I started following the keto diet in 2018, and I lost more than 120 pounds in just under a year.
I got obsessive about reading nutrition labels
When trying to lose weight, it's important to stay in a caloric deficit — when the number of calories consumed is less than the calories the body burns to perform daily functions.
I still track my calories daily, but it's easy to take it too far.
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It got to the point where I'd get anxious if I ate a few too many calories, even if the food itself was relatively healthy.
If I went over my 20 grams of net carbs, it ruined my day
Most low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diets recommend not exceeding 20 grams of net carbohydrates (carbohydrates minus fiber) a day.
That leaves very little room for much of anything besides a few servings of low-carb vegetables. You certainly can't have potatoes, rice, bread, or pasta.
Whenever I exceeded this number, I felt like a failure just because I'd eaten whole-wheat toast or a banana.
I had more binge-eating episodes than I did before keto
Because the keto diet is so restrictive, I would do really well for a while and then inevitably binge when I couldn't handle it anymore.
Instead of indulging in a small baked potato, I'd have to have a large fry.
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This might not be an issue for people who haven't had problems with binge eating, but knowing I can't have something only makes it more alluring.
I relied on the wrong kinds of foods for satiation
I found myself relying on low-carb and sugar-free protein bars, cookies, and sweets as well as high-fat foods like sausage and bacon to feel full on a daily basis.
I knew that protein was important for muscles, but without carbs, I had no choice but to load up on fats to try and stay satiated while enjoying my food.
I ended up with limited food choices and extremely elevated cholesterol levels.
I began to restrict myself a bit too much
I was a bit too encouraged by how quickly the keto diet helped me drop weight, so I started restricting even more. In addition to cutting carbs, I was also eating way fewer calories than I should've been — especially given my weight and activity levels.
I knew I was going overboard, but part of me clung to the success and wanted to keep making things harder for faster results.
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I missed out on healthy, whole foods that weren't keto-friendly
Eating under 20 grams of carbohydrates a day severely limits your dietary choices.
I couldn't eat sweet potatoes, butternut squash, brown rice, quinoa, bananas, oatmeal, beans, and many other delicious foods with suspected health benefits.
I was missing out on some tasty meals and the vitamins, minerals, and other macronutrients those ingredients provide.
I subscribed to the keto 'hive mind' that ignored plenty of science
Many who follow the keto diet insist that it's the best (and only) way to eat. Some believe carbs will kill you and insist that anyone who doesn't follow this way of eating is blind and ignorant to the divine truth they've discovered.
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I know because I was one of them for a while.
But, in reality, keto comes with drawbacks, risks, and cons. And even though this way of eating can benefit people with certain conditions, many nutrition experts still dub it one of the worst diets.
This story was originally published in September 2021 and most recently updated on January 23, 2024.
I started the keto diet in 2018, and within a year, I was able to lose over 120 pounds. Although the diet clearly worked, it made me obsessed with tracking calories and carbs. I ended up over-restricting and binge eating, and I was blind to any science that didn't back keto.
Now, since you're following a high-fat diet, you will probably gain back more fat and less lean muscle—which not only looks and feels different on the body but also burns calories at a slower rate. This can affect your metabolism and make it more difficult to lose weight again in the future.
Many people use the keto diet for weight loss, and there are several reports online of dramatic weight loss shortly after starting the diet. This is likely mostly water weight because as you burn through your carb stores, your body releases the water that was bound to those carbs.
Keto May Lead to High Cholesterol and an Increased Risk of Heart Disease. The ketogenic diet doesn't put a cap on saturated fat, which has been associated with adverse health effects. “Certainly, the quality of fat counts,” says Yawitz. “There's a big difference nutritionally between bacon and almonds.
Yes, even just one carb-rich meal can quickly get you out of ketosis. The carbs eaten on a cheat day will halt the production of ketones immediately until they are all metabolized by the body.
I started the keto diet in 2018, and within a year, I was able to lose over 120 pounds. Although the diet clearly worked, it made me obsessed with tracking calories and carbs. I ended up over-restricting and binge eating, and I was blind to any science that didn't back keto.
Like protein, dietary carbohydrates can be strategically manipulated to ensure you don't lose too much mass on a ketogenic diet. Focus on consuming your carbs around exercise, which ideally should happen sooner rather than later in the day (especially if it's intense).
Experiencing plateaus — or periods when you don't lose weight — is common on any diet, including on the keto diet. Plateauing is partly because your metabolism slows as you lose weight, meaning that you begin to burn fewer calories throughout the day ( 1 ).
The keto diet could cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of heart disease. Strict diets like keto could also cause social isolation or disordered eating. Keto is not safe for those with any conditions involving their pancreas, liver, thyroid or gallbladder.
A single boiled potato has a glycemic index of 78 which is too high to use in a Ketogenic diet. According to the keto diet experts, the spike of your blood sugar after eating a single potato is more than eating bread. From this fact, you can easily learn that why potatoes are not keto-friendly.
The ketogenic (keto) diet — which is high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates — doesn't meet standards for a healthy diet and may not be safe for some people with heart disease, according to a review in the March 2024 issue of Current Problems in Cardiology.
The body can convert the amino acids from excess protein into glucose, potentially sabotaging your weight loss efforts and keeping your body out of ketosis. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this translates to about 75g of protein at about 10-20% protein.
Keto cycling doesn't have a strict definition. Some people choose to have five or six days on keto followed by a day or two off. Others will do keto for 10 to 12 days followed by three to four days off. Devine typically doesn't recommend taking more than two days off keto.
The keto diet could cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of heart disease. Strict diets like keto could also cause social isolation or disordered eating. Keto is not safe for those with any conditions involving their pancreas, liver, thyroid or gallbladder.
Conclusion: LCD may decrease body mass, waist circumference, and improve fat and carbohydrate metabolism. When combined with exercise, LCD seems to be an effective strategy in regulating metabolic factors of cardiovascular diseases.
Gulotta recommends staying on keto for six months max before reintroducing more carbs to your diet. And Scott Keatley, RDN, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy in New York City, agrees: “The science hasn't gotten to the point where I would be comfortable recommending it as a forever diet,” he says.
Long-term side effects include hepatic steatosis, kidney stones, hypoproteinemia, and vitamin deficiency. While the benefits of following KD have been extensively reported, long-term compliance with KD is a limiting factor.
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