Hey. I was just wondering what you all thought about Ketosis and low carb diets? I'm just trying to get afew differnt inputs here. Thanks,

D

Not worth the trouble IMO.

I beg to differ. For me, it was the right path to go, and it really worked (check out the link in my signature)

I've lost over 40lbs, and I'm very happy with that. On the other hand, I'm sure you could get equally great results with a "balanced" carb diet.

My best advice is to read about both keto-dieting and balanced carb dieting. Both have their pros and cons, so you need to find which suits you the best.

Just be aware that you shouldn't do much heavy weightlifting on keto diets, as that would speed up catabolism(for me this is definitely the biggest con)

You can read more about keto dieting here:

http://www.lowcarber.org
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/keto.htm
Even more: http://bodybuilding.com/cgi-bin/perlfect/search/search.pl?p=1&lang=en&q=ketosis

And here's a very handy carb/nutiotion counter: http://www.lowcarb.ca/low-carb-tools/carb_counter.html

I've probably talked to at least 100+ people first hand about their experience with low carb diets. I would say 99% people I talked to were very happy with there results. Of course, I was working at a store that sold low carb products, so they might be a "tad" biased :)

There are some threads out there that say atkins isn't ketosis, its straight calorie cutting. I think atkins works as a combination of both, as I've seen some pretty dramatic weight loss first hand to rule out ketosis entirely. The highest I've seen is something like 10 lbs a week for 6 weeks straight, without a loss in energy or anything like that except for the first couple days of induction. In my experience, the people who lets say have 100+ lbs to lose will get the most dramatic results off of atkins, while those seeking to lose 10-20 might be disappointed.

Just keep in mind that atkins is a lifestyle plan, not so much a temporary thing. Eventually, after your induction phase, you can slowly add more carbs to your diet, though how much you can tolerate before you start gaining weight is all a matter of genetics. I've heard a lot of atkins bashers say they gained all the weight back after they stopped atkins and returned to their normal diet. For everyone here, that should light up the "no frickin duh" light bulb immediately, but I don't feel like getting into that here.

ketosis is great for dropping fat fast and sparing muscle. Worked great for me. Of course, you still have idiots lurking around that bash the atkins diet as "dangerous" They remind me of people that kept insisting the world was flat even though it was proven otherwise :spaz:

ketosis is great for dropping fat fast and sparing muscle. Worked great for me. Of course, you still have idiots lurking around that bash the atkins diet as "dangerous" They remind me of people that kept insisting the world was flat even though it was proven otherwise :spaz:
I guess I am one of those idiots. I belive that atkins ins a fad diet. Yes, it works like any other diet. But I've seen people that are off Atkin's, that went back to their normal eating habits and within short period of time gained even all back and even added more pounds. I am not an advocate against Atkin's. I just believe that it is possible to lose weight by eating clean food and excersising. Yes, it takes longer to achieve the goal, but the effect is great.
Here are my before and after pictures (http://www.body-for-life-tracker.com/showphotos.cfm?id=4234). I know they are not that good of a quality and a littel bit outdated (I will update pictures this weekend), I did it all by eating clean and excersising. Took me about 2 years to do. Long but pleasent journey.
At the end of the day I think it depends on the person to chose wich way to go. So please don't judge me bad all you Atkin's lovers. I resepct you for sticking to a 20 grams of carbs a day. It is HARD. :bow:

I wouldn't personally touch those types of diets with a bargepole, but I was maybe only 30-ish lbs too heavy to begin with.

I can see the benefit for people who need a bit of a kickstart who are carrying serious amounts of weight, but I'd never consider it a permanent alternative to getting a more balanced diet with a decent amount of carbs.

My 2 cents.

d sam, the point he was making is, if you do any kind of diet, then go back to exactly what made you fat in the first place, you're going to put it all back on again.

That's the "it's not rocket science" part.

Some people do atkins for 6 months, lose 3 stone then go back to pizza and mcdonalds, then they and their friends tell everyone it sucks becuase you put the weight back on.

