Keto vs Slow and Steady

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Replies

  • hoops1888
    hoops1888 Posts: 93 Member
    edited September 2018
    I did a Keto diet a few years ago and I would strongly advise you to avoid.

    Yes, you will lose weight faster because of the severe reduction in calories/carb food group but the minute you start eating carbs again, it will pile back on you and I’m talking in a matter of a week. You can fluctuate between 1 to 1.5 stones in a week. Now that is bad for morale, trust me.

    I was stuck in this cycle for 3 years and threw hundreds of pounds away caught up in it all.

    Another thing, you will be so so hungry and it could trigger binging. I know it’s said that the keto state stops you being hungry but you crave carbs and junk like nothing else; I wanted to sniff everyone’s food.

    You are doing it the realistic way and the most comfortable/sustainable/healthy way. Most people cannot keep the weight off when they lose it so fast and there’s a reason for that; it’s absolute murder!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    NovusDies wrote: »
    No one should do Keto strictly for weight loss. People should only do it if they need a health benefit it provides or it aligns with the way they naturally eat.
    I think of it a little bit different, or maybe completely opposite - and in general, not just for keto - don't pick a strategy for weightloss that you wouldn't have chosen if you didn't have to lose weight.

    I personally find no issue with following a diet that you don't plan to do long term. As long as you have a transition strategy, you should be fine.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    No one should do Keto strictly for weight loss. People should only do it if they need a health benefit it provides or it aligns with the way they naturally eat.

    Oh and if you don't believe the above about the fact it can be the same I lost 16kg (35lbs) on the scale in my first 6 weeks *not* doing Keto. Notice I said on the scale not fat loss because a large amount of that was water.

    Why?

    What do you mean why? Why should someone pick a food restrictive diet if it is not necessary or doesn't fit their natural eating style? Like all diets Keto is going to be another route of failure for the majority of people who try it so why encourage more?

    Not to mention that all of your posts about how it is helped you doesn't negate that it is going to make some people sick. I am glad you found Keto and happy it helps you but I can't physically handle it. Perhaps if I pushed through the potential weeks of being tied to a toilet I might emerge more capable of dealing with high fat but why would I? My most recent medical advice was to slow down my rate of loss down a little.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    No one should do Keto strictly for weight loss. People should only do it if they need a health benefit it provides or it aligns with the way they naturally eat.
    I think of it a little bit different, or maybe completely opposite - and in general, not just for keto - don't pick a strategy for weightloss that you wouldn't have chosen if you didn't have to lose weight.

    Obviously if I am encouraging people not to pick a wl strategy that doesn't align with the way they naturally eat I must be saying essentially the same thing.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    No one should do Keto strictly for weight loss. People should only do it if they need a health benefit it provides or it aligns with the way they naturally eat.

    Oh and if you don't believe the above about the fact it can be the same I lost 16kg (35lbs) on the scale in my first 6 weeks *not* doing Keto. Notice I said on the scale not fat loss because a large amount of that was water.

    I see Keto is more about improving quality of life and longevity and agree doing it strictly for weight loss may not appeal to the masses.

    Unless a person is just losing a few vanity pounds any weight loss will improve quality of life and longevity regardless of the method.
  • UncaToddly
    UncaToddly Posts: 146 Member
    hoops1888 wrote: »
    Another thing, you will be so so hungry and it could trigger binging. I know it’s said that the keto state stops you being hungry but you crave carbs and junk like nothing else; I wanted to sniff everyone’s food

    What you know is how your version affected you based on the way you did it. After going from 356 to 295 a few years ago simply doing low carb/high protein (85g/160g roughly), calorie restricting (2100cal) and eating 6 times a day I ended up giving in and letting it creep back up and ended up back at 356 again. I still had a lot of cravings because I was eating a lot of things just because that is what I was supposed to be eating. I like hard boiled eggs and cheese but it is hard when you are not eating it because it is what you WANT to eat but rather because it fits what you can eat. Back in March, the wife and I got back on the same plan as before (her limits are higher, she is around 100-110 carbs). In June I started doing 20:4 intermittent fasting to help keep my insulin levels lower and while doing research on it it led me to switching to keto.

    I am still eating the same number of calories but keeping my carbs below 25, aiming for less than 20g and because fat is the most satiating of the 3 macros I have very little problem with craving at all. We have potlucks at work with all kinds of carb loaded food and I don't eat any of it. The company buys pizza or donuts for a meeting and I simply don't eat it because it isn't in my eating window not the stuff I eat anymore. In the old days I would have eaten a pizza myself and taken one home or snarfed down 3-4 donuts and stashed 3-4 more away. We will be having cake on Friday for a guy who is retiring after 37 years and I have no intention of eating any of it. The cravings are absolutely not there.

    We do go out for big meals with stuff I normally wouldn't eat here and there (asian buffet or things like that) but I don't have craving issues. I enjoy the foods I rarely eat but I don't actually crave them now that I am doing keto.

    And never have I ever wanted to "sniff everyone's food". :)



  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    Your friends may be running a bigger calorie deficit than you and/or have had big water weight losses.

    I vote for slow and steady, which can be with or without keto, if keto is something you like and helps you maintain a calorie deficit.

    In terms of worse results, well, everyone I know who loses weight fast also regains it fast. It's the long term results that count :)

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  • SomeMorr
    SomeMorr Posts: 220 Member
    If you can live without carbs that are in the form of refined sugars, white bread and potatoes (among other items).. then why not try it? I love meat, cheese, non starchy veggies and fats from things like avocados, coconut oil and certain fish. I have noticed that my skin looks better, I have WAY less gas and bloating, I don't crave carbs and I have to cook SO MUCH MORE since *most* convenience items are not keto friendly. I also have to plan going out for a meal in advance by checking the nutritional content for the restaurant's menu, this is fun for me though. I have also lost about 13lbs with keto and swimming.

    Yes it comes down to calories, but consider what you are willing/not willing to do to cut calories. I find keto extremely easy for my lifestyle since I control the food coming in to my house and I do the cooking. Although I have kids in my house who eat their pop-tarts and pizza, I don't want to blow the last 3 months of keto just for a taste of disappointing pizza.
  • LiLee2018
    LiLee2018 Posts: 1,389 Member
    I'm doing keto. Been doing it for 4 months now and it's slow and steady (for the most part) for myself and for a lot of people in the group I'm in.
    Some lucky folks on keto do lose weight really fast... and we all glare at them jealously ;P lol But I think the majority on it lose weight like anyone else on a healthier diet.
    You do what is working for you and what is going to keep you on a healthier life style. If it's what you're doing now, awesome! If it's going keto... then just as awesome. But as everyone said.. stop comparing yourself!
    I know it's hard to stop doing, b/c pfft.. I do it all the time too, but remind yourself that this is YOUR journey and your path is going to be different.