The Ketosis Diet - Any opinions?

LauraDotts

When you stop dieting and go back to eating carbs normally the weight WILL come back,

What is "eating carbs normally"? Do you mean eating carbs at a level that is healthy for maintaining a healthy weight or eating all the carbs one ate before they went on a diet? Because, yeah, if I eat the amount of carbs I ate at the weight I was then I will gain it all back. That is true for everybody who has ever lost weight on any diet. When I reach my weight loss goal I will have to have a "new normal" in order to maintain.

rocksnake

This is a version of Atkins Diet and then modified to South Beach Diet. It does work and well. You should stick to lean meats and egg whites. Watch your cholesterol. Above ground vegetables with exception of corn are usually low carb. This is also great for diabetics. I have cut carbs on 78 and 82 year old parents and have seen tremendous difference in weight, energy levels and blood sugar. Protein helps stabalize blood sugar. Complex and simple carbs raise insulin (blood sugar levels). Miracle Noodles is a product you can look into for pasta, rice replacements. They are basically soluable plant fiber in shape of noodles that picks up whatever flavor you cook with it. Soy sauce is a great low carb flovoring. Look at Sam's Choice products also, they are great at listing contents and are better for pocket book in most instances.

HMToomey

Just, if you do this, watch your potassium!

I had a seizure last October where I fell slamming my head into concrete, stopped breathing and had no heart beat. I was lucky that someone near me knew CPR, it's the only reason I am able to type this! Slamming my head on the concrete resulted in a type III concussion and an 8 week recovery with a few personality changes to boot! The only thing that was going on was my potassium was critically low. I did not know, nor was I trying to be in ketosis, but I was. In this state your kidneys flush potassium, salt and magnesium. I had felt horrible for close to a month before it happened I thought I was run down from school and a cold but that was not it at all my potassium was too low.

I'm not advocating for or against any diet. Everyone here is an adult and can make up their own mind I just urge you to get 3500 mg of potassium everyday, especially if you try this diet because the diet flushes those minerals out!

fit4lifeUcan2

Unhealthy metabolic state (ketosis). Low-carb diets can cause the body to go into a dangerous metabolic state called ketosis since your body burns fat instead of glucose for energy. During ketosis, the body forms substances known as ketones, which can cause organs to fail and result in gout, kidney stones, or kidney failure. Ketones can also dull a person's appetite, cause nausea and bad breath. Ketosis can be prevented by eating at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day.

vytamindi

Unhealthy metabolic state (ketosis). Low-carb diets can cause the body to go into a dangerous metabolic state called ketosis since your body burns fat instead of glucose for energy. During ketosis, the body forms substances known as ketones, which can cause organs to fail and result in gout, kidney stones, or kidney failure. Ketones can also dull a person's appetite, cause nausea and bad breath. Ketosis can be prevented by eating at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day.

Sources? Are you sure you're not thinking of ketoacidosis?

vytamindi

let me clarify...people who use low carb diets to lose weight quickly lose it, but in order to keep it off you STILL have to count calories in and out so why deprive yourself of certain foods you like when you would have lost the SAME amount of weight at the end of the year by doing calorie deficit? If you're diabetic that's a whole different diet ballgame. When you stop dieting and go back to eating carbs normally the weight WILL come back, which is why after induction on Atkins they have you add small portions of carbs back into your diet so you can calculate how much will make you gain weight back for OWL and lifetime management. I've done atkins a few times before and lost up to 20lbs in 2 weeks but as soon as I went off it the weight came back. And then some.

I cannot eat pasta, bread, sweets in moderation. One bite would lead to a binge, which got me to my highest weight of 258. I did not know what I was doing to my body. Sure, I lost a few pounds doing MFP's guideline of macros, but I was always hungry and craving sweets. One bite, and I was done. I got frustrated with not being honest with myself and cheating on diary entries, so I just quit.

Thought I'd give keto a try. My dad's a diabetic and I have already inherited his thyroid issues, so I didn't want to chance being pre-diabetic (bloodwork showed I wasn't pre-diabetic, but my levels were still high).

