Cheat Days On Keto: Carbs And Consequences

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that is popular for its weight loss effects. It encourages ketosis, a metabolic state in which the body burns fat as its primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates. As the keto diet is very strict, it can be tempting to cheat and indulge in high-carb foods. While a cheat day is not recommended, it is possible to have one and then retrain your body to enter ketosis. However, this can have several disadvantages, including throwing your body out of ketosis, reduced fat-burning, repeat symptoms of keto flu, and guilt or mood swings. To avoid these side effects, it is important to limit cheat meals or opt for a keto-cycle diet, choosing lower-carb options and prioritising keto-friendly foods and meals.

The impact of a cheat day on ketosis

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that is popular for its weight loss effects. It encourages ketosis, a metabolic state in which the body burns fat as its primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates.

The keto diet is very strict, and it can be tempting to cheat and indulge in high-carb foods. Cheat days and cheat meals are common strategies for strict diets, and the idea of planned cheating is that, by allowing yourself short periods of indulgence, you are more likely to stick to the diet over the long term.

However, cheat days are far from ideal for the keto diet. This is because the keto diet relies on your body staying in ketosis. To achieve this, you need to eat fewer than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. Eating more than 50 grams can kick your body out of ketosis. As carbohydrates are your body's preferred energy source, your body will use them over ketone bodies (derived from fats) as soon as a sufficient number of carbs are available.

A cheat day is likely to surpass 50 grams of carbohydrates. Therefore, a cheat day will almost certainly throw your body out of ketosis. This can have a devastating impact on your weight loss journey, as this extra daily carb intake will not only throw your body out of ketosis but will also cause you to gain water weight and reintroduce cravings. It will also be harder for you to get back into the nutritional ketosis state.

Additionally, a sudden cheat day can cause dangerous spikes in blood sugar levels, which could be life-threatening for diabetics. As you come down from your sugar high, you may feel sick, tired, bloated, and easily agitated. A sudden increase in sugar can also cause acne and other skin issues.

Cheating on the keto diet will also significantly reduce fat burning. As your body is thrown out of its fat-burning state due to your cheat meal, it is highly likely to pack on a few extra pounds. This is because your body will no longer be actively burning off fat, and any leftover carbohydrates that have not been burnt off from exercise or metabolism will be stored in your body.

Cheating on the keto diet can also lead to repeat symptoms of the keto flu, such as mild headaches and severe fatigue. It can also cause guilt and mood swings, as you may feel guilty or upset when cheating on the keto diet, especially as you are likely to bloat quite a lot, making you look bigger or less healthy.

However, if your primary goal of following a keto diet is to lose weight, the occasional cheat day or cheat meal is not going to completely wreck your progress, even if it disrupts ketosis. Ketosis has potential health benefits, one of which is calorie control. As long as you don't go overboard with the cheating and you maintain an overall calorie deficit, you should still be able to see results in terms of weight loss.

One benefit of a planned cheat meal is that it allows a short period of indulgence, making it easier to stick to the keto diet in the long run. Experts claim that including a strategic cheat meal into a diet may have some psychological benefits, such as reduced cravings and the resolve to stick to your meal plan overall.

It is also important to note that cheating on a keto diet will not always cause weight gain or increased body fat. However, it is still likely to have some negative consequences.

How to cheat on keto the right way

Cheat days are common strategies for strict diets like keto, where you break the diet rules for a day or a single meal. While cheating may be beneficial for some eating patterns, it's not ideal for keto as it relies on your body staying in ketosis. However, if your primary goal is to lose weight, an occasional cheat day or meal won't completely ruin your progress. Here are some tips to cheat on keto the right way:

• Opt for keto-approved cheat meals: Instead of cheating on your diet, look for keto-friendly substitutes to curb your cravings. There are plenty of packaged keto snacks and "cheat foods" available in the market.
• Have cheat meals, not cheat days: It's easier to stay on top of your overall nutrition and calories with cheat meals rather than entire cheat days. Plan your cheats in advance and budget your calories and carbs.
• Track your daily intake: Don't forget to track your calories and daily macros. Use a popular macro-friendly app to see how your cheats are affecting your weekly nutrition goals.
• Resume your keto lifestyle: The best way to recover from a keto cheat day is to get back to your low-carb keto diet. As long as you're smart about how much and how often you cheat, you don't need to take any special measures to keep getting results.
• Try intermittent fasting: Combining intermittent fasting with keto may help your body shift its fuel source from carbs to fat.
• Exercise more: Physical activity depletes your glycogen stores, which are your body's stored form of carbs, thus promoting ketosis.
• Keep portions small: This will prevent overeating. Make sure seconds aren't within easy reach.
• Make it rare: Cheat days shouldn't be a daily occurrence. Space them out generously to avoid forming bad eating habits.
• Make it count: Don't waste your cheat meal on something insignificant. Eat the foods you miss the most.
• Cheat close to exercise: Exercise increases insulin sensitivity, so you can get back into ketosis faster.

Remember, the key to cheating on keto the right way is moderation and planning. As long as you don't go overboard with cheat days and maintain calorie control overall, you can still achieve your weight loss goals.

The psychological benefits of a cheat meal

Cheat meals or days are a common strategy for strict diets. The idea is that by allowing yourself short periods of indulgence, you're more likely to stick to the diet in the long term. While cheating may be beneficial for some diets, it's not ideal for keto. That said, if your primary goal is to lose weight, the occasional cheat day or meal won't completely ruin your progress, even if it does disrupt ketosis.

