It's true that it's important to eat food with a lot of fat while in ketosis, but it's a myth when you hear that the more fat you eat the more fat you will burn. The goal is to burn body fat and not just the dietary fat, and in order to do that, you need an equal amount of protein and hardly any carbs to make this diet succeed.

Finding a balance is important and it's also vital to stay away from sugar. There are things you should be eating and then there are other things you shouldn't be eating such as a ton of carbohydrates since you are obviously on a low-carb diet.

Now, what about fat? You may be wondering just how much fat is okay and when you're taking it a little too far. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind while you're increasing your protein and fat intake and staying away from the carbs.

Fat and the Ketogenic Diet
Some people seem to be under the conception that with ketogenic diets, the more fat you eat, and the more fat you will burn.

That is a myth.

So don’t just turn up the coconut oil bottle like a diet cola and glug away.

If you eat too much fat, you will be burning off only the dietary fat you consume, not burning your own body fat, which is the ultimate goal for most people.

With the ketogenic diet, however, your purpose is to eat very low carbohydrate, moderate protein, and higher fat—not lots and lots of fat.

What I’ve found is what works best is a diet of 0 sugar, unlimited vegetables, and between 20 and 40 grams of fat per meal.

The Importance of Vegetables and Lemon
First, I want to stress the important of eating an abundance of vegetables with this way of eating.

With a ketogenic diet, you must eat a lot of vegetables. Why? Well, not only do you get some low and healthy carbohydrate from vegetables (and necessary nutrients, of course), vegetable carbs also help keep you from becoming overly fatigued.

However, just as crucial to know about is that eating a lot of vegetables is important for maintaining a healthy PH level in the body. See, when you eat a ketogenic diet, all those ketones create a lot of acid in the system which raises your overall PH level in the body.

Getting into Fat-Burning Mode
The other thing I recommend you do is to begin working your way up to your daily recommendation of fat gradually. If you add lots of fat too quickly, you’ll overwhelm your gall bladder, and you can end up with right shoulder pain and bloating.

How Much Fat You Need with the Ketogenic Diet, Daily
Now let’s talk about how much fat you will need to consume on this diet.

You’re supposed to take in anywhere from 20 to 40 grams of fat a meal for the ketogenic diet. However, if you are a smallish person, especially one who is new to the keto way of eating, you’ll want only 20 grams of fat a meal.

Likewise, a much larger person will need more like 40 gram of fat a meal.

An average-sized person will eventually want to consume about 30 grams a meal, but when you’re new to the diet, remember to go slowly and give your body time to adjust to this new food source: fat!

Dr. Berg's suggestion about working up to a daily recommendation of fat is important because no one wants to experience gut issues or overwhelm their gallbladder. Just stay around 20 to 40 grams of fat per meal and you should be good to go. However, it also depends on your body size, so keep that in mind. As you lose weight you may want to decrease your fat intake as necessary.

Remember, it's a smart idea to listen to your body and use discretion when eating protein and fat. You know your body better than anyone so you should use how you're feeling as a guide. Find recipes and high protein meals that work well for you and use the benefits of keto to your advantage. In time you should see lasting results.

For more on how to implement fat into your diet, head to Dr. Berg.