Keto or Mediterranean
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SONKISSED1, While both are sort of fad-ish, I'd agree with your Doctor and suggest Mediterranean over Keto. I am still not convinced Keto is safe based on the way it works. Mediterranean at least is based on a normal regional diet. Keto is basically like Atkins, IMHO. Others may argue otherwise. Just my opinion.2
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You can do both. I bought the book The Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet by Robert Santos-Prowse
https://www.amazon.com/Ketogenic-Mediterranean-Diet-Fresh-Delicious/dp/1612436412/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539965489&sr=8-2&keywords=ketogenic+mediterranean+diet
This may be a great way to eat, but with limitations on vegetables, grains, fruit, and beans, I don't see how it can accurately be described as "Mediterranean."10 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I am keto and enjoy the keto WOE but some find it restrictive. I think the Mediterranean is a little less restrictive on carbs. I would guess (key word guess) that keto may be a bit faster way to reach your goal but there is nothing wrong with either.
The Mediterranean diet isn't carbohydrate-restricted at all. It encourages the consumption of fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains (along with moderate amounts of fish, dairy, and wine).
I know nothing about Mediterranean diet but would it be safe to say it is not a high carb diet?
No not safe to say. Have you ever been to Italy, a Mediterranean country? We eat pasta, risotto, pizza, and lots of lovely breads. Those are staples, but we eat lots of vegetables, fruits and glorious deserts--think gelato. The trick is portion control.10 -
Although I'm not a fan of diets, I did follow "The Sonoma Diet" for a month and lost 38 lbs (with no exercising). I actually ate quadruple the fat that I normally ate, but it was healthier fats (EVOO, avocado). It's basically a Mediterranean diet, although I consider it more of a lifestyle change (lifelong vs temporary fix).13
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SONKISSED1 wrote: »Help! I need to make a wise and healthy decision between the two. I spoke with my doctor who did not say anything bad about Keto, but just that she leaned towards Mediterranean. I have to lose weight in order to keep Type 2 Diabetes under control. Thanks.
Neither. Calorie deficit will yield weight loss. Its that simple.
Correct. I do think Mediterranean is a dietary style, but if it isn't coupled with calorie/portion control, it will fail, i.e. eating large portions of tortalini alfredo everyday (a Mediterranean dish technically) isn't going to help at all.
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Like others have said, all that matters for weight loss is a calorie deficit. For health, I like the mediterranean diet's emphasis on produce.7
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IM_in_training wrote: »Although I'm not a fan of diets, I did follow "The Sonoma Diet" for a month and lost 38 lbs (with no exercising). I actually ate quadruple the fat that I normally ate, but it was healthier fats (EVOO, avocado). It's basically a Mediterranean diet, although I consider it more of a lifestyle change (lifelong vs temporary fix).
No. You lost weight because of calorie deficit NOT because of this "sonoma diet" or "drinking healthy oils".
38lbs in a month?? did i read that right3 -
I will start by saying that I don't have diabetes, but I was considered pre-diabetic. My blood sugar and A1C were above norm, but not in the diabetic range. My real killer was my triglycerides were at 545, blood pressure was very high, and I weighed 235 pounds as a 5'8" male. I decided I needed to lose weight and did a little research on Med Diet, Keto, Atkins, and too many others. I am still on my journey, but I am down to 182 in 145 days. My last check had my tryglicerides at 152 and my blood sugar and A1C within normal. Here is what I found worked for me. I apologize for the long list, but I think they are important.
1. Any "diet" can work if you lower your intake of calories below what you burn. Start by weighing (with a food scale), measuring (if you can't weigh) and recording everything you eat or drink. That is the whole point of myfitnesspal. If you need help with how to record things, there are great posts on the forums to teach you.
2. No "diet" will work long term if you start by deciding what you can't eat. Does anyone like to be told that they can't have something?
3. If you don't like what you are eating or drinking, you won't stick to it. That seems like torture to me. I think about the scenes on tv when the mother makes her kids eat the food they hate, just because she made it.
4. Make the food you do love fit into your caloric needs and practice moderation on the "bad" foods.
5. Try to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and nuts into your diet by experimenting to see what you enjoy. Make it a game to see how many colors of fruits and vegetables you can eat in a day and try a new vegetable each week. You might find a new favorite!
6. Try to reduce foods high in added sugars, sodium and saturated fats because they "might" be bad for you. (Everything causes cancer if you have too much of it!)
7. Move more to get your body in better cardiovascular condition to make life easier to enjoy and allow you to eat a bit more food or create a larger deficit. Find some thing that you enjoy that gets you moving, and you can fit into your schedule. I started out walking, and I am now working on running with a C210K program. Do what you like!
8. Add resistance training to strengthen muscles to make life easier to enjoy and burn more calories in a rested state so you can eat more food or create a larger deficit. Make sure it fits in your schedule. I do a bodyweight workout that takes very little equipment, and I can do it at home. I hate having to drive to the gym. I use the program at www.startbodyweight.com.
