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Okay, why does everyone keep saying it's not sustainable? Low net carbs allow me to eat vegetables several times a day. Carbs are inessential nutrients. What part is unsustainable?
Thank you soooo much!! That's the best answer I've gotten yet, and I've even started my own thread asking about the pros and cons. So, basically, keto can be a good choice, as long as you prefer foods high in protein and fats to those high in carbs? I, personally, would much rather eat a bowl of tuna than cereal or pop tarts, so I'm goldenthank you again. You don't know how much I appreciate your answer!!
Sounds like it might suit you.
I've been keto for around a year and have really enjoyed it. I was prediabetic, dealt with reactive hypoglycemia, and could never stop at just a bite or two of sweets or grains. Now I have better and more even energy, I am healthier, and my weight is down 40lbs due to the appetite suppression and slight thermogenic benefits of this diet.
My advice would be to make sure salt is 3000-50000mg per day once you drop carbs. Carbohydrates cause water retention so once you cut carbs you will lose water and electrolytes. If your electrolytes are out of balance it can make the adjustment harder by causing headaches, fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches and spasms.
I also recommend joining the Low Carber Daily group. It's where most of us ketofiles hang out. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group2 -
It is strange, but there are some suggestions that keto diets actually have benefits for longer duration, lower intensity activity. The idea is that a body adapted to using free fatty acids for fuel has an available energy source once glycogen is depleted (so there is no bonk two hours in) and that also means it doesn't reach for protein from muscle or other lean tissue so it's lean mass sparing.4 -
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Okay, why does everyone keep saying it's not sustainable? Low net carbs allow me to eat vegetables several times a day. Carbs are inessential nutrients. What part is unsustainable?
Thank you soooo much!! That's the best answer I've gotten yet, and I've even started my own thread asking about the pros and cons. So, basically, keto can be a good choice, as long as you prefer foods high in protein and fats to those high in carbs? I, personally, would much rather eat a bowl of tuna than cereal or pop tarts, so I'm goldenthank you again. You don't know how much I appreciate your answer!!
Actually, I found counting carbs was very ineffective precisely because I love foods high in protein and fats. I can still eat well over maintenance on low carb, so to be successful I'd have to count calories and carbs both.
And if I need to count calories anyway, I might as well just do that and not worry about counting carbs too. Keto and low carb don't have any fat loss benefits over an equally calorie restricted high carb diet, and I definitely appreciate having a more varied diet. Low carb might help those with certain medical conditions, but for most people it's just one of many options, none better or worse than the others.1 -
Okay, why does everyone keep saying it's not sustainable? Low net carbs allow me to eat vegetables several times a day. Carbs are inessential nutrients. What part is unsustainable?
It isn't about whether carbs are necessary, it's about sticking to a calorie deficit. If I dramatically reduce carbs I will binge eat. I may make it a few days on low carb and then one day I will lose control and eat 5,000+ calories. If I include carbs (and sweets) in my diet I can sustain a calorie deficit for a long time without binge eating.
Alright, yes, then it's totally about personal preference... again, I'm way more likely (and have within the past week) to binge on chicken legs than any kind of sweets. Thank you as well. I'm very grateful for you guys' input and experience
I haven't read the study that is being referenced here, but the info is interesting (and I trust Lyle McDonald's citations):
"For the most part, no major difference in terms of weight loss has been found in subjects with different insulin sensitivities (2). However, at least one study found that the specific diet given interacted with baseline insulin sensitivity to determine the magnitude of weight loss (3). In that study, obese women with either high or low insulin sensitivity were placed on either a high carb (60% carb, 20% fat) or low carb (40% carb, 40% fat) diets.
So there were four groups: high carb/insulin sensitive, high carb/insulin resistant, low carb/insulin sensitive, low carb/insulin resistant. The results were intriguing: insulin sensitive women on the high carb diet lost nearly double the weight as insulin sensitive women on the low-carb diet. Similarly, insulin resistant women lost twice the weight on the low-carb diet as on the high carb diet. Unfortunately, it’s not clear what caused the divergent results. The researchers mentioned a gene called FOXC2 which is involved in energy expenditure and found that it was upregulated in the individuals who responded best to diet; further research into this topic is needed (3)."
(http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/insulin-sensitivity-and-fat-loss.html)
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Some of us don't have a choice. I very recently was put on keto because of my epilepsy. It's actually not that hard though. Maybe its because I've always loved eggs, avocados, fish, etc. I agree with a lot of other commenters here though. It's all about calorie deficit.0
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critterbug15 wrote: »Okay, why does everyone keep saying it's not sustainable? Low net carbs allow me to eat vegetables several times a day. Carbs are inessential nutrients. What part is unsustainable?
It isn't about whether carbs are necessary, it's about sticking to a calorie deficit. If I dramatically reduce carbs I will binge eat. I may make it a few days on low carb and then one day I will lose control and eat 5,000+ calories. If I include carbs (and sweets) in my diet I can sustain a calorie deficit for a long time without binge eating.
Alright, yes, then it's totally about personal preference... again, I'm way more likely (and have within the past week) to binge on chicken legs than any kind of sweets. Thank you as well. I'm very grateful for you guys' input and experience
I haven't read the study that is being referenced here, but the info is interesting (and I trust Lyle McDonald's citations):
"For the most part, no major difference in terms of weight loss has been found in subjects with different insulin sensitivities (2). However, at least one study found that the specific diet given interacted with baseline insulin sensitivity to determine the magnitude of weight loss (3). In that study, obese women with either high or low insulin sensitivity were placed on either a high carb (60% carb, 20% fat) or low carb (40% carb, 40% fat) diets.
