My Experience With The Ketogenic Diet

My experience with the ketogenic diet had been positive in the beginning. However, it soon developed difficulties. I will explain my problems with the ketogenic diet and how I solved each of them.

Weight Loss

My experience with the ketogenic diet started with consuming exogenous ketones. I noticed a change in my appetite. I was less hungry and had a lot of energy. Slowly I changed my diet by removing carbohydrates, such as bread and pasta. I also added more good fats to my diet. My lunch consisted of avocado and egg some days, and other days I would have bacon. 

The diet was working. After three weeks of consuming exogenous ketones, I lost weight. It takes about three weeks for your body to become keto-adapted. That is when you begin losing weight. Every day I would lose about 1-2 lbs. It stayed consistent until I lost 60 pounds and reached my ideal weight. It took about three months. I felt great!

I liked this ketogenic diet. It was easy to lose weight. I couldn’t lose that much weight on any other diet and had a lot of energy. 

However, soon I was experiencing problems with the ketogenic diet.

Depleted Electrolytes

I went to the gym five days a week, running on the treadmill, weight lifting, pilates, spinning class, and aerobics. Plus, I would run outside on Saturday, doing long runs with my running group. We ran 10-20 miles weekly, depending on whether we were training for the marathon. I was highly active. 

I sometimes felt weak after a long run or running too hard on the treadmill. One day I felt like I was going to pass out. I was running on the treadmill and had to stop because I felt lightheaded. I didn’t have enough energy to get dressed to go home. Someone called 911, and I went to the hospital via ambulance. 

The doctors told me I was low in electrolytes. They asked me if I was drinking enough water; I told them I drank a lot during my workouts. I was in the hospital for three days. During that time, I learned that the keto diet depletes magnesium in your body. It was an easy fix. I just needed to take magnesium supplements.

Hair Loss

Another bad experience I had with the ketogenic diet was hair loss. I was on the keto diet for a few years and noticed my hair falling out. It was coming out in big clumps every time I washed my hair. At first, I thought it was average hair loss, but it concerned my husband. It happened week after week. Then I noticed that my hair was thinning out. I then became concerned.

So I researched the reasons why I would experience hair loss. I learned that it is because of low protein. So I started tracking my protein consumption on my calorie app and discovered I was not getting enough protein in my diet.

I started eating a can of salmon daily to increase my protein intake. It worked. My hair started growing back. I fixed that problem.

Difficulty Keeping Carbohydrates Low

My experience with the ketogenic diet was I had difficulty staying below 15% of carbohydrates daily. I would enter my food into my calorie app every day, and most days, I was over my carbohydrate limit. Cutting down on carbs wasn’t very difficult. I could do without bread and pasta. The amount of carbs I had to cut out of my diet was difficult. The fruit was eliminated from my diet, which is good for you.

I consume an exogenous ketone daily, so I’m still in ketosis. Therefore I’m burning fat for energy instead of glucose. I need to change my menu to include more keto food. 

My Analysis of My Experience with the Keto Diet

I think the keto diet is excellent for losing weight fast in a healthy way. But I don’t think it is sustainable for an extended period for me. I’m thinking about introducing new foods into my diet so that it is more well-balanced. My diet is lacking in essential vitamins and minerals. I can always go back to the keto diet every once in a while. 

To lose weight, go on the ketogenic diet until you reach your ideal weight. Using exogenous ketones will get your body keto-adapted much faster than following a strict keto diet. Then you can add other foods to your diet to ensure you get the proper nutrients.