If you’re not achieving your desired outcomes from the keto diet, it is possible that you are committing some common keto mistakes, despite the well-known health benefits that low-carb diets offer, such as enhanced body structure and weight reduction.
Now, let’s examine a few typical mistakes and how to prevent them.
1. Increasing your fat intake and cutting your carbs too fast
One of the most common keto mistakes is reducing carbs at a rapid pace.
Rather than abruptly reducing your carbohydrate intake to 5-10% of your calorie intake and immediately starting the keto diet, you might find it beneficial to gradually decrease your consumption of carbohydrates and gradually introduce high-fat foods into your diet. We suggest beginning with a slow reduction in carb intake to 20-25%, then further reducing it to 15-20%, and eventually reaching a level of around 5-10% carbohydrates.
2. Consuming an excessive amount of protein
One common error individuals often make when beginning a keto diet is consuming excessive protein while attempting to decrease carbohydrate consumption. The surplus protein that the body does not utilize is transformed into glucose through a process referred to as gluconeogenesis. This process may cause a delay or halt the onset of ketosis. Consequently, it is imperative to ensure that your diet primarily consists of healthy fats with a moderate amount of protein, constituting approximately 20-25% of your caloric intake.
3. Not getting sufficient sleep
If you don’t obtain sufficient sleep or experience inadequate sleep quality, there is a possibility of your stress hormones significantly increasing.
As a result, insulin, sugar cravings, and anxiety can be elevated due to the increased levels of stress hormones, ultimately hindering ketone production. It is crucial for the majority of individuals to obtain seven to nine hours of quality sleep each day in order to effectively manage weight and fully benefit from their ketogenic lifestyle.
4. Consuming excessive inflammatory food
Even though the ketogenic diet is known for its ability to reduce inflammation, certain low-carb, high-fat items can actually worsen inflammation. Packaged low-carb foods and highly processed vegetable oils, in particular, are not only highly inflammatory but can also cause systemic inflammation and drain your energy. It is advisable to minimize the inclusion of these highly processed, low-quality foods in your meal plan.
5. Using artificial sweeteners
Consuming artificial non-caloric sweeteners can trigger similar reactions in the brain as sugar consumption, contrary to what many people believe. This can increase cravings and hinder one’s ability to maintain ketosis, possibly leading to weight gain. However, while following a keto diet, it is acceptable to occasionally indulge in keto-friendly sweet treats that are sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners and sugar alcohols, as long as moderation is practiced.
6. Being unprepared for keto flu
In the initial two weeks of following the keto diet, as your body undergoes the transition from relying on carbohydrates to utilizing fats for fuel, you might experience symptoms of keto flu which include muscle cramps, nausea, discomfort, and tiredness. It is common during this period to feel inclined to abandon the keto diet completely. However, it is advisable to persevere and stick to your plan as, with time, your body will adjust to the reduced intake of carbohydrates.
7. Having vitamin and mineral deficiency
Various health issues have been associated with deficiencies in micronutrients. When adopting a successful ketogenic diet plan, it is crucial to include a diverse selection of low-carb, nutrient-rich foods such as high-fiber vegetables and low-sugar fruits. It is important to ensure the incorporation of these kinds of foods that are abundant in different micronutrients.
8. Neglecting electrolytes
As you begin the ketogenic diet, the first two weeks will involve your body getting rid of essential minerals such as sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium due to the reduction in carbohydrate consumption. This may result in dehydration and a deficiency of electrolytes since the keto diet leads to increased frequency of urination.
To stay hydrated, boost your energy levels, and enhance your ketone production, ensure you consume an ample amount of these micronutrients from your vegetable intake, or alternatively, consider using a no-sugar electrolyte product such as Buoy electrolyte drops.
9. Forgetting to plan meals
Maintaining a ketogenic diet can be made significantly easier with advance planning. If you fail to plan your meals properly, you may find yourself opting for quick and convenient meals that are rich in carbs and processed ingredients. This can lead to your body exiting ketosis and hinder your progress.
10. Not keeping track of your vegetable intake
When following a keto diet, it is necessary to restrict the amount of carbohydrates consumed and accurately track the carb content, including that of vegetables.
Not incorporating vegetables into your diet may lead to insufficient fiber, minerals, and necessary vitamins, resulting in constipation, headaches, electrolyte imbalances, and other unfavorable outcomes of an inadequately planned keto diet. Conversely, consuming high-carb vegetables can cause you to exit ketosis entirely.
Stick to high fiber, low carb plants such as broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans. Additionally, choose from a variety of greens such as spinach, kale, cabbage, and bok choy.
