Cheating on Keto: Effects and Recovery (2024)

FAQs

Cheating on Keto: Effects and Recovery? ›

A full cheat day of consuming sugar, bread and pasta will take your body out of ketosis, which may take days to recover from. That's why Carrico suggests a cheat meal every now and then instead. You'll likely consume a lower number of carbs than you would on a full cheat day.

If this is your first cheat day then it will take longer to get back into ketosis because your body has been exclusively burning fat for fuel up until that point. On average it can take about 1-2 weeks before the body begins producing enough of its own ketones after a cheat day.

If you've cheated on keto, you're likely out of ketosis. Once out, you'll need to strictly follow the keto diet to reenter ketosis. This process takes several days to 1 week, depending on your carb intake, metabolism, and activity levels ( 6 , 7 , 8 ).

A significant cheat, even for one meal, can stall your weight loss, make you feel sluggish, experience significant brain fog, and if you're somewhat new to keto, perhaps cause you go through keto flu symptoms all over again. More than that, you will need to work your way into ketosis again.

“When you reintroduce carbohydrates back into your diet — and this is more about refined carbs, I'm not talking about eating an apple — you don't feel very good.” She says some people experience a so-called carb hangover — the body feels kind of bloated and inflamed, and you may develop headaches.

To get back into ketosis after a keto cheat day all you have to do is to start eating proper meals according to your macros, drink plenty of water and mind your electrolytes. If you feel up to it do some light exercise to help deplete glycogen stores.

While your metabolism may go up in the immediate aftermath of a splurge, it doesn't stay that way for long enough to make a significant difference. “Cheat day calories can add up fast and bring your weight loss progress to a screeching halt — or even reverse it,” Taylor warns.

Research shows that after a cheat meal, the body increases its metabolism, causing you to burn calories faster. This is caused by increased levels of leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells and responsible for maintaining energy balance in the body.

Regular Crust

This type of pizza crust can have up to 33g of carbs without any added sauce or cheese. If you're limiting your carbs to 20-50 grams per day, one slice of this type of crust will likely kick you out of ketosis.

Cycling in and out of ketosis can cause digestion problems and brain fog — and you may gain back the weight you've lost on the keto diet. What Really Happens to Your Body When examines the head-to-toe effects of common behaviors, actions and habits in your everyday life.

Why do I get diarrhea when I cheat on keto? ›

On a high-fat diet like keto, you're all of a sudden eating lots more avocado, nuts, seeds, meat, olive oil, and other fats than normal—which can disrupt digestion. “When you switch to this high fat of a diet, it can cause diarrhea,” says Hultin.

The uncomfortable symptoms of the keto flu are usually temporary. For some people, symptoms resolve after only a few days ( 5 ). However, others may have a more difficult time adapting to this high-fat, low-carb diet. For these individuals, symptoms may last up a month ( 5 ).

Having a cheat meal while on the keto diet may lead to temporary discomfort as your body adjusts back to ketosis. However, whether you experience keto flu symptoms again depends on various factors such as the duration and extent of the cheat meal and individual metabolic differences.

It can take from a few days to 2 weeks to fully get back into ketosis, during which time your weight loss may be slowed down. Give your body some time to recover by fasting after a binge. It's the quickest way to reverse the negative effects of binging on carb-rich meals.

Eating more than 50 grams of carbs may disrupt ketosis.

With keto diets, however, carb restrictions vary from person to person. Some people can eat more and still stay in ketosis, whereas others may need to restrict their carb intake more in order to stay in ketosis.

You should know, however, that most medical professionals discourage following the keto diet for longer than six months [1], so you will eventually have to transition to a less-restrictive form of healthy eating. Unfortunately, because keto is such a restrictive diet, many people gain weight once they stop it.

Your weight might spike because carbs cause you to retain water, but as long as you limit carbs after the cheat day and get back into a state of ketosis quickly, your cheat day probably won't have any long-term negative effects on your weight loss goals.

Eating more than 50 grams of carbs may disrupt ketosis.

Some people can eat more and still stay in ketosis, whereas others may need to restrict their carb intake more in order to stay in ketosis.