Signs You're Eating Too Much Protein On Keto | What's Good by V (2024)

When you go keto, you know to load up on fats and kiss carbs goodbye—but what do you do about protein? Too much of the muscle-building macronutrient can cause trouble on keto. Here’s how to tell if you’re going overboard.

How Much Protein You Can Have On Keto

Despite the focus on keto being super low-carb and high-fat, it’s important to remember that the diet is also moderate-protein.

That means just about 20 percent of your daily calories, on average, should come from protein. That’s about a gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, or somewhere between 60 and 120 grams of protein a day, depending on your size, says Ginger Hultin, M.S., R.D., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (Since individual protein needs vary, Hultin recommends working with a dietitian to figure out your macros before starting keto.)

Why Protein Matters On Keto

The reason for keeping protein intake moderate on a keto diet: Too much can actually mess with your ability to burn fat.

“If you eat more protein than the body needs, your body can turn its amino acids (the building blocks of protein) into glucose (blood sugar),” says Hultin.

In this process, called gluconeogenesis, the body produces glucose using non-carb sources, explains integrative nutrition health coach Karissa Long, C.H.C. Why? Because glucose is easier for your body to access for fuel than fats, it opts to make and use glucose whenever possible—even if it has to use protein instead of carbs to do so.

Related: What A Day Of Healthy Keto Eating Looks Like

Thus, if you consume excess protein, your body will use those amino acids to produce glucose before starting to break down fat into ketones. The result: You get stuck in sugar-burning mode and can’t shift into ketosis.

Signs You’re Eating Too Much Protein

Not sure if too much protein is messing with your fat-burning abilities? Here are two big signs to look out for—and how to get your macros back on track.

1. Your Breath Smells Like Ammonia

While stanky breath that reminisces of nail polish remover is a normal side-effect on keto, breath that smells like ammonia is not.

“Interestingly enough, ammonia is produced by the body when it digests and breaks down protein,” Long explains. “When you ingest large amounts of protein, ammonia production can make your breath smell.”

So, if your breath smells like Windex, your protein intake may be high enough that it’s pulling you out of ketosis.

2. You Have Flu-LikeSymptoms

When too much protein shifts your body out of ketosis, it essentially leaves you stuck in a metabolic limbo.

Like when you first start a keto diet, this state of transition can leave you with symptoms described as the ‘keto flu.’ Due to shifts in electrolyte levels and hydration that occur during this metabolic shift, you may experience “low energy, irritability, headache, muscle cramps and digestive troubles,” says Hultin.

Related: 4 Types Of Supplements Keto Dieters Should Consider

While keto flu symptoms typically clear up in about a week or so, as the body fully shifts into fat-burning ketosis, eating too much protein can bring them back over and over again as your body tries bounces between burning sugar and burning fat.

How To Get Your Protein Intake On Track

If you’re unsure whether your keto diet is actually too high in protein, you’ll first need to get a clearer picture of your intake. To do so, Long recommends tracking your food in an app for at least a few days. If you’re eating more than about 20 percent of your daily calories from protein, you’ll need to adjust your meals and snacks to tone it down.

Another surefire way to test whether your keto diet is actually achieving its purpose: Test your ketone levels. Using at-home strips, you can tune into the amount of ketones present in your urine, and make sure levels are in the true ketosis range. Many test strips—like Finaflex’s Ketone Test Strips—start off beige in color, and take on a pink or purple hue, depending on the amount of ketones detected. If you don’t fall into the optimal range, take a look at your protein intake and adjust as needed.

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Signs You're Eating Too Much Protein On Keto | What's Good by V (2024)

FAQs

Signs You're Eating Too Much Protein On Keto | What's Good by V? ›

As noted above, one of the most common mistakes that people make on a keto diet is eating too much protein. The body can convert the amino acids from excess protein into glucose, potentially sabotaging your weight loss efforts and keeping your body out of ketosis.

What happens on keto if you eat too much protein? ›

As noted above, one of the most common mistakes that people make on a keto diet is eating too much protein. The body can convert the amino acids from excess protein into glucose, potentially sabotaging your weight loss efforts and keeping your body out of ketosis.

What are the symptoms of too much protein? ›

Consuming more protein than the body needs can cause symptoms such as intestinal discomfort, dehydration, nausea, fatigue, headaches, and more. Chronic protein overconsumption can also increase the risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, blood vessel disorders, liver and kidney issues, and seizures.

