The keto diet is a diet that has become incredibly popular in recent years. This diet has proven results and a wide variety of benefits, so there really is no surprise that so many people are choosing to follow it.
The keto, or ketogenic, diet is a low carb and high fat diet. While it does take a little while to work, the keto diet can completely transform your lifestyle, and the way that you eat.
But for this diet to work, it is incredibly important that you consume a high amount of fat.
If you are considering following a keto diet, then you might be wondering what will happen if you don’t eat enough fat.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at just that, so keep on reading!
What Is the Keto Diet?
First things first, let’s take a look at exactly what a keto diet is. Well as we have said, a keto, or ketogenic, diet is a diet that focuses on reducing the amount of carbohydrates that you eat, and increasing the amount of fat that you eat.
Traditionally, most diets aim to achieve results by reducing or eliminating fat and sugar intake, which is why the keto diet is such a breath of fresh air.
The idea behind this is that reducing the amount of carbohydrates that you consume will put your body into a state of ketosis.
Once your body enters ketosis, it becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat, allowing you to consume more fat than normal, because you can easily burn it off.
As the majority of what you consume in a keto diet will be fat, this means that you can lose weight more efficiently.
But weight loss isn’t the only thing that drives people to follow a keto diet, there are a number of health benefits too.
These include ketones being released into the liver which increase brain function, a reduction in blood sugar and a reduction in insulin levels too. So it is easy to see why so many people choose to follow a keto diet.
What Happens If You Don’t Eat Enough Fat on Keto?
As we have said, a keto diet is a diet that is high in fat and low in carbohydrates.
So, in order for a keto diet to work, you have to be consuming a high amount of fat. What happens if you don’t eat enough fat? Let’s take a look.
There are a number of different things that can happen if you fail to eat enough fat to sustain your keto diet.
The first thing that you will notice is an increase in hunger. Your body is sustained through large amounts of fat when you are following a keto diet.
So, if you fail to consume enough fat, your body will become hungry. Simultaneously, you might also notice a drop in your energy levels, and that you feel tired more often.
If you fail to consume enough fat over a prolonged period on a keto diet, for example more than a month, then you will begin to experience other symptoms.
This usually includes headaches, lethargy, and diarrhea. You could also fall victim to rabbit starvation.
What Is Rabbit Starvation?
Rabbit starvation is something that occurs when you eat little fat but a lot of protein over a lengthy period.
Essentially when this happens, you will be actively starving your body, even though you are actually eating food.
Rabbit starvation can cause a whole load of different unpleasant side effects, and in the long run it can be very damaging to your health.
For example, rabbit starvation can cause gallstones as it dries up your body’s bile. So, it is very important that you consume fat when you are following a keto diet.
How Do I Know If I’m Not Consuming Enough Fat?
Thankfully, it is usually very easy to spot when you are not eating enough food. Even when you prepare your own meals, it is very easy to end up not eating enough fat when you are busy.
So, it is a good thing that your body gives you a number of signs that you aren’t consuming enough fat.
As we have said, one of the first things that will tell you that you aren’t eating enough fat is your appetite.
If you aren’t consuming enough fat, then your body will be hungry more often. This usually comes at the same time as an increase in tiredness.
If you aren’t consuming enough fat, you might find yourself still feeling tired, even if you have slept a solid 12 hours the night before.
If you consume too little fat, then your ketogenic diet simply will not work. So another sign to watch out for is an increase in body fat.
If you notice that you are no longer losing or maintaining your weight, and are gaining weight instead, then it is likely because you aren’t eating enough fat.
The final two signs to watch out for are a little more alarming. The first is diarrhea.
As we have mentioned, failure to consume enough fat can lead to a reduction in bile production in your body.
Bile plays a big part in keeping your poop healthy, so if you are not eating enough fat, you might notice your stools becoming much looser, and an increase in the amount of times that you have diarrhea.
The final symptom to watch out for is foamy urine. In many ways, this can be more alarming than diarrhea.
Foamy urine is a sign that your kidneys have been overloaded with protein, which is why the foamy protein has appeared in your urine.
So, if you spot this, you should definitely increase your fat intake.
Summary
In short, if you don’t eat enough fat when following a keto diet, then your keto diet will stop working.
It will usually also cause some unpleasant side effects, including lethargy, increased appetite, and diarrhea.
So it is very important to ensure you are consuming enough fat to sustain your body’s health.
Thank you for reading!
