13 Silly Keto Mistakes you Must Avoid in a Keto Diet

Moumita

3 years ago

KETO MISTAKES

As a keto beginner, it is normal to make a few keto mistakes in the beginning.

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate protein, and low-carbohydrate diet that has been shown to promote weight loss.

And while the keto lifestyle can be very beneficial for some people, it’s not always easy to get started or maintain.

Beginners in keto?

Well, mistakes are bound to happen then.

Do not worry as we all go through such phases.

But what I like about the keto diet is that it keeps me happy as it offers so much freedom to eat and several recipes to choose from.

If you are not getting into ketosis and thinking what am I doing wrong on keto then here they are:

Some of the quick fixes are-

1. Crash dieting, not eating enough fat or calories, and prioritizing food quality over quantity.

2. Obsessing about “keto rules” instead of focusing on enjoying new foods that are within your dietary goals.

3. Not eating enough/having too little variety of vegetables. This can be very low-carb if you eat the same things every day!

4. Getting back on track with your diet after a binge by continuing to restrict calories or carbs which can lead to water retention and ultimately weight regain down the line (yo-yo dieting).

I would recommend easing back into keto slowly while focusing on making better choices of food.

13 Keto Mistakes to Avoid

1. OBSESSING OVER THE SCALES

Yes, scales do give us a picture of how much have we lost.

But scales show what we did a week ago.

So if you are trying hard to lose and scales making you demotivated, just remember it shows what you did a week before.

Your dedication this week will get displayed the following week.

Where do you wanna see yourself the next week? It depends on what you are doing right now.

So do not panic about the numbers. And scales do not show the amount of muscle gain or how healthy your body is. So don’t freak.

2. NOT GETTING ENOUGH FAT

What happens if you don’t eat enough fat on keto?

Keto is a HIGH FAT diet. Just remember this.

Yes, only good fats.

Avoid carbs but not fats. You are running on fat from now onwards. So, you need enough of that.

You can get good fats from coconut oil, butter, and eggs. Check out the full list of items that should be on your grocery list for a ketogenic diet.

You should feel energetic throughout the day. And when you are cutting on carbs that means your energy source should come from good fats.

Just keep up mentally that you are NOT AVOIDING fats anymore rather you are running on fats now.

3. EATING THE WRONG FATS IS ANOTHER KETO MISTAKE

Just like said before that you need a lot of fats for a keto diet BUT the Right kind of fats.

The processed seed oils, cookies, and crackers will destroy all your hard work.

So be extremely sure about the type of fats you are intaking.

STAY AWAY from bad fats.

4. EATING TOO MUCH OF PROTEIN

The Keto diet is all about having HIGH FAT, LOW CARBS, and MODERATE PROTEIN.

When you are just starting with the keto diet then do not jump on very high protein intake, just check your body gradually that how much it can handle and still be in ketosis.

In the early stages when you end up consuming too much protein then you might enter a process called gluconeogenesis.

This means that your (high) proteins are getting considered as carbs and hence getting converted into glucose. Which will force you to be out of ketosis.

Choose the right kind of high-fat and moderate-protein foods.

5. NOT GETTING ENOUGH ELECTROLYTES

Not getting enough electrolytes/water which can lead to side effects like fatigue, cramps, and even more serious complications with your heart rate/blood pressure.

A salt imbalance is a big deal for keto lovers.

When we try to lose weight, we normally reduce salt intake as it makes our body inflamed.

But this phenomenon is different in keto as we do not have any inflamed body and we actually need salt in our food so that the Kidney does not flush sodium from our body.

Yes, but no more than 2 tsp salt a day.

And so are magnesium and potassium required in our diet.

With an insufficient intake of sodium, potassium, and magnesium you will get a ‘keto flu‘ whose symptom includes constipation, lethargy, and headache which will eventually make you give up.

You can have enough potassium from green leafy vegetables.

Avocados can become your best friend.

Almonds, walnuts, and pistachios contain a high amount of magnesium.

You can even take additional magnesium supplements if required.

Electrolytes are important for all of our body functions and muscle contractions. Have it adequately.

You can check these electrolyte capsules from amazon which have got some pretty good reviews.

