Is it safe to have cheat days on keto?

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(Nay) #1

I’ve read stuff that suggests it’s ok and other stuff that says it’s not… I’m not talking full blown cheat I mean just going over the carbs a moderate amount?

Why do I have low days?
Christmas blow out
Judgement and Disappointment
(Lazy, Dirty Keto 😝) #2

Are you asking how many carbs you can eat while remaining in Ketosis? If so, that varies for everyone so you’ll have to test it out for yourself :blush: if you’re asking if you load up on carbs and get knocked out of Ketosis is it an issue, again that’s up to you. I personally don’t find that it’s worth how bad I feel afterwards, but it is relatively easy for me personally to get back into Ketosis.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #3

Its better not to, as it can be a slippery slope and lead to more over carb days.
Also, if you are going to go over on carbs, its best to wait until you are well into being fat-adapted AND don’t do it too often.

Personally, I’ve eaten a few homemade potatoe fries now and then (twice now) and haven’t seen much of an effect, but that is me personally. And I’m also usually under 10g of carbs, so it didn’t seem to have a big impact.

You want this way of eating to be enjoyable and sustainable, so do what you need to make that happen. If you really want to know how it effects you, you’d have to do some testing to see.

(Nay) #4

Well I read that going over them when you’ve gotten used to keto it can damage your blood vessels because of the sudden glucose spike… but surely just going over it a moderate amount can’t be that bad- very occasionally?

(Full Metal KETO AF) #5

I’d be interested in reading any links or videos that talk about this. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Nay) #6
(Joey) #7

The answer tracks closely with someone asking about “cheating” in general.

If you’re okay with it (and I am NOT being judgmental here), then go for it.

You can assess the consequences - if any - better than anyone else can. And if you’re comfortable with the trade-offs, then there you go.

Asking other people whether cheating on yourself is a safe idea is not a reliable way to get useful input. It pretty much depends on your own unique judgment combined with your body’s unique reaction.

Honestly, anyone else’s answer is not likely to be the right one for you.

(Susan) #8

Personally I don’t do this. I started Keto in February and I went off a bit on Mother’s day in May (when my 3 daughters, grand daughter and I went out to a Sushi restaurant) and I ate some rice that was part of the Sushi. I was careful, I didn’t eat tons of it, but I gained a few pounds, and I didn’t lose any weight after that for 2 weeks, so it really messed me up. I haven’t cheated at all since then. If I want something that is not what I would normally eat (like an alcoholic beverage, last one I had was in April at a concert) I know will work it into my daily macros, so it won’t calculate as cheating at all. October 26th we are going to an evening concert, and will go to Wendy’s for our romantic supper (we only do this 4-5 times a year for concerts and splurge spending $20 on a meal out, hubby and me, yes we are cheap, but budget tightly so this is our splurge!) At Wendy’s I will have 2 of the small burgers on the value menus, that have cheese and bacon and ask for a lettuce bun and no condiments on it, they are very nice and put it in a little container, they are used to people ordering this! I will have 2-3 drinks that I will calculate into my macros and my hubby will have one (as he will drive, so have that at 7ish after we arrive at the venue, concert is from 8-10:30ish and we are home before 11 (then he will have another beer). I will have herbal tea then! I will have 2 shots of vodka drinks at home before leaving and one at the venue (or water, depending how I feel).

There are so many Keto alternatives, I don’t personally see the need to cheat. There are tons and tons of recipes, and it is so easy to adjust your macros and stay under the 20 grams and still feel like you have had treats.

(Nay) #9

Yeah I get you. Just wanted to put feelers out there to see if anyone is more knowledgeable than me about the safety other it- ref glucose spikes.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #10

You will get over it.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #11

Thanks for posting the article. While I find the information interesting I think frequency is the key. I have an occasional carb bump when I visit people or am in a situation where I just want to relax my standards for a meal out with my girlfriend. I only do this a handful of times per year. If I go overboard for a few days I will gain weight fast and it takes about 8-10 days to loose it. I had a trip with her last week and came home after 4 days 10lbs. up. I have lost 6lbs. in the last 4 days and expect to be back at my weight by Monday probably. Personally I am skeptical that eating the SAD continuously is somehow safer than an occasional carb up day on KETO. It took my whole life to get the damage I did, one or two meals in the grand scheme of things is insignificant. Is it a good thing? No I don’t think it is. But I feel no danger of falling back into the SAD at anytime. There is no slippery slope for me, just a choice to enjoy life and be a little flexible in my attitude knowing that I am 100x as healthy as I was a year ago. There’s a little thing called living to consider…:cowboy_hat_face:

(Bob M) #12

So much wrong with that study… They were only on the low carb diet for 7 days. 7 DAYS. I’ve been on it almost 6 YEARS.

