The Best Keto Christmas Recipes | Staying Keto Through Christmas - KetoConnect (2024)

FAQs

How to do Christmas on keto? ›

Taking Breaks from Keto

You can take breaks. You can have carbs and re-enter ketosis later. You might, for instance, consider a Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD) over the holidays. To practice cyclical Keto, simply eat high-carb one to two days per week and stay Keto the other five days.

A lazy keto diet consists of low-carb foods like meat, fish, full-fat dairy and non-starchy vegetables, but limits high-carb foods such as bread, potatoes, sugary snacks and some fruits. If you've tried the keto before and found it too tedious, lazy keto could be a good compromise.

The number of carbs needed to kick you out of ketosis can depend on the person and how long you've been doing keto. But, it's safe to say that any high-carb meal over your recommended daily carb limit will do the trick. And the effect is pretty immediate (aka the same day).

The basic rules of keto are eating few carbohydrates and emphasizing fat with a moderate intake of protein. In order to be in a state of ketosis, you will likely have to track the amount of carbohydrates you eat by weighing out your food.

A 72-hour fast, or fasting for three consecutive days without any food intake, can help your body enter a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body burns stored fat for energy instead of glucose from carbohydrates.

You can use tools that measure your body's ketone levels, such as ketone breath meters, blood ketone meters, and keto urine strips — which tend to be the cheapest and easiest method. If you've cheated on keto, you'll need to strictly adhere to the diet to reenter ketosis.

Transitioning off the keto diet should take a few weeks. About 14 days is pretty reasonable for your body to adjust to the change. Some people find it helpful to increase their carb intake each day by about 10 percent, while others use an app to help keep track.

Others will do keto for 10 to 12 days followed by three to four days off. Devine typically doesn't recommend taking more than two days off keto. “Several higher carb days in a row almost always lead to 'falling off the wagon' and the return of intense carb and sugar cravings for most people,” she says.

Though both the keto diet and Mediterranean diet can both promote weight loss, evidence suggests that the Mediterranean diet is safer, more sustainable, and more effective long-term.

How to eat less than 20 carbs a day? ›

To stay under 20 grams of carbs a day, fill yourself up with lots of vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats.

Many low carb alcohol options are available if you follow a keto diet. For instance, pure forms of alcohol like whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, and vodka are all completely free of carbs. You can drink them straight or combine them with low carb mixers for more flavor.

Some people eat keto 5 days out of the week, and then take the weekends off. Other people might do keto for a few weeks out of the month, then take a break. Some proponents of this approach tout this as an effective way to build muscle, lose weight, and more.

Severe carb limits can cause your body to break down fat into ketones for energy. This is called ketosis. Ketosis can cause side effects such as bad breath, headache, fatigue and weakness.

If your primary goal of following a keto diet is to lose weight, the occasional cheat day or cheat meal is not going to completely wreck your progress even if it disrupts ketosis. Ketosis has potential health benefits, one of which is calorie control.

If you want to limit the number of carbs you eat on your cheat day, you can schedule those days more often. Once a week will work just fine for those who plan to stay under the 50 grams of carbs limit in order to remain in ketosis while still eating some additional treats that day.

Make sure you are eating enough fat. Being much more energy-dense than carbohydrates, fats are also more satiating. They will also ensure that you stay in ketosis. Increase the size of your meals with nutrient-dense foods.