The keto diet has been proven to work time and again. Nearly everyone who stays true to the keto diet will enjoy its benefits and lose weight.
Keto isn’t as strict of a diet as Atkins or the paleo diets. Nor is it as relaxed as the Mediterranean diet. Being somewhere in the middle there are rules to follow, and following the keto rules isn’t such an ordeal.
Most of the time when a “ketoer” isn’t seeing results from the diet it’s because they’re making mistakes without knowing it. It’s much easier to blame the diet than to take ownership of your lack of progress.
This article contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you very much for your support.
We’ll be talking about the top 4 reasons why you aren’t losing weight on a keto diet and what you can do about it.
1 – You’re not in ketosis
The primary reason for the keto diet is to put your body in a state of ketosis so it will burn fat for its energy needs. A lot of people don’t get this point. If you’re not in ketosis you’re not on the keto diet – hard stop!
In order to see the rapid weight loss the keto diet is known for, you have to be using ketones for energy. Otherwise, your body will continue to use the sugar in your bloodstream for its energy and you won’t see the results you were expecting. Or your results won’t be as significant.
It typically takes a person 4 to 7 days to be fully in ketosis. You have to be patient. The best way to know if you are in ketosis is to use urine test strips or a breathalyzer.
The basis for any diet intended for weight loss is to have a caloric deficit. Even with a ketogenic diet, if you’re using fewer calories than you’re consuming you’re not going to lose weight.
For most people, having a ~500 calories deficit translates to about one pound loss per week. Being on a keto diet, and in the state of ketosis, you’ll lose weight much faster because your body will burn stored fat instead of glucose.
3 – You’re not being keto compliant
Being compliant means you’re following the high-fat, low-carb, and medium protein rules.
Most of us are addicted to carbohydrates and we don’t even know it. Switching from a diet based on carbs to one based on fats is challenging because we are used to burning blood sugar for energy. Blood sugar comes from eating carbohydrates.
The craving for carbs at the beginning of a keto diet can be overwhelming. Eating more than the allotted 50g of carbs per day will make it very hard to enter ketosis, if not impossible. Eating carbs will get in the way of your progress.
When it comes to the consumption of macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbs), you have to be compliant to enter ketosis and start losing weight.
The keto diet requires you to be patient in the beginning for you to adapt to the diet. You’ll need to have enough sleep, avoid strenuous exercise, and just take it easy during your first week of keto dieting.
By easing into the first week you’ll be able to keep your cortisol levels reduced. This in turn will restore your leptin sensitivity. After your hormones balance out your body will correctly signal how much food it needs, the right amount of fat to burn, and when you get hungry.
The only way to overcome leptin resistance is to give yourself plenty of time to adjust. If you stay compliant with the keto dietary requirements you will enter ketosis and start to burn fat at an accelerated rate that will make up for the time lost in the first week or so.
Whenever you think you’re not getting the results keto promises, it’s probably because of one of these 4 reasons why you aren’t losing weight on a keto diet.
One of the surest ways to stay compliant with keto and remain in a healthy caloric deficit is to have a keto diet specifically customized for you by dietary professionals based on your weight goals, preferred foods, activity level, and other criteria that are unique to you. Click here to learn more about a custom keto diet plan.
In the weight loss dieting world, there are two camps that are talked about repeatedly, Weight Watchers and the keto diet.
Although their respective approaches to weight loss are very different, both methods have a very large following due to their results. A lot of dieters report successfully losing weight from both diets.
In this article we’re going to review the way each diet works, each diet’s pros and cons, and which diet is better for weight loss and you.
What is Weight Watchers?
Weight Watchers is a commercial diet program that has been popular for decades. Its core concept is moderation and portion control allowing its followers to eat any type of food they wish to eat.
With Weight Watchers you’re given a daily number of SmartPoints and, based on your weight loss goals, assigns you to 1 of 3 color-coded programs:
Green – Allotted the greatest number of daily SmartPoints, plus 100+ ZeroPoint foods (chiefly fruit and vegetables).
Blue – Allowed a moderate number of daily SmartPoints and 200+ ZeroPoint foods (adding lean proteins to the fruits and vegetables).
Purple – Allotted the fewest number of daily SmartPoints, and 300+ ZeroPoint foods (grains, lean protein, fruits, and vegetables).
Generally, the lower SmartPoint foods are lower in fats, sugars, and calories while being higher in protein and fiber. The foods with a higher SmartPoint value are usually higher in fats, sugars, and calories, think deep-fried foods, ice cream, or especially fatty meats.
So consuming high SmartPoint foods will quickly eat up your daily allocation of SmartPoints.
Additionally, Weight Watchers is a paid diet program. There are different tiers of support available for the dieter to choose from. Once bought you’ll have access to their tracking app with all its tools.
You can learn about Weight Watchers’ three plans and their one-on-one coach program on their website.
Does Weight Watchers work?
Many studies concluded that Weight Watchers helps dieters to lose weight. But you need to know that Weight Watchers funded a lot of those studies and that may have an influence on the results.
One of the studies funded by Weight Watchers found that the dieters following the Weight Watchers system lost more than twice the weight of the control group in 3 months. They also found that the people using Weight Watchers were more likely to have kept the weight off after one year had passed.
Another Weight Watchers financed study of nearly 30,000 learned the average dieter lost ~6 lbs in 3 months. About two of three dieters lost at least five percent of their weight.
