Drawbacks to a Ketogenic Diet?
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Viridian1539
Posts: 139 Member
Is anyone currently doing or in the past has done a keto diet? I see a lot of praise for it online and would love to hear more about the drawbacks/struggles of it. I'm most likely going to go keto for Lent (a religious holiday/period of 40 days of reflection I observe), which starts in about a month, and would like to get more information on it before I commit.
For reference, I am 5'10", female, and while currently at 190lbs/160gw the focus isn't really on weight loss for this period, but on finding an alternative to fasting (I have mental health disorders that tie very closely into my bloodsugar/calorie levels and cannot do a true fast). I am also a runner and am doing a 10k about 2 weeks after Lent ends - if anyone has recommendations on if I should continue the "fast" through then or go back to carbs to fuel race day, I'd welcome those as well.
Would love any information as well as advice that you can give!
- Rebekkah
For reference, I am 5'10", female, and while currently at 190lbs/160gw the focus isn't really on weight loss for this period, but on finding an alternative to fasting (I have mental health disorders that tie very closely into my bloodsugar/calorie levels and cannot do a true fast). I am also a runner and am doing a 10k about 2 weeks after Lent ends - if anyone has recommendations on if I should continue the "fast" through then or go back to carbs to fuel race day, I'd welcome those as well.
Would love any information as well as advice that you can give!
- Rebekkah
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Replies
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There is nothing magic to a keto diet. Any diet always comes down to a consistent weekly calorie deficit overtime. Some people think that keto is the back door access to stored fat but that is incorrect. The reason that keto worked for many people is that it can be more satiating than a diet with carbohydrates however unless it causes fewer calories to be consumed it has no benefit.
Eliminating a macronutrient from your diet can be hard to live with and difficult to maintain.
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Different people have different experiences. Some people do great on low carb or keto. It may matter whether the person has a relevant health condition, such as diabetes or insulin resistance.
I did a very low carb diet at one point. It made me absolutely miserable. I never felt full (absolutely the opposite, in fact: White-knuckle style cravings). On top of that, I got what I now know was "keto flu", besides (which I now understand can possibly be countered by getting extra electrolytes).
I love my fruits, veggies, and no-sugar-added dairy foods, too, so I wouldn't do low carb for both reasons: How I feel, and happiness with my eating style. But that's me, not you. People differ.
I lost weight fine eating 150g+ carbs most days, have maintained that healthy weight for 7+ years eating 225g+ carbs most days, still getting adequate protein & fats, so there's no need for me to do low carb or keto to achieve my personal goals. My health markers are great now that I'm at a healthy weight, my exercise performance is good, etc.
YMMV, though. Why not try it during Lent, see whether it helps you, or hinders you? Your experience during Lent will inform you about whether you should add back carbs before your race, I suspect.
One note: Low carb/keto usually results in a quick weight drop from lower water retention, because we retain several extra grams of water to metabolize each gram of carbs. If you see that quick drop (which isn't fat loss), and resume a more moderate carb level after Lent, you'll very likely see a pseudo-regain after Lent, from restoring some of that water retention. It's not fat, it's not unhealthy, so no need to let it worry you if it happens. It could mask fat loss temporarily on the body weight scale, but the ongoing fat loss will outpace the water retention within a couple of weeks-ish, and you'll see the scale start dropping again as long as calorie intake is right.
If you feel up to it, maybe come back to this thread and let us know what you decided and how it's going? I think that would be informative for others.
Best wishes!3 -
@tomcustombuilder Thank you for your insight! I definitely saw a lot of online articles that believed Keto diets were the magic cure to weight problems. While I'm not looking at it for this reason, it was a bit of a red flag, so thanks for helping note that and put it into perspective! Eliminating something drastic for the 40 day period is definitely a part of Lent, so I'm going into it expecting a challenge for sure.
