One Danger of the Keto Diet: What You Need to Know

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Disclaimer: I have witnessed numerous positive benefits of the Ketogenic (“Keto”) Diet. This article is not to speak ill of this diet and lifestyle, only to discuss my experience and what I have learned.

August 20, 2019 was a day that radically changed things for me and it may not be what you may think.

In this article, we will discuss what went wrong on my keto adventure, steps that may have led up to this event, what changed afterward along with where I am today.

Let me give you some background on my keto and weight loss journey but for this, I will have to go back a few years, well, maybe more than a few, but it will be a brief summary.

High School

Historically, I have been conscious of my weight – even back in High School, where I felt I was a tad overweight than the average human. I was not obese by any means, but I could shed a few, about 10-15 pounds of extra fluff I would say.

College Freshman 15

I entered college and gained the infamous “freshmen 15 lbs.” and grateful for my kind roommates and friends who brought this to my attention even back then. Grateful for honesty. (I think I have always appreciated a friend who can provide honest feedback, in a loving way.) I didn’t notice the weight gain in college before they told me, but it was a wake-up call for me.

Watch the Video!

Post-Graduation LIfe

Through a series of events and relationships after graduation, I realized I used food as comfort. It was safe, always there and I felt better afterward. This would impact my life later on as I was drawn to sugar and carbohydrates.

Jenny Craig

In 2002, I lost 40 lbs. through Jenny Craig, and I am grateful for the strategies and coaching they provided. I felt awesome during the program and have consulted with them time and time again over the years.

They encourage lifestyle changes in addition to diet changes. I was prompted to workout, so I did. I started to run/walk on the treadmill and really enjoyed it, so much, I started to participate in local 5K events.

Camp Gladiator / P90x

In fact, I continued to work out over the next decade, it became part of my life, and I engaged in kickboxing, and weightlifting, and even joined Camp Gladiator. Camp Gladiator is absolutely amazing. The introduction of high-intensity, interval training (“HIIT”) and workouts, got me addicted right away. It was almost as if I felt I was getting stronger after each workout.

I got married.

I kept running/walking 5K’s and incorporating HIIT, and even an occasional P90x workout. At this time, I completed my first 10K event.

I started to gain weight even though I was active. I needed a change.

The Keto Diet Begins

I came across the Keto Diet, several times but was not ready to move forward, until June 2019.

In short, if you are not familiar with the Keto Diet, it’s a way of eating that is high-healthy fat and low carbohydrates. The elimination of sugar is necessary so the body will begin to use fat as fuel, instead of sugar for energy. This process puts the body in a state of ketosis and as a by-product, the body adjusts and burns stored fat, and you lose inches and subsequently pounds.

There are many pros of this diet, and I will get into this in another post.

So, what happened?

What Happened?

One day while on the keto diet, I ate sugar. I was also dehydrated.

My body reacted as if I was in a toxic state, and I was. My body could not handle the sugar, my liver could not digest it, I was low on fluids. I got dizzy, and nauseous,

I eventually got re-hydrated, and got back on feet and I followed up with my doctor afterward.

My doctor, who is also on the keto diet, and I talked about things (I am so grateful for my doctor!), who understood what happened. While we agreed there is a plethora of information available, we also agreed that there is not enough information out there with regard to this diet and if you “mess up” while on the diet.

I learned a lot. Next, we are going to explore what I learned from the experience and what changes were made going forward.

Lessons Learned

Assessing Changes

When things occur in our life, they may be considered setbacks at the time. To me, that was a learning experience, and I definitely learned a lot! It was a time for me to take an assessment on things, take a step back and look at where I am presently. It’s a great time to evaluate changes that need to be made and make a plan to allow for changes going forward. Self-care is vital.

Continue with Keto?

The Keto Diet has changed many lives, I have seen first-hand the benefits of making this lifestyle change, but it is not without risks. We must learn about the positive impacts of the diet as well as the risks associated.

I share my story to assist as many sources (great as they are) do not cover this aspect that I have seen.

If you have more information on the risks, please place them in the comments below as well as your experiences – include your positive experiences you have had too!

Update

I have decided that the Keto Diet is ultimately not for me. I have made some changes to my diet and have taken a different approach that seems more suitable. I have elected to entertain a whole foods plant based diet with no oil (WFPBNO). I am testing the waters with it and can provide an update on my experience shortly.

If you tried the whole foods plant-based diet no oil, drop a comment on how it’s working for you.