Is it worth having a cheat meal on a Keto lifestyle if I always feel like shit and miserable afterwards?

[TheAnabolicFreak]

I have basically been on TRT, doing lots of cardio and worked hard to burn off BOTH muscle and fat on purpose to get my body weight down for health and longevity. This is the lightest I have been since I was a teen.

At this stage of my life at 38 it’s safe to say big muscles are in the rear view mirror. I love feeling light, healthy, having nice abs and feeling great while being on a keto lifestyle.

I keep reading about why you supposedly must have one cheat meal a week to keep your body from adapting but everytime I have a huge carb and sugar cheat meal I feel miserable, slow and weak the next day. Last night I had my cheat meal and today I felt so groggy in the gym and could barely finish my cardio session.

Do I really NEED these cheat meals? Yes, I love the ice cream and cake while eating it but it’s definitely not worth the price I pay the following day. Any advice?

 

[qbkilla]

I'd say you obviously don't need them. I feel like shit when I go low carbs for long periods. What are your total calories and macros?

 

[bereal23]

I don't think you need it once a week. Have you ever tried having a really high fat high calorie keto day? I'd try that if you feel depleted. Or clean up the cheat day and eat a lot fruit and less processed foods

 

[b-boy]

Try loading on less carbs and lower glycemic carbs.

 

[heavyhitter]

Sounds like you answered your own question. If it’s working, and you feel good, keep at it

 

[TheAnabolicFreak]

I'd say you obviously don't need them. I feel like shit when I go low carbs for long periods. What are your total calories and macros?

Honestly since my bodybuilding days I don’t even count food intake, workout weights or reps, etc. I eat whenever I am hungry and just avoid all direct sources of carbs and sugars.

My bloodwork is the best I have ever seen in my adult life and I just feel a lot healthier being lighter for whatever reason.

In the gym I do a quick circuit training style workout and make sure I do an hour of cardio preferably on the stairmaster at low intensity. Today I had to get off the stairmaster after 10 minutes and do 50 minutes on the elliptical because I felt so groggy and weak.

And I was under the false impression that the day after all those carbs I’d feel great and have an awesome workout. How come it’s the other way around?

 

[Tomgrass]

I felt the same when i was doing keto. Sluggish stomach problems hated those loadings.

 

[Flex500]

I have basically been on TRT, doing lots of cardio and worked hard to burn off BOTH muscle and fat on purpose to get my body weight down for health and longevity. This is the lightest I have been since I was a teen.

At this stage of my life at 38 it’s safe to say big muscles are in the rear view mirror. I love feeling light, healthy, having nice abs and feeling great while being on a keto lifestyle.

I keep reading about why you supposedly must have one cheat meal a week to keep your body from adapting but everytime I have a huge carb and sugar cheat meal I feel miserable, slow and weak the next day. Last night I had my cheat meal and today I felt so groggy in the gym and could barely finish my cardio session.

Do I really NEED these cheat meals? Yes, I love the ice cream and cake while eating it but it’s definitely not worth the price I pay the following day. Any advice?

I think bboy is right on here. When I'm on keto going crazy with a "cheat" doesn't make me feel great. I'd look at it more like a moderate refeed if I were you. Maybe even increase the calories but have a well balanced meal?

When I was on full keto my favorite cheat meals would be a big burger and fries and some form of dessert or we'd often make homemade pizza so it was much less greasy and easier on the stomach.

Many that feel crappy after a cheat meal just go too hard on the carbs and calories but if they had more of a moderate approach it would be a nice little boost. I think my refeed when I was trying to get shredded was very small like an extra 1,500 calories of mostly carbs from pasta or rice, etc.

 

[qbkilla]

Honestly since my bodybuilding days I don’t even count food intake, workout weights or reps, etc. I eat whenever I am hungry and just avoid all direct sources of carbs and sugars.

My bloodwork is the best I have ever seen in my adult life and I just feel a lot healthier being lighter for whatever reason.

In the gym I do a quick circuit training style workout and make sure I do an hour of cardio preferably on the stairmaster at low intensity. Today I had to get off the stairmaster after 10 minutes and do 50 minutes on the elliptical because I felt so groggy and weak.

And I was under the false impression that the day after all those carbs I’d feel great and have an awesome workout. How come it’s the other way around?

Definitely the opposite of me. I feel like crap after 10 days of psmf, fats usually Total 40 g or less and calories are very low at 2 k. Then a high carb day of only 3 k calories has me feeling somewhat normal. Haven't done much keto but psmf. I'm also not trying to be huge but shredded. 23 days at 2k calories mostly protein with a weekly higher carb day took me from 194 to 183. Hoping I can maintain if I bump back up to maintenance of about 3 k calories. Psmf off days, carbs on training days

 

[jaxino]

I have basically been on TRT, doing lots of cardio and worked hard to burn off BOTH muscle and fat on purpose to get my body weight down for health and longevity. This is the lightest I have been since I was a teen.

At this stage of my life at 38 it’s safe to say big muscles are in the rear view mirror. I love feeling light, healthy, having nice abs and feeling great while being on a keto lifestyle.

I keep reading about why you supposedly must have one cheat meal a week to keep your body from adapting but everytime I have a huge carb and sugar cheat meal I feel miserable, slow and weak the next day. Last night I had my cheat meal and today I felt so groggy in the gym and could barely finish my cardio session.

Do I really NEED these cheat meals? Yes, I love the ice cream and cake while eating it but it’s definitely not worth the price I pay the following day. Any advice?

i don't think that being on keto all year round will be healthy at all, a CKD diet will work better.
Mon-Sat = Keto with high prots, low fats
Sunday = Load the carbs/Cheat day, with Metformin at the end of the day

It's basically what Coach Steve did for years upon years.
The Sunday carbs are there to load your glycogen store for the rest of the week.

