The Problems With The Keto Diet Solved
The Problems With The Keto Diet Solved
If, like me, you’ve spent most of your adult life looking
for that one diet that will work for you, then you must have come across the
Ketogenic (or Keto) Diet.
It has actually been around for decades but has never been as popular or talked about than it is now.
There are thousands of online resources, plans, articles, reviews and so on, that all promote the benefits of the Keto Diet.
It might not be for everyone – I have another article on finding a diet that suits you – but for those who have used the Keto Diet to lose a lot of weight, there is no better diet.
That’s not to say the Keto Diet doesn’t have its detractors or obstacles that the serious dieter needs to overcome. But there are answers and solutions available.
So, in this article, I’ll be looking at:
• The Keto Diet Basics
• How Does The Keto Diet Work?
• My Keto Experience
• The Problems With The Keto Diet - Keto Flu
• The Problems With The Keto Diet - Boring Diet
• The Problems With The Keto Diet - Socializing
Some of these are a bit too technical for the average person, like me.
So, I’ll try to summarize it as simply as I can.
The Keto Diet is a low-carb, high fat diet. You can eat fatty foods but need to avoid any foods with even a medium amount of carbohydrates (basically sugar).
This means that bread, pasta, rice and most traditional snacks (like chips and cookies) are totally barred from it.
Drinks-wise most spirits are fine as is the odd glass of wine. But beer is pretty much on the banned list. Diet soda is fine as is coffee or tea. Obviously, water is the best thing to drink on any diet.
You’ll also be surprised at how many carbs are in some fruits and vegetables. Although, green vegetables are usually fine.
It’s easy to get fixated on what you can’t eat, and that puts a lot of people off the diet straight away.
However, you should concentrate on what you can eat.
Meat, Cheese, Fish and Eggs are the staples of the Keto Diet. If you aren’t keen on these foods, then you will struggle.
If you have a high-carb diet, like most people do these days, then that can cause weight gain unless you are burning all the carbs off with exercise.
If you deprive your body from carbs, then it will start to fuel itself with the fat it has stored away for this very reason. This is called “Ketosis” – when your body becomes a fat-burning machine.
Even if you are eating a fair amount of fatty food during the day, your body will still need some from your fat stores. So, by eating fat, you lose fat.
Sounds weird, I know, but that’s how the Keto Diet works.
And fatty food keeps you feeling full, unlike sugary food which always leaves you wanting more.
And, like a lot of people, I lost a few lbs in the first few weeks but fell off the wagon fairly quickly and put it all back on.
Years later, and with a lot of weight gained in the meantime, I tried the Keto Diet again.
This time was different. Thanks mainly to the sheer amount of Internet resources available to keep me on the right path.
I’m happy to say that I have stuck with it for over a year now and lost an impressive amount – just over 100lbs as of the writing of this article.
And I’ve done that without ever feeling hungry and with zero exercise (which suits me fine).
So, it will come as no surprise that I am an advocate for the diet. Especially for those of us who find the “eat less and exercise more” approach difficult or impossible.
But that’s not to say it has all been plain sailing. There have been problems which could have derailed my Keto Diet success.
When you start the diet and cut out the Carbs, you go through a type of withdrawal from sugar.
You have probably given your body a steady stream of sugar all your life. And when you deprive yourself of sugar, your body doesn’t like it.
Once your body has used up any carbs it had when you start the Keto Diet, it would rather get more than start burning fat. The result is the Keto Flu.
It usually starts when you are a few days into your new diet.
It can manifest itself as headaches, light-headedness and generally just feeling crappy.
It is mild for some and worse for others. And it also may only last a day for some and a few days for others.
It can really put you off sticking with the diet. Something that makes you feel bad can’t be beneficial after all, right?
I had it pretty bad for about 2 days but the encouragement of others on the Internet got me through.
The secret is to look at it as a positive.
It is a sign that you are going into the state of “Ketosis” that is necessary for the diet to start working.
You are doing it right.
Once you are passed it, you will feel a lot better and know you are losing weight.
The thought that you will need to go through it again if you come off the diet, can also be a motivator to stay on it.
Is it worth a day of feeling ill just to have a pizza? Probably not, I hope.
I found this eBook very helpful when it came to dealing with the Keto Flu.
But after a few weeks, despite amazing weight loss, I started to dwell on my limited diet options.
I had never been much of a cook, unless you count microwaving stuff as cooking.
The thought of a bacon sandwich was haunting me. Would I never have one again?
Again, the Interweb came to the rescue.
Thanks to people who did like to cook, there are loads of easy Keto recipes out there.
I even managed a passable bread and an actually quite nice pizza base.
You might need some exotic sounding ingredients (like xylitol and flaxseed) but they are more available than ever – even just from Amazon.
These cookbooks are a god-send.
I first experienced it when I went out for a burger with my sister – ironically to celebrate me losing 30lbs on the diet.
