You must have found a gazillion diets in your pursuit to lose weight or stay fit. One diet that has been popularized as one of the best is the Ketogenic diet. Since it allows you to eat butter, bacon, etc., it seems sustainable to most people. However, there are so many things people get wrong when it comes to Keto diet. What about you? Have you been making these keto diet mistakes? We will find out in this article.

While the low-carb, high-fat diet was popularised by the Kardashian sisters and other celebrities in the past decade, the diet was first introduced by physicians in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy. Over the years, it has been popularised as an excellent weight loss diet, but the jury is still out there on this. Having said that, let’s understand what Keto diet entails.

What is the Ketogenic diet?

Ketogenic or Keto diet is a way of eating that encourages the body to produce energy from substances known as ketones rather than from the simple sugars found in the carbohydrates we consume. The purpose of a keto diet is to help the body use ketones as the energy source rather than carbohydrates, which is why it is a low-carb diet. When food is scarce, your body naturally enters this state as a safeguard to keep your body functioning. And it works wonders for weight loss.

“Most individuals today swear by following a keto nutrition plan and it may not work on a long-term basis for most, few find it sustainable as a lifestyle,” Celebrity, sports, and Olympics nutritionist, Mihira A R Khopkar, told Health Shots. We asked her about some of the common mistakes people tend to make while following the Keto diet, and here’s what she had to say.

Common Keto diet mistakes to avoid

Here are the top 4 things that you may want to avoid when you are following the diet:

1. High protein instead of high fat

A nutritional ketosis plan is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbs. One of the many common mistakes people make while following this diet is to have more protein than fat. So remember to consult a nutritionist to calculate your calories and macros properly, says the nutritionist.

2. Missing on electrolytes

Electrolytes are essential minerals important to maintain many functions in your body. She explains that beginners might find themselves visiting the washroom often, and the more they urinate, the more electrolytes they lose. This happens in the early stages of following the diet. “It’s important to focus on fluids and electrolytes on this plan!”

3. Too many fats

Another common keto diet mistake is people tend to eat too much saturated and trans fat, which can sabotage their weight loss plans. Khopkar advises that people should avoid including too many fats from visible oil or fat (such as cooking oil) in order to meet the necessary macronutrients. You should choose more natural sources of dietary fat like good quality meat, fish, eggs, nuts, oilseeds, etc. instead.

4. Overdoing calorie

A calorie deficit is one of the best ways to see results when you are trying to lose weight. This is also true for Keto diet. Khopkar says that this plan only works for people targeting weight loss if they are in a calorie deficit. “So, overdoing calories while on the diet is not going to benefit you.”