Okay, I cheated. Can I exercise off those excess carbs?

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annalisbeth74
annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
This is purely hypothetical, as I very much did NOT have oreo cheesecake Friday night. Or strawberry cake Saturday night.

Okay, I did! You got me! Lol. So, I went for a run Saturday morning to "burn off" the calories from Friday night. Then of course I cheated again that night, so I went for another run sunday. I'm up a couple of pounds, as is expected from water weight due to the carbs (and I'm also guessing from the fact that I haven't run in a while and my muscles are traumatized).

My question is... does this really work, or is my thinking flawed?

I enjoy running either way, and I know I'll get more fat loss from it if I'm already in ketosis. But does exercise help to jump-start getting back into ketosis? Or does it just make me feel less guilty about cheating?

Replies

  • auntstephie321
    auntstephie321 Posts: 3,586 Member
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    Yes exercise can help deplete glycogen stores and get you back in keto faster.
  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
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    Exercise helps reduce glycogen. But if you ate carbs on Fri and ran Sat, it's too late to avoid the insulin spike. If you're insulin sensitive in all tissues, then that might not be a problem. But if you're bordering pre diabetes or have DM, using exercise to regulate blood sugar must be done pretty much right away after intake.

    I use exercise as a tool and I enjoy it. But I would caution against programming your brain into linking exercise with punishment for eating too much carbs. Exercise should be something you want to do to improve yourself, IMO. When you've established good routines both in diet and physical activity, then it's easier to play around with things.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    Foamroller wrote: »
    Exercise helps reduce glycogen. But if you ate carbs on Fri and ran Sat, it's too late to avoid the insulin spike. If you're insulin sensitive in all tissues, then that might not be a problem. But if you're bordering pre diabetes or have DM, using exercise to regulate blood sugar must be done pretty much right away after intake.

    I use exercise as a tool and I enjoy it. But I would caution against programming your brain into linking exercise with punishment for eating too much carbs. Exercise should be something you want to do to improve yourself, IMO. When you've established good routines both in diet and physical activity, then it's easier to play around with things.

    Hit the nail on the head!
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
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    Foamroller wrote: »
    Exercise helps reduce glycogen. But if you ate carbs on Fri and ran Sat, it's too late to avoid the insulin spike. If you're insulin sensitive in all tissues, then that might not be a problem. But if you're bordering pre diabetes or have DM, using exercise to regulate blood sugar must be done pretty much right away after intake.

    I use exercise as a tool and I enjoy it. But I would caution against programming your brain into linking exercise with punishment for eating too much carbs. Exercise should be something you want to do to improve yourself, IMO. When you've established good routines both in diet and physical activity, then it's easier to play around with things.

    Bingo!
  • eileenhernandez456
    eileenhernandez456 Posts: 16 Member
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    I cheated about a month ago with something far less awesome than oreo cheesecake... raisens and nilla wafers... tired mom over here... it took doing a fat fast for 3 days to get back in ketosis after trying with nornal induction after 4 days.. so i set myself back a whole week for what?? Sone really crappy carbs... in a way i am glad it happened because i will certainly think twice because the fat fast whike not terrible is not something i want to do again...
  • annalisbeth74
    annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
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    Okay, guys. I wasn't trying to punish myself. I love running. I'll do it regardless. I haven't in a while because of injuries. Thankfully that's behind me now.

    The glycogen is mainly what I was wondering about, so thank you for answering my question.
  • annalisbeth74
    annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
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    Oh, wow. I just realized I'm premenstrual. That explains EVERYTHING!!

    Thanks for your input though!