Reduced Cravings

Including a strategic diet cheat may have some psychological benefits like reduced cravings. It's no secret that the keto diet is very restrictive, and cravings for sweets, bread, and pasta are common. A cheat meal can help you satisfy these cravings and make it easier to stick to your diet afterward.

Improved Adherence to Your Meal Plan

By allowing yourself a cheat meal, you may find that you're better able to stick to your meal plan overall. A full cheat day will likely take you out of ketosis, but a single cheat meal may not. This strategy can give you a break from the diet while still minimizing the negative impact on your progress.

Improved Sustainability

The keto diet is highly restrictive, and it can be tough to follow long-term. By allowing yourself a cheat meal, you can make the diet more sustainable and avoid feelings of overwhelm and frustration.

Improved Mental Health

Cheat meals can also improve your mental health by reducing feelings of guilt and confusion about your progress. They can also help you stay motivated and teach you how to practice moderation as you build sustainable long-term health habits.

Tips for Cheating on Keto

• Opt for keto-approved cheat meals or lower-carb options to limit the damage.
• Have cheat meals, not cheat days, to make it easier to manage your overall nutrition and calories.
• Plan your cheat meals in advance and budget your calories and carbs.
• Prioritize certain events or favorite foods over random temptations.
• If your goal is calorie control, limit your cheats to once or twice a week.
• Track your daily intake to ensure your cheats aren't sabotaging your progress.

The disadvantages of cheating on keto

While a cheat day on keto may not destroy your progress, it does come with several disadvantages and potential side effects that may limit the success of the keto diet and your weight loss journey.

Throws Your Body Out of Ketosis

When your body is in a state of ketosis, it is burning off your fat as its main source of fuel. As a result, a sudden switch to carbs will automatically throw your body out of this nutritious and efficient fat-burning state. Consequently, this can have a devastating impact on your weight loss journey, as this extra daily carb intake will not only throw your body out of ketosis but will also see you gain water weight as well as introduce cravings back into your life. In the end, this will make it even harder for you to get back into the nutritional ketosis state, as you will face even more obstacles when you next try to get back into a state of ketosis.

Keto Flu Symptoms

Exiting and re-entering ketosis can lead to experiencing symptoms of the keto flu. The keto flu is the adjustment period for your body, and symptoms can range from mild headaches to severe fatigue. Experiencing these symptoms can be irritating and annoying, especially if you have already experienced this when you first transitioned to a keto diet.

Guilt and Mood Swings

Having a cheat meal will often make you feel guilty or confused about your progress on a diet. You may feel guilty or upset when cheating on the keto diet, especially as you are likely to bloat quite a lot—making you look a bit bigger or less healthy than you were before. This is mainly due to the added carbohydrates in your body from the cheat meal, as these typically hold quite a bit of water! This extra water weight can actually increase your body's weight on the scales from 2 to 6 pounds.

Blood Sugar Spikes

Keto stabilizes blood sugar levels, so a sudden cheat day can have the potential to cause dangerous spikes in your blood sugar levels. For the average person, this may cause you to feel nauseous for a few days at most, but for diabetics, this could be potentially life-threatening if too much sugar is consumed. As you come down from your sugar high, you may feel sick, tired, bloated, and be easily agitated.

Reduced Fat Burning

As your body is thrown out of its fat-burning state due to your cheat meal, your body is highly likely to pack on a few extra pounds. This is because your body will no longer actively be burning off fat, and any leftover carbs that have not been effectively burnt off from exercise or metabolism will be stored in your body.

Cravings

Everyone knows how addictive carbs and sugary foods and drinks can be. Though resisting the temptation of a cheat meal may be difficult, it would be a lot harder to resist cravings once you have already enjoyed them as part of a cheat meal. Indulging in any cheat meals now will only make it harder for you to completely stop eating them!

How to get back into ketosis after a cheat day

A "cheat day" on the keto diet can significantly disrupt your progress and kick you out of ketosis. To get back into ketosis after a cheat day, you should:

• Resume your keto diet immediately: The first and most important step is to get back to your low-carb, high-fat diet as soon as possible. Aim to reduce your carbohydrate intake to kickstart fat-burning and ketosis.
• Try intermittent fasting: Intermittent fasting can help deplete your body's glycogen stores and promote the use of fat as an energy source. You can extend your nightly fast by skipping breakfast or dinner, or try a longer fast of 24 to 48 hours.
• Exercise more: Physical activity, especially high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can help deplete glycogen stores and promote ketosis.
• Stay hydrated: As you transition back into ketosis, you may experience fluid loss, so it's important to drink plenty of water.
• Replenish electrolytes: Electrolyte imbalances can occur during the transition into ketosis, which may cause symptoms like nausea, irritability, and dizziness. Use a high-quality electrolyte powder or supplement, or snack on keto-friendly salty foods like roasted almonds, pepperoni, and olives.
• Try a fat fast: A short-term fat fast, such as an egg fast, is a very high-fat, low-carb diet meant to be followed for a brief period to help expedite ketosis.
• Track your carb intake: Take note of your daily carb intake to ensure you don't underestimate it.
• Test your ketone levels: Use tools like ketone breath meters, blood ketone meters, or keto urine strips to test your ketone levels and determine if you're back in ketosis.

It's important to remember that getting back into ketosis after a cheat day can take anywhere from two days to over a week, depending on your metabolic flexibility, age, activity level, and the amount of carbs you consumed during your cheat meal.

Frequently asked questions