What does cheating once a week do to one's body?

(Ernest) #21

Your body will regulate itself. Give it the right nutrients and get out of its way.
Don’t worry too much about maintaining weight.
You could try higher protein intake instead of dipping into carbs.

(mike) #22

I think it really depends on your ability to get back into ketosis. Please note, I do not have diabetes, and have been relatively LCHF for 4+ years. My weight has been the same for about the last 3 years. I started keto in January but have never successfully done it every day. I probably go 6-7 days keto then 1-2 days I eat well over 100 g’s of carbs. At first it would take me about 3 days to get back into ketosis. However more recently I started doing HIIT exercise and now I’m usually back into mild ketosis the next day. Usually 1 day does not make me feel bad, 2 and I start to get digestion issues.

The key is how much will power you have to get right back on the keto horse. I can do it easily. Usually the carb day is followed the next day by IF’ing either 16 or 20 hours. I also try to burn off my glycogen stores the next day or two.

I have maintained my weight during the whole year. It really depends on your insulin sensitivity and how a day or two of carbs will impact you.

(Doug) #23

This right here. :slightly_smiling_face: Personally, I think once a week “cheating” is too much, even though I sometimes average that or more. It’s better than losing the keto way of eating for weeks or months at a time, though.

Yes - the effects spread well beyond the one day. Going off the program is a choice, and we should not kid ourselves.

(mike) #24

It may also depend on why you are doing keto. I do keto for the health benefits, not just for fat burning or weight loss.

(Ernest) #25

Right! That’s the right way in my opinion. Let weight loss be the side effect of good health.

#26

@mikpaq

Exactly. I have no more weight to lose and wasn’t even in it for the weight loss in the first place. My goal is optimum health and maybe sometimes to be able to go to a restaurant with friends and eat without asking the waiter to list the ingredients for every marinade to search for those hidden carbs.

(Michael Heffez) #27

for me, it’s absolutely fantastic! I work out 7x/week and I do strict Keto diet for 6 days. 10 grams or less of carbs, and those carbs are from lettuce, spinach or almond butter, or avocado. Nonetheless, my cheat day is a really bad engaging and gorging of carbs, sugar, garbage foods, etc however, because I am well adapted, within 24 hours I am right back in fat burning zone. I typically fast for 20-24 hours and the following day I’ll do cardio on an empty stomach…my energy levels and mood are totally fine. The ride back into Ketosis is fine. It renders the diet plausible and not so restrictive. That restrictiveness if you will, is pressure on the body, mind and thyroid and can be detrimental for the long haul. That said, this sequence works best for me, and should work for most, so long as they are well (fat) adapted…hope this helps :slight_smile:

(Danielle Everhart) #28

I have had tremendous success with a cheat day. I am able to get right back onto the Keto Diet and have been consistently losing weight. For me, it shakes things up a bit and keeps my body wondering. I have lost 20 lbs. in 9 weeks and have not even incorporated exercise in yet. I also don’t appear as that holier than thou eater when I am with family and friends at a special event.

(Danielle Everhart) #29

I totally disagree. I have been effortlessly losing weight for 10 weeks with a once a week cheat day. Sometimes you create an insulin sensitivity when you are too restrictive for too long. Just be careful because it sounds a bit judgmental when you make it sound as though a cheat day is a lack of discipline.

(Danielle Everhart) #30

Nah, carbs are more fun.

(Danielle Everhart) #31

I have had great success with it. It switches things up in my body so it doesn’t know what to expect. I have yet to experience a week of zero weight loss.

(Danielle Everhart) #32

Be careful judging so harshly. I cheat every week and lose weight every week and am very close to my goal. The Keto diet IS restrictive. We can’t just eat what others eat when we want. While the cravings subside, there are still times when others would like you to let loose with them and live on the wild side. Having a cheat day makes it so you aren’t THAT person and can still enjoy celebrations. I think if you think of it as a lifestyle change, you also have to realize that you have to live. Nobody likes being around a food Nazi.

(Doug) #33

Danielle, did not mean to sound too critical. :slightly_smiling_face: I did say I sometimes average a “cheat” a week or more. In my first 5 months I could practically do no wrong and the weight kept dropping off.