Weight Watchers summary
Weight Watchers built around moderation and portion size. It is a paid program using a point system to encourage healthier food choices. Weight Watchers appears to be an effective way to lose weight based on several studies, many of which were funded by Weight Watchers. Additionally, there are a lot of products on the market in support of Weight Watchers.
What is a keto diet?
A keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet that was originally developed to assist in the management of epilepsy. Now keto is used for many reasons including weight loss and managing blood sugar levels.
Keto isn’t a commercial dieting program like Weight Watchers is, it’s more of an eating lifestyle. When a person stays on the keto diet they enter a state of ketosis where their body runs on fat instead of carbohydrates as its primary energy source.
There are many metabolic advantages for people losing weight with a keto diet:
lower insulin levels and better control of blood sugar
a diminished appetite
it becomes easier to use stored body fat
better maintenance of one’s metabolic rate (fewer calories burned while at rest)
Because the keto diet is low in carbohydrates and sugars you have to avoid foods like these: grains, root vegetables, sweets, sugary drinks, and most fruit.
However, you’re free to eat: meat, fish, poultry, non-starchy vegetables, seeds, nuts, fatty dairy products, low sugar fruits like most berries.
Does a keto diet work for weight loss?
Yes, keto is known to work for short-term weight loss.
Many studies have researched how successful the keto diet is for weight loss and management.
One study of people who were obese with type 2 diabetes found that those who followed the keto diet lost much more weight than those following a standard low-carb diet after four months. Of those being studied, 90% of the group following keto lost 5% or more of weight and over 80% lost 10% of their weight.
A different group of studies comparing a keto diet to a low-fat diet discovered that those who followed the keto diet lost significantly more weight than those following the low-fat diet.
Keto diet summary
The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb, diet that can be used to lose weight by using your stored fat to energize your body. It seems to cause significantly more weight loss compared to either the standard low calorie or low-carb diets.
Pros & cons of keto and Weight Watchers
Both dieting methods can be said to have benefits beyond losing and controlling weight.
The Pros
Weight Watcher Pros
Weight Watchers 2021 Starter Guide
Weight Watchers has a long and proven record of success. One of Weight Watchers pros is its practice of moderation and portion control which is easier than calorie counting. They also teach you to make better food choices in the long run.
Even if you choose to leave the program you’ll be able to apply what you’ve learned to continue making good food choices.
Weight Watchers includes a support network in all of their programs providing access to its member’s virtual community. There are also face-to-face meetings and one-on-one coaching available.
Keto pros
The keto diet has a number of benefits as well. One of the most touted benefits is how quickly the weight comes off when following the keto diet for many reasons:
Being in a state of ketosis appears to have a satiating effect causing the dieter to consume fewer calories.
Then there’s the way a keto diet can reduce insulin levels. Since insulin is the hormone that signals your body to store excess energy as fat, it becomes easier for your body to convert its fat stores into useful energy when the insulin levels are reduced. It’s also the regulator of blood sugar helping to curb cravings.
There have been cases where a person with type 2 diabetes has dramatically reduced their dependence on insulin and other diabetes medications because of the increased control of their blood sugar.
Summary of pros
While a keto diet may assist in improving blood sugar levels, increase your satiation, and helps you to lose weight quickly, Weight Watchers includes a support system and encourages portion control and moderation.
The Cons
Weight Watchers cons
A big con of Weight Watchers is its cost. Even though it’s not too expensive when you break it down to a cost per week, it can add up. Especially if you sign up for one of the more costly plans and you stay in the program for very long.
Being tied to the SmartPoint system you may inadvertently be discouraged from eating some foods that are healthy (i.e., avocados, healthy fats and oils, healthy dairy products, etc.) just because of the number of calories or fat.
Keto cons
There are some obstacles to a keto diet. Being a significant change away from the standard American diet it can be hard to stay with a keto diet over the long haul, especially during the holiday or on vacation.
A keto will also exclude some healthy foods too:
most fruits
legumes
grains
potatoes and other root vegetables
Summary of cons
Because it’s a paid program, the cost of Weight Watchers can add up over time. However, it may be hard to stay on a keto diet since it’s so restrictive.
Get Immediate Results
Join thousands of people losing weight with a custom keto diet plan designed by doctors to give you true weight loss results.
Is keto or Weight Watchers better for weight loss?
Either diet could help you lose weight in the short term. Which one is better depends on each person’s needs and goals?
You might prefer Weight Watchers if you:
want the flexibility to eat whatever you want to
like, want, or need the Weight Watchers support systems to stay on track and motivated
are ok with paying a subscription for the program
Taking the keto route could be for you if:
managing blood sugar is a priority for you
make healthier decisions with limited food choices is easier for you
you can diet without a support network, or are ok building your own network (think Facebook groups)
At the end of the day
Both keto and Weight Watchers have their own lists of pros and cons. Which one is the fit for you will depend on your weight goals, as well as your own personal needs and preferences.
Obviously, these diets are quite different from each other. Weight Watchers is a paid program that’s structured around moderation and portion control. With this program, you manage what you eat by spending SmartPoints. Weight Watchers does have a built-in support system for each of its subscription levels.
In contrast, a keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet designed to get your body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis makes it easier for your body to use its stored fat for energy.
Either diet will deliver weight loss, but for a number of reasons, you may prefer one over the other.
