If you’ve been thinking about starting the ketogenic diet but can’t fathom the idea of not having any carbs or have been on it for a couple of months and want to change things up, keto cycling is your calling. This unique dieting strategy is hailed as a less restrictive, easier and more sustainable way to reap the benefits of the ketogenic diet while still being able to enjoy the carbs you love. It involves switching between low-carb keto days and high-carb days, allowing you to get the best of both worlds. But there are far more advantages to using this powerful eating strategy and we’re going to give you the inside scoop right now.
Contents
What is Keto Cycling?
By now you’ve likely heard of the trending dieting strategy that many people have found incredible success with: the ketogenic diet. It’s an eating plan that focuses on consuming more healthy fats, and fewer carbs – significantly fewer carbs.
Keto cycling, on the other hand, is a dietary approach that offers the benefits of a ketogenic lifestyle in a less restrictive and more sustainable way. It involves following a ketogenic diet for several days in a row and then taking a break to consume higher levels of carbohydrates for a day or two.
What Are The Benefits of Keto Cycling?
There’s no denying that the ketogenic diet is highly beneficial. It can boost weight loss, improve blood sugar control, lower insulin levels, reduce inflammation, improve cognitive function, increase energy, and reduced risk factors for heart disease and some cancers. But it isn’t always easy.
Since the ketogenic is a super-low-carb diet, it involves a drastic reduction in carbs and some pretty significant changes to your current diet. Because of this, the ketogenic diet is known for the big bad “keto flu”, which is when the body experiences a variety of symptoms due to carb withdrawal and the transition into ketosis.
With Keto Cycling, you are far less likely to experience these symptoms since you are alternating between days of eating keto and days of eating carbs. Additionally, it’s touted as a significantly easier, more sustainable and less restrictive way to eat. You also still get all of the benefits of the ketogenic diet, which is getting your body into a state of ketosis to force the body to burn fat for fuel, instead of sugar (or carbs).
Another problem many people have with the ketogenic diet is that they don’t have the energy to train as hard as they would like to. When keto cycling, you can still commit to an intense exercise regime on the days you eat more carbs. This is particularly beneficial for athletes, personal trainers or anyone who has a career or lifestyle that requires a large amount of energy exertion.
Here’s a quick look at the benefits of keto cycling:
- Less restrictive
- More sustainable
- You get the benefits of the ketogenic diet
- Can still enjoy carbs on certain days
- More energy to complete vigorous exercise
- Increased muscle gain due to the vigorous workouts
- Easier to stick with
- Allows for more variety in your diet
- Can boost performance in athletes
- Decreases the keto flu symptoms
How to Keto Cycle?
There is no exact definition for keto cycling, as it can vary from person to person. Some may opt to do the ketogenic diet for five or six days of the week, followed by a day or two of higher carbohydrate intake, whereas others may choose to follow the ketogenic diet for 10 to 12 days, followed by three to four days off. Some people do a two-day on, one-day-off approach. You can follow these examples or design a plan that works for you. However, many experts advise never taking more than two days off keto to ensure your body remains in ketosis and to avoid any symptoms. You can start by transitioning into the ketogenic diet and taking just one day off to monitor how the body responds and how quickly it returns to ketosis.
It’s also recommended to only start keto cycling once you’ve been on the ketogenic diet for two to three months. This ensures your body is properly fat-adapted and can easily get back into ketosis.
On your carb days, while it can be tempting to down an entire pizza to yourself, you want to make sure you’re consuming healthy carbohydrates with low sugar content. This includes foods such as fruits, sweet potatoes, and whole grains, instead of white bread and pastries. It’s also recommended to follow high-carb days with vigorous exercise the next morning to force the body to burn glycogen and return to fat burn.
Here’s a quick recap:
- Use the ketogenic diet traditionally for two to three months
- Then, have 1 day where you enjoy some carbs.
- Follow this day with a good exercise the next morning.
- Get back on the ketogenic diet.
- Repeat (or revise as needed)
Tips for Keto Cycling
Keto cycling is the easier way to do keto but a few simple tips can go a long way. Here are some to get you started:
Make a Plan
It’s a good idea to have a plan for your carb-heavy days to ensure utmost success and to avoid breaking out of ketosis entirely. When creating a regime that works for you, It’s important to pay attention to how your body responds to these off-keto days. Take note of any changes in energy levels, mood, hunger, and sleep and make any necessary changes.
Track Your Macros and Determine Your Carbs
To successfully implement keto cycling, you’ll want to start tracking your macros using an app or food journal and calculate the number of grams of carbs you should consume per day. These are different for each person, as it’s based on factors such as your body weight, age, sex, workout intensity, and hunger cues. So, make sure you know what’s appropriate for you specifically.
Focus on Fiber on Low-Carb Keto Days
On the days you’re eating keto, focus on getting a sufficient amount of fiber in your diet as it helps you feel fuller. And of course, it also comes with some nutritional and health benefits, such as cholesterol management and gut health.
Choose Healthy Carbs
For those high-carb days, experts suggest eating healthy sources of carbohydrates instead of highly processed, sugary carbs. Some good options include sweet potatoes, beans, milk, whole grains and fruit, instead of muffins, rolls, and chips.
Stick With Lighter Exercises on your Keto Days
People tend to have less energy to complete vigorous workouts while on keto. Don’t worry, you will still get them in on your high-carb days. But on your keto days, stick with lighter exercises such as yoga, barre or light jogging.
Follow Your Carb Day With a Good Morning Workout
After your day of eating carbs, swap out your morning yoga for a vigorous morning exercise. Although this tip was already mentioned previously, it’s definitely worth mentioning again because it is key to ensuring your body kicks right back into fat-burning mode.
Schedule Hard Training Days on Carb Days
In addition to following up high-carb days with a good workout, you should also schedule your hardest training days on high-carb days. This is to ensure your body has the energy needed to complete the workout without getting gassed within the first 10 minutes. Some examples of high-intensity workouts you may want to do include sprints, lifting, interval training or long runs.
Learn New Keto Recipes
Since the majority of your days are going to be keto, you’ll want to have a healthy, delicious selection of foods to enjoy. You likely already have a few staples, as you’ll have been on the ketogenic diet for two to three months before starting keto cycling, but keep your search for recipes going. There are hundreds – if not thousands of absolutely delicious keto-friendly recipes that your palette deserves to taste.
Continuing to find new recipes to try also helps to keep you motivated and exciting about this new healthy, fat-burning journey you’re on.
Experiment With On and Off Days
Even though you’ve created a plan that allows you to alternate between keto and carb days, don’t hesitate to make changes as needed. As mentioned previously, there is no exact way to carb cycling. What works for someone else may not work for you and vice versa. So, play around with how many days you’ll do keto and how many days you’ll do carbs. Although, keep in mind that experts suggest never going more than 2 consecutive days off of keto.
As you embark on this new keto cycling journey, it’s important to listen to your body and pay attention to how you feel. And remember, keto cycling looks different for everyone. Use the tips provided to you in this article to explore the potential benefits of keto cycling and see how it can help you maintain a healthy, fat-burning diet and lifestyle.
