Thinking about trying the keto diet? The keto diet is a high fat, low carb diet that expedites weight loss. Yes, it’s common to hear that claim about every diet, but the beauty of this low carb diet is that by eating fat, a body turns into a fat burning machine. Cravings for sugar and carbs diminish, and instead, a dieter gets healthy! We’re not saying that reaching weight loss and other health goals happens overnight, but as the Body Reboot book reminds us, by going on the keto diet, it’s possible to knock those goals out of the park. As someone who is considering going on keto, there are a few mistakes to avoid. Of course, some things are all about trial and error, but if you can get ahead of the mistakes and avoid them altogether, wouldn’t that be sweet? Check out the tips below so you can avoid these common mistakes and remember, stay away from the sweets.

1. Being afraid of fat

Miss Fit Living tells new keto dieters that they can’t be scared of fat. Yes, it seems pretty crazy that you’re allowed to eat bacon, cheese, fatty meats, and plenty of guacamole without gaining weight. However, when you’re significantly reducing your carb intake and replacing it with fat, you can lose weight and experience many other incredible benefits. Not to mention you get to eat lots of yummy food!

Have you ever heard the phrase “you need to spend money to make money”?

Well, the same thing applies to keto but with fat. To stay in ketosis you have to consume fat because that is what your body is using as an energy source. Without fat, it will try its best to go back to glycogen (sugar) as it’s fuel source which knocks you out of ketosis.

It can be hard to wrap your head around the fact that a stick of butter actually isn’t bad for you. Those pork rinds? A perfectly healthy snack.

On keto, you load up on fat so you need to make sure you aren’t afraid of it. Besides, isn’t it a good thing that you get to load up on things like butter and cheese?

I think so.

2. Eating too much protein

Remember, going on the keto diet is a high fat diet, not a high protein diet. Yes, you will be eating protein, but you need to eat more fat than protein if that makes sense. Keto Bootstrap explains how to eat more fat while still getting your protein.

Growing up all you hear is that protein is good for you and it is when it’s not consumed in excess.

The issue with protein on the ketogenic diet is that because your body is using fats as a fuel source, it only needs proteins to help main muscle mass.

Surprisingly enough, you need much less protein than you’d expect to make this happen. When you consume more protein than your body needs it ends up converting that protein into glucose which in turn can raise your blood sugar levels and knock you out of ketosis.

Most people have no problem reaching their protein macros because protein seems to be in everything. This is why it’s important to meal plan so you understand how much protein you are putting into your body.

3. Not drinking enough water

When you first go on the keto diet (and even when you’ve been on it for a while), Everyday Health reminds us how important it is to drink plenty of water. In general, it’s vital to drink water, but on the keto diet, it’s even more critical because you’re more likely to get dehydrated while your body is getting adjusted to the diet.

For all the focus on what you’re eating, don’t forget about what you’re sipping. Dehydration is an increased possibility on keto. “The drastic decrease in carbohydrate intake on the ketogenic diet can cause shifts in your fluid and electrolyte balance. Carbs are stored along with water in the body, so as these stores are depleted, that water is lost along with them,” says Alyssa Tucci, RDN, nutrition manager at Virtual Health Partners in New York City. She also says that the body flushes out the buildup of ketones in urine, which also depletes water and sodium from the body. All that to say: Drink up. Tucci recommends waking up to a large glass of water and sipping regularly throughout the day to reach a goal of consuming half of your body weight in ounces of water daily.

Keto Bootstrap also explains why you shouldn’t be afraid to drink up. Water is excellent for you, and it’s all the more essential to drink while your body is in ketosis!

The simple fact of the matter is that your body can’t do what it’s supposed to do without water. Switching to a keto lifestyle usually means drinking more water than your used to so this can be a huge adjustment for some people.

It’s important to keep a water bottle handy where you know the exact size of the container. We like to use these CamelBak Water Bottles because having a 1L (or 33oz) of water around when we need it is extremely helpful.

Besides freshly squeezed lemon in our water, when we want to add a bit of different flavor we go with our favorite flavor of Mio. We usually go with the Berry Blast Electrolytes version because drinking all of this water means you have to make sure you’re replenishing your electrolytes.

So how much water should you be drinking? The general rule of thumb is 0.5 oz to 1 oz of every pound of bodyweight.

4. Comparing yourself to others

It’s easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to others, but Keto Bootstrap says to avoid doing that. When you first go on a diet you may lose weight at a faster or slower rate than others. Everyone’s body responds differently, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t lose weight as quickly as others do. As the cliche saying goes, you do you and stay motivated to follow through with a diet that has serious health benefits.

We wish that we could guarantee the exact same results for everybody on the keto diet but that isn’t the case.

Your body is going to react differently than someone else. While most people share common outcomes (weight loss, more energy, etc), they can reach these outcomes at different times.

Weight loss is a huge benefit of the ketogenic diet but just because someone loses 10 lbs. in 7 days that doesn’t mean you should expect the same results.

There are simply too many different factors that come into play that will affect your results.

Focus on you and what you need to do to succeed. The rest will take care of itself.

5. Not using enough salt

When going on the keto diet be aware that your body will have less sodium, not only because inflammation decreases on keto, but because you’re cutting out the processed food and sugar (at least you should be). Everyday Health further discusses how important it is to have enough salt in your diet while on keto below:

With people consuming more sodium than ever in a diet rich in processed food, you’re probably not used to hearing the call to eat more salt. But on keto, it’s necessary. Not only does the clearance of ketones cause the body to lose sodium, but you may be getting much less table salt (which is comprised of 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride) now that you’ve kicked out the top source of salt in the standard American diet: packaged, processed foods, including bread, chips, crackers, and cookies. “Chances are if you’re following a ketogenic diet you will need to prepare most, if not all, of your own meals and snacks from scratch, so simply season with salt,” says Tucci.

Bonus: Using sweeteners right away

Hey, we’ve included a bonus tip for you! According to Hey Keto Mama, this blogger recommends staying away from the sweeteners. Why? Using sweeteners right away might sound exciting because you’re determined to get some sweets in, but instead of figuring out what desserts you can eat, perhaps you should focus on developing a healthier relationship with food. Plus, some sweeteners can cause your stomach to get upset, and when your body is transitioning on the keto diet, you’re already dealing with enough already. Take it slow and listen to your body.

There are many wonderful things Keto has done for me, one of which is completely change my relationship with food. The first week or two of cravings can be tough. Just seeing food makes my mouth water sometimes, but I learned very early that my body isn’t craving anymore, it’s just that sugar wired part of my brain. For this reason, when I started low carb, I didn’t use replacement sweeteners for while. Sure brownies, cookies, chocolate all the good stuff can be Keto-friendly in the right form. Giving yourself time to learn what your body needs, truly, and totally overhauling the relationship you have with food can be very rewarding. I totally get that this method isn’t for some people, it’s hard to change so many things at once. I found success in not immediately trying to replace all those treats that got me into a less than ideal health situation. I turned my focus to improving my relationship with food that nourishes and treats my body well. I do enjoy some sweets now with the help of Swerve but probably only a couple times a month.

Are you ready to get started on the keto diet? Now that you know what mistakes to avoid check out the Body Reboot book to learn how you can get started! Get a free copy by helping us cover shipping. You can head to this page to get your free copy today!

Sources: Everyday Health, Keto Bootstrap, Hey Keto Mama, Miss Fit Living