I'm Very Confused! Do I Need To Be In Ketosis To Lose Weight?

hanley1512 · April 2017

I am on information overload. Everything I read is telling me in order to lose weight, I have to be in Ketosis. Is this true? If so I am doomed. I like all the foods I read I shouldn't be eating (potatos, pasta, bread...)

So...can you lose weight without being in Ketosis?

TYIA!

annacole94 · April 2017

People lose without ketosis all the time. Low carb is just having a moment right now. Burn more calories than you eat. Lose weight.

Alatariel75 · April 2017

I've lost 80lbs not being in ketosis.

MoiAussi93 · April 2017

No, you don't need to. Ketogenic diets just make it easier for some people....either because of preference or because of medical conditions that it can help with.

earlnabby · April 2017

Ultra low carb is the flavor of the month. No you do not need to be in ketosis, you need to eat less than you burn. How you get into that deficit will depend on your individual preferences although most find eating primarily nutrition dense foods with treats as they fit works. How you actually distribute your macros will be determined by what satisfies you and fuels you best.

pinuplove · April 2017

Gosh I hope not! Otherwise many of us are medical miracles.

rileysowner · April 2017

No, you don't need to be in ketosis to lose. All you need is a calorie deficit.

AnvilHead · April 2017

I sure hope so. I'd hate to find out that the 64 lbs. I've lost while never once having been in ketosis and regularly eating all those foods you "shouldn't be eating" are all imaginary.

The way you lose weight is by eating less calories than you expend. Period. What foods you eat while you're going about that process is up to personal preference. There is nothing magical about a keto diet.

jdog022 · April 2017

calorie deficit is literally all that matters. how you do it is personal preferences. I ate 50-60% carbs per day and lost 80. and that includes "junk" carbs. give me all the carbz

DietPrada · April 2017

Keto diet is not "flavour of the month" it's been around for decades - but it is not necessary to lose weight. All you need to lose weight is to eat less calories than your body burns. Ketosis does help you to do that though, as it is a natural appetite suppressant. It's very useful for people who have had trouble with binge eating and struggled to stick to a calorie controlled intake due to constant hunger or cravings. I managed to stop yoyo dieting after 20 years by switching to a very low carb diet, mainly because I no longer crave those foods that caused me to eat out of control. If you don't have any issues with sugar or carbs and you're able to stick to a calorie restricted eating plan without going low carb then there's no reason for you to do so.

jenilla1 · April 2017

Keto just happens to be trendy right now. I lost weight and have successfully maintained for several years and I've never been in ketosis. So, NO - you don't have to be in ketosis to lose weight. You just need to be in a calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than you burn) in order to lose weight. The keto diet is just one of many ways to go about it. That diet doesn't work for me at all, because I love my carbs. If you love your carbs, too, you might not want to do keto either.

broseidonkingofbrocean · April 2017

No you don't you just need to be in a deficit. You can even gain weight in ketosis if you're overeating.

lorrpb · April 2017

Absolutely no reason to be in ketosis. You need a calorie deficit, eating less than you burn in a 24 hr period.

Machka9 · April 2017

No you don't need to be in ketosis ... yes you can lose weight without being in ketosis.

Simply enter your details into MFP
Select sedentary as your activity level
Select to lose 1 lb/week
MFP will give you a calorie goal
Eat those calories.

Wynterbourne · April 2017

I'm down 130lbs without ever having been in ketosis. Only thing you *have* to do is find a means to a caloric deficit that you can stick with.

cityruss · April 2017

I'd change your reading material if everything you read states that you need to be in ketosis to lose weight.

abagley9844 · April 2017

abagley9844 · April 2017

You absolutely do not have to be in ketosis to lose weight! I've lost about 30lbs on a high carb plant based diet. I eat lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and startches like potatoes. Check out the startch solution. Ketosis/low carb diets are actually quite dangerous as your body runs on carbohydrates. If you cut the carbs, you will have little energy to power through those workouts, plus when you cut the carbs, you increase the animal products which means lots of saturated fat and cholesterol. Low carb diets are okay short term, but in the long run, you could end up with heart disease due to high saturated fat and cholesterol intake. Also check out Dr Michael Gregor of nutritionfacts.com. I hope this is helpful to you!

sijomial · April 2017

Please share these sources of information - just so I know to avoid them!