11. Too many carbs
To adhere to the Keto diet, it is crucial to maintain a low carbohydrate intake. By keeping carbs at a minimum, blood sugar levels are also kept low, thereby reducing the production of insulin. As a result, your cells can successfully utilize and burn stored body fat. However, one must exercise caution as hidden carbs may infiltrate the Keto diet. These concealed carbs can be found in items such as salad dressings, soups, sauces, and even shellfish.
If your carbohydrate intake exceeds 10% of your daily calories, and even closer to 5% for some individuals, your metabolic machinery will not shift into fat-burning mode, thus preventing the entry into ketosis.
Make sure to carefully read labels and use the Carb Manager app to track your meals, so that you can prevent exceeding your carb intake.
12. Too much fat, not enough protein
Many individuals have a misconception about the term “high fat.” They believe it indicates the need to consume large quantities of cream, butter, and ghee, as if preparing for a butter-churning event. However, although a majority of your Keto diet’s calories should come from fat (55-70%), at least half of your Keto plate ought to consist of protein.
4 calories per gram, making it a crucial macronutrient for essential bodily functions such as muscle building, hormone synthesis, and wound healing.
When following a Keto diet, it is important to note that a meal consisting of 60% fat and 30% protein will contain a higher amount of protein grams compared to fat grams. It is common for individuals to overlook this detail and as a result, may not consume sufficient protein to support body recomposition.
To ensure your Keto meals have sufficient protein, use a macro tracker such as Carb Manager for calibration.
13. Vegetable oils
You may be familiar with the term “dirty Keto” which refers to a Keto diet that contains excessive amounts of inflammatory vegetable oils and lacks an adequate intake of vegetables. The issue with vegetable oils is their high content of linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). Consuming large quantities of linoleic acid has been found to cause inflammation, resulting in the storage of fat.
Researchers have actually established a connection between the excessive intake of linoleic acid (particularly from soybean oil) and the prevalence of obesity in America. Additionally, high-PUFA vegetable oils are susceptible to high temperatures, resulting in the formation of oxidized lipids during cooking, which are thought to expedite the development of heart disease.
To reduce consumption of soybean oil, safflower oil, and other vegetable oils, prioritize healthy Keto fats such as extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, and butter.
14. Neglecting low-carb vegetables
Dirty Keto is also characterized by the lack of non-starchy vegetables. Imagine a plate consisting solely of processed bacon cooked in sunflower oil, without a trace of anything green. Non-starchy vegetables serve as an abundant source of micronutrients that are difficult to obtain from other sources. For instance, spinach is particularly rich in vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, and magnesium.
If you add to your diet, you will not receive the wide range of beneficial phytonutrients that are only found in plants.
When planning your Keto meal, make sure to include a variety of low-carb vegetables such as kale, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, chard, lettuce, and cabbage on your plate.
15. Dairy
Although dairy can be compatible with a Keto diet, there are two possible concerns when incorporating milk products into your Keto regime.
- The dairy product isn’t, in fact, Keto-friendly
- You can’t tolerate dairy
To begin, it is important to note that not all dairy products contain high levels of fat and low levels of carbohydrates. When you explore the dairy section of any supermarket, you will come across a variety of sugary yogurts, low-fat chocolate milk, and flavored creamers, which are not conducive to achieving your Keto health objectives.
If you have difficulty digesting milk sugar (lactose), milk protein (casein and whey), or both, consider completely removing dairy from your diet to address the issue of tolerance, which is the second problem.
If you are able to consume dairy, opt for high-fat choices such as whole milk, cheese, and butter.
16. Chasing ketones
When you follow a Keto diet, your brain and body are fueled by ketones that are produced in your body. Ketones can be measured in the blood, breath, and urine. (Carb Manager is compatible with the BIOSENSE® breath ketone meter and the Keto-Mojo blood ketone meter). A lot of individuals become fixated on maximizing their ketone levels, making it the primary emphasis of their Keto diet.
Although performing occasional spot checks can be useful, it is important to note that ketone levels are not the sole indicator. In reality, a decrease in ketones could indicate improved adaptation to the ketogenic diet, potentially indicating that the body is utilizing ketones more effectively.
Keep in mind that higher ketones do not necessarily indicate a better outcome.
Instead of prioritizing the pursuit of ketones, shift your focus towards the initial reason you adopted the Keto lifestyle, which is to shed fat, enhance energy levels, boost mental acuity, and other related aspects. These are the parameters that should be monitored.
