Keto diet

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Do you guys like the keto diet? Why do so many people think it’s the healthiest out there ? Shouldn’t we be fine as long as we watch how we eat and eat healthy mostly ?
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  • fdlewenstein
    fdlewenstein Posts: 231 Member
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    For me, Keto is too restrictive and would be very hard to maintain long term. You don't need it to lose weight. and that goes for all the other fad diets.....The only thing you need is staying at a calorie deficit consistently.

    I agree. A diet (and I don't really like that word, but don't have a good alternative) should work for your lifestyle with a goal of being able to maintain long term. Find something that works for you and that you know you can maintain. Consistency is key.
  • jeslz
    jeslz Posts: 49 Member
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    Keto is not for me. Apart from the fact I love carbs, when I had to follow a keto diet for three weeks (pre surgery) it was horrid. My breath smelled so bad and my teeth were constantly furry (it’s been three months and I still don’t feel like I can get them clean!). And other bodily functions were a bit off as well. There’s plenty of articles out there about the side effects.

    I did lose a lot of weight in those three weeks, but any benefits I was getting definitely do not outweigh the side effects for me.
  • erincatherinet
    erincatherinet Posts: 35 Member
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    It works for me because it forces me to stay away from bread, pasta, added sugar, etc..
    I feel that it’s good for short term and for people who want to lose weight fast. Take that with a grain of salt...but it truly works for ME.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited February 2020
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    ashsabiha wrote: »
    Do you guys like the keto diet?

    I think it can be an easier or more sustainable choice for some people. Personally, I saw no particular benefits for me and some negatives (I think my diet not on keto is healthier), so I don't care for it for me.
    Why do so many people think it’s the healthiest out there ?

    I don't know that "so many" do, and most really pushing it as the best choice evah for all have some sort of reputational or financial stake that makes them biased, IMO. I think it's certainly not the healthiest of all options, but like any decent diet (i.e, not ridiculous 2 week fad diet or something that cuts out important foods like vegetables entirely), I think it can be done in a healthy manner, one that makes it comparable to other healthy ways of eating. (And like other ways of eating it can be done in an unhealthy, unbalanced manner that makes the diet unhealthy, and is prone to certain specific deficiencies -- but that is true for basically any way of eating that is not specifically focused on nutrient needs (or based on existing habits of eating a nutrient sufficient diet, I'm not saying you have to watch this super carefully at all times). Worth noting that whatever the diet eating at a deficit makes getting in all nutrients regularly a bit more difficult.)
    Shouldn’t we be fine as long as we watch how we eat and eat healthy mostly ?

    IMO, yes, if what you mean by "eat healthy" = make sure the diet covers nutritional needs and is calorie appropriate.
  • fitpal4242
    fitpal4242 Posts: 109 Member
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    If your diet makes you smell bad, that’s your body’s way of telling you it’s not good for you (google it). I roll my eyes every time someone (usually looking for a shortcut) mentions trying keto. To lose weight, calories in & calories out is very simply it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    ashsabiha wrote: »
    Do you guys like the keto diet? Why do so many people think it’s the healthiest out there ? Shouldn’t we be fine as long as we watch how we eat and eat healthy mostly ?

    All diets work the same way...they are simply methods of creating a calorie deficit. Keto was initially a medical diet for the treatment of epilepsy...you can lose, maintain, or gain weight on keto just like any other diet.

    Personally, keto is way to restrictive and you miss out on a lot of highly nutritious foods eating that low of carbohydrates. "People" make all kinds of claims and often diet is pretty close to religion in people thinking "my way is best". Personally I think keto is one of the most unhealthy diet plans out there because you do miss out on a lot of micro nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc) and regardless of what keto blogs say, I don't think eating *kitten* loads of dietary fat, especially saturated fat is healthy.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    psuLemon wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    ashsabiha wrote: »
    Do you guys like the keto diet? Why do so many people think it’s the healthiest out there ? Shouldn’t we be fine as long as we watch how we eat and eat healthy mostly ?

