Keto Diet Side-Effects

After reading about Keto diet side-effects from a couple of articles online, I noticed they had a common theme, which centered upon dieters feeling like they were lacking carbs while on a reduced 20g-daily carb intake.

Tired Dog resting his head on blanket

Photo by Channey on Unsplash

Help Is Here For Keto Diet Side-Effects

Help Is Here For
Keto Diet Side-Effects

They felt tired, headachy, and crampy. What the articles didn’t expound upon, though, was whether their carb intake was based on total carb grams, or net carb grams, consumed on a daily basis.

This surprised me as being the number one side-effect; my biggest side-effect is commonly called the Keto Flu. (NOTE: It isn't a "real" flu, but mimics the feelings of flu.

Two Ways to Count Carbs

Back to the feeling of a lack of carbs in the diet as being a main Keto diet side-effect. As mentioned at the top of this post, there are two ways to count carbs. If you don't count the "net carb way," you could feel like you're missing out.





Susan Gast owner, Finally-Keto and more

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Two Ways To Count Carbs

There are two ways to count carbs:

  1. Total Carbs
  2. Net Carbs

The way to count carbs on a Keto diet is NET carbs. Counting net carbs means you WILL actually eat MORE carbs. How so? With net carbs, we deduct a food's fiber content and sugar-alcohols (if it contains sugar-alcohols, that is).

What you're left with are NET carbs. If a product starts out with 30 grams of carbs—but has 20 grams of fiber in it—your NET carb total is just 10 grams net.

It’s important to note that the number of net carbs to aim for are
NET carb grams. Read how to compute your net carbs here.

It’s important to note that the number of net carbs to aim for are NET carb grams.
Read how to compute your net carbs here.

This enables you to eat more carbs and that will surely ease Keto diet side-effects of feeling hungry. You’ll be far less-likely to yearn for (forbidden) bread, potatoes etc. because you probably will be eating enough NET carbs to satisfy your mind and body when you use the 'net carb' counting method.

Easing Keto Diet Side-Effects

The best way to ease Keto diet side-effects such as a high-carb food-hankering is to increase your carbs by choosing to eat carbs that are high in fiber. Why? Because fiber in carbs acts as a blood-sugar stabilizer—meaning fiber has a neutralizing effect on sugar spikes. Plus, fiber is filling.

For example: I too missed having a good old slice of bread.

Remedy: Eat ThinSlim Foods breads (see links below). The bread-hankering was dealt with in a smart way. And guess what? The ThinSlim Foods breads taste just like real breads (because they are —but with great fiber in 'em!) and ARE very tasty.

Two slices of ThinSlim Rye Bread contain 14g of carbs AND 14g of FIBER… so the fiber neutralizes the 14g of carbs in the bread. The carbs and fiber balance each other out. So net-carb-wise, you’re at ZERO NET carbs for two slices of bread. This zero carb count helps immensely in keeping to a 20g (or less ) net-carb daily intake.

Making smart choices like choosing ThinSlim Foods Breads (and Cakes and Cookies!) is how you can keep to a daily 20g NET carb Keto diet effortlessly.


Headaches That Feel Like Hangovers

Many report having headaches as one of the Keto diet side-effects. Me too! I googled for answers and came up with the interesting fact that a lack of Magnesium causes headaches. (A lack of water causes them too).

How to remedy that? Check out these Electrolyte Supplements from KETO Chow in the image gallery below. They have different kinds of drops, i.e. Electrolyte and Magnesium. I purchased mine off Amazon. The Magnesium drops are—yes, you guessed it—in liquid form. The drops come in an 8.3 oz bottle and the package also provides a very handy small, capped squirt bottle.

The images below are in a gallery. Just click one and it'll give you a bigger picture. Hit the arrow on the right to advance to the next image. Use "Close-X" to exit the gallery. [If you are viewing on your cellphone, you may not even need to see larger images, but if you did/do: hit your browser's back-button/arrow to exit].

Keto Chow Electrolytes Supplement Card
Keto Chow Magnesium Drops 8.3 oz bottle with small squirt bottle
Keto Chow Magnesium Drops box front
Keto Chow Magnesium Drops box rear

The dosage is one cap-full of the small squirt bottle. They recommend taking your Magnesium Drops spread out over the course of the day. Why? Magnesium is famous for making you go poo. (Think Milk of Magnesia). Therefore, taking your Magnesium Drops throughout the day by using your squirt bottle negates the urgent “need to go” that could occur if you took the full cap-full in one dose!

I am amazed at how well these drops worked for me
and they negated my Keto diet side-effects of nasty headaches!

Please be sure to drink enough water throughout the day. If you’re a coffee drinker like me, then do this: Promise yourself that for every cup of coffee you drink, you’ll match it with a glass full of water (with the Magnesium Drops in it!) Works like a charm.

Leg Cramps Are NO Fun

Cramp Defense pills ~ bottle front
Cramp Defense pills ~ bottle back
Cramp Defense pills ~ dosage instructions

Click images for larger view.

At the start of a Keto diet, many people suffer from leg cramps. To be honest, I did have a couple of humdingers in my left calf PRIOR to going on a Keto diet, so I cannot blame “going Keto” completely for my leg cramps. Some “old age” stuff creeping in, perhaps?

Having said that, the cramps did ramp up. What to do? Again, I googled and ended up at Amazon again. I now take two pills—one in the morning and one at night—of these Cramp Defense pills as “insurance.”

Since taking the Magnesium Drops in addition to the above Cramp Defense pills, I’m happy to say that the leg cramps are no more (though I DO still have to watch which way I’m bending my toes to avoid starting a nasty calf-cramp).

Get Some Exercise!

In addition to ALL the above to alleviate Keto diet side-effects, get some exercise! My choice: swimming in summer, and a good old exercise bike that’s right behind me in my office. The bike is obviously great for year-round exercise. Plus, I can watch TV shows while I’m sat there pedaling away for 30 mins/5 miles.

Maybe the pedaling also eases leg cramps, as it’s surely excellent exercise for the legs.

To recap, make sure you:

Don’t let stuff like this put you off “going Keto.” Just deal with it like a sane person and experience the magic of pounds finally melting away.

* As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase. Also, as a ThinSlim Foods and Cronometer affiliate, I may earn a small commission too. Again, the price you pay does not increase. You help me keep the lights on!



Susan Gast owner, Finally-Keto and more

Susan Gast created Finally-Keto.com on June 10th, 2020. Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to the Keto Diet.

Susan is featured on Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It (SBI) who host this site along with her sister site, Easy Food Dehydrating. Read her first SBI interview, and her second SBI interview. Susan also runs an additional SBI website: SusanGast.com - Non-Fiction Author - and showcases many of the books she's created and marketed over the years.

Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create a "review site" of products related to the publishing industry. Visit ePubTechReviews today.

Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!


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