Keto diets work, end of story, but they are diets, not perminent lifestyle changes. Diets take weight off, life style changes keep it off.

Saying you put it all back on afterwards is like saying the heating in your house is crap becase once you walk outside you get cold again.

Saying you put it all back on afterwards is like saying the heating in your house is crap becase once you walk outside you get cold again.

Exactly :tu:

...and while we're at it, I think someone should read this thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=1625)

Hey. I was just wondering what you all thought about Ketosis and low carb diets? I'm just trying to get afew differnt inputs here. Thanks,

D
My wife was on Atkins for quite some time. Before she did it, she researched the hell out of it reading many different books about the scientific changes that go on during ketosis and the pros and cons. The books were pretty wide and varied, not just the atkins books. The arguments were sound and made sense to her from a scientific perspective.

So as an experiment, she went to the doctor and had a full physical and health workup including a full blood test. She used that as a baseline. She went on Atkins for 3 months. Then she went back to the doctor again and had the same physical. Her weight went down. Her cholesterol went down. Triglyceride counts went up (that's the good direction) Basically, all of the vital measurements got better. This gave us incentive for her to continue on that path.

She lost the weight, then really got tired of the diet restrictions. She dropped the diet for a while and didn't really maintain a specific diet regime. She put on some weight after the diet, but not all, then she went to a caloric restriction diet where most all foods were fair game in moderation and lost weight that way too. She is more happy with the caloric restrictoin as a whole, but doesn't suffer a lot of the hunger problems that she used to because of some of the information she found using the atkins diet. The hunger is the biggest problem with the caloric restriction, but if you do it smart, and eat lots of protien and minimize the carbs, it's a lot easier to handle.

So all in all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with trying the atkins diet (with doctor consultation of course), but realistically, it's not a long term solution because of the monotony of the diet and other social pressures. There are no magic bullets. My feeling is that the only way to keep weight off is to work hard on lifestyle change and not quick remedies. If atkins is used along with a total long term plan, that includes lifestyle change, then do it!

PS. As far as it being a fad diet, I don't look at it that way. The name Atkins has only been around since the 70's, but examples of the diet, previous to any scientific research, has been around since neanderthal times. Think hunter-gatherer, meat eating and berry picking. No grains back then either.

I guess I am one of those idiots. I belive that atkins ins a fad diet. Yes, it works like any other diet. But I've seen people that are off Atkin's, that went back to their normal eating habits and within short period of time gained even all back and even added more pounds. I am not an advocate against Atkin's. I just believe that it is possible to lose weight by eating clean food and excersising. Yes, it takes longer to achieve the goal, but the effect is great.
Here are my before and after pictures (http://www.body-for-life-tracker.com/showphotos.cfm?id=4234). I know they are not that good of a quality and a littel bit outdated (I will update pictures this weekend), I did it all by eating clean and excersising. Took me about 2 years to do. Long but pleasent journey.
At the end of the day I think it depends on the person to chose wich way to go. So please don't judge me bad all you Atkin's lovers. I resepct you for sticking to a 20 grams of carbs a day. It is HARD. :bow:

See, your type of thinking is exactly why people disparage the Atkins diet. Why does everyone think that doing Atkins is eating less than 20grams/carbs day??? Thats only the very first phase of the diet! I eat up to 100g/carbs day. However, they usually end up being less that 20% of my calories eaten and are mostly low-glycemic.

Of course if you do the diet WRONG and eat 20g carb/day for 2 months then go back to eating 300g/day you are going to GAIN WEIGHT! Thats not the way you are supposed to do it.

I'm not defending any particular "diet".. I'm not even on the Atkins plan. I'm on my own plan which is lower carb, but not ketotic.

Atkins, unless you are severely overweight, is just not practical. Look at my before and after pictures. I did that with a balanced diet and exercise and I lost just as fast as someone on Atkins.

I have been on my own ketosis diet for two months now and in combination with actually starting to go to a gym that has helped me loose 20lbs.

I don't really care what diet I am doing, as all I want is to get rid of my beer belly that I have gained by living in London, UK for 4 years.

