Can you become and/or remain toned on a ketogenic diet?

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Childfree1991
Childfree1991 Posts: 145 Member
edited December 2015 in Fitness and Exercise
So long story short, I'm currently 5'7, 24 y/o and 125-128 pounds and around 14-15% body fat. I used to be overweight (187-190 pounds) and around 37-38% body fat (I used Dexa scans along with other ways of measuring body fat). I lost weight/fat and became toned through exercise (lifting, squats, resistance training, yoga, etc) and I began controlling portion sizes along with a more balanced diet like lots of protein, complex carbs, fruits and veggies and lots of water. I've been maintaining for over a year. The problem now is, my seizures have recently began returning. I've had epilepsy since childhood. I was put on a ketogenic diet today which apparently is high fat and very low carb. This is not for weight loss. It's medical and I have no choice. Will I still be able to continue to tone and maintain the tone/muscle I already have? I thought carbs play a big role in muscle development, maintenance and repair (besides protein). Another downfall is I'm lactose intolerant. Basically, my eating habits before this were high protein, high carb, and low-fat. And that's how I got to where I am now. Is toning and muscle development possible on a ketogenic diet? Would I eventually become weak and "skinny-fat" or even worse, go back to my original weight and body fat (square one)? Advice would be greatly appreciated. This switch is going to be extremely difficult for me and unfortunately, it's not an optional case.

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I don't know specifically, but personally I don't know anyone who trains and is "skinny fat". I run into a lot of low carb folks at the gym...not sure if they're keto, but I know they low carb as it's definitely trendy, and they all seem to be fine. It's probably not optimal for building mass, but I think as long as you're getting your calories and training, you'll be fine.

    good luck...i have an aunt with the same issue.
  • cggarrod
    cggarrod Posts: 3 Member
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    I'm on the Keto diet for the same reasons (epilepsy). The good news is that the diet definitely seems to help reduce seizure activity. I used to be overweight and now maintain a normal body weight and do basic physical strength training (planks, push ups, sit ups, squats etc) with no issues. The training is good for me because my anti-seizure meds otherwise make me feel too drained to do any aerobic training.

    You should prob discuss with your Dr or dietician at the end of the day if you have big concerns, but so long as the diet keeps your seizure activity under control, you'll probably find over time you will adjust to the diet and be able to return to some form of exercise.

    Best of luck with the diet - It took me a while but now I've grown to actually enjoy it
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Keto is fine, and you will have no problems maintaining muscle once adapted. Fats will actually preserve your muscle better than carbs! Fear not!,,
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Keto is fine, and you will have no problems maintaining muscle once adapted. Fats will actually preserve your muscle better than carbs! Fear not!,,
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    I'm not sure why you'd think your macro ratio would have such a massive effect on your body composition. Numerous athletes have ketogenic diets and it's been shown to have equal to or greater results in regards to energy and muscle gains in the long term once in a state of ketosis. Eating fat won't make you fat, it will actually help teach your body to use fat as its preferred energy source. So I don't think you have anything to worry about as long as you keep up with your active lifestyle and progressive lifting.

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