This article is written for people who are ready to start following the keto diet but aren’t quite sure how to make a keto meal plan. Whether you want to control your weight or gain muscle while following a keto diet, read on to learn the easy steps to calculate how many macros and calories you have to plan for.
Calculating the number of macronutrients for a keto diet
The first few pieces of information you’ll need to make a keto meal plan are:
Your height, weight, and age
What is your level of physical activity
Your body composition goals
This information is used to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) as well as your Total Energy Expenditure (TEE).
BMR is the calculation to find the number of calories you need just to exist with no regard to your activity level (i.e., how calories would you need if you never left your bed?).
TEE is your personal BMR plus daily living activity plus the energy used for exercising.
How many calories will you need to consume on the keto diet?
After deriving your TEE you need to calculate your macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrates) as a percentage of your total caloric intake.
If you want to lose weight, reduce your daily intake by 500 calories to lose about one pound per week. To gain weight, add 500 calories per day. To maintain your weight and reap the other benefits of a keto diet, hold your caloric intake to your TEE.
As an example, if a ketoer’s TEE is 2000 cal/day and they want to lose weight, they would reduce their consumption by 500 cal/day and only eat 1500 calories worth of food per day. The next thing to do is figure out how many calories are needed from fats, proteins, and carbs.
The standard keto diet is 80% of the calories come from fat, 15% from protein and just 5% from carbs.
How many grams of fat, protein, and carbs you will need
These calculations are based on a 1500 cal/day diet.
Fat:
Fat makes up 80% of your calories, so 1500 X 0.8 = 1200 cal/day from fat.
There are nine calories/g of fat. Therefore we divide 1200 cal/day by 9 to get 133.33 grams of fat.
Protein:
Fifteen percent of your calories is to come from protein. So we do the math, 1500 x .15 = 225 cal/day from proteins.
Protein contains 4 cal/g. Dividing 225 cal/day by 4 gives us 56.25g of protein per day.
Carbs:
This is easy. Take the total daily calories minus the calories from fat and protein will give the carb calories.
So, 1500 cal/day – 1200 cal/day from fat – 225 cal/day from protein = 75 cal/day from carbs.
And we know carbs have 4 cal/g so we divide 75 cal/day by 4 and get 18.75 g/day of carbohydrates.
So that’s 133.33g of protein, 56.25g of protein, and 18.75g of carbs per day when modified TEE = 1500 cal/day.
Easy peasy, right?
Now you know how to make a keto meal plan that ensures you’re getting the right quantities of fat, protein, and carbs in your keto diet.
Many people associate pain and illness with aging. But aging doesn’t mean you have to become sickly, or shouldn’t. In this article, we’ll talk about aging and health as well as how lifestyle and diet contribute to living a long and healthy life.
Health over 40 and keto
Aging does include some diminishment in our body’s functions, but it doesn’t need to be debilitating or create isolation for us. Unfortunately, for many of us aging is debilitating to various degrees. The processed, high-carb, food of the standard American diet doesn’t help either.
Instead of viewing aging as an unfortunate reality, we can live our best life in terms of physical and mental health and any age with a good diet. There are a lot of advantages to eating the keto diet over 40.
Ketogenic diet benefits
For many people, aging includes becoming overweight and having to deal with insulin-related conditions such as diabetes. Diabetes can lead to other serious conditions like kidney disease, loss of vision, etc. A benefit of the keto diet is how it improves our insulin resistance.
When we’re over forty we need to start thinking about osteoporosis which affects our bone density making them more fragile and brittle. Increasing our intake of calcium through consuming more milk products isn’t the right answer. Curiously, the countries with the highest levels of dairy consumption are also the countries with the greatest occurrence of osteoporosis. It’s better to follow the keto diet which is inherently low in toxins that hinder the absorption of nutrients, it’s also rich in micronutrients instead of overloading on a specific nutrient (i.e., calcium in this case).
Aging brings with it more pain from injuries compared to injuries when we were younger and sometimes problems with our joints like arthritis. When we are in the state of ketosis production of cytokines is reduced reducing the effects of inflammation.
Aging adults often have deficiencies in important nutrients like B complex vitamins, vitamin D, iron, and fats. The more highly nutritious foods included in a keto diet provide an excellent source for these nutrients.
Blood sugar control
Doctors know there is a relationship between poor blood sugar and brain-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia, etc. Some of the contributing factors may be:
Excess carbohydrate consumption
Insufficient dietary fats and cholesterol
Oxidative stress
Following a keto diet will help to control your blood sugar and improve your nutritional intake. This in turn improves your insulin response and helps to protect you from the memory problems that come with aging.
Get Immediate Results
Join thousands of people losing weight with a custom keto diet plan designed by doctors to give you true weight loss results.
Keto and aging
The foods consumed in a keto diet are highly nutritious per calorie consumed. That’s important since the metabolic rate decreases as we age, meaning we need fewer calories as we age, but we have the same nutrient requirements as to when we were younger.
The standard American diet, which most people choose and are also what is provided by hospitals and retirement/nursing homes, is a high-carb diet loaded with grains and sugar.
A diet that is low-carb and rich in fats and protein is much better at controlling insulin sensitivity, reduces cognitive decline, and promotes overall health and wellness.
Longevity and ketosis
Improving our chances of feeling good and functioning well for the remainder of our life is never a bad idea. We can start doing better at any time, although the sooner we start the better, it’s never too late to start. Even people who have neglected their health for many years can begin a keto diet and repair or reverse some of the damage done to their bodies.
