Cheating on Keto
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@CRZYFTM - You're such the low carb baker......Do you have a good bread recipe that doesn't taste like eggs? I don't need bread every day, but would like a good recipe for that once in awhile occasion.
Ok, so i have to admit, no. Well, I have made some biscuits and pretzels out of fathead style dough-with a few alterations depending on my intended outcome. But traditional style bread, no. My love of sweets and cookies keeps me occupied. But I have been wanting to expirament. I have a "to do list" and bread is on it. But dumplings is before it. I'm thinking of making a creamy chicken and dumplings soup. Maybe I should try the bread to accompany it?0 -
My current to do list is:
Choco-chip peanut butter cookies (rework, first recipe was ok but I want to tweak it a bit.)
Homemade lime gelatin (in the works)
Chocolate mint cheesecake (tomorrow)
Dumplings (this weekend, Saturday)
Creamy-garlic chicken soup (Sat)
Calzones stuffed with mixed cheeses/artichoke/tomato (TBD)
Keto cinnamon-rolls (TBD)
German style cabbage rolls (TBD)
Roasted prime rib & cauliflower au gratin
Keto blueberry donuts (TBD)
And now I'll add bread! Glorious bread!
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JohnnyLowCarb wrote: »I cheated too. I still replaced potatoes with cauliflower and avoided the bread 90% of the time. (I did eat a yeast roll with our ham dinner!!!!) But I ate a big helping of grandmas homemade apple pie three nights in a row, Life is short and sometime you just gotta eat the pie!
A few months ago I would have said (wait I did say and was adamant) that cheating was a slippery slope, but now I say - If you need it, go for it. I say this with a big BUT, the but is, if you have truly mastered the LCHF and can get back to the discipline of the WOE, then a special occasion is no problem, just don't make it an everyday occasion. I know the tools to use to get the weight off, so I too gained a few over the last month, but I will be right back on the strict Low Carbs to get the weight off again. What is great is I lost last year 35 pounds, so the 7 I regained, is not a worry!
I'm with you. I'm pretty against cheating on the diet, there aren't many good enough reasons out there for me, but sometimes you just gotta live! I decided I wasn't going to give up my last chance to eat my favorite thing in the world (not just apple pie, but HER apple pie!) just because of some pesky diet! (Or restless legs, I gladly accepted that!) What makes the difference is the reason and then the motivation to get back on it. The reason has to be a big one that won't come around every weekend or Tuesday. Or when it rains. Or when the sun shines. It must be meaningful. When the reason is meaningful, the conviction/commitment to get back on track is stronger.10 -
I cheated on carbs mostly. Had some sweet potatoes, and twice baked potatoes; both small helpings. And asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce (home made so OK) THe real cheat though was this darn delicious nut/chocolate candy! I have been having a few pieces a day. Since I also have Celiac Disease my joints arent hurting cause I NEVER cheat on that WOE...but I will say my morning headaches disappeared with the addition of some carbs. I hope they dont come back now that I m on track again.2
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I cheated on carbs mostly. Had some sweet potatoes, and twice baked potatoes; both small helpings. And asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce (home made so OK) THe real cheat though was this darn delicious nut/chocolate candy! I have been having a few pieces a day. Since I also have Celiac Disease my joints arent hurting cause I NEVER cheat on that WOE...but I will say my morning headaches disappeared with the addition of some carbs. I hope they dont come back now that I m on track again.
Relating back to the other thread/post: headaches are also an indication of electrolyte imbalance. You might want to increase your sodium intake when eating keto. 3000-5000 is recommended. Some folks need more. I "fought" increasing sodium as someone who was previously on a low sodium diet due to previous high blood pressure but while I don't seem to need as much as many others report, I definitely had to increase my sodium intake when eating very, very low carb. A hit of salt fixed me up in 20 minutes or less. My go to is a cup of salty boullion with extra salt added or just licking a half teaspoon or so out of my hand.3 -
I had some cheats over the holiday. I realized that I need to take digestive enzymes when I eat certain carbs now. I am celiac so I never eat gluten but I wonder if I'm intolerant to something else? It causes a major brick in my stomach sensation but the enzymes seem to really help. Clearly the better option is to just not eat things that make me feel that way but you know...live and learn. lol
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Thanks for sharing your experience!
I cheated, too. I've had seasons before where I was able to eat higher carb treats occasionally and not really be affected by it, but in Nov-Dec I just ended up eating at a higher carb level. Almost always below 150 gm carbs/day so probably still technically low carb, but for me it was a lot. And I definitely developed the vicious cycle of then craving more carbs/sugar.
I'm dropping back down now and hoping to re-lose the 7 lbs. Like you I'm hoping a lot of it is water/glycogen since based on overall calorie intake, I shouldn't have gained that much fat! Not back to full keto levels; for now I'm going to try sticking with 50 gm net carbs/day, ideally to allow more fruits and vegetables and a little flexibility but hopefully not enough to re-trigger cravings.1 -
So glad to see this thread. I was feeling so bad about eating carbs over the holidays. I initially told myself it would only be for 2 days, but I am still not back to keto 100%. It's been 5 days
. I have to stop but these carb cravings are no joke once I eat carbs again. I only gained 3-4lbs, but it takes me weeks to lose that much...
