Return to Keto after festivities, a simple guide

Return to Keto is always a subject for those that went away from it during the festivities. Was a clean Keto, KMD, Low Carb or even Carnivore your way of eating for at least 6 months before the winter holidays? And then, just when you were most determined, you found yourself eating and overeating all the carby, starchy or ultra-processed foods. On top of that, did you splash it all with litres of alcohol? Do you want to return to Keto? By saying Keto we actually mean any type of low-Carb diet except the dirty Keto! If your answer is yes, this is the right place to get motivated.

Return to Keto or any clean diet

Any type of clean diet is quite easy to spoil during the festivities. Especially if you are celebrating with family or friends. Some Ketonians are as strict as Spartans and their clean Keto lifestyle remains clean regardless of the circumstances. But let’s be honest, those are rare individuals among humans. Nobody can influence them. On the other side, the majority of people are not that strong. Many are new to the Keto lifestyle and they keep failing. Some believe that everything can be reversed, so they just decide to go “crazy” over the holidays. They are willing to pay the price later. We are all different and we are all finding the best way to survive the modern world. However, maybe the reason everything has gone bad is the enormous availability of all kinds of food.

Temptations are in every corner of this world

Winter delicacies are designed to smell and look attractive regardless of their impact on the human body. For example, every Christmas numerous people end up in hospitals due to overeating. Furthermore, they also eat the foods that harm them but they eat them on purpose.

For example, most diabetics will overeat sweets during the holidays. But sometimes this is enough to send them into a coma. Those with damaged livers will drink alcohol and almost die. Then there are people with allergies. In particular, they carry their auto-injectable devices in their pockets. These devices inject life-saving medications for severe allergic reactions, the anaphylaxis. Then, they almost ritually eat some of the allergenic foods and immediately inject the “antidote”. This sometimes ends up tragic and it’s like gambling. Yes, this is how we the humans are different when it comes to caring about ourselves. Some call it bravery, others think it’s suicidal madness.

How it usually goes and why do we need to return to Keto?

Most probably you have a family member who will get offended if you don’t try their creations. This can be baked pastry, bread, a cake, cookies, salad dressing, a side dish with rice, potatoes or even corn… These things can cause cravings and you can very easily end up overeating them? Even if you eat just a little, this will open the door for them to push more unhealthy foods into your mouth. Let’s not forget the “almighty” alcohol. If you refuse a glass of sparkling wine on New Year’s Eve they will accuse you of being a party breaker. This ended up many friendships!

So, what can we do if we fail to resist? What if we wake up the next day sick, bloated, exhausted, dizzy? What if we feel actual symptoms of poisoning by sugar and alcohol? First of all, you have to understand that every negative experience in life has a purpose of a lesson. Was your lesson learnt or will you be doing it next winter again? Think about your time on this Earth. Can you afford another recovery episode?

Here’s how you can speed up the recovery. However, please remember, it’s always better to prevent than to cure!

Fasting is the ultimate tool

If you have been fat-adapted, a glass of red wine or a single portion of cake will not make such huge damage. You will most probably feel it, but at this level, it’s still very easy. On the other hand, if you are a newbie to any type of Keto diet, you will most probably have more difficulties returning to Keto. The best solution here is fasting. Here are some fasting bullet points that should be pinned to your refrigerator:

• In a regular Keto lifestyle, fasting is as normal as eating. let’s mention the antiaging effect, the rejuvenation of our cells (Autophagy), the stored fat burning, reducing insulin resistance, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress…
• Intermittent fasting changes the functions of genes in our DNA and regulates hormones. It’s beneficial in many ways and it’s crucial in the quest to return to Keto!
• You can opt to fast for 16 hours and have the 8-hour feeding window: Alternatively, you can even increase your fasting time to 18 or 20 hours. If you are fasting for the first time, you might just skip your breakfast and have a late lunch.
• Ideally, a 24-hour fasting routine the day after you’ve been consuming loads of carbs is ideal.

Return to Keto Step 1 – Immediate hydration

The moment you wake up after the “sinful” day, drink a large glass of warm water. Preferably, natural spring mineral water. Why warm? Well, you don’t want to shock your stomach with ice-cold water. You can add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or a grain of sea salt. Continue drinking mineral water throughout the day. This will help you with fasting and provide optimal hydration.

Step 2 – Coffe or Tea

Yes, you can have a cup or two of black coffee! However, caffeine might trigger your insulin secretion. Since intermittent fasting is all about keeping the insulin under control, you better stick to 1 to 2 cups of coffee during the fasting window. Make it a mild version of Greek coffee or very short espresso. When it comes to tea, you can opt for herbal tea, not black or even green tea. There are so many beneficial Mediterranean herbs. Unlike coffee, you can drink as many cups of herbal tea as you want.

Return to Keto Step 3 – When you start feeling hungry(sh)

Most probably you are just thirsty. A great way to determine if you are really hungry is to have a glass of mineral water. You can also take just a little bit of sea salt. In most cases, hunger will disappear instantly. At this point, peppermint, thyme or yarrow tea would be a great choice. Make sure you don’t use any kind of sweetener in this phase!

Step 4 – Breaking the fast

Here’s the big moment! Take a spoon of cold-pressed cod liver oil to break your fast. Some people opt for MCT oil but this is a processed product so we don’t recommend it. There are many more benefits of unprocessed Cod Liver Oil. Cod Liver Oil will protect you from all sorts of inflammation and infection. It will provide you with a good amount of vitamins A and D. Also, it has been recorded that Cod liver oil can prevent or treat depression. This is something we all need after the holidays!

Make sure your first meal after the fasting is as clean as possible. Omega-3 rich source of protein with naturally occurring fat (ruminant meat, fish, seafood, pasture-raised eggs). Your meal should be made at home, from scratch. Additionally, your ingredients should be fresh, not canned, frozen or prepacked. If you can’t find such ingredients, good old eggs will do! Use some butter and cook them sunny side up. Everybody needs sun, literally or symbolically.

Happy return to Keto

After all, we all learn from our mistakes. You might feel the consequences of exceeding the carb intake right after you eat them. Most probably, the worst symptoms will occur the day after. Luckily, our bodies are some great machines that will get back to their proper way of functioning if we treat them well. But every time you deliberately expose your body to excess poisoning, it will get weaker. So, learn the lesson. Either learn the art of moderation or become a Spartan who never fails.

Remember, you are the master of your life! You can turn any negative event into a positive outcome!