Having said that, the earlier we start making changes to improve our health and longevity, the better.
In summary
Every one of us knows we’re getting older and death is inevitable. However, we now have the knowledge to control our quality of life to some degree. Even though we are living longer than ever now, we are also getting sicker by following the standard American diet. The keto diet helps to improve our health as we age beyond 40 allowing us to flourish instead of getting sick and enduring pain in our later years.
You typically need to do more than simply following a strict list of meals after you choose a diet to lose weight. To really be effective, your new diet has to be more like a change of lifestyle. One of the most popular diets today is the keto diet with its high-fat, low-carb, medium protein meals helping many dieters lose impressive amounts of weight.
If you’re giving the keto diet a try, there certainly are other changes you can make in your life to make keto even more effective. The most beneficial of those changes is to add more physical activity to your daily routine. Added physical activity is a great way to lose weight fast. And yoga is a fantastic exercise for getting the most from your keto diet.
Yoga builds strength, improves balance, and increases your range of motion
Yoga is great on its own, but it also improves your performance and ability to do other exercises even better. Since yoga is centered on stretching it builds strength, improves balance, and increases your range of motion. Yoga can also develop your core’s strength depending on which poses you do.
You may be able to participate in exercises, activities, or sports that haven’t possible because yoga improves your strength and range of motion. And being more active will lead to greater and easier weight loss.
Losing weight with yoga
Although a lot of people think of yoga as a technique to relax and stretch, there’s more to it. Yoga can be very effective on a person’s weight-loss ability. Many studies have shown that the connection between mind and body can affect weight loss. Because yoga strengthens that connection, yoga can make weight loss even more obvious!
Consider other weight loss tips & tricks as well
You can do to magnify your results after starting a custom keto diet plan and incorporating yoga into your routine. There are many dietary supplements on the market designed to enhance a variety of body types and fitness levels. Supplements are designed to help you lose the most weight safely can in conjunction with a keto diet and exercising.
A lot of people have been helped with their weight management journey by following the Keto diet. Although it’s a diet that’s been divided. One version of the diet starter ~100 years ago. The second is more modern and influenced by today’s eating patterns. The second version of the keto diet is “dirty keto” and the first is “clean keto”.
How do you figure out which keto diet is right for you?
The keto diet is useful for weight loss and weight control. Many studies show there is a wide variety of other health and wellness benefits. Clean keto helps to increase energy levels, improve brain function, and athletic performance. Dieters who are experiencing the clean keto benefits may wonder what the newer “dirty keto” has to offer compared to “clean keto”. So let’s spend some time comparing dirty keto and clean keto.
Most of your calories come from healthy fats, nuts, and seeds. Be mindful that some nuts and seeds are suited to the keto diet more than others. Nuts and seeds with the highest amount of fat and the lowest amount of carbs are the ones you want to include in your keto diet (i.e., almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, etc.). The keto diet allows for eating lots of leafy green vegetables and other low-carb vegetables. Additionally, eat moderate amounts of protein from meat, fish, poultry, and eggs. Lastly, you curb your sweet tooth with a piece of 90% dark chocolate.
Some foods to avoid on the keto diet are those with high amounts of carbohydrates. Limit your consumption of fruit due to the high sugar content and avoid fruit juices entirely for the same reason. Avoid grains, legumes, and root vegetables because of their carb count.
Dirty keto
The dirty keto diet follows the same macronutrient guidelines as the clean keto diet. The difference is with dirty keto it doesn’t matter where those macronutrients come from. For example, dirty keto allows you to have a fast-food hamburger, pork rinds, and Cheese Whiz. Whereas clean keto encourages good fats, grass-fed meats and butter, wild-caught fish, and avocados.
Can you control your weight with a dirty keto diet?
It’s certainly possible, but most of the benefits stop there. There are notable deficiencies that you should be aware of. To begin, the dirty keto diet won’t provide you with the micronutrients you need such as vitamins and minerals needed for general health. Additionally, processed foods are loaded with sodium that can cause inflammation and bloating.
On top of that you’re more likely to put any weight you lose back on, have more cravings, and feel less satiated. Dirty keto foods may cause cravings, bloating, and a feeling of withdrawal. These are all symptoms associated with the so-called “keto flu”.
You are what you eat
When your digestive system is healthy the small and large intestines are built with a paper-thin lining. In normal healthy conditions, only water and digested food will enter your blood. When you’re experiencing inflammation of the intestines, or consume inappropriate food, the intestine’s lining becomes too porous.
Diets that include processed food with their added chemistry like those included in a dirty keto diet can damage the intestinal lining, making it more porous. This also affects the balance of both the good and bad bacteria found in our intestines. This condition of unbalanced bacteria can allow the bad bacteria to get out of control further increasing how porous the lining becomes. Resulting in a “leaky gut”, also called “intestinal hyperpermeability”, allowing toxins, bacteria, and particles of undigested food to get in your blood and move through the rest of the body including the brain.
Your gut affects your mental state and overall physical feeling. Likewise, your mental state affects your gut and its health, making the clean keto diet the better choice for your brain’s well-being.
