Ketogenic Diet

you cut your carbs to low levels i eat about 20-30 grams of carbs and more protein ,some people lose about 4 or 5 lbs a week

And exceedingly dangerous!

I have been hearing a lot about this ketogenic diet. How does it work and does it really help you burn fat quicker?

It works by changing your metabolism to primarily burn a fat/ketone mixture instead of dietary glucose (i.e. wot comes from carbohydrate).

WIll it burn fat *significantly* quicker in the long term? No.

Because the body will adjust to the new fuel mix so ...

Can you put weight on doing it? Yes, of course.

I've done it, took liberties with the calories and put weight on. I kind of bought into the whole carbs/insulin/fat thing ...

Going generally low carb helped me to recalibrate my sense of appetite and 'sweet tooth' but going into ketosis wasn't necessary or desirable for me. No metabolic advantage, might as well work an occasional mince pie into the plan eh?

Lyle McDonald's site is worth a read if your interested, he did a couple of books on ketogenic dieting but concedes they don't work any better for fat loss than other plans that restrict calories:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

It was an interesting experiment but I'm back to moderation in all things right now.

I have been hearing a lot about this ketogenic diet. How does it work and does it really help you burn fat quicker?

It works as has been described above - typically no more than 20-30g of carbohydrates a day. It's just considered a very-low-carbohydrate diet. The good thing I find about ketosis is that you can cut calories without getting hungry... well... at all!

Whether it burns fat faster than other diets is not something I can answer - but I feel like it works for me quite well.

The only negative side effect I find is the smell of acetone on your breath! Carry some chewing gum!

And exceedingly dangerous!

Not just dangerous, but *exceedingly* dangerous??
Would you care to tell us why it's dangerous?

A ketogenic diet is something you want to get right.

I would agree with this statement. It doesn't require tonnes of forward planning, but it does require that you get your macros right and that you track them meticulously.

I use 5% carbs, 60% fats, 35% protein. I'm currently cutting and my first week has give me some real promising results

In the end, it still comes down to calories in vs. calories out. Keto isn't a 'magic pill' or anything.

This must be emphasised again - If it wasn't for counting calories, the promising results I got would not have been as pronounced.

As an aside, I must mention that if you like to drink alcohol, a ketogenic diet makes for a cheap night out! I don't know why (perhaps someone here knows?) - But ketogenic diets turn me into a drinking lightweight!

OP, may I suggest doing research on your own and not asking for unqualified and way un-informed people to answer a serious question such as which lifestyle change is right for you.

This is part of research isn't it?

Gather ideas, opinions and experiences from everyone then go off and find what is right for you?

What is your take on Keto after your research?

OP, may I suggest doing research on your own and not asking for unqualified and way un-informed people to answer a serious question such as which lifestyle change is right for you.

genius...please do not ask people on this forum for medical advice

I personally don't see anything wrong with this post The OP replied with something along the lines of 'I was misinformed and I need to learn more about carbs.' I would always hope people will consult their doctor before making a large lifestyle change, but we're all here to learn more. ô.o

Yah my carbs are at 170 and I'm insulin resistant, the kind of carbs I eat though have made all the difference in the world.

I use 5% carbs, 60% fats, 35% protein. I'm currently cutting and my first week has give me some real promising results

As an aside, I must mention that if you like to drink alcohol, a ketogenic diet makes for a cheap night out! I don't know why (perhaps someone here knows?) - But ketogenic diets turn me into a drinking lightweight!

Yup, it's really about the macros. Keto is a high fat, adequate protein, low carb diet. It's not hard to get right but still requires independent research to make sure you're a) hitting the right macros and b) not afraid of eating fat. Some people try to do low-far AND low-carb and up their protein at the same time. If you're going to do keto, do some research and do it right. Like I said on your wall, feel free to message me and I'll give you more info.

Also, true on the alcohol thing. Ketoers get drunk much easier.

You might get more informed answers in a keto-specific MFP forum. It's not a well-understood diet for the most part and you won't get a well-rounded answer from people that haven't researched it. It has numerous health benefits including but not limited to reducing/eliminating seizure activity in epileptics, reducing or eliminating diabetes, and stopping or preventing cancer (I know from experience that this will not cure stage 4 lung cancer, but studies have found it beneficial for the treatment of cancer). It certainly has its place and it's certainly not a fad.

And exceedingly dangerous!

What a joke..............what is so dangerous about being in ketosis?