Disadvantages of Keto diet
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amusedmonkey wrote: »Note these are based on my personal experience so they may or may not apply to you:
If you are a volume eater like me or if you tend to eat more vegetables than keto allows, you may find it very hard to adapt your portions and as a result may overeat and gain weight like I did.
If your food preferences are very far removed from what is allowed on keto, you may find it boring and even stressful.
If you are prone to chronic depression, stress, anxiety, cortisol issues, hormonal issues related to menstrual cycle or certain GI issues keto may be a very bad idea for you.
If you don't take very careful care to keep your electrolytes balanced and you are prone to imbalances you may experience bad side effects.
If your social food choices are often high in carbs it may be a bit hard to adapt to social situations.
You may still need to count calories if a ketogenic diet does not produce the desired spontaneous calorie reduction, making it unnecessary.
However, you may not experience any of the above and may find it easier to eat a ketogenic diet like some. The only way to find out if this diet is easier for you than good old moderation is to try it out for a couple of months and see how you feel. If it feels easy and pleasant, continue, if not, you can simply go back to what feels easier to you. It's not like you are signing a contract.
^This is my experience ^
I usually feel good from the initial increase in healthy fats. Due to the above issues I bail after a few weeks.0 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »If you like to eat carbs and enjoy things like ice cream, cake, etc., then keto is a disadvantage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I can easily make these things keto and they don't trigger a binge & food coma like high-carb "real" cakes and ice cream.
Have you ever had a steak coma... best thing ever!!! I get one every time I go to texas de brazil or korean bbq. So much better than any crappy cake coma (which is mainly fat btw
)
TdB is amazing by default, but a beautiful, almost surreal haven to one who eats lchf.
I considering myself LCHF on those days. Because I don't eat veggies because it gets in the way of more steak (although, their bananas are fantastic).2 -
rankinsect wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »In my experience, people tend to eat less frequently on low carb diets which creates the deficit. When I was calorie counting as my primary focus it was a constant balancing act trying to free up calories at one meal so I could have calories to try and satisfy the constant need/compulsion to eat.
For example: This morning my breakfast was 625 calories. 302 of those calories were from added fat. Three eggs cooked in butter over 300ish grams of vegetables (broccoli, onions and garlic) that I sauteed in coconut oil. There would have been no way I could have afforded to "spend" that many calories on breakfast before low carb because I needed a large pool of calories available in order to eat throughout the day. It was a constant balancing act of robbing Peter to pay Paul basically.
Eating low carb, I won't be hungry again until dinner which will be as much calories of meat, vegetables and fat as I could possibly want to eat at any one meal. Satisfying, high volume, high fat (i.e. calorie) meals less frequently is where a lot of low carbers end up naturally following their hunger cues.
I find it pretty easy to count calories. I plan my meals in advance, so I can see before the day begins exactly how it works out. Then I just eat like that.
I found it quite easy to overeat even when I had tried keto - particularly with cheese, which I can consume in almost limitless quantities. So if I were to do keto, I'd effectively be doing both keto and calorie counting anyway. I might as well just calorie count and be done with it.
It's mostly really easy for me to count calories, especially during the week because I make my own food. It's harder at restaurants who don't have their nutrition info posted, but I can make do.
But, I'm about to go on vacation, and I don't want to track. It's tedious enough and things are going to be slightly different, and it will make logging more difficult than I normally find it. I mean, I plan on having haggis frequently; but each place is going to have different portions of grain to... whatever the hell else is in it. Calorie counts are going to be all over the place.
And who wants to track how many beers you drink?!0 -
tlflag1620 wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »To me, it was anything but simple...
Weight loss is math. Eat fewer calories than you burn and you will lose weight. Doesn't matter how you do it. Eating less than you burn, mathematically, the ONLY way to lose weight! Congrats on the 90 pounds. Quite an accomplishment.
Here's how I thought about it...
I could count calories. That would require me to eat a lot of low-fat foods or quantities that were not satisfying to me. But I'd lose weight. My fear, up front, was that once I'd hit my goal, I couldn't stick with it. Dunno, didn't really try.
Your body has 3 sources of energy. In order of efficiency, your body burns: Carbohydrates, Fat, Protein.
Eating low-carb (note, not NO carb), since there are very few carbs...my body would use the few carbs I eat, then turn to burning body fat for energy. The body fat is split into ketones and glucose. That's where the weight-loss happens.
