Cheat Day Strategies For Keto Dieters

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that's 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 carbs. As this diet is very strict, it's natural to wonder whether you're allowed to have cheat meals or cheat days on keto — and whether this will kick you out of ketosis.

A cheat day can be a welcomed break from the diet, but it's not without its drawbacks, specifically interfering with your state of ketosis. Eating more than 50 grams of carbs can kick your body out of ketosis. As carbs are your body's preferred energy source, your body will use them over ketone bodies — the main source of fuel during ketosis, which are derived from fats — as soon as a sufficient number of carbs are available.

While many dieters think of cheat days as a well-deserved reward, nutritionists say there are downsides. Some disadvantages of having a cheat day on keto include getting knocked out of ketosis, hindering further weight loss, and potential blood vessel damage.

However, it is possible to have a cheat day on keto and then retrain your body to enter ketosis once more. If you do decide to have a cheat day, it's important to do it right to stay in ketosis and on track with your weight loss goals. Enjoy your cheat day — but be selective about what you eat, don't overindulge, and make it a point to get back to your keto diet soon after.

How to recover from a cheat meal

Cheat days are common on strict diets like keto, and they can be a welcome break from the diet's restrictions. However, they can also have several negative consequences, such as kicking you out of ketosis, affecting your fat adaptation, spiking your blood sugar, and increasing cravings. If you do decide to have a cheat meal, here are some tips to help you recover and get back on track:

• Intermittent fasting: Combining intermittent fasting with the keto diet may help your body shift its fuel source from carbs to fat. This can be a helpful strategy to enhance ketosis.
• Track your carb intake: Take note of your daily carb intake to ensure you don't underestimate it. This is crucial to managing your diet effectively.
• Try a short-term fat fast: Fat fasts like egg fasts are very high-fat and low-carb diets meant to last a brief period. They may help expedite ketosis and get your body burning fat again.
• Exercise more: Physical activity depletes your glycogen stores, which are your body's stored form of carbs. This, in turn, promotes ketosis, as your body will turn to burning fat for energy.
• Try a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) supplement: MCTs are rapidly absorbed fatty acids that are easily converted into ketones, providing a quick source of energy and helping you return to ketosis.
• Test your ketone levels: Use tools like ketone breath meters, blood ketone meters, or keto urine strips to measure your body's ketone levels. This will help you determine if you've successfully returned to ketosis.

Remember, the key to recovering from a cheat meal is to get back on track with the keto diet as soon as possible. The longer you delay, the harder it will be to resume your ketosis state. Additionally, make sure to space out your cheat days and practice portion control to minimize the negative impact on your progress.

Pros and cons of a cheat day

Pros

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 is natural to crave forbidden, carby foods, especially if they are your favourite foods.

The main advantage of a cheat day is the positive effect it can have on your mindset and determination to continue with the keto diet. When you are allowed to indulge in foods you have been missing, you give the diet flexibility, which can motivate you to stay on keto long-term. Cheat days can also be a reward for your hard work and a way to boost your mental fortitude.

There are also physiological advantages to cheat days. Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells that is key to maintaining energy balance in the body. When leptin levels are high enough, it signals to the brain that you are full. However, caloric restriction has been shown to cause a drop in leptin levels, which can lead to uncontrolled binging. Therefore, cheat days can help to stave off decreasing leptin levels and prevent mindless snacking.

Cons

The keto diet limits or completely eliminates carb consumption, which can be challenging to achieve, especially when starting out. Cheat days can hinder your progress by knocking you out of ketosis and disrupting your weight loss.

Carbohydrates, especially in the form of sugar, can induce reward and craving that is comparable to addictive drugs, making it difficult to stop once you start. Cheat days can therefore strengthen your cravings for carbs and sugar, making it harder for you to avoid them in the future.

Cheat days can also be detrimental to your physical health. Eating high-carb, high-sugar foods on keto can kick you out of ketosis, interfere with weight loss, and damage your blood vessels. They can also lead to weight gain and digestive issues, especially if you binge or overeat.

