Ketogenic Diet

bennyg1973

I am looking on incorporating this method into my IF. I wonder what successes others have had with the ketogenic way of eating? What do you do for cravings for carbs during this initial time you're getting used to it?

tomcustombuilder

From a purely fat loss perspective, there is no advantage with keto over a carb inclusive diet. Some people do lose on keto just because for them all that fat keeps some more satiated so they end up eating fewer calories overall. Regardless of your eating style fat loss always will come down to having a consistent weekly calorie deficit over time.

neanderthin

I've been on it for 13 years and don't count calories, just getting that out there. The most successful people on keto generally are doing it for health issues, like myself. A side effect of a ketogenic diet is satiety, which is hormonal for the vast majority and once the sugar is gone out of the diet cravings (hunger) basically disappears and the reason I don't count calories and actually I sometimes have to remind myself that I need to eat and it effects most people on a ketogenic diet, but not all. Anyway, if going on a ketogenic diet is just for weight loss and not for health the chances people commit to forgoing all starchy carbs, which happens to be all the tasty junk and fast food and statistics show that most people, close to 90% can't and don't. Even a whole food diet is for most people too much to ask and refined and processed foods generally kill that process as well.

AnnPT77

What are your goal(s) in doing IF (or TRE?) and keto? Is it mainly weight loss, or are there other things you hope those strategies will accomplish for you?

In general, stacking up multiple kinds of changes tends to make accomplishing weight loss harder, not easier. There's the rare soul who finds really hard things motivating, but I think it's more common to succeed by finding the easier path to whatever the goal may be.

People often arrive here thinking that if one intervention is good, two are better, and sixteen would be even better: Combinations of IF/TRE, keto, veganism, HIIT every day, etc. Burnout can happen. Sometimes a moderate approach can get a person to goal weight in less calendar time than a basket of extreme tactics that invokes deprivation-triggered over-eating, breaks in the action, or even giving up altogether.

If IF and keto help you manage calorie intake, possibly by reducing cravings/appetite, they will help you lose weight. Some people find they have other benefits, as well.

If you prefer not to follow those strategies for the long future - some do, some don't - then it will be useful to plan a transition sooner or later to your intended eating routine to stay at a healthy weight permanently. It can be good to practice those long-term eating/activity strategies while there's still a small calorie deficit in the picture to soften any "learning experience" moments.

As far as initial carb cravings per se, you could consider reducing carbs gradually rather than in a single sudden big jump. There may still be a couple of weeks where some willpower is required, because our bodies seem to take a bit of time to adapt away from long-term habits. Certainly, if you experience "keto flu", increase electrolytes to manage those symptoms.

Best wishes for success!

rileysowner

I do Keto more toward the Carnivore diet. The reason is not that I was not losing just find counting calories, but after a few months of counting calories eating heavily toward plants and fruit with some meats, my HbA1C was in the pre-diabetic range. Having seen what diabetes does to people who are managed the conventional way, basically eating as I was and eventually using medicine to intervene, I did not want that for myself. I went Keto, and within 2 weeks my blood sugar tests taken throughout the day we all in the normal range. While they were higher first thing in the morning due to the dawn effect, they were still within the normal range. Even my post-meal numbers were down well into where they should be. After 4 weeks the MySugar App estimated my HbA1C as 5.3. When I had is actually tested several months later, it was 5.2, so I am sticking with Keto. With that, my overnight fast is between 16-20 hours. Weight loss has been good, and very quickly after starting Keto my blood pressure dropped to the point I had to stop two of the three blood pressure meds I was on, and even that one fairly frequently dropped my blood pressure to 107/60 or even lower. That has stayed consistent for the last 9 months, so yet another reason to stick with Keto. Other unexpected benefits, my joint pain, while not gone, has reduced a huge amount. That also happened within a month or so. While weight loss may have been part of it, my weight at that point had not dropped as much as it has now. My mood is more stable as well. My brain fog is gone which may be the Keto diet or deciding to stop taking the statin my doctor had me on. I don't know for sure. Lastly, my tooth sensativity is gone. I really didn't expect that, but it is a happy change.

Having said all that, Keto is not for everyone. There are many ways to eat nutritionally. To my knowledge, all of them including Keto will ideally involve cooking your own food from whole ingredients rather than buying premade stuff. I am guessing a big part of the benefits of all of them comes from that aspect of getting back to more whole foods and away from processed, especially ultra-processed foods.

bennyg1973

All your comments are very inspiring and informative! Due to the nature of my work schedule, I find myself doing IF without trying. I'll eat and go to bed around 8:30 or 8 and get up at 7 am and work straight until 4 pm. THEN I will have my first meal of the day. I've been seeing pounds drop some. But, I have book called The Ketogenic Diet by Dr. Colbert. It talks about the amazing health effects of keto and I want that anti-inflammation, etc.

The only barrier is that I do find it hard to eliminate carbs (on or off IF). So I'm slowly transitioning, like a salad instead of a sandwich with bread, etc.

Whatever I'm doing, it's working, but I want the health benefits (and faster weight loss) too!