Summary
Even though dirty keto seeks the same macronutrients as clean keto does, there are some stark differences between the two diets and how they influence your body and brain. A dirty keto meal is better than a standard American diet meal and can be eaten as a contingency meal, but a dirty keto diet shouldn’t be used as part of a continuing healthy eating program. Follow a clean keto diet instead and you’ll be successful at controlling your weight, increasing your energy level, as well as giving your brain a healthier, longer-lasting fuel.
The Keto diet is an effective and popular diet for losing weight and improving health. When you follow this high-fat, medium protein, low-carb diet correctly the ketone levels in your blood will increase. Those ketones will be your body’s new fuel source, causing most of the health benefits of the diet.
When you’re following a Keto diet your body goes through a number of biological adaptations. These include an increased breakdown of fat and lower insulin levels. After this happens the liver begins to produce large numbers of ketones. The ketones supply your brain the energy it needs.
It is difficult to know whether or not your body is in a state of ketosis. Following are 10 ways to know you are in ketosis to help you figure this out.
10 Ways To Know You Are In Ketosis
1 – Halitosis (foul breath)
After achieving full ketosis people frequently report having bad breath.
This is very common. A lot of people who follow the Keto diet, and similar diets like Atkins, say their breath starts to smell fruity. Specifically, this is caused by acetone, one of the ketones that are expelled in both your urine and by exhaling.
Although breath like this may not be ideal in a social setting, it is a positive sign that you’re following the diet correctly and you are in ketosis. One way to deal with this is to brush your teeth many times a day. Another way is to chew sugar-free gum or sip on sugar-free drinks throughout the day.
If you choose to chew gum, or sip on drinks, read the nutrition labels for carbs to avoid elevating your blood sugar and coming out of ketosis.
2 – Losing weight
Both a Keto diet and a more traditional low-carb diet are good for weight loss
There are many studies showing you probably will lose weight in the short term as well as the long term from switching to a Keto diet. Weight loss can happen very quickly in the first week of the Keto diet. This initial weight loss is mostly from stored up carbohydrates and the release of water, though many dieters wrongly think it’s fat loss.
After the first week or so of rapid weight loss, you will continue to burn your stored fat as long as you follow the Keto diet correctly and remain in a caloric deficit.
3 – Increased ketones
An indication of being in ketosis is reduced sugar and increased ketones in the blood. As you continue with the Keto diet, your body will start burning fat and ketones for fuel.
Using a specialized meter is the most accurate way to measure the ketone levels in your blood. They measure how much beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is in your bloodstream.
There is a consensus that ketosis, as it relates to the Keto diet, is defined as having 0.5 to 3.0 mmol/L of ketones in your blood. Measuring from a blood sample is the most accurate way to measure ketones. But that requires pin pricking similar to the way a diabetic person measures their blood sugar.
Should you be interested in testing your ketone levels, there is a good selection of meters offered by Amazon starting at about $30.
4 – Ketones in your breath and urine
An alternative to blood testing kits is breathalyzers, though not as accurate as blood analysis.
Breathalyzers monitor the level of acetone. Acetone is one of three major ketones produced while in ketosis. The amount of acetone is an indicator of your ketone level because more of it leaves your body during ketosis. Breathalyzers are fairly accurate but not like their blood testing counterpart.
Another method is to measure your urine daily with urinalysis test strips. This measures the level of ketones being expelled through your urine. This is the least expensive way to measure ketones, but it’s also the least accurate.
A lot of Keto dieters say they have less of an appetite following the Keto diet.
The reasons are still being investigated. But the current thinking is the reduced appetites may be due to the increase in protein and vegetable consumption, as well as changes in your body’s hunger hormones.
Possibly the ketones have an effect on the brain reducing the appetite.
6 – More energy and focus
Oftentimes a person will experience fatigue, brain fog, and feeling a little sick when they first start the Keto diet. This has been coined “Keto Flu”. But once they get past that hump, long-term dieters feel an increase in energy and focus.
Your body has to adapt to burning fat in place of carbohydrates when you start the low-carb Keto diet. Then as you move into ketosis your brain has to adjust to using ketones instead of sugar for its energy. It can take a little while for your body and brain to adjust.
Ketones are very powerful fuel for your brain. Ketones have been tested clinically for treating brain diseases, concussions, and memory loss. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that people frequently feel improved brain function and focus when they’re on a Keto diet.
Drastically reducing your carb intake will stabilize your blood sugar, further increasing brain functioning and focus.
7 – Fatigue
One of the biggest problems people have when starting the Keto diet is fatigue. This frequently makes the would-be dieter quit before they achieve full ketosis and see the benefits of the Keto diet.
Fatigue is a natural side effect of starting a ketogenic diet. It’s caused by making our body shift from a long-term carbohydrate-heavy diet to a low-carb diet very quickly. This shift in your won’t happen overnight. It will take from 5 to 30 days to get into full ketosis.
Since electrolytes are lost due to the quick reduction in your body’s water content and the reduction of salt in the diet, consuming extra electrolytes can help reduce fatigue.
8 – Performance decrease
Along with feeling tired from fatigue the Keto dieter may feel a decrease in physical performance. This is mostly due to there being less glycogen stored in the muscles that provide the primary and most efficient energy for any high-intensity activities. After a short while, many Keto dieters will see their performance become normal. In some endurance sports performance may even improve with the Keto diet. Additionally, you will increase your ability to burn more fat while exercising.
