Cheat Days And Keto: Friend Or Foe?

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that emphasises weight loss by burning fat. The keto diet is strict, and it can be challenging to follow, so it's natural to crave carb-filled foods. A cheat day on keto can be a welcomed break from the diet, but it has drawbacks, such as interfering with your state of ketosis. Ketosis is a state where the body uses fat to create molecules called ketones. This happens when there is a lack of sugar for the body to use as energy, and the body burns through stored fat for energy instead of glucose. A cheat day can knock you out of ketosis, leaving you feeling sluggish and causing weight gain. However, some sources suggest that a cheat day now and then makes people more likely to stay on a strict diet.

The pros of cheat days on keto

Pros of Cheat Days on Keto

You Won't Feel Like You're Missing Out

The keto diet can be restrictive, and it's natural to crave forbidden, carby foods, especially if they are your favorite foods or part of a family or cultural celebration. Allowing yourself some flexibility to indulge in a celebratory treat with friends and family can reduce the stress of feeling like you're missing out.

You May Be More Likely to Stick with the Program Long-Term

Allowing occasional treats and even cheats can eliminate feelings of failure, guilt, and shame when and if you do eat non-keto foods. Planning for spontaneous treats/cheats can short-circuit the "I did something wrong" feeling that can be a prime driver in the cycle of addiction. Research supports the view that "planned hedonic deviations" can help people stick to regimens and achieve success across a variety of goals.

It Can Be a Well-Deserved Reward

A cheat meal on keto can be something to look forward to and a tasty reward for all your hard work. It's nice to have something to look forward to when following a strict diet: a day where you can eat what you want or indulge in one of your favorite carb-filled meals.

It Can Be a Needed Break

The keto diet can be tough to follow, and a cheat day can provide a needed break. It's a day when dieters can relax and be less strict on their bodies, making them more likely to stay on their diets as they can get right back to it the next day.

The cons of cheat days on keto

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that emphasises weight loss by burning fat. Ketosis is a state that your body goes into when it uses fat to create molecules called ketones. This happens when there is not much sugar around for your body to use as energy. The keto diet is ranked No. 1 of 24 diets in the 2023 U.S. News Best Fast Weight-Loss Diets rankings. However, it is also ranked No. 21 in the Best Weight-Loss Diets and No. 20 in the Best Diets Overall.

Reactivates Sugar Addiction

Sugar and carbs stimulate the same "happy" chemicals that are triggered when we spend time with friends and family. Research has shown that people who consumed high-GI carbs experienced a greater activation of opiate and dopamine receptors in the craving and reward centre of the brain. This means that repeatedly stimulating the reward centre of your brain with high-GI carbs can reset your body fat levels. When your fat levels are set, your body will attempt to preserve your accumulated fat by secreting hunger hormones and slowing down your metabolism.

Hunger Pangs and Energy Dips

Low-carb diets stabilise hunger hormones like ghrelin and neuropeptide Y. The keto diet provides sustained mental and physical energy due to the lessened hunger hormones and highly satiating fatty foods. When you cheat on keto, you return to the hunger pangs and energy dips. This could compel you to gobble more carbs, making it harder to get back into your keto regimen.

Overeating and Binging

Cheating on keto often means eating carbs, and it can be difficult to stop at just one serving. A 2018 study of 248 young adults found that the more often people had cheat meals, the more likely they were to binge.

Throws Your Body Out of Ketosis

When your body is in a state of ketosis, it is burning fat as its main source of fuel. A sudden switch to carbs will automatically throw your body out of this fat-burning state. This can have a devastating impact on your weight loss journey, as the 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.

Repeat Symptoms of Keto Flu

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

Guilt and Mood Swings

Having a cheat meal can 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 bigger or less healthy. This is due to the added carbohydrates in your body from the cheat meal, as these typically hold quite a bit of water.

How to cheat on keto the right way

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that can be challenging to stick to, given its restrictive nature. It is only natural to crave carb-filled foods, especially if they are your favourite foods. If you are on the keto diet, a cheat day can be a welcomed break from the diet, but it is not without its drawbacks.

• Keep it rare: Cheat days are not a daily thing. Space them out generously. The less you cheat, the less likely you will form bad eating habits.
• Make it count: Don't waste your cheat meal on a handful of stale tortilla chips. Eat the foods you miss most, like a special dessert.
• Avoid sugar: Sugary cheat meals will fuel sugar addiction and drive future cravings. Opt for keto-friendly sweeteners like erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit.
• Cheat close to exercise: Exercise increases insulin sensitivity (your ability to handle carbs), so you can get back into ketosis faster.
• Return to keto quickly: The longer you avoid your low-carb routine, the harder it will be to get back on track.
• Keep portions small: This will prevent overeating. Instead of relying on willpower, make sure seconds aren't within easy reach.
• Opt for keto-friendly substitutes: Instead of regular pasta, eat low-carb zucchini pasta.
• Plan your macros carefully: If you want to stay in ketosis, carefully measure out your macros so you can enjoy a full 50 grams of pasta.
• Don't beat yourself up: What you do today is important, not what you did yesterday. Get back to eating healthily in the present, and the future will be bright.