6. EATING ‘PROCESSED’ KETO FOODS

There are many popular diets that have their own nutrient bars. Do not go for all those.

The Atkins bars are good for the Atkins diet. Paleo foods are good for a paleo diet.

While doing Keto eat as much as INGREDIENTS or make yourself the stuff you can make with those ingredients.

Avoid processed foods as well as processed oils.

Do not eat any keto food that comes in wrappers in supermarkets. Make your own.

Eating foods that are not keto-friendly. These include things like dairy, legumes/beans, and nut butter made with sugar/oil/hydrogenated oil.

Check out keto diet foods to avoid.

7. EATING HIDDEN CARBS

Just as said before avoid any keto that comes wrapped; just because it may contain hidden carbs.

We only check the carbs listed in the nutritional facts.

But what about the sugar content that comes from sucrose, fructose, maltose, and others?

Have plenty of leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds. If you have any doubt about the composition of the packed foods then don’t buy them, rather make them yourself with the ingredients.

8. NOT MEAL PLANNING

Not having a plan for when you want to have a cheat meal or eat out so you end up making impulsive food choices or go way over your carb allotment for the day because of laziness and hunger pangs.

You are bound to eat anything that comes in hand while you are hungry.

So, meal planning is most important to me.

I really cannot have a proper meal and my daily macros in the count if I am not planning it ahead.

There are various meal preps available on Pinterest. I would suggest you do meal prep at least 3 days at a time.

Initially, it is time-consuming but trust me it will keep you on track and you will know exactly what you are giving your body on a given day.

Here are 15 keto lunch box ideas that you can plan for your office.

9. LOOKING FOR A QUICK SOLUTION

The ketogenic diet is a lifestyle. And to change a lifestyle takes time.

Not being patient enough with yourself- sometimes weight loss stalls for no reason even though you’re following the rules of keto perfectly so try to stay positive!

We get our body energy from the carbs we take and suddenly we tell our body to convert the fats into energy. It can not happen in a day.

Initially, you may not see any results, or get keto flu but just be committed and you will get into ketosis soon.

If you just want a quick fix to drop a few pounds then cut the sweets out of your diet and you will lose weight.

But, if you want a change in lifestyle and want to feel better then start a keto diet.

Its long-term effect is wonderful.

10. NOT ENOUGH WATER

Needless to say that our body needs enough and enough water to carry out proper body functions.

While switching to a keto lifestyle, our body just needs more water.

You need to have 0.5-1 oz of water for every pound of body weight.

You can squeeze the lemon for a flavor or any other flavored water you like.

Check out 5 detox drinks that you can add to your diet.

You can also have an electoral to replenish your electrolytes while having water.

11. NOT ENOUGH SLEEP

Recharge your body.

We are not smartphones that we can plug in to be charged.

So have enough sleep. If you can manage 7-8 hours of sleep then that is ideal.

Have plenty of sleep to feel energized throughout the day.

12. COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS

No diet can affect two bodies in the same way.

Just like no exercises will give similar results for two different persons.

Your body is definitely going to react differently than others.

So, it is of no use to compare your results with other people’s starting with the keto diet at any point in time.

You may start losing your pounds way faster than others or maybe you will not be able to see any results in the first 2 weeks. So, hold on to the patience, Just enjoy the journey and be confident.

13. YOU ARE DOING IT ALONE

Any lifestyle change is not easy. At times you may feel demotivated and fall off track.

If you are serious about your lifestyle change then definitely join any community or Facebook groups that speak of a keto day in and day out.

The people who ask questions regarding keto and discuss its recipes and carb counts.

Speak to people who all are on the keto journey.

YES, like-minded people who discuss keto. You will never feel like you are doing it alone anymore.

My Take on Keto Mistakes

When you start a diet, it is normal to make some mistakes.

You can mess up ketosis in a number of ways.

So be careful and calculate your carbs in a day.

Try to have zero carbs and sugar for day 1 and gradually you will be used to it.

Once our body gets adapted to the new diet or the fat diet, that is when the keto diet magic starts.

Another keto mistake is consuming too much alcohol.

Even if you drink keto alcohol then it may slow down the process.

So keto alcohol drinks are good only quarterly in a year for a party if you are trying to lose weight on a keto diet.