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The biggest keto mistakes

 

Especially when you start with the ketogenic diet, it is quite common to make typical mistakes that will ruin your first successes or prevent you from getting into ketosis.

Not only keto beginners make these mistakes, even experienced keto followers fall into these traps again and again. Here are the biggest mistakes and tips on how to avoid them.

 

1. too much fat:

 

You're thinking to yourself: Please what? Isn't fat the most important thing in the ketogenic diet? You can't eat too much of it. It's better to add a tablespoon of high-quality vegetable fats and oils, such as omega 3, hemp oil, etc., so that you have enough fat. Yes, fat doesn't kick you out of ketosis, in fact in the beginning it helps your body learn to produce ketone bodies from the fatty acids. The body must first form the right enzymes for this, which it has forgotten in the course of our lives.

At the beginning it makes sense to eat a little more fat. For ketosis, however, the amount of fat is not decisive, the decisive factor is the amount of glucose in the body and especially in the liver. If the glycogen stores in the liver are emptied, which is also the case during fasting, extreme sports or a low-carbohydrate diet, the liver begins to form ketone bodies from the fatty acids.

However, dietary fat can help the liver learn to produce ketone bodies. MCT oil, for example, is a popular means to support the body's own ketone body production. From certain medium-chain fatty acids the liver can form ketone bodies best - therefore MCT is often used in addition to the ketogenic diet. For example, in the famous Bulletproof coffee or as an addition to meals.

However, the longer we live ketogenically, the more we want the body to use its own body fat to produce ketone bodies instead of dietary fat. Many are stuck in a weight loss plateau. Here it makes sense to reduce the amount of fat a bit in order to tap into the body's own fat and thus activate weight loss.

Fat is also sometimes there to keep you full. As we cut down on carbs and also protein, we need a macronutrient that keeps us full and provides us with the calories we need. In that case, that's fat. So fat, unless ketogenic dieting is for medical reasons, should be chosen so that you feel full. If you feel hungry again quickly between meals, then it makes sense to increase the amount of fat. Keto as a lifestyle is therefore always to be considered more individually related to the individual person than keto as a medical therapy. The amount of fat is usually lower in the former.

Caution: Even supposedly good sources of fat, such as cream or dairy products can contain hidden sugar. So be sure to check the ingredients.

 

2. too many nuts:

 

Nuts also contain carbohydrates, some more than others. Especially in baking, nuts are often used as a substitute. They are very healthy because they contain high-quality vegetable fats and definitely belong in your keto kitchen. Their filling properties can also help prevent cravings.

For some, however, nuts are difficult to digest and can lead to flatulence or indigestion. The calorie density of nuts is also particularly high.

Therefore, it is important to consume nuts in moderation and limit yourself to the keto-conforming nuts so as not to take in too many carbohydrates:

 

• Macadamia nuts
• Pecans
• Brazil nuts
• Walnuts
• Hazelnuts
• Seeds & seeds
• Occasional almonds
• Cashews and peanuts rare

 

3. too much protein:

 

This mistake is most often made by athletes. In order to maintain muscle mass, they usually consume more protein than is beneficial for ketosis. Those who come from a low carb diet usually have the same problem.

When there is too much protein, especially lean protein, the body forms glucose from it with the help of gluconeogenesis in the liver. This results in too much glucose in the liver. This impairs ketone body production. For the production of ketone bodies, the glycogen stores of the liver must be completely emptied.

However, with 87-100 grams of protein per day, depending on physical activity, one is well positioned in most cases. Of course, a hard training athlete has a much higher need and tolerance for protein than a person who sits at a desk all day.

 

4. too many carbohydrates and hidden sugar:

 

Carbohydrates are in more foods than you think. Therefore, it is of great importance to read the labels and nutritional values of the foods. Hidden carbohydrates, but especially in the form of hidden sugars quickly kick us out of ketosis or make it impossible to get into ketosis. Hidden sugar can be found, for example, in sausages, spreads, cream cheese, yogurt, canned vegetables, mustard, sauces, spice mixes, and sometimes even in the supposedly healthy protein bars. Even light drinks contain sugar substitutes that can make it difficult for you to get into ketosis, as they raise blood and insulin levels quite a bit. Whenever insulin levels are high, ketone body production is lower.

 

It is also important to look at sugar alternatives and substitutes. The best choice of sweeteners are still stevia and erythritol, as they have no effect on blood and insulin levels.

 

5. starchy vegetables:

 

If you are new to the ketogenic diet, you should pay attention to the choice of vegetables. Beet, pumpkin, potatoes, parsnips and sometimes even carrots are not to be eaten at all or very rarely. Why? They contain quite a lot of carbohydrates compared to other vegetables. The best choices are green and white vegetables to stay in ketosis. If you've been on the ketogenic diet for a while, you can integrate starchier vegetables here and there, because after a while your body is usually adapted enough that it won't throw you out of ketosis. A keto adaptation has already taken place. But this usually takes 3-6 months.

 

For women, it can make sense to consume more long-chain carbohydrates in the form of starchy vegetables in the second half of the cycle. Insulin is needed for the production of progesterone, an important pregnancy and fertility hormone. On the Ketogenic diet, insulin is often too low, which is why periods may not occur. This can be counteracted with some starchy vegetables in the second half of the cycle.

 

6. too little food:

 

Eating too little can prevent you from getting into ketosis. If you have too large a calorie deficit, you stress your body because it goes into emergency mode. It stores everything it gets. Furthermore, in such a stressful situation, more cortisol is secreted, which in turn leads to increased gluconeogenesis in the liver. Proteins, fat and also ketone bodies are thus converted into sugar by the liver. In stressful situations, blood glucose levels rise accordingly, leading to increased insulin secretion. Insulin is the absolute antagonist of ketone bodies.

The ketogenic diet should always focus first on WHAT and not HOW MUCH you eat. Those who want or need to lose weight will inevitably come into a natural deficit, because the right ketogenic food choices lead us to have less cravings and hunger.

If you avoid these typical mistakes in the ketogenic diet, you will neither fall out of ketosis nor will it be easier for you to get into ketosis in the beginning. Pay attention to a few small things and you will enjoy all the benefits you need in your everyday life with the ketogenic diet: more energy, better concentration/focus, less cravings, better sleep and fat loss.

 

Guest post by Florence Kriso:

Keto and fasting coach specializing in easy implementation of keto and fasting into everyday life and five-time keto cookbook author.

 

Author: Florence Kriso 

Instagram: florence_ketoworld

Website: www.myketocoach.de