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Cheat days on keto??

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LiftingRiot
LiftingRiot Posts: 6,952 Member
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Ive been on Keto going on 4 weeks now with no cheats. I have a bad sweet tooth. I really want to take a day to just do whatever I want. Does anyone have cheat days and how does it affect your diet, mood, progress?
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  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    edited February 2017
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    You might find that if you give yourself the freedom to "cheat" it will remove the excitement and you won't bother.

    I've had to change my thinking from "can't have" to "don't want" in regards to food. It takes time and I still practice every single day.

    That said, I have had "cheats" which for me were really "binges". I had a problem with bingeing during 2015, AFTER I met my goal weight. Thousands of calories at a shot. Nearly always sweet stuff. Anyway, they never made me feel sick as they do others. They definitely made me feel lethargic/sluggish.

    If you are able to "cheat" and not go over your calorie goal it may not hinder weight loss except temporary water weight gain.

  • SuperCarLori
    SuperCarLori Posts: 1,248 Member
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    I wouldn't. It's all bad.
  • nomorepuke
    nomorepuke Posts: 320 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I wouldn't. I'm not on keto but low carb diet. I craved sweets and fast food badly in the first 4 weeks, then I had 3 cheat days in a row, it made me feel like I worked so hard for nothing. It was hard to get back to my healthy diet.
    Now I enjoy what eat. No cravings whatsoever. I've made strawberry short cake, tamales, mashed potatoes ,taquito and chocolate sponge cake for my boyfriend in the past few days. It didn't even make me want to lick my finger.
    What I'm trying to say is that your cravings may disappear if you just tough it out.
  • CoffeeNBooze
    CoffeeNBooze Posts: 966 Member
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    Nope, why would you feel the need to have a whole "cheat" day? Do you feel deprived? You mentioned you want to do whatever you want...so if this isn't what you want why do it?
    Reasons might be you are lacking some yummy fatty keto foods to satiate you, this woe isn't for you, or maybe you can afford to have a carby treat and make it fit (I do this, usually have one per day and I'm 50-100 carbs a day)
    This is all relative to my experience. I had to make the connection that this woe is what is best for my body and that made it much easier to adhere to.
  • LiftingRiot
    LiftingRiot Posts: 6,952 Member
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    CoffeeNBooze wrote: »
    Nope, why would you feel the need to have a whole "cheat" day? Do you feel deprived? You mentioned you want to do whatever you want...so if this isn't what you want why do it?
    Reasons might be you are lacking some yummy fatty keto foods to satiate you, this woe isn't for you, or maybe you can afford to have a carby treat and make it fit (I do this, usually have one per day and I'm 50-100 carbs a day)
    This is all relative to my experience. I had to make the connection that this woe is what is best for my body and that made it much easier to adhere to.

    Carbs a day I eat is below 40 g to stay in ketosis. A treat a day like you speak would kick me out of ketosis. This is definitely what I want long term, it's an experiment to bring down body fat percentage while trying to maintain as much muscle as possible.
  • LiftingRiot
    LiftingRiot Posts: 6,952 Member
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    baconslave wrote: »
    LiftingRiot wrote: »
    Ive been on Keto going on 4 weeks now with no cheats. I have a bad sweet tooth. I really want to take a day to just do whatever I want. Does anyone have cheat days and how does it affect your diet, mood, progress?

    Diet: you may feel a very bad case of the "hungries" and/or the "cravings" for several days thereafter making it more difficult to get back to your regular routine or keep your calories reasonable.

    Mood: you may feel down/depressed and/or irritable for several days after.

    Progress: you will almost certainly gain water weight that won't leave for about 4 days to a week after a cheat day. You may experience gastrointestinal discomfort/distress, headache, or fatigue as well, including a return of keto flu symptoms. Whether or not you get right back on track after (and stay there without repeated cheats), you may see no further disruption in progress. Or find that the water weight does not leave as soon, and you're progress is setback temporarily. Not everyone responds the same.

    Given these caveats to a cheat day/meal, you have the information to help you decide whether or not it's a good idea.