May 29 I enter ketosis. I've been in it ever since. The first two weeks were hell as my body was screaming for easy burning carbs, but somehow I persisted and have been in ketosis ever since. I have used keto as a reboot for my eating habits. I've dropped the weight (still some left, but I FINALLY have energy so I'm now tons more active that I used to be) and I did it eating dairy, nuts, meat, and PLENTY of veggies.

Once in a while I'll take bites of foods I thought I missed. I don't. It tastes toxic to me. Keto is the only time I've ever felt "normal."

BTW, no one in their right mind would just revert to their old carb intake after a sustained period of keto. I can't imagine the intestinal distress of that initial carb shock... it's the reason I don't cheat. When you enter maintenance, you're supposed to slowly increase your carbs, as to not shock your body, until you feel good. For some, it's 100g. That's my goal when I reach my weight goal, but of course that's just a plan as I have no idea how my body will react.

The reason the weight came back quickly (someone correct me if I'm wrong) is because your glycogen stores increased. I think that stuff holds onto water like crazy? Could be broscience, I'll see if I can find the link when I get back from the gym.

fit4lifeUcan2

Unhealthy metabolic state (ketosis). Low-carb diets can cause the body to go into a dangerous metabolic state called ketosis since your body burns fat instead of glucose for energy. During ketosis, the body forms substances known as ketones, which can cause organs to fail and result in gout, kidney stones, or kidney failure. Ketones can also dull a person's appetite, cause nausea and bad breath. Ketosis can be prevented by eating at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day.

Sources? Are you sure you're not thinking of ketoacidosis?

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/high-protein-low-carbohydrate-diets
diabetes.org is another source that talks about ketosis as well as Diabetic ketoacidosis which is a condition that may occur in people who have diabetes, most often in those who have type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. It involves the buildup of toxic substances called ketones that make the blood too acidic. High ketone levels can be readily managed, but if they aren't detected and treated in time, a person can eventually slip into a fatal coma.
Another source is my professors online study guide but you were you would have to be one of his students to read it but i've posted some of my quotes from our discussions there.

Ketosis in and of itself is not a harmful process and occurs among diabetics and non-diabetics.
However, when ketone levels become excessively high, a condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis, can occur. Remember you do not have to be diabetic to develop this condition.

dickymint678

Being in ketosis is how I lost 55 lbs from February up until June but I was on a medically supervised weight loss plan. Monitoring your ketones while doing a low carb diet is EXTREMELY important as you want to maintain a healthy level of ketosis and not overdo it. Personally, I only recommend doing it for brief periods of time to jumpstart weightloss and not as a way of life or permanent eating solution.

As long as you are not a diabetic, you cannot have excess ketones in your system. Your body self regulates the quanity of ketones with insulin. It actually reaches an equilibrium in a few weeks producing only what it needs to feed the brain and CNS. You can test for ketones in your pee because your body cannot burn them up completely and the residue comes out with your waste water.

dickymint678

Ketones are produced whenever your body burns fat. If you are on ANY diet and losing body fat then you are producing ketones. Your body uses those ketones for energy. If you produce more ketones than your body needs for energy the excess spills into your urine and is disposed of. That is ketosis. All weight loss diets include an element of carbohydrate deficit. If you eat enough carbs to maintain the energy your body needs then you do not burn fat for energy and you will not lose body fat. If you eat more carbohydrates than your body needs for energy, the excess carbohydrates get stored as fat and you gain weight.

Not true.

I'm losing weight with a controlled diet, my carbs come in between 50-100 a day. There are no ketones in my urine (I check).

There are several diets out there that do not restrict carbs in anyway, Slimming World for instance.

Not true if you body is in a state of burning your fat reserves you will produce ketones. That they don't appear in your pee is a matter of accuracy of the indicator on the test sticks. You can be in ketosis and not register on the pee sticks. They are a rough guide.

Bdaudelin

I tried this diet before. I would not recommend it for long term weight loss. Definitely consult your doctor but exercising and eating good will help. I classify that diet as a yo yo diet.

vytamindi

I tried this diet before. I would not recommend it for long term weight loss. Definitely consult your doctor but exercising and eating good will help. I classify that diet as a yo yo diet.

