Keto... what are your thoughts?

lynnk1971

I'm thinking of trying keto dieting to try and shift the last half stone before my hols in 8 weeks .. any tips?

kommodevaran

No tips, just thoughts. As you lose weight, the rate at which it can come off, decreases. Keto empties your glycogen stores. Glycogen binds water. Any diet that provides a calorie deficit, makes you lose weight if you stick to it. No diet works unless you stick to it.

h1udd

water weight warning ..... doing keto means you will lose an initial chunk of water that binds to carbs that you "used" to eat ... so the scale might drop that half stone quickly .... thing is you havent lost half a stone of fat and if you see that drop and then go back to eating normally, they weight will suddenly go back on ...... you would need to loose about 3/4 of a stone in order to let your weight settle back at 1/2 a stone when you re-introduce carbs

Ziaki

I personally see nothing wrong with keto. More power to you if you can stay away from carbs. I personally can't.

We are doing a weight loss challenge at work. Everybody but me is doing Keto but I'm the only one counting my calories.

I'll give you one guess who is currently in the lead.

Keto is fine but you still need to check portion sizes and count your calories. Cutting carbs isn't going to do that much for you if you're not eating at a deficit.

nvmomketo

If you do decide to try keto, make sure to increase sodium to 3000 - 5000 mg a day or you'll end up with flu-like symptoms from an electrolyte imbalance.

I like keto because it mutes my appetite, improves my BG, and I feel more steadily energetic. I imagine I'll probably do keto for most of my life.

AnvilHead

For weight loss purposes, keto is no more or less effective than any other diet of equivalent calories. It all still comes down to CICO (calories in < calories out).

There is usually an initial water weight loss from a ketogenic diet as you deplete your body's glycogen stores - but over time, studies have shown that weight loss is equal between ketogenic diets and any other isocaloric diet.

If you find the foods/macro combination in a keto diet to be more satiating to you (high fat, moderate protein, low carb), it may help with appetite control and dietary adherence - but that is a very individual thing.

IGbnat24

My thoughts are that I cannot live without sweets. Whether that be a cookie, candy bar, or watermelon makes no difference—I’d be a miserable B without my daily dose of sugar

fuzzylop72

I think keto is great for a person that finds fats particularly satiating and minimizing carbs is something you can reasonably adhere to. This theoretical person, however, is not me.

Sabine_Stroehm

nvmomketo wrote: »

If you do decide to try keto, make sure to increase sodium to 3000 - 5000 mg a day or you'll end up with flu-like symptoms from an electrolyte imbalance.

I like keto because it mutes my appetite, improves my BG, and I feel more steadily energetic. I imagine I'll probably do keto for most of my life.

I think this is the appeal for many. I'm not keto, but I don't eat many high glycemic carb foods, so my appetite is usually under control and my blood sugars seem steady.

emmamcgarity

I know myself. If I follow a restrictive diet I am more likely to fly off the rails and binge. I will end up having a sugar feast. I prefer keeping all foods on the table for me to choose from (in moderation).

By just focusing on calories as my weight loss tool I can choose to include any foods or recipes that intrigue me. I have found several low carb recipes when Atkins was popular that I really enjoy. I include them in my regular meal rotations at home for my family to enjoy.

Diatonic12

You can shift 10 lbs quickly using any protocol with a calorie deficit. Can you sustain keto for months and years on end. Some do but the minute they increase food reward thresholds with 'cheat meals' and 'cheat days' which can turn into 'cheat weeks' or months, all of that weight loss comes back. It's better to develop your own plan and program that you can live with for the rest of your life. Do everything on your own terms with foods that you like and track them. It simply works.

fostersu

I am a few weeks into it now. I had lost almost 20 focusing only on CICO. However, I am also an occasional Binger. Every two weeks or so I would pound a burrito, beers, cookies, granola bars, etc. The biggest thing keto has done for me is left me full and satiated and with even energy. I’ve never been tempted to binge and I’m hardly even tempted by the sight of most high carb things. The two times I have been it’s been offset by a well timed low carb bar (turns out what I miss most is just feeling of chewiness). I feel lighter, even, and no longer at the mercy of what’s hanging around the staff room (i’m looking at YOU leftover cookies at 8 AM) that will throw me into a sugar spike cycle or just occupy tons of mental energy resisting. I’m not deluded enough to think I’ll never indulge again- I will, but it’s nice to feel a break from what is clearly a sugar addiction pattern.

fb47

So the OP asks what is my thought on keto. I am a lifter, I thrive on carbs (they may not be essential, but there's a reason a majority of athletes eat a *kitten* ton of carbs), I have lost weight with carbs (I have bulking phases and fat loss phases aka bulking and cutting) and there is no evidence that keto is superior to all fat loss diets, therefore I don't see the excitement that others see in keto. It's already *kitten* to be in a caloric deficit, I don't need it to make it more difficult for me to remove an entire macro. With that said, we are all wired differently.

If you struggled with all kinds of weight loss diets, you know that being in a caloric deficit is what matters for weight loss and you actually enjoy getting rid of all carbs and eating high fatty foods....then by all means, go for it if it's going to help you stick at a caloric deficit. If you're doing it based on myths like "carbs are evil" or because "everyone else is doing", you might end up disappointing yourself in the end.

Diatonic12

I'm right there with you fb47. "You have to earn your carbs" is another catchphrase that can lead to disordered eating or eating disorders. I'm over all of it. I no longer believe in any kind of dieting protocols because they all fall short. I believe in doing everything on your own terms. Create your own plan with the foods that you like. Find activity that you enjoy and learn to encourage yourself each and every day. If you think back to a time in your life when there no diets or food restriction and brutal exercise, those were probably the happiest days of your life. I want to return to that.