The Keto diet

Cali223

I have a few questions about the Keto diet..

Background:
My whole family is over weight and currently I have 2 morbidly obese cousins that are having bypass surgery to loose weight. They told me that our family shouldn't eat carbs because we store them more, but I don't believe this at all.

My current situation:
I log my calories everyday because I love knowing what I am consuming. However I am noticing that even though I am eating a calorie deficit most of my calories are carbs.
I probably eat around 50-70g of carbs per day from fruit and yoghurt etc..

I have lost about 8kg since the end of November just logging calories.

But my family has made me paranoid about carbs. So I have a few questions.

1. If I cut out carbs completely (Keto diet) when I loose weight and want to go back to eating a well rounded diet that does include carbs, will I stack weight on?

2. Is eating no carbs recomended when you have long intense workout sessions?

3. If I keep eating at a calorie deficit that includes 50-70g of carbs per day will I still loose weight?

Thanks for you help!

chimaerandi

I eat between 70-90g carbs per day, usually, and I have lost 60 pounds!

If your logging is tight, and you're at your deficit, you'll lose weight no matter what you eat. It's about personal preferences and satiety--I could never do keto, I would feel so deprived.

mrbgraziano

My concern is the cholesterol. Do we worry about it during a ketogenic diet?

shans34

I'm going to assume you should worry about cholesterol while doing the Ketogenic diet. It relies on your eating more fat. The only way I can see it being ok is by eating good cholesterol items like nuts, avocado, eggs etc. It's why I am more concerned with a lower carb rather than full on ketogenic.

lovelyfacex3

I currently follow a ketogenic diet. I recommend looking through this FAQ: https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq

To answer your questions, it's all about moderation. If you eat low carb and then start eating high carb, you WILL see weight gain mostly from water weight. When you eat more carbs, you retain more water.

Keto isn't about zero carb. It's extremely low carb, yes, but zero carb isn't necessarily what keto is. There are some people who try and eat as close to zero as possible, but it's not super common. I wouldn't say it's recommended to eat zero carb when you're working out hard but contrary to popular belief, you don't need to carb up unless you're a pro athlete.

50-70g of carbs per day isn't ketogenic. It's low carb, yes! If you're eating at a deficit, you will lose weight. Simple as that.

If you have any questions you can message me.

foiensoi

You don't need to eliminate carbs to lose weight. The most important thing in terms of weight loss is to be in a calorie deficit, which you are. You're doing great, and 80g carbs is not a lot. Don't worry about the carbs! Make sure you're getting enough protein and fat with your % on MFP, and then you can eat the rest as carbs within your calorie goal no problem. Eat plenty of unprocessed foods, reduce your sugar intake, make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals by eating loads of vegetables of different colours, healthy fats, etc. You sound like you're doing great, yes you will continue to lose weight this way. Carbs also fuel your workouts, so have something before a workout (I have oats or sweet potato about 1hr before with some protein, either fish/chicken or a protein powder in my oats, loads of "proats" recipes out there), and then have some simple sugars after your workout to help your muscle recovery (I have a small bit of breakfast cereal with some protein powder, it could be a few jellies or something that would get glucose right back into your muscles v quickly). Don't fret about carbs, the Ketogenic diet is tough and not sustainable for really long term, so keep doing what you're doing and it will work. Well done and good luck!

Yi5hedr3

Low carb is good for many health reasons. Burning extra fat is a side effect of it. I don't think anyone recommends NO CARBS, but rather keeping them below 100 grams/day. Even Keto (below 50 grams/day) is usually recommended for short periods (a few weeks), whereas keeping carbs in the 50-100 grams/day range is generally accepted as a more long term strategy.

Maxematics

Cali223 wrote: »

1. If I cut out carbs completely (Keto diet) when I loose weight and want to go back to eating a well rounded diet that does include carbs, will I stack weight on?

2. Is eating no carbs recomended when you have long intense workout sessions?

3. If I keep eating at a calorie deficit that includes 50-70g of carbs per day will I still loose weight?

1. Possibly, but not in the way you think. When people cut out carbs, they usually see a big weight drop in the first few weeks due to depleted glycogen stores. "Low-carb/keto works! I lost 10 pounds in the first two weeks!" except they didn't lose 10 pounds of fat, most of it was water weight. After a while, that stabilizes itself. People who decide to reintroduce carbs will have their glycogen stores replenished and possibly see a "gain" on the scale. They didn't gain fat, they just gained due to water weight, yet: "Carbs are evil, they make people gain weight!" Rinse. Repeat.
   
2. Carbs are good fuel for workouts, but many people following a keto diet do fine without them.
   Every person is different with regard to this. Experiment and see what works best for your body.
   
3. Yes you will. Carbs do not make people gain weight and there is no reason to avoid them unless you have a medical reason for doing so. I lost all of my weight eating a mix of carbs, fats, and proteins like most people. I even ate donuts and pizza. As long as something fits within your calorie allowance and you're eating at a deficit, you will lose weight. You may have temporary water weight gains after a high sodium day or a higher carb day, but it goes away within a few days.

MelaniaTrump

Wow- almost 20 pounds in just a couple of months? Why not stick to what you are doing?
I'm high complex carbs.
Lots of beans, quinoa, barley, lentils, brown rice, plain oatmeal.
I have left doritos, french fries, oreos, and pepsi alone.

cbelc2

Portion sizes run in families too..... sounds like you are doing well. If you wanted to go a little more balanced, you could increase healthy carbs (fruits, beans, nuts, cooked whole grains) to a level your doctor recommends. I always advise patients too seek advice from their doctors.