Keto, cheating and the gym

(Kellie) #1

So I cheated this weekend. Saturday and Sunday all day both days. I am back in keto today -Monday - I Have been on keto since April but have cheated a couple of times , this time I went like a month without cheating again. The whole time I have been on keto I have never worked out or anything but I would like to now since I’m closer to my goal weight. Since I cheated though is everything reset ? I don’t know if it’s okay to start the gym same day as I restart keto or should I do just keto a couple weeks and get back on track before I do gym?

(Vladaar Malane) #2

It’s okay to workout anytime, whether your on keto or not doesn’t matter.

Listen to your body, autoregulate if your whipped stop.

(Robert C) #3

To get back faster - fasting for a day or two would help much more (measurably more) than exercise.

(Vladaar Malane) #4

True enough @RobC but I think OP was asking if keto flu possibility would be a problem with working out.

To which I was saying working out can be done in any state, fasted, keto flu period, anytime. But if you feel weak, sick or whatever stop just listen to your body.

(Lil J) #5

Since you have been on a keto diet for the last seven months, it should be easy for your body to get back into nutritional ketosis. Working out would likely help burn the calories that you consumed during your “cheat days”, but more importantly help diminish those calories that were stored as glycogen forcing your body to utilize fat in your diet and in your body so that you will return to nutritional ketosis. As said in another response, fasting will get you there quicker since it causes a larger caloric deficit that will target the consumed and stored carbohydrates first, and then turn to ketosis for fuel.

(the cheater) #6

I think you’ll be fine. I usually reserve Friday evenings for my cheats and sometimes I even work out that evening, always the next day.

I agree with the above poster; you’ve been doing this long enough that your body should be pretty flexible - metabolically speaking - especially if you cheat every now and again.

Even though I’m a big advocate of cheating, I don’t recommend doing it multiple days in a row - at least, that made me feel pretty terrible. I may have a cheat day one day a week, one day every 9 days, or sometimes even two in a week, but I try to spread them out. Of course you’re free to do as you like. It really becomes a sort of cyclic keto diet (CKD) when you do that. I don’t know if I’ve ever not cheated long enough to be fully fat adapted, but I lost about 50lbs from my starting weight, and am right around where I’d like to be (could probably stand to lose another 10-20lbs, but I feel great and don’t look too bad lol!). I’m sure if I wasn’t cheating I would be where I’d REALLY like to be weight-wise, but I’m just wingin’ it now.

I can’t say that I’ve ever had any issue jumping right back into keto the very next day and have yet to go through the keto flu a second time. I definitely feel the cheat, though. My whole body feel bloated and when I wake up in the morning, my throat feels gross. In any case, sometimes I fast, sometimes I “fat fast”, sometimes I cook myself up some eggs and bacon the day after a cheat and continue course. KCKO, really. I don’t feel like I’m any more or less able at the gym.

I hope I’ve covered a few bases enough to help you out, here :smiley:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #7

Go by how you feel. We generally don’t advise strenuous exercise before full fat-adaptation, simply because becoming fat-adapted is often stress enough, but you have already gone keto, so you may find it easier to get back to full fat-adaptation, in which case restricting exercise won’t be as important. Go by how you feel.

Also, exercise is not a necessary part of a well-formulated ketogenic diet, and it is useless for losing weight. If you enjoy exercising, however, do so by all means. Exercise helps reduce insulin resistance, promotes the growth of new and healthy mitochondria, thereby increasing the metabolic rate, and helps restore muscle tissue and bone density, so if you like it, do it!

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #8

I’m fat adapted and if I splurge on carbs I get back into the gym ASAP, as it helps burn through the glycogen that was stored in my muscles and liver.
I’m on Keto 6 months and started working out 6 weeks ago.