See also this critique:

I took one look at that study and tossed it in the trash.

For me, I would say I have cheat meals/days a handful (or more) of times per year. Certainly Thanksgiving, Christmas, my anniversary, family birthdays, sometimes while on vacation. If I partake too long, I fast for multiple days to get back into it.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #13

Thanks @ctviggen, that Diet Doctor article confirms my take on the matter. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Robert C) #14

A rare cheat day or cheat meal (including falling well out of ketosis) followed by continued Keto compliance is far better than tossing Keto completely because you feel too restricted.

(Nay) #15

That was really helpful, thank you :blush:

(Nay) #16

I think I definetly need to reduce my cheat days though… I’ve been trying keto for a few months and the longest I’ve lasted before a cheat day is 18 days so far…:joy:

(Robert C) #17

Pair that sort of small pseudo-cheat with a long walk (or some other non-trivial exercise session) and you probably won’t even fall out of ketosis.

Remember Keto is not what you eat, it is your ketone measurement that counts. A glazed doughnut during a marathon is probably still Keto.

(PJ) #18

Bear in mind that Phinney/Volek/etc. say that 50g net carbs is what they set at basically ketogenic – although of course this varies by person. Atkins starts at 20 but goes up until it passes ketogenic (for maintenance for some folks).

20 is a number of the modern keto and Atkins induction but that’s not the limit of carbs you can have and be keto – again, this varying by person.

I toggle my 13-week cycles between fat loss and nutrient dense, and on the latter I focus on more food, no fasting, as many calories as I can stuff into myself without overdosing, and my carb limit is as high as whatever will keep me in ketosis. (I still often eat <20 simply because my common foods fall in that range.) Sometimes I go as high as probably 60 carbs or so. It does not remove me from ketosis but probably because on the rare occasion this happens, they are very low before/after that day and I usually make a point to fast at least 16 hours after.

I am not triggered by those carbs to eat more, but, I can be triggered if the foods I choose with that are those that spark me (too much kefir, despite the minimal lactose of my over-fermented version, will trigger my lactose-craving, which used to be a major part of my addictive milk intake. So I have to keep that under control even when lowcarb).

When I used to eat 1MAD I found I could eat more carbs with fewer ‘verging toward departing ketosis’ symptoms (like slight cravings). Same for when I was exercising a lot more (this was years ago). So exercise and fasting can both compensate-against higher carbs. We are still assuming here that your carb intake is a/ not extreme and b/temporary.

To me the important thing (for me, I mean, having learned the hard way) is that if I’m eating more carbs for whatever reason (sometimes on purpose but this has to do with me, female/menopausal, and just feeling better if I occasionally do), it’s simply more carbs in foods I can already eat, but perhaps normally in smaller doses. In other words, I don’t use the carbs to eat half a pancake or a candy bar.

For 1 week in Fall I allot 10 carbs a day to a ~85g Paula Red apple each day. I just adjust my carbs around that. It’s only for a week. That’s something I cannot normally eat but it’s an exception.

The thing to consider is most people cycle carbs (like I tried to do years ago and failed abysmally) not because they think this is good for their body, but because they are still craving and missing the foods they used to eat and it’s an excuse to eat them. And it nearly always gets out of control for people.

So if those slight carb up (not massively up, just a little) days are based on generally LC foods, maybe with a little more of something you can’t normally have a lot of, that’s less likely to be a temptation.

But as always… it’s your choice, and your experiment.

PJ

(David Jackson) #19

This isn’t Alcoholics Anonymous. If you want to go bananas tonight, AND have the ability to get back online tomorrow, GO BANANAS. Just expect to take a few days to recover. Depending on the amounts of course.

(Will knit for bacon. ) #20

I’ve had a couple of “cheat” days this week (there’s family staying and we’ve ordered pizza/gone out a couple of times) and while I refuse to feel guilty about it, I am annoyed with myself because I feel bloated and my joints are achey.

That said, I’m not going to worry about the occasional over-indulgence. Life involves cake sometimes and I like cake. I just need to remember that I’ll pay for it later and figure that into my plans.