For me, eating low-carb gives me a lot more freedom in food choices - foods I can enjoy every day at quantities that are satisfying to me. Things I can live with eating every day.
Do I count calories? Hmmm....not really. I do track them though, and I end up very consistently hitting about the same numbers. Point is, one doesn't HAVE to. An important thing is to have enough fat where you are not hungry.
Eating low carb is NOT A LICENSE TO GORGE.
Very simple...one must eat fewer calories than one burns to lose weight. Doesn't matter if those calories are from Carbs, Fat, or Protein.
Weight loss is all about portion control.
Counting calories does NOT mean you have to go low fat. You can count calories with KETO. It's tools. Nothing more, nothing less. The dietary strategy is preference and adherence.
I think you didn't read my post.
I definitely read it. Why would YOU have to eat low fat if you counted calories?
And these aren't fights, they are questions.
"For me", I need the volume of food in order to be feel. And I like to like the taste of the food I'm eating. So, if I had to count calories, and stay under my REE + exercise, AND eat larger amounts of food, I'd have to eat low-fat. Eating keto, I can have much more fat (better for satiety) and increased quantities of food, but overall, the calories are fine - I just don't count them. I eat them, and I track them, and they happen to add up to pretty consistent numbers. But....I don't evaluate calories before eating. I basically avoid any added sugar which keeps my in the low-carb (not no carb) territory. I do not gorge. I eat until I an satisfied. If I'm hungry, I grab an egg, or a handful of macadamias, or a couple slices of salami, or a chuck of real good cheese - I don't let myself go hungry, basically. If I were counting calories, those things would take up a good chuck of my daily allowance.
Anyhow, we are all different, and I shared what I think were disadvantages for me - yours should be different. Thank God the world isn't full of you's or me's.
Have a nice day, and good luck on your health!
I wonder how a high fat diet is going to have more volume.
In my experience, people tend to eat less frequently on low carb diets which creates the deficit. When I was calorie counting as my primary focus it was a constant balancing act trying to free up calories at one meal so I could have calories to try and satisfy the constant need/compulsion to eat.
For example: This morning my breakfast was 625 calories. 302 of those calories were from added fat. Three eggs cooked in butter over 300ish grams of vegetables (broccoli, onions and garlic) that I sauteed in coconut oil. There would have been no way I could have afforded to "spend" that many calories on breakfast before low carb because I needed a large pool of calories available in order to eat throughout the day. It was a constant balancing act of robbing Peter to pay Paul basically.
Eating low carb, I won't be hungry again until dinner which will be as much calories of meat, vegetables and fat as I could possibly want to eat at any one meal. Satisfying, high volume, high fat (i.e. calorie) meals less frequently is where a lot of low carbers end up naturally following their hunger cues.
This is it exactly. I like to "feel full", and its the good fats I eat which make me feel full. Not that hard to figure out, yeah? You got it, exactly.
And all of that can be done using a calorie counter. Dietary strategies are preference of adherence. Calorie counters, fitbits, scales, etc.. are tools to measure.
Yeah, I mean I guess I'm still lost. Eat a high fat day. At the end of the day, log what you ate. You just counted your calories. If you end up losing weight, it's because the calories you're logging are less than the amount of calories you're burning.
The logging or not logging of those calories in no way affects anything.
Exactly. There's no need to count calories if you don't want to eating low carb. (Assuming the diet restores your natural appetite, of course.)
Yup, that's a big if for me. I'm not there yet. If I stop logging, I quickly find calorie creep sets in, and I end up over eating.
I'm hoping someday. Because logging can get tedious.
This is why I love, and have actually been able to stick with, low carb. I can finally trust my hunger cues. This is also why it makes me cringe when low carb dieters (usually newbies) say "you can eat all you want" on LC. Yeeeeeeaaaahhhhh....maybe - IF your hunger cues get properly restored, IF you were not a boredom/emotional eater in the first place, and IF "as much as you want" is translated as "to satiety" rather than to "stuffed at every meal". Those are big "ifs". For me it works, but all three of those conditions are at play. If any of the above is not true, you'll still need to watch calories.
