Cheating

This is a question that often comes up in Facebook groups. Is it okay to cheat occasionally, and what can you do to get back on track as quickly as possible?

The best advice is, of course, not to deviate from your keto way of eating. It’s the healthiest choice for your body, you’ll feel better, and you’ll stay away from those addictive sugars. You can think of sugar as similar to other addictive substances like alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs. Even if you’ve been off it for a long time, taking it just once carries the risk of having to go through withdrawal again. Do you remember how difficult it was in the beginning to stay away from sugar? Is that one cheating moment really worth the possibility of having to start over?

There are also health consequences when you regularly go in and out of ketosis. You probably already know that sugars have a negative impact on your health, which is why you typically avoid them. But what do you think happens to your body when you’re no longer accustomed to large amounts of sugar and suddenly consume it? Your body can’t handle it as well, and it takes a toll. This can be compared to alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Someone who never smokes and tries a cigarette can feel bad, become dizzy, get nauseous, and generally feel unwell. Similarly, someone who doesn’t drink often and then consumes a whole bottle of wine will likely get drunk quickly and have a hangover the next day. In contrast, people who drink daily usually don’t experience these effects. The same goes for sugar. If you normally consume very little sugar and then suddenly have a lot, there’s a good chance your body will react. You may feel nauseous, experience digestive issues, heart palpitations, an abrupt increase in blood pressure (with related symptoms), and extreme fatigue. Since sugars can have these effects on your body, you can probably see that this is not a good choice and won’t be good for your body.

The choice you make is entirely up to you. No one can tell you that you’re not “allowed” to do something; they can only advise against it. Things you can do to make it easier to resist temptation include:
* See if you can find a suitable keto replacement for what you’re craving. In The Ultimate Keto Candy Special, you can find 101 great recipes for cookies, cake, pie, but even savory items like chips, pretzels, and cheese balls.
* Write down for yourself the reasons why you’re eating keto and what the consequences are if you give in to unhealthy cravings.
* Try to postpone giving in to bad choices. This can be with just fifteen minutes, during which you reevaluate what you want to do and can postpone it again, or it can be for an hour, a few hours, a few days, etc… It helps to decide not to do it right now, but that doesn’t mean it has to be forever. The inspiring/motivational quotes you can find on this page might also help you with that.
* Use all the tools provided in the motivation and guidance package

There are middle roads

However, it’s not always possible to resist certain cravings, or you may consciously choose to deviate from keto because it suits you better, such as for a party, birthday, or vacation.

Often, when people decide to cheat, they completely let loose… They eat everything they’ve been craving for a long time, and they often consume more calories than they need. But it can be different. Be consciously aware that you don’t have to stuff yourself to enjoy your consciously chosen cheat day. Decide which things you’d really love to have and take a small portion of each of those things. You can always have more if you can’t resist 😉. So, start by going through your list of different things you want to eat before taking extra-large portions of one thing. This also helps you mentally to get back on track later because you’ve had everything you really wanted, instead of regretting not having taken that one product on your cheat day and then deciding to have an extra cheat day…

Try to choose the least harmful things

In the previous section, I mentioned choosing the things you love the most. However, even in this case, you can try to make the least harmful choice. As you’ve learned from your keto choices, the nutritional values of the same type of product can vary greatly between brands. So, even on a cheat day, see which brand is the least bad. For example, if one of your cravings is regular bread (and keto bread just doesn’t satisfy this craving), try the low-carb bread that you can find at almost any supermarket these days. It still contains wheat, which provides that real bread feeling, but it’s a little less bad than regular bread. There are also many bread spreads (like chocolate paste), cookies, bonbons, and chocolate bars from brands like Cereal, Balance, We Care, etc., that may satisfy your needs as well. hese options still contain too many carbohydrates for a ketogenic diet, so you are indeed cheating, but it’s less bad than the cookies and candies from regular brands that are loaded with sugars. Even when ordering french fries, you can make slightly better choices. A serving of french fries with mayonnaise from a snack bar is usually served with a sauce that isn’t real mayonnaise but “fritessaus.” Fritessaus resembles mayonnaise but is a different type of sauce that is full of sugars. So, opt for french fries without sauce and use your own mayonnaise from the fridge. Additionally, there are now more low-sugar ice cream options available in supermarkets. For instance, you can choose Oppo ice cream instead of Ben & Jerry’s or the Moophoria variant of Ben & Jerry’s instead of the regular one. As you can see, there are several slightly less bad options available. The above is an example of some of those products, but there are many more to consider. So, decide what you really crave and see if you can find a slightly less bad version of it.

As quickly as possible back into ketosis.

If you decide to return to your keto lifestyle, it can be a real struggle again. After all, you’ve given your body another shot of sugars, so you have to detox from that again… It may be easier and smoother for some than others. Some people have little trouble switching back, but others may experience all the symptoms of the ketoflu again and face a mental battle to resist the urge for sugars that their body may demand. The quickest way to get back into ketosis is by fasting for about 16 hours. This depletes the sugar fuel, forcing your body to switch to fat burning. If you then eat strictly keto, your body will remain in a state of ketosis. However, fasting is not suitable for everyone; you can read all about intermittent fasting here. If fasting is not an option for you, focus primarily on healthy fats for the first few days after cheating and consume as few carbohydrates as possible. Choose vegetables with the lowest possible carbohydrate content, ensuring you get enough fiber, vitamins, and minerals while keeping your blood sugar as low as possible. This article lists the vegetables with low carbs. Leave the allowed keto fruits aside for a few days until you are back in ketosis. Fresh coconut, olives, and avocado are acceptable since they are low in carbs and rich in healthy fats.

If it becomes easy again after a few days and you’re back in your keto flow, you can go back to eating keto in the way you did before your cheat day.