There’s one study that showed athletes on a Keto diet burned up to 230% more fat while exercising versus those who weren’t following Keto. It’s unclear if a Keto diet will maximize performance for an elite athlete, but once you are fat-adapted you shouldn’t have any trouble with general exercise and recreational activities.
For most of us, a Keto diet brings with it a major change in the kind of food we eat. Digestion problems like constipation or diarrhea are common at first. Most of these problems will cease after a transition period. But it’s important that you be aware of which foods cause you problems, and avoid them or minimize their consumption. Additionally, be certain to include lots of low-carb vegetables that have plenty of fiber, and consume a diverse range of foods. The lack of variety, in any diet, can lead to an increased risk of digestion and nutritional problems.
Even though many Keto dieters say they sleep better than before they started the diet, it’s common for some people to have trouble sleeping when they first start dieting. The sleeping issues usually go away in a couple of weeks.
This was a list of 10 ways to know you are in ketosis. Sooner than later, by following the Keto diet correctly you will enter a state of ketosis.
If you’re interested in the science and want to know exactly what your ketones are, use one of the measuring methods we talked about here (analyzing your blood, using a breathalyzer, or urinalysis strips)
But in the end, if you’re following the diet, feeling healthy, and losing weight, there really isn’t a need to be preoccupied with your ketone levels.
You’re seeing “Keto” everywhere. It’s the latest buzzword and favorite thing for people wanting to lose weight and get fit as well as the newest target for the mainstream medical industry that favors the grain-dominant food pyramid. Though not the cure for cancer, the keto diet shows potential for healing many terrible health conditions. So let’s separate fact from fiction, get through the science, and take a look at how a ketogenic diet benefits your body and mind.
3 Benefits A Keto Diet Offers
1 – Weight loss
This probably isn’t news to you, but it’s possibly the most common reason people switch to the keto diet. An often asked question is, “Why is weight loss typically so easy on a ketogenic diet?”. Well, here a couple of the top reasons:
Ketogenic diets contain about 75% fats, 20% proteins, and no more than 5% carbohydrates. The high fat and lack of sugars diminishes cravings, reduces swings in blood sugar and binging, and increases the dieter’s feeling of satiation. The greater your level of satiation the less you’ll want to eat. Because so many people have sensitivities to grains, including gluten-free grains, eliminating them can lead to better absorption of necessary minerals like magnesium, potassium, and others, helping your body to be better nourished with fewer cravings.
Ketones. When you start running low on blood sugar your body starts to use the glycogen it has stored as an energy reserve. Our bodies typically store about 2000 calories in glycogen for backup energy for when we use up the glucose in our blood. If our bodies use up the glycogen stores it will start converting stored fats to the energy that our bodies can use to keep going.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: Being on a keto diet does not give you permission to eat all the proteins and fats you want to willy nilly. If you eat too many calories, you won’t lose weight. So be mindful of the keto dairy, desserts, and sweets. Focus on eating quality, fatty, grass-fed meats, butter, eggs, and avocados as well as a lot of green and cruciferous vegetables.
2 – Brain functions
A brain that is functioning poorly leads to lessened productivity, an unhappy boss, lack of job satisfaction, cravings for energy-producing sweets, and depression. It’s a terrible chain reaction.
Dr. Russell Wilder developed the original ketogenic diet to treat epileptics in the early 20th century. He has a phenomenal success rate and the keto diet is still used today for treating epilepsy and some other neuro/brain-related disorders. Research reported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information shows that ketones are a more efficient fuel for our brains than glucose.
3 – Cancer-fighting potential
Another study which was also reported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information shows a ketogenic diet can lead to a dramatically improved survival time and slower tumor growth.
In Summary
If you’re reading this article it’s likely you are in some kind of pain or anguish. Whether your pain is physical or mental (overweight, an autoimmune disorder, thyroid disease, fatigue, a foggy brain, depression, etc.) you can use this information, don’t just skim over it and think that’s nice for someone else. Motivate yourself to change!
If you find information like this useful, why not request our FREE eBook “Deliciously Easy Keto Recipes” and learn more about the ketogenic diet?
The first thing you might think about when you first heard of the ketogenic diet is how can it be as good as people say it is? The short answer is that there are enough benefits to change your life!
What is a Keto diet?
The Keto, or ketogenic, diet is a diet of moderate amounts of protein, high in fat, and low in carbohydrates (carbs). The goal is to dial in your nutritional intake in a way that your body enters a metabolic state known as ketosis.
Ketosis happens when your body has depleted its stores of glycogen sugar used for fueling your energy needs. After the available sugar is consumed your body has to use its stored fats for energy. Our body’s fat is converted into ketones by the liver as a source of energy. This is the reason the Keto diet is such an efficient way to lose body fat.
Top 7 Benefits Of The Keto Diet
Unlike other diets, where the only benefit is weight loss, the Keto diet offers several additional benefits.
1 – Weight loss
There’s no doubt that weight loss is the main goal of a Keto diet. The diet works because it causes your body to use its fat reserves to fuel its metabolism. Let’s go a little deeper into the process.
When a person is deprived of carbohydrates they enter a condition known as ketosis. In ketosis, blood sugar and insulin levels decrease. When our bodies convert fat cells to energy the fat cells release quite a bit of water. The combination of using fat for energy and the accompanying water loss makes for some great weight loss.
The fat is then free to enter the bloodstream and then the liver turns it into ketones to energize the body. So long as you can stay in a caloric deficit you will reap the weight loss benefit of the Keto diet.
