Carb-Loading On Keto: When And Why You Should

Carb ups, or cyclical ketosis, is a strategy that can be used in conjunction with a ketogenic diet. It involves a period of time, usually one day, where an individual intentionally consumes more carbohydrates than usual. This practice is not recommended for beginners, but for those who have already mastered the standard ketogenic diet and have a solid workout routine, it can be beneficial. Carb ups can help break a weight loss stall, improve hormonal balance, enhance muscle growth, and increase energy expenditure. It is important to note that carb ups will kick individuals out of ketosis, and they need to be done in a controlled manner to ensure a return to keto afterward.

Helps with weight loss stalls

A "carb up" is a period of time, usually a day, where you consume more carbohydrates than usual. This will kick you out of ketosis, and that is the purpose. Carb ups can help break a weight loss stall, and they can also improve hormonal balance, enhance muscle growth, and increase energy expenditure and leptin concentration.

Being in ketosis all the time can slow down your metabolism a bit. Jumping in and out of ketosis will keep your metabolism in better shape and keep it guessing. Often, if you hit a stall, having a carb up day as part of your keto diet plan will be just enough to give it a jump start, and weight loss will start up again.

Who Should Try Carb Ups?

Carb ups are not for everyone. You should only consider doing carb ups on a keto diet once your body has adapted to burning fat as its primary fuel source. This usually happens after at least four to six weeks of a ketogenic diet. If you start doing carb ups earlier, you risk getting keto flu again, and your body will need to restart the fat adaptation process, which can be unpleasant. Carb ups might also awaken your carb cravings, so you need to be careful if you're prone to having strong cravings.

How to Do a Carb Up

To get the full benefits of a carb up, you need to do it in a controlled manner, making sure that you get back to keto right after. The best time to have a carb up meal is at the end of the day, so you will be sleeping and avoiding post-carb cravings and blood sugar highs and lows.

What to Eat During a Carb Up

Carb ups shouldn't be an excuse to cheat on your keto diet. While a carb up will give you more flexibility than eating keto, whole foods with a lower glycemic index will give you the best results and provoke fewer cravings overall. Some healthy carb options include carrots, sweet potatoes, black beans, quinoa, apples, bananas, oatmeal, and whole wheat pasta.

Most people decide to do carb ups on weekends for convenience, as it gives them more liberty in their food choices when going out with friends or family. Trina Krug, a holistic nutritionist, recommends once a week as optimal. If you do it more often, you will spend more time out of ketosis than in it.

Enhances muscle growth

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. It involves drastically lowering your carb intake and consuming fat instead. This helps your body transition into a metabolic state known as ketosis. Ketosis occurs when your body has limited access to glucose or carbs, the body's preferred source of fuel for many processes.

For a long time, many people assumed that it was impossible to build muscle on a keto diet or low-carb diets in general. That's because low-carb diets restrict carbs, which are known to promote the release of insulin, an anabolic hormone that helps shuttle nutrients into cells, creating conditions that drive muscle growth.

However, studies show that it is possible to build muscle on the keto diet. For example, a study in 25 college-aged men found that a ketogenic diet was as effective as a traditional Western diet for muscle gain, strength, and performance. Other studies have shown that keto may provide similar strength and performance gains as a conventional high-carb diet while also helping shed body fat.

Determine your calorie intake

To build muscle, you need to consistently eat more calories than you burn. The number of calories you need to eat per day to build muscle depends on several factors, such as your weight, height, lifestyle, sex, and activity levels. As a general rule of thumb, you should increase your calorie intake by 15% above your maintenance calories. For example, if your maintenance calories are 2,000 per day, you should eat 2,300 calories per day to build muscle.

Eat plenty of protein

Protein is the building block of muscles, so consuming enough protein is essential for building muscle. Most studies suggest that eating 0.7–0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight (1.6–2.0 grams per kg) is ideal for building muscle. Some studies have shown that people can safely consume up to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (2.1 grams per kg) and stay in ketosis.

Track your carb intake

To reach and stay in ketosis, most people need to eat fewer than 50 grams of carbs per day, although this may vary depending on the individual. Timing your carb intake around your workouts can be beneficial, especially if you feel your performance is affected. This strategy is known as a targeted keto diet, where you consume your daily allowed carbs around your workouts to aid exercise performance.

