Murphy’s law states that, “If there is a wrong way to do something, then someone will do it. If there’s more than one way to do a job and one of those ways will end in disaster, then somebody will do it that way.”
While humorous, the law does hold true for thousands of people when it comes to the keto diet. It can be highly exasperating when you’re on a keto diet and you see little or no results.
Here you’re expecting marvelous weight loss, but the needle on the weighing scale keeps doing the cha-cha… two steps forward and two steps back. You want progress!
Very often, the lack of results is due to a few mistakes that people make inadvertently. In this article, we’ll look at what they are so that you can steer clear of them.
* Not tracking your calories
While ketosis will make you lose fat, your body will need to be at a caloric deficit of about 500 calories a day. This is the cornerstone for successful weight loss.
Being on a fat-based diet will encourage the body to burn a lot of fat, but you must be consuming less calories that you consume, or your body will not be able to make a dent in your current weight.
* Watch your minerals
When you’re on the keto diet, you’ll lose a lot of water. Since most of us are on a carb-rich diet, when we make the switch to a keto diet, there’s barely any carbs to retain water in the body.
So, you’ll lose a lot of water weight. It’s important to note that when you lose water, your body will also lose salt and minerals. Ensure that you’re adding salt to your meals and consuming mineral supplements so that you do not end up with deficiencies.
* Monitor your gut health
The keto diet has been shown to throw off the balance of bacteria in your gut. You want to have a balance of good and bad bacteria. If the bad bacteria get out of hand, you’ll not be feeling too good.
Consume probiotics or bone broth to remedy this problem and improve gut health. This is something that most keto dieters need to keep an eye on.
* Being dehydrated
Your body needs water to function optimally and lose weight. Make sure you’re getting enough water while on the keto diet. As mentioned earlier, your body will be losing a lot of water.
It’s imperative that you stay hydrated. Get a 1-liter water bottle and track how much water you’re getting daily.
* Not testing
Test and see if you’re in ketosis. Being on the keto diet is pointless if you’re not in ketosis. You may use urine strips or do blood tests to check if you’re in ketosis. Another alternative will be to use a breathalyzer to detect the acetones in your breath.
If you don’t track it, you can’t improve it. So, ensure that your body is in ketosis.
* Not enough fats
The keto diet is a fat rich diet. 70 to 80% of your diet should be fat. This can be a mental hurdle for most people to overcome because they’ve been led to believe that fat is harmful.
Yet, the keto diet demands this level of fat for it to be effective. A common mistake people make is to use too much protein in their meals and a small dose of fat.
Excess protein elevates insulin levels and is counterproductive to fat loss. Reduce your protein intake and bring your carbs down to 20 grams or less. Your focus should be on eating foods that are high in fat.
Avoid these mistakes and your keto diet will be successful and you’ll reap all the benefits of the diet in no time at all. It really is a fantastic diet once you apply it well.
