A lesson learned

Thursday evening Hubby and I went out for dinner, we went to Pizza Express as we had £60 of vouchers to use up as they expired that day.

We haven't been out for pizza since going Keto at the end of July, and for good reason, Pizza is so high in carbs, shockingly high, not just the Pizza's which on average have about 128g of carbs, but most of the starters and sides are high too, so potentially you're looking at a 2 course meal with nearly 200g carbs 😮

On the Keto diet you try to keep under 50g net carbs a day (that's total carbs minus the fibre as your body doesn't store fibre it passes through and it's fibre which keeps your stools nice and firm 💩) but if you're serious about Keto and are using it as a way to burn fat for energy (essential for training and riding the mountain bike) then you try and keep your net carbs below 20g a day, that way you'll definitely be in Ketosis and fat burning.

So I've already set the scene here haven't I, been keeping under 20g carbs for the last 5 months and then BAM!💥 we go out for one meal and blow all that hard work and positive eating out the window!

Now, I did read up about the effects of having a 'cheat day' on Diet Doctor

To cheat or not to cheat? That is the eternal question.

Almost everyone is occasionally tempted – are you? 

In truth, we dislike the term “cheating.” We use it since many people relate to it, but what does it really mean? Does it mean you are “getting away with something?” Does it mean you are gaining something unfairly? What it really means is that you are just cheating on yourself. That’s why we prefer the term “going off plan.” That shows we have a plan, we are moving towards a goal, and sometimes we go off plan. And sometimes that’s OK, as you will read in this guide. However, since “cheat” is a commonly used term that many people relate to, we do use it frequently in this guide.

So why cheat? 

1. Politeness or wanting to fit in
2. Impulsiveness
3. Bad planning
4. To take advantage of opportunities 

I think it's safe to say that we're guilty of no. 4 here and the fact we didn't want those vouchers to go to waste as that would be a food sin wouldn't it!

So, what are the effects of going massively over your daily carb allowance, even for one day?  This ⬇ according to Diet Doctor 

Side effects of cheating? 

So, there are bad and better reasons to cheat. What are the typical side effects of cheating? 

Hunger and cravings  

Many carbs make you hungry. You know this if you have given them up for any meaningful period of time. Cheating means potentially inviting hunger and cravings back into your life.Proceed with caution – you could end up in trouble. 

Weight gain  

Cheating nearly always leads to immediate weight gain. First, too many carbs put your body back in fat-storing mode. Second, carbs can lead to hunger and cravings hence you eat more. Third, the water weight associated with high-carb diets returns.Want to look and feel your best? Cheat rarely and carefully.  

Blood sugar spikes  

If you are keeping diabetes at bay with your low-carb or keto diet, cheating is generally a bad idea. When you eat too many or the wrong type of carbs, your blood sugar can spike to dangerously high levels. Over the long run you increase the risk of long-term complications like blindness, dementia, amputations, etc. 

Sickness and acne  

For some of us, cheating can lead to dramatic and fairly immediate setbacks – bloating, stomach upset, gas, or even seizures (if you have epilepsy). Some people get acne and other types of skin trouble, too.If this happens to you, is cheating really worth it?  

Feeling bad  

One of the most annoying effects of cheating is that you often don’t feel great after having cheated. In addition to weight gain, blood sugar spikes and so forth, your mood can suffer – enthusiasm, focus, and confidence fall.This is tough – and with hindsight, makes the decision to cheat seem questionable.

So there you have it, temporary but crap all the same!  So we did it anyway, weighed up the risks and ate the pizza (it was delicious by the way).

Friday wasn't too bad, I decided to Fast for the day, until our evening meal and made sure I hydrated well.  I bloated like a balloon and literally put on 5lbs overnight, I had a bit of a bellyache but nothing too uncomfortable.

Saturday, I went back to my normal weight and stopped looking like a pregnant puffer fish 🐡 "this isn't so bad" I thought!  I made sure I ate healthily and hydrated properly.

Sunday (Today) was when my 'cheat day' finally hit me... firstly I had the most awful upset stomach in the morning, I felt pretty ropey but today was the Sherwood Pines Cycling Club Christmas rides, and I wasn't going to miss that so after several visits to the bathroom, a large glass of Dioralyte and an Immodium and lots of water, I packed the bike in the van and set off.

I felt fine when I got there, the Immodium had worked, I had already drunk plenty of fluids plus I had a 1.5L hydration pack and was looking forward to the ride.  There were 3 rides on, a family ride, a social ride and the Intermediate "Bah Humbug" ride so I joined the latter as it's a good pace with lots of singletrack and technical stuff 😊 About 20 minutes into the ride, I realised joining this group was a big mistake, I felt rough, slow and no energy at all... "it'll be ok" I told myself, "it takes a good half an hour to get the legs going on Keto, stop stressing and just be patient".  Well the half an hour passed, as did an hour and I still felt like total 💩 

Terry the ride leader likes hills, I usually like hills too, especially with the Absolute Black oval chain ring fitted to my Intense Primer as it makes hill climbing easy peasey and going up eventually means going down (my favourite bit) but today every hill sapped me, it got to the point where pretty much everyone left me for dust on the climbs, rather embarrassing to be honest 😳

I soldiered on, quietly suffering and did over 11 miles, as we got back to the Pines, the group decided they were going to do some more singletrack, this was my chance to head back to the cafe, I needed a wee anyway as I had drank loads of electrolytes hoping it would give me some energy, it didn't.

I got back to the Pines, put the bike away and headed to the cafe where the Social ride guys had finished their ride and were waiting, I had a coffee, caught up with some friends and then headed home.

I feel absolutely shattered now, not how I usually feel after a ride and that tells me that not only was the 'cheat day' not worth it, but it's kicked me out of Ketosis and fat burning 😕

As it's Christmas this week I won't be out on the bike again until next Sunday, so that gives me a week to get back on track.

To say this is a lesson learned is an understatement, next time we go out for dinner it will be a big fat juicy steak, definitely not pizza!🍕