I felt a bit awkward ordering the Steak Burger with no bun. But I surprised when the waitress said, “are you on the Keto Diet?”
They were happy to comply and even threw in some crispy bacon for me.
It was great.
You will have to explain to people that it isn’t the kind of diet you can “take a break” from. Even to treat yourself.
Remember if you eat the fries, you might need to go through the Keto Flu again. Is it worth it?
Bacon is better anyway.
Drinking may be more difficult to manage.
As I said earlier, beer is too high in carbs to indulge in. You might get away with one, if you have been strict with your carbs. Or a couple of glasses of wine.
Spirits like whiskey and gin have generally zero carbs, surprisingly enough. So, you can have a Jack and Diet Coke, no problem.
Just be aware that your resolve to stick to the diet might be compromised if you get drunk.
Also, if you have abstained for a long time, the alcohol might affect you more. I had two glasses of wine after months of no booze, and I felt like I’d had two bottles.
I don’t have a particularly sweet-tooth, but even I found myself looking at the dessert’s others were having with some envy.
Again, the geniuses in the Internet had worked it all out for me.
I was surprised to find that chocolate with a high cocoa percentage actually has relatively few carbs. You can easily incorporate it into your diet.
Either having a couple of blocks a day or using it in recipes – or even a cup of Hot Chocolate.
There are some great ideas in here.
It has actually been around for decades but has never been as popular or talked about than it is now.
There are thousands of online resources, plans, articles, reviews and so on, that all promote the benefits of the Keto Diet.
It might not be for everyone – I have another article on finding a diet that suits you – but for those who have used the Keto Diet to lose a lot of weight, there is no better diet.
That’s not to say the Keto Diet doesn’t have its detractors or obstacles that the serious dieter needs to overcome. But there are answers and solutions available.
So, in this article, I’ll be looking at:
• The Keto Diet Basics
• How Does The Keto Diet Work?
• My Keto Experience
• The Problems With The Keto Diet - Keto Flu
• The Problems With The Keto Diet - Boring Diet
• The Problems With The Keto Diet - Socializing
The Keto Diet Basics
There are loads of resources that can go into exactly how the Keto Diet works. Written by people who understand the science behind it and with professional qualifications.Some of these are a bit too technical for the average person, like me.
So, I’ll try to summarize it as simply as I can.
The Keto Diet is a low-carb, high fat diet. You can eat fatty foods but need to avoid any foods with even a medium amount of carbohydrates (basically sugar).
This means that bread, pasta, rice and most traditional snacks (like chips and cookies) are totally barred from it.
Drinks-wise most spirits are fine as is the odd glass of wine. But beer is pretty much on the banned list. Diet soda is fine as is coffee or tea. Obviously, water is the best thing to drink on any diet.
You’ll also be surprised at how many carbs are in some fruits and vegetables. Although, green vegetables are usually fine.
It’s easy to get fixated on what you can’t eat, and that puts a lot of people off the diet straight away.
However, you should concentrate on what you can eat.
Meat, Cheese, Fish and Eggs are the staples of the Keto Diet. If you aren’t keen on these foods, then you will struggle.
How Does The Keto Diet Work?
To put it simply, your body gets energy really easily from carbs. It will naturally use carbs to keep you going and store fat for a rainy day.If you have a high-carb diet, like most people do these days, then that can cause weight gain unless you are burning all the carbs off with exercise.
If you deprive your body from carbs, then it will start to fuel itself with the fat it has stored away for this very reason. This is called “Ketosis” – when your body becomes a fat-burning machine.
Even if you are eating a fair amount of fatty food during the day, your body will still need some from your fat stores. So, by eating fat, you lose fat.
Sounds weird, I know, but that’s how the Keto Diet works.
And fatty food keeps you feeling full, unlike sugary food which always leaves you wanting more.
My Keto Experience
Like a lot of serial dieters, I tried the Atkins diet back in the day. The Atkins Diet is basically the Keto Diet that we all know today.And, like a lot of people, I lost a few lbs in the first few weeks but fell off the wagon fairly quickly and put it all back on.
Years later, and with a lot of weight gained in the meantime, I tried the Keto Diet again.
This time was different. Thanks mainly to the sheer amount of Internet resources available to keep me on the right path.
I’m happy to say that I have stuck with it for over a year now and lost an impressive amount – just over 100lbs as of the writing of this article.
And I’ve done that without ever feeling hungry and with zero exercise (which suits me fine).
So, it will come as no surprise that I am an advocate for the diet. Especially for those of us who find the “eat less and exercise more” approach difficult or impossible.
But that’s not to say it has all been plain sailing. There have been problems which could have derailed my Keto Diet success.
The Problems With The Keto Diet – The Keto Flu
The first issue most, but not all, people face is the dreaded Keto Flu.When you start the diet and cut out the Carbs, you go through a type of withdrawal from sugar.
You have probably given your body a steady stream of sugar all your life. And when you deprive yourself of sugar, your body doesn’t like it.
