Is it safe to have cheat days on keto?

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(bulkbiker) #21

Cheating on your own health… why would you want to?

#22

I generally don’t call it cheating. It is just life. Just go in with eyes wide open if you eat to many or go to overboard it could be a week before you get back to normal.
Assuming you are already fat adapted etc.

It mainly has to do with what is going on in your mind, and you. Just starting out I wouldn’t suggest it you don’t want to derail the whole process, but after a while testing the limits may be a good idea so that you will know what they are maybe you can eat 20 or 50 or 75g per day. Whatever you do has to be good for the long term for you.

(Nay) #23

Ahhh… you have much knowledge :blush: thank you!

(Nay) #24

It was more the health implications of glucose spike rather than a moral quandary :joy:

(Nay) #25

It’s true. It’s more the health implications of sudden glucose spike I was worried about. But someone on here sent me a counter article that has assuaged my worry somewhat :blush:

#26

18 days… you take 1 step forward and 15 steps backwards. Try reformulating your thoughts on cheating - cheating is not good, you aren’t a dog, stop treating yourself with food.
Do at least three months of strict keto or even more, your body needs time to figure things out. Find out why you have the need to cheat with other foods, this process is a head game as much as it is physical.
You wouldn’t congratulate an alcoholic if he has a drink after 18 days of not drinking :wink:

#27

The idea of a cheat day is interesting. A whole day? Is that the duration of ‘cheating’? My gut tells me that cheating is momentary. It is akin to a lapse. Or a compulsion. A hit. Or a distraction. A procrastination. Or a whim.

It is safe, I think.

The presence of increased blood glucose as a potential oxidative problem for blood vessels is worth considering. But the blood vessel damage is more likely from chronically high blood glucose, rather than intermittent glucose elevations. If you have healthy vasculature the blood glucose gets distributed to where it is needed without damage.

And in terms of curiosity about the spikiness, that is where you @Nay108, hold the key. The glucose spike is very interesting. The glucose dip (reverse spike) is even more telling. So it would be beneficial to track what blood glucose does in relation to the cheat. Even better would be to track an insulin response, whether it spikes (good), or whether it climbs and stays persistent (bad).

I concur. The setbacks aren’t worth the blip.

(David Jackson) #28

You’ve lived your whole life with high insulin. A spike here or there isn’t going to poison you.

(PJ) #29

I don’t even like the concept of cheating.

My decision, my consequences.

It’s all just eating.

#30

Take the ‘ch’ out of cheating?

#31

Not a bad idea, it won’t seem so naughty :wink:

(mole person) #32

I’ve actually heard several doctors and scientists on podcasts now saying the opposite. It’s better to have a blood glucose that’s chronically somewhat higher but a flat line than to have a lower one that is super spiky.

(PJ) #33

I can imagine that ‘greater extreme highs’ would be un-good, and ‘greater major variation’ would be un-good, but maybe the “precisely how much higher is somewhat higher” is the question outstanding there.

It is sure not intuitive to think overdosing on (insert carbs here) once a week is somehow worse than doing 90% of that overdose every single day ongoing instead.

(April Harkness) #34

I don’t "“cheat” but I am coming at it as a former binge eater…I know what can happen as it caused me to fall hard in feb. Do I…cheat on carnivore? You might say I do. And like was stated above, I don’t like that word but I will use it for this comment. I prefer the term ,“expanding my palate” n the weekends…I expand my palate with “strict keto” or I might eat paleoish. I eat veggies and fruit now, one day a week.i would do two but I just don’t feel the need. but I dont go to town on Standard American junk on a “cheat” or “expanded palate” day.

(mole person) #35

Yes. But that’s in part because eating carbs and glucose leads to spikiness regardless. What these doctors were describing was higher chronic bg in people with flat bg. You can’t really eat sugar or carby meals and have that.

A lot of low carb athletes show this sort of profile for example.

#36

True Ilana. The context is important I reckon. In this case we are talking about cheat days that are 18 days apart. A spike every 3 weeks with a few days recovery.

The doctors are talking about 3 or more blood glucose spikes per day with carb meals. A more regular occurrence.

But you bring up a key point, toxicity = dose + frequency.

It is interesting with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) becoming more common that we are able to attempt to keep our blood glucose curves as flat as possible, even if they are running at close to 6 mmol/L.

(PJ) #37

Yeah. Like I said:

the “precisely how much higher is somewhat higher” is the question

Once every couple weeks doesn’t seem too comparable to 3x a day

That’s a rather critical variable to spec I would think

(Marianne) #38

Sounds like you have a great evening coming up - my props on your careful planning. Shows you can indulge occasionally but still stay on plan. It’s nice to have something special on the horizon. Have fun!

(Todd Allen) #39

If you are in excellent health I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It takes years of poor blood glucose regulation to kill diabetics. But if you have or had any comorbidities of diabetes then it would be prudent to get a finger prick test kit and test after cheats and avoid things that spike your blood sugar.

I test mine and find my response is high variable. If I’m well rested and physically active and glycogen depleted I can eat 50 or even 100 g of carbs in some forms such as cashews, sweet potatoes and many fruits without trouble. I’ve developed a good sense for what is ok for me and very rarely get a surprisingly high BG reading despite allowing myself frequent small indulgences.

(Susan) #40

Thank you Marianne =). I will calculate all the macros ahead to make sure I don’t go over for sure =).