Yes. Before I started my lifestyle change (NOT DIET) to eat fewer carbs, I considered many options. And, like it or not, the Atkins book resonated with me. I read it cover-to-cover before starting. I think many folks who criticize it may not've read it - but doesn't matter. He very clearly says it is NOT a license to gorge. You do not EAT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT, kinda sorta. You can eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. And that way, you can also snack responsibly when you're hungry and not trip on it. I usually snack between breakfast & lunch, and between lunch & dinner. I grab a boiled egg, celery and peanut butter, a chunk of GOOD cheese, a handful of macadamias, or even a cup of coffee with coconut oil or heavy whipping cream (careful there with that last one). I am really not hungry almost ever. And I am eating far fewer calories than I was when I was at 400 pounds. I am at 172 now, eating more veggies and fruits than ever, feeling great, playing sports again, blah blah blah.... Never out of energy, etc. So, fo ME, it works.
Works for me too
. I didn't follow Atkins specifically (in reading the book it seemed too rigid/contrived), but I did take away a lot of e basic ideas and made it my own, so to speak. I find my tolerance level to bee no more than 100 g of carbs per day, with my "sweet spot" for weight loss at 50-80 g a day. I went from 195 to 145 pretty quickly (about 7-8 mos) and have maintained between 140-145 ever since (about 2 1/2 years now). I love the food, I love the not feeling hungry all the time, my eczema disappeared, and I don't have hypos anymore (I've had reactive hypoglycemia since childhood). But yeah, I think Atkins gets a bad wrap mainly because people don't bother to actually read the book/website and "go rogue" relying on info they got second hand (friends/family that have done it, or worse yet, the media). LCHF is not license to stuff oneself with bacon and cheese. Yes bacon and cheese are allowed (and wonderful!) but low carb is really a very healthy way to eat when done sensibly.
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amusedmonkey wrote: »I could count calories. That would require me to eat a lot of low-fat foods or quantities that were not satisfying to me. But I'd lose weight. My fear, up front, was that once I'd hit my goal, I couldn't stick with it. Dunno, didn't really try.
Satisfying is one thing, quantities is another. If you really follow a vegan diet you'll can eat a lot more than almost any other approach. May not be worth it, but carbs are in general low calorie foods. Even sugar is only 4 kc/gram. It goes down from there.
That would be a disadvantage of a keto diet. If you system is messed up so you don't feel full, it would be much easier to over eat on a high fat diet. Any diet can contribute to weight gain if you eat too much.
I found low carb "fixed" my system - regulating blood sugar and subsequently insulin, and perhaps restoring leptin and grehlin sensitivity. I've never eaten vegan, but my former diet was very much plant-heavy (lots of whole grains, veggies and fruit, modest amounts of lean meat, low fat or fat free dairy, very little added sugar or added fat, basically a dietitian's dream). I found it unsustainable. I couldn't get my calories low enough, long enough, to get to a normal weight for my height. Going low carb fixed that for me. But I do have a strong family history of insulin resistance and related diseases, so that may be why.
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I lasted on the keto diet for about a month. I lost ten pounds but I felt horrible. Online it said that the symptoms (nausea, headaches, and fatigue) were supposed to go away but they persisted. Its very hard to maintain too. Also, I went off of it and within a week I had gained back the weight that I lost in that month.0
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KetoneKaren wrote: »KetoneKaren wrote: »@RicMackie OK, now you've got me curious so I will chime in here and ask how you log fastidiously but don't count? Please elaborate. I am on a LCHF plan, but I weigh, measure, and log everything (well, OK, most days I do - once in a blue moon I estimate instead of weigh - in the spirit of full disclosure). It is working for me, I have lost 21 lbs since April and have energy, don't feel hungry too often, etc. But I don't trust my hunger cues enough not to be anal about the weighing & measuring the vast majority of the time.
Easy. I just log everything. I don't count. The calories are there though because I do log. What I've said - I think - it that I don't really look at calories. I don't "count" them. But I do log everything. The calories just fall where they will. But they do end up being rather consistent. What I do count is "net carbs". I find that if I eat until satisfied, and snack responsibly when I feel peckish, my calories stay lower than they ever were and I am not worried about 50 or 100 calories here or there. And, yeah, I am quite anal with regards to weighing everything. I grab a handful of nuts or something and set it on my scale and then log it. If I am out and about, I take a pic with my phone and log the best I can when I get home. But log, I do. :-)
Okay, so you measure and log, but don't pay attention to the calorie count per se. And then if you start gaining, you have the log to review to see if there is a trend or obvious reason why you have gained. Yes?