    All diets work the same way...they are simply methods of creating a calorie deficit. Keto was initially a medical diet for the treatment of epilepsy...you can lose, maintain, or gain weight on keto just like any other diet.

    Personally, keto is way to restrictive and you miss out on a lot of highly nutritious foods eating that low of carbohydrates. "People" make all kinds of claims and often diet is pretty close to religion in people thinking "my way is best". Personally I think keto is one of the most unhealthy diet plans out there because you do miss out on a lot of micro nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc) and regardless of what keto blogs say, I don't think eating *kitten* loads of dietary fat, especially saturated fat is healthy.

    What nutrients do you miss out on while following keto? I have no nutrients deficiencies and my metabolic panels are great. Like i stated before, you can implement any strategy in a healthy or unhealthy way.

    My diet is largely Angus beef, chicken, eggs, leafy greens, seeds/nuts, berries (raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries), dairy (mostly unsweetened Greek yogurt), dark leafy greens/salad, avocado (almost daily) and fish (ahi tuna and salmon). And my goal is 20-30g of fiber a day. I also cook in olive oil and avocado oil or i use Irish butter. And have been working to eliminate all Omega 6 highly refined oils.

    The only current "dirty" keto stuff i am doing is nutritional sweeteners and tomorrow will be my last Quest bar.

    Side note and this isn't directed at you, but I always find it ironic when people talk about the unhealthy aspects of Keto while they promote eating added sugar because it fits their macros.
    His wording was "you miss out on a lot of highly nutritious foods eating that low of carbohydrates", so your question of "nutrients do you miss out on" is a bit of a misrepresentation. He didn't claim you can't get the nutrients, but the implication is it will require a more managed approach as foods that make it easier to get the nutrients will be harder.
    Institute of Medicine puts fiber for a male is 30-38g a day, so you're below that.
    Your cholesterol levels / metabolic panel numbers can easily be a reflection of composition more than nutrient uptake. When you are in shape, the range of what can be optimal is different. Most people coming from obese or overweight trying to follow a keto diet are probably not going setting goals for being a leaner composition and are just hoping to get to something like 20% body fat (male).

    It is interesting how often keto people want to compare an "ideal keto" diet to SAD instead of some kind of ideal unrestricted diet. Like, just in all honest, when people say "I'm doing keto, and it doesn't feel like dieting", do you think they're doing keto the way you are? What I'll grant is anything that puts weight off for some length of time is probably good.

    I would never compare a well structured keto diet vs a SAD diet. It's ridiculous and I am not sure where that is even coming from. Second, I think you are projecting a bit with the bold. It's not any more difficult for me to hit my needs as it was when I followed IIFYM/Flexible dieting. I still aim to get a color array of vegetables with my proteins. Add in incorporation of healthy fat sources and call it a day. I will note that any time someone switches to a different diet, they will have to research a bit to figure out what is needed.

    There are several considerations needed regarding the recommendations for fiber. First, most of the evidence behind those recommendations are based on epidemiological and observations studies. There are little to no research on low carb and/or ketogenic diets when it comes to most things diet, let alone specifically as it relates to fiber. It's quite possible that those recommendations are high because of the needs to offset some of the added sugars and processes carbs (breads, pasta, etc..) that is consumed by the general populous.

    IRT the obese individuals. I certainly don't disagree with you. Any diet that will help people lose weight, will improve their metabolic health. So even if they follow a lower fiber diet, it will still be better if they lose 10 or 20% body weight. It certainly happened with me. It's a lot more demanding to have high triglycerides, high blood glucose, high blood pressure, etc..

    IRT do others keto diet look like mine? Yes, no, maybe. Again, there is a spectrum of people consuming ketogenic diets. The same thing can be said for IIFYM. IIFYM gets a bad name because people often promote how they can eat donuts, poptarts and other crap and still get ripped. But I also know that isn't the heart of IIFYM. In the low carb group, there is a large contingent that have similar styles. Similarly, a lot of people I follow on IG, are the same way. But I also know a bunch of people eating hot dogs, bacon and skipping all carbs because carbs = scary insulin.

