Pros and cons of a Keto Diet

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  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    edited October 2017
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I eat less vegetables now just because I eat less than I did before but a day that looks like this (fruit & vegetables in the morning, salad for lunch and roasted vegetables for dinner) isn't unusual and I imagine it is a lot of vegetables for most (low carb or not):
    j2xucaobh92n.jpg

    Summary: 2.5 pounds or 14 servings of vegetables, 37 net carbs

    That's similar to how I was eating when ketoing, and I believe I was in ketosis, but I kept getting the message for others that "keto" should be lower and I wasn't doing it right, and all the people posting about starting kept getting the advice to stay below 20 or certainly below 50 g carbs total.

    I totally agree that if you stick to below 50 g net and focus on getting those primarily from vegetables that it can be done. It's the advice that you should aim for below 20 and even that as low as possible is better, that 5 g carbs is something to consider a perfect day, that I found problematic. NOT for people who want to try carnivore or who think they have a problem with veg (not my business, different things work for different people), but as what seems to be the message some places for how keto should be done.

    I DON'T mean the main keto/low carb thread here, where I think all kinds of ways of low carbing are done and people are non judgmental, but many parts of the keto world and in many of the challenges I saw on MFP. I basically could not have done most of the keto challenges, since too many veg. Which is fine, since I had been around enough not to be discouraged from what I was doing, but I think this does tell some newbies they are better off NOT eating many veg.

    I think the 20g carb limit allows for more than enough vegetables and is reasonable in that it ensures ketosis - which is important when telling people to eat to satiety. It's more restrictive than need be for a lot of people I imagine but it's a reasonable suggestion for a ketogenic diet.

    That said, I do really, really hate the less-carbs-the-better-fat-bombs-protein-turns-to-sugar keto mentality you'll find some places but there's more sources for good information than bad I think (for those who care, some don't).

    I think we are largely in agreement, although I really disagree that 20 g carbs allows for enough vegetables. <snip>

    I'm in the old school "eat your vegetables, they're good for you" camp. The more recent "more is better" vegetable hysteria is not something I subscribe to - healthful, lovely and fine if you enjoy it but not necessary or optimal for good health.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    wolfruhn wrote: »
    Arguing that just go ahead and eat whatever you like as long as you stay within calories.

    Who says this?

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    J72FIT wrote: »
    wolfruhn wrote: »
    Arguing that just go ahead and eat whatever you like as long as you stay within calories.

    Who says this?

    It will be interesting to see how the poster quoted responds. Again, false dilemma.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    ccrdragon wrote: »
    wolfruhn wrote: »
    Shame about all the people who continue to argue against Keto, while millions more people across the globe continue to be trapped and become part of the obesity epidemic. Arguing that just go ahead and eat whatever you like as long as you stay within calories.

    The modern 'fad' for carb centric diets started after WW2 but it clearly hasn't worked, as evidenced by looking around while at the mall.

    It's about time people started waking up and getting back to the position of Ketosis being absolutely okay and a natural experience that many people went into and out of regularly over hundreds of thousands of years of man's evolution.

    You can get just as fat eating LCHF/Keto as you can eating the SAD (or any variation of the SAD).

    Again, those aren't the only 2 choices. False dilemma.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    That it works for you is enough, right?

    In fairness, this advise can be given to all sides...
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    GlassAngyl wrote: »

    And just so we are clear.. vegetarians and vegans get attacked less than those who want to try keto or low carb.

    How about we make this totally clear. Those who eat keto do NOT get attacked. Those who claim that keto is the only way to eat or make false claims about its superior health benefits WILL receive push back and requests for proof (just like anyone else who claims any kind of absolute). It is not the way you choose to eat, it is the way you (general you) present it to the world that triggers how the world will respond. Since keto is the flavor of the moment, there are currently more of the "you must" type of posts regarding it than other types of diets.