Increase your fat intake

When on the keto diet, your body relies primarily on fat for fuel when you limit carb intake and are in a state of ketosis. After accounting for protein and carbs, fat should make up the rest of your diet. As a rule of thumb, fat should provide 70–75% of your daily calories.

Resistance training

While nutrition is important, resistance training is also key to gaining muscle. Resistance training typically involves lifting weights or doing other strength-based exercises to build strength and gain muscle mass. According to a review of 10 studies, resistance training at least twice a week was more effective at promoting muscle growth than training once per week. Examples of resistance exercises include squats, bench presses, pull-ups, and push-ups.

Consider supplements

While not necessary, supplements may help you build muscle. If you're struggling to reach your daily protein goals, you could use a protein powder supplement such as whey, casein, pea, or hemp protein. Additionally, a creatine monohydrate supplement may aid gym performance, leading to more muscle gain. Remember that your body's levels of sodium, potassium, and magnesium may drop while on keto, so consider taking supplements or eating foods rich in these minerals, such as dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and avocados.

Boosts athletic performance

Carb cycling, or carb ups, on a keto diet can be a great way to boost athletic performance. Carb cycling involves eating a standard keto diet for 5-6 days of the week, followed by 1-2 days of higher carb consumption. This strategy is particularly useful for athletes who engage in high-intensity workouts.

During high-intensity activities, the body relies on glucose for fuel rather than fat. This is because fat can only be used as energy when the cells have adequate oxygen. When the energy demands of the body exceed the amount of oxygen the cells have access to, the body starts burning glucose for fuel. This is when you start breathing more heavily during exercise.

Glycogen is a complex sugar molecule that is stored in the muscles and liver as an energy source. During an extended period when carbohydrates are restricted (like during sleep, fasting, or the ketogenic diet), the body relies on stored glycogen to keep blood sugar levels stable. When you are exercising, your body does the same thing. However, glycogen stores are not infinite, and problems can arise when they run low.

This is where carb cycling comes in. By refilling your glycogen stores with high-carb days, you can improve your athletic performance. Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of energy, and eating them before high-intensity, short-duration exercise helps your body use glycogen as fuel.

It is important to note that the type of carbohydrates you consume matters. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, rice, and sweet potatoes, are preferred because they digest more slowly, which helps prevent blood sugar spikes. On the other hand, simple carbohydrates like white pasta, candy, and soda can cause unhealthy increases in blood sugar and should be avoided on a cyclical ketogenic diet.

Additionally, it is crucial to deplete your glycogen stores with training before your high-carb days. This ensures that you are getting the full benefit of the extra carbohydrates. A good strategy is to have a high-intensity, glycogen-depleting workout the day before your high-carb day.

Carb cycling can be an effective way to enhance athletic performance, especially for those engaging in high-intensity workouts. By refilling glycogen stores and providing the body with its preferred source of energy, athletes can improve their performance and recover more effectively.

Regulates hormones

Hormones are chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands that work together to regulate different processes in the body. The body's hormones are regulated by three major glands: the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenals. These glands interact in complex ways to keep hormones in balance, which is known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

The HPA axis is responsible for regulating various functions, including stress levels, mood, emotions, digestion, immune system, sex drive, metabolism, and energy levels. The glands are sensitive to factors like calorie intake, stress, and exercise levels. Long-term stress can cause an overproduction of the hormones cortisol and norepinephrine, leading to an imbalance that increases pressure on the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands. This can result in HPA axis dysfunction, with symptoms including sleep problems, a weakened immune system, and an increased risk of long-term health issues such as cardiovascular disease.

Insulin

The ketogenic diet can help regulate insulin and improve blood sugar control. Insulin is produced by the pancreas in response to carbohydrate consumption. When you eat carbohydrates or sugar, it triggers a glucose response, signalling the body to release insulin and transport glucose into the cells. In a standard diet with excessive carbohydrate or sugar intake, this response occurs too frequently and can lead to excessive blood sugar spikes and insulin resistance.

By reducing carbohydrate intake, the ketogenic diet helps manage blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. Multiple studies have shown that a supervised keto diet can reverse insulin resistance, lower blood sugar, and reduce the need for diabetes medications.

Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal glands when the body is under stress. When blood sugar rises and then drops rapidly, it triggers a stress response, leading to the release of cortisol. The ketogenic diet has been shown to regulate blood sugar response and reduce the stress associated with blood sugar spikes and dips, resulting in lower cortisol release and reduced stress on the adrenal glands.

Aldosterone

Aldosterone is a hormone that regulates blood pressure by controlling sodium and potassium levels. Since keto lowers insulin levels, it also reduces aldosterone levels. While low aldosterone is generally desirable, it can lead to sodium deficiency, which is a side effect of the "keto flu." To prevent this, individuals on a keto diet may need to increase their sodium intake.

Thyroid Hormones

The thyroid gland produces several hormones, including T3 and T4, which regulate metabolic rate, heart rate, and body temperature. While a ketogenic diet has been shown to lower T3 levels, there is little evidence to suggest that it negatively affects thyroid function. In fact, the lower T3 levels may indicate improved thyroid function, as the body works more efficiently in ketosis.

Testosterone

Testosterone is a hormone that helps build muscle, strengthen bones, and metabolise fat. A small study suggested that a ketogenic diet, combined with resistance training, raises testosterone levels in young men. This is because the keto diet is high in cholesterol, a precursor to testosterone.

Reproductive and Infertility Problems

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common cause of infertility in women and is associated with a hormonal imbalance. Since PCOS is linked to impaired glucose metabolism, the ketogenic diet is becoming a popular treatment method. Research shows that women with PCOS who followed a ketogenic diet experienced improvements in reproductive hormones and insulin levels, with some even becoming pregnant after previous fertility issues.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

PMS is associated with various symptoms, including mood swings, depression, irritability, food cravings, fatigue, acne, and headaches. One cause of PMS is estrogen dominance, which can be triggered by a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. By eliminating these from the diet, the ketogenic diet can help mitigate PMS symptoms.

Additionally, a plant-based keto diet includes vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and greens, which detoxify toxic forms of estrogen and help alleviate PMS symptoms.

Adrenal Fatigue

Chronic stress can lead to the ongoing secretion of high amounts of cortisol, resulting in a depletion of progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone. This can cause imbalanced sex hormones, high blood sugar, loss of muscle, low sex drive, and burnout. The low-carbohydrate vegetables typically consumed on a ketogenic diet may help normalise cortisol levels, support the adrenal glands, and improve natural progesterone levels.

While the ketogenic diet may not be suitable for everyone, it has been shown to have beneficial effects on hormone regulation for many individuals, particularly those with hormonal imbalances or related symptoms.

Decreases keto-related side effects

The keto diet can have some unpleasant side effects, and a cyclical ketogenic diet or carb-ups can help alleviate these. The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns stored fat for energy. However, lowering carb intake can lead to what is known as the "keto flu", as well as other more serious side effects.

Keto Flu

The keto flu is a result of the body adapting to the low-carb state. Symptoms can include headache, weakness, irritability, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. It is caused by dehydration and/or salt deficiency, and can be avoided or minimised by consuming adequate water and salt. For example, drinking a glass of water with half a teaspoon of salt can reduce or eliminate symptoms within 15-30 minutes.

Other Side Effects

Other side effects of the keto diet include:

• Kidney and heart damage due to loss of electrolytes and fluid
• Yo-yo dieting patterns due to the restrictiveness of the diet
• Nutritional concerns, as the diet is extremely low in certain fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes that are generally thought of as healthy
• Bad breath
• Fatigue
• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Decreased bone density
• Sleep issues

Benefits of Carb-ups

Carb-ups can help to alleviate these side effects. A carb-up is a period of time, usually one day, where you intentionally consume more carbs than usual. This will kick you out of ketosis, but this is the purpose. Carb-ups can help to break a weight loss stall, improve hormonal balance, enhance muscle growth, and increase energy expenditure and leptin concentration. Carb-ups can also help to regulate hormones, as carb cycling may improve leptin levels and decrease hunger.

How to Do a Carb-up

It is important to do carb-ups in a controlled manner, so you can get back to keto right after. It is also important to note that carb-ups are not recommended for beginners, and you should only consider doing them once your body has adapted to burning fat as its primary fuel source. This usually takes at least 4-6 weeks.

What to Eat During a Carb-up

It is recommended that you stick to whole foods that have a lower glycemic index, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, black beans, quinoa, apples, bananas, oatmeal, and whole wheat pasta.

Frequently asked questions