    Thanks for the input. I just feel like I want to reward myself with something but I know I'll regret it. To me it doesn't seem worth it to have one meal or a day even that will kick me out of ketosis for a week. Too much work to be lost so quickly
  • tierrafuego
    tierrafuego Posts: 34 Member
    edited February 2017
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    It's best not to, I agree...

    But...if you do, don't have a cheat day. Maybe don't even have a cheat meal. Instead have just the one thing you really want. And then stop yourself. (And don't only eat the sweet, eat a Keto meal like normal & then let yourself have dessert. One dessert. )

    I've found if I do this very occasionally & I don't let it make me spiral out & don't use it as an excuse to fail, I'm fine. Usually back in ketosis the next day, especially if I work out. That's a lot of "dont's" but it can work for you. Just own it & remember you control this.
  • swezeytba
    swezeytba Posts: 624 Member
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    Everyone is different and reacts in different ways....As for me if I eat something that has wheat flour, or sugar in it even if I stay within my carb limit for the day it still makes me feel crappy.
  • mbonacci12
    mbonacci12 Posts: 72 Member
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    I only do it with a special occasion (Thanksgiving meal, birthday dinner, etc). I try to eat well the rest of the day and go right back on plan. I find that if you are creative with your meals, changing it up, it works better. I go on the low carb sites and get ideas.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    LiftingRiot wrote: »
    baconslave wrote: »
    LiftingRiot wrote: »
    Ive been on Keto going on 4 weeks now with no cheats. I have a bad sweet tooth. I really want to take a day to just do whatever I want. Does anyone have cheat days and how does it affect your diet, mood, progress?

    Diet: you may feel a very bad case of the "hungries" and/or the "cravings" for several days thereafter making it more difficult to get back to your regular routine or keep your calories reasonable.

    Mood: you may feel down/depressed and/or irritable for several days after.

    Progress: you will almost certainly gain water weight that won't leave for about 4 days to a week after a cheat day. You may experience gastrointestinal discomfort/distress, headache, or fatigue as well, including a return of keto flu symptoms. Whether or not you get right back on track after (and stay there without repeated cheats), you may see no further disruption in progress. Or find that the water weight does not leave as soon, and you're progress is setback temporarily. Not everyone responds the same.

    Given these caveats to a cheat day/meal, you have the information to help you decide whether or not it's a good idea.

    Thanks for the input. I just feel like I want to reward myself with something but I know I'll regret it. To me it doesn't seem worth it to have one meal or a day even that will kick me out of ketosis for a week. Too much work to be lost so quickly

    Why reward yourself with a treat. You're not a dog.
    If you truly want to feed the sweet monster, make something low carb friendly. Or go with a sweet whole food like dark chocolate or even a small fruit of some kind.
  • swing72
    swing72 Posts: 20 Member
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    after 4 weeks i bet if you "cheat" you find that what you craved is not as nice as it was in your imagination :)
    sometimes i think its worth doing now and then to remind yourself just how awesome you feel on keto - and that the cheats are just not worth it. :)
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
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    I also have a huge sweet tooth but what I like about a Keto WOE is that I can still safely and wisely indulge it. Make yourself a healthy treat at home using healthy fats and alternative flours (various nut flours, coconut flour, flax seed meal, protein powder, lupin flour, etc.) that way you get to kill 2 birds with 1 stone: safely indulge your craving while still aiming and staying right on target with respect to your diet.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »
    LiftingRiot wrote: »
    baconslave wrote: »
    LiftingRiot wrote: »
    Ive been on Keto going on 4 weeks now with no cheats. I have a bad sweet tooth. I really want to take a day to just do whatever I want. Does anyone have cheat days and how does it affect your diet, mood, progress?

    Diet: you may feel a very bad case of the "hungries" and/or the "cravings" for several days thereafter making it more difficult to get back to your regular routine or keep your calories reasonable.

    Mood: you may feel down/depressed and/or irritable for several days after.

