Ketogenic diet

jtaylor_71
jtaylor_71 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 27 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all, wanting peoples thoughts (good and bad) on a ketogenic diet.

I lost 20kgs over the last year, however recently gained most of it back following a traumatic personal experience. I’m wanting to jump back in and start losing the weight while keeping myself busy :)

Please no negative, I’m not here for that, I’m here to gain knowledge.
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Replies

  • ydumesnil
    ydumesnil Posts: 1 Member
    I have been on a ketogenic for one and half month now. A friend has been thrilling on this diet and gave me some advice and I couldnt be happier to be able to spoon heavy cream and have nuts and cheese as a snack. I took 2 kilos - so I started to log all my calories intake, now i am restricting those and feeling badly hungry the whole time. Dunno what to do anymore. Anyone had the same issue?
  • ballerbryan
    ballerbryan Posts: 24 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've been ketogenic for over 3 years. For me, the positives out weigh the negatives.

    The negatives that I have experienced, heard or read about that are associated with keto for some people are:
    1. Some find the diet too restrictive or don't like the food.
    2. It can cost more than relying on the usual filler carbs like noodles, bread, and rice for calories, if you don't use added fats.
    3. Some experience bad breath but that is usually temporary for most.
    4. Keto rash happens in a few, but it is also usually temporary.
    5. For some, LDL rises, which is a concern for some doctors who judge CVD by total cholesterol and LDL without knowing particle size.
    6. There's a lot of judgement from others. Some honestly believe that lots of carbs are crucial to good health and that grains are needed. Conversely, many believe fat is not good for you.
    YMMV

    The positives that I have experienced, heard or read about that are associated with keto for some people are:
    1. Reduced appetite and cravingsfor some so it is easier to manage weight. Seems to compliment IF.
    2. Steadier and lower blood glucose and insulin which may help with conditions associated with insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome such as T2D, prediabetes, PCOS, NAFLD, Alzheimer's, CVD and reactive hypoglycaemia.
    3. May be used to help treat some conditions like epilepsy, brain injury or stroke, developmental disorders like autism, cancer, and reducing inflammation for some autoimmune diseases and arthralgias.
    4. Some use keto to treat intestinal issues like IBS. There may be reduced gas and BMs.
    5. Some find their skin and hair is improved by lower sugar and increased fats.
    6. Some enjoy the food. Some find keto reduces their binging.
    7. Some find it reduces migraine frequency and duration.
    8. Some find their BP is improved. My postural hypotension is gone.
    9. Many find that cholesterol panels are improved, with HDL going up, triglycerides going down, LDL changing into a larger less dense variety, and in some their LDL goes down.
    YMMV

    Like any diet or drug, these outcomes won't happen for all. I am one who experienced most of the positives, and only a few negatives... Well just one.

    Check out the keto group linked earlier, or the Low Carber Daily group, for most possible positives and negatives, or where to start. Good luck.

    Every time I see anyone try Keto it's to try to lose weight.

    With your experience, do you think it's okay to do Keto short term?

    Like instead of choosing to stick to the Keto lifestyle would it be okay if I simply used it as my cutting method?

    Basically I'll start trying to bulk, hopefully stay as lean as I can, then when I decide to it's time to cut down and work towards fat loss I switch to Keto.

    Would the constant transition to and from Keto be harmful?
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    As I learn about this there is a daily moment that you realize, damn I can't have shrimp Tacos. I even bought some "low carb tortilla's" only to find out they were 10g of carbs in each one. Most of the veggies I was eating for dinner are still okay and I gave up my sandwich at lunch. On the bright side I realized I can dip my crab legs in real butter again. I had switched to Old Bay to avoid the fat.
  • aeppc
    aeppc Posts: 2 Member
    To Keto or not to Keto...I am not doing a strick Keto. Basically I have omitted the Breads/Pastas/Rice...and sparingly on the veggies like corn. I look at labels and only eat the ones with single digits. A friend of mine did this and lost the 22lbs but it did take longer to do. It has been close to 8 months and she has kept it off. She did a count of 35/40 carbs a day. I just started on it and seeing results already.

