It can be tough to stick to a keto diet –

Things start off going well…

And then a few unexpected challenges trip you up.

Before you know it you know it you’re feeling disappointed, discouraged and down-in-the-dumps.

But you can avoid these pitfalls –

We’re showing you how to avoid the five most common keto diet mistakes.

Plus, we’ll be recapping what a keto diet is and how it can benefit your health.

And giving you four useful tips to help you get started!

What is the Keto diet?

A quick refresher…

The goal of the keto diet is to switch your metabolism into a fat-burning mode called nutritional ketosis.

When your body is in ketosis, instead of burning carbohydrates/sugars for fuel, your body will burn more fat instead and ketones are made as a byproduct of burning fat. Hence the name, “ketogenic” diet.

What do you eat on a keto diet? Lots of healthy fats, very few carbohydrates and a moderate amount of protein.

• EAT foods like: leafy green veggies, broccoli and cauliflower, avocados, olives, coconut oil and ghee. Liz also has some suggestions for low carb meat substitutes and protein powders.
  
• AVOID foods like: high carb vegetables, sugary fruits, legumes, wheat/oats/rice and other grains, processed vegetable oils, artificial sweeteners, and diet sodas.

4 Keto Diet Health Benefits

Here are a some of the health benefits you could get from a keto diet:

1 – Keto could help you lose weight.

When researchers compared a diet similar to keto (aka high-fat and low-carb) with a standard weight loss diet (low-fat, high-carb, and calorie restricted)…

They found the folks on the “keto” diet lost significantly more weight.

You can see the study here.

2 – Keto may reduce your risk of heart disease.

It has variety of positive effects…

Decreasing your levels of bad cholesterol.
Reducing your triglyceride levels.
Increasing your levels of good cholesterol.

…and these collectively reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease,

There’s an example of research which backs this up here.

3 – Keto could stop you overeating.

A study followed dieters on a diet similar to keto –

And even though they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted? They decreased their food intake without consciously trying.

You can see the research here.

4 – Keto may increase your energy levels and mental performance.

Keto dieters say they feel more energetic, clearer-headed and find it easier to focus than before.

Plus, the keto diet has helped some folks get rid of brain fog.

You’ll find plenty of similar-sounding stories on keto blogs and forums.

5 Most Common Keto Diet Mistakes (+ How To Avoid Them)

These are five BIG mistakes to avoid making on the keto diet:

1 – Being unprepared for keto flu.

Many folks don’t realise your body needs time to adapt when you first start keto.

And while it makes the switch from using sugar to burning ketones, you might experience some flu-like symptoms.

They’re uncomfortable but temporary – they usually disappear after a week or so.

So don’t let keto flu catch you unprepared!

How to avoid this mistake: Keep your schedule light when you first start keto (as you’ll be more tired than usual), make sure you’re taking in lots of electrolytes, and drink plenty of fluids.

2 – Eating as though food quality doesn’t matter.

Eating low-carb isn’t the ONLY thing that’s important.

You should still avoid processed junk foods, even though they’re low in carbohydrates.

Which means no energy bars, ready meals or diet sodas.

How to avoid this mistake: Concentrate on including nutrient dense foods in your diet, like MCT oil, kimchi and sauerkraut

3 – Focusing too much on high ketone levels.

It’s not essential to have really high ketone levels to benefit from the keto diet.

And having higher ketone levels isn’t necessarily better – it all depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

So don’t beat yourself up if you’re not seeing the numbers you’d like!

How to avoid this mistake: Focus on the improvements you’re seeing and how you’re feeling, and have a look at our guide to optimum ketone levels to choose the right ketone level to aim for.

4 – Increasing your fat intake too quickly.

Eating more healthy fats is a key part of the keto diet –

But if you aren’t used to a high-fat diet?

Adding more fat to your diet too quickly can cause digestive issues.

How to avoid this mistake: Gradually increase your fat intake over time and you’ll avoid having problems with digestion.

5 – Forgetting to take care of yourself in other ways.

A keto diet can be a great way to improve your health –

But you still need to take care of yourself in other ways too!

And that means making time for other aspects of self-care.

How to avoid this mistake: Be sure you’re getting enough sleep, managing your stress levels and finding time to exercise to help you stay healthy.

Tips for getting started on Keto

Finally, here are a few tips which could be useful for anyone getting started with a keto diet.

1 – Clear the non-keto food out of your house and then fill your cupboards with keto-friendly items.

It’s much easier to stick to a keto diet if you don’t have tasty non-keto treats around to tempt you!

2 – Eat unlimited protein/fat to start with and just focus on keeping your daily carbohydrate intake under 25g.

Keeping things simple when you first start will make it considerably easier to adjust to eating low carb.

And you can tweak your protein/fat ratios later.

3 – Consider getting a health check before you begin your diet – to make sure you don’t have any preexisting health conditions you need to address.

Autoimmune conditions, vitamin/mineral deficiencies and gut infections will all need to be treated before you start.

Conclusion

The keto diet can be an effective way to improve your health –

So don’t let yourself get discouraged and derailed!

By taking a few extra steps to avoid common mistakes, you’ll find it much easier to follow the diet successfully.