The keto diet is meant to help you lose weight in record time by focusing on low-carb and high-fat meals. However, simply giving up on your sweet cravings and favorite pasta and bread will not guarantee you an optimum weight. As a beginner, you can commit some common keto mistakes that stall your weight loss. So, learn about these common blunders to make sure you are on track.
Six common keto mistakes that stall weight loss and how to avoid them:

One of the biggest mistakes that keto diet beginners make is to skip eating enough fats. The diet does not only ask you to stay away from carbohydrates; it also recommends eating healthy fats. Almost 75% of your total daily calorie intake should come from fats, 20% from proteins, and about 5% from carbohydrates. Fats are filling, and consuming the right amounts will ensure you can sustain ketosis. Focus on eating healthy fats like olive oil, animal fats from grass-fed animals and pastured animals, and monounsaturated fats, like avocado and coconut oil. However, you should avoid fats like cottonseed oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, margarine, and processed vegetable oils.

One of the common keto mistakes that stall your weight loss is consuming excess proteins to make up for the lack of carbs in your meals. Proteins consumed are converted into starch through gluconeogenesis. This process takes place whenever glucose is not available. During ketosis, your body will use fats as the main source of energy, storing the extra proteins as glycogen. Having proteins in moderation is alright as it gets used for replenishing glycogen. But when you start keto, the body initially burns the extra glucose instead of fats. This slows down ketosis and, sometimes, prevents it altogether.

The keto diet may be low-carb but eating excess calories is not the solution. There is a myth that people can eat as much as they want to when they follow a keto diet. Ideally, healthy fats should constitute the biggest chunk of your diet, but you cannot take in more calories than you will burn. That will only result in unwanted weight gain that defeats the purpose of the diet.

When you have less water, you may experience dehydration that is common during ketosis. Less water also slows down metabolism, and this can stall weight loss. The keto diet cuts down on carbs, and the body starts to shed more water as a result. Some keto dieters can even experience flu symptoms or keto flu when they start out. This may be due to acute dehydration and electrolyte deficiency. The keto flu is actually good because it means you are on track, but you should keep hydrating yourself to ease the symptoms.

For some keto dieters, eating too many dairy foods can lead to inflammation. This can also hamper the weight loss journey. Dairy foods are rich in proteins, fats, and carbs. And eating high protein foods can also be counterproductive. You need to consume dairy products like cheese in moderation.

Excess snacking may be one of the biggest mistakes that keto dieters make. While you are permitted to enjoy a whole variety of snacks like avocado, cheese, and nuts, you must restrict your snacking urges because the more you eat, the more calories you gain. You can snack only to satisfy hunger pangs in between meals, or your efforts at losing weight will be meaningless.