Here’s What Happens When You Cheat On Keto

Cheat Days. We all have ’em, right? Some people swear by them as being the only way they can get through a diet! It makes it realistic, and easier for them to handle.

I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, Keto doesn’t really work well with cheat days. When you do, it really throws your body out of whack. Now, I’m not saying NEVER ever cheat, because LIFE. I’m also not here to pretend I never slip up.

In fact, the reason for this post is to admit to you that I have been messing up on Keto lately. I was hesitant to share this because I didn’t want to be a bad example. But, I realized I want to be transparent and emphasize that this is a life change, and it’s a journey.

Sure, hearing about my results and seeing before and after pictures are motivating, but I also don’t want people to think I’m this unrelatable robot that doesn’t screw up. Oh, I screw UP guys, and I’m here to tell ya about it. I’m hoping sharing some losses can prove to be just as motivating as sharing the wins! We learn and grow by trial and error, right?

Quick Note: If you haven’t read my previous posts on Keto, Catch up by clicking on this page! I’ve added a new category tab labeled “Keto” at the top of my site that makes finding Keto related posts quick and easy!

Here’s what may happen when you cheat on Keto:

1. You Gain Weight

Duh – this is the most obvious. Cheating undoes the work and progress you’ve made on ANY diet – but on Keto – its specifically worse. Why? because carbs revert your body back to fat storing instead of burning. You also get all that water weight back associated with eating so many carbs. (On the flip side, since its just water weight, you could easily lose it as quick as you gained it if you stop yourself soon enough) A carb heavy diet also leads to that insane hunger again, leading you to eat more! Which brings me to my next point…

2. Cravings and Hunger Come Back

Remember that hangry feeling? She’s baaaack! Now you can’t go hours feeling full without eating, and now food is the center of your universe again. Eating that pasta will cause your blood sugar to spike, and make you SO hungry! THAT will make you crave more carbs and bad foods in general. You’ve now set yourself up for a vicious cycle again that’s hard to stop.

via GIPHY

Whats worse, if you suffer from diabetes, those blood sugar spikes can really freak out and get to some high levels that are detrimental to the progress you’ve likely made on reversing your diabetes!

4. You’re kicked out of Ketosis

Eating too many carbs and sugar leads to no longer being in a state of Ketosis. You no longer feel the super power energy that you felt before. Its like you’ve been kicked out of the cool club and now you’re just a normal person again. Now we’re back to feeling low energy, our mood sucks, and it leads to MORE binge eating because you seek that endorphin rush and you think you can find it…in chocolate.

Keto changes the way your body is fueled and that takes consistent work. You’ve spent some time getting your body converted to a fat burning state as a opposed to glucose. Once you’re in – you don’t wanna be out. Think of it as putting diesel in a car that’s supposed to run on gas. You’re messing up the engine!

5. Skin Acne/Breakouts

This is different for everyone as our skin reacts differently to things, but introducing sugar and carbs again can definitely lead to your face getting acne. My skin in terms of acne was already pretty decent before Keto, but I will say I was definitely puffier before. And, since Keto promotes a lot of anti-inflammatory foods, it all makes sense. You can for sure feel bloated, gassy, puffy and oily if you’re back to eating carbs and candy.

6. You Could Get The Keto “Flu”

I would compare (my experience at least) to the feeling of a hangover. I get a bad headache that can last anywhere from one day to several, my stomach hurts, and I just feel like CRAP. Now I have to stay strong and make sure I DON’T mess up at all during this recovery process, because it will just prolong the “blah” feeling. You have to just eat clean and wait it out until your body flushes out the bad food again.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up!

Overall, cheating and Keto don’t really work well together, but if you cheat, don’t be too hard on yourself! Keto is a learning curve, and you can never be 100% perfect. And – to be honest, these side effects are not the end of the world and you can get past them fairly quickly.

We’re all human, and there’s definitely times where we won’t always eat the right thing and have to just do the best we can in that situation. As long as it doesn’t completely throw you off the rails and you find your way back!

We can do this!

Did you like this post? Let me know if I should do a follow up on how to get back on track after cheating!