Well then, my Yo Yo is broken since it only Yo's one way! :laugh:

Betty_Canada

Some points from the sharp end; I can only speak to my own experience and understanding of dietary ketosis:

0) A ketogenic diet (which is generally anywhere between 20-60 grams of carbohydrate a day) is designed *specifically* to trigger dietary ketosis. It is NOT a long term eating plan, it is a starting point, generally no more than two to three weeks in duration, from which you gradually add back in more vegetables, fruit and other low glycemic carbohydrate items until you reach the point where you stop showing on the Ketostix, and then you *continue to add* until you stop losing weight. Given that most people will stop showing anything at about 80 grams, but will continue to lose weight at anywhere from 100-150 grams, the pre-maintenance phase does not include ketosis at all, as you are trying to establish where you stop losing weight. At no point is it a NO carbohydrate way of eating, a common misconception. But there's a world of difference if you're insulin resistant between the twenty grams of carbs in one hamburger bun and eating approximately thirteen cups of salad a day. (Two cups of Earthbound Farms Organic Spring mix is three grams of carbs and one gram of fiber. 20/3 = 6.67 x 2 = 13.33).

0.5) NOTE: The Ketogenic diet prescribed for epilepsy patients is much lower carb than this, and usually only applied to treatment resistant children as it is less effective in adults, and not to be confused with the system described in point zero. For more information on the medical application of the ketogenic diet, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

1) I've been put on Metformin because I'm IR. This pretty much means I have to eat low GI/low carb if I ever want to leave my bathroom again. It's not difficult, but it does take a little more attention. Simple starches and sugars react poorly with this medication.

2) Dietary keto-lipolysis =/= diabetic ketoacidosis. If you are at a healthy weight, your body will produce ketone bodies every night as you switch between the insulin / glucagon cycle to burn a little fat to keep your brain from starving to death while you sleep. This is *normal* and *desirable*. This natural endocrine driven ketosis is a factor in "morning breath". Ketostix are designed to pick up ketone bodies at a level where, if it were uncontrolled diabetic ketosis, there might be cause for concern. But that bottom end is still pretty high when measured against the daily balancing act of a healthy insulin response.

3) Yes, I can and will give up bread, pasta, pizza, quesadillas etc. for the rest of my life if it's what I need to be healthy. If I was diagnosed with Celiac's disease and it meant the difference between life and death, nobody would question the fact that it needed to be a lifelong adjustment. Because I choose to do it voluntarily, this becomes a "problem".

4) Moderate to low carbohydrate dietary restriction is *not for everyone*. It is a specific treatment, to treat a specific condition. That condition is insulin resistance. Not every person who is overweight is overweight due to metabolic syndrome. But if you ARE overweight due to metabolic syndrome, restricting simple starches and sugars can do wonders to control insulin levels. Cutting calories and exercising with no thought to macronutrient distribution may not be as effective for someone with insulin resistance, as your body will hang onto that fat with every last erg you've got because it thinks you're starving it to death - high insulin levels cause low blood sugar. My insulin levels will not normalize on a 55-65% (AHA recommendation, last time I checked at least) carbohydrate diet, no matter how low the calories are. If there is excess insulin in the bloodstream, it turns off the HSL receptors on the fat cells so they don't break down triglycerides for release and conversion into glucose. In this *specific* scenario, treating the insulin behavior is the critical part, and that can only be done successfully long term through dietary changes. (Medication will control it for a while, but tolerance builds up and you end up back at square one.)

5) I do better on a non-ketogenic modified carbohydrate diet of approximately 75-125 grams of carbohydrate (net - after fiber is removed from the equation) per day. Different people will have success at different levels and with different dietary changes. This level is generally NOT enough to induce dietary ketosis, it provides me with a huge amount of dietary flexibility in choosing whole foods, fruits, vegetables, nuts and cheeses that will be healthier for me, and I am still losing weight at between 1-2 pounds a week.