    I do have a problem with the water though. Seems that I feel heavy drinking that much, so will cut that down.
    I will let you know how I make out.

    PS. Crave the sugar though!
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    edited July 2018
    I have never tried keto but did try low carb (100 grams or less) for a few weeks. Hated it. I was avoiding foods I enjoyed in exchange for ones I didn't as much. My energy levels suffered as did my workout performance. I find a good balance of complex carbs, protein and fat to be the most satiating. For these reasons keto is not for me. That does not mean it won't work for you though.

    My suggestion would be to drop your carbs a bit and see how you go while doing more research on keto. Although I am no longer low carb I still limit refined, highly processed, high carb, high sugar foods while consuming wholegrains instead. While there is nothing wrong with these foods as part of a balanced diet I find I do better without them regularly.
  • potassiumboride
    potassiumboride Posts: 2 Member
    I started keto about two months ago and although it is limiting and I was tired for the first 6 weeks, I have more energy now than I am used to, my migraines have gone from 4/wk to 2/month (still have sinus headaches but they go away easily), and I have lost 15lbs.

    The weight isn't dropping as quickly now but my cravings are so much less, binges have stopped, and as long as I plan food ahead I do well. My problems come when I have no quick foods ready. There aren't nearly as many quick non-perishable options on keto as on higher carb diets.

    For me, the lack of migraines is enough to keep me on plan, but I can understand how hard it would be without that incentive.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited July 2018
    JustKeepTryin wrote: »
    fb47 wrote: »
    jtaylor_71 wrote: »
    Hi all, wanting peoples thoughts (good and bad) on a ketogenic diet.

    I lost 20kgs over the last year, however recently gained most of it back following a traumatic personal experience. I’m wanting to jump back in and start losing the weight while keeping myself busy :)

    Please no negative, I’m not here for that, I’m here to gain knowledge.

    How can you say no negative when you ask people's thoughts (good and bad)???

    Anyways, my opinion is this, unless you have health issues that requires you to get rid of carbs or you simply just feel satiated and enjoy keto, doing keto isn't anything special. What I mean by that, for fat loss, keto will not directly cause you to lose weight, what does make you directly lose weight is being at a caloric deficit and it has been scientifically proven that for fat loss, every diet share similar results. People do experience fast weight loss in the initial stages of keto, but that's because of water weight and glycogen that is getting depleted .

    For physical activities, although it is not yet conclusive, early stages of the studies show that keto is the least optimal out of all diets. This one does not surprise me since your water and glycogen are depleted and you're relying on fat as source of energy instead of carbs, so you're not going to get the best out of your workout which is why athletes in general follow a high carb diet.

    You claim you lost 20kgs last year, but that was not keto that did that, it was the caloric deficit. Keto was just the tool you used in order to acheive that goal just like others will use Intermittent fasting or Paleo, well you get my point.

    I am able to lose weight with carbs, but it's funny you won't see people shout "Eating a high carb diet made me lose weight". In the end, it's all about personal preference, if you enjoy keto and it helps you stick with your goal(s), then by all means keep doing it.

    For most people, being in a caloric deficit will make you lose weight regardless of your macros. The only exception which can make losing weight difficult is if you have some health issues (like thyroid for example), but for the regular Joe and Jane, it's all about eating less calories than you burn which will make you lose weight.



    'For physical activities, although it is not yet conclusive, early stages of the studies show that keto is the least optimal out of all diets. This one does not surprise me since your water and glycogen are depleted and you're relying on fat as source of energy instead of carbs, so you're not going to get the best out of your workout which is why athletes in general follow a high carb diet.'