    In generally, I do think it is often beneficial for the general populous to replace carbs with fats and protein. If you look at a large majority of LCHF ab libitum studies, there is either equal or greater weight loss in the LCHF group. This isn't to suggest that LC>LF, but it should given consideration when a person starts dieting.

    IRT blood work. Yes, I recognize it's a snapshot in time. This is why you get regular blood test. I have looked at mind over the past 10 years, and they all support similar finds. The only changes I have had is I doubled my HDL with keto and increased my LDL from 120 to 178.

  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
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    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    ashsabiha wrote: »
    Do you guys like the keto diet? Why do so many people think it’s the healthiest out there ? Shouldn’t we be fine as long as we watch how we eat and eat healthy mostly ?

    All diets work the same way...they are simply methods of creating a calorie deficit. Keto was initially a medical diet for the treatment of epilepsy...you can lose, maintain, or gain weight on keto just like any other diet.

    Personally, keto is way to restrictive and you miss out on a lot of highly nutritious foods eating that low of carbohydrates. "People" make all kinds of claims and often diet is pretty close to religion in people thinking "my way is best". Personally I think keto is one of the most unhealthy diet plans out there because you do miss out on a lot of micro nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc) and regardless of what keto blogs say, I don't think eating *kitten* loads of dietary fat, especially saturated fat is healthy.

    What nutrients do you miss out on while following keto? I have no nutrients deficiencies and my metabolic panels are great. Like i stated before, you can implement any strategy in a healthy or unhealthy way.

    My diet is largely Angus beef, chicken, eggs, leafy greens, seeds/nuts, berries (raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries), dairy (mostly unsweetened Greek yogurt), dark leafy greens/salad, avocado (almost daily) and fish (ahi tuna and salmon). And my goal is 20-30g of fiber a day. I also cook in olive oil and avocado oil or i use Irish butter. And have been working to eliminate all Omega 6 highly refined oils.

    The only current "dirty" keto stuff i am doing is nutritional sweeteners and tomorrow will be my last Quest bar.

    Side note and this isn't directed at you, but I always find it ironic when people talk about the unhealthy aspects of Keto while they promote eating added sugar because it fits their macros.
    His wording was "you miss out on a lot of highly nutritious foods eating that low of carbohydrates", so your question of "nutrients do you miss out on" is a bit of a misrepresentation. He didn't claim you can't get the nutrients, but the implication is it will require a more managed approach as foods that make it easier to get the nutrients will be harder.
    Institute of Medicine puts fiber for a male is 30-38g a day, so you're below that.
    Your cholesterol levels / metabolic panel numbers can easily be a reflection of composition more than nutrient uptake. When you are in shape, the range of what can be optimal is different. Most people coming from obese or overweight trying to follow a keto diet are probably not going setting goals for being a leaner composition and are just hoping to get to something like 20% body fat (male).

    It is interesting how often keto people want to compare an "ideal keto" diet to SAD instead of some kind of ideal unrestricted diet. Like, just in all honest, when people say "I'm doing keto, and it doesn't feel like dieting", do you think they're doing keto the way you are? What I'll grant is anything that puts weight off for some length of time is probably good.

    I would never compare a well structured keto diet vs a SAD diet. It's ridiculous and I am not sure where that is even coming from. Second, I think you are projecting a bit with the bold. It's not any more difficult for me to hit my needs as it was when I followed IIFYM/Flexible dieting. I still aim to get a color array of vegetables with my proteins. Add in incorporation of healthy fat sources and call it a day. I will note that any time someone switches to a different diet, they will have to research a bit to figure out what is needed.

    There are several considerations needed regarding the recommendations for fiber. First, most of the evidence behind those recommendations are based on epidemiological and observations studies. There are little to no research on low carb and/or ketogenic diets when it comes to most things diet, let alone specifically as it relates to fiber. It's quite possible that those recommendations are high because of the needs to offset some of the added sugars and processes carbs (breads, pasta, etc..) that is consumed by the general populous.

