Cheat Days And Keto: Reset Or Continue?

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that emphasises weight loss by burning fat. It is a very strict and restrictive diet, so it's natural to wonder whether you're allowed to have cheat meals or cheat days, and whether this will kick you out of ketosis.

Ketosis is a state your body goes into when it uses fat to create molecules called ketones. This happens when there isn't much sugar around for your body to use as energy. If you eat less than 50 grams of carbs per day, your body will use up its glycogen stores for energy.

Cheat days and cheat meals are common strategies for strict diets. Cheat days allow you to break the diet's rules throughout the day, while cheat meals let you have a single meal that breaks the rules. The idea of planned cheating is that by allowing yourself short periods of indulgence, you're more likely to stick to the diet over the long term.

However, cheat meals or days are discouraged on the keto diet because they can easily break ketosis. Eating more than 50 grams of carbs can kick your body out of ketosis, and it takes several days to one week to get back into it. In the meantime, your weight loss may be disrupted.

If you do decide to have a cheat meal or day, there are some tips to help you get back into ketosis:

- Try intermittent fasting

- Track your carb intake

- Try a short-term fat fast

- Exercise more

How to recover from a cheat day

Cheat days are common on strict diets, and while they may be helpful for some eating patterns, they are not ideal if you are following a keto diet. This is because the keto diet relies on your body staying in ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body burns fat as its primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates.

If you have a cheat day and eat more than 50 grams of carbohydrates, you will likely be kicked out of ketosis. This will disrupt your weight loss, and it will take several days to a week to get back into ketosis, depending on your carb intake, metabolism, and activity levels.

• Intermittent fasting: Try combining intermittent fasting with the keto diet to help your body shift its fuel source from carbs to fat.
• Track your carb intake: Take note of your daily carb intake to ensure you don't underestimate it.
• Short-term fat fast: Try a very high-fat, low-carb diet for a brief period to help expedite ketosis.
• Exercise more: Physical activity depletes your glycogen stores, which are your body's stored form of carbs, and promotes ketosis.
• Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) supplement: MCTs are a rapidly absorbed fatty acid that is easily converted into ketones.

To know if you've reached ketosis, you can test your ketone levels using tools such as ketone breath meters, blood ketone meters, or keto urine strips.

In addition to the above techniques, there are some other strategies you can implement to help curb the urge to cheat on the keto diet:

• Practice mindfulness: Pay attention to your body, which may help you resist cravings and emotional eating.
• Plan your meals and snacks: A solid dietary plan makes it less likely that you'll get hungry during the day.
• Make your diet enjoyable: Incorporate different keto-friendly meals to vary your diet and make it enjoyable.
• Keep tempting foods out of the house: Keeping treats and other tempting, high-carb foods out of sight can make cheating inconvenient.
• Have an accountability partner: A buddy can help you stay motivated and stick to your diet.

Remember, it's important to strictly follow the keto diet and take the necessary steps to get back into ketosis after a cheat day. This may include intermittent fasting, fat fasting, and exercise.

Pros and cons of cheat days

Cheat days on the keto diet are common, as the diet is very restrictive. However, there are both pros and cons to including cheat days in your keto diet plan.

Pros of Cheat Days on Keto:

• Motivation and Longevity: The most popular argument for cheat days is that they can help you stay motivated and continue the keto diet long-term. The idea of planned cheating is that by allowing yourself short periods of indulgence, you're more likely to stick to the diet.
• Psychological Benefits: Research suggests that strategic diet cheats may have psychological benefits, such as reduced cravings and improved adherence to your meal plan.

Cons of Cheat Days on Keto:

• Disruption of Ketosis: Cheat days can easily kick you out of ketosis, as they often involve consuming more than 50 grams of carbohydrates. This can interfere with your weight loss goals, as ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body burns fat as its primary source of energy.
• Blood Sugar Spike: Cheat days can cause a blood sugar spike, leading to an intense sugar crash afterward.
• Weight Gain: While carbs themselves do not cause weight gain, overeating during cheat days can lead to weight gain and digestive issues.
• Strengthened Cravings: Carbohydrates, especially sugar, can induce cravings and make it harder to avoid carbs and sugar in the future.
• Guilt: Many people experience guilt after cheating on their keto diet, which can outweigh the benefits of the cheat meal.
• Addiction: Sugar addiction is a real issue, and cheating can strengthen these pathways, making it more challenging to avoid sugary treats.

Tips for a successful keto cheat day

Make your cheat meal keto-friendly

Instead of eating a whole box of pizza or a tray of chocolate chip cookies on your cheat day, opt for keto-friendly alternatives. You won't even know the difference!

