Rocket Fuel Latte: one of my favourite go-to keto-friendly breakfasts.

The one drawback – or possible blessing in disguise – of eating keto vs. other diets is that you can’t really have a “cheat day” and then expect to go right back on plan. Snarf down a piece of office birthday cake, or get caught on the hop and give in to a takeaway sandwich, and it’s going to boot you out of ketosis and necessitate a whole lot of potential hassle getting back in again.

Depending on your attitude, this can either set you up to fail, or give you super-strength will power. Is that sugary biscuit worth a day of keto flu? Sometimes it might be, and that’s fine! Keto has helped me make these personal choices in a more conscious way: I can eat anything I want to, as long as I’m okay and accepting of the resultant way it makes my body feel.

Either way, occasionally everyone but the most monastic, saintly hermit is going to get caught out. As I enter my fourth month of veggie keto eating, I’ve made peace with the fact that sometimes I’m going to go out of a ketogenic state.

I recently travelled to the USA for work, and while I managed to keep keto for the first few days, eventually I ran out of options and steam. Here are a few things that I’ve found helpful as I set about getting back into ketosis after returning to the UK.

1. Make peace with the fact that you slipped up.

It happened. It’s probably happened before. It’s almost certain to happen again. Draw a line under things, work out why you came out of ketosis (travel, resolve slipped after a few drinks, forgot to go shopping?) so that you can notice if a pattern emerges long term and act to fix that. Don’t beat yourself up, and above all, don’t use the fact that you’re currently out of ketosis to throw yourself a massive, carb-feast pity party 😉

2. Set yourself up for success.

Assuming that getting back into ketosis will take you a few days, give yourself a clear run, without too many social engagements, meetings or trips. Stock your fridge with the foods you know you’ll need. Prep, or at the very least plan out, your meals in advance for a couple of days as you get back into the swing of things. Get all your ducks in a fat-fuelled row.

3. Consider a fast.

A 24 hour fast has many benefits for your body, one of which can be speeding along your transition back into ketosis. It doesn’t have to be horrific: think early dinner / late breakfast – stop eating at 12pm, and start eating at the same time on the following day. Break your fast with something super low carb and ultra fatty (I like to go with a Rocket Fuel Latte, like the one pictured above) to get your body revving on all fat-burning cylinders.

4. Fall back on old friends.

Stick with the recipes and foods that you know have worked for you in the past. If you’re trying to get back into ketosis, now is probably not the time to be trying out lots of new stuff. Keep it simple, yummy, tried and tested. This should lessen the pressure a bit, and make the transition that little bit easier. It should also help tap into the old patterns and habits hardwired in your brain from previous successful periods of ketosis.

5. Get inspired.

That said, this is absolutely the time to fall back in love with the keto community! Get on Pinterest and Instagram to explore your favourite keto hashtags, head to Reddit/r/keto to check out the progress pictures people post, find a few new blogs or podcasts to enjoy. See the benefits that others are reaping and use it to motivate you until you get back into the second-nature pattern of keto eating 🙂

I’ve been back from the States and eating for ketosis for a couple of days now, so with that, I’m signing off and heading upstairs to pee on a stick!