Source: thesun.co.uk
They claim that ditching carbs has helped them to target stubborn areas of fat without having to cut out lots of calories.
However, dietitian Robbie Clark has revealed that going keto could actually make you gain weight – if you’re not following the right steps.
And he says that many dieters make some big mistakes which mean their body doesn’t get into a state of “ketosis” and “burn fat for energy instead of glucose”.
Here, Robbie explains common mistakes people make on a keto diet that could be making you fatter…and how to avoid them.
1. Dramatically cutting carbs
Robbie says one of the most common mistakes he finds in terms of clinical practice is that people are reducing their carbohydrate intake “cold turkey.”
“They’ve gone from a diet that is probably consumed moderate or high amounts of carbs to an extremely low amount, and this is a drastic change for the body,” he told.
“This is when they’re at risk of the keto flu.
“The keto flu is the body adapting to the whole process in a large depletion in glucose.
“And the symptoms can include nausea, headaches, fatigue, insomnia, constipation and reduced exercise tolerance.”
Robbie recommends tapering down carb intake instead of reducing the level at an extreme rate.
2. Not drinking enough water
An important thing to do on a keto diet is to keep drinking enough water.
The drastic decrease in carbs can cause shifts in fluids and electrolyte balance.
“The body is washed-out of a lot of fluid especially when losing fat mass as well,” Robbie says.
“The body flushes out the ketones in the urine which also depletes not just water but sodium, an important electrolyte, from the body.”
According to Robbie, this is something that needs to be replaced.
3. Eating the right veg
Vegetables have carbohydrates and for a lot of people, this means watching how much is actually consumed.
If you’re not careful of the types of carbs on the keto diet, the affect is that people won’t stay in that ketosis state.
Robbie says: “On the other hand, the ketogenic diet is a ‘low carbohydrate diet’ and not a ‘no carbohydrate diet’.