Keto Diet Question

fdhunt1 · December 2017

Currently doing Keto, primarily for weight loss, but also enjoying the other benefits (feeling of well being, mental clarity, satisfaction). Regarding weight loss, it is true that you still have to run a calorie deficit to lose weight regardless of your particular diet. So it got me thinking (mental clarity???) if you still have to run a deficit, what exactly is the benefit of Keto? In my mind, if your protein intake is adequate, you would still be burning fat either way, Keto or not. Would love to hear thoughts from others, Ketoers and non-Ketoers.

livingleanlivingclean · December 2017

Some people find eating higher fat, low carb keeps them feeling more satisfied than when they eat more carbs, so sticking to their calorie deficit is easier.

VintageFeline · December 2017

You're right, in terms of weight loss the calorie is king and if in a deficit your body will use stored body fat regardless of macro breakdown.

Some people find keto to be satiating and help with cravings making compliance with a deficit easier. Would never work for me as I need my starchy carbs for both satiation and fuelling my fairly intense workouts.

It's all entirely personal preference as long as dietary needs (micros) are being met.

nvmomketo · December 2017

Yes you need a caloric deficit to lose weight. Some find with keto that there is a very slight metabolic advantage, often less than 100 kcal a day, but that is not everyone's experience.

Keto 's advantages are usually the health benefits (mental clarity, steadier or better energy, better skin and hair, balanced hormonal issues, possible complimentary cancer, CVD or epilepsy treatment, better BG control for those with insulin resistance like T2D or PCOS, lower inflammation) and from hunger and cravings control. These are the typical benefits, but not everyone will experience them, like young, metabolically healthy athletes will probably not see any immediate health benefits.

For the elite endurance athletes, during long exercise you will burn more fat than those who use carbs as their primary energy source. That is where more fat burning occurs. (Volek's FASTER study)

cbohling1987 · December 2017

Yes, you have to run a calorie deficit to lose weight on any diet. It's impossible to eat more calories than you burn and lose weight, that would defy the laws of physics.

All other things being the same, keto will not make you lose weight any faster or slower than any other diet. If you eat at a 20% calorie deficit every day, it doesn't matter whether you're following keto or a low-carb diet or a low-fat diet or whatever, what matters is the calorie deficit - a 20% deficit with any diet will result in approximately the same rate of weight loss. So keto has no distinctive advantage when it comes to just losing weight.

That said, if you find that keto is a sustainable diet for you because you find eating higher-fat foods to be satiating and enjoyable, there is no reason to not do it, as long as you also understand that you need a calorie deficit to lose weight. As long as you expend more than you eat, eating a diet that's higher in fat like keto is totally fine.

sijomial · December 2017

nvmomketo wrote: »

For the elite endurance athletes, during long exercise you will burn more fat than those who use carbs as their primary energy source. That is where more fat burning occurs. (Volek's FASTER study)

What they may gain in theoretical endurance they lose in performance - you have to work harder for the same power output due to the inherent inefficiency in processing fat for fuel as compared to glucose.
It may be useful if completing a long event (where only water is available as that's the primary limiting factor) but anyone with performance aspirations will be better fuelled primarily on carbs.
Which is why 99% of elite endurance athletes are carb monsters.

mmapags · December 2017

As others have said, yes, a calorie deficit is needed to lose fat. As far as what the benefits of keto are, that depends on your situation. Are you insulin resistant? Do you struggle with cravings? If so, keto may have benefits for you.

Personally, the feelings of mental clarity, satisfaction and well being seem to very subjective and individual preference. Some that try keto don't experience them, some do. But there is no proven metabolic advantage for fat loss in doing keto. It is really a matter of preference.

lemurcat12 · December 2017

fdhunt1 wrote: »

Currently doing Keto, primarily for weight loss, but also enjoying the other benefits (feeling of well being, mental clarity, satisfaction). Regarding weight loss, it is true that you still have to run a calorie deficit to lose weight regardless of your particular diet. So it got me thinking (mental clarity???) if you still have to run a deficit, what exactly is the benefit of Keto? In my mind, if your protein intake is adequate, you would still be burning fat either way, Keto or not. Would love to hear thoughts from others, Ketoers and non-Ketoers.

Some people find it easier or more pleasant to keep a calorie deficit (or to eat at maintenance, for that matter) on keto. Period. That's pretty much the only real benefit. It's an important one if you are one of those people.

dimaslopes · December 2017

In addition to the other benefits:

When your liver breaks the fat cells into ketones and you are in the healthy parameter of ketone bodies, you also expels ketones in your urine and even your breath can carry ketones, so not only your body uses fat to burn for energy and thermogenesis, it also expels the quantity in excess, since fat is the precursor of ketone bodies. is this a kind of fuel waste? yes but it complies with the objective of fat loss.
Of course this mostly applies in a keto adapted organism.

russelljam08 · December 2017

Look up Jimmy Moore for the "benefits". As far as "mental clarity", your brain is starving so it has to be on high alert to find food(cortisol high, have to find food, primal response to starvation). All the money people waste on keto books and accessories would have been better spent taking a physiology class, but hey who wants facts when we have magic amirite

Catawampous · December 2017

CICO rules every way of eating. I eat keto because I like it and like the food. And so far my brain is fine. Although I will admit the hubby questions it often ;. And cortisol levels are good according to my Doc. YMMV of course.

lemurcat12 · December 2017

dimaslopes wrote: »

In addition to the other benefits:

When your liver breaks the fat cells into ketones and you are in the healthy parameter of ketone bodies, you also expels ketones in your urine and even your breath can carry ketones, so not only your body uses fat to burn for energy and thermogenesis, it also expels the quantity in excess, since fat is the precursor of ketone bodies. is this a kind of fuel waste? yes but it complies with the objective of fat loss.
Of course this mostly applies in a keto adapted organism.