@AnnPT77 Thanks for your tips on seeing weight come back at the end and for watching electrolyte levels. I've had problems with electrolyte balances before so I'll make sure to be mindful of that if I go forward with Keto. I chronically eat too little calories, so there will definitely be some serious intentionality/discipline going into each meal.
I'm happy to return here right before with my decision, as well as during/at the end if I go through with it. Thanks for that idea!2 -
Keto has been great for me. My HbA1C has been trending up for a long time even when I was losing weight by counting calories. When I had a blood test come back with me moving into the pre-diabetic range, I went Keto. I can't say I lost weight faster, although maybe a little bit. For me, the big changes were within two weeks cravings for sweets was pretty much gone. My blood sugar numbers within days were consistently in the normal range. Within 4 weeks my blood pressure which I was on 3 medications for, went low enough (Under 100/50 and getting very dizzy because of it) that I got off two of the medications, and likely I could go off the third at this point as well, but I am holding pretty steady at 107/65 so no rush there. Overall, I feel better than I have in longer than I can remember. I know that others might not have the same results as I do, but based on my interaction with other Keto eaters, they are not unusual. My HbA1C is now normal as well. Various other things have improved as well although whether that is because of eating Keto, or because now I am 80 plus pounds lighter, I can't say. I can say, for me, after eating this way for almost 8 months, I have zero desire to go back to a non-ketogenic diet. While many people say it is difficult to stick to, I have not found it to be. I guess if one follows some clean keto program that isn't simply focused on getting into and maintaining nutritional ketosis it might be. I don't find it difficult to stick to at all. In fact, I find it far easier than counting calories was.2
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Yeah, a ketogenic diet isn't an alternative to fasting at all. The demographic that do sustain a ketogenic diet the most are people that find out that it's very effective for many of their health issues, like myself, and have been on one transitioning from low carb to ketogenic for over 13 years now. At it's most successful it's a grass roots journey for self healing and jumping onto a keto diet for some vague reason or just because it's "in the news" a lot is probably a fail, especially for weight loss. Your blood sugar issues aren't very clear but a ketogenic diet pretty much eliminates most forms of sugar. I wish you luck.
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I’ve done keto before. I actually felt great and lost 20 lbs. the water weight that i lost right away gave me an immediate boost .. my skin was great and I slept really well. I stayed low carb low glycemic after .. though not keto levels.. I didn’t have any cons per se. I just like having a little extra fruit here and there long term.
I did a clean keto.. not really bacon and butter and steak but more lean proteins, fish and lots of omega 3’s with olive oils and nuts.
Good luck!0 -
If blood sugar going up and down is a mood issue for you, you might want to try keto as it does tend to eliminate that issue, as it would tend to even you out without spikes and drops. I did it for a while and found it too restrictive (I eat a lot of veg), and while it was okay in the winter (like right now) or early spring, which is actually when I started it when I did it, I was missing all the fresh in-season fruit when summer rolled around. I'm still low carb in that I mostly just get carbs from veg, fruit, some dairy, and beans, and tend to come in around 50-60 g net most days, so I can see why keto works well for some people and am pro trying it if you are interested.
As someone who observes Lent, I would caution you about that merely because especially with your blood sugar issues, you could have a bad reaction to it (if you dropped too low or something) or you might just hate it or not feel good on it for other reasons, and if so you should be able to increase your carbs without feeling like you are breaking a religious commitment. You might want to at least try it first. Also, for those who end up enjoying keto, I believe it doesn't feel like a sacrifice.2 -
Well I decided to go for it, because why not, and we'll see how things go. @lemurcat12 I'll certainly be paying attention to if there's bad reactions and looking for other ways to commit to God if needed. He certainly will understand. Thanks for looking out for me on that
@AnnPT77 Following your advice to check in and see how it's going to help others, here I am! I'm going to try to do a daily-ish check in, just listing some of the things I notice.
To that effect, Day 1:
I'm not expecting to feel any different today/tomorrow but I brought my per diem depression meds just in case something goes haywire mental-health wise. Don't wanna start spiraling at work and even without major diet shifts you never know what will happen.