Just search for Cyclic Ketogenic Diet, it's nothing new...

 

[qbkilla]

This is what lycle McDonald had everyone doing for dieting in the 2000s. Solid approach and simple.

i don't think that being on keto all year round will be healthy at all, a CKD diet will work better.
Mon-Sat = Keto with high prots, low fats
Sunday = Load the carbs/Cheat day, with Metformin at the end of the day

It's basically what Coach Steve did for years upon years.
The Sunday carbs are there to load your glycogen store for the rest of the week.

Just search for Cyclic Ketogenic Diet, it's nothing new...

 

[FrancisK]

How long have you been staying away from carbs and sugar?

Your body isn’t accustomed to carbs and sugar anymore so you introduce it to your body in one large excess and it gets thrown off. That would be a normal reaction wouldn’t it be? If I stopped eating meat then ate a giant steak my body probably wouldn’t like it right? Same with dairy….same with any food source….

I don’t think it’s something you can avoid unless you drop the diet altogether. Maybe switch from a giant cheat meal to a few smaller cheat meals.

 

[OuchThatHurts]

Yes, I love the ice cream and cake while eating it but it’s definitely not worth the price I pay the following day. Any advice?

Sure. Don't do that! LOL! Not trying to be a wiseass at all. Lower glycemic carbs are the way. I couldn't enjoy a piece of cake now if I tried. Too sickeningly sweet for me. That frosting... ack! These days, garden variety white bread tastes like cake to me. A bowl of shredded wheat (the biscuits, not the frosted) with whole milk is very sweet to me. Not a wise choice though if you're sensitive to gluten.

But I understand and have experienced that weak, lazy feeling. I hate it. I pay for it every time I go out with friends and family and chow down on a huge restaurant meal with a drink or two. I make up my mind before that first bite that the next day is either an off day or cardio day. Then I usually hit the dry sauna and sweat out all that garbage. Wake up the next day feeling much tighter with more energy and get right back on the horse.

 

[Sixfoottwo]

i don't think that being on keto all year round will be healthy at all, a CKD diet will work better.
Mon-Sat = Keto with high prots, low fats
Sunday = Load the carbs/Cheat day, with Metformin at the end of the day

It's basically what Coach Steve did for years upon years.
The Sunday carbs are there to load your glycogen store for the rest of the week.

Just search for Cyclic Ketogenic Diet, it's nothing new...

I like the sound of this but how do you get to enough kcal basically just eating protein? For instance I'm cutting and eating around 2900 kcal. That would be a buttload of protein if I eat low ( 50 to 75 grams?) of fat.

 

[OuchThatHurts]

I think he meant "Mon-Sat = Keto with high prots, low CARBS" (not low fats). Fats are a major source of energy on keto days.

 

[jaxino]

I think he meant "Mon-Sat = Keto with high prots, low CARBS" (not low fats). Fats are a major source of energy on keto days.

Nope on the keto that coach Steve does prots are the highest macro, then fats, then carbs (ideally less than 50).
He eats around 2g/lbs of Prots.
Fats are all from salmon, eggs, avocados, chia seeds. Basically high in Omega 3 lowest possible in Omega 6.

 

[b-boy]

Eating keto for a while which is keeping insulin low for the majority of the day everyday to where you become super sensitive to insulin then all of a sudden you hit your body with a bolus of high glycemic food of course you going to feel like shit when all that insulin hits your system..... sick, sluggish, yucky feeling!

 

[OuchThatHurts]

Nope on the keto that coach Steve does prots are the highest macro, then fats, then carbs (ideally less than 50).
He eats around 2g/lbs of Prots.
Fats are all from salmon, eggs, avocados, chia seeds. Basically high in Omega 3 lowest possible in Omega 6.

Then I think Coach Steve (I don't know who that is) and yourself are confused as to what being in a state of ketosis is. Because it can't be reached eating carbs (not without some chemical help). Ketones and ketoacids will not be produced by the liver with sugars in your bloodstream. Your blood sugar must be low enough that an alternative energy source is produced. What you're describing is not a keto diet.

 

[jaxino]

Then I think Coach Steve (I don't know who that is) and yourself are confused as to what being in a state of ketosis is. Because it can't be reached eating carbs (not without some chemical help). Ketones and ketoacids will not be produced by the liver with sugars in your bloodstream. Your blood sugar must be low enough that an alternative energy source is produced. What you're describing is not a keto diet.

Mate....
Meat, white fish, salmon, avocado, chia seeds, if this isn't a ketogenic diet, i don't know what else can be....

It's basically the Palumbo Keto diet, which has high prots....

 

[OuchThatHurts]

Mate....
Meat, white fish, salmon, avocado, chia seeds, if this isn't a ketogenic diet, i don't know what else can be....

It's basically the Palumbo Keto diet, which has high prots....

Meat, white fish, salmon, chia seeds you eat all the time you get that? ALL THE TIME.... mate.

Krikey, above you said high proteins, low fats! Oh no!
Low/no carb cycle (depletion, low sugar, low insulin = ketones, ketosis diet phase) followed by a
Higher carb (refeed, carb loading diet phase).
One, then the other.
One, then the other.

So what are you cycling? Fats? No. Carbohydrates. Let me say that again. You are cycling carbohydrates. Krikey mate! You didn't even mention carbs.

You get it? Cycling (high carb, low carb) Ketogenic (Ketosis) Diet. C....K....D...

Tell Coach Scott I said he needs to go over this again with you. Because you missed it the first time, Guvna.