If you're intrigued by the ketogenic diet, or currently following the high-fat, low-carb eating regimen, you probably know that this diet is super restrictive, making it one of the hardest diets to follow. But what exactly happens when you break the keto diet guidelines?
What is ketosis?
First, a quick refresher on how the ketogenic diet works and why it can be effective: The goal of the keto diet is to send your body into a state of ketosis, which is optimal for burning fat.
But what exactly happens during ketosis? Because you're severely limiting carbohydrates, your body's cells can't use the blood sugar derived from these carbohydrates as the body's primary source of energy. Instead, after burning the carbohydrates your body stores as glycogen, it burns stored fat for energy, producing a byproduct called ketones. This process is known as ketosis.
During ketosis, most cells in the body will use ketones to fuel the body with energy until carbohydrates are consumed. It is not easy to achieve ketosis.
Most people increase their intake of fats and proteins while reducing carbohydrates and almost completely eliminating sugars. In a typical ketogenic diet, only 5 to 10 percent of what you eat will be carbohydrates . That means if you consume 2.000 calories a day, you'll only have 40 grams of carbohydrates per day—less than a regular-sized bagel, which contains 55 grams of carbohydrates for the entire day.
It can take more than a week to carefully control your meals to reach ketosis.
And, when you do have a lapse, perhaps having a sugar-filled dessert one night, making a bun to go with your burger, or changing your macros from what is required on the keto diet, you will kick yourself out of ketosis. When this happens, you can experience some unpleasant side effects.
Consequences of the ketosis cycle
The cyclical ketogenic diet is often compared to carb cycling, but it is not the same. Carb cycling involves reducing carbs on certain days of the week while increasing intake on others. Typically, each week is divided between 4-6 days of lower carb consumption and 1-3 days of higher carbohydrate consumption.
Although the method is the same, carb cycling does not reduce total carb intake drastically enough to achieve ketosis. Carb cycling is often used to promote weight loss, increase athletic performance, and promote muscle growth.
Your brain can go from supercharged to sluggish
Normally, the brain gets its energy from glucose, which comes from carbohydrates. Once you eliminate carbohydrates from your body, the brain eventually turns to ketones. It can take your body a while to adjust to this new energy source. This is one of the factors that contributes to the " keto flu, " or the cluster of flu-like symptoms, including brain fog, that can affect you the first time you start the diet.
Once that transition is over, many people report a sense of mental clarity. You might be feeling like a total rock star, hitting deadlines and crushing your to-do list.
But when you're out of ketosis, those productive, feel-good vibes can slow down once again. This is because your body starts getting its energy from glucose again, leading to undeniable ups and downs.
Your hunger will go down and up
One of the reasons many people rely on the ketogenic diet is that it addresses one of the biggest problems dieters face: hunger. People in ketosis experience less hunger and fewer cravings, according to a January 2015 meta-analysis in Obesity Reviews.
But while you may feel less hungry, the transition to ketosis isn't very pleasant. Insulin and blood glucose levels drop , leaving people feeling tired and irritable.
And, once you stop following the diet, hunger will return. After all that deprivation, it can be tempting to reach for restricted foods, like sweets and other forms of simple carbohydrates. Not only will this undo any potential weight loss you had while on keto, but these types of foods are not very good for your overall health.
The key once hunger strikes is to stick to good-for-you carbs like oatmeal, beans, and whole fruit, and avoid sugar bombs. Basically, even if you are no longer on keto, you still want to eat healthy foods.
Your stomach could be upset
One effect of drastically reducing carbohydrates is limiting your fiber intake . When it comes to your gastrointestinal system, that's bad news: fiber helps relieve constipation, and high-fiber foods also often contain prebiotics, which in turn help feed the probiotics, the good bacteria that reside in your gut.
Eating low-carb, high-fiber options like nuts and avocados can help while you're in ketosis, but when you deviate from keto guidelines, you might find yourself eating all sorts of high-fiber foods: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and so on. While these are healthy and good for you, the sudden influx of high-fiber foods could cause stomach issues (think gas, bloating, and cramps ) since your system has become accustomed to not having this nutrient.
