Keto diet explained — Everything you need to know.

8 min readFeb 19, 2021

By: Andy B — ThatWeightLossPlanGuy

Author of “How to lose 7lbs in 21 days”

So, I will take a wild guess that by reading this blog, that you’re interested in doing the Keto diet? You want the Keto diet explained clearly and simply to see if it’s right for you? If so, you’re in the right place!

I’ll take you through what the keto diet is, how it came about, what the keto diet rules are, what the keto diet side effects / downsides are, ask if the keto diet is safe, look at keto diet for weight loss and if it’s right for you. I will also suggest a potentially better alternative.

Keto diet for beginners — What’s it all about?

The Keto diet is a popular, very low carbohydrate diet. The diet was developed in the 1920’s to treat epilepsy but as drugs were developed, the Keto diet fell by the wayside. It has gained popularity since 2010, after several celebrity endorsements.

The idea is simple. By restricting carbs, it restricts the glucose obtained from carbohydrates. With a severe lack of carbs (the bodies first choice for energy), the body goes into a metabolic state called Ketosis. You would need to be consuming less than 50g a day of carbs to get to this state and potentially as low as 20g a day.

Ketosis occurs when there are enough ketones in the blood. The body uses these ketones from fat as the bodies main source for energy. The body starts burning fat, potentially helping with weight loss. So that’s Keto for beginners! Let’s look at the practical rules next.

Keto diet rules

Depending on which version of the keto / low carb diet you follow, you will:

Have 20–50g of carbs a day. The lower your intake, the better the chance of achieving and staying in Ketosis. This will vary by person.
Focus on eating lean protein (40–50g per day for women / 50–60g a day for men).
Eat healthier monosaturated fats (olive oil, avocado, salmon, tuna, mackerel, nuts, seeds). Fatty meats are also allowed!
Fill up on non starchy veg (Leafy Greens, broccoli, cucumber, lettuce, peppers, cauliflower.
Be able to have Eggs.
Eat full fat diary.
Avoid starchy veg (potatoes, carrots, corn, parsnips, beetroot — veg usually grown underground!).
Not eat high sugar fruits.
Avoid high sugar drinks.

They are the basic keto diet rules. Lets move onto the potential Keto diet side effects.

Keto diet side effects

The Keto diet is quite severe, so as you would expect, there are likely to be some side effects. Let’s go through some of the main ones. It’s important to understand the side effects, so if you can make an informed decision if you’re considering doing it. Strap yourself in, here they are:

Headaches.
Nausea.
Fatigue — Low carb intake will likely leave you feeling tired.
Low fibre intake — Fibre is critical in a healthy diet. A lot of fruit and veg that are high in Fibre will be banned on the keto diet. This is due to them being high in carbs and sugars.
Constipation — This is largely due to the lack of fibre as discussed above.
High cholesterol levels — There is evidence to suggest that the Keto diet raises bad cholesterol (LDL).
Bad breath — This usually happens during Ketosis.
Kidney stones — Keto diets can lead to developing kidney stones, although this is less common than the above.
Ketoacidosis — This is very rare and is usually associated with other underlying causes. It’s when the bloodstream is flooded by very high levels of blood sugar and ketones. It can be fatal if not treated.

As you can see, there are quite a few Keto diet side effects! There is even a name for the combination of tiredness, nausea, headaches — “The keto flu”! It usually lasts around a week. This leads us onto the obvious question — Is the keto diet safe?

Is the Keto diet safe?

High fat diets (like the keto diet) done long term are well known for an increased risk of heart attacks, due to raised cholesterol.

Another study published in the Lancet, found that people who followed low carb diets and high in animal proteins (like the keto diet) had a higher risk of early death compared to those who consumed carbs in moderation. There is also the risk of ketoacidosis as discussed above.

So, knowing that, is the Keto diet safe? If you are doing the keto diet long term to lose and keep the weight off, medical professionals certainly don’t seem to recommend it. This is due to potential lack of fibre and increased risks associated with high fat diets. ALWAYS check with a doctor if you are considering doing a keto diet.

Keto diet for weight loss — Is it right for you?

For the short term (a month), a keto diet can work (check with a doctor before starting it). In fact, I have friends who have successfully lost weight this way. You must be able to accept the serious side effect risks if you want to do the keto diet for weight loss.

You need to have superhuman discipline however. Having a severe lack of carbs is very difficult (I know as I failed miserably on this diet before I came up with my plan and went from obese to a healthy weight). You will be hungry and tired all the time with a severe lack of carbs on the Keto diet! If you can’t accept all of these things, the keto diet for weight loss might not be right for you.

If the above has not put you off, you also need to consider how you maintain any weight loss. Most people put the weight straight back on when they start eating carbs again. Do you see this as a lifestyle choice? Can you imagine not eating potatoes, pasta and pizza long term? No, me either!

I would strongly advise against doing the Keto diet for weight loss long term, due to its inherent long term health risks. So, what’s a good alternative to the keto diet for weight loss?

Alternative to the keto diet for weight loss.

For those of you familiar with my blogs, vlogs, free mini weight loss series and weight loss plan , you know I’m all about balance. I hate extreme weight loss diets as I believe 90% of people will fail on them. They are impossible to maintain long term, so the weight just comes back on. I prefer a more balanced, long term approach.

I would suggest doing a diet that doesn’t cut out any of the major food groups (your body needs them all). Doing a diet that requires smaller lifestyle changes, that doesn’t leave you starving, and you can maintain with some simple rules seems a far better way to go.

I think eating 3 healthy, tasty, and generously portioned meals a day, with a snack and exercise being optional, is far more likely to lead to long term weight loss success for most people. Using a scientific, calorie controlled (all done for you!) approach that cuts down your carbs (but not anywhere near as much as the keto diet) intake, will lead most people to success. If that long term, sustainable, less extreme approach appeals, pick a calorie-controlled diet. Feel free to check my weight loss plan out, as it takes exactly this approach. It helped me go from obese to a healthy weight and most importantly, maintain it.

Summary

The keto diet severely limits carbs in order put the body into ketosis to burn fat and lose weight. You eat predominantly low carb veg, fats, dairy and lean protein, avoiding anything high in sugar. It’s an extreme diet and as such, has a lot of side effects. Most doctors don’t recommend it as being safe or as a long-term plan, due to it’s serious health implications from eating high fats food and difficulty getting enough natural fibre in peoples diets.

It may work very short term and should only be tried if you are happy with all the risks and side effects that come with it and after speaking to a doctor. A balanced, calorie-controlled diet is far more likely to be successful long term than the keto diet for most people.

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ThatWeightLossPlanGuy

Andy B Author of “How to lose 7lbs in 21 days” “What have you got to lose?” www.thatweightlossplanguy.com Disclaimer — The information contained in this article is general information about nutrition, health, exercise and dieting. The information is not advice and should not be treated as such. The article is for educational purposes and is based on the author’s personal experiences when losing weight. The author is not a doctor and before embarking on any weight loss program, please consult with your doctor to ensure it’s safe for you to do so. The author has strived to present information as accurately as possible but accepts no liability for any errors, diet results or personal injuries resulting from following any information contained within the article. The information is offered without warranties or guarantees of any kind, express or implied, and the author disclaims any liability, loss or damage caused by the contents, either directly or consequentially.

Originally published at https://thatweightlossplanguy.com on February 19, 2021.