Does keto work if you eat more protein than fat? ›

The keto diet is all about limiting carbs and increasing fat, so if you're not getting enough of the latter, you may not enter into ketosis. And if you eat too much protein, your body may convert that into glucose, which can knock you out of ketosis and hinder weight loss and other benefits.

What color is urine in ketosis? ›

Any color on the ketone strip, from pink to purple, indicates fat burning (ketosis). Some people get a darker ketone strip color and achieve the same weight loss results as someone with a lighter color.

What happens if you eat more protein than carbs? ›

But over the long term, too much protein and too few carbohydrates may not be the healthiest plan. This kind of eating pattern has been linked to an increased risk of developing osteoporosis. That's because digesting protein releases acids into the bloodstream.

Can eating too much protein turn into carbs? ›

Instead, excess amino acids get converted to carbohydrate or fat. Thus, it seems that additional protein intake will not directly increase muscle growth, strength or physical performance and could even lead to weight gain and fat deposition, which are surely negative consequences for any athlete.

What does protein overload feel like? ›

The hair will feel dry, brittle and stringy, because it won't have enough moisture to stretch and support elasticity. The hair will lose shine and look dull. You will have more frizz than normal, a wiry, stringy type of frizz. You may notice additional shedding, due to the hair breaking when brushing.

How do I know if my protein levels are too high? ›

High blood protein levels don't cause symptoms. You may learn you have high blood protein if a healthcare provider orders a comprehensive metabolic panel.

What does protein toxicity feel like? ›

Symptoms. Unexplained vomiting and a loss of appetite are indicators of protein toxicity. If those two symptoms are accompanied by an ammonia quality on the breath, the onset of kidney failure is a likely culprit.

What happens if you eat no carbs for a week? ›

Severe carb limits can cause your body to break down fat into ketones for energy. This is called ketosis. Ketosis can cause side effects such as bad breath, headache, fatigue and weakness. It's not clear what kind of possible long-term health risks a low-carb diet may pose.

What do 50 grams of carbs look like on keto? ›

What does 50 g net carbs look like? Depending on the foods a person consumes, 50 g net carbs can vary. For example, with low carb foods, around 1,000 g of broccoli, raspberries, or Brazil nuts are roughly 50 g net carbs. However, with high carb foods, 200 g of cashews or 100 g of lentils are about 50 g net carbs.

Is it more important to hit fat or protein on keto? ›

While every person has individual needs, most people follow these macronutrient guidelines to enter (or stay in) ketosis: 75-80% of calories should come from fat. 20% of calories should come from protein.

What does your pee smell like in ketosis? ›

When a person eats a lot of protein instead of carbohydrates, their body uses protein and stored fat for energy instead of using carbohydrates as it would usually do. As a result, the ketone level in the blood will rise. When these ketones leave the body in the urine, the urine may smell sweet or similar to popcorn.

What does keto breath smell like? ›

Standard bad breath often smells like food you just ate such as onions, garlic, and spicy foods. However, keto breath is often described as smelling like acetone, fruit or ammonia. A common way to describe the smell of keto breath is by comparing it to the smell of nail polish remover.

Do you pee out fat on keto? ›

Your body will switch to ketosis if you're not getting enough carbs, or if you don't have enough insulin to help your body use glucose. During ketosis, your body breaks down fat for energy, releasing ketones. They eventually leave your body through your urine (pee).

How much protein can you eat and stay in ketosis? ›

We have performed a number of studies indicating that most healthy humans maintain lean body mass and function during a ketogenic diet providing between 1.5 and 1.75 grams of protein per kg of 'reference body weight'* (Phinney 1983, Davis 1990).

Can too much protein stall weight loss? ›

Since protein has calories, consuming too much can make it harder to lose weight. This can happen if you drink protein shakes along with your usual diet and you're not eating less calories or exercising. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that an average adult needs about 46 to 56 grams of protein a day.

How much protein until it turns to glucose? ›

For most common proteins, 50–80 g of glucose can be derived from 100 g of ingested protein.

What happens if you overeat on keto? ›

Overeating on the keto diet may lead to a condition known as "keto flu," with symptoms like nausea, headache, and fatigue. The keto diet can help lose weight and improve conditions like type 2 diabetes.

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