So you’ve had a cheat day and want to know how to get back into ketosis quickly. Fear not, I’ve got you. Ketosis is a metabolic process. What does this mean? It means that ketosis is a state your body goes into naturally as a result of certain factors. So truly you don’t need to buy expensive keto coffees or exogenous ketones to back into ketosis. You just need to deplete your glycogen stores (more on that later) and your body will naturally enter this state. With that being said, let’s talk about how to get back into ketosis quickly after a cheat day.
If you’d like a condensed version of this article, check out this video!
1. Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a great way to passively get back into ketosis quickly after a cheat day. If you don’t know what Intermittent Fasting is you can learn all about it here. When you refrain from eating, your body will use the glucose already in your system to fuel it. . Every time that you eat, your glucose levels elevate. When you eat a low carb or ketogenic diet there a focus on keeping your carbohydrates low in order to minimize blood sugar elevation. You will always have a minimum of 4 grams of glucose in your blood for optimal functioning at any given time. After a cheat day your glucose levels are elevated and your glycogen stores are also full. A glycogen store is just another name for stored glucose. You can find these stores in your liver(~100g) and your muscles(~400g).
When you intermittently fast your body uses the glucose in your blood and your glycogen stores to fuel itself. In doing so the glucose in your blood is burned and your glycogen stores are depleted passively. You don’t have to do anything fancy, you just have to not eat. This way your body can get rid of all that excess sugar and you’ll be back to being the fat-burning machine you were before your slip up!
2. Exercise
Exercising — whether it be strength training or aerobic exercise (cardio) — is a great way to actively get back into ketosis after a cheat day. Just like intermittent fasting, exercising can decrease glucose levels in the blood and deplete your glycogen stores. In a regular icrcumstance glucose is used for energy, and remember those glycogen stores (stored glucose) in your muscles? Those are depleted when you use your muscles. So when you exercise, you’re actively getting rid of the glucose in your system. Exercising will enable you to get back into ketosis even quicker than intermittent fasting.
Combining both intermittent fasting and exercise will help you speed up the process and get you back into ketosis so much faster.
3. Eat Less Carbs Than Normal
Generally, you can consume up to 20 net carbs on the ketogenic diet. You might want to consider lowering your carbs even lower than that amount when trying to get back into ketosis. As I mentioned above, when you have a cheat day your glucose levels are already elevated. Instead of eating 20 net carbs (which would still elevate your glucose levels — even minimally) try eating less carbs. Eating 10 or 15 net carbs or even experimenting with carnivore, will help you get into ketosis much quicker. This is because you wont actively be raising your blood glucose levels as much with food; even if that food is lower on the glycemic index.
So that is how to get back into ketosis quickly! You can use one, two or all three of these methods to reach your goal. If this seems super overwhelming and like something you can’t do, don’t stress! You can get back into ketosis by doing exactly what you were doing prior to your cheat day. Eating keto. As always be sure to keep your electrolytes in check after a cheat day and prepare for the keto flu.
While having cheat days or meals can happen, it’s best to avoid having them too often. No matter how long you’ve been “off-keto” just remember that as long as you get back on the train, you’re good.
Happy New Year, and wishing you all the best in 2019! New Year’s Resolutions can work if YOU work. I’m a perfect example of that. So be sure to put in the work and you’ll see results!
