The keto diet, as explained in the Body Reboot book, has an endless amount of benefits, and many people use it to lose weight via fat-burning and watch the extra pounds come right off. It’s true that after deciding to go on the keto diet, it’s effective and easy to maintain, which is why it’s becoming a fast favorite for those looking to get healthy and shed the weight. However, some mistakes are easy to make when first going on the keto diet that can make it challenging to achieve goals. First, we take a look at 3 mistakes to avoid followed by 2 steps to take to maximize keto diet weight loss. 

Steps to avoid:

1. Being afraid of fat and not eating enough of it 

Carb Manager says that being afraid of fat is not a good thing, especially if you want to succeed on the keto diet. Unfortunately, our society has conditioned us to believe that fat will cause you to become overly obese, and while some of that is true, many healthy fats can help you lose weight! By going on a low carb, high-fat diet you’ll starve your body from glucose and turn it into a fat-burning machine. So don’t be afraid of fat — it’s what will help you reach your weight loss goals! 

People often not eat enough fat when they start keto because our society has been conditioned to believe that fats will make you fat.

Since you’re limiting carb intake on keto, it’s important that you’re replacing those calories with calories from fats. If you aren’t getting enough calories, it can impair your hormone function and metabolism in the long term[*]. You’ll also feel more lethargic because you aren’t providing your body with enough micro and macronutrients.

In addition, your body needs increased dietary fat to prime your metabolism to burn fats as a main source of energy, also known as ketosis. If you’re a beginner to keto, you’ll need to consume more fats than experienced keto-ers as this will help your body get used to using ketones as a new fuel source

All fats are not created equal and because fats are the foundation of the ketogenic diet, it’s crucial that you’re consuming the right fat sources.

Healthy fats to eat on keto include:

Animal fats, preferably from pastured or grass-fed animals

Olive oil

Monounsaturated fats, like from avocado

Coconut oil

Avoid these unhealthy fats:

Cotton seed oil

Grapeseed oil

Safflower oil

Margarine

Canola oil

Processed vegetable oils

Any trans fats

2. Accidentally eating hidden carbs 

We get it, it’s hard to say no to everything carb related on the keto diet, but those sneaky carbs are what often pushes you out of ketosis or makes it difficult to lose weight. Ketologic explains where hidden carbs show up and what you can do to avoid eating them. 

There are lots of foods which appear to be low-carb, but aren’t. Hidden carbs can be found in condiments, sauces, and salad dressings (tomato sauce, ketchup, and Thousand Island dressing are good examples). Always check the nutrition information before trying a new food, just in case it has hidden carbs or sugar. It only takes a second to skim the label, and it can be the difference between losing weight or not.

Perfect Keto adds to Ketologic’s thoughts about hidden carbs by stating that it’s important not to confuse low carb with getting into ketosis (when your body burns fat). It’s essential to monitor your carb intake and watch how your body responds. If you’re still losing weight, that’s great, but there is always room for improvement. 

In the US, food labels have “total carbs” that include fiber content. In Europe, that’s not the case. Net carbs doesn’t count fiber. Why? Fiber is non-impact or low-impact carbs with low GI (glycemic index) that don’t affect your blood sugar levels. They’re slowly digested and released into your bloodstream in a sustained period, making them perfect for meeting your everyday energy needs for physical challenges and mental alertness.

The tricky part is this: when beginners confuse low-carb as synonymous with ketogenic diet, and “net carbs” end up NOT counting carbs from veggies, proteins, and the carbs and sugar alcohols often found in “carb-free,” “sugar-free” foods.

Low-carb is not low enough. They all count if you want to get into ketosis.

Hidden carbs are everywhere, sometimes innocent, sometimes not. Many believe that as long as you cook your own meals and avoid processed food, you’ll avoid hidden carbs. Not really. For example, you could be making your own tacos, including the chips and sauce, and you could still be racking up the same amount of carbs as if they were all store-bought.

Especially for beginners, hidden carbs lurk in “healthy” options, like sugar-free foods.

SUGAR ALCOHOLS/ALTERNATIVES

Sugar alcohols, also called “the polyols,” are in everything labeled “sugar-free” and even “carb-free.” They’re not zero-carb and some of them are associated with insulin spikes and increased blood sugar levels.

SEASONING AND SAUCES

You already know to steer clear of sweet sauces, but other flavorings, no matter how healthy (and delicious!), add up to your carb count daily and may be the source of uncalculated carbs. Count them in!

