Ketosis and Alcohol?!?

Hi, im on day 9 off SS and am going to a wedding in 3 weeks. Just reading the other thread I have seen people mention that its dangerous to drink alcohol...why is this? I plan to drink at the wedding, and i told my CDC and all he said is be careful as I'll get drunk easily.

I drank vodka and slimline tonic - I only had about half of what I'd usually have and I was so ill!! I had to stick my fingers down my throat as i felt so bad. I only lost 1lb that week, too. I've assigned myself to the fact now that it's not worth it for one night of debauchery - and I was out every saturday night before CD. I still go out, but reap the benefits of not having to pay extortionate prices for a taxi, or blowing the whole thing on chips at the end of the night. I would limit yourself and take it very slowly, or have something off the allowed food list so your body has more to cope.

If you have decided that you are definitely having a planned break and within that break you are going to have a drink then that is your decision. Everyone will do their journey differently, but just make sure that you do it safely, as it can be very dangerous to drink in ketosis.

So, if your mind is made up, then I'd suggest making sure you are out of ketosis before drinking. Last time I did CD I did this occasionally and was shocked that my CDC had no idea about the dangers.

She too told me just to be careful. It wasn't until I came on here that I found out the risks. Enjoy. I have a wedding in 3 weeks too and am planning on having a break.

My cd counsellor said she thought it was because of the calories in alcohol preventing you from losing weight!!! I told her to look at this forum and read the guidelines on not drinking alcohol!!!

This was posted previously and explains why not to drink alcohol when in ketosis:
xtwinklex

DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL IF YOU ARE KETOTIC!
Alcohol is a powerful inhibitor of gluconeogenesis. In fact, it forces part of the gluconeogenic metabolic process into reverse. This means that if all the glucose in the blood is being derived from gluconeogenesis then the consumption of alcohol will inevitably cause the blood glucose level to fall. Worse still, the alcohol also stops ketone body production, thus leaving the brain entirely without fuel.
A person who is ketotic is 100% reliant on gluconeogenesis to maintain adequate levels of glucose in the blood. If, under these circumstances alcohol is taken, the person will become disorientated and might lose consciousness, not just from the alcohol, but from low blood sugar. Needless to say, this could be very dangerous, and even fatal.
Alcohol does not have these effects if the glycogen stores in the liver are normal. Under these circumstances the blood glucose level in the blood is maintained by the breakdown of liver glycogen, a process that is not influenced by alcohol. If a person becomes confused under these circumstances it is due simply to the pharmacological effects of the alcohol!

and just to clarify... ketotic is a medical term referring to any circumstance in which low blood glucose is accompanied by ketosis. Which is the case for those of us on VLCD.

Ok thanks for the replies so from the day before maybe I should have that day off too? So altogether 2 days off?
My CDC also thought it was because of the calories the calories too.

Well you come out of ketosis quite quickly, but I'm not sure how quickly things get back to normal in your body, in terms of levels.

I plan on getting up in the morning and having something healthy for breakfast, but with carbs in it. Also I'm not planning on having anything exciting! I'm doing it purely to enable me to have a couple of glasses of wine safely.

There is the risk after having a planned break of really struggling to get back into the diet, which is why most people don't want to even cheat a tiny bit. A lot of people will post on here about doing this and then struggle for the rest of their journey getting back on track. The first 3-4 days on this diet are the most difficult, so it's not easy going back to it when you've had a break. If you can try not to see it as a really exciting 'ooh I can eat what I want' break and just that you're being careful in order to have a few drinks it might make it easier.

I know if I was to eat lovely food I'd find it harder to go back...

So what would anyone suggest carbs wise to get them out of ketosis? Which is best, a little bit pasta, or maybe a chicken sandwich or even a bowl of cereal before you go out? I used to drink milk before I went out anyway to put a lining on my stomach. What you do think is not too bad to get our bodies out of ketosis without doing too much damage?