Keto Diet Cheats: Why Carb Loading Is So Tempting

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 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. Cheat meals or days are common strategies for strict diets, but they are not ideal for the keto diet as it relies on the body staying in ketosis. This means that people who cheat on the keto diet may be kicked out of ketosis, which can take several days to a week to get back into.

The psychological benefits of cheat meals

The keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that encourages ketosis, a metabolic state in which the body burns fat as its primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates. This diet is very strict, and it is natural to wonder if cheat meals or days are allowed.

Benefits of Cheat Meals

Cheat meals or days are common strategies for strict diets. 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. Experts claim that including a strategic cheat meal into your diet may have some psychological benefits, such as:

• Reduced cravings: Cheat meals can help reduce cravings for high-carb foods, making it easier to stick to your meal plan overall.
• Improved motivation: Cheating on your diet can help you stay motivated and teach you how to have moderation as you build sustainable long-term health habits.
• Increased flexibility: Deliberate cheating gives your diet more variety and makes you more flexible.
• Reduced feelings of deprivation: Knowing you can cheat occasionally reduces the feeling of deprivation, helping you stick to your diet in the long run.

How to Cheat the Right Way

If you decide to include cheat meals in your keto diet, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Opt for keto-approved cheat meals: Instead of cheating on your diet, try splurging on keto-friendly substitutes to curb your cravings.
• Have cheat meals, not cheat days: It is easier to stay on top of your overall nutrition and calories with cheat meals rather than entire cheat days.
• Plan your cheats: Pick which meals you’re going to cheat and budget some calories and carbs in advance.
• Make your cheats worth it: Prioritize certain events or favourite foods over random temptations.
• Cheat around exercise: Plan smaller cheats around exercise to help keep you in ketosis since you will be using up the extra carbs quickly.
• Limit the frequency: If your goal is calorie control, aim to cheat no more than once or twice a week. If ketosis is important for your progress, consider cheating less often, like once a month.

How to Recover from Cheat Meals

If you've cheated on your keto diet, you can take the following steps to recover:

• Resume your low-carb keto lifestyle: The best way to recover is to get back on track and stick to your low-carb keto diet.
• Try intermittent fasting: Combining intermittent fasting with a keto diet may help your body shift to using fat for fuel instead of carbs.
• Track your carb intake: Keep note of your daily carb intake to ensure you don't underestimate it.
• Try a short-term fat fast: Fat fasts like egg fasts are very high-fat, low-carb diets meant to help expedite ketosis.
• Exercise more: Physical activity depletes your glycogen stores, which are your body's stored form of carbs, promoting ketosis.

How to recover from a keto cheat day

A keto cheat day can be defined as a day where you allow yourself to break the rules of the keto diet and indulge in high-carb foods. The keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that encourages ketosis, a metabolic state where your body burns fat as its primary energy source instead of carbohydrates. While cheat days are common strategies for strict diets, they are not ideal for the keto diet as it relies on your body staying in ketosis.

If you have had a keto cheat day, you may be wondering how to recover and get back into ketosis. Here are some tips to help you recover from a keto cheat day:

• Strictly follow the keto diet again: This may seem obvious, but it is important to get back on track with the keto diet to re-enter ketosis. This means consuming high-fat, low-carb meals with moderate amounts of protein and a low carb intake of 20 net grams of carbs per day.
• Try intermittent fasting: Intermittent fasting can help your body shift its fuel source from carbohydrates to fat. It can also help kickstart ketosis.
• Try a short-term fat fast: Fat fasting involves consuming very high-fat, low-carb meals for a brief period to help expedite ketosis. An example is an egg fast.
• Exercise more: Physical activity depletes your glycogen stores, which are your body's stored form of carbohydrates. This promotes ketosis.
• Try a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) supplement: MCTs are a rapidly absorbed fatty acid that is easily converted into ketones, which can help you get back into ketosis.

It is important to note that the time it takes to recover from a keto cheat day and get back into ketosis can vary depending on various factors, including your carb intake, metabolism, activity levels, and how long you have been in ketosis before cheating. It usually takes several days to one week to get back into ketosis.

To avoid cheating on the keto diet, you can implement strategies such as practising mindfulness, planning your meals and snacks, making your everyday diet enjoyable with different keto-friendly meals, and keeping tempting, high-carb foods out of the house.

Tips to avoid 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 is natural to be tempted by the occasional high-carb food.