To ease symptoms, take it easy when you want to add fiber back into your diet if you're taking a break from the keto diet. A gradual approach with fiber will reduce unpleasant GI symptoms like gas and diarrhea.
Your weight can fluctuate
Weight loss from this diet is simply not usually sustainable. In fact, many people see rapid weight gain when they return to their normal eating habits again.
When you start the ketogenic diet, you may experience some weight loss due to water weight. This is because your body is using up its glycogen stores . Glycogen retains a significant amount of water, so once carbohydrates are reintroduced, the water weight will return.
And it's not just water weight that people gain after breaking the keto diet guidelines. It is quite common for those who have lost weight on a ketogenic diet to gain back more than they originally lost.
What about the ketogenic cycle?
Being on and off a ketogenic diet can also be called a " keto cycle ," but only if you follow a specific regimen.
This routine is when someone follows the ketogenic diet for a set number of days and then introduces carbs for a shorter time.
Typically, people who cycle keto have five to six days on the keto diet, followed by a day or two without it. The latter is called days of 'feedback' because they are intended to replenish the body's glycogen stores, the source of glucose for high-intensity exercise.
Athletes often use this practice as a means to enhance muscle growth and exercise performance. But for ordinary people who don't compete nationally or internationally, keto cycling is an intentional way to work toward metabolic flexibility.
This refers to the ability to cycle complex carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen deficiency without affecting the keto state. This can only happen once your body is used to burning fat for fuel. Usually, it takes at least two weeks to reach that ketosis state.
During your ketogenic diet rest days, the amount of carbohydrates you consume can vary depending on your fitness level and goals, but they should be complex carbohydrates . The rest period allows you to eat whole grains and fiber-rich, carbohydrate-rich foods like beans. This is not a time to indulge in sweets, simple carbohydrates, or other unhealthy foods.
How to get the ketogenic cycle?
There is no standard set of rules for a cyclical ketogenic diet. However, anyone wanting to start should follow a standard keto diet 5-6 days a week, adding 1-2 days of higher carb intake.
Going on a keto diet 5 to 6 days a week
During standard keto days, it's important to consume 20-50 grams of carbs per day. During this phase of the cyclical ketogenic diet, healthy fats should provide approximately 65-90% of your total caloric intake.
Healthy fat options include eggs, coconut oil and unsweetened coconut, full-fat dairy, low-carb nuts and seeds, nut butters, fatty meats, and MCT oil. Protein should make up around 10-30% of total calories, while carbohydrate intake is generally restricted to less than 5%.
Increase carbohydrate intake 1-2 days a week
The second phase of the ketogenic cycle is to choose 1-2 days a week to "refuel" glycogen stores. During refeed days, you need to consume more carbs to break ketosis.
On feedback days:
- Carbohydrates should make up 60-70% of your total calories.
- Proteins should represent between 15 and 20% of the total calories.
- Fats should provide only 5-10% of total calories.
Although the goal of the refeeding phase is to increase the amount of carbohydrates, the quality of carbohydrates is also important. Instead of relying on unhealthy sources like white bread and baked goods, we should get most of our carbohydrates from healthy sources.
Some examples of nutritious complex carbohydrates are sweet potatoes, butternut squash, brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, whole wheat or brown rice pasta, beans, and lentils. These carbohydrates are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which fuel the body and keep blood sugar levels stabilized.
We will avoid foods and drinks that are high in sugar, such as sweets, juices, sodas, and cakes, as they lack nutrients and lead to blood sugar irregularities, which can lead to increased hunger and irritability.
Get back into ketosis fast
After the high carb refeeding days, we should consider intermittent fasting to get back into ketosis quickly. The most common intermittent fasting method involves fasting for 16 hours a day.
High intensity workouts are also recommended in the days after refeeding to achieve ketosis and optimize muscle growth.