    IRT the obese individuals. I certainly don't disagree with you. Any diet that will help people lose weight, will improve their metabolic health. So even if they follow a lower fiber diet, it will still be better if they lose 10 or 20% body weight. It certainly happened with me. It's a lot more demanding to have high triglycerides, high blood glucose, high blood pressure, etc..

    IRT do others keto diet look like mine? Yes, no, maybe. Again, there is a spectrum of people consuming ketogenic diets. The same thing can be said for IIFYM. IIFYM gets a bad name because people often promote how they can eat donuts, poptarts and other crap and still get ripped. But I also know that isn't the heart of IIFYM. In the low carb group, there is a large contingent that have similar styles. Similarly, a lot of people I follow on IG, are the same way. But I also know a bunch of people eating hot dogs, bacon and skipping all carbs because carbs = scary insulin.

    In generally, I do think it is often beneficial for the general populous to replace carbs with fats and protein. If you look at a large majority of LCHF ab libitum studies, there is either equal or greater weight loss in the LCHF group. This isn't to suggest that LC>LF, but it should given consideration when a person starts dieting.

    IRT blood work. Yes, I recognize it's a snapshot in time. This is why you get regular blood test. I have looked at mind over the past 10 years, and they all support similar finds. The only changes I have had is I doubled my HDL with keto and increased my LDL from 120 to 178.
    Well I didn't say you made the comparison. I said keto people do.

    Seems calling projecting is just an endless back and forth. I actually pointed out what he said, and what you said. Your comment just comes off as an unevidenced assertion. That, if anything, comes off as projecting. You literally did ask a question about a statement he didn't make. I'm not attributing anything to it. I understand perfectly how in reading the spirit of it, it is possible to think that's a valid question to raise, but literally, you're asking him to support a statement he didn't claim. Unless you're saying the part that is projecting is where I say "the implication is". Then you're saying it is projecting that I'm being charitable about how you came to ask your question by stating the implication you seem to be question. I mean, maybe I am projecting and you're just asking random questions at people for no reason to put them on a back foot, but that would be bizarre, so perhaps I do need to project some, like people are asking questions related to the conversation.

    I don't follow why pointing to the unknowns of a diet is supposed to be a defense. It would see, then you still can't say you're getting adequate fiber. You've changed to "I don't know that I'm getting inadequate fiber." Fair enough. Given the lack of research in the field, I don't see why you conclude "it is quite possible," rather than just "possible."

    Blood panels improve when losing weight for most males, even when not obese, but yes, the primary benefit is in an individual lowering the obese status. My understanding is the metabolic panels of starving contest prep body builders suggest they're about to live forever, not have problems doing their next set if they don't have a preworkout carbs.


    IRT ad libitum - you're using a slight of hand there. Replacing carbs with "fats and protein" to capture the effects of protein but act like it is the fat is not very genuine representation of ketogenic diet. Particularly as protein can knock someone out of ketosis. And treating LC as keto.

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    ashsabiha wrote: »
    Do you guys like the keto diet? Why do so many people think it’s the healthiest out there ? Shouldn’t we be fine as long as we watch how we eat and eat healthy mostly ?

    All diets work the same way...they are simply methods of creating a calorie deficit. Keto was initially a medical diet for the treatment of epilepsy...you can lose, maintain, or gain weight on keto just like any other diet.

    Personally, keto is way to restrictive and you miss out on a lot of highly nutritious foods eating that low of carbohydrates. "People" make all kinds of claims and often diet is pretty close to religion in people thinking "my way is best". Personally I think keto is one of the most unhealthy diet plans out there because you do miss out on a lot of micro nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc) and regardless of what keto blogs say, I don't think eating *kitten* loads of dietary fat, especially saturated fat is healthy.

