Cheating on Keto: Effects and Recovery (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you cheat once on keto? ›

If your cheat day knocked you out of ketosis, you need to get back to restricting your carb intake to 20 to 50 grams a day. Then, it will take between 2 to 7 days to reenter ketosis, but this will depend on your metabolism, exercise, and hydration.

If you've cheated on keto, you're likely out of ketosis. Once out, you'll need to strictly follow the keto diet to reenter ketosis. This process takes several days to 1 week, depending on your carb intake, metabolism, and activity levels ( 6 , 7 , 8 ).

Research shows that after a cheat meal, the body increases its metabolism, causing you to burn calories faster. This is caused by increased levels of leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells and responsible for maintaining energy balance in the body.

A significant cheat, even for one meal, can stall your weight loss, make you feel sluggish, experience significant brain fog, and if you're somewhat new to keto, perhaps cause you go through keto flu symptoms all over again. More than that, you will need to work your way into ketosis again.

Chips, crackers, cookies and snack foods are all off-limits on the keto diet. Low in fiber and high in carbs, these items do not support the goal of keto eating, aka reducing carbs enough to stay in ketosis and burn stored fat.

While your metabolism may go up in the immediate aftermath of a splurge, it doesn't stay that way for long enough to make a significant difference. “Cheat day calories can add up fast and bring your weight loss progress to a screeching halt — or even reverse it,” Taylor warns.

Surprisingly, eating a bit more on occasion can actually help. If you've been eating fewer calories for a while, your body might think it's in “survival mode.” Having a day where you eat a bit more healthy food can signal to your body that it's not in danger.

But for weight loss and general well-being in healthy adults, there's no need to be in ketosis all the time. People who typically do keto might benefit from short periods out of ketosis, and people who aren't fully on the keto train might benefit from switching to a fat-burning metabolism every now and again.

How long does it take to get into ketosis? If you eat between 20 and 50 grams of carbohydrates each day, it will usually take you two to four days to enter ketosis. However, the time it takes to enter this state varies based on several factors. It may take you a week or longer to get into ketosis.

Keto cycling doesn't have a strict definition. Some people choose to have five or six days on keto followed by a day or two off. Others will do keto for 10 to 12 days followed by three to four days off. Devine typically doesn't recommend taking more than two days off keto.

Should I fast after a cheat day on keto? ›

Overall, you can get back into ketosis as soon as 12-16 hours after your last cheat meal (with the help of fasting and exercise) or it can take as long as it did when you first started keto.

Regular Crust

This type of pizza crust can have up to 33g of carbs without any added sauce or cheese. If you're limiting your carbs to 20-50 grams per day, one slice of this type of crust will likely kick you out of ketosis.

Depending on your carb intake, metabolism, and activity levels, it may take several days to a week to re-enter ketosis. The best way to recover from a keto cheat day is to resume your low-carb keto lifestyle. Other tips to follow include: Track your carb intake: Keep note of your daily carb intake in a food diary.

On a high-fat diet like keto, you're all of a sudden eating lots more avocado, nuts, seeds, meat, olive oil, and other fats than normal—which can disrupt digestion. “When you switch to this high fat of a diet, it can cause diarrhea,” says Hultin.

The uncomfortable symptoms of the keto flu are usually temporary. For some people, symptoms resolve after only a few days ( 5 ). However, others may have a more difficult time adapting to this high-fat, low-carb diet. For these individuals, symptoms may last up a month ( 5 ).

Not following accepted ketogenic diet guidelines can disrupt ketosis because carbs are the body's preferred energy source. If your carb intake is too high, carbs may be used for fuel instead of ketone bodies, which is the main source of fuel during ketosis.

To stay in ketosis, a person requires up to 50 grams (g) of carbs per day. A person following a keto diet eats foods with high levels of fats and very low levels of carbohydrates. The diet excludes a wide range of foods, including some fruits and vegetables, as well as bread, beans, and legumes.

Cycling in and out of ketosis can cause digestion problems and brain fog — and you may gain back the weight you've lost on the keto diet. What Really Happens to Your Body When examines the head-to-toe effects of common behaviors, actions and habits in your everyday life.