    QFT!
  • Unknown
    edited October 2017
    This content has been removed.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    GlassAngyl wrote: »

    And just so we are clear.. vegetarians and vegans get attacked less than those who want to try keto or low carb.

    How about we make this totally clear. Those who eat keto do NOT get attacked. Those who claim that keto is the only way to eat or make false claims about its superior health benefits WILL receive push back and requests for proof (just like anyone else who claims any kind of absolute). It is not the way you choose to eat, it is the way you (general you) present it to the world that triggers how the world will respond. Since keto is the flavor of the moment, there are currently more of the "you must" type of posts regarding it than other types of diets.

    ^^^ For the win...
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I'm currently doing keto for migraine control - so far the biggest pro is that I haven't had a migraine all week...we'll see how it holds up over the course of a month since my migraines are definitely somewhat tied to menstrual cycle...but so far so good.

    And on a HUGE PRO side for me - I can eat all the foods that used to be migraine triggers (beef, pork, chicken, etc) and I don't have a migraine afterward - I have spent over 5 years not being able to eat a lot of my favorite foods, so for me this is a huge thing.

    There are many different versions of keto, I'm starting with 2:1 - if that keeps the migraines away I will not make any changes. That's 2 fat calories for every 1 protein + carb calorie. I'm doing net carbs at this time, not total. I was already low carb and did not alter my calorie or protein goals when switching to keto, just shifted the goals away from carbs and over to fat.

    So far the only con has been slightly more effort in planning food. I already pre-logged my food most days, so this isn't a huge change for me, but I do find I have to tweak the numbers a bit to get my goals where I want them...a whole avocado where I might have usually only used half, or cottage cheese were I might have previously had yogurt.

    I suspect I will miss crisps when PMS week comes around, that will probably be a con...but I can have salted nuts, so I'll get through it.

    My goal is to do this 2 years and then gradually start increasing carbs and shifting the ratio closer to 1:1 or whatever I can tolerate without a return of symptoms. In studies with epileptic children the brain changes were permanent after 2 years and seizures didn't return when the diet was changed from keto to low carb - I haven't found any studies regarding permanence in adults, so this will be a self-experiment.

    Realistically, even if I have to eat this way forever, it's better than having migraines, and I'll take bacon over potato chips just about any day.

    Great to hear that this is helping! Migraines are no fun.
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  • GlassAngyl
    GlassAngyl Posts: 478 Member
    edited October 2017
    mph323 wrote: »
    GlassAngyl wrote: »
    wolfruhn wrote: »
    Shame about all the people who continue to argue against Keto, while millions more people across the globe continue to be trapped and become part of the obesity epidemic. Arguing that just go ahead and eat whatever you like as long as you stay within calories.

    The modern 'fad' for carb centric diets started after WW2 but it clearly hasn't worked, as evidenced by looking around while at the mall.

    It's about time people started waking up and getting back to the position of Ketosis being absolutely okay and a natural experience that many people went into and out of regularly over hundreds of thousands of years of man's evolution.

    You say it so much nicer than I do.. :lol:
    Course I envy those who can carb and lose weight.. but I agree.. it APPARENTLY isn't the easiest way or more obese people wouldn't struggle and give up and restart over and over and over and.. well you get the idea. The only complaint from anti ketoers is from those who continued to over eat on it trying to hit macros .. not sure how that's possible but I think they are saying "do it for me so I don't have to do any work".. and from those who agreed it worked but didn't feel it was varied enough in choices because they listened to the psycho keto cults that restricted everything and didn't tell them about keto breads and noodles and deserts (or they are just lazy and if it isn't prepackaged it's not an option..) Now their minds are permanently poisoned to the idea.

    I'm calling you out on this. You obviously have plenty of time and energy in your life to plan, prep and cook home made meals. Good for you. Glad to know you think anyone working two or three jobs to pay the rent and buy food, or coming home exhausted from a 4 hour daily commute is just lazy when they pop a packaged meal into the microwave.

    I'm glad it's just one flaw you found and has nothing to do with why keto doesn't work at all.