Exactly!!! I log my food to track net carbs - the rest of the tracking just happens because the food is logged. Like Sodium, Potassium, etc... I don't track Sodium (but I do, yeah?).0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »For me, it was easy to stay below my calories when i was doing low carb it was effortless. I cant say the same now that i'm eating moderate/normal carb, it takes a lot more juggling, editing and adding and taking away this and that in my diary to make everything fit. It's definitely more work now, and my hunger and cravings have returned and weight loss has become a battle once again
Sounds like you're saying.... Things were easy. You were doing great eating low-carb. Then you stopped, and things are harder. ;-) Come back......we're waiting! :-)
2 words, Keto breath. My husband said my breath smelled like poo, there was NO kissing and every time we spoke I had to hold my hand over mouth even from 10 feet away, which didnt really help! I was constantly chewing gum and mints which only masked it slightly. I was too scared to talk up close to people when I went out.
I have always been meticulous with oral hygiene, and people who had bad breath were a massive turn off for me! I did low carb for 4 solid months hoping the breath thing went away, but it never did. If i was single and never left the house i would so go back to this way of eating as I loved every thing about it, other than that one stinky problem..
Maybe - my wife said that I had bad breath for a few days, but it went away in less than 2 weeks. But I've heard it can be real bad. I was fortunate, I suppose.0 -
ckelly5634 wrote: »I lasted on the keto diet for about a month. I lost ten pounds but I felt horrible. Online it said that the symptoms (nausea, headaches, and fatigue) were supposed to go away but they persisted. Its very hard to maintain too. Also, I went off of it and within a week I had gained back the weight that I lost in that month.
that was probably an electrolyte imbalance. Unless you increase sodium to 3000-5000 mg per day, and add back some potassium and magnesium (which gets low after sodium stays low for a while), it often doesn't get better. You probably needed more salt.
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Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »For me, it was easy to stay below my calories when i was doing low carb it was effortless. I cant say the same now that i'm eating moderate/normal carb, it takes a lot more juggling, editing and adding and taking away this and that in my diary to make everything fit. It's definitely more work now, and my hunger and cravings have returned and weight loss has become a battle once again
Sounds like you're saying.... Things were easy. You were doing great eating low-carb. Then you stopped, and things are harder. ;-) Come back......we're waiting! :-)
2 words, Keto breath. My husband said my breath smelled like poo, there was NO kissing and every time we spoke I had to hold my hand over mouth even from 10 feet away, which didnt really help! I was constantly chewing gum and mints which only masked it slightly. I was too scared to talk up close to people when I went out.
I have always been meticulous with oral hygiene, and people who had bad breath were a massive turn off for me! I did low carb for 4 solid months hoping the breath thing went away, but it never did. If i was single and never left the house i would so go back to this way of eating as I loved every thing about it, other than that one stinky problem..
My husband gets that breath when he is losing weight. It comes from deeper inside than just the mouth. It makes a kiss tough to enjoy. But he is not keto, or even low carb. He's probably on the high end of moderate carbs or even high carb. It goes away when he isn't losing.
I've been eating at a deficit since 2014. The breath only appeared when I was doing low carb, and disappeared when i upped my carbs, while having the same amount of calories.
It's good that you figured it out.... Good for your husband.
lol I've snuck in a few low carb days here and there, and he notices straight away. So frustratingly annoying!
I wish that would work in reverse for me. A few too many carbs and my breath would go off as a carb alarm. 0 -
I like Keto a lot and have been on it long term. No adverse reactions to the diet and I am still building muscle with low carbs. I also coach clients who are on Keto and they are all losing weight and doing exceptionally well.0
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ogmomma2012 wrote: »If you like to eat carbs and enjoy things like ice cream, cake, etc., then keto is a disadvantage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I can easily make these things keto and they don't trigger a binge & food coma like high-carb "real" cakes and ice cream.
ice cream and cake, etc have never triggered a binge for me...I always like how keto folk just generalize that this stuff triggers binge behavior for basically everyone...I'd binge out on a block of cheese before I would cake...but I also don't have any kind of binge eating disorder so I have never really had a binge...6 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »If you like to eat carbs and enjoy things like ice cream, cake, etc., then keto is a disadvantage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I can easily make these things keto and they don't trigger a binge & food coma like high-carb "real" cakes and ice cream.
ice cream and cake, etc have never triggered a binge for me...I always like how keto folk just generalize that this stuff triggers binge behavior for basically everyone...I'd binge out on a block of cheese before I would cake...but I also don't have any kind of binge eating disorder so I have never really had a binge...