Thanks for making me feel less alone. Back to better choices!1 -
LolaDeeDaisy23 wrote: »So I decided to take a full on diet break. I broke away from keto for the first time in the past 12 months. I thoroughly enjoyed my share of garlic cheese bread, onion rings, donuts, cheesecake, chocolate lava cake, freshly baked French bread, TAMALES, TACOS, oh god.. I can go on. I ate everything within the past week. So what happened?
Where am I at now? I was doing a keto competition prep diet, low sodium, 1450 calories on average and I was hovering around 121 pounds.
I woke up yesterday morning and I weighed.........wait for it.
130 POUNDS.
I can't help but laugh. Most of it is due to increased sodium and stored glycogen. I'm back on keto full force and the increased hunger cravings are no joke! Just wanted to share for those who are interested.
Pros to cheating: Increased strength. I feel like the Hulk when training! I hit all new PRs for every single lift; deadlift, bicep curls, etc.
I have been eating low carb very faithfully since March. Lost 45 lbs. but plateaued at 205 in late November. Decided to take a diet break as well. Right before Christmas. Went from 203.5 lbs. to 216 lbs. in five days. HAHA! Going back to the program in a few days. Hoping I get that same strength increase you reported.
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I was fine on vacation.... not so great now that I am under the stresses of a crazy work schedule (everyone else is having holidays) and parents whose health is deteriorating. Too much Lindt on sale. And my go-to stress treat - cheese on warm dry toast.2
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My current to do list is:
Choco-chip peanut butter cookies (rework, first recipe was ok but I want to tweak it a bit.)
Homemade lime gelatin (in the works)
Chocolate mint cheesecake (tomorrow)
Dumplings (this weekend, Saturday)
Creamy-garlic chicken soup (Sat)
Calzones stuffed with mixed cheeses/artichoke/tomato (TBD)
Keto cinnamon-rolls (TBD)
German style cabbage rolls (TBD)
Roasted prime rib & cauliflower au gratin
Keto blueberry donuts (TBD)
And now I'll add bread! Glorious bread!
I'm sure you will keep us posted on all the successes.....2 -
I only limit refined carbs in my daily diet. And, for the holiday, I let myself have french fries and nachos on new years, and one piece of pecan pie on Christmas. Yep. Scale went up, and MAN did the carb cravings come back almost immediately. Banished now.3
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That is so true, as I am sure we all get the "you are so irritating to eat with" look and comments. I don't get this opportunity often at all. She is in her 80's and suffered a stroke a few months ago. My grandfather passed away in October. Life is short and sometime you just gotta eat the pie!
And sometimes we give in, and for FAMILY its a must at times, yea its hell, after and we get back on but what sucks and i mean really really sucks, is how all that "Good" food is so bad for you. I could Live off of Chips and Salsa and beer and pizza, but of course it will kill me, Just sucks i tell ya!, But your post impressed me, yea sometimes you have to take one for the team
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »I only limit refined carbs in my daily diet. And, for the holiday, I let myself have french fries and nachos on new years, and one piece of pecan pie on Christmas. Yep. Scale went up, and MAN did the carb cravings come back almost immediately. Banished now.
LOL I banished my scale after I saw the number. I know my body was in shock from the carbs and sodium, and I shouldn't take the number to heart...but I didn't want to stress myself out by looking at a number that's guaranteed to be high after eating what I did.
This is supposed to be a diet break after all, and worrying about the scale will counteract what this break is meant for...mental relief.
I ate 180-240g carbs for about 4 days. And resumed keto. I kept sodium high, made sure to get in my magnesium and potassium, and ate until satisfied (okay I ate until I was MORE than satisfied lol) but my goal was to get my body back into ketosis and not be weight-loss focused.
I start contest prep again on Monday and honestly, I've been aching to start prep since Tuesday
The only reason I'm holding out is because coworkers, friends, my mom and hubby want to take me out/cook for me (steak and sushi...and more steak lol )before I embark on another long lonely meal prep.
In hindsight, it's good....itching to start is making me more driven to stick with this prep. I'm mentally hungry to see how far I can get.
I'll keep you all updated on how much damage I did during these two weeks
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Competition prep starts today! Weighing in at 127 pounds. I think I am still holding onto some water from the weekend. This break has been fun, but I am more focused now than ever to stick with this prep and to step on stage in a few months.5
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I'm the same! Up 9 pounds after only one week off-plan!2
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You will drop that quick. Remember that carbs hold water very well. For every gram of glycogen you hold 2.7 grams of water. Just keep those electrolytes up as you adapt back to fat to help curb the keto flu symptoms3
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Yes adapting back was a little rough, but I think I'm back in. Weighed in at 125 pounds this morning. So far, down 5 pounds from the carb up.3
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Lol, yep I was up 9 lbs in the past 4 weeks thanks to a diet plan of candy canes (clearance sales) and toast. Smartened up and back to keto yesterday and I've dropped 3 lbs. It'll get there as long as I don't touch the rest of the cheap candy canes2
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It’s been one week since going back on prep. I haven’t trained at all, no cardio and no lifting. Just focusing on diet and getting my body back to normal. I’m at 123.4. I think I gained a good solid 2 pounds since doing this diet break. Not too bad of a set back.
After everything is said and done, i highly recommend going off plan once in a while just to gain some sanity. I feel like taking a break whether it be from diet or training, gives you more motivation/determination to jump back on.
Obviously not everyone is the same... some people can’t go off plan otherwise they wind up in a deep black hole with some twinkies hidden away in their dresser. But if you’re like me, a few days off is exactly what the mind needs to keep pushing.2