In my case, creating insulin sensitivity can only be a good thing. Definitely need more of that. As far as being judgmental - not saying at all that somebody is a “bad person” because they went off the ketogenic program one time or once a week. In the long run, whatever works - as long as it works - is cool.

I do think Ernest had a good point in post #8 - that it can take a while to get back into ketosis. Different people with different metabolisms will handle this with varying degrees of success. I picture a bell-shaped curve where the bad effects begin with the ‘cheat’ meal (the thesis from the original poster was that this would be massively high in carbs), our overall health and other benefits progress slowing, then stopping, then even being reversed to some degree at the top of the ‘bell,’ then going back down again until the effects of the ‘cheat’ are finished.

Not at all saying you should do things any differently at all. But for the overall mass of people who need a ketogenic diet, interrupting things as above, once a week, is certainly something to think about.

(Ernest) #34

If you can still get results with weekly cheats, more power to you @Danielle_Everhart
Everyone is different.
I’m a grown man, I don’t preach about my keto lifestyle. I’ll will eat what I want, when I want.
I never worry about what everyone thinks about what I am eating or not eating.

#35

The juxtaposition of your first and last sentences is pretty … funny (I guess?).

Leaving aside the fact that “keto is restrictive” is a subjective statement (there are lots of folks on here who do not find it restrictive) and that many people who are on keto for serious health issues cannot eat carbs without serious consequences (so I guess someone like that is “THAT person,” which seems a pretty harsh judgement for someone who is doing what he can to take care of himself) - anyway, leaving those two things aside, my main quibble above was simply with the idea of “cheating.” If part of what makes this WOE work for you is eating carbs regularly, then congratulations - it’s not cheating; it’s just part of a plan that works for you.

#36

I have been doing this for about 3 years. I am very strict low carb beginning from wake up Sunday through Friday evening. I let myself have a cheat window Friday night through Saturday night (Not willing to give up my craft beers while grilling). Sunday I am back on the wagon, and I usually do not eat anything until Sunday evening.

Following this pattern I have lost between 50 and 60 lbs. but have stalled at a about 195 (I am 6-2). I could probably lose a couple more inches around my waist if I really wanted to give up my cheat window. But more importantly, my blood glucose and blood pressure is OK (although I do exercise to keep it managed) and I still measure low ketones during the week days. Never in that “sweet spot” (2.5 mmol-6 mmol) of ketosis though. For now I am OK with that. If my blood pressure and glucose levels stay in tact, that is.

(P) #37

I tried a non-keto day last weekend. As I’d plateaued for 2 weeks. By Wednesday, I’d dropped another lb in weight and didn’t find it difficult to go back to keto at all.

(Monica Piccirillo) #38

2 weeks ago I basically decided to go to 100-125 carbs from my 20-30 carbs a day. This is after 5 months of bouncing around with the same 5 pounds and zero loss of inches ( which was my main goal).
I’m at a great weight of 142 and 5’ 10” female 62. I fully expected to be out of ketosis and was fine with that.
On day 3 my mouth felt Keto-ish and out of curiosity I checked my breath meter and I was .2 . I decided to experiment and I’ve stayed in that mild state since then.
Last week I kept carbs under 25 (M-F) and bounced between .2 and .3. These were my usual readings even when fully Keto. I did lose 1/2 a pound so far.
I know CKD isn’t an ideal and should be a careful consideration for oneself. Not recommended for anyone not fat adapted.
Just sharing MY experience.

(karen) #39

I agree. Thinking of the foods that should be eliminated from my diet as treats or rewards elevates them to a very positive position and sets up that, “if only I sacrifice enough, then I have earned The Good Stuff” mentality. I’d much rather treat myself with a food that’s maybe more expensive than I ordinarily eat, but still inside the parameters of my keto diet, say smoked salmon or a fancy cheese.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #40

I ate Thai noodles once after my first month. Though the scale read four pounds higher the next morning, I felt fine and was not tempted to do it again. I would never do once a week, but I don’t see a problem for me, at once a month