Due to its effectiveness in weight loss and numerous health benefits, the ketogenic diet is becoming increasingly popular. As a result, many myths have appeared, and some of them are quite widespread.
Surely you have come across many of them on different forums, blogs, social networks, YouTube videos, etc., and maybe even fell victim to some of them. This article contains the most popular of them.
Myth 1: Calories don’t matter / you can’t gain weight on keto
Unfortunately, the ketogenic diet isn’t magic, but calories are still important. You can’t eat an unlimited amount of food and expect it to never get deposited in your body as fat.
If you eat more than you burn, you get fat, and keto doesn’t make you invulnerable. However, most of the foods you’ll eat on the ketogenic diet are highly nutritious and well-saturated, which is definitely a plus since you’ll be eating less.
Myth 2: During the keto you will never feel hungry
If you’re in a calorie deficit, especially if you’re already close to your goal, hunger is a perfectly normal feeling and you’ll most likely experience it. You need to understand that hunger is a normal part of the weight loss process, so you need to learn not to snack whenever you feel a little peckish, and especially if you’re likely to lose weight and not really be hungry.
The ketogenic diet helps most people feel less hungry, but it doesn’t make hunger go away completely.
Your body loves balance and will fight any drastic change in your weight, especially if you are overweight.
Keep in mind that long cardio workouts that are helpful for creating large caloric deficits can leave you feeling hungry the next day.
Myth 3: Keto is step free to consume large amounts of fat
You want to make sure you’re getting enough protein to maintain your lean body weight, but you need to add a little fat to offset the calories that used to come from carbohydrates.
However, the ketogenic diet will greatly alter your eating habits, and unlimited fat additions will be counterproductive. After all, if you want to lose weight, some of the fat has to come from your body, not from your plate.
In addition, fat is very caloric: one gram of fat is equal to 9 calories (compared to 4 calories per gram of protein or carbohydrates).
Keep in mind that a ketogenic diet was first formulated for people suffering from epilepsy and that a medical ketogenic diet (aimed at fighting epilepsy) includes a lot of fat in its people. In keto to lose weight is not necessary.
Yes, keto is a high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein diet, but that doesn’t mean you can eat all the fat you want.
Myth 4: The deeper the state of ketosis, the more fat is lost
The measurement of ketones is a complex process, but in fact it is not even necessary.
If you use urine dipsticks to measure ketones, you should know that your body will adjust to the state of ketosis, and after a while, your keros will not overflow with ketones, which is how the dipsticks are measured. A deeper purple color does not equal faster weight loss.
The same goes for other measurement methods: Fat loss will depend primarily on your caloric deficit and not how many ketones you produce.
Myth 5: You should consume only the minimum amount of protein
The amount of protein largely depends on your goals, activity level, and specific preferences.
Yes, some protein will turn into glucose, but your brain needs some glucose to function. This process (called gluconeogenesis) is actually demand driven and not source driven.
Consuming tons of protein is simply not necessary and can be quite expensive. However, you don’t need to be afraid of protein and try to avoid it. If you want to maintain your muscle mass, you need to make sure you consume enough of it.
Myth 6: Keto is the best diet for everyone
The ketogenic diet is a great option for a large percentage of the population and helps combat many serious health issues.
However, while some people are successful on the ketogenic diet and choose to follow this diet for many years (or even a lifetime), others may find it difficult to follow all of its rules or enjoy it.
To keep the weight off, you need to make sure you’re committed to your new diet for the long haul, and after a couple of months you won’t be eating harmful foods again.
Remember that most of the benefits of the ketogenic diet appear when your body adapts to fat, which usually takes between 4 and 6 weeks. So if you just want to lose weight in 2-3 weeks, the ketogenic diet is not for you. If you don’t have dedication and commitment, the ketogenic diet won’t work.
Myth 7: It doesn’t matter where carbs come from
Five grams of carbohydrate from spinach, far from the same as five grams of carbohydrate from dextrose, which is part of the meat delicacies. Spinach is much more nutritious and will give you trace minerals (like magnesium and potassium, which are necessary for keto), while dextrose will not provide any of these benefits.
Since the amount of carbohydrates is strictly restricted, you must strategically plan your diet and choose foods that are healthy and complete. The best choice will be most green vegetables.
Myth 8: Exceeding the norm of pure carbohydrates per day will knock you out of ketosis and you will get the keto flu again
20-30 g of pure carbohydrates daily is a kind of protective barrier. You’ll be in ketosis if you limit your carbs at this rate, but that doesn’t mean it’s your personal upper limit of carbs, which you can eat daily to stay in ketosis.
In fact, for most people the amount will be different, and as soon as you get used to fat, you can experiment a bit. This will depend on a number of factors, including activity level, metabolic flexibility, and insulin resistance.
For more information on the ketogenic diet, visit https://ketodietmag.com
And what myths do you know about the ketogenic diet? Share them in the comments!