Cheating on Keto
LolaDeeDaisy23
Posts: 383 Member
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.
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.
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Did some cheating yesterday myself....and just for Christmas dinner.....Up a full 3 or 4 pounds in one day which I expected, but what I didn't expect was how bad my joints ache today......Not sure if it's the sugar or the wheat or both, but I think these have an effect on my joints for sure......
Good to know......back to keto for me....and no more cheating....Not worth it!3 -
@swezeytba I agree. While it was nice to enjoy the same foods everyone else was eating, I have to say it's not worth the extra cravings and overall sluggish feeling. Plus I'm sick! I never ever get sick. Strange...
Eating carbs this week made me realize that I really love the keto WOE. I will always choose peanut butter, eggs and bacon, steak and butter over donuts and tamales lol3 -
@LolaDeeDaisy23 'I was hovering around 121 pounds.I woke up yesterday morning and I weighed.........wait for it.
130 POUNDS.'
At last, someone who can gain overnight the same amazing amounts of weight!2 -
I cheated for 2 weeks and now I'm sick as well. I caught a head cold, my knees ache, and my old foot injury hurts. The good thing is now I realize how good I was actually feeling on keto compared to the carb-inflammation I'm experiencing currently. Back to keto I go!3
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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, ate her gravy made with corn starch, and munched on some philodough cream filled cookies! Oh and some Italian wedding cookies. I gained 6-7 pounds. My joints hurt, my stomach was a little mad, and I have restless legs at night. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it! My grandma lives in California and I in Texas. 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!23
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I was invited to friend's house Xmas night and got tired of saying no to everything the host offered. I ended up eating pasta, two slices of pie and had a glass of red wine. My weight went up a pound. It was my first cheat since starting keto in mid November. In the future I will need to be a picky guest I guess.2
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I have been just in and out of LCHF for a while. No keto. And I am paying for it too. I am keto for health reasons and all those reasons came back hard. Pain, fatigue and even bad skin. The worst part is it is a lot harder, for me, to start keto than it is to stay keto. If I had just stayed at the level of carbs that I know work for me, I would be feeling fine and not struggling with food.
The moral for me is that once I find the foods and macros that work for me, I should stay with it. Always.6 -
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!
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I sorta cheated too. I stayed in a calorie deficit, but I did partake of some potatoes, a dinner roll and cranberry sauce. I refused to weigh myself the past 2 days, but I did this morning. Was a pound more than I was on Sunday. I felt sluggish too. Finally starting to wear off. My blood sugar reading went higher than it has in a long time...179! Took more than 3 hours to come back down. So I'm can no longer eat cranberries. I think a small amount of potatoes would be ok.5
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Freedom to eat whatever I choose on special occasions has been my plan throughout 2017 so the cheesecake and couple of chocolates I had Christmas eve and Christmas day were not off plan. I did ultimately toss the remaining cheesecake since the holiday is over and I didn't need it around the house tempting me. I really don't like to waste perfectly good food and eating carbs doesn't make me ill but better down the disposal than filling my fat cells.6
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Freedom to eat whatever I choose on special occasions has been my plan throughout 2017 so the cheesecake and couple of chocolates I had Christmas eve and Christmas day were not off plan. I did ultimately toss the remaining cheesecake since the holiday is over and I didn't need it around the house tempting me. I really don't like to waste perfectly good food and eating carbs doesn't make me ill but better down the disposal than filling my fat cells.
I thought I was the only one who did this lol we had leftover donuts and Mexican sweet bread from the party...I tossed it all and I don't feel bad lol
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I ate small piece of lasagna with my dinner but other than that, I wasn't too bad. The real problem didn't come along until they brought out the desserts. Cannoli cake and tiramisu....... . I got on the scale the next morning and I was up 4 lbs. I'm not too worried though. I know I didn't eat enough to actually gain 4 lbs. so I'm sure it will come back off within the next couple days.2
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I had always intended to indulge xmas day and boxing day. Brandy snaps, pavlova, caramel tarts, chips, savouries and pizza! Oink oink. I feel like crap. So tired and super sluggish. I think I eat out of boredom so being off work didn't help. I am back on track today and will weigh on sunday. Lesson learned and won't be doing that again in a hurry.1
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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.
I use this one from the Diet Doctor site which is great. No egg taste and no sweet coconut taste. I usually don't make it into actual loaves but into buns/rolls. One warning; certain types of psyllium husk can make the bread turn purple. It happened once to me (the bread not actually to me!) It doesn't change the taste, it just looks weird!
Ingredients
1¼ cups almond flour
5 tablespoons ground psyllium husk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 cup boiling water
3 egg whites
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Bring the water to a boil and add it, the vinegar and egg whites to the bowl, while beating with a hand mixer for about 30 seconds. Don’t over mix the dough, the consistency should resemble Play-Doh.
Moisten hands and form dough into 4 or 8 pieces of bread. You can also make hot dog or hamburger buns. Place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake on lower rack in oven for 50–60 minutes, depending on the size of your bread. They’re done when you hear a hollow sound when tapping the bottom of the bun.
Serve with butter and toppings of your choice. Store the bread in the fridge or freezer.
Good Luck!4 -
I saw that one yesterday when I was looking....I will have to try it.....I thought the part about hearing the hollow sound when you tap the bun sounded promising because it sounded like real bread characteristics!1
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Two votes....I'm in....Will have to get some Psyllium husk powder though....The only kind I have is in capsule form....0
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A 10-15 lb. gain due to mostly water when first adding carbs after eating at keto carb levels is typical for me too. It's the same 10-15 lbs. I lost in the first week or 2 of cutting carbs.2
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I actually lost two pounds since last Saturday. I did not weight myself after big Christmas Eve Dinner since I don't want to see the gain. Now after three days, I stepped on the scale this morning and is surprised. I did eat over budget but mostly because some fatty korean short rib, a bit more carb than normal. Someone brought in really pretty looking petite desserts, and I only had a small bite of each kind to satisfy my cravings.1
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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