Constipation gets most of the attention as a keto side effect, but plenty of people run into the opposite problem in the first week or two. Loose stools, urgency, and outright diarrhoea are common enough that they have earned nicknames online, and they can be alarming when you were expecting the diet to make everything better. The reassuring part is that this is nearly always temporary and nearly always down to a few identifiable causes, most of which you can fix by adjusting how you eat rather than abandoning the plan.
People use “keto” and “low carb” as if they were interchangeable, and in casual conversation nobody minds. Nutritionally, though, they describe two different things. Every ketogenic diet is low carb, but plenty of low-carb eating never comes close to ketosis. Knowing where the line sits helps you pick the approach that suits your body and, just as importantly, one you can actually stick to.
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Most people need roughly 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day on keto, leaning towards the higher end if you train hard or are older and want to hold on to muscle. For a 70kg person that works out at about 85 to 140 grams a day. The mistake beginners make is setting protein too low, not too high, usually because they have read somewhere that protein is dangerous on keto.
Somewhere in the first few weeks of keto, a lot of people notice they feel cold: chilly when everyone else is comfortable, cold hands and feet, reaching for a jumper or an extra blanket. It is a common complaint and it takes people by surprise, because nobody mentions it. The reassuring news is that it usually has ordinary causes, most of them fixable, and for many people it passes as they adapt.
Somewhere in the first fortnight of keto, a lot of people notice their trips to the bathroom have gone quiet. Constipation is one of the most common early complaints on a low-carb diet, common enough that it is worth expecting rather than panicking about. The good news is that it usually has a handful of ordinary causes, most of them fixable in a day or two once you know what to reach for.