9. Don't think you will fix things over night, and your weight will fluctuate along the way. You won't lose weight every day, week or maybe even month. Just stick to it.
10. Make sure you have a solid reason for "why" you are doing this. Repeat it to yourself when needed to keep motivated.
11. Find a spouse, partner, friend, internet buddy, support group, or something to do the journey with you. It will make everything easier!
12. Try your hand at meal prepping and bring lunches to work or school. It can help make your life easier. I make my lunches for the entire work week on Sunday. I save tons of money by cooking and eating out less. If you can't cook, try the podcast series at www.stellaculinary.com. (previously www.freeculinaryschool.com)
13. Moderation is the key. If you try to change everything to an extreme, you will almost always fail or regress at some point.
14. Just start now and stop researching. Too many of us suffer from paralysis by analysis. Start by working on how much you eat and add the rest later.
15. This is a Journey. Losing the weight it only one step in the journey. If you can't keep it off, then you will have to start the journey again. That is why most diets that radically change the foods you eat will not work after the initial weight loss. Think about it this way, if you lose the weight, what will you eat when you are trying to maintain? If it is completely different foods, then you will probably end up gaining weight back. If it is the same foods at a higher caloric level, then you have just spent the weight loss journey training yourself what to eat for the weight maintenance journey.
Good luck! Hope this helps. Find what works for you!19 -
SONKISSED1 wrote: »Help! I need to make a wise and healthy decision between the two. I spoke with my doctor who did not say anything bad about Keto, but just that she leaned towards Mediterranean. I have to lose weight in order to keep Type 2 Diabetes under control. Thanks.
How do you prefer eating? Do not make decisions that are not sustainable wrong run. Mediterranean and Keto are suitable for people with very different taste in food, so start from there.0 -
Well said imbr0gli0!0
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Keto has been around since 1920s and is similar to what you find with inuti and maasai cultures. Mediterranean is very plant and seafood heavy. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive as it would be very easy to eat mediterranean and still stay at a level of carbs low enough to induce ketosis.
Both diets have been used successfully to treat T2D, so it really comes down to what you like the most and what you find the easiest to follow. If you like eating a lot of meats and dairy then you will probably like keto better. If you tend toward a more vegetarian or pescatarian eating style, then medierranean will likely be an easier transition.
I use keto to treat my migraines, and it's very easy for me...keep carbs low, plenty of protein and low-carb veggies, portion control on anything high carb like rice or potatoes or sweets. I've been on it for just over a year now and it has been like magic for keeping migraines away.2 -
deannalfisher wrote: »IM_in_training wrote: »Although I'm not a fan of diets, I did follow "The Sonoma Diet" for a month and lost 38 lbs (with no exercising). I actually ate quadruple the fat that I normally ate, but it was healthier fats (EVOO, avocado). It's basically a Mediterranean diet, although I consider it more of a lifestyle change (lifelong vs temporary fix).
No. You lost weight because of calorie deficit NOT because of this "sonoma diet" or "drinking healthy oils".
38lbs in a month?? did i read that right
Yep, 38 lbs in a month.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I am keto and enjoy the keto WOE but some find it restrictive. I think the Mediterranean is a little less restrictive on carbs. I would guess (key word guess) that keto may be a bit faster way to reach your goal but there is nothing wrong with either.
The Mediterranean diet isn't carbohydrate-restricted at all. It encourages the consumption of fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains (along with moderate amounts of fish, dairy, and wine).
I know nothing about Mediterranean diet but would it be safe to say it is not a high carb diet?
Mediterranean food pyramid...
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IM_in_training wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »IM_in_training wrote: »Although I'm not a fan of diets, I did follow "The Sonoma Diet" for a month and lost 38 lbs (with no exercising). I actually ate quadruple the fat that I normally ate, but it was healthier fats (EVOO, avocado). It's basically a Mediterranean diet, although I consider it more of a lifestyle change (lifelong vs temporary fix).
No. You lost weight because of calorie deficit NOT because of this "sonoma diet" or "drinking healthy oils".
38lbs in a month?? did i read that right
Yep, 38 lbs in a month.
that is a deficit of like 4300 calories a day....ummm....i call shenanigans11 -
For me, the choice would be Mediterranean. This isn't because it is a better diet but because I like the food choices that make up a Mediterranean diet. Either one will work for you to lose weight as long as you are eating less calories than you burn. Don't suddenly put yourself on a diet that requires too much thinking or restricting. Choose something you can do consistently forever. Successful weight loss (and keeping it off) happens when you eat foods you like, in proper proportions. Also, start walking...move. Exercise is almost as important as regulating your weight for beating prediabetes.2
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deannalfisher wrote: »IM_in_training wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »IM_in_training wrote: »Although I'm not a fan of diets, I did follow "The Sonoma Diet" for a month and lost 38 lbs (with no exercising). I actually ate quadruple the fat that I normally ate, but it was healthier fats (EVOO, avocado). It's basically a Mediterranean diet, although I consider it more of a lifestyle change (lifelong vs temporary fix).
