutrients. But sometimes these aren’t enough on their own, because they may be missing the pleasure factor. If so, plan to keep some items like keto desserts on hand, as healthier go-to comfort food.

Some health food stores sell kombucha tea with a 5.6 percent alcohol content, the equivalent of a strong beer. Drink this kombucha to help you transition off of regular alcohol because at least kombucha has some excellent health benefits! I drank some and felt relaxed but not drunk. So it can be a good temporary stress relief as you wean yourself off of regular alcohol.

Keto is really all or nothing. If you do it only half-heartedly, you put yourself on a roller coaster. Your carb intake isn’t consistently low enough to get or keep you in ketosis. Your body struggles to adapt. Changing your environment will help. If alcohol is your downfall, don’t put yourself in situations where alcohol is the focus. Plan ahead if you’re going to parties, especially during the holidays.

Don’t fret if you fell off the keto diet because I provide some proven tips to get yourself back on track!

Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 56, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.

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Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Thanks for watching!

If you’ve fallen off the keto diet, don’t worry because I have proven tips to get you back on track.

[hellosmiles]

After I went keto for 30 days straight and decided to take a break nothing tasted as I remembered. All the sweets that I used to love tasted nothing like I remembered. Back to keto it is!!!!

[cherhorowitz]

These things help me get back on track 💪:

1. Don’t fast in the beginning if it’s too much of a struggle. Focus on eating healthy keto and exercising until you’re in ketosis. Once you’re in it, I find that my willpower comes back and fasting and portion control come much easier (portion control meaning nuts, not too much peanut butter, not too much keto bombs/treats, etc). I swear, I feel like just being in ketosis gives me willpower(I call it keto power 😊)! It’s that gut/brain connection. This makes it much easier for me to feel strong and committed in social eating/drinking situations as well (which is when I’m most likely to go off the plan).

2. Use crutches-if it makes it easier to curb the cravings, keep keto bombs and keto treats handy to help satisfy sweet/carb cravings. Have nuts, seeds, sugar free dark chocolate (maybe with a little peanut butter) as a snack. Drink different herbal tea’s with a quality stevia for sweet cravings or after dinner. Have peanut butter and celery sticks or guacamole and celery sticks. Keep it very tasty 😋 to make it easier to stick to. Have taco bowls without the tortilla or carbs. Have eggs 🍳 and bacon 🥓. Make your salads fancy with goat cheese or feta cheese, nuts or seeds on top, avocado 🥑, and a nice variety of veggies like cucumber 🥒, tomato, olives, and maybe a small amount of shredded carrots. Also add your nutritional yeast of you’re not doing the tablets.

3. For alcohol cravings, I really like Dr. Berg’s recommendation of doing kombucha. They have varieties with higher alcohol content that are suppose to mimic wine or beer. But because they are high in sugar and carbs, Dr. Berg recommends only drinking like half a bottle (unless you find a lower sugar and carb brand, then you can have the whole bottle) and then mixing it with some sparkling water. You’d end up being able to turn half a bottle of kombucha into maybe 3 glasses if mixed with sparkling water. I also find that drinking just plain or flavored sugar free sparkling water in my wine glass really helps me replace the habit. I feel fancy and I sip it in the evening. I also really enjoy the Yogi brand Kava tea in the evenings which really relaxes me and helps me wind down for bed and it can also help replace an evening habit of drinking alcohol. For restaurants, I used to drink wine or mimosa’s, but I replace the habit with sparkling water if they have it, or herbal tea or coffee. I really don’t like restaurant water so it helps for me to have something else to replace the habit of my old drinks. I think when it comes to certain things that are addictive like alcohol or caffeine if that’s a problem, it helps to replace the habit with something similar rather than trying to just cut it out completely.

4. Supplements: I really like L-tryptophan for carb/sweet cravings or even alcohol cravings. I keep it out on the kitchen counter as a reminder and a travel case with some in my purse. The kava kava supplement is also really great (only in the evenings preferably because it makes you more tired). It has been reported to affect the liver (not sure how much and how it compares to alcohol liver damage), but I just take a milk thistle along with it to support my liver and take it sparingly/as needed. St. John’s Wort is really great if I’m struggling with my mood and feeling down or unmotivated. It can make your skin more sensitive to the sun or tanning if you take it regularly, but I usually just take it for a short amount of time until my natural happy energy comes back.