Cheat days can also have negative psychological effects. You may feel guilty for slacking off on your diet, and if you try to "cancel out" cheat days with intense workout sessions, you could do serious harm to your body. An irrational relationship with food may arise, and you may experience negative psychological effects such as depression, guilt, failure, and lack of control.

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. For example, pork rinds or zucchini pasta instead of wheat pasta.

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

You should be selective about what you eat during your cheat days. Don't waste it on a bag of potato chips that don't do your body (or your appetite) any good. Substitute them for tasty, barbeque pork rinds.

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 instead.

Exercise right after a cheat day

Soon after your cheat day, make it a point to exercise. 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 avoid cheating

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, you may find yourself tempted by the occasional high-carb food.

Practise Mindfulness

Mindfulness involves paying attention to your body, which may help you resist cravings and emotional eating. When you are mindful, you are more likely to make conscious decisions about what to eat and not give in to impulsive cravings.

Plan Your Meals and Snacks

A solid dietary plan makes it less likely that you will get hungry during the day and helps you stick to your keto diet. Planning your meals and snacks ensures that you always have keto-friendly options available and reduces the temptation to cheat.

Make Your Everyday Diet Enjoyable

Incorporate a variety of keto-friendly meals and snacks into your diet to make it more enjoyable and reduce the urge to cheat. There are many tasty keto-friendly options available, so you don't have to feel restricted.

Keep Tempting Foods Out of the House

Keeping treats and other tempting, high-carb foods out of sight can make cheating inconvenient and reduce the likelihood of giving in to cravings. Out of sight, out of mind!

Have an Accountability Partner

An accountability partner can help you stay motivated and committed to your keto diet. They can provide support, encouragement, and help you stay on track.

Understand the Disadvantages of Cheating

Cheating on the keto diet can have several negative consequences. It can disrupt ketosis, affect your fat adaptation, spike your blood sugar, increase cravings, and cause the keto flu symptoms again. Knowing these disadvantages can help you stay motivated to avoid cheating.

Remember, the keto diet is a lifestyle change, and it's important to find a balance that works for you. If you do have a cheat meal or day, don't be too hard on yourself. Get back on track as soon as possible, and focus on making healthy choices going forward.

How to enjoy a cheat meal on the keto diet

The keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that's 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, you may find yourself tempted by the occasional high-carb food.

Cheat meals or days are common strategies for strict diets. Cheat days allow you to break the diet's rules for 24 hours, while cheat meals let you have a single rule-breaking meal. 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 carbohydrates can kick your body out of ketosis, and it takes several days to 1 week to get back into it. In the meantime, your weight loss may be disrupted.

If you do decide to have a cheat meal on the keto diet, here are some tips to minimise the negative effects:

• Keep it keto-friendly: Instead of non-keto treats, opt for keto-friendly alternatives. For example, instead of wheat pasta, eat low-carb zucchini pasta.
• Keep portions small: This will prevent overeating. Only allow yourself a small portion of high-carb foods.
• Make it rare: Space out your cheat days generously. The less you cheat, the less likely you'll form bad eating habits.
• Make it count: Be selective about what you eat during your cheat days. Don't waste it on junk food that doesn't benefit your body or satisfy your cravings.
• Avoid sugar: Sugar is your number one enemy on keto, cheat day or not. Avoid it entirely and opt for keto-friendly sweeteners instead.
• Exercise right after: Exercise increases your body's ability to process carbohydrates, helping you get back to ketosis faster.
• Get back to keto quickly: Cheat days shouldn't last longer than a day. Get back to your keto diet routine as soon as possible so you don't fall off track.

Ultimately, it's up to you whether you want to have a keto cheat day. It's your responsibility to assess the situation, weigh the physical side effects, and consider whether there may be a healthier, alternative approach.

Frequently asked questions