Last weekend I was at a Sr. High Winter camp as a counselor, still recovering on sleep 3 days later, so pretty tired today.
Changes I would make after already having breakfast, elevensies, and lunch:
- Feeling snacky since about 1p. One thing I will change in coming days is having a smaller breakfast so I have wiggle room on calories for a snack.
- Adding some tea/water to go with or before breakfast. I'm behind on my water (partially because the meals/snacks were filling at the time) and an early start on intake would be beneficial
- Half portion of the almonds I had at elevensies. 7g of carbs for 170 calories is a little unbalanced. I'll do some research into some more lower carb snacks, but I also don't need as many as I had. A small snack to go with my tea around 11a is plenty.
Benefits seen:
None so far, but again, day 1. I'm not expecting to feel any different (or at least, personally notice) until at least day 6. I'm not generally good with self awareness, though I've been trying to work on that. We'll see though!1 -
Viridian1539 wrote: »Well I decided to go for it, because why not, and we'll see how things go. @lemurcat12 I'll certainly be paying attention to if there's bad reactions and looking for other ways to commit to God if needed. He certainly will understand. Thanks for looking out for me on that
@AnnPT77 Following your advice to check in and see how it's going to help others, here I am! I'm going to try to do a daily-ish check in, just listing some of the things I notice.
To that effect, Day 1:
I'm not expecting to feel any different today/tomorrow but I brought my per diem depression meds just in case something goes haywire mental-health wise. Don't wanna start spiraling at work and even without major diet shifts you never know what will happen.
Last weekend I was at a Sr. High Winter camp as a counselor, still recovering on sleep 3 days later, so pretty tired today.
Changes I would make after already having breakfast, elevensies, and lunch:
- Feeling snacky since about 1p. One thing I will change in coming days is having a smaller breakfast so I have wiggle room on calories for a snack.
- Adding some tea/water to go with or before breakfast. I'm behind on my water (partially because the meals/snacks were filling at the time) and an early start on intake would be beneficial
- Half portion of the almonds I had at elevensies. 7g of carbs for 170 calories is a little unbalanced. I'll do some research into some more lower carb snacks, but I also don't need as many as I had. A small snack to go with my tea around 11a is plenty.
Benefits seen:
None so far, but again, day 1. I'm not expecting to feel any different (or at least, personally notice) until at least day 6. I'm not generally good with self awareness, though I've been trying to work on that. We'll see though!
Are there any other reasons to try a ketogenic diet other than, why not? Curious. 0 -
@neanderthin
Thanks for asking! For me, the whole reason is intentionally cutting something out that I normally enjoy and/or take for granted. As stated in the beginning of the post, I'm using this as an alternative for Lenten fasting, in which the idea is to take something out in order to simplify life/give more focus to God during the period leading up to Easter.
I chose Keto just because it was something that has been studied and proven to be safe for individuals, while having the intentional lessening/removal of sugary foods and carbs. There were also a lot of resources for keto recipes and meal prepping, meaning I wasn't spending a lot of time trying to figure out a personally made meal plan, thereby wasting the time that I am supposed to save and set apart.
I'm sure most other people use the ketogenic diet for losing weight or other health reasons. For me that's not the point or even the goal. The goal is entirely directed at committing to something that would be a sacrifice for me, and directing my attention to my faith.4 -
Thanks for the extra detail. 1
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Day 1 Review
Calorie total: 1,859/1,730
Carb Count: 19g
Water Intake: 64 oz.
Benefits Noticed:
- N/A
- Down 1lb this morning
Drawbacks Noticed:
- Sleepy, but that may be unrelated
- Munchies in the afternoon
Changes:
- Smaller breakfast to allow for more snacks
- Spread out snack calories/carbs better
- Drink more water
NSV - Survived Valentine's Day cookies, a birthday party for a coworker filled with chili, cake, and more cookies, AND a pizza party at the youth group I was teaching. Trial by fire on day 1 lol
Day 2 thoughts
My sleep routine sucks right now, and that needs to be fixed. Was teaching classes for AEST students until 1a my time yesterday, then up at 7:45a to quickly leave for my 9-5.
