You Should Stop Eating Keto If This Happens To You
The ketogenic diet, or keto diet, is a low-carb, high-fat diet that is often used to help people lose weight. The primary goal of the keto diet is to speed up your metabolism by drastically reducing the amount of carbs you eat every day (via Eat This, Not That!). This forces your body to enter a state of ketosis and start burning fat for energy, instead of carbohydrates.
Although the keto diet can be a helpful weight loss tool for some people, it's certainly not for everyone. Radically changing the way you eat can cause a number of unpleasant and uncomfortable side effects. For instance, following the keto diet may result in nausea or vomiting. This is known as the keto flu and can occur within days of starting the keto diet.
You may also experience headaches and fatigue. Not eating enough carbs can make you feel lethargic and lower your electrolyte levels, which can cause dehydration and head pain. Gastrointestinal issues, like constipation and diarrhea, are also a sign that the keto diet might not be right for you.
How to safely get off the keto diet
If you're experiencing any of these side effects and are ready to quit the keto diet, there are a few things you can do to help you safely and effectively transition back to your pre-keto diet. One way you can do this is by slowly reintroducing carbs back into your diet. "As with any strict diet, transitioning back into your normal eating style can be difficult," Keri Glassman, a registered dietitian and founder of Nutritious Life, told Shape. "After restricting your carbs for so long, you're more likely to overdo them once you allow yourself to have them again."
That's why it's important to be mindful of your portion sizes and try to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. For instance, it might be a good idea to start off with plant-based carbs like fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes. These are all healthy carbs that also contain fiber and protein and won't be as much of a shock to the system as pasta or baked goods.