Cheating on Keto: Effects and Recovery (2024)

FAQs

What if I cheated on my keto diet? ›

If your cheat day knocked you out of ketosis, you need to get back to restricting your carb intake to 20 to 50 grams a day. Then, it will take between 2 to 7 days to reenter ketosis, but this will depend on your metabolism, exercise, and hydration.

Overall, you can get back into ketosis as soon as 12-16 hours after your last cheat meal (with the help of fasting and exercise) or it can take as long as it did when you first started keto.

Carbs do not cause weight gain or increased body fat. Only eating too many calories can do this. And while you may have a slight adjustment period with blood sugar levels and water retention, as long as you are maintaining calorie control, you shouldn't end up gaining any weight.

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.

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.

The journey back into ketosis is going to look different for everyone. Depending on how glycogen-repleted you currently are, your metabolic flexibility, and the state of your metabolism, it could take anywhere from a day to two or three weeks.

“If you have too many carbohydrates, you're going to build up your glycogen stores, and it's going to be very hard for you to get back into ketosis,” she says. She says to think about your glycogen stores, which are your body's supply of stored carbohydrates, as a gas tank.

The Benefits of Cheating

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.

While it's up to you whether you decide to take a break from the keto diet, many experienced individuals do keto cycling, also called the cyclical keto diet, in which they stay keto for 5-6 days followed by 1-2 days of higher carbs. Others stick to keto for 2 weeks or more, then take a 3-day break.

Why do I feel bloated after cheating on keto? ›

When you cheat on keto by eating too many carbs, you'll get kicked out of ketosis. In turn, you may have to go through the keto flu all over again. This can mean Keto bloat, as well as a host of other uncomfortable symptoms. Even one cheat day can have this effect.

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.

Cheating on your keto diet can kick you right out of ketosis, and you'll start burning glucose instead of fat. That means less fat burning, less energy, and less weight loss. And getting back into ketosis can take a few days to a week, depending on your cheat day shenanigans and your metabolic mojo.

Depending on your carb intake, metabolism, and activity levels, it may take several days to a week to re-enter ketosis. The best way to recover from a keto cheat day is to resume your low-carb keto lifestyle. Other tips to follow include: Track your carb intake: Keep note of your daily carb intake in a food diary.

Fat can be hard to digest.

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 carbs eaten on a cheat day will halt the production of ketones immediately until they are all metabolized by the body. It's not that complicated to achieve ketosis, but it does take time and effort. Every time you have a cheat day, your progress will be reset and you'll need to start all over again.

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.