When you hear the term, “Keto Diet,” most people probably think of someone restricting their carbohydrate intake when they hear it. That’s true of the normal ketogenic diet, however you do not need to severely limit carbohydrate intake to be able to experience the natural benefits of ketosis. The average person can experience ketosis without any special diet at all! The problem many people have is that they take a supplement to experience the benefits of ketosis and this in turn restricts them from other foods. Before going off on a tangent into the world of supplements, let me first explain how the body works to create ketones.

As I just noted, the Keto Diet is not based on eliminating carbs from your diet. This is what some people call the “maintenance” keto diet. If you follow a standard high-protein, low-carb meal plan, then you are experiencing the benefits of ketones. Many people go this route to lose weight, and there are a few common keto diet myths attached to this approach.

One of the most common keto diet myths surrounds weight loss. The diet requires you to restrict your carbohydrate intake to the bare minimum. This may be fine for other people, but if you are trying to lose weight you need to eat more than your calories provide. A lot of this weight comes from water. Since you aren’t reducing the amount of carbs, you aren’t reducing the number of calories. So while weight loss is possible on the Keto Diet, it is not the only factor to keep in mind.

Another of the frequent keto diet myths surrounds the concept of a fast weight loss. You do not lose weight at a rapid pace. It takes time to make the necessary adjustments to your diet and lifestyle that will result in burning fat. This also includes making sure you have carbohydrates available to replace those lost from the restricting of carbs. This is why the Keto Diet is so effective for weight loss: it allows you to eat the foods you want while still losing weight.

One of the final keto diet myths is that you can’t get hungry during the diet. The main reason this occurs is because your body is in a metabolic state known as ketosis. Ketosis is the state where your body burns its own fat rather than relying on muscle for energy. When you go into ketosis, your brain signals your body to burn all the fat it has stored rather than the carbohydrates found in your daily diet.

Another myth is that there’s no such thing as a keto diet because your body won’t get hungry. Again, this is untrue. Even when you’re in a severe ketosis, you can still eat your favorite high-fiber foods without causing a deprivation of daily calories.