• Plan your meals and snacks: Having a solid dietary plan makes it less likely that you will get hungry during the day and be tempted to cheat.
• Make your diet enjoyable: Try incorporating different keto-friendly meals to vary your diet and make it more enjoyable.
• Keep tempting foods out of the house: Keeping treats and other tempting, high-carb foods out of sight can make cheating inconvenient.
• Get an accountability partner: An accountability partner can help you stay motivated and stick to your diet.
• Practice mindfulness: Paying attention to your body may help you resist cravings and emotional eating.
• Keep portions small: If you do decide to cheat, keep portions small to prevent overeating.
• Cheat with keto-friendly foods: Instead of eating chocolate chip cookies, for example, opt for keto chocolate chip cookies.
• Cheat late in the day: Stick to your low-carb lifestyle during the day and only consider eating carbs after dinner.
• Cheat with less sugar: Your sensitivity to sugar increases when you adapt to low-carb eating, so you can get away with less sugar in your treats.
• Cheat with added protein and a little fat: Adding protein and a little fat to your carb cheat will help you feel more satisfied and slow down the absorption of glucose into your blood.
• Cheat with food that matters to you: Make your carbs count. Don't settle for an ordinary supermarket-made dessert—wait for your favorite from the corner bakery.
• Cheat before or after activity: Cheating before or after vigorous activity is the best time to cheat. If you eat carbs before a workout, your activity will burn off some of them. If you cheat immediately after a workout, your glycogen stores will be depleted, so some of the carbs you eat will replenish glycogen rather than convert to fat.

The physical side effects of 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 the body burns fat as its primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates. However, as this diet is very strict, it can be difficult to stick to it 100% of the time, and people may be tempted to have a "cheat day" or a "cheat meal". A cheat day involves breaking the diet rules throughout the day, while a cheat meal allows for a single non-keto meal.

Cheating on the keto diet can have several physical side effects, and it can be challenging to get back into ketosis after a cheat day or meal. Here are some of the physical side effects that can occur:

Weight Gain

Cheating on the keto diet can lead to immediate weight gain. First, consuming too many carbs puts the body back into fat-storing mode. Second, carbs can lead to increased hunger and cravings, resulting in overeating. Third, the water weight associated with high-carb diets returns.

Blood Sugar Spike

A cheat meal or day can cause a spike in blood sugar levels as the body works to process the carbs and sugar from the non-keto food. This can lead to insulin resistance, where the blood sugar has a tough time returning to healthy levels, which can stall fat loss, prevent weight loss, or even cause type 2 diabetes.

Sugar Cravings

Studies have shown that sugar is addictive, and the brain rewards you for choosing sugar and then overrides your ability to practice self-control. As a result, a cheat meal or day can lead to intense sugar cravings, making it harder to resist returning to the keto diet.

Inflammation

Consuming high-carb, high-glycemic foods and refined veggie oils can cause small rips in the gut, allowing undigested food particles to escape through holes in the stomach lining. As a defence mechanism, the body attacks these particles as foreign invaders, causing inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been linked to several autoimmune diseases, including Crohn's, IBS, and ulcerative colitis.

Bloating

Eating a carb-laden meal can cause water weight, as the body stores carbs as glycogen. For every gram of glycogen in the body, the body holds onto three or four grams of water, leading to bloating.

Low Energy and Brain Fog

Consuming a week of carb-heavy foods will kick you out of ketosis and cause a massive chain reaction in the body, including burning glycogen, altering and balancing hormones, and increasing or decreasing enzyme production. These changes can result in lethargic symptoms, including brain fog, low energy, and a lack of mental clarity.

Keto Flu Symptoms

When entering ketosis, some people may experience negative side effects, commonly referred to as "keto flu." Symptoms can include stomach pains, brain fog, dizziness, nausea, irritability, constipation, muscle soreness, lack of concentration, sugar cravings, and heart palpitations. The longer one stays out of ketosis, the greater the chance these negative symptoms will return when trying to get back into it.

The mental side effects of cheating on keto

Cheating on the keto diet can have several mental side effects. Here are some of the key impacts on your mental state:

Cravings and Addiction

Sugar addiction is likely real, and cheating on the keto diet can trigger a relapse. Studies show that your brain becomes more addicted to sugar than cocaine. The reward centres in your brain are activated, overriding your self-control. As a result, you may find yourself craving more sugar and carbs, making it harder to resist and potentially leading to a cycle of addiction and relapse.

Mood Changes

Cheating on keto can impact your mood. You may experience a decrease in enthusiasm, focus, and confidence. This can lead to a vicious cycle where feeling bad about cheating diminishes your willpower, making it easier to fall for more temptations.

Self-Perception and Guilt

Cheating on keto can lead to feelings of guilt and a sense of "cheating on yourself." It's important to remember that everyone makes mistakes and gets off track sometimes. Instead of beating yourself up, focus on getting back on the keto horse and learning from the experience.

Social Pressure and FOMO

Social situations can be challenging when you're on the keto diet. You may feel pressure from colleagues, dates, or family members to deviate from your diet. The fear of missing out (FOMO) on certain foods or experiences can be strong. However, it's important to stick to your dietary choices and find keto-friendly alternatives when possible.

Mental Discipline

Cheating on keto can impact your mental discipline. Planned cheating, where you allow yourself short periods of indulgence, may help you stick to the diet in the long term. However, random cheating or impulsive decisions to cheat can undermine your progress and make it harder to stay disciplined.

Motivation

Cheating on keto may impact your motivation to continue the diet. It can be challenging to get back on track, and you may need to find new sources of motivation to stay committed to your dietary goals.

Frequently asked questions