No.

If you overeat (as in eat above maintenance calories) on a 70% fat diet, you gain weight, period, regardless of whether you are in ketosis. It's super easy to convert fat into body fat, and given that your body goes into ketosis when starving, it would make exactly 0 sense (evolutionarily or otherwise) for the body to waste calories like that when in ketosis.\

ketofire51 · December 2017

Read the Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung for the truth about keto....it is NOT thermogenic as in CICO, it is hormonal as in controlling insulin in the body.

lemurcat12 · December 2017

What do you think that means?

Jthanmyfitnesspal · December 2017

Let's argue about it for hours! What fun!

Anyway, we can all agree that calories metabolized from food have to go somewhere. Maybe if you eat a ton of fat, it can't all be metabolized, but you will also feel pretty sick. But, in most cases, you are metabolizing nearly all the calories you eat, thus you must eat in deficit to lose weight.

Now, there is a known diuretic effect of eating Very Low Carb. I noticed that I lost several pounds in the first two weeks when I ate VLC, but then it tapered. Also, my flab was noticeably less flabby. My understanding is that bodybuilders and bikini models go VLC before competitions.

But, I didn't feel very well after several VLC months, and had to stop. I like to do regular cardio, and I found that I couldn't perform at the level I wanted unless I ate some carbs. Now I just watch the calories and balance the macros and everything is just ducky.

T1DCarnivoreRunner · December 2017

Yes, theoretically you still need a deficit.

Having said that, I started low carb in order to improve blood glucose management (I have type 1 diabetes), and found significantly faster weight loss despite the same calorie deficit. It was nearly 5 times faster over the course of the first year eating low carb. I don't know why, but that is what happened. I meticulously tracked every bite and every step before and after switching; used the same food scale and the same personal scale; so I can say with certainty that my deficit did not increase 5-fold during that time and yet results would indicate it did.

mmapags · December 2017

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Yes, you still need a deficit.

FIFY

VintageFeline · December 2017

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Yes, theoretically you still need a deficit.

Having said that, I started low carb in order to improve blood glucose management (I have type 1 diabetes), and found significantly faster weight loss despite the same calorie deficit. It was nearly 5 times faster over the course of the first year eating low carb. I don't know why, but that is what happened. I meticulously tracked every bite and every step before and after switching; used the same food scale and the same personal scale; so I can say with certainty that my deficit did not increase 5-fold during that time and yet results would indicate it did.

So, putting this into some theoretical numbers. Aiming for 1lb per week loss loss = 500 calories per day deficit. To hit 5x that you would need to have a daily deficit of 2500 calories. And keto was the magic that facilitated that? Someone needs to study you because there's has been no study that has found any significant metabolic advantage and certainly not one that huge. Surely you'd have dropped dead from starvation by now?

Jthanmyfitnesspal · December 2017

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Yes, theoretically you still need a deficit.

Having said that, I started low carb in order to improve blood glucose management (I have type 1 diabetes), and found significantly faster weight loss despite the same calorie deficit. It was nearly 5 times faster over the course of the first year eating low carb. I don't know why, but that is what happened. I meticulously tracked every bite and every step before and after switching; used the same food scale and the same personal scale; so I can say with certainty that my deficit did not increase 5-fold during that time and yet results would indicate it did.

I totally believe you since I had a similar experience-- but only at first. Going ULC took several pounds off me and they stayed off as long as I stayed ULC. Did you see "unexplained weight loss" after the first two weeks? (I didn't.)

T1DCarnivoreRunner · December 2017

VintageFeline wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Yes, theoretically you still need a deficit.

Having said that, I started low carb in order to improve blood glucose management (I have type 1 diabetes), and found significantly faster weight loss despite the same calorie deficit. It was nearly 5 times faster over the course of the first year eating low carb. I don't know why, but that is what happened. I meticulously tracked every bite and every step before and after switching; used the same food scale and the same personal scale; so I can say with certainty that my deficit did not increase 5-fold during that time and yet results would indicate it did.

So, putting this into some theoretical numbers. Aiming for 1lb per week loss loss = 500 calories per day deficit. To hit 5x that you would need to have a daily deficit of 2500 calories. And keto was the magic that facilitated that? Someone needs to study you because there's has been no study that has found any significant metabolic advantage and certainly not one that huge. Surely you'd have dropped dead from starvation by now?

You might think so if you use the numbers you just presented, but those are your numbers and not what I said. What I said was that weight loss was nearly 5 times faster after switching to low carb. Here is some more detail: the BEFORE low carb diet with a 500 calorie per day deficit yielded less than 1/4 lb. loss per week. Low carb significantly increased losses compared to before low carb; and it also finally allowed for results to match what one would expect if using the 3,500 calories = 1 lb. loss equation.

Keto Diet Question

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