Of the two which worked best: Keto diet or counting cals?

hookilau

I was wondering when you say 5-10 g of sugar is that all sugar or added sugar? Is it natural sugar like in fruit and milk and stuff or do you only count the add sugar honey? I am about 80# overweight and have high blood sugar and I am still trying to figure all this stuff out. Thanks

If you have high blood sugar....sugar is sugar.

Whether it's fruit sugar, agave, date, brown, honey etc. Bread/starch is also sugar...to your body anyway.

If you have difficulty regulating your blood sugars, starch=sugar to your body in terms of response.

check out www.bloodsugar101.com

the amount of starchy carb (ie: starchy carb=sugar) that one can handle is different for everyone. I, for instance would LOVE to be able to handle more than 5 g of carb for ALL of my meals, but if I do that, my blood sugars go outside of the range that's safe for me.

I, personally can only handle a TOTAL of up to 20g per day....and fat keeps my sugars really low also, as someone mentioned earlier, it keeps me from being hungry, so I can stay within a caloric deficit if I'm trying to lose.

So, as a diabetic, I use both methods, keto + caloric deficit

tennisdude2004

They will both only work if you are in a deficit, so it's personal choice.

Some people find calorie counting, whilst still eating a high percentage of carbs difficult and therefore the keto (or even a standard LCHF) diet, where just carbs are restricted. This helps regulate the calorie intake and generally most people can eat until they are satisfied, without logging calories.

Some people love there carbs so will restrict the calorie intake of all the foods they eat.

What works for one, will not necessarily work for the other.

Try both and see which fits you!

BachMa2000

once you lose the excess water with a keto diet sustained FAT loss will only occur with a deficit anyway. It doesn't work in some kind of magic alternative manner.

I don't think most people who eat a keto diet or just low carb in general are saying that. Low carb is a tool that helps to create a calorie deficit. In many people like myself it helps suppress my appetite so it is not a constant struggle to keep under a colorie limit. For me the level of carbs makes a huge difference in my hunger. For those who say low carb is unsustainable in the long run plain old calorie counting was unsustainable for me. It was a constant battle against being hungry and I felt deprived all the time. And I was eating 1800 - 2000 calories and feeling this way.

Different things work for different people so you have to find what works for you. And by that I don't mean that the mechanics of weightloss are different from person to person but rather what people consider a sustainable diet varies. We have different tastes in food and different reactions to feelings of hunger and fullness. I think its important to realize this when putting together your diet. You need to eat at a proper calorie amount in the way that leaves you feeling the best.

LovelyVegetarian

I find low carb works really well for me. And you'd think it would be difficult given that I'm a vegetarian (though I eat fish, cheese and eggs). Not so. Also I do IF and it works really well. I eat all my food between 12 pm and 6/7 pm. I feel great all day long with just a black coffee to last me until I have lunch. It's only tricky when I eat out. But I usually use those times as the days I indulge a bit and then get right back on track.

I find I have much less hunger when I keep my daily carbs to 60 gr or lower. I've had to play around with the number and this seems to be the magic one for me. I find I'm energetic, and really clear minded. It's been a real eye opener for me. I feel free and for me it's a lifestyle - it's not that I am eliminating certain foods and that I will reintroduce them at a later point. I just simply don't eat them. Just as I don't eat meat. I get my carbs from vegetables and some fruit. I feel great and have no health issues.

enigmaneo

Yeah, I'm not hungry as much. The only downfall is that when I need to do a tremendous amount of activity sometimes I run out of energy. My stamina is pretty high but I notice the difference.

AsaThorsWoman

Neither worked for me.

But keto did make me sick and miserable.

Unknown

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ladymiseryali

Calorie counting, while consuming high carbs and low fat did NOTHING. Actually it made me gain(no food scale back then. so that could be a part of it as well). Low carb and high fat made 30 lbs shed from my body and kind of quickly too, even though I wasn't overweight to begin with. I know 10 lbs of that was more than likely water weight, but the rest was fat because my measurements went down as well. I can see arm muscles, back muscles and a glimmer of abs. So yea, keto worked for me and I like eating this way. I don't feel sluggish like I used to when I eat a bunch of carbs. In fact, if I have a cheat day I feel hung over the next day, even if I was sober the day of the cheat.

croooz

Takes most people a month to almost three months to use ketones as the preferred fuel source. Turning the ketostix purple is no guarantee you are in ketosis and therefore cannot rightfully claim to be in nutritional ketosis or following a ketogenic diet. Calorie counting is a no brainer and requires little effort other than logging everything. Following a ketogenic diet will require buying a glucose monitor with ketone strips and taking daily readings or at least weekly. If you have metabolic syndrome a ketogenic diet is the way to go. There is more at play than simply creating a caloric deficit. If our bodies mimicked a bomb calorimeter then a simple deficit would work for everyone however our bodies are more efficient at using carbs, fat, or both. For a growing number of the population we have become what Vonek & Phinney describe as "carb intolerant" and therefore require to substantially limit our carbs. So while it may not be fair that I should not have an Oreo it doesn't mean I cannot, it only means I will have to deal with the consequences. Once you are primarily using ketones as fuel going back into ketosis does not take weeks nor even days but perhaps a day.

If you are serious about following a ketogenic diet then do yourself the favor of reading a copy of "The Art & Science of Low Carb." After reading it you will better informed than the average clinician on ketogenic dieting and can make an informed decision of whether or not you will give it a try.

http://www.artandscienceoflowcarb.com

kdiamond

Counting calories - keto is not necessary for the average joe, it's really only needed for body builders and other athletes needing to lose water weight for events, completely unnecessary. Just count your calories and be diligent.