Post Celebrations Recovery – Keto Style
Did you indulge a little too much during the festivities over the holiday period and have a keto slip up? Or were you able to stick with keeping in ketosis? We’ve just celebrated Christmas around my neck of the woods. This is a very challenging time for those of us who follow a ketogenic diet as there is usually so much food around freely ready for the taking, so it’s hard not to give in to one or two treats when relaxing with friends and family. I know I did and for some, Christmas Day is the one day that you might be a little lenient in your commitment to living a low carb lifestyle.
If you had a keto slip up, that’s okay. One day will not hurt your efforts to living a healthy, keto way of life.
The goal of a healthier you is to lower your carbs and help yourself get back into a fat-burning state that produces ketones instead of glucose which leads to a state of burning excess fat. It also helps fuel your brain and reduces inflammation leading to improved health.
Let’s take a look at how you can get back into ketosis and not feel guilty about how you celebrated.
1. Be kind to yourself
Listen to those thoughts that everyone has, that inner critic. Notice what these thoughts are saying to you. Are you being critical, judgy, or harsh with yourself because you had some sugary treats or carbs of some kind? You know, even if you are usually very strict with your ketogenic way of eating, it’s okay to have some carbs if you are in a social setting. The key is to get back to following a ketogenic way of eating when you are ready. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
2. Be Present
What you’ve eaten earlier or yesterday is now in the past. What you choose for yourself now is your present so you can get back into ketosis by making keto-friendly choices from this moment onwards. Remind yourself what is keto-friendly if you are new to this way of eating. Or if you are familiar with your low carb choices, simply focus on what is your next meal or food choice and be prepared. Make sure you have it available the next time you take a bite. Being present can be challenging to train your mind, so help your subconscious mind by using hypnosis.
3. Healthy Fats
Increase your healthy fats to get you back into ketosis and reduce your carbs back to under 20 grams of carbs (or whatever you have found works for you) per day. What are the healthy fats you might eat?
Avocado, cream, cheeses, olives, cottage cheese, nuts, fatty fish and meat. Why not make up an avocado smoothie – vanilla or chocolate.
4. Intermittent Fasting
An effective way to get yourself back into ketosis is to do an intermittent fast. Here’s more information about fasting on this post. Essentially, we are either eating or fasting, that’s the simple fact
of being human.
When we fast, it helps our bodies have a break from the digestive processes while also giving our hormone, insulin, a break from being released which is frequent on a high carb diet. Keep your fluids up by drinking lots of water, have some bone broth, green tea, add salt to your water to ensure you minimize the possibility of experiencing the keto flu. Be sure to break your fast with a high fat, nutritious meal that’s not too heavy on your stomach. To learn more about how to do intermittent fasting click here.
5. What’s your Why?
Remind yourself what drew you to the ketogenic diet. What have you noticed since going keto? What have the benefits been for you? Even if it’s only been a small difference because you haven’t been doing it for long, it takes time for your body to heal from it’s past, so be aware of what you found helped when you were in ketosis. Was it more energy? Sleeping better? Clothes fitting better etc. These are really important to keep in mind so you can get back into that headspace which will help you make ketogenic choices.
Keto Slip-Up – Get back into the Game
I hope you have found these tips useful and can follow them to help you work through your process to get back into ketosis. Keto slip-ups happen, that’s okay, nobody is perfect.
It’s about how you manage your internal dialogue that will help you move forward and get you back into ketosis so you feel great about your health with vitality and energy.
Do you need a little extra hand on how to follow a ketogenic diet? Find out more here.
How did you slip-up during the festive season and how have you managed to curb those slip-ups? Share your thoughts below.
Happy keto’ing friends
I know I probably sound like the other million people that say they are going to get in better shape at the start of next year. However, I have gotten out of shape for 3-4 years now. I need to get back on track because having this extra weight is starting to make me depressed.
However, I remember doing this keto diet 7 years ago. Don't get me wrong it did work, but I remember being irritable all the time. I went from 180 to 160 in 2 months.
However, what about being diabetic and the keto diet. Is it still safe to do if you are diabetic?
Hi Garen, thanks for your comment. Mental Health is also a big factor in what you eat. As it has taken your body a long time to get to where it is now, it's going to also take time for it to heal which means it might take some time for you to feel better. I'm wondering how long did you follow the keto diet for? Did you have the balance of healthy fats, protein and carbs at the right ratio that's required to get your body into ketosis? If you aren't having enough healthy fats, your body won't get into ketosis and can contribute to feeling irritable as you're not getting enough nutrients or feeling full.
Which diabetes are you referring to? It is safe for a Type 2 diabetic to follow the keto diet, as long as they continue to measure their sugar levels, and reduce insulin if you are taking it, in response to consumption of lower carbs. Be sure to discuss with your GP your intention to follow a keto diet as they will be able to talk with you about how to manage your medication. In fact, excess carbs have contributed to Type 2 diabetes, so your body will thank you for reducing carbs and can help it metabolize insulin better. The uk diabetes website actually recommends a reduction in carbohydrates for those with Type 2 Diabetes.
I absolutely agree with you on being kind to yourself. Being ok with not doing things perfectly is so key when trying any diet or exercise activity. If you slip up or indulge a little bit during the holidays, it's ok. Just get back up on the horse and start again. I think too many people slip up and then give up, saying, "Look, I tried and it didn't work." That kind of all-or-nothing thinking has gotten me into trouble so many times. Thanks for bringing it up and being so encouraging!
Hi Steve, thanks for sharing. You make a great point that so many people have given up when they take the 'all-or-nothing' approach to trying a new way of eating. This is sad because it's important to be realistic and okay with making mistakes occasionally and not be so hard on themselves. Thanks for your contribution :).
The post is good in reminding us even if we slip of from healthier eating we can always go back to ketogenic without having too much to worry because we afriend in ketogenic style of living and healthy living is way to go for all us who want to longer and healthier
It sounds like you are familiar with the keto way of living and you can recognise how beneficial it is for a healthier us. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts :).
I really like the motivational message and actually saying it's ok to slip up. Not everyone does the ketosis diet and that makes it difficult those that do, especially around the holidays. I've been wanting to do the keto story but have been waiting to start until after the holidays. This was the perfect site to give me the motivation to go ahead with the diet when i'm ready.
That's great news that you're wanting to follow the keto way of eating Jeffrey. It can take time and increased knowledge and support to follow something that's so different to your usual way of eating. I look forward to hearing from you and your experiences with the keto diet when you are ready to give it a go. If you have any questions, drop by and feel free to ask.
Hi! Thank you very much for the encouragement after the festivities. I believe that an excellent way to get back into ketosis is to do an intermittent fasting. Paying attention to abundant fluids during fasting has always been important. And your reminder of consuming high fat, nutritious meals after fasting has been very opportune! Once again, thanks for the encouragement!
Hi Henry, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Yes, intermittent fasting is very beneficial for helping the body readjust and switch back to producing ketones instead of glucose. I'm glad it's a good reminder for you to consider a high fat nutritious meal as your break from a fast. All the best with getting back into ketosis when you're ready :)