The Science of Keto

From the article:

“After 20 years of January diets, my own experience suggested that nothing made any difference: you only lost weight if you took in less calories than you used, and if you took in less calories than you used then you were hungry. Simple as that.”

“Most instructive are the lipid profiles of Antarctic explorers who have crossed the continent on foot, dragging their own food on sledges. That’s only possible with food that has the highest possible calorie to weight ratio – which means eating essentially nothing but butter. And after months on an all-butter diet the level of LDL-cholesterol (often called “bad cholesterol”) actually declines significantly.”

“I typically work-out every day for 30minutes, on a Concept 2 indoor rowing machine, and to help the diet along, I increased that to 45minutes, allowing me to row 10km (without leaving the comfort of the gym).”

“On the same lines, you do have to exert accurate portion control too – as the meals, high in fat, have a high calorie density, you can unintentionally eat too many calories. And even the keto diet can’t break the physical laws of the universe such as the conservation of energy – to lose weight you have to eat less calories than you need. It just means you feel great while doing it.”


Keto is not magic nor necessary to lose weight, in the bolded words of his own article is the real magic: simply eat less & move more. And the “feeling great while doing it” could simply be a placebo effect. This guy admits to only following weight loss regimens for a month then quitting. He only gives his keto result after a month of doing it. What happens after that month and for the long term? Quit quitting and stick with eating less and moving more for a lot more time (think in terms of hundreds of days!) and you will actually get results.

Seemed like a pretty common experience for a middle aged n=1. Go ketogenic, lose weight a bit easier, experience steadier or improved energy, better mental clarity, and then try more carbs and be surprised at how it makes you feel. It isnt everyone' experience, but it is common.

The nit from the article that I didnt like was towards the end when he does uses how extra carbs are stored as fat. As I understand it, the excess carbs will midtly get used for energy but they will raise insulin which will cause the fat one typically eats along with excess carbs to be stored as fat very easily.

If one eats close to a fat free diet, it is a bit harder to gain weight. If one eats an almost carb free diet, it is a bit harder to gain weight. If one eats a fair bit of carbs and fat together, it is easier to gain weight.

I have been doing Keto since Jan 2nd.
I have lost 41.6lbs.
Sure I work out as well, and I do make my fair share of food at home (largely because if I want “bread” I have to make my own Keto friendly bread) but if I want a burger, I get my burger lettuce wrapped.
I have found that there has been many positive changes since doing Keto that are beside the weight loss.
2 weeks in I was able to stop taking my strong heart burn medication. 3 weeks in my acne disappeared. Losing the weight also helped with my osteoarthritis in my knee so that’s a plus! I don’t have that much pressure on my joints. With the high healthy fats, I feel Incredibly full much faster and longer than I ever did with any sort of carb which causes me to eat less.
My husband is also doing Keto and it has helped him not only lose weight but it regulated his washroom visits for the better! It was thought that he may have IBS, but switching to Keto has helped control his visits.
I was the exact opposite. I could have gone 2 weeks without having a BM. It’s Much more frequent now and quite the relief!

I’ve also had my blood taken 3 months in and everything came out clear (except my iron was a bit low but nothing a little dark leafy greens and iron supplements can’t fix) but my cholesterol was fine! All within normal value ranges.

Of course you can’t solely eat bacon on Keto! That’s just ridiculous! No one can survive on just bacon! However it’s a nice treat, as it is with regular dieters.

Is this the diet for everyone? Probably not, however the stigma of Keto needs to be lifted. It’s not a bad diet!