6) I am IR and have PCOS. My partner is Type II diabetic. We are not viewing this as a temporary fix. It is the way our bodies need to be fed for us to be at our healthiest. We're not shoving our food choices down anyone else's throats, and we'll even buy buns or bread for guests if they come for dinner.

7) Could I lose those pounds if I just restricted myself to 1200 calories a day like the diet sites suggest? Given that my Katch McArdle BMR is 1250 calories a day, perhaps, but I would lose lean muscle tissue and it would be unlikely to work more than a month or two before my BMR adjusted. I am eating 1400-1600 calories a day right now, My protein levels are probably a little high, but I'm still working on the dietary fat thing.

For me, it has generally been a painless experience. I eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. I waste less money eating out. I have more energy, I sleep better, I am not constantly looking for a source of food, and I'm not passed out under the table after supper. Yes, food costs a little more. But as I'm generally eating less of it because I'm not starving all the time, it comes out in the wash.

Others' mileage may vary. I think it is important to remember that we can each only speak to the validity of **our own experience**, and we must remember that each body, and each body's *needs*, are different.

If you want to learn more about carbohydrate metabolism in a more or less layman's sense of the word, I recommend the book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes, which explains the increasing body of literature on how carbohydrates and fat are metabolized differently by the body, and how dietary changes and the agricultural revolution have affected cultures transitioning from a "hunter-gatherer" society. It does make a few dietary suggestions near the end, but understanding the science behind the endocrinological effects of insulin and glucagon on the storage and release of fat is helpful if you are trying to decide if a ketogenic diet might be helpful for you.

=Betty=

smokinjackd

Why do so many seek the magic trick when plain ol' boring healthy well rounded eating does the trick.

Silverkittycat

OP, please just try this diet and see if it works for you. Those replying might have found out what works best for them for varying reasons. They are not you, one way of eating does not work for all. Good luck to you.

leftoverbun

There is more than 1 way to lose weight. For me and others, LCHF is extremely easy and effective. I've been on it for 10+ months and lost almost 100 lbs. In the past on low calorie and/or low fat diets, I've never been able to last for more than 4 months and 40lbs (which came back when I stopped, duh).

In addition to rapid weight loss (for some), I've also experienced a multitude of other positive reactions to the diet, ranging from no headaches, reduced acne, all the way to something minor like no ear wax. Those alone tell me this is the way I should have been eating my entire life, and you can be sure I'll be eating this way from here on out.

MrDangerSass

Just....no. Anything that "throws" your body into something that is essentially an emergency response like ketosis...is not healthy or good fitness. It may bring (and I stress may) bring short term results but will not result in a long term benefit. Carbs are not evil...diets that exclude the are.

foodie178

i generally avoid diets that focus on cutting out a certain food group, because i've seen and heard that although your body will lose the weight on the diet, it will be gained back and then some after the food is reintroduced. ketosis may occur while you aren't eating carbs, but as soon as you start eating carbs again i'd be wary of regaining all that weight!

if you want to lose weight, something that really helped me was remembering that the body was made to eat ALL of the food groups, but that food is supposed to be ENERGY. you don't need to diet, because no matter what you eat it will be used towards fueling your body. any excess is what turns into fat. of course, sugar isn't the ideal energy source, so be wise in your eating. good luck!

fitsin10

very interesting so I am bumping..thanks to all

fitsin10

but how do you know when your in ketosis doing a low carb diet?

TheVimFuego

Just....no. Anything that "throws" your body into something that is essentially an emergency response like ketosis...is not healthy or good fitness. It may bring (and I stress may) bring short term results but will not result in a long term benefit. Carbs are not evil...diets that exclude the are.

If you don't want to be in ketosis then don't fall asleep.

We are all in, to some degree, ketosis overnight.

We don't 'throw' our bodies into ketosis, we just give them the idea that being fuelled by carbohydrate isn't what we need right now, given we have some fat on our person to burn.

Ketosis is not an emergency response, it's a perfectly natural state of energy production.

If it wasn't then we would not be here to debate it ad infinitum.

All carbs are not the devil, correct, but we have not evolved to rely on them for energy.