A classic ketogenic diet, with its restrictive food list, is a famously difficult diet.(Which is why we recommend Atkins 20® and Atkins 40®, which are more flexible versions of keto.) People who are struggling with the rigidity of keto may be looking for a way out that doesn’t necessarily get them off track to their goals. One method that is emerging is something called the cyclical keto diet, or the keto cycle diet. However, this approach doesn’t have a lot of evidence supporting it, and it may not be the solution to the flexibility you’re desiring.
Read on to learn about the cyclical keto diet, and how it compares to Atkins.
Why We’re Not A Big Fan of the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet
Ketogenic diets are low in carbs and high in fat. This combination reroutes your metabolism to burn fat—instead of carbs and sugar—for fuel, which reduces fat stores in the body and encourages more efficient weight loss.
Getting used to a ketogenic lifestyle can take some time, and you may want more flexibility than is allowed in a classic keto diet. This might send you looking for ways to adapt your keto eating. One adjustment people might think to make is carb cycling, which isn’t exactly the same as the keto cycle. Carb cycling is a more prescriptive diet that involves 4-6 days of low carb intake, and 1-3 days of high carb intake.
A keto cycle diet isn’t necessarily a prescriptive schedule like that outlined in carb cycling guides, but does involve changes in carb intake. Carb cycling on keto involves spending some days strictly adhering to keto eating habits, and other days intaking as many carbs as you like to bring the body back out of ketosis. Some people eat keto 5 days out of the week, and then take the weekends off. Other people might do keto for a few weeks out of the month, then take a break.
Some proponents of this approach tout this as an effective way to build muscle, lose weight, and more. But, no matter how you spin it, these methods of adjusting keto are not effective for one simple reason: it adjusts the fuel your body uses, never giving your metabolism sufficient time to heal and adapt. When you’re eating a high carb diet, for one day or several, that’s one extra day that your body is using sugars for fuel, and storing fats, which can contribute to weight gain. Using carbs for fuel also sends your blood sugar on a rollercoaster, which can contribute to excessive hunger and cravings, which could knock you even further off track from your goals!
Cyclical Keto Diet vs. Atkins Lifestyle
If you were curious about the keto cycle diet because you were in need of more flexibility, look no further. Atkins 20 or Atkins 40 are forms of a ketogenic diet, but with one key difference: more flexibility. Atkins plans are built by nutritionists to not only help encourage your body to use fat for fuel, but to leave you feeling satisfied and in control—without all those restrictions.
Fundamentally, Atkins is about breaking free of yo yo dieting to find a way of eating—and a lifestyle—that works for you. Atkins 20 and Atkins 40 are ketogenic diets that let you live a little and stay on track to your goals for the long-term. After all, Atkins isn’t just a diet… it’s life well lived.
For more thoughts on carb cycling on keto, check out Collete’s blog on the subject. If you’re ready to start your keto journey, click here—but don’t forget to sign up for our free meal plans, carb counting tools, and more!
*Before choosing to try a cyclical keto diet, make sure to check with a physician about any substantial changes to your diet.
When you're following the cyclical keto diet, you eat large quantities of quality fats and very few carbs (less than 50 grams of net carbs a day), five to six days of the week. Then, you eat more carbs — roughly 150 grams — during what's called a “carb refeed” day. Full ketosis isn't suitable for everyone.
The weight loss for the keto cyclers, however, was from a combination of decreased body fat, water, and lean body mass, whereas the other dieters primarily lost body fat. Some anecdotal evidence suggests that people are more likely to stick with keto if they incorporate cycling.
That's where keto cycling comes in: Touted as a less restrictive, more sustainable way to get the benefits of a ketogenic lifestyle, keto cycling involves following a ketogenic diet for a few days in a row, then taking a break and eating high (or at least average) levels of carbohydrates for a day.
To implement the cyclical keto diet correctly, you must eat a high-carbohydrate diet 1-2 days a week to replenish your glycogen stores and follow a ketogenic diet on the remaining 5-6 days to deplete your glycogen stores. However, the carbohydrates that you eat are important as well.
Cyclical ketogenic dieting involves adhering to a standard ketogenic diet protocol 5–6 days per week, followed by 1–2 days of higher carb consumption. These higher-carb days are often referred to as “refeeding days,” as they're meant to replenish your body's depleted glucose reserves.
What is Cyclic Dieting? Cyclic Dieting is when you cycle between either periods of low calories and high calories, or cycle between periods of low and high carbs, or use a method that incorporates both.
Severe carb limits can cause your body to break down fat into ketones for energy. This is called ketosis. Ketosis can cause side effects such as bad breath, headache, fatigue and weakness.
In essence, dirty keto is a variation of the keto diet (a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet) that allows you to consume whatever you want as long as it meets your macro goals. While it still reduces carb intake, it does not pay attention to the nutritional value of the fats and protein consumed.
“Starting keto with the idea that you can go off plan whenever you want and just jump right back in when you feel like it may be counterproductive for your weight, overall health and quality of life, explains Spritzler. Devine also notes that chronic yo-yo dieters may become less successful over time.
Going off keto may lead to gains in muscle mass. And that's especially good news if you're over 30 years; as we age, muscle synthesis begins to decrease. Less overall muscle mass means we burn fewer calories at rest and can eventually lose strength and mobility.
Many low carb alcohol options are available if you follow a keto diet. For instance, pure forms of alcohol like whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, and vodka are all completely free of carbs. You can drink them straight or combine them with low carb mixers for more flavor.
Here's how CKD is done: You eat only up to 50 grams of carbs for 5-6 days in a week (let's say, from Monday to Friday) but for the remaining 1-2 days (Saturday, Sunday, or both) you're going to have a higher carb intake. These days in which you eat more carbs are called refeeding days or carb-loading days.
If you want to limit the number of carbs you eat on your cheat day, you can schedule those days more often. Once a week will work just fine for those who plan to stay under the 50 grams of carbs limit in order to remain in ketosis while still eating some additional treats that day.
If you have a calorie deficit frequently, you will lose weight. One of the main reasons people feel tired when they are on the keto diet is a recurrent calorie deficit, which means that the body needs more fuel. People often associate diets with low calorie intake.
Following the targeted ketogenic diet (TKD). This typically works better for high-intensity exercise beginners. Implementing a version of the cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD) that works for your schedule. This typically works better for high-intensity athletes or bodybuilders that have been training for a couple of years.
Carb cycling involves going back and forth between high-carb days and low-carb days. There may even be “no-carb” days. You would usually have a high-carb day when you plan on exercising hard. On those days, your body needs more fuel, so you might eat 2 to 2.5 grams of carbs for every pound of your body weight.
Some of the most common dirty keto foods include the following: Processed cheese. Processed oils, such as vegetable oil, hydrogenated oil, trans fats, mayonnaise, and canola oil. Processed meat, such as bacon, pork rinds, hot dogs, and pre-packaged meats.
These include the classic long-chain triglyceride (LCT) ketogenic diet, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) ketogenic diet, modified Atkins diet (MAD), and low glycemic index treatment.
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