What are your thoughts on Keto?

If you find a food eating plan that works for you long term, and you are happy with it. Then hooray, all is good. And what works for you, there are others that will say yes, me too. And lots of others that will say nope not for me.

Me, I do low carb, which is kind of close to Keto but is not Keto. My big difference from Keto, is that I really absolutely am not interested in a food program where Fats are anywhere near 50%. But with going low carb for me, and staying away from white, and whole wheat flour, all rice, sugar brown or white, ok most sugars. Instead I have learned about almond and coconut flour, and many alternate sweeteners. I can control my blood sugars into where I need them to be. And yes, I am losing weight steadily, and learning constantly on this journey. My type 2 diabetes was my driver, my Dr is cheering me on, for following a sensible low carb plan. Which I totally still log everything, weigh everything, and still aim for a calorie number. Because in order to successfully lose weight it still comes down to CICO.

trentontamura wrote: »

There have been studies that show Keto can boost mental alertness, increase energy, and assist in burning excess body fat. That being said, any caloric deficit diet will result in weight loss. I do think if you are serious about weight loss, and want to be hardcore about it, Keto is the way to go. I can speak from experience. I tried to do a Keto bulk, I weighed 165lbs and wanted to get to 175lbs. I took in my weight in grams of protein and stuck with 70%fat, 25%protein, 5%carbs. I was taking in between 2,800 and 3,100 calories a day on Keto... 4 weeks in I had lost 6.5 lbs and gained muscle mass, somehow my shirts were fitting tighter, but my fat and weight was decreasing... I’m still going strong on Keto, I’ll see what happens in another couple weeks. But it’s definitely an effective fat loss diet.

Well, I was serious about weight loss and have been serious enough about maintenance to maintain for 6 years.

You can most certainly be serious and 'hard core' about weight loss without doing Keto.

ozonezoe wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

On a personal level it's utterly unappealing.

How about you OP? What are your views and experiences?

The nutritionist also recommend eliminating many other foods (elimination diet) from my diet like dairy, nightshades, gluten, processed foods, hydrogenated oils, so I ate a lot of whole, clean foods.


FOOD FOR THOUGHT
You would never really know how it will truly affect your body until you actually give it a try!

Food for thought could also be that maybe it was something in the foods you eliminated or added that improved your digestive problems rather than keto. With multiple dietary changes there's every chance some of those changes were beneficial and some had no impact whatsoever.

But as it works for you and you appear to enjoy it then I wouldn't suggest experimenting.
Just as I won't be experimenting as my high carb diet works very well for me and keeps me in good health.

The old saying..... "If it ain't broke - don't fix it."

karenleigh - people getting excited about something that works for them and then want everyone to be 'as happy and healthy as them' are really really annoying

That isnt something unique about keto - same would be if their new and exciting thing were a religion, a product, anything really. Zealous new converts to anything.

I, for example, found calorie counting and MFP logging to be something that worked and that was exciting for me.

However I did not think everybody else had to do same as me in order to be healthy and happy nor did I think anyone else wanted to hear me going on and on about it.

In fact, I am sure they did not.


PS" not to mention ingredients we cannot pronounce" - is a sure fire way to lose credibility on MFP.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

20-50 grams of carbohydrates per day would be way too restrictive for me. I'm omnivorous, but my diet consists of lots of plants as well, including beans, lentils, oats and other whole grains, starchy root vegetables, etc. I would go insane on keto. Beyond that, I don't find 70+% of my diet coming in the form of dietary fat very appealing either. That's a lot of friggin' fat...

I did, almost literally, go instant on keto. Not fitting my food preferences and being hungry all the time on low volume was one thing, but when it started messing with my brain the experiment had to stop. I became deeply depressed and a danger to myself. That went away as soon as I re-introduced carbs back. My second attempt a couple of years later had to be cut short for the same reason.

I'm not full-on keto, but I'm pregnant and have developed gestational diabetes and despite following all the advice (in the UK at least) saying to continue eating carbs in combination with fat and protein to the letter, my blood glucose was completely uncontrollable. I am now eating low(ish) carb (<100g/day) rather than keto, and have found this is the only way to keep my blood glucose under control. It's definitely easier when you have the motivation of HAVING to do it for the health of very-much-wanted baby, but I can image eating (mostly) this way long term, with the occasional slice of fresh bread snuck in

wmd1979 wrote: »

@GaleHawkins there is no such thing as "carb addiction", and I find it kind of insulting to anyone that has ever battled an addiction to imply there is. Keto is limiting but not completely eliminating all carbs. If a person were truly addicted, then breaking that addiction would require abstinence. An alcoholic wouldn't limit their alcohol intake to two beers a day, because that's not how addiction(or more specifically, breaking an addiction) works. Carbs can be tasty, and some people overeat them, but there absolutely needs to be a distinction between lack of willpower and addiction.

Consider the source. SSDD.

GaleHawkins wrote: »

wmd1979 wrote: »

@GaleHawkins there is no such thing as "carb addiction", and I find it kind of insulting to anyone that has ever battled an addiction to imply there is. Keto is limiting but not completely eliminating all carbs. If a person were truly addicted, then breaking that addiction would require abstinence. An alcoholic wouldn't limit their alcohol intake to two beers a day, because that's not how addiction(or more specifically, breaking an addiction) works. Carbs can be tasty, and some people overeat them, but there absolutely needs to be a distinction between lack of willpower and addiction.

