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The ketogenic diet has recently become notorious for its many beneficial properties, but getting into ketosis and maintaining it is not the easiest task you’ll come across. Once you decide to start this journey to health, there are many things to be aware of during your diet.
The first, and probably the most important, thing about the keto diet to keep in mind is that getting into ketosis needs to be a fully prepped and researched process. If you feel like you haven’t done enough research on the subject yet, click here.
Now that you have all the facts, let’s focus on common mistakes keto dieters tend to make at the beginning of their diets. Mistakes can happen in every aspect of our lives, but wouldn’t it be much better if you avoided making them when it comes to your new diet?
Well, without further ado, let’s get into the 10 most common keto diet mistakes!
1. Keto is Not a “Quick Fix”
A lot of people who have heard about how easily you lose weight at the beginning of ketogenic diets tend to start the dieter thinking that it will help them get into shape before summer.
The ketogenic diet should not be taken lightly, mostly due to the fact that it is not a diet, to begin with, it is a lifestyle! The ketogenic diet can only result in weight loss and improved health if you stick to it. If you don’t, the results will go as fast as they come!
2. Cutting Carbs Completely
Although the ketogenic diet requires a reduced carb intake, it does not mean you should cut out your carb intake completely. This can be harmful and will actually result in weight gain!
The reason why ketogenic diets allow you to eat up to 50 grams of net carbs a day is due to the fact that your brain, kidneys, and red blood cells cannot be sustained using only ketones as fuel; they need carbs!
3. Not Having Enough Fats
The ketogenic diet is a bit contradictory when it comes to this, but it is actually quite simple — if you want to lose fat, you need to consume fats. Fats become your main source of energy once you start this diet, so an optimal daily fat intake is definitely a must!
4. Consuming the Wrong Fats
As mentioned, fats are one of the most important components of your diet, but you cannot consume just about any kind of oil you come across. You will want to stick to the power trio of oils: macadamia nut oil, virgin olive oil, and coconut oil.
It’s time to bid goodbye to all other kinds of oils and try to include these three into your diet as often as you can.
5. Low Protein
Along with healthy fats, having a balanced protein intake is one of the very pillars of all ketogenic diets. It is hard to define the daily limit when it comes to this intake because of the differences in our body types, shapes, weight, etc., but using this macro calculator, you can, at least vaguely, put a finger on how much protein you need on a daily basis.
6. Meal Planning
Meal planning requires a bit of your time and effort, but at the end of the day, it is always worth it. Not planning your meals ahead is a common keto beginners’ mistake, and almost always results in kicking you out of ketosis. Make sure not to make this mistake, or you’ll have to start your diet all over again!
7. Water
When you just start out your diet, you will be releasing a lot of water. Additionally, you will also lose a lot of electrolytes, which are essential for your health. The easiest way to “put them back” is to drink a lot of water!
8. Repetition
Ketogenic diets are quite strict when it comes to your choice of food, and this is the reason why they can get quite dull after some time. The best thing to do is to mix things up every now and then, just to make sure you don’t get bored with your diet quickly!
9. Sleep
As expected, once you change the whole way your metabolism worked up until now, it is going to take its toll on you. You may be left feeling tired and irritated, and the best thing to do in this case is to make sure you get enough sleep. It’s as simple as that!
10. Obsessing Weight Loss
Just as is the case with other diets, for that matter, obsessing over the scale can do you nothing but harm. Another thing about ketogenic diets is that they help you rapidly lose weight when you just start out, and this process gradually slows down over time.
Not all keto dieters take this the same way, and they start feeling like they are doing something wrong. Well, the fact is, you’re not! That’s just how the diet works, so don’t give up just yet!
If you loved these tips, make sure to visit Konscious Keto for more keto tips and recipes!
