LET’S TALK MISTAKES

Coach Mike here! In this new blog I want to explore some missteps that beginners can often make when starting a ketogenic diet. I initially intended to make this one of those lean and mean “Top 5” lists but as I worked through it I realized that not only did I want too include 6 topics but that these topics are themselves nuanced. So right now I will be sharing my perspective on why these choices might be mistakes when getting started but may be more complicated than just a witty header.

Wasting Money On “Keto” Supplements

For years there have been individuals online sharing promotions for products or supplements that offer an “easy jumpstart to ketosis” or even imply increased weight loss if you buy them. You can now find many of these products in drug stores and supermarkets. They can consist of a variety of herbs, vitamins and even exogenous dietary ketones. The reality is most of if not all of these supplements are a waste of money for someone just beginning their journey. And trust me, they are expensive! The “easiest” way to get your body into ketosis and fat burning mode is through dietary changes. Focus on those big blocks in your eating before worrying about the minuscule percentage points of different an expensive supplement may offer.

Cheat Meals

I have said this before on my podcast and social media but one of the biggest red flags for me that a client may not be ready to work on lasting change is if one of their first questions upon discussing nutrition is “When can I have a cheat meal?” From this angle, we are dealing with a mindset mistake. Starting a new way of eating, like keto, and already wondering when you can “cheat” on your diet before you get started should be concerning. It may relate to the eating plan you are choosing or just your mindset in general. Your actions should reflect the goals you have defined, not an immediate pause in working towards those goals.

The other side of this point is the biological impact of a cheat meal on your progress and digestion. You may find that your body doesn’t enjoy those foods as much as you remember and may even see some rapid “weight gain” from the water your body holds to process the increased carbohydrate load. This is may be okay if you are in a place where you feel you can make an intentional choice and resume your plan immediately following it but often when we start a diet that is not so easy, and the emotional reaction to seeing a scale bump (water not fat!) may end up causing more stress than the experience was worth. My advice is always two fold, first be consistent for 30 days on your plan before you consider making a choice like this. And second, be sure it is an intentional choice where you have thought through how you will handle potential consequences and also resume your path. And as you may have seen me share before, remove “cheat meal” from your vocabulary and see your food as an active choice you make.

Misplacing Keto Treats

Now I do not mean losing your keto treats after you buy them when I say misplacing. Instead I meant knowing the place of ketogenic treats on your plan. I think it is a normal impulse when getting started to think, “Let me buy all the copies of the foods I love because it will make this easier!” And this is one of the topics I see as truly nuanced because if having a treat made with keto friendly ingredients (side note: many of these products aren’t actually keto friendly because there is no label regulation, so they are often high carb and contain more than one kind of sugar) might be helpful in keeping you on track. I think it is more often the case that we buy keto analogs of foods we have trouble self regulating and find that just because the cookie is made with almond flour we can’t magically control our consumption. What a surprise! Our brain sees and smells a cookie, so it wants cookies the way we are accustomed to them, ie. rapidly and in high quantities. And often these treats are just not as good as we anticipate them being so they don’t scratch the proverbial itch and drive further cravings. My advice here is be honest with yourself. If you know you can’t usually stop at one, of whatever the item is, maybe don’t bring that item in to your kitchen immediately. These items can have a time and place, like at a birthday celebration and holiday, but should be approached as “sometimes” foods and daily occurrences.

Drinking Too Much Fat

You know the team at The Keto Road sees the importance of dietary fat and its consumption. That said, too often keto beginners will over consume their caloric and fat needs by loading every cup of coffee with hundreds of calories in cream, butter, MCT oil, coconut oil and more. While tasty and a great source of an energy boost, if you do this 3-4 times a day on top of your meals you may find that you are not seeing any scale movement. And to be as delicate as possible, you may find that your bathroom “movements” become disrupted as well from your level of fat consumption changing rapidly. If you do plan to enjoy a “fatty coffee” do so in a planned fashion that is in line with your targets. Keto is not a “eat as much fat as you like and you’ll still lose weight” diet, regardless of what you have heard. The final point of this blog expands on this concept a bit more.

Improper Hydration

The “keto flu” you hear everyone talk about is not an inevitable consequence of starting a ketogenic diet. What is actually occurring is a side effect of your body switching from carbohydrates as its main fuel source to fat. When this is occurring your body will flush out water and the resultant electrolytes at a greater rate. These “flu” symptoms are actually dehydration and electrolyte loss. You can stave off these feelings by consuming enough water and getting enough sodium, potassium, and magnesium your body needs. A great way to start handling this is upping your water intake and salting your food well. When you switch from a standard American diet to keto you are naturally eliminating a lot of foods that already contain a high sodium content, so while salting the food you are preparing now may seem odd, you are providing your body with an essential mineral. Check out this page for symptoms you may not be getting enough electrolytes.

Not Caring About Calories

If weight loss is one of your goals, caloric restriction is going to be a part of your process inevitably. Too often you hear people say, “You can eat as much keto friendly as food as you want and you lose weight. Don’t ever restrict!” There is some truth to this in that eating a ketogenic diet involves carbohydrate restriction which reduces the impact and occurrence of blood sugar swings, and also eating protein and fat primarily which are incredibly satiating macronutrients. For many folk getting started this mean you will feel full or satiated more easily as your body adapts to the diet. And depending on the amount of weight you need to lose you may find that as long as you pay attention to carbohydrates, you never need to actually track your overall caloric intake. But make no mistake, if you did you would find you are in a caloric deficit. Keto makes achieving and maintaining that deficit easier for many individuals. You may find you reach a point though where you do need to track everything you are eating to ensure you are in a proper deficit to achieve your goals. I can tell you from personal experience and from client work that it is possible to consume more food than your body needs eating lower carbs or even carnivore. So understand that when you do experience a true weight loss stall (at least a month of no movement) it may be you are eating too much food in general even if your carbohydrate consumption has not changed. This can be confusing for sure and is one of the great reasons that coaches exist. It is something that my coach (Coach Jon!) helped me work out.

There you have my 6 common beginner mistakes on keto. I hope that this has given you a few things to think about and even has generated some questions. I would love to talk to you about them! Hit me up on Instagram at gormygoesketo or email me at mike@theketoroad.com if you want to talk.