6 Mistakes I Made Starting The Ketogenic Diet

Have you ever been so excited to start something that you kind of jump into it headfirst with little to no preparation or research?  Well Hello, My name is Amanda and I am a fellow over enthusiast!

I was overweight and feeling like crap and decided to try the ketogenic diet because it seemed to be a miracle diet for most that tried it.  Although I no longer follow a strict ketogenic “diet” per se, I do feel that if done in a healthy way it can be a great way to regulate blood sugars, gain energy and yes lose weight.

Want to learn more specifics of the ketogenic diet check out my post The Ketogenic Diet

So I  want to share the mistakes I made so that you can avoid the misery I went through in the beginning.

Keto Mistake #1 Electrolytes, Electrolytes, and Electrolytes!

If it wasn’t clear from the header let me make my point again.  YOU MUST BALANCE YOUR ELECTROLYTES! More specifically Potassium, Sodium, and Magnesium.   Now when I was doing my rushed research on the ketogenic diet I ran across literature about the Keto Flu and thought that I had a pretty good grasp on how to avoid it.  I did not.

 

What I Experienced

 

Fatigue

I had muscle weakness and could barely bring myself to muster the energy to get out of the car. I had trouble walking up the stairs,  and could hardly finish my shifts at work.

Potassium and magnesium are especially important electrolytes regarding nerve impulses and muscle contraction, so an imbalance can make a simple task like walking up a flight of stairs feel like scaling a mountain.

 

Body Aches

 

 

 

 

Heart Palpitations

This is why it is so important to consult your doctor before you make any drastic dietary changes or changes to an exercise regimen, especially if you have cardiac issues.  Potassium and magnesium are critical drugs for proper cardiac electrical conduction and when there is a significant imbalance, worst case scenario you can experience lethal arrhythmias.

 

What Helped Me?

I needed to replenish my electrolytes so bought:

No Salt– No Salt is, a potassium salt replacement found in most grocery stores.  I got mine from Walmart and added a ¼ of a tablespoon to my breakfast in the morning. Again if you have any cardiac issues, especially arrhythmia issues consult your MD before trying to fiddle with your electrolytes.    I started using that and pink Himalayan sea salt or Celtic sea salt to heavily season my food. It helped tremendously.

Avocados- Avocados are great sources of healthy fat and potassium so get your guac on. 

Other keto friendly sources include: 

• Salmon
• Spinach 
• Swiss chard
• Coconut water
• Stevia-sweetened dark chocolate 85% or higher (on occasion) 

I also started making this  Electrolyte Lemonade and for convenience ordered an electrolyte water enhancing supplement that I would add to my water and sip throughout the day and that would give my teeth a break from the acidic lemonade.

Mistake #2 Not Drinking Enough Water

This and electrolyte imbalance go hand in hand.  Initially, with keto, you will urinate a ton and with water, goes your electrolytes.  I have never been someone who drinks a lot. I just don’t get thirsty until I’m near dehydration, a problem in itself.  Drinking water is one of the best simple ways to improve your metabolic processes.  

Water needs differ from person to person but a good indication of adequate hydration is to observe the color of your urine.  You want to aim for the color of lemonade or lighter.  Dark urine the color of apple juice or darker indicates dehydration.  

Mistake #3 Not Eating Actual Food

Eating enough nutrient dense food is important, especially for women.

In the beginning, I used a Macro Nutrient Calculator that you can find through a Google search and it calculated how many grams of protein, carbohydrate, and fat I should consume in a day along with my calorie limit in order to reach a state of ketosis.

I abandoned using the Macro Nutrient Calculator recommendations after about 3 months because I wasn’t getting enough actual food.   

 I was so concerned with reaching my goals I would drink fatty coffees and use fat bombs instead of eating nutrient-dense food. I was missing out on micronutrients and vitamins that are essential.  

 My fiber intake was extremely low and I suffered from abdominal pain and constipation.

Mistake #4 Starting Intermittent Fasting Too Early

After a couple of months of keto, my appetite decreased significantly.  My blood sugars were more consistent and I wasn’t having those intense cravings so I decided that I could easily transition into  Intermittent Fasting.  Now fasting is a great way to regulate your blood glucose and lose weight but it can be tricky for women because of our delicate hormone balance.  

My IF  start was too aggressive.  I was already eating a lot less due to the loss of appetite then I started with too long of a fasting regimen.

 I didn’t ease into it. I would fast 18-24 hours and when I re-fed I didn’t feast, meaning I didn’t build my nutrient stores back up by eating a high amount of nutrient-dense food, so I was constantly in a state of nutrient depletion.

My hair started falling out in fistfuls.  I was throwing my thyroid all out of whack. I stopped the fasting and after 3 months I noticed my hair returning back to normal.  I made a conscious effort to really make my meals count. They were full of good healthy fats, protein, and veggies.

I only fasted overnight while sleeping and made a conscious effort to have my first meal by 11am.

Mistake #5 Testing My Ketones Too Frequently and at Inconsistent Times of the Day

There are two mistakes I made here.

Firstly, I didn’t check my ketones at the same time of day.  Your ketones will vary throughout the day so I was getting inconsistent readings.   

Secondly, there was no need to check my ketones every day or multiple times a day. It’s expensive for one, and  After a while, you can tell when you are in ketosis.

Checking frequently caused me to obsess. I was wondering if that extra strawberry I had at breakfast was the thing to push me out of ketosis.  Instead of focusing on how I felt after eating, I was stressing about the numbers on a monitor.

Mistake #6 Not Planning My Meals

You have got to plan your meals when you make any dietary change but this is especially important on keto.  In the beginning, as you detox off sugar you are going to have monster cravings. 

Not having food available is a recipe for disaster because you will reach for the most convenient thing which is usually full of refined sugars and rancid fats. 

In the beginning, you are going to need snacks and meal prep ahead of the week.  There were certain items I kept stocked and prepared at all times. 

• nuts
• nut butters
• avocados 
• boiled eggs 
• pre-cooked bacon
• cheese sticks
• bone broth
• fat bombs 

Whenever I made soup, I would make big batches and freeze portions of it so that I would have something already on hand in a pinch. This soup was my staple.

Fat bombs were an occasional treat only used to get me through to the next meal. 

Roasted veggies in a healthy fat are a godsend. Quick, simple, great for meal prep and can be an easy addition to almost any meal.  

Do not let yourself get caught without food.  This is going to involve thinking ahead and planning.  The longer you do it the more your favorite staples will reveal themselves and keeping the house stocked will feel like second nature.  

Any dietary change has its challenges but it helps to know some of the roadblocks initially so you can avoid them.  What are some mistakes you’ve made or issues you’ve run into on keto?  Comment below:)