5. Get your nutrients in ASAP when craving unhealthy foods. I find that if I wake up and I’m already thinking about carbs/sweets (or just real early in the day), if I have my big salad 🥗 or smoothie right away and then have my quality fat/protein, 1. I’m too full to want or eat anything else, and 2. My cravings go away because my true nutritional needs have been met. I might follow that with some herbal tea and stevia or a sparkling water drink as well. I really enjoy my salads, nuts/seeds & chocolate, and eggs and bacon or some cheese even when I’m not in ketosis, so it’s not too much of a struggle to make myself eat those things rather than something else. If I’m not in ketosis and I’m thinking of other foods I used to eat and am now craving, I get right to the salad and my favorite keto fat/protein meals and that usually helps. Also, the other things I mentioned help me too.

6. If going out to eat, do your research on the menu ahead of time (so you don’t pick out something bad under pressure) and know what you’re going to order. I typically like most salads (I often have to modify them and exclude certain things like croutons or fruit however), grilled salmon with broccoli 🥦, a steak dinner with a veggie side, and simple eggs, bacon, and coffee/tea for breakfast (some places have some pretty good keto approved omelettes too and side salads). Sometimes you have to be creative with combining sides or completely modifying a meal by removing/adding things. My husband loves eating out on the weekends, so I always have to prepare myself for it and have certain places in mind. I also keep a small bottle of pre-made salad dressing that I like to smuggle into restaurants so I don’t have to eat their terribly unhealthy oils/sugar loaded/soy dressings. I’ll ask for a vinaigrette dressing on the side, and then just use my own when no ones looking lol. I just make mine with organic cold pressed virgin olive oil and balsamic and sometimes add some dried herbs and salt and pepper to add more flavors. If eating out is a trigger in the beginning, make all efforts to avoid it until your keto power comes back. Sometimes I’ll let my husband know ahead of time that I plan to cook dinner on the weekend nights, and that helps me avoid the temptations of eating out. He enjoys my cooking so it’s a win win 😊.

[KM-nqez]

She is so correct, after Keto nothing tastes as good as I remember. Not to say that I still don’t want them, crave them, but when I do indulge, I don’t even enjoy it that much.

[admanthachristians]

I’m an emotional eater I just want to be able to stop turning to food for comfort 🥺

[natashachatman]

I thank God for this video!! I have just slipped myself. Getting back on track is like climbing out of the Grand Canyon. I did not prepare well when my days became busy. I would eat what was available. Attending conferences with no plan and ended up eating what was being served. Thanks for this video!!

[fitashaya]

When I eat carbs I can't stop eating. Sugar makes me so hungry. I work from home so I'm always tempted to eat. Keto helps so much.

[CandyKeesh]

These videos are always the best. I appreciate Dr.Berg asking "which kind of sweets?" I think its important to really dig deep and find out WHAT foods are troublesome and WHY? And just in general find out WHY we are falling off track. Personally I find that I cant keep to my IF schedule on the weekends (when Im at work). Im so bored at work and find that I MUST eat something to pass the time and its never good. During the week its so easy for me. But It takes real effort for me to follow keto and IF on the weekends. This weekend I will pack a low carb protein bar to help combat reaching for something non-keto.
BTW I'm 5'8 and lost 60 lbs since starting 6 months ago. Keto, IF, and cardio 4 days per week. My goal is to lose 50 more lbs.

[deenabenson]

Loved this video. I recently slipped on a business trip. We were training at a resort and somewhat isolated. Dinner was always accompanied by both alcohol and desserts. I worked Keto as much as possible but eventually succumbed. I’m back at home now and am getting back in track. I’m not beating myself up I just want to learn from it and move on.

[broandsis]

OMG! This is me! Like to a T!!! I did so good on Keto for one year, Lost 52 lbs, looking great feeling amazing. Then I cheated a couple times, then then last 4 months have been complete cheating. Everything she's saying is how I feel. And now I'm stuck emotional eating again. On top of that I'm at an office job instead of on my feel all day. I don't know how to get back. Nothing even tastes good, I'm just eating just to eat, but I know i have an unhealthy relationship with food. The food logging and the tracking, and the weighing and portioning and constant reminders on FB keto groups it all got too overwhelming.