    What nutrients do you miss out on while following keto? I have no nutrients deficiencies and my metabolic panels are great. Like i stated before, you can implement any strategy in a healthy or unhealthy way.

    My diet is largely Angus beef, chicken, eggs, leafy greens, seeds/nuts, berries (raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries), dairy (mostly unsweetened Greek yogurt), dark leafy greens/salad, avocado (almost daily) and fish (ahi tuna and salmon). And my goal is 20-30g of fiber a day. I also cook in olive oil and avocado oil or i use Irish butter. And have been working to eliminate all Omega 6 highly refined oils.

    The only current "dirty" keto stuff i am doing is nutritional sweeteners and tomorrow will be my last Quest bar.

    Side note and this isn't directed at you, but I always find it ironic when people talk about the unhealthy aspects of Keto while they promote eating added sugar because it fits their macros.
    His wording was "you miss out on a lot of highly nutritious foods eating that low of carbohydrates", so your question of "nutrients do you miss out on" is a bit of a misrepresentation. He didn't claim you can't get the nutrients, but the implication is it will require a more managed approach as foods that make it easier to get the nutrients will be harder.
    Institute of Medicine puts fiber for a male is 30-38g a day, so you're below that.
    Your cholesterol levels / metabolic panel numbers can easily be a reflection of composition more than nutrient uptake. When you are in shape, the range of what can be optimal is different. Most people coming from obese or overweight trying to follow a keto diet are probably not going setting goals for being a leaner composition and are just hoping to get to something like 20% body fat (male).

    It is interesting how often keto people want to compare an "ideal keto" diet to SAD instead of some kind of ideal unrestricted diet. Like, just in all honest, when people say "I'm doing keto, and it doesn't feel like dieting", do you think they're doing keto the way you are? What I'll grant is anything that puts weight off for some length of time is probably good.

    I would never compare a well structured keto diet vs a SAD diet. It's ridiculous and I am not sure where that is even coming from. Second, I think you are projecting a bit with the bold. It's not any more difficult for me to hit my needs as it was when I followed IIFYM/Flexible dieting. I still aim to get a color array of vegetables with my proteins. Add in incorporation of healthy fat sources and call it a day. I will note that any time someone switches to a different diet, they will have to research a bit to figure out what is needed.

    There are several considerations needed regarding the recommendations for fiber. First, most of the evidence behind those recommendations are based on epidemiological and observations studies. There are little to no research on low carb and/or ketogenic diets when it comes to most things diet, let alone specifically as it relates to fiber. It's quite possible that those recommendations are high because of the needs to offset some of the added sugars and processes carbs (breads, pasta, etc..) that is consumed by the general populous.

    IRT the obese individuals. I certainly don't disagree with you. Any diet that will help people lose weight, will improve their metabolic health. So even if they follow a lower fiber diet, it will still be better if they lose 10 or 20% body weight. It certainly happened with me. It's a lot more demanding to have high triglycerides, high blood glucose, high blood pressure, etc..

    IRT do others keto diet look like mine? Yes, no, maybe. Again, there is a spectrum of people consuming ketogenic diets. The same thing can be said for IIFYM. IIFYM gets a bad name because people often promote how they can eat donuts, poptarts and other crap and still get ripped. But I also know that isn't the heart of IIFYM. In the low carb group, there is a large contingent that have similar styles. Similarly, a lot of people I follow on IG, are the same way. But I also know a bunch of people eating hot dogs, bacon and skipping all carbs because carbs = scary insulin.

    In generally, I do think it is often beneficial for the general populous to replace carbs with fats and protein. If you look at a large majority of LCHF ab libitum studies, there is either equal or greater weight loss in the LCHF group. This isn't to suggest that LC>LF, but it should given consideration when a person starts dieting.

    IRT blood work. Yes, I recognize it's a snapshot in time. This is why you get regular blood test. I have looked at mind over the past 10 years, and they all support similar finds. The only changes I have had is I doubled my HDL with keto and increased my LDL from 120 to 178.
    Well I didn't say you made the comparison. I said keto people do.