    I'm gonna have to chime in on this one. while I don't consider myself an "athlete" hell most of us don't on here I have been doing following the ketogenic lifestyle for about a year and a half. Last year I was training for a half marathon ( no didn't do it because my knee started acting up :/ ) but I was running 10 miles once a week and 5-8 miles 3 time a week and lifting for an hour and a half to 2 hours 3 times a week. Not once did I ever experience any kind of issues with energy levels or muscle weakness (aside from the expected DOMS!) quite the opposite in fact. your body isn't actually using fats for energy but turning them into ketones, which your body does use for energy. some might say more efficiently than glucose. but I have no studies to back any of this up.

    What I do have is my own opinion. I feel better than I ever have in my life. some of this is I'm sure due to the fact that I exercise more and I don't feel starving all the time like I used to on a more 'traditional' meal plan. I eat bacon and eggs and butter and salads and I don't feel bogged down like I used to .

    My advice to the OP is to research for yourself.. read what others have experienced. and then if you still want to try do it. but research research research. I did for months before taking the dive and I don't ever plan on going back. I have a physical every year and there has been no negative changes in my heath. no blood pressure issues no cholesterol issues and I eat tons of fat and add loads of salt to everything. I'm sure it's not for everyone. But I love it.

    I said the word "optimal", if you're on ketosis, you're not putting yourself into the most optimal situation for your body or else athletes in general would hop on the keto bandwagon for optimal performance. And I am not talking about elite athletes, I am also talking about at the amateur level. I never mentioned anything about not having energy when working out or running.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    rsclause wrote: »
    I am noticing a kind of opposing view between the calories in/ calories out and LCHF groups. Yes calories matter but your % of carbs, Fat and protein matter too. I think when you start Keto it is more important to hit your % of each than to worry about calories. When your body becomes fat adapted you should start to burn fat but at the same time you will likely feel less hungry. This is when, in a perfect world, you should self regulate calories. You are not going to wreck your scale weight in two weeks of keto and I will even bet weight (water) goes down several pounds too. If the scale doesn't move you can always dial back total calories later. This isn't magic it is about burning fat AND managing calories. Week one for me stats, down 8 pounds but was 10, beer belly is shrinking dramatically to the point others notice. Not paying any attention to food portion or calories now but just eating til full.

    This is the thing... I think if keto helps you manage your hunger that is great, but I would imagine you would probably want to stay on it for the rest of your life, otherwise when you start to add carbs back in (or whatever sets your hunger off) it could become difficult if you aren't used to managing hunger. I think if someone has major issues with hunger it can help, but again it takes it away vs. helping them manage it, which again is fine if you stay on keto forever.

    I think though, in some cases (not all...) it can be important to know how to manage and deal with hunger... it is uncomfortable. It does suck sometimes. Learning how to deal with it is hard, but it is a skill you learn that gets better with time. Exercise is hard, but over time you become more comfortable being uncomfortable if that makes sense. Again, this might not work for everyone, especially if your hunger signals are way out of whack.

    Although I have some fat to lose I am doing this as a lifestyle change because I see some possible health and weight benefits.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    stevencloser wrote: »
    rsclause wrote: »
    I am noticing a kind of opposing view between the calories in/ calories out and LCHF groups. Yes calories matter but your % of carbs, Fat and protein matter too. I think when you start Keto it is more important to hit your % of each than to worry about calories. When your body becomes fat adapted you should start to burn fat but at the same time you will likely feel less hungry. This is when, in a perfect world, you should self regulate calories. You are not going to wreck your scale weight in two weeks of keto and I will even bet weight (water) goes down several pounds too. If the scale doesn't move you can always dial back total calories later. This isn't magic it is about burning fat AND managing calories. Week one for me stats, down 8 pounds but was 10, beer belly is shrinking dramatically to the point others notice. Not paying any attention to food portion or calories now but just eating til full.

    Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world, keto doesn't regulate everyone's hunger and fatty foods are high calorie and delicious.

    Agreed, in a small portion of people bad cholesterol can increase and it may not be for everybody. No magic to it but I am giving it a try and so far seeing positive results. This is the beginning of a long road and I won't truly know how this works for me for several months.
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