2 – Keto curbs your appetite
When your diet isn’t loaded with carbs you won’t have the craving for as much food as you did before. A lot of people who use the Keto diet often fast for much of the day, only eating at mealtimes. They just don’t feel as hungry as they used to.
3 – Greater ability to focus
The Standard American Diet loads you up with a lot of carbs. Our brains have to deal with the resulting rise and fall of blood sugar caused by all those carbs. It’s hard for our brains to focus when we have fluctuating energy levels. But on a Keto diet, our energy levels are more constant and consistent. That makes it easier for the brain to focus and to stay focused longer.
4 – Feeling more energetic
Your body is always on the verge of running out of energy on a regular diet. You have to eat continuously to refuel it. On a Keto diet, your body is tapping into its fat reserve which is nearly an unending source of energy. Then the body can keep its energy level constant all day long. Resulting in you feeling much more energetic!
5 – It can help diabetes
A person who has Type II Diabetes experiences high levels of insulin. Because the Keto diet removes excess sugar from your diet it can help to stabilize their HbA1c counts and may even reverse Type II diabetes.
6 – Keto improves your levels of good cholesterol
HDL cholesterol helps your body get rid of bad cholesterol. After you start a Keto diet your triglyceride level decreases and the levels of HDL cholesterol increase.
7 – Improves your blood pressure
Being on a Keto diet can lower your blood pressure. Many people on a Keto diet are able to decrease their high blood pressure medicine or stop taking it entirely.
A person’s life can change dramatically, and in a positive way, on a ketogenic diet. The Keto diet isn’t hard to start either. There are plenty of Keto recipe books. All you need is a willingness to give it a shot.
The question comes down to this, can you stay in ketosis and still enjoy an adult beverage or two? This article will tell you everything you need to know.
A lot of “ketoers” (keto dieters) feel like alcohol is taboo in their diet. There are some good reasons for thinking this way. Besides just being generally unhealthy alcohol can be counterproductive for ketoers.
Here we’re going to discuss whether you can, or should, have alcohol while on a Keto diet as well as provide a shortlist of keto-friendly alcohol and some that are not so keto-friendly.
** This article contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products and services we can stand behind. Thank you very much for your support. **
Does keto and alcohol mix?
The way keto works
Before we get into what the effect of alcohol is on a keto diet we need to understand what a keto diet is. It’s a strict diet of high-fat, medium protein, and low-carbs that puts your body into a state of ketosis.
Normally your body runs on glucose as its primary source of energy. Regardless of your body’s state of activity, it’s using energy to keep everything functioning well. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates you will have a deficit of glucose to fuel your body.
Luckily, your body is able to burn fat for energy when your stored glucose is depleted. It’s our body’s ability to do this that makes the Keto diet so effective for weight loss. When your body is using fat as its primary fuel source you are in the state of ketosis.
The medical profession’s consensus is that alcohol is generally unhealthy and it’s not too good for that keto diet either. There are plenty of reasons for this and we’ll look at 6 of them here:
1 – A lot of alcohol is loaded with carbs
The reason alcohol is bad for the keto diet is that many types of alcohol are loaded with carbs. Since too many carbs will knock you out of ketosis, any high-carb beverage is bad for keto. Even one dose of glucose will impact your weight loss effort by reducing your body’s glucose tolerance, which in turn makes you more sensitive to carbs. Then the consumption of carbohydrates leads to blood sugar spikes taking you out of ketosis.
Additionally, there are studies showing that low-carb dieters can suffer physical damage by reintroducing high levels of carbohydrates to their diet suddenly. The study’s subjects had elevated biomarkers in their blood that indicates blood vessel damage.
Just how bad are the different alcohols?
Keto and wine
In reality, wine is comparably low in carbohydrates with +/- 2g in a small glass. Even the strictest ketoer could nurse a couple of glasses (about 9 fl.oz.) and keep their total carbs under the 20g daily keto limit!
Dryer wines are preferred on the keto diet because they have less sugar than the sweeter varieties. Also beware of the sweet dessert wines which are loaded with sugar, which is obvious since they’re so sweet. Five ounces of a Muscat or Sherry will add over 200 calories and 20g of carbs.
Keto and beer
Beer is especially high in carbohydrates, having 13g or more of carbohydrates. Beer is made with wheat, barley, and corn for the most part. Its ingredients give the beer a lot of bioavailable carbs the will move you out of ketosis very quickly.
Drinking large amounts of beer regularly is an obstacle to lose weight, or trying to keep it off. There’s a reason we say “beer belly”
Overall, avoiding beer and choosing lower-carb beverages is necessary to stay in ketosis. Fortunately, there are low-carb options if you really want a cold one, we call them lite beers.
Liquors and spirits
Pure spirits are practically a zero-carb beverage (gin, vodka, whiskey, etc.). So they won’t likely take you out of ketosis, however, we’re talking about 80 proof alcohol; moderation is key.
The issue with drinking spirits and liquors is the addition of the mixer to make them a little more drinkable like a “Tequila Sunrise” versus a shot of tequila.
Mixers are typically loaded with sugar and made from sodas and fruit juices, that are full of carbs, to balance the alcohol. So be mindful when choosing mixers and pick those that are low in sugar carbs (i.e., sugar-free tonic and seltzer, diet sodas, etc.).