    Progress: you will almost certainly gain water weight that won't leave for about 4 days to a week after a cheat day. You may experience gastrointestinal discomfort/distress, headache, or fatigue as well, including a return of keto flu symptoms. Whether or not you get right back on track after (and stay there without repeated cheats), you may see no further disruption in progress. Or find that the water weight does not leave as soon, and you're progress is setback temporarily. Not everyone responds the same.

    Given these caveats to a cheat day/meal, you have the information to help you decide whether or not it's a good idea.

    Thanks for the input. I just feel like I want to reward myself with something but I know I'll regret it. To me it doesn't seem worth it to have one meal or a day even that will kick me out of ketosis for a week. Too much work to be lost so quickly

    Why reward yourself with a treat. You're not a dog.
    If you truly want to feed the sweet monster, make something low carb friendly. Or go with a sweet whole food like dark chocolate or even a small fruit of some kind.

    This.

    If you wanted it for physiological reasons (insulin spikes and glycogen for training intensity), I'd recommend a CKD. If you want it because "rewards and treats and wow, I'm talking like a six year old", it's probably best avoided, unless you have exceptional discipline. However, if you have exceptional discipline, you will never need such things to begin with.

    Basically, if you're strength training, consider a CKD. If you're not, don't.
  • emeraldbullsnake
    emeraldbullsnake Posts: 10 Member
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    Have you tried making a keto friendly version of what you are craving i was looking up keto recipes and saw all kinds of sweets cookies, cakes, ice cream they also had pan cakes , waffles ect. It looks good when my mom was doing paleo she made a batch of chocolate chip cookies with almond meal they were actually pretty good and super filling i was only able to eat 3 and i was stuffed
  • emeraldbullsnake
    emeraldbullsnake Posts: 10 Member
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    Here is one of the sites i saw the treats on
    http://www.ruled.me/keto-recipes/
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    food_lover16 wrote: »
    I did that... I was 4 weeks with no cheats and then had a cheat day... and didn't stop cheating until a year later.
    I didn't even really like the food either. It didn't taste as good as I thought it would.
    I think some people can do it, but apparently I'm not one of them.

    Yes!
    LiftingRiot wrote: »
    baconslave wrote: »
    LiftingRiot wrote: »
    Ive been on Keto going on 4 weeks now with no cheats. I have a bad sweet tooth. I really want to take a day to just do whatever I want. Does anyone have cheat days and how does it affect your diet, mood, progress?

    Diet: you may feel a very bad case of the "hungries" and/or the "cravings" for several days thereafter making it more difficult to get back to your regular routine or keep your calories reasonable.

    Mood: you may feel down/depressed and/or irritable for several days after.

    Progress: you will almost certainly gain water weight that won't leave for about 4 days to a week after a cheat day. You may experience gastrointestinal discomfort/distress, headache, or fatigue as well, including a return of keto flu symptoms. Whether or not you get right back on track after (and stay there without repeated cheats), you may see no further disruption in progress. Or find that the water weight does not leave as soon, and you're progress is setback temporarily. Not everyone responds the same.

    Given these caveats to a cheat day/meal, you have the information to help you decide whether or not it's a good idea.

    Thanks for the input. I just feel like I want to reward myself with something but I know I'll regret it. To me it doesn't seem worth it to have one meal or a day even that will kick me out of ketosis for a week. Too much work to be lost so quickly

    Keto treats might be better. A bunch of fat bombs or nuts with some dark chocolate.... It will be too many calories but you can avoid some of the side effects of a carb binge like lethargy, bloating, headaches and such. Plus if you are a carb/sugar binger this might not lead to a loss of control.

    Of course, not eating excessive amounts, and staying in your caloric goal (roughly), is best. ;)
  • Juliegray1963
    Juliegray1963 Posts: 96 Member
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    I am the same. I got on keto this past October for 5 weeks, dropped 15 lbs and have struggled ever since. I love sugar ... candy, cookies, especially donuts and I indulged. Since then it has been hard to get back on point. That sugar really has a pull on me. In fact, I wld think about it all day. A stupid piece of candy and it wld have its pull on me like that. Anyhow, what I want to say is that never ever did I feel great and happy after I indulged. In fact, I was pissed at myself and always always had regret! Good luck an let us kno what u do.

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