Thoughts on Keto ?

I've been doing it for almost a month. It is working well for me too. I'm clearer headed, have WAY fewer cravings, have been losing weight, my arthritis improved, blood glucose improved, and my skin cleared up too - only one pimple this month. LOL

I think the keto approach is only extreme in the sense that there are not many people doing it. It's not bad for your health or hard to maintain, and it can even improve some health conditions (diabetes and some cancers). Who knows, one day the LCHF approach may even be the standard medical advice; at the very least I think more people will be aware of it's benefits.

We could compare it to the gluten-free diet. When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease I got a lot of eye rolls and comments about my diet. Now it's reached the status of fad diet and a substantial minority of people are eating GF. No one saw that one coming.

I think there's a group on here with lots of information. Lots of people on here have had success with it. Good luck!

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I do keto for periods of time, then go for a caloric deficit of the same goal but on a more balanced diet (so I get to eat fruit and such, ha ha!), but I tend to eat relatively low-carb in any case.

I tried keto the first time 'round because I'd found studies that stated it helped with non-alcoholic fatty liver, which I had, and it helped me get rid of that in 3 weeks, which was amazing. I found it really hard to stay at a healthy deficit with it, however, because the first time I tried it I got full on 1,000cal or less and stayed at that intake for about two or three months. I started losing hair and I went from clear-headed to dog-tired all the time. It was my first time actively losing weight, though, so I fell into the trap of feeling like 1,000cal or less was okay because I was so (in my mind) fat.

Now, though, I know that's a problem and I'm trying to offset that by having higher-cal snacks and lunches and thoroughly enjoying my whipped cream on sugar-free jello for dessert every night. I also plan to cycle off keto every 3-4 months for a week if I feel the need. I'm highly active and one of my regular, intense activities involves performing for the public, so I also plan to do TKD (targeted ketosis) if I feel the need so that my performance doesn't suffer. However, I might just go non-keto on those days as it's going to be a gong-show of busy and lots of food at the festival I'm performing at... We'll see how that goes.

Something to realize about the "snappy" weightloss at the start of keto (I went from 132 to 127.8 in a week - and I wasn't really trying hard), is that it's great for getting rid of water weight fast. Those first 5lbs or so are all water retention - still, it's a nice scale win.

Like @marcae70, I wouldn't call keto "extreme". My eating patterns generally have me eating relatively low-carb (though more like 50g net carbs than the 25g net that keto requires) in any case, so it isn't much of a stretch. However, if you love your carbs (and can moderate them - because I can't do that with bread), then it might be a stretch for sure.

I like your reason of trying it out to see if it'll help your teeth out. I've never had a cavity or bad teeth (save for 13 months of braces), so I can't speak to its efficiency for managing that, but I do notice clearer skin and more stable energy (which is why I'm doing it this time 'round, as I have trouble staying focused at work).

I've seen my roommate fail and fail again at Keto. He'd work past the keto flu, do really well for a week or two, then end up having a day or two of high carbs that would knock him out of ketosis. Then he'd have to start all over again, wait three days to fall back into ketosis and endure the keto flu all over again.

For him, keto flu looked absolutely miserable, too. As soon as he got off of work, he'd eat and then go to bed for the night, sometimes before the sun even set. He was reclusive, and walked around the house like a quiet zombie.

I don't necessarily think the keto diet itself is unhealthy for short periods of time. However, this is really representative of an unhealthy mindset. And the fact that it takes 2-3 days to work back into ketosis after slipping... that would be enough to get me, personally, to give up after the first slip. Keto flu effects different people differently, I'm sure, but I'm not 100% behind any diet that would make me feel like taking a sick day from work.

This all being said, he did lose some weight. And I've heard that certain medical conditions can be vastly improved through a keto diet. I think it can be really effective for some, but for others - if they're not prepared to commit - it can be tough.

Not the plan for me, most definitely. Let me keep my fruit, my rice, and my energy level.