Once your body has used up any carbs it had when you start the Keto Diet, it would rather get more than start burning fat. The result is the Keto Flu.
It usually starts when you are a few days into your new diet.
It can manifest itself as headaches, light-headedness and generally just feeling crappy.
It is mild for some and worse for others. And it also may only last a day for some and a few days for others.
It can really put you off sticking with the diet. Something that makes you feel bad can’t be beneficial after all, right?
I had it pretty bad for about 2 days but the encouragement of others on the Internet got me through.
The secret is to look at it as a positive.
It is a sign that you are going into the state of “Ketosis” that is necessary for the diet to start working.
You are doing it right.
Once you are passed it, you will feel a lot better and know you are losing weight.
The thought that you will need to go through it again if you come off the diet, can also be a motivator to stay on it.
Is it worth a day of feeling ill just to have a pizza? Probably not, I hope.
I found this eBook very helpful when it came to dealing with the Keto Flu.
The Problems With The Keto Diet – The Boring Diet
At first it seemed like the diet would be perfect for me. Bacon, eggs, lamb chops, chicken, cheese. How could it go wrong?But after a few weeks, despite amazing weight loss, I started to dwell on my limited diet options.
I had never been much of a cook, unless you count microwaving stuff as cooking.
The thought of a bacon sandwich was haunting me. Would I never have one again?
Again, the Interweb came to the rescue.
Thanks to people who did like to cook, there are loads of easy Keto recipes out there.
I even managed a passable bread and an actually quite nice pizza base.
You might need some exotic sounding ingredients (like xylitol and flaxseed) but they are more available than ever – even just from Amazon.
These cookbooks are a god-send.
The Problems With The Keto Diet – Socializing
Probably the biggest obstacle to any type of diet is sticking to it when you go out with friends and family.I first experienced it when I went out for a burger with my sister – ironically to celebrate me losing 30lbs on the diet.
I felt a bit awkward ordering the Steak Burger with no bun. But I surprised when the waitress said, “are you on the Keto Diet?”
They were happy to comply and even threw in some crispy bacon for me.
It was great.
You will have to explain to people that it isn’t the kind of diet you can “take a break” from. Even to treat yourself.
Remember if you eat the fries, you might need to go through the Keto Flu again. Is it worth it?
Bacon is better anyway.
Drinking may be more difficult to manage.
As I said earlier, beer is too high in carbs to indulge in. You might get away with one, if you have been strict with your carbs. Or a couple of glasses of wine.
Spirits like whiskey and gin have generally zero carbs, surprisingly enough. So, you can have a Jack and Diet Coke, no problem.
Just be aware that your resolve to stick to the diet might be compromised if you get drunk.
Also, if you have abstained for a long time, the alcohol might affect you more. I had two glasses of wine after months of no booze, and I felt like I’d had two bottles.
The Problems With The Keto Diet – Sweet Tooth
It goes without saying, that any diet will curb the ability to eat sweet things.I don’t have a particularly sweet-tooth, but even I found myself looking at the dessert’s others were having with some envy.
Again, the geniuses in the Internet had worked it all out for me.
I was surprised to find that chocolate with a high cocoa percentage actually has relatively few carbs. You can easily incorporate it into your diet.
Either having a couple of blocks a day or using it in recipes – or even a cup of Hot Chocolate.
There are some great ideas in here.
The Problems With The Keto Diet – Is It Healthy?
One of the main objections you will hear from people, is that the Keto Diet is unhealthy.
I am no Doctor, but I have consulted with my own doctor who has told me that, although a high-fat diet isn’t generally recommended, the weight loss more than balances the negatives out.
Losing 100lbs is far better for me than the high-fat intake is bad.
So as long as I am losing weight, I will be sticking with it.
If you have any worries about it, you should consult your own doctor and check out this resource about nutritional supplements you might find beneficial.
One thing I did find was that I wasn’t getting enough fiber in my diet.
Things like cereals are unfortunately high in carbs and getting enough fiber from vegetables alone was hard. Let’s just say I wasn’t as “regular” as I had been.
But I found out that ground flaxseed was, basically, all fiber with zero carbs.
Adding a spoonful to just about anything topped up my fiber to their previous levels – and probably more. Another Keto Diet problem easily solved.
Getting The Keto Diet Working
With all the resources available online, there is no reason to let the issues you will face on the Keto Diet from preventing you sticking to it.Some of them are free and some cost a few dollars. But if they help you stick to it and lose the kind of weight I have, then they are definitely worth it.
My main reasons for loving this diet is the fact that, as I mentioned, I have never been left hungry and I haven’t increased my exercise at all.
And the weight just disappears.
And after a year, I don’t even miss pasta, rice, fries or bread. OK I’m lying about the bread. But at least with some of these recipes I can have a go at Keto bread.
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Good Luck with your diet.
Good Luck with your diet.
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