10 REASONS KETO IS HARD!
Call them road blocks, barriers to entry or just plain challenges but several things may pop into your mind when you sit down to think about getting started on keto or getting focused on tightening up your ketogenic plan. They are the things that cause fear, confusion and maybe even a little anxiety.
Today I am getting into ten of the top reasons people say keto is hard and sharing advice on managing each one to help get you over that barrier!
The Dreaded Keto Flu
Hands down the number one fear or hesitation around going keto is “I don’t want to deal with the Keto Flu.” I won’t mince words, the supposed “Keto Flu” is a name given to a congregation of easily navigated issues that many people claim are inevitable when starting a ketogenic diet. This is not true! This “flu” is most often experienced when someone starts keto and is not properly hydrating, ie. Getting enough water & electrolytes. Doing so alleviates most concerns about headaches, cramps, nausea and low energy. There is a point during fat adaptation where you may feel weaker in terms of gym performance due to your body getting the message that you’re using fat for fuel now and not carbs. This is not something that lasts weeks but usually a day at most. And being conscious of that lowering your expectations for performance that day will help, especially since the following day you will feel energized!
“I Can’t Live Without…”
One the most common reasons I hear as a coach for someone saying they can’t do keto is “I’d do it but I can’t live without bread… pasta… rice… potatoes… cake…etc.” I have to responses to this one. First, where has all of that food gotten you so far? Seeing changing your relationship as a positive choice for your health is a good thing, not a punishment. Second, there are many different products available now that can serve as a better choice for a ketogenic diet while giving a similar food experience. I am not suggesting you make keto breads and treats a part of your daily regimen but their mindful usage can be a helpful tool for many people looking to stay on plan and to reap the benefits of nutritional ketosis.
The Bathroom
Making a drastic change to way of eating can indeed be disruptive to your digestive system but constipation and diarrhea are not inevitable results. Making slower adjustments to your fat intake and also focusing your carbs on fiber rich vegetables can be smart choices here. Something else at play, especially when focusing on a whole food keto diet is that your frequency of bowel movements may indeed reduce, and this is not constipation. This is a result of consuming foods that produce less material waste. On a Standard American Diet many folk are use to several bathroom trips a day and this is due to a large amount of the food consumed being indigestible.
Macros & Tracking
If nutritional ketosis is the goal, the amount of carbohydrates you consume will need to be reduced and this can often require having to track your intake. This can feel like a daunting task and a heck of a lot of math! Apps like Cronometer can make this easier for sure but this is another barrier that can best be conquered in steps. Starting with paying attention to the total carbohydrate consumption you eat and then eating fat and protein to satiation can be a great starting place for many people. Tracking fat and protein to ensure you are getting enough for your body can be a goal you work towards.
Navigating Fat Itself
Speaking of fat… Many people look at a sample keto meal and think “Why do I need to eat any added fat if I have fat on my body to burn?” Yes, the caloric impact of fat needs to be considered but the reality is that dietary fat consumption is about so much more than just calories. On a ketogenic diet you are using the fat on your body and dietary fat for energy, for one thing, but more so the fat on your plate plays an essential role in providing the building blocks for many important hormones in your body, like testosterone and estrogen! Fat is also very satiating and provides slower burning fuel than carbohydrates. A well formulated ketogenic diet includes reduced carbohydrates, enough protein to support your lean body mass, and enough fat to give you the energy you need to get through the day! If you have started keto and are still dealing with low energy and rampant cravings, your fat intake being too low may be the culprit!
It’ll Ruin My Performance
Above I mentioned that during the fat adaptation phase you may experience a day or two of lower energy in the gym, but many people are concerned that this will be something they deal with consistently. Most popular media messages are about the need for carbs to fuel workouts but the reality is then when you are fat adapted you may be surprised to see your energy and performance improve. This recent study gets deeper into the assumed need for pre-workout carbohydrates, check it out! https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39308061/
Worries About Ketoacidosis
“My neighbor says that restricting carbs will lead to ketoacidosis!” Ketoacidosis is not ketosis. Ketosis is the process by which your body is breaking down fats into ketones as a source of fuel. Ketoacidosis is serious condition most often developed in individuals with Type 1 Diabetes when their body is overproducing ketones and cannot produce insulin to manage them. In a healthy individual who is not persistently starving themselves, a ketogenic diet will not lead to ketoacidosis. The fear is unfounded. This article from our friends at Keto Chow is a great explanation of this! https://ketochow.xyz/blog/can-a-keto-diet-cause-ketoacidosis
Too Restrictive
From an outside perspective, the elimination of many foods that usually fill our plates (like bread, pasta, etc.) can seem like a choice that is very restrictive. I want to counter this with a perspective you may not expect. Yes, keto is restrictive, but in reality, all diets that promote weight loss or increased health are restrictive in one way or another. Restriction by purposeful choice is very different that restriction from a perspective of punishment. On keto, you are reducing and restricting your intake of carbohydrates with intention! Whether your goals include weight loss, mental clarity, increases in energy or reduction of food cravings, you are making choices that serve you! I have an entire blog dedicated to this topic, check it out here!
Not Sustainable
Sustainable is a buzz word you will often hear thrown around when people talk about why they don’t want to start a keto diet. Another word used in that context is impossible. “You can’t live without bread forever!” The truth though? You can actually live without bread, and thrive! Many people do. The other question I pose here when I hear this concern is, “If following a ketogenic diet allows you to achieve your goals in a way that feels more manageable than other attempts, if eating a ketogenic diet makes you not only feel good but shows measurable healthy results for your body, what reason would you have to not sustain it?” If making change brings you to the life you want to live, why would you want to undo that change? Being mindful of your results and what has brought them to you is a powerful factor is managing feelings of something being unsustainable! And I’ll share another secret, it is indeed possible to achieve your results and find a lifestyle that allows you to thrive with the occasional mindful choice to have something that is “off plan.”
Too Boring
Lastly, I often hear that one of the major factors that leads folk who are having success on a ketogenic diet to stray from that path is that they find their food choices boring. This boredom is not at all a result of the options on a ketogenic diet but more so from a mindset of ease and comfort in food choices. It is very easy, on any diet, to get yourself into a rut when it comes to your meals. This can be conquered usually by taking a deep breath and pulling out your phone! There are literally 1,000s of keto recipes out there that can introduce variety into your routine and allow you to hit your macronutrient targets. Instead of suggesting just one recipe site to look at, my trick is to simple take a food or dish you have been thinking about or missing and Google it with the word keto attached. Undoubtably someone else has already created a recipe that you can use! Being open to seeing meal planning as more than just checking boxes on a keto food list can open your eyes to a world of variety that you did not know existed. That said, keto is more than just red meat, fat and green vegetables too! Check out our extensive shopping list to see that you may indeed have more choices to stock your fridge and pantry than you first thought!
I hope this dive into the challenges of starting and maintaining a ketogenic diet has been helpful! It may have raised questions for yourself or even more challenges you personally are considering that you could use some help navigating! This is okay! Set up a free call with a coach now to talk through it.