To continue Keto or..?

ProfessorHiggs

Hello all, I’m looking for some advice on nutrition and I was wondering if you could give me some advice.

November last year my doctor advised me to try a keto diet as I have PCOS and was overweight (200lbs). For 6 months I was very strict and lost 55lbs. Since then I’ve been really busy with work and life and have slipped from the keto wagon and struggled to get back to it. I’m an all-or-nothing sort of person so need to be strict with myself, and set myself rules. But I also worry about the long term effects of cutting out a whole food group.

I still have some weight I want to lose to get into the middle of the healthy bmi range. Please could anyone advise how I should go about this, should I try to keep going with keto (and if so can I have some tips for keeping it interesting) or how else can I make sure I lose weight but get all the nutrients I need?

Extra info: I’m 5’ 4” and 145lbs currently.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

apullum

The first thing to note is that keto does not cause fat loss; a consistent calorie deficit causes fat loss.

Some people with PCOS see improvement of symptoms with a low carb diet and some do not. My experience was that regular exercise and getting into my optimal BMI range had a huge effect on PCOS/metabolic syndrome. So the first thing I would recommend is taking stock of your current symptoms and consulting with your doctor. Your medical needs have likely changed since you lost weight.

The next thing I would ask is whether you actually enjoy keto. If not, then you don't have to do it. If you prefer to restrict carbs or if your doctor still feels that it's necessary, then you can ask your doctor about a lower carb diet that is not necessarily keto. Whatever you decide on, you will need a plan that you can continue into maintenance once you get there.

I would also note that because you are currently in the optimal BMI range for your height, fat loss at this point will be quite slow and many people find that it requires meticulously accurate logging. If you begin eating more carbs than usual, you should expect to see a temporary water weight gain on the scale.

Finally, if you are in academia (guessing from your user name?) I'm happy to chat about PCOS/weight maintenance/academia.

psuLemon

ProfessorHiggs wrote: »

Hello all, I’m looking for some advice on nutrition and I was wondering if you could give me some advice.

November last year my doctor advised me to try a keto diet as I have PCOS and was overweight (200lbs). For 6 months I was very strict and lost 55lbs. Since then I’ve been really busy with work and life and have slipped from the keto wagon and struggled to get back to it. I’m an all-or-nothing sort of person so need to be strict with myself, and set myself rules. But I also worry about the long term effects of cutting out a whole food group.

I still have some weight I want to lose to get into the middle of the healthy bmi range. Please could anyone advise how I should go about this, should I try to keep going with keto (and if so can I have some tips for keeping it interesting) or how else can I make sure I lose weight but get all the nutrients I need?

Extra info: I’m 5’ 4” and 145lbs currently.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

It simply comes down to what is going to help you be compliant. Whether that is keto or another diet is something you have to ask yourself. For me, i use keto to cut weight and take breaks or transition off when i am in maintenance. For example, i will be more moderate carb the next few weeks for the holidays. Still going to focus on nutrient dense food, but will allow for some additional carbs. Once the new year is done, i will go back on keto to lose the last few lbs. And while some believe you should follow the diet you will follow the rest of your life, i rather not have such a myopic view. I believe you can cycle through diets based on your goals, needs or even time of year.

ProfessorHiggs

psuLemon wrote: »

ProfessorHiggs wrote: »

Hello all, I’m looking for some advice on nutrition and I was wondering if you could give me some advice.

November last year my doctor advised me to try a keto diet as I have PCOS and was overweight (200lbs). For 6 months I was very strict and lost 55lbs. Since then I’ve been really busy with work and life and have slipped from the keto wagon and struggled to get back to it. I’m an all-or-nothing sort of person so need to be strict with myself, and set myself rules. But I also worry about the long term effects of cutting out a whole food group.

I still have some weight I want to lose to get into the middle of the healthy bmi range. Please could anyone advise how I should go about this, should I try to keep going with keto (and if so can I have some tips for keeping it interesting) or how else can I make sure I lose weight but get all the nutrients I need?

Extra info: I’m 5’ 4” and 145lbs currently.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

It simply comes down to what is going to help you be compliant. Whether that is keto or another diet is something you have to ask yourself. For me, i use keto to cut weight and take breaks or transition off when i am in maintenance. For example, i will be more moderate carb the next few weeks for the holidays. Still going to focus on nutrient dense food, but will allow for some additional carbs. Once the new year is done, i will go back on keto to lose the last few lbs. And while some believe you should follow the diet you will follow the rest of your life, i rather not have such a myopic view. I believe you can cycle through diets based on your goals, needs or even time of year.

Thanks for responding! That’s a really helpful point of view. I like the idea of using keto as a tool to keep balance. I’ll definitely do some thinking on that!

EmIsMotivated

I was on keto for the longest time on and off and lately because of financial reasons I've stopped doing it. I've been watching many informative videos on intermittent fasting that everyone loves and is great for weight loss. I did it for a couple of weeks but I dived into it too fast and didn't research how I should start so my body can get used to it. After doing my research and figuring out what was best with my schedule it's awesome! Mainly you eat food in a certain time period then fast for the rest. I started with a 16:8 window which was pretty easy for me, fasting for 16 hours then having an 8-hour window to eat, but in that eating window you are in a calorie deficit I usually ate about 1200 calories. I would do this about 4 days a week then eat normally the remaining 3 days but everyone does it differently. I would definitely look into it more and find what would work best with your schedule!