Would suggest thinking much longer term then just the period of losing weight. Might be worth starting from what to include in your diet rather than what to avoid?
If you intend eating potatoes, bread, pasta long term (I sure as hell am!) then learning to moderate them now would seem sensible.

psuLemon · April 2017

I literally eat bread daily and potatoes weekly. I lost over 50 lbs and often eat 300g of carbs a day. So no, you don't need ketosis like others are stated.

Also, it should be noted some of the healthiest people in the world are eating 70% carbs. So they would never be in ketosis.

maurihart · April 2017

I feel like (for me) low carb long term is very hard to maintain. I'd never want to live a life that didn't include bread or pizza or cake occasionally. Low carb is popular but not for everyone. Create a calorie deficit and prepare to be patient.

crazyycatlady1 · April 2017

Yep, 50lbs here. For me personally low carb/keto sounds like torture

amyteacake · April 2017

You don't need to be on ketosis to lose weight! When I first started I wasn't on a low carb diet. I did, however, go on a keto diet when I was training with a pt but that was only for a few weeks. I don't think ketosis is good to do for a long period of time.

Spiffy_Barbarella · April 2017

You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. I did a high protein, low carb diet before and lost weight because I was actually eating a low calorie diet. If you eat lots of veggies and protein, and create a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day, you will lose weight. The problem with a lot of low carb diets is that they are actually high in fat, not to mention the fact that your body needs carbs to function, and the weight won't stay off- a low calorie diet is a better way to go IMO.

thewindandthework · April 2017

No.

Yes.

Ketogenic and other low-carb diets are the current Weight Loss Miracles by which some people swear. They're also the fad diets that for many people work for a while but they find they can't or won't maintain that lifestyle.

The way to lose weight, as others upthread have mentioned, is to make sure you're burning more calories than you're taking in. The hard part is figuring out a lifestyle and way of eating that you are able and willing to maintain.

RogerToo · April 2017

Hi
The short is answer is No !

I have lost 227 pounds despite never having been in Ketosis.
If I can do it so Can anybody. Working on a CICO diet is what worked for me. Eating normal foods while learning proper portions is the key.

FWIW I tried a Ketosis Diet in the past and it did initially work, then the weight came back plus.

Good Luck
Roger

SuperCarLori · April 2017

I'm pretty sure keto and low carb ways of eating have been around long enough to not qualify as fad diets, and I have many friends who are using them for medical reasons and friends who are losing fat using them as well. Ones who have been 'fad dieting' this woe for years....go figure.

No, ketosis is not necessary for fat loss.

ndj1979 · April 2017

lost all my weight eating all the carbs...

you do not need keto to lose weight...

you need a calorie deficit..

ndj1979 · April 2017

here you go OP ...this should explain it ..

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10541316/cico-its-a-math-formula#latest

thewindandthework · April 2017

I can't speak for others, but in my opinion, the hallmark of a fad diet is that it is extreme, has rules of what you should and should not eat (which personally I find unnecessary and intolerable), and that most people lose weight at first but find the restrictions impossible to maintain.

Certainly there are people who stick with it--and good for them! They have stuck with their fad because it worked for them. Doesn't mean it's not a fad.

EDIT: But I have gotten off track. OP, if keto-type diet plans look good to you, do it! If you don't think that type of diet is something you can stick with, don't fret. Just log what you do eat, and make sure your calories eaten are fewer than your calories burned.

SuperCarLori · April 2017

Well I feel that even calorie restriction could be labeled as extreme at times, and certainly a person would need restrict their cake intake, no?

I lost my first thirty pounds doing keto, and no I can't seem to maintain it. I do know plenty who are rocking that fad though.

The bottom line is to find a way of eating that can be maintained. And if you do keto and can't maintain it, then stop doing it and try something else. There are many ways to restrict calories.

I'm Very Confused! Do I Need To Be In Ketosis To Lose Weight?

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