Changes to make:
- Have pre-prepped breakfasts for hectic mornings (I didn't look through my spinach as well as usual before throwing it in with the eggs and something tasted like mold... ate it anyway but would prefer not to)
- FULLY prep for lunch. Ran out of time and I'll just be eating chicken breast for lunch. Normally on days like this I'd just run over to the Taco Time or something; need to learn how to be better prepared.
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Day 2 Review
Calorie total: 1,346/1,730
Carb Count: 20g.
Water Intake: 56 oz.
Benefits Noticed:
- I’m not mad about eating bacon with breakfast 😀
- Having meals prepped has saved time
- Down another ½ lb today
Drawbacks Noticed:
- I need to look into more ways to prepare chicken. Apparently my old go to was chicken with rice, and some of the sauce combos I used to use just don’t land as well with veggies replacing the rice.
- Can’t have white rice
- Fresh fruits are mostly off the table
Changes:
- Have pre-prepped breakfasts for hectic mornings
- Fully prep lunches when you go to store them in the fridge
- Have a wider variety of available lunches
Day 3 Thoughts
First off, just want people to note that I am pretty bad at logging in on weekends. I'm just not around a computer as often and so I'll track my food but this weekend especially I'm doing some work in the yard, so likely won't post. Doesn't mean I've fallen off the plan!
Today the brain fog is REAL. I was editing an email that's going out to our whole donor base tomorrow and realized there were a lot of spelling/grammar mistakes that I made when I first typed it out this morning. Good thing I review it before I send it to my super for edits/final review! I'm not sure if this is the infamous "Keto flu" or if it is a result of finally getting enough sleep last night. I can tell you it was a lot easier to wake up with my alarm this morning.
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Something came up for tomorrow, so here's an evening edition of the daily review:
Day 3 Review
Calorie total: 1,612/1,730
Carb Count: 20g.
Water Intake: 106 oz.
Benefits Noticed:
- Down another 1.5 lbs… tomorrow if I’m down a lot again, I’m calling that a drawback, because this doesn’t seem healthy/sustainable
Drawbacks Noticed:
- Foggy brain. Could be from finally getting enough sleep last night. Could also be the infamous “keto flu”
- Water tastes really weird today and yesterday? I thought it was just my water bottle, but I switched and I’m not so sure - /rketo’s FAQ I read while researching did mention metallic/bad breath as a possible side effect, so maybe that’s it.
- Afternoon really dragging, walk outside and cold water didn’t help
Changes:
- Better sleep hygiene so recorded results are more accurate and so head is more clear
If anyone's actually reading these, have a great weekend friend!
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Rapid loss at the start is because you are dropping water as you use up your glycogen stores. Each gram of glycogen uses 3 grams of water to hold in your body, so as you use up your stores in your liver and muscles you will lose not only 1 gram of glycogen but 3 grams of water. Most of what you have lost is water and the rapid drop will stop soon enough.2
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@rileysowner Thanks for the insight! I guess I just wasn't expecting those drops to be quite so large all at once. Good to know this is typical.
Weekend Review
Having three days off threw me, but I'm back! Food plan still going strong. The last couple of days I've also committed to getting out of bed no later than 6a and sticking to my morning routine, and that's been going well.
Day 6 Review
Calorie total: 1,151/1,730
Carb Count: 20g.
Water Intake: 50 oz.
