Is Keto Cycling Healthy?

Keto cycling may be an easier option than a ketogenic diet and can help you extend your keto diet plan. Learn more about keto cycling.

Chances are, you’ve read or known someone is eating a ketogenic diet, or you’ve tried it yourself. The ketogenic diet, short for “ketogenic diet,” is a very low-carb diet plan that puts the body into a ketogenic state — burning fat for energy, not sugar.

People on a ketogenic diet consume 50 grams or less of carbohydrates per day while consuming higher than normal levels of fat and protein. While their weight usually drops quickly, health experts say this eating habit is unsustainable and often unhealthy and cannot be followed for long periods of time.

That’s what ketogenic cycling is all about: ketogenic cycling is considered a less restrictive, more sustainable way to benefit from a ketogenic lifestyle. Ketogenic cycling involves following a ketogenic diet for several days in a row, followed by a break to eat high (or at least normal) levels of carbohydrates throughout the day. In other words, it’s the best of both worlds… Right?

Well, like most science, dieting, and weight loss things, it’s not that simple. We consulted two nutritionists— who have different attitudes toward the ketogenic diet — to get their thoughts on this method of fragmentation. Here are the things you should know before you try.

What is keto cycling?

Because ketogenic cycling is not a brand or trademark term, there is no exact definition of how it is conducted. Some websites describe that they have a strict ketogenic diet six days a week, followed by a “cheat day” or “high carb day.” Others encourage more frequent phone changes.

Josh Axe, a natural medicine physician and clinical nutritionist, says his preferred ketogenic ride is a two-day break. Ax is a staunch supporter of the ketogenic diet, selling ketogenic-related supplements on his website. But because this diet is difficult to follow for a long time, he believes that ideally it should only be adhered to for 30 to 90 days.

“After that, it’s a good idea to transition to another diet that’s easier to maintain, and maybe that’s the ketogenic cycle,” Akers said. He said his wife also tried ketogenic cycling after practicing a 30-day ketogenic diet, which made him understand the benefits of ketogenic cycling.

“She started eating like this, two days of ketone, one day of carbohydrates, and she noticed that the effect might be as good as eating ketone at all,” he said. “Her hormones were really balanced, she lost about 10 pounds, and we found that she was able to do that for the long term instead of collapsing and burning like people sometimes do in long-term diets.”

Carb cycling vs. keto cycling

Akers describes ketogenic cycling as “combining a ketogenic diet with a carbohydrate ride.” So what is the difference between the two? Carbohydrate cycle is a more generic term that refers to a person’s reduction in carbohydrate intake over a few days (followed by a day of high or medium carbs), but there is no limit to the fact that the body must switch to burning fat as fuel.

“The proportions are slightly different,” Akers said. “Carbohydrate cycles tend to contain more high protein, medium fat, and you don’t actually develop ketosis. Compared to carbohydrate riding, ketogenic cycling has a higher fat content, a higher protein content, and a lower carbohydrate content. He added that in carb cycling and ketogenic cycling, people may choose to match the amount of time they take in carbohydrates with the time of high-intensity workouts.

During the ketogenic cycle, the body’s ketosis goes in and out depending on whether the fuel burned is fat or carbohydrates. “Our hunter-gatherer ancestors didn’t care about carbohydrate cycles,” Akers said, “but if you think about it, because of the natural fluctuations in food sources, sometimes they would eat quite a lot of carbohydrates, and sometimes they would eat fat.” ”

Keto cycling benefits

Some proponents of the ketogenic cycle say that a split-and-go program can help prevent side effects of a full-blown ketogenic diet. Theoretically, if people don’t have ketosis for so many days at the same time, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and other symptoms of “keto flu” may be alleviated. Others worry that long-term carbohydrate restrictions can have a negative impact on hormones, cholesterol levels, and even people’s mood. Again, in theory, these problems could be avoided by regular carbohydrate replenishment days.

However, since no research has been published on the superiority of the ketogenic diet and the ketogenic diet, no one can say exactly what the health benefits of both are. But one thing is for sure, Akers says: Mentally, ketogenic cycling can be easier to stick to for long periods of time, and it allows for more dietary variety — something that most health experts agree on, and it’s also a good thing for physical health.

Ax generally recommends continuing to use a ketogenic diet after limiting carbohydrate intake for 30-90 days per day. “But the truth,” he says, “is that someone can just do a ketogenic ride and still see the effect, even if it’s not fully ketogenic.”

Keto cycling negatives

Kristen Kizer, a registered dietitian at Houston Methodist Medical Center, said she advises clients to avoid the ketogenic diet. It’s unbalanced, she says, and limits too many important food categories. She said that while people do lose weight, they almost always rebound once they add carbs to their diet.

But that doesn’t mean she thinks ketogenic cycling is better. She worries that a ketogenic diet can lead to eating disorders, especially if the ketogenic cycle can lead to overeating. “A lot of people think, ‘I just have to keep my carb intake low for five or six days, and then on the days when I don’t eat carbs, I can eat as much as I want,'” she says. Absolutely should not be so. ”

Ketogenic cycling can also cause people to fluctuate in weight, especially if they’ve just ended up with comprehensive carb restrictions for weeks or months. “It doesn’t have a healthy relationship with food, and if people just lose weight bounces back, it can make them lose confidence mentally,” Keizer said.

Kaiser also noted that ketosis is a change in metabolic state, and unlike Ax, she worries that it is unhealthy to force the body to move in and out of ketosis on a regular basis.

“People can have ketones, they can have ketosis, and unless they monitor the ketones in their bodies, they don’t really know where they are,” she said. She refers to acids in the blood due to fat burning. “You can’t just take a day off and then keep working after eating pancakes and waffles.”

In fact, Keizer says she prefers people to follow a fully ketogenic diet than a ketogenic bike. “Again, I really wish they didn’t do either,” she said, “but I just think there’s a lot more room to make mistakes when you start talking about recycling carbs.” ”

What to eat when keto cycling

If there’s one thing that Akers and Kaiser agree on, it’s that there’s a healthy way and an unhealthy way to consume carbohydrates in their diets. “Ketogenic cycling doesn’t mean quitting alcohol completely, eating pizza, a bag of potato chips and a bucket of ice cream,” Akers said. “What you need is the high-quality carbohydrates we’ve been recommending as part of a balanced diet – brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, morning fruits and things like that.”

On carbohydrate-packed days, some of Akers’ recommended favorite foods include açai bowls, berry shakes with protein powder, sweet potato fries (next to grass-fed burgers and gluten-free bread, he says), cauliflower pizza topped with chicken and buffalo mozzarella cheese, and dessert with “a little dark chocolate.” He recommends consuming 30% – 40% of food from healthy starches and carbohydrates on ketogenic days, while taking only 5% – 10% of foods on ketogenic days.

Kaiser said it’s always wise to choose as complete, unprocessed carbs as possible, regardless of carb cycles, ketones or any other diet people may be trying. “I’m talking about the whole fruit — not apple pie, but real apples,” she said. “I’m talking about brown rice, potatoes, beans, corn, and whole grains like quinoa, amaranth, and farrow.”

“I try to get my clients to focus on foods that are as little processed as possible and avoid foods like white rice, white bread and sugary cereal,” Keizer said. “Unfortunately, a lot of people choose foods like muffins, French toast or garlic bread on ‘rest days’ and they use ketogenic or carbohydrate rides as an excuse.”