Willpower is not a medical term but addiction is. It was when a guy with AA was teaching on the subject of Denial that I realized I was addicted to carbs. After I understood my carb addiction would go away if I would eat under 50 grams of carbs per day I was able to make it through the withdrawal realizing it was not going to last forever.

I expect you do not see yourself as an enabler but when you tell someone in a Keto thread trying to regain control of some aspect of their life that carb addition is not real you become one.

I was slowly dying in front of our teenage kids because of my carb addition. They saw how I went from being meaner than a junkyard dog to working on becoming a father that was understanding and that could get in an out of the car without their help.

Carb addiction is not preached against like smoking addiction perhaps but it is never the less it is an addiction like smoking, drinking, etc.

The number one reason people fail at Keto is our carb addiction. Keto is not for weigh loss but to help resolve the health issues.

I beg you to stop making medical statements about carb addiction or any other addiction that is not factual.

Ironic post is ironic. Your next post might be your first factual one.

I've eaten keto for years. I just plain feel better. I have been on so many diets over the years...shakes, points, cards, injections, and just plain CICO. None of them resonated with me the way keto does. I never have nightmares about not eating bread; I do have nightmares about being forced to eat meat...I never eat swine (or most other meats), I rarely have butter and I rarely have grains. I never feel deprived of a food group. To suggest that people who eat keto by choice or by culture, are deprived is non-sensical. Do you truly believe that vegetarians or people who do not eat pork based on their faith are depriving themselves?! Bah!

If keto works for you, do it. If it doesn't find something else. I'd also like to add that diets don't fail--people do.

From the National Library of Medicines, in conjunction with the National Center for Biotechnology Information and the National Institutes of Health:

Food Addiction, High Glycemic Index Carbohydrates and Obesity

After reviewing the pertinent literature on food addiction with a specific focus on the role of high glycemic index carbohydrates in triggering addictive symptoms. Three lines of evidence support the concept of food addiction: (1) behavioral responses to certain foods are similar compared to substances of abuse; (2) food intake regulation and addiction rely on similar neurobiological circuits; (3) individuals suffering from obesity or addiction show similar neurochemical- and brain activation patterns.

High glycemic index carbohydrates elicit a rapid shift in blood glucose and insulin levels, akin to the pharmacokinetics of addictive substances. Akin to drugs of abuse, glucose and insulin signals in the mesolimbic system to modify dopamine concentration. Sugar elicits addiction-like craving and self-reported problem foods are rich in high glycemic index carbohydrates. These properties make high glycemic index carbohydrates plausible triggers for food addiction.
Summary

Food addiction is a plausible etiological factor contributing to the heterogeneous condition and phenotype of obesity. In at least a subset of vulnerable individuals, high glycemic index carbohydrates trigger addiction-like neurochemical and behavioral responses.

Do you honestly believe companies are just spending R&D money to create cravings based on a lack of willpower, over addiction?

Keto is a lifestyle choice. It is not a science, per se, but for severe diabetics, doctors have been subscribing a Keto diet to patience since somewhere around 1915. That's the earliest prescription found on how to achieve eating and getting into Ketosis that I have found, thus far.

Truthfully, most would say studies really looking into carbohydrate addiction didn't come about until after 2011.

Keto is a way for obese people, diabetics, and others to learn what is in their food and how to manage that food.

There is Keto, Dirty Keto, Low Carb, and other variants. Most diets have had some form or another and have been around for a long time. Long enough to have studies, science, and some depth of understanding.

Telling an obese person they simply lack willpower and self control instead of saying you will help them with their addiction, would be shattering for most. In fact, most obese people stay obese. So the line of thought that there is no addiction and only a lack of willpower would be psychological torture, in many cases.

Comparing a carbo or food addiction to alcohol may be actually more relatable than you think. If you think all alcoholics can't function with any amount of alcohol, and thus, they can't limit their intake to a few beers a day, then you clearly do not understand a true alcoholic. If you knew what an alcoholic is, then you would know that some may only binge once a year and get so plastered drunk, they black out. But it doesn't matter that it is only that one time a year, and that they drink all year long, that one time still classifies them as an alcoholic. So to say your analogy just tells me you haven't walked that path and have no understanding about alcoholism and behavioral effects. Sorry, but I feel you are completely wrong.

And so, a person can, especially with the way corporations are creating our processed foods, can be addicted. Do you believe low fat foods are healthy? Or do you understand low fat simply means they take the fat out and then add things they believe will make you want more of their food.

The Keto person will understand that low fat flavored yogurts, as an example, are not healthy but that a simple yogurt is, and then they can flavor that themselves. How do they know? They read the labels. Plain yogurt is one ingredient. Not things you can't pronounce. Why does coke have have sodium? Doesn't need it. Doesn't improve the taste. But it does make one thirsty. Thus, to make sure you don't taste the salt, they add more sugar. There once was a product, like Coke, (Royal Crown) that didn't add the salt and had a lot less sugar. Coke moved them out.

When Coke products started to decline as people were downsizing or talk of taxes were increasingly possible on all fountain soda sugar drinks, energy drinks were becoming the rage. Coke bought them next. They own Monster and several others. Truthfully, there are only 10 companies that make all our processed foods. Ten. And if you think they are not spending millions to get people addicted - and that there is a whole mass of folks walking around that are simply lacking willpower, then you're just putting people down to elevate yourself. Please, know that alcoholics aren't people who can't drink. Ever. Many many are fully functional and yet because they lose control at some point, whether binging on weekends, holidays, or that once a year Bday, they are able to conceal their addictions and consume in moderation for most the time. Most.