Like I already mentioned in my previous Keto article; exercise or workout is just 10% while diet plays the rest 90% in making you achieve your fitness goals. If you are trying to lose weight or fat percentage, keto diet is appropriate and is safe keeping in mind you do not have any other health issues. Are you confused whether to adopt this diet or not? Are you worried about the possible side effects? Here is everything you need to know:
IS THIS DIET RIGHT FOR ME?
There is a lot of debate going all over the internet whether keto diet is healthy or not. A healthy person can definitely give this a try having known that he/she is aware of the proper nutrition and about foods that need to be consumed. However, if you have health issues, it is always the best to speak to a dietitian or nutritionist to know if you are fit for this diet and how to go about it.
I have always been into healthy eating and working out but also had a lot of junk (carbs) that made me put on weight. I already knew a lot about nutrition and I have no health issues so I could simply start the keto diet (of course after a lot of research). This might not be the case with everyone.
INITIAL SIDE EFFECTS OF KETO DIET
Now that you have consulted your doctor and everything and are all set to start the keto diet, here are few things you need to know that you might go through-
Drowsy feeling: You might feel a bit drowsy the initial few weeks especially after you suddenly get up from sleep, or stand all of a sudden. This is because your body is still trying to adapt to ‘low-carbs’ and feels carb-deficient. The motive of keto diet is to shift the primary source of energy from carbs to fats and while your body is trying to adapt to this, you are bound to face drowsiness. To feel better, make sure you have several ‘fat’ meals throughout the day.
Breathlessness and fatigue: This is a common side effect faced by many who start a keto diet and I faced this all the time when I went to the gym in my initial transition days. This is just a part of the low-carb flu and should vanish in few days.
Constipation: This is the most common side effect of keto diet. Since your food consist of mainly fats and proteins, the lack of fibre causes constipation. Also, because you are low on carbs, your body does not hold water resulting into constipation and hard stools. This will get better in few months as your body adapts to low-carb.
Severe cravings for junk food & hairfall sugar: This happens with any diet you start and isn’t just specific for keto diet. The good thing here is that you won’t have cravings for longer periods because once you adapt to low carb, you naturally lose cravings.
Hair fall:You might also experience hair fall! In that case, increase your consumption of olive oil and coconut oil. Also, start having multi vitamins.
HOW WOULD I KNOW IF MY BODY IS WELL ADAPTED TO LOW-CARB DIET?
Once all the above mentioned symptoms subside, you are well adapted to the diet. You might feel more energetic, no drowsiness, more alert and won’t crave much for junk or sugar.
Note: DO NOT have any cheat days until and unless you achieve your weight loss goals. Cheat days will only put you out of ketosis and will bring back all the low-carb flu symptoms when you try to go back to keto-diet.