While the high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet has helped many people lose weight, adjusting your diet can be difficult which is why a trendier ‘dirty keto’ has been adopted by some.
With dirty keto or lazy keto, you still stick to the high-fat, low-carb basics of the ketogenic diet.
However, you don’t necessarily have to eat clean all the time, which makes it a huge plus for the lovers of fast food. You can easily have your burger, just without the bun.
As it picks up the pace with people globally, here are 12 ground rules for dirty keto diet for beginners.
Dirty Keto Diet Rules for Beginners
1. Do Your Research
As with anything new, proper research is required. With the dirty keto diet, especially since it involves something that has a direct impact on your health, you must learn all the benefits and potential side effects.
For instance, the transition could cause digestive problems such as diarrhea.
Check with a doctor before embarking in case you have underlying problems. It is also worth noting that it is a fairly new concept, therefore, its long-term effects are still under-researched.
2. Do A Test-Drive
For most people, the body goes into a mild state of ketosis, between breakfast and dinner or when they do a short fast.
Learn how your body responds to such circumstances. This will give you an outlook for when you start on the dirty keto diet as it has several side effects, especially in the early stages.
3. Get All the Nutrients You Need
Due to its junk-friendly nature, dirty keto dieters may not get all the nutrients they need for optimal health. Maximize on nutrients intake by consuming unprocessed foods or taking supplements if need be.
This is especially important as dieticians warn that the extremely low-carb dirty keto diet can lead to a severe lack of nourishing nutrients and fiber, which are catered for in the healthier version.
4. Have Alternative Energy Sources
Carbohydrates are nature’s best way of acquiring energy for your body’s functionality. Therefore, cutting them out may lead to low energy levels.
Energy drinks are certainly not the answer so don’t even consider those. Ensure you get a good dose of healthy proteins such as eggs, sunflower seeds, vegetables.
5. Calories Still Matter
The dirty keto diet does not put emphasis on counting calories, which is a good thing. Counting calories is tedious and can lead to eating disorders. But you still need to regulate your calorie intake, otherwise, you won’t lose weight.
With dirty keto, maintain a deficit of at least 500 calories to lose weight. Avoid severe calorie restriction as it may make you gain weight in future.
6. Complement with A Workout Plan
Since keto limits the amounts of carbs you ingest, it can be unsustainable in the long run and eventually slow down your weight loss.
With dirty keto, which allows you to indulge in high-fat foods, it is especially important that you exercise regularly to get remarkable results from your diet.
Since you are allowed to eat foods that may increase your risk of heart disease such as eat cheese, bacon, and other high-fat foods, use exercise to keep your heart healthy.
If you’re a busy and out-of-shape person, use this home workout plan to stay fit.
7. Use It as A Transition Diet
Dirty keto has been termed unsustainable by several nutritionists who would much rather keto dieters stick to the normal ketogenic diet.
However, if you are set on trying out dirty keto, use it as a transition diet that leads to healthier, less processed foods with less artificial additives.
8. Watch Your Protein Intake
Due to its emphasis on a very limited carb intake paired with high-fat foods, some people tend to go overboard with the proteins, which beats the purpose as your body will not be able to achieve ketosis.
9. Moderation is Key
You can certainly eat junk. All other diets also allow for cheat days.
However, with the nature of dirty keto, keep things within moderation. Too much protein and extremely low-carb intake is bound to do more harm than good.
10. Analyze Whether it Poses and Addiction Challenge
Although it’s definitely an easier way to transition your diet, the leeway dirty keto gives to consume junk food could be a pitfall for anyone who may be struggling to give up their favorite fast food items.
It might trigger an over-indulgence of fat-laden foods like pork rinds and sliced cheese, which are favorites among dirty keto propagators.
11. Beware of the Keto Flu
With dirty keto, diet people tend to consume more processed foods that have been linked to the infamous keto flu.
As the body adjusts to the diet you are likely to experience flu-like symptoms because of eating highly processed foods, which are stripped of major nutrients.
In the first few days as your body adjusts, you may experience low energy and poor mental functioning as well as increased hunger.
12. Work with A Professional
Dieticians and weight loss experts exist so that you are able to achieve your fitness goals in a way that will not compromise your health.
When it comes to making some weighty decisions such as opting for the dirty keto diet, which is unfortunately not backed by sufficient scientific studies, you may want to consider consulting a professional.
They will walk you through and even create a meal plan that ensures you have the proper intake of your favorite foods and offer advice when weaning off the diet. It is not the sort of diet to embark on lightly.
The Bottom Line
The dirty keto diet is gaining popularity by the day. However, many experts warn that it is a quick-fix, which is not sustainable in the long run and thus not the healthiest option for losing weight.
You’re better off sticking to these effortless weight loss rituals and doing the stunningly simple fat-burning workouts.
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