Eat in small portions

The less you eat on your cheat day, the less likely you are to overindulge. Only allow yourself a small portion of high-carb foods during cheat days instead of going all out.

Make cheat days rare

If you make cheat days a daily occurrence, they stop becoming cheat days and start becoming a diet regime. Space out your cheat days generously, whether a week or two weeks apart.

Make it count

Don't waste your cheat meal on a handful of stale tortilla chips. Eat the foods you miss most, like that special holiday dessert.

Avoid sugar

This might sound like a bummer, especially if you were looking forward to eating sweets on your cheat day. But sugar is your number one enemy on keto — cheat day or not. Avoid sugar entirely and opt for keto-friendly sweeteners like erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit instead.

Exercise right after a cheat day

Studies show that exercise increases your body's ability to process carbs, helping you get back to ketosis faster.

Get back to your keto diet quickly

Cheat days shouldn't last an entire week. Get back to your keto diet routine as quickly as possible so you don't fall off track.

How to resist cheating on keto

The keto 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 your body burns fat as its primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates. As the keto diet is very strict, it can be hard not to be tempted by the occasional high-carb food. Here are some tips to help you resist cheating on the keto diet:

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness involves paying attention to your body, which may help you resist cravings and emotional eating. It can help you make better decisions about food and resist the urge to cheat.

Plan Out Your Meals and Snacks

Planning your meals and snacks in advance makes it less likely that you will get hungry during the day and be tempted to cheat.

Make Your Everyday Diet Enjoyable

Try incorporating different keto-friendly meals to vary your diet and make it enjoyable. This can help you resist the urge to cheat.

Keep Tempting Foods Out of the House

Keeping treats and other tempting, high-carb foods out of sight can make cheating inconvenient and help you stick to your diet.

Have an Accountability Partner

Having a buddy or accountability partner can help you stay motivated and stick to your diet. They can provide support and encouragement to help you resist the urge to cheat.

Stick to Your Low-Carb Diet in Social Situations

It can be challenging to stick to your keto diet in social situations, such as work events or family gatherings. Try to plan ahead and bring keto-friendly dishes or choose low-carb options when possible.

Learn the Art of Meal Prep

Preparing keto-friendly meals and snacks in advance can help you avoid cheating. That way, you always have approved foods on hand and are less likely to be tempted by high-carb options.

Don't Call It a "Cheat"

Instead of labelling foods as "good" or "bad", try to view all foods as equal. This can help reduce the desire to cheat and make it easier to stick to your diet.

Opt for Keto-Approved Substitutes

Instead of cheating with high-carb foods, try finding keto-friendly substitutes to curb your cravings. There are many keto-friendly recipes and packaged snacks available that can help you stick to your diet.

Have Cheat Meals, Not Cheat Days

If you feel the need to cheat, it is better to have a single cheat meal rather than a whole cheat day. A large cheat meal can add 1000 or more calories to your day, while a whole cheat day can potentially undo all your hard work from the week.

Remember, it is important to listen to your body. If you are experiencing prolonged symptoms of dizziness, stomach upset, or decreased energy, stop your keto diet and consult your doctor.

What happens when you cheat on keto

Cheat days are common strategies for strict diets like keto, where you can break the diet rules for a day or a single meal. While cheating may be helpful for some eating patterns, it is not ideal for the keto diet. This is because the keto diet relies on your body staying in ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body burns fat as its primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates.

When you cheat on keto, you will likely kick your body out of ketosis. This is because your body will switch back to using glucose as a source of fuel, and ketone production will stop. Eating more than 50 grams of carbohydrates can easily take your body out of ketosis, and a single cheat meal can exceed this daily allowance. You may also experience a temporary gain in water weight, as most of the sugars you eat will be used to replenish glycogen stores.

In addition, reintroducing a high-carb meal to a ketogenic diet may damage your blood vessels, and it is easy to overeat during a cheat meal, which may sabotage your weight loss efforts and promote unhealthy eating habits. You may also experience a sugar crash after cheating with a carb-heavy meal, and some people report repeat symptoms of "keto flu" when resuming the keto diet.

It can take several days to one week to get back into ketosis, depending on your carb intake, metabolism, and activity levels. To recover from a cheat meal, you will need to strictly follow the keto diet and there are a few techniques that may help you reach ketosis faster, such as intermittent fasting, fat fasting, and exercise.

Tips to avoid cheating on keto:

• Keep tempting foods out of the house
• Rope in an accountability partner
• Practice mindfulness
• Plan out your meals and snacks
• Make your everyday diet enjoyable by incorporating different keto-friendly meals

Frequently asked questions