Is Keto Necessary?

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alexxazt
alexxazt Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!
Been hearing a lot about Keto and I was wondering if you can achieve just of good of results in a calorie deficit than in Keto?
Does Keto make you lose purely fat?
Does Keto produce faster fat loss than calorie deficit?

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Lost 60+ pounds without keto. If it helps you stick to your calorie deficit, great, but it isn't necessary (unless you have trouble eating/digesting carbs, of course). The only reason you may see a faster loss in the beginning as compared to a regular calorie deficit is because lowering your carb intake will deplete the glycogen stores in your body, which will lead to an increase of water weight being lost.

    Also you'll never lose 100% fat, the human body doesn't work that way. It will always be a combination of fat/lean mass/water.
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
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    Nope, not necessary, but may work for you. Everyone is different. Some people find a higher fat diet satiating, and a keto diet works well for them. For other people? It feels restrictive, It makes them miserable, they're always hungry.

    Find a WoE that works for you, stick to a caloric deficit, and you'll get there. In the end, you need to find a WoE that you enjoy, and can see yourself complying to it in the long run.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    The most successful way to lose weight is the way that enables you, as an individual, to maintain a calorie deficit over enough time to lose whatever amount of weight you want to lose. The best ways to lose weight will also tech you how to maintain that loss once you get to your goal. Think about your current eating habits. What can you see yourself changing? What would you not want to live without? There's really no point in picking a method that's going to cause you to spend every moment thinking about all the things you wish you could eat. There are lots of ways to lose weight - no one else can tell you what's going to work best for you.

    Exactly.

    Also, as you look around and experiment with different options, remember that there is everything in between low carb and high carb, low fat and high fat, etc. If you find yourself not satisfied when you eat higher carbs, lower them a little. If that doesn't do it yet, lower them a little more . . . or go the opposite way.

    I think most people do well to start out with the MFP defaults regarding the macro breakdown and then play with all 3 of them as you go along so you find out what works best for you.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,890 Member
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    alexxazt wrote: »
    Is Keto Necessary?

    No.

    alexxazt wrote: »
    I was wondering if you can achieve just of good of results in a calorie deficit than in Keto?

    Yes.

  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    alexxazt wrote: »
    Hi!
    Been hearing a lot about Keto and I was wondering if you can achieve just of good of results in a calorie deficit than in Keto? Most definitely, I've lost 140lb without reducing carbs at all. In fact I can't eat high fat thanks to having no gallbladder
    Does Keto make you lose purely fat?Nope eating at a deficit will make you lose fat, but you'll still lose some lean mass too. To reduce the amount of muscle loss follow a progressive lifting program
    Does Keto produce faster fat loss than calorie deficit?Nope, in fact Keto will only produce fat loss if it puts you in a deficit

  • KelGen02
    KelGen02 Posts: 668 Member
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    Doesn't matter what diet you choose, in order to lose weight you must be in a calorie deficit.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    No, keto isn't necessary and it's not some kind of magic...keto is just ultra low carb (apparently low carb just isn't restrictive enough) and for some people it's easier to create a deficit by just eliminating for the most part, an entire macro-nutrient.

    It results in faster weight loss early on because you dump your glycogen stores (not fat)...and lose a lot of water weight. After that it all comes out the same in the wash.
  • BootyfulBikerZX10r
    BootyfulBikerZX10r Posts: 72 Member
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    1. A friend is a keto coach-its helped her kick diabetes -she loves to eat fat so it works for her.
    2. my sister tried keto-she felt sick, sluggish, skin was oily, her heart felt "funny".
    3. my cousin tried kets-began to have liver/kidney issues. very high fat diet.
    4. Calorie deficits are calorie deficits no matter what -if you cut your normal caloric intake you will lose weight. the issue is, what kind of weight are you losing? Fat? Muscle? Water? that all depends on what you are eating and doing for exercise.

    Funny how people are on chocolate diets, cereal diets, "Im losing weight like crazy!" they have a deficit in calories and muscle weighs more than fat so typically they are losing muscle because they are not eating proteins.

    You need carbs for fuel and energy-they need to be healthy carbs for best results
    You need protein for muscle maintenance growth and function- muscles are a natural calorie burner even when you are asleep.
    You need fats, healthy fats, like avocados, nuts, olive oils etc this helps your skin, energy, mood, hair, etc. it also helps your joints.

    too much of any of these is not good for you. everything in moderation.

    check out www.damnripped.com TDEE calculator for some help in carb, pro, fat, ratios to maintain steady weightless.
  • StargazingGirl
    StargazingGirl Posts: 31 Member
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    Is it necessary? No.
    I chose keto after getting several recommendations from my Dr's and endocrinologist..it fits with me and is working wonderfully to tackle and reverse several health issues.
    It isn't however a 'cure-all' for whatever ails you and will not automatically lead to fat loss, overall intake still reins supreme here.
    *Also note, keto is a very specific way of eating that DOES require a bit of getting used to and doing some research. It isn't the 'meat, cheese and fat only' diet that many tout it to be. Nor is it for everyone.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Not necessary for weight loss, no.

    For some it can really help with weight loss - make it a bit easier. It can help with some people's health problems too. It's an individual thing. It helped me. For others... not so much.

    The only way to know if it will be a good tool for you is to look into it and try it if you think it is a good fit.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    TorresCarmeniifym wrote: »
    1. A friend is a keto coach-its helped her kick diabetes -she loves to eat fat so it works for her.

    I am happy your friend found a way that worked for her. I manage mine with moderate carbs and exercise.

    As a fellow diabetic, you do NOT kick diabetes. Diabetes is where your pancreas does not work properly to deal with the glucose in the bloodstream (either by not producing enough insulin or being resistant to the insulin produced). Once a diabetic, always a diabetic.

    Having said all that, people with T2Dm CAN manage it without insulin or medication just by finding the right amount of carbs for them and incorporating movement into their lives. Some call it managing the disease, come call it remission, whatever. Unless it was a temporary pancreatic problem, you are never cured.

  • Piqueaboo
    Piqueaboo Posts: 1,193 Member
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    I lost 80lbs without Keto. I eat pasta, pizza, and drink beer. All within a calorie deficit, so if you want to do keto, do it, but you don't have to do it to lose weight.
  • JustRobby1
    JustRobby1 Posts: 674 Member
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    No, all that is required to lose weight is caloric deficit. Food choice, macros, etc. are irrelevant in this context. People who claim otherwise are either confused or lying. CICO (energy in vs. energy out) always wins in the end, which the Minnesota Starvation Experiment proved convincingly long ago. That is not to say that losing weight is easy. It's not. But it's also not complicated either.

    A good half or more of the "complicated" aspects of weight loss we see here on the forums are entirely self inflicted by someone introducing unnecessary variables that they did not have to. Keto is sometimes one such variable, but there are countless others that we all see ad nauseam. Eat whatever diet that you can stick with as a permanent lifestyle change so long as it achieves a deficit and your body will take care of the rest.

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