I don't desire carbs either. I sometimes eat too much bacon, otherwise no binges.1 -
TrailNurse wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »If you like to eat carbs and enjoy things like ice cream, cake, etc., then keto is a disadvantage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I can easily make these things keto and they don't trigger a binge & food coma like high-carb "real" cakes and ice cream.
ice cream and cake, etc have never triggered a binge for me...I always like how keto folk just generalize that this stuff triggers binge behavior for basically everyone...I'd binge out on a block of cheese before I would cake...but I also don't have any kind of binge eating disorder so I have never really had a binge...
I don't desire carbs either. I sometimes eat too much bacon, otherwise no binges.
Nope... not possible.
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Gallowmere1984 wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »If you like to eat carbs and enjoy things like ice cream, cake, etc., then keto is a disadvantage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I can easily make these things keto and they don't trigger a binge & food coma like high-carb "real" cakes and ice cream.
Have you ever had a steak coma... best thing ever!!! I get one every time I go to texas de brazil or korean bbq. So much better than any crappy cake coma (which is mainly fat btw)
TdB is amazing by default, but a beautiful, almost surreal haven to one who eats lchf.
I considering myself LCHF on those days. Because I don't eat veggies because it gets in the way of more steak (although, their bananas are fantastic).
And here we've been told that bananas and ketosis don't mix. Banana is high carb, high potassium and high sugar.0 -
You're completely cutting out certain foods. Honestly I don't want to restrict my diet too much. If you tell me I can't have something I want it more2
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Nope, never had a steak coma, because I am much more aware of how my body feels and so I don't overeat steak.ogmomma2012 wrote: »If you like to eat carbs and enjoy things like ice cream, cake, etc., then keto is a disadvantage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I can easily make these things keto and they don't trigger a binge & food coma like high-carb "real" cakes and ice cream.
Have you ever had a steak coma... best thing ever!!! I get one every time I go to texas de brazil or korean bbq. So much better than any crappy cake coma (which is mainly fat btw)
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cwolfman13 wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »If you like to eat carbs and enjoy things like ice cream, cake, etc., then keto is a disadvantage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I can easily make these things keto and they don't trigger a binge & food coma like high-carb "real" cakes and ice cream.
ice cream and cake, etc have never triggered a binge for me...I always like how keto folk just generalize that this stuff triggers binge behavior for basically everyone...I'd binge out on a block of cheese before I would cake...but I also don't have any kind of binge eating disorder so I have never really had a binge...
I have never generalized "everyone" feeling the same as I do. I am telling why -I- eat LCHF. YOU don't have to have the same feelings that I do.3 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »If you like to eat carbs and enjoy things like ice cream, cake, etc., then keto is a disadvantage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I can easily make these things keto and they don't trigger a binge & food coma like high-carb "real" cakes and ice cream.
Have you ever had a steak coma... best thing ever!!! I get one every time I go to texas de brazil or korean bbq. So much better than any crappy cake coma (which is mainly fat btw)
TdB is amazing by default, but a beautiful, almost surreal haven to one who eats lchf.
I considering myself LCHF on those days. Because I don't eat veggies because it gets in the way of more steak (although, their bananas are fantastic).
And here we've been told that bananas and ketosis don't mix. Banana is high carb, high potassium and high sugar.
They don't mix. He was merely pointing them out, hence his use of the word "although".0 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Gallowmere1984 wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »If you like to eat carbs and enjoy things like ice cream, cake, etc., then keto is a disadvantage.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I can easily make these things keto and they don't trigger a binge & food coma like high-carb "real" cakes and ice cream.
Have you ever had a steak coma... best thing ever!!! I get one every time I go to texas de brazil or korean bbq. So much better than any crappy cake coma (which is mainly fat btw)
TdB is amazing by default, but a beautiful, almost surreal haven to one who eats lchf.
I considering myself LCHF on those days. Because I don't eat veggies because it gets in the way of more steak (although, their bananas are fantastic).
And here we've been told that bananas and ketosis don't mix. Banana is high carb, high potassium and high sugar.
They don't mix. He was merely pointing them out, hence his use of the word "although".
Pretty much. When i do texas de brazil, i eat two things... red meat and bananas.
And i am moderately high in carbs overall. It gives me energy for my workouts and my body feels terrible on low carb.1
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