Even though liquors have virtually zero carbs, they have calories. Calories won’t take you out of ketosis, but they will add weight to your body or make it harder to lose weight.
2 – Alcohol and metabolism
On the keto diet, your metabolism works very specifically to keep you in ketosis. Sadly, alcohol can interfere with your metabolism and your ability to stay in ketosis. Some of that interference is caused by byproducts produced by alcohol. Those by-products can cause a sudden burst of energy, but this may also stop ketosis.
Some alcohol byproducts are phosphatidyl ethanol, acetate, and acetaldehyde. All of these byproducts are quite toxic and your body tries to metabolize them like any other poison, prioritizing the toxins over burning sugars or lipids. Meaning, drinking alcohol often enough you will spend more time metabolizing its byproducts which can result in fat storage.
3 – Alcohol is calorie-dense
Alcohol can be low-carb, but all alcohol is pretty high in calories. Calories aren’t as troublesome as carbs on a keto diet, you should still be aware of how the additional calories will impact your weight goals. If you’ve gone keto to lose weight then you are most likely watching your calories since you won’t lose weight without being calorie deficient.
Alcohol is calorie-dense. For example, wine, gin, and beer have 123, 73, and 154 calories respectively. That may not sound too bad, but you can see how easily the calories can add up with just 3 or 4 drinks.
Other than causing you to make poor decisions it leads people to make poor food choices. If you go for drinks with your friends it’s wise to evaluate yourself and your willpower. Will you really hold to a keto diet after downing a few cold ones before your friends start ordering non-keto appetizers?
What about the day after? Will you have the self-control to avoid the “hangover munchies”?
5 – Your alcohol tolerance on keto
It’s likely you’re drinking less alcohol while you’re on the keto diet, so your tolerance will be much lower than before. On top of that, your glucose tolerance also drops when you’re in ketosis making your body more sensitive to any carbs or sugars you eat. This also means you will feel carb crashes more as well.
Because most alcoholic drinks are full of both carbs and sugars you may find your emotions and energy level will be on a rollercoaster too.
6 – Alcohol is generally unhealthy
The number one reason alcohol is thought to be unhealthy for ketoers is that it’s simply unhealthy. It’s not nutritional. It’s kind of the opposite of being nutritional, taking away nutrients your body has when you began drinking, interfering with digestion, and absorbing nutrients.
Not all alcohol is without nutrition. Red wine and beer are known to have antioxidants and B vitamins, respectively. But for the chronic drinker, the negatives outweigh the positives of alcohol.
Which alcohols are best for keto?
As stated early alcohol isn’t ideal for dieters wanting to stay in ketosis. Alcohol might lead to more fat storage due to our metabolism. But having an occasional drink isn’t the end of the world. It’s possible to have a drink or two if you pick some low-carb drinks that won’t derail metabolism.
Alcohol with low-carbs
If you’re on a keto diet, be sure to drink only low-carb drinks. If you like your drinks neat, you’re in luck because most hard drinks are carb-free, meaning them without worrying about exceeding your carb limit!
Still, remember alcohol can negatively affect your state of ketosis even if it’s not a high-carb drink. Here’s a shortlist of low-carb drinks for you to enjoy without too much guilt.**
Gin, tequila, rum, vodka, or whiskey neat for zero carbs.
Wine (red or white) has 3-4g of carbs
Light beer averages 3g per can
Low-carb mixes
The next point of cation is your choice of mixer for your cocktail. The popular cocktails are typically made with high-carb juice, soda, or an energy drink. To make a tasty low-carb drink use a carb-free mixer like these:
Whether you’re on a keto diet or not it’s imperative you know your limit regarding alcohol. But if you’re on the keto diet you need to set a limit much lower than usual. There are many reasons to keep your drinking to a minimum:
Drinks are loaded with empty calories, meaning calories without nutrients
Drinks may increase your chances to gain weight and take you out of ketosis
Drinks have a tendency to drain you or nutrients, leading to nutritional deficiencies
Excessive drinking can lead to physical and mental health issues
A lot of keto dieters believe alcohol is a no-no for anybody on a keto diet. But it’s not that simple. Choosing to include alcohol with a keto diet hinges on a number of factors. There are some things to consider before heading out:
There are a lot of varieties of alcohol and some are low-carb. Hard liquor is all but carb-free and wine has 3g of carbs or less per glass
Despite some alcohol being carb-free, all alcohol generates toxic byproducts that your body has to metabolize. Unfortunately, your body makes it a priority to burn the toxins first which can take you out of ketosis
Regular, or frequent, consumption of alcohol can cause your body to store fat
Be sure to use low-carb alcohol and mixers for your drinks
Keep all this information in mind and you should have no trouble including alcohol (in moderation) in your keto diet.
Are you ready to start your Keto Diet? One way to get started with a Keto Diet is to have an 8-week “Custom Keto Diet Plan” created for you based on your height, weight, age, level of physical activity, and personal weight goals. Click the banner to learn more about your customized keto diet plan, or click here to go straight to your custom keto diet meal planner.
The keto diet has been proven to work time and again. Nearly everyone who stays true to the keto diet will enjoy its benefits and lose weight.
Being compliant means you’re following the high-fat, low-carb, and medium protein rules.
The first thing you might think about when you first heard of the ketogenic diet is how can it be as good as people say it is? The short answer is that there are enough benefits to change your life!