[lefreakful]

I just had my birthday last week and I knew I was going to cheat... the cheat day became a 5 day cheat day 😂😂😂 i even ate mcdonalds omgggg hahaha i am so bloated I cannot even !!!! Fresh keto start today so this video was amaze to start again, thanks Dr Berg ❤️

[TX]

The addiction to carbohydrates is almost identical to a nicotine addiction. Free yourself of those deleterious habits.

[LizandDashdolife]

I really needed this today. I can relate so much with Rita. It’s like we are the same person. About 3 years ago I started a low carb, moderate protein, hi fat diet after reading Professors Tim Noakes’ book, The Real Meal Revolution. I lost about 30kilograms. BUT I’m an emotional eater and a binge drinker and I never dealt with the reasons why I felt the need to overeat/drink and this resulted in a 3 year spiral to where I am today and the scale tipping at 135kg. I have gained all the weight back and then some. Keeping a food log has definitely helped me to stay present and identify why I’m self sabotaging with food and the intermittent fasting with keto has made it sooo much easier to get back on track. Thank you so much Dr. Berg and Rita for being so candid with your journey. It’s made me realize I am not alone in this. Here’s to health and happiness ❤️

[monicagoldstein]

I LOVE Dr. Berg! Non judgemental and always looking for solutions! That is the way to Live!

[deborahtofflemire]

I am so glad you brought this up. I am going through this .

[MissBobJo]

The thing is, would your family feel any different if you were deathly allergic to peanuts? Allergic to gluten? I treat those things like it's an allergy because really, my body doesn't process carbs and sugars. I get sick. So... I treat it like what it is

[CoffeeattheBeach]

emotional eating is the worst and has plagued me since age 13. this type of compulsive eating d/o can be a great struggle. Intermittent fasting and OMAD has helped me greatly to deal with this. Thanks for this video Dr. Berg.

[Bareness]

OMG, this is me exactly now. Everything she expressed; thank you so much for articulating your experience so honestly. So helpful and I hope empowering. Food log #1 (increase awareness). Change some of the motivation #2 (health). Change your environment/people #3.
Thank you Dr Berg for your commitment to HEALTH! I wonder what you knowledge is on food addiction and if you've ever spoke on it. Also, I think if her "aunt" watched this video or heard her serious concerns for her health and well being she would have the greatest respect for her, her path/challenge and health and would do everything within her means to support her beautiful niece. Having Keto Friends sounds very empowering!

[bethanysaxton]

I gave in about a week ago to take out pizza, breadsticks, and brownies. Not only did I waste $$ that I really didn’t have, most of it tasted terrible — the za that I had become accustomed to seemed so flavorless, the same breadsticks, okay — the brownies were good, I knew they were mostly chemical & inflammatory - oil laden. After a few slices and couple of breadsticks (that weren’t even satisfying) and after a couple brownies, I knew that I was going to be setting myself back as I had only started a couple weeks prior. Let me tell you — I definitely set myself the way back to keto flu.

I felt terrible for a few days.

I should say that I ended up throwing out everything that was left that same night, which I’m proud of, but what a waste of $$ that could have gone to REAL food!

I decided to purchase organic raw cacao which I used to use and really enjoyed and — once again — get to enjoy this in my morning coffee or chai tea which feeds that chocolate fix (magnesium deficiency). I often add 1tbsp of chia seeds and 1tbsp of butter, a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice, and 1 packet of Truvia, and maybe 1 tbsp of coconut oil, as well, & blend it for a yummy protein- fiber- & omega 3- packed drink.

And when I’m craving Italian, I am now using organic or homemade pasta sauce (just a little gives enough flavor), fresh herbs & garlic, ground beef, and shredded parm over zucchini noodles — Yum!

I’ve yet to try your pizza recipe, Dr. Berg, but am looking forward to it, too!

[aladyof]

Oh my goodness! Food is not as good as it was before keto. It's just not me who feels that way.

[terihernandez]

I've been struggling as well and I agree with Dr. Berg as far as having substitutes on hand, when I fall off the keto wagon it is a huge struggle to refocus but it's completely up to me to get back on that wagon. I am thankful there are so many desserts that are keto that taste good, the hard part is working up the motivation to prepare them.