Benefits Noticed:
- Mood fairly level this week
- Energy levels consistent
Drawbacks Noticed:
- “Keto friendly” desserts are either ridiculously expensive financially, carb-to-cal-ratio wise, or both
Changes:
- BETTER MEAL PREP
- More variety in breakfasts
Day 7 Thoughts
DRAWBACK: Do not skip a main meal (especially dinner!) while on a very intentional, macro cutting meal plan. Last night I wasn't really feeling hungry and I had so many things to do I just didn't bother with dinner. I was at 1100ish cals and figured it was cool to not worry about it. This morning I woke up with my alarm at about 5:30a, was doing my phone things, and was just hit with massive hunger pangs. It was to the point I could not get up to go make something, and it lasted a solid 25 minutes before I was able to drag myself up and go cook food. (I munched on a piece of cheese while waiting for the food cooking).
Maybe that's just a warning/piece of advice more than a drawback, but I've been a frequent dinner-skipper in the past with basically no issue so long as I drank plenty of water, so it's certainly a lifestyle adjustment that I'm not 100% happy with.2 -
The 'keto flu' is simply a flushing of extra electrolytes (salt, magnesium, potassium, etc.) with the water - up your salt intake and it should alleviate the issue.
When salt gets flushed with the water, the body also flushes potassium and magnesium specifically to maintain a balance. If you up the salt intake, the other electrolytes won't be flushed as well.1 -
The 'keto flu' is simply a flushing of extra electrolytes (salt, magnesium, potassium, etc.) with the water - up your salt intake and it should alleviate the issue.
When salt gets flushed with the water, the body also flushes potassium and magnesium specifically to maintain a balance. If you up the salt intake, the other electrolytes won't be flushed as well.
Yeah that is definitely 1 of the symptom of the "keto flu" but the main cause from what I can tell from doing research is in the transitioning the body goes through switching from one fuel source to another, going from glucose to ketones.
If someone has a compromised metabolism and is IR or diabetic they've pretty much been a sugar burner all their lives and the transitioning to a fat burner can really put the body and mind through some pretty serious adjustment periods. The body needs time to get use to this new way of living or manufacturing energy and this transition and seeking an optimal fat adaptation scenario can take weeks and up to a few months easily, it's more complicated than just having ketones in the blood.
It's like if the body was a factory and we switched from making Fords to Mercedes and getting familiar with the new products and the brain and body is seeking their new equilibrium, new parts need to be stocked, we need to change the operating systems within the factory, workers need to be trained and the same is true for burning ketones instead of glucose and during this adaption time people will experience a time where it's uncomfortable, some brain fog etc. and it a good reason why some people need professional help to aid in this transition physically and mentally where there may be medication involved. Basically just a quick response but it's much more nuanced than this. 0 -
neanderthin wrote: »The 'keto flu' is simply a flushing of extra electrolytes (salt, magnesium, potassium, etc.) with the water - up your salt intake and it should alleviate the issue.
When salt gets flushed with the water, the body also flushes potassium and magnesium specifically to maintain a balance. If you up the salt intake, the other electrolytes won't be flushed as well.
Yeah that is definitely 1 of the symptom of the "keto flu" but the main cause from what I can tell from doing research is in the transitioning the body goes through switching from one fuel source to another, going from glucose to ketones.
If someone has a compromised metabolism and is IR or diabetic they've pretty much been a sugar burner all their lives and the transitioning to a fat burner can really put the body and mind through some pretty serious adjustment periods. The body needs time to get use to this new way of living or manufacturing energy and this transition and seeking an optimal fat adaptation scenario can take weeks and up to a few months easily, it's more complicated than just having ketones in the blood.
It's like if the body was a factory and we switched from making Fords to Mercedes and getting familiar with the new products and the brain and body is seeking their new equilibrium, new parts need to be stocked, we need to change the operating systems within the factory, workers need to be trained and the same is true for burning ketones instead of glucose and during this adaption time people will experience a time where it's uncomfortable, some brain fog etc. and it a good reason why some people need professional help to aid in this transition physically and mentally where there may be medication involved. Basically just a quick response but it's much more nuanced than this.
You use these words... sugar burner, fat burner.... I don't think they mean what you think they mean.3 -
Maybe you should enlighten everyone and tell them what I think. 2
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