SUPPLEMENTS AND PROTEIN BARS

Anything coated, chewable or flavored are loaded with carbs. If you have to take 2, you would have popped about 7g of carbs before you’ve even had breakfast! Protein bars are jam-packed with carbs. Stay in ketosis even while you continue with your workout.

3. Being too focused on losing weight

Similarly, another mistake to avoid is to not only focus on losing weight. Dr. Axe reminds dieters that not only does the keto diet help you lose weight, but it provides many other benefits as well. It can help treat PCOS, help prevent disease, and help you feel better overall. 

Weight loss goes way beyond what you’re putting on your plate. In fact, other factors like sleep deprivation, physical inactivity and even stress can actually hold you back from reaching your keto diet weight loss goals.

If you gained weight on keto and nothing seems to be working, you may also want to consider consulting your doctor to see if other underlying factors may be at play. Medical issues like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), hypothyroidism and insulin resistance, for example, can all contribute to weight gain.

Carb Manager also discusses how the scale may not always be accurate, and it may vary week to week. Don’t get discouraged if you gain a few pounds or don’t get the immediate results you had hoped. There are many other benefits to this low carb diet besides just losing weight. 

Although the ketogenic diet is known for its tremendous weight loss benefits, the scale doesn’t always depict an accurate reading.

When you first start keto, you’ll experience water weight loss during the first few days. But once your body has adjusted to this new way of eating, it will retain some water.

Checking your weight multiple times a day will only discourage you from sticking with the ketogenic diet because weights naturally fluctuate.

A better metric to measure is your overall body composition and body fat levels. If you’re slowly gaining muscle and losing body fat over time, then you’re on the right track, even if your scale says otherwise.

Steps to take:

1. Add more fat to your diet 

Now that you know which mistakes to avoid, there are a few steps you can take to improve your diet. Dr. Axe reminds us to eat more fat, which is the driving factor on keto to losing weight. Remember we said earlier not to be afraid of fat? Well, it’s true, and it’s okay to add more fat to your diet. Here are some ideas below:  

Healthy fats like coconut oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, avocados and extra-virgin olive oil are all great options to help supply your body with the fuel it needs to function and thrive. Ideally, about 75 percent of daily calories should come from these heart-healthy sources of fat.

Diet Doctor also mentions that you should eat fat to feel full, but that doesn’t mean you have to starve yourself. The beauty of going on a high-fat diet is that you will naturally feel full, which makes “dieting” all the easier. 

Eat enough fat to feel satisfied. A keto low-carb diet is normally a high-fat diet.53 This is the big difference between a keto diet and starvation, that also results in ketosis. A keto diet is sustainable, but starvation is not.

When starving you’re likely to feel tired and hungry and give up, but a ketogenic diet is sustainable and can make you feel great.55 So eat enough to feel satisfied, and if you’re hungry all the time, you should probably add more fat to your meals (like more butter, more olive oil, etc.).

2. Stick to a new, healthy lifestyle 

Dr. Axe reminds us how important it is to stick to a healthy lifestyle, and you can do this by getting exercise, taking care of your mental health, and setting up a sleep schedule. 

In addition to making some simple swaps to your diet, you should also be sure to make a few modifications to your daily routine as well. Besides following a healthy keto diet for weight loss, make sure to minimize stress levels, set a sleep schedule and get regular physical activity.

Diet Doctor goes into further detail in regards to healthy habits. Did you know that if you’re not getting enough sleep that may affect weight loss? Stick to a schedule, and you’ll likely see positive results. 

Add exercise – adding any kind of physical activity while on low carb can increase ketone levels moderately. It can also help speed up weight loss and diabetes type 2 reversal slightly.59 Exercise is not necessary to get into ketosis, but it may be helpful.

Sleep enough – for most people at least seven hours per night on average – and keep stress under control. Sleep deprivation and stress hormones raise blood sugar levels, slowing ketosis and weight loss a bit. Plus they might make it harder to stick to a keto diet, and resist temptations. So while handling sleep and stress will not get you into ketosis on it’s own, it’s still worth thinking about.

Avoid snacking when not hungry. Eating more often than you need, just eating for fun and because there’s food around, reduces ketosis and slows down weight loss. Though using keto snacks will minimize the damage, and is fine when you’re hungry.

Read the Body Reboot book and find out how the keto diet is helping people reach their weight loss goals while improving their health simultaneously! This high-fat, low carb diet can expedite weight loss and make it possible for you to make healthy decisions moving forward. Visit this page, help us cover shipping, and get a free copy before they’re all gone! 

Sources: Dr. Axe, Diet Doctor, Carb Manager, Keto Logic