Home  /  All  /  Nutrition

The 3 Biggest Mistakes on Keto

Written by
FACT CHECKED
  Published on July 1st, 2022
  Reading time: 3 minutes
  Last modified August 2nd, 2023
Stuffed keto avocado

In order to be successful with a ketogenic diet, you must start with a proper foundation. However, many of us, including myself have made mistakes early on with keto that led to not getting the results that we wanted. Whether you are just starting out or plateaued on your keto journey, here are the top 3 mistakes most people make on keto that can prevent you from getting the results that you want:

Too Much Fat (Especially in Liquids and Desserts)

Sounds counterintuitive right? Everyone thinks that a keto diet is an extremely high fat diet. While it can be, the amount of fat that you should consume depends on your goals. When the ketogenic diet was first discovered in the 1920’s for treatment of epilepsy, the diet consisted of 80-90% of calories from fat. However, if you aren’t using a ketogenic diet for therapeutic purposes, you can and should eat a lower amount of fat (50-70%). It’s important to remember that fat is very calorically dense (9 calories per gram). So, that big scoop of butter you put in your coffee or that heaping amount of coconut oil you put in your keto fat bomb can add up. While it’s important to incorporate in healthy fats on keto, you shouldn’t force an extremely high amount with daily fat bombs and buttered coffee.

Too Little Protein

Protein is the most important nutrient for health and anti-aging. Often touted as the “muscle building” nutrient, protein also helps us stay full and lose fat. While you don’t need to eat as much protein as a bodybuilder, you need to be eating enough and it’s encouraged to err on the side of more than less. The typical rule of thumb is a minimum of 1.5-2g/kg of bodyweight. To calculate your weight in kilograms, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. For example, someone who is 180 pounds is about 81 kilograms. That individual, especially if exercising, should be consuming about 122–162 grams of protein per day. The challenge is that often we intermittent fast on keto and getting 160 grams of protein in 1 or 2 meals sounds challenging–it is. Therefore, I don’t recommend doing one meal a day (OMAD) every single day of the week. While it’s a great tool to incorporate in weekly, there are some days where having a bigger eating window and more opportunities to get in that protein are very important. Lastly, do your best to optimize protein intake on a per meal basis. At minimum this should be 25-35 grams of high-quality protein per meal

Not Enough Electrolytes

Early on, many people experience something known as the keto flu which is a symptom of keto-adaptation or your body switching from primarily running on glucose to primarily running on ketones. During this process, insulin is low and your body begins to excrete out electrolytes in the urine. Many beginners don’t understand how many electrolytes are excreted out and succumb to headaches and lethargy due to a lack of replenishment in those electrolytes. It is ESSENTIAL to supplement with electrolytes early on in your keto journey to avoid the keto flu pitfall. Do your best to salt your foods if you can’t find yourself a good keto electrolyte. 

Bonus: Too Many Keto Snacks

While keto snacks can be great for increasing compliance long term, early on they can be problematic. When your metabolism is primarily adapted to running on carbohydrates and glucose, you tend to have ups and downs in blood sugar, which leads to snacking. When in ketosis, your hunger and satiety hormones are positively affected which leaves you less likely to snack. However, often people will eat keto snacks that are calorically dense, or worse, not even keto, that can hinder their results. Unknowingly, they might consume 500 calories of a keto fat bomb or bar and get hungry 2 hours later. For the first 1-2 weeks, stick to “clean keto” by avoiding processed keto snacks and slowly incorporate the ones that are actually ketogenic. 

If you need help figuring out exactly how much fat, protein, and carbohydrates you should be consuming, check out our easy-to-use Keto Calculator. 

Dr. Ryan P. Lowery is the CEO of ketogenic.com, author of The Ketogenic Bible, President of the Applied Science and Performance Institute and KetoPhD™. His mission  is to spread awareness around the Ketogenic Lifestyle and its’ many benefits beyond body composition. He earned his BS and MS in exercise physiology and exercise and nutrition science from the University of Tampa and completed his doctorate work at Concordia University in Health and Human Performance with a focus on “The Effects of a Well-Formulated Ketogenic Diet and Exogenous Ketone Supplementation on Various Markers of Health and Body Composition in Healthy and Diseased Populations.” Over his career, Ryan has published over 150 papers, abstracts, and book chapters on human performance and sports nutrition and has dedicated his life to educating the masses. In his free time, Ryan enjoys spending time with his best friend, Scoot the Keto Pup, jet skiing, and traveling around the world. The way to his heart is through a good glass of wine and Keto desserts.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

As a Member, you get instant access to personalized meal plans, exclusive videos & articles, discounts, a 1 on 1 Coaching Session, and so much more. As a member, you join our mission of empowering 1,000,000 people to positively change their lives throughout the world. Get started today.

Monthly

A Great Deal
$ 19
99 /month
  • 7-Day Free Trial
  • Cancel Anytime

Annual

3 Months Free
$ 179
/year
  • 3 Months Free
  • Cancel Anytime

Lifetime

Membership for Life
$ 349
  • Lifetime Access
  • Limited Availability