    Seems calling projecting is just an endless back and forth. I actually pointed out what he said, and what you said. Your comment just comes off as an unevidenced assertion. That, if anything, comes off as projecting. You literally did ask a question about a statement he didn't make. I'm not attributing anything to it. I understand perfectly how in reading the spirit of it, it is possible to think that's a valid question to raise, but literally, you're asking him to support a statement he didn't claim. Unless you're saying the part that is projecting is where I say "the implication is". Then you're saying it is projecting that I'm being charitable about how you came to ask your question by stating the implication you seem to be question. I mean, maybe I am projecting and you're just asking random questions at people for no reason to put them on a back foot, but that would be bizarre, so perhaps I do need to project some, like people are asking questions related to the conversation.

    I don't follow why pointing to the unknowns of a diet is supposed to be a defense. It would see, then you still can't say you're getting adequate fiber. You've changed to "I don't know that I'm getting inadequate fiber." Fair enough. Given the lack of research in the field, I don't see why you conclude "it is quite possible," rather than just "possible."

    Blood panels improve when losing weight for most males, even when not obese, but yes, the primary benefit is in an individual lowering the obese status. My understanding is the metabolic panels of starving contest prep body builders suggest they're about to live forever, not have problems doing their next set if they don't have a preworkout carbs.


    IRT ad libitum - you're using a slight of hand there. Replacing carbs with "fats and protein" to capture the effects of protein but act like it is the fat is not very genuine representation of ketogenic diet. Particularly as protein can knock someone out of ketosis. And treating LC as keto.

    If @cwolfman13 has concerns about my question to him, I would expect he would come back rather than a third party interjecting their own evaluation of my question to his question. So it's not worth arguing over.

    For the bold. Extrapolation of evidence to a group people who do not follow that specific way of eating, is just that... extrapolation. Given the amount of arguments most people make regarding observational studies, I am surprised you are trying to use the RDA as a means to validate the requirement. But I suspect it's because it supports your argument. Essentially, it's like trying to use a study on muscle gains on a young male population and extrapolating the results to older females.

    I am not using slight of hand. I am pointing out that there is data to support LCHF dieting. I don't deny the benefits of protein for satiety; That is well documented. Although, I think it was Menno Henselman who was challenge it being just protein as different protein sources can have a different impact. But if the main driver for a person to get more protein is to consume less carbs, than it's something that should be considered. Again, I lost 50 lbs almost a decade ago consuming 300g of carbs a day. So I understand the impacts on macros changes. Additionally, there is pretty good evidence supporting appetite suppression on ketogenic diets. And that data isn't from your typical keto zealot (i.e., Thomas DeLauer), it's from people like Eric Helms.

    Protein knocking you out of ketosis is way overstated. And even if it does suppress ketone production a bit, it doesn't matter. It is only a consideration for those on a therapeutic ketogenic diet. Ironically, this is typically the same nonsense promoted by keto zealots. So I am surprised you bring it up.
  • Rishaschultz94
    Rishaschultz94 Posts: 23 Member
    edited February 2020
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    There is alot of controversy around Keto, but it honestly is all how you track your meals and food. I personally do keto and I love it. I eat 1500 cals a day, and I still eat veggies and some fruits. I just track it all! With fruit I do only eat berries. But I have veggies with almost every meal. All I do differently is add more oil or unsalted butter when cooking, eat more fatty foods like avocados (which I love).
    I worry about net carbs, which are different then total carbs. Net carbs are ur carbs - fiber. I try to keep under 30 net carbs but I can also stay in ketosis at 50 net carbs.
    For example tonight I made my own version of chicken wings and onions rings cause I been craving them lol, so I did. It's simple and easy. I LOVE it. I dont feel restricted and I just love the way the food taste. You dont only have to eat bacon and cheese or eggs. U can make anything you want. I got this blood tester thing to make sure I would stay in ketosis and I haven't had a problem. Just do ur research. :)