How to get back into ketosis after cheating

Cheat days on the keto diet are a controversial topic. While some people believe that they can be beneficial for staying on track long-term, others argue that they can do more harm than good. Ultimately, the decision to include cheat days in your keto diet is a personal one, and it's important to be aware of the potential risks and benefits.

If you do choose to include cheat days or cheat meals and find yourself knocked out of ketosis, there are several strategies you can use to get back into this state:

• Intermittent fasting: Combining intermittent fasting with the keto diet may help your body shift its fuel source from carbs to fat. Fasting for 12-16 hours or more after your last cheat meal can help you get back into ketosis more quickly.
• Exercise: Physical activity depletes your glycogen stores, which are your body's stored form of carbs. This promotes ketosis. High-intensity training workouts are particularly effective in aiding your body's return to ketosis as they burn a lot of energy.
• Reduce carb consumption: Consuming a low-carb diet is vital to successfully re-entering ketosis. Aim for under 25-30 grams of daily carb intake. This will force your body to use ketones instead of glycogen as an energy source, allowing your body to burn more fat.
• Increase healthy fat consumption: 70-80% of your diet and calorie requirements on keto should come from healthy fat sources, which will help to suppress your appetite and reduce any sugar and carb cravings. Avocados, nuts, olives, and olive oil are great options.
• Increase water and electrolyte intake: As your body expends glycogen when getting back into ketosis, it will flush out a lot of water and retain very little, which can lead to dehydration symptoms like fatigue and headaches. Increasing your water and electrolyte intake can help prevent and remedy this.
• Consume adequate levels of Medium-Chain Triglyceride (MCT) oil and protein: MCT oil is rich in ketones, which will help your body increase ketone production. Adequate protein intake is also important to retain muscle mass, especially when your carb intake is very low.

It's important to note that the time it takes to get back into ketosis will vary depending on individual factors such as your previous ketosis duration, exercise habits, the composition of your cheat meal, and alcohol consumption. It can take anywhere from 12-16 hours with the help of fasting and exercise, or as long as it initially took your body to enter ketosis.

The best times to schedule a keto cheat day

If you're following the keto diet, a cheat day is something to look forward to. On that day, you can eat some of the foods you've been avoiding, like pasta or bread, without feeling guilty. However, cheat days can also be dangerous as they may knock you out of ketosis and cause other side effects. So, when is the best time to schedule a keto cheat day?

Plan your keto cheat day in advance

It's important to plan your keto cheat day in advance. This way, you can make sure it doesn't interfere with any important events or milestones in your diet. For example, if you know there is a social event coming up on the weekend, plan your cheat day around that. This will help you stay on track and avoid cheating at random times, which can be harder to control.

Space out your keto cheat days

Keto cheat days should be rare, so make sure to space them out. If you plan on going out of ketosis, schedule your cheat days for once a month or once every other month. This will give your body enough time to get back into ketosis and reap the benefits of the diet. If it takes you less time to get back into ketosis, you can schedule your cheat days more frequently.

Schedule your keto cheat day for a day when you can be active

Low-intensity exercises increase your body's ability to handle and process carbs. So, if you're planning a keto cheat day, try to schedule it for a day when you can be active. This will help you stay in ketosis and avoid weight gain.

Have a keto cheat meal instead of a full day

A full keto cheat day can take your body out of ketosis and cause side effects like bloating and brain fog. Instead, opt for a keto cheat meal. This way, you'll consume fewer carbs and it's less likely to affect your ketosis state. Focus on keeping the other meals in the day low-carb and higher in protein and fats.

Limit your carbs even on keto cheat days

Even on keto cheat days, it's important to limit your carb intake. This will help you stay in ketosis and avoid weight gain. Try to keep your carb intake below 50 grams per day, or at least below your daily limit to stay in ketosis. You can also minimize your carb intake for several days before your cheat day to give yourself some leeway.

In conclusion, the best times to schedule a keto cheat day are when you've planned for it in advance, spaced it out from your last cheat day, can be active, opt for a cheat meal instead of a full day, and limit your carb intake even on that day. This will help you stay in ketosis, avoid side effects, and still enjoy some of your favorite foods.

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