I found it was great at dealing with my sugar cravings however it really seems to upset my digestive system and I had terrible diarrhoea. I'm experimenting a bit at the moment to slightly increase my carbs and see if I can find some sort of middle ground.

I did the Atkins version of ketosis when I was in middle school (along with my mom). I lost the needed 40 pounds, and I had swim practice every weekday for at least 1.5 hours each day, along with weekend meets at least once or twice a month. My swimming performance was not hindered and in fact during that time in my life was the fastest I ever swam comparatively (I swam competitively from age 12-18). I will say that I was a master at cheating back then though, and so I know that after the first month or two, I was eating pasta at least once a week at school lunches and nibbling on other sugar/carbs when my mom wasn't around. Ketosis was the easiest way to lose the fat (having been on low-fat/calorie counting diets for as long as I can remember), but I had a lot to lose at the time. Also, beyond the physical, I was always a successful student, and eating this way did not hinder my mental focus or academic performance...so anything about brain fog and all that wasn't the case for me. But like I said, I definitely cheated later in my progress...probably when I only had another 10 pounds to lose. I remember though that I kept losing despite my pasta fests each week. So being young and so active and still developing (I think I was 15 when we began, 16 when I met my goal weight only 6 months later or so), I'm sure I could get away with it. (It definitely didn't help the cravings though.)

Anyway, I'm eating more of a keto way now (just finished my first week actually), and this time I've gone through the "low carb flu" which I did not experience last time around. I'm also eating way more REAL foods (granted, a lot of dairy now too which I probably could stand to back off on a bit). Back then I relied on artificially sweetened everything. We had a lot of soy protein things (low-carb bread, etc) and vegetable oils. Now I can't even touch that stuff...so even though I'm not as active as I once was (therefore, no pasta for me! ) I know I'm getting more nutrient-dense food in me. Coconut oil did not exist in my world back then!

Also, I'll tell you, back then, after my first two weeks, I lost 9 pounds. This time, after a week, I've gained a pound. But just like paleo, once you cut out the sugar-laden stuff, the simple joy of not experiencing the sugar crashes, sleepiness during the day, better sleep at night, etc is enough to keep you going. So that's where I'm at. Sorry this was much longer than it probably needed to be.

Well I believe I am just now getting into ketosis. This is my 6th week and I cannot believe how good I feel. I have so much energy it's insane. In 6 weeks I've lost 16 pounds and 16 inches. I find that for me it works really well, actually I did weight watchers years ago and it took me almost 6 months to lose 16 pounds but I still felt bloated and sluggish, eating this way just makes sense. My belly isn't nearly as bloated as it was before and I just feel good overall.