So there were four groups: high carb/insulin sensitive, high carb/insulin resistant, low carb/insulin sensitive, low carb/insulin resistant. The results were intriguing: insulin sensitive women on the high carb diet lost nearly double the weight as insulin sensitive women on the low-carb diet. Similarly, insulin resistant women lost twice the weight on the low-carb diet as on the high carb diet. Unfortunately, it’s not clear what caused the divergent results. The researchers mentioned a gene called FOXC2 which is involved in energy expenditure and found that it was upregulated in the individuals who responded best to diet; further research into this topic is needed (3)."
(http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/insulin-sensitivity-and-fat-loss.html)
I think the main problems with that study are that each of the groups contained only between 4 and 6 individuals, and there was no analysis of the composition of the weight loss - i.e. how much was fat, how much was muscle, how much was water, how much was other lean mass. That's a big problem particularly when talking about low carb diets which often result in loss of LBM through glycogen and water loss in muscle tissue.2 -
rankinsect wrote: »critterbug15 wrote: »Okay, why does everyone keep saying it's not sustainable? Low net carbs allow me to eat vegetables several times a day. Carbs are inessential nutrients. What part is unsustainable?
It isn't about whether carbs are necessary, it's about sticking to a calorie deficit. If I dramatically reduce carbs I will binge eat. I may make it a few days on low carb and then one day I will lose control and eat 5,000+ calories. If I include carbs (and sweets) in my diet I can sustain a calorie deficit for a long time without binge eating.
Alright, yes, then it's totally about personal preference... again, I'm way more likely (and have within the past week) to binge on chicken legs than any kind of sweets. Thank you as well. I'm very grateful for you guys' input and experience
I haven't read the study that is being referenced here, but the info is interesting (and I trust Lyle McDonald's citations):
"For the most part, no major difference in terms of weight loss has been found in subjects with different insulin sensitivities (2). However, at least one study found that the specific diet given interacted with baseline insulin sensitivity to determine the magnitude of weight loss (3). In that study, obese women with either high or low insulin sensitivity were placed on either a high carb (60% carb, 20% fat) or low carb (40% carb, 40% fat) diets.
So there were four groups: high carb/insulin sensitive, high carb/insulin resistant, low carb/insulin sensitive, low carb/insulin resistant. The results were intriguing: insulin sensitive women on the high carb diet lost nearly double the weight as insulin sensitive women on the low-carb diet. Similarly, insulin resistant women lost twice the weight on the low-carb diet as on the high carb diet. Unfortunately, it’s not clear what caused the divergent results. The researchers mentioned a gene called FOXC2 which is involved in energy expenditure and found that it was upregulated in the individuals who responded best to diet; further research into this topic is needed (3)."
(http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/insulin-sensitivity-and-fat-loss.html)
I think the main problems with that study are that each of the groups contained only between 4 and 6 individuals, and there was no analysis of the composition of the weight loss - i.e. how much was fat, how much was muscle, how much was water, how much was other lean mass. That's a big problem particularly when talking about low carb diets which often result in loss of LBM through glycogen and water loss in muscle tissue.
I think you're right and I don't remember where I read that - do you? I can't find the full study, either - just the abstract. Anyway - another issue is that the low carb group was at 40% carbs, which doesn't match a keto diet. IRT lean tissue, there have been studies that show lower lean tissue loss at higher fat consumption. Ultimately... statistics. My point in highlighting that was to put forward the idea that there may very well be a benefit of one approach over another. So if one approach isn't working as expected, there are other routes.
That states the obvious, but I do think that while fat loss can be as simple as CICO, optimal fat loss (losing at a reasonable rate and maintaining lean mass) is often more complex. If a higher carb diet isn't working for someone, I think it's worth trying lowering carbs. And vice versa.
I would just hate for anyone to think that all plans are equal for them (which prioritizing calorie intake would imply) so if they failed to see results just monitoring their calories, then they could potentially think that they simply are not biologically or psychologically or emotionally or financially etc. capable of losing fat. That, to me, is the danger of problematizing any approach.1 -
I am beginning the keto diet this coming week, weaning myself from carbs and sugar!2
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Please can people stop referring to sugar and carbs as the same thing. This is one of my absolutely pet hates. Sugar is a carbohydrate, how your body deals with sugar is very different to most carbohydrates. Cutting sugar does not require keto.1
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Keto for life. 18 months ago I made the change and I've never looked back!2
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critterbug15 wrote: »
It is strange, but there are some suggestions that keto diets actually have benefits for longer duration, lower intensity activity. The idea is that a body adapted to using free fatty acids for fuel has an available energy source once glycogen is depleted (so there is no bonk two hours in) and that also means it doesn't reach for protein from muscle or other lean tissue so it's lean mass sparing.
So true. The fat oxidation rates of fat adapted endurance athlets is shockingly high, because of that they never hit the wall.0 -
Post-op week 8....
I'm week 1.5 into my keto diet and have lost 6 lbs. I have been on the keto diet before and did well and lost 50lbs. This time will be different, as time goes, and I lose about 20-30 lbs, I will slowly incorporate complex carbs. I'm very active and can't sustain on low carbs after a while. When I'm at my goal weight, I do very well with a sensible diet and everyday physical activity.
Looking forward to getting back where I was before my surgery!
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Been there, done that and won't do it again. I was downright miserable. I hated constantly thinking "well that sucks I can't have (insert food here) again". I refuse to torture myself in order to lose weight. No food is off limits to me and I couldn't be happier.0
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