No. You lost weight because of calorie deficit NOT because of this "sonoma diet" or "drinking healthy oils".
38lbs in a month?? did i read that right
Yep, 38 lbs in a month.
that is a deficit of like 4300 calories a day....ummm....i call shenanigans
Bringing math and logic to the internet goes against the fake news rules.7 -
SONKISSED1 wrote: »Help! I need to make a wise and healthy decision between the two. I spoke with my doctor who did not say anything bad about Keto, but just that she leaned towards Mediterranean. I have to lose weight in order to keep Type 2 Diabetes under control. Thanks.
Neither. Calorie deficit will yield weight loss. Its that simple.
If weight loss was as simple as CICO, then a lot of people would probably find losing weight a little easier. How many people on here follow their alotted calories to a "T" and STILL don't lose weight? Not all of them can be screwing-up on their calorie counting. CICO is not the only thing that counts, and weight-loss isn't that simple. Here is an article that might make you think twice about the simplicity of CICO:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/debunking-the-calorie-myth
In regards to my own personal weight loss on "The Sonoma Diet", I can't say whether-or-not simple CICO was the driving force behind my loss. I never counted my calories. The only thing that I DID notice was the difference in the amount of fat intake that I had on the "diet". I definitely didn't claim the loss was due to "drinking healthy oils", as I only used EVOO to coat my frying pan (rather than butter), and I think I used it in a few salads. I also ate a lot more salmon.29 -
IM_in_training wrote: »SONKISSED1 wrote: »Help! I need to make a wise and healthy decision between the two. I spoke with my doctor who did not say anything bad about Keto, but just that she leaned towards Mediterranean. I have to lose weight in order to keep Type 2 Diabetes under control. Thanks.
Neither. Calorie deficit will yield weight loss. Its that simple.
If weight loss was as simple as CICO, then a lot of people would probably find losing weight a little easier. How many people on here follow their alotted calories to a "T" and STILL don't lose weight? Not all of them can be screwing-up on their calorie counting. CICO is not the only thing that counts, and weight-loss isn't that simple. Here is an article that might make you think twice about the simplicity of CICO:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/debunking-the-calorie-myth
In regards to my own personal weight loss on "The Sonoma Diet", I can't say whether-or-not simple CICO was the driving force behind my loss. I never counted my calories. The only thing that I DID notice was the difference in the amount of fat intake that I had on the "diet". I definitely didn't claim the loss was due to "drinking healthy oils", as I only used EVOO to coat my frying pan (rather than butter), and I think I used it in a few salads. I also ate a lot more salmon.
Hmmm...I lost 40 Lbs just consuming fewer calories than I expend...I know lots of people who have.11 -
IM_in_training wrote: »
If weight loss was as simple as CICO, then a lot of people would probably find losing weight a little easier.
The opposite: BECAUSE weight loss is as simple as CICO, a lot of people find it very hard losing weight. Sedentary lifestyles, office jobs, using the car everywhere and having available very high calorie food all the time make weight loss very hard because of lots of CI and little CO17 -
IM_in_training wrote: »SONKISSED1 wrote: »Help! I need to make a wise and healthy decision between the two. I spoke with my doctor who did not say anything bad about Keto, but just that she leaned towards Mediterranean. I have to lose weight in order to keep Type 2 Diabetes under control. Thanks.
Neither. Calorie deficit will yield weight loss. Its that simple.
If weight loss was as simple as CICO, then a lot of people would probably find losing weight a little easier. How many people on here follow their alotted calories to a "T" and STILL don't lose weight? Not all of them can be screwing-up on their calorie counting. CICO is not the only thing that counts, and weight-loss isn't that simple. Here is an article that might make you think twice about the simplicity of CICO:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/debunking-the-calorie-myth
In regards to my own personal weight loss on "The Sonoma Diet", I can't say whether-or-not simple CICO was the driving force behind my loss. I never counted my calories. The only thing that I DID notice was the difference in the amount of fat intake that I had on the "diet". I definitely didn't claim the loss was due to "drinking healthy oils", as I only used EVOO to coat my frying pan (rather than butter), and I think I used it in a few salads. I also ate a lot more salmon.
It's actually incredibly easy to make simple errors that keep you from being in a calorie deficit even when you think you are. These are usually related to not understanding how many calories represent a deficit for you, overestimating calories burnt through activity, choosing incorrect database entries, not understanding to log certain things, or inaccurate methods of measuring portions.
When you're in a deficit, you'll lose weight. For some of us, finding a correct way to estimate and track to reach that deficit may be easier than for others. But our struggles to measure and estimate don't mean that we can assume that energy doesn't exist or is a meaningless concept.17
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