One thing this ketosis has done to me is that I actually read the nutrition information on all the food I buy. I have NEVER done that before in my life. For the first time ever I actually care about what I feed myself with...

I don't exercise a lot. I do 30 minutes spinning, and 10 minutes on a rowing machine every day. That makes me feel a lot better than before.

I have also (as part of the low carbs diet) cut down almost all sugars. It is not very hard to stop eating sweets and choclates, or having a diet coke instead of a regular.

Obviously I have stopped drinking the ridicusly large amout of beer that I used to. I have a beer or two per week, and compared to what I used to drink (living in London with pubs on every corner...) it is probably a 75% reduction in carbs just in beer.

So I am not strictly following Atkins or any other low carb diet. Just doing my own thing, and it seems to be working. I am not planning on going back to my old food habits, but to keep thinking about what I eat.

Thats my story.

Didn't I ask, please don't judge me bad?
I simply stated my point of view. I know it works. I know a number of people that were on Atkin's and still are on Atkin's. I just believe in natural weight loss by excersising and eating clean. That is all.

I am not a fan of the Atkins plan or any other fad plan.
Lets look at the defination of Diet according to dictionary.com
di·et1 ( P )
n.
The usual food and drink of a person or animal.

Here is my experience. My new years resolution was not to lose weight, but was to eat healthier. I had been doing some cardio 3 days a week for 6 months prior, but was not eating right. So on January 1 I started my new healthy eating plan.
Which consists of more water, Complex Carbs instead of regular carbs(i.e Whole Wheat Bread, pasta etc...), Ground Turkey in place of Hamburger, and more freash fruits and veggies. Since January 1 I have lost 25 lbs. People at work and the Gym ask if I am on Atkins because of my weight loss. They can not believe it when I tell them no. I simply tell them I am on the Common Sense diet. Smaller Portions, Healthier Food.

I sometimes refer to the Atkins Plan as the Lazy Persons diet. I did not get fat overnight, I can not expect to get skinny overnight. It takes hard work and self control to lose weight. Not a magic Plan that tells you to not eat a certain type of food.

It is different for each person. If you were on Atkins and it worked for you and you kept the weight off that is terrific. Unfortunately for me, I am surrounded by people at work who did not have that success and now weigh more than when they started.

My advice is to excercise, eat smaller portions and cut out the simple sugars.

I am not a fan of the Atkins plan or any other fad plan.
Lets look at the defination of Diet according to dictionary.com
di·et1 ( P )
n.
The usual food and drink of a person or animal.

Here is my experience. My new years resolution was not to lose weight, but was to eat healthier. I had been doing some cardio 3 days a week for 6 months prior, but was not eating right. So on January 1 I started my new healthy eating plan.
Which consists of more water, Complex Carbs instead of regular carbs(i.e Whole Wheat Bread, pasta etc...), Ground Turkey in place of Hamburger, and more freash fruits and veggies. Since January 1 I have lost 25 lbs. People at work and the Gym ask if I am on Atkins because of my weight loss. They can not believe it when I tell them no. I simply tell them I am on the Common Sense diet. Smaller Portions, Healthier Food.

I sometimes refer to the Atkins Plan as the Lazy Persons diet. I did not get fat overnight, I can not expect to get skinny overnight. It takes hard work and self control to lose weight. Not a magic Plan that tells you to not eat a certain type of food.

It is different for each person. If you were on Atkins and it worked for you and you kept the weight off that is terrific. Unfortunately for me, I am surrounded by people at work who did not have that success and now weigh more than when they started.

My advice is to excercise, eat smaller portions and cut out the simple sugars.

Thank you. That is exactly my point.

Just out of curiosity, how many of you "anti keto" guys have actually been trough a keto diet and is speaking of own experience?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, only one of you have.

And yet again, forgive me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, all keto-guys that has posted in this thread - except one - would recommend it to others.

I may be wrong here, but there's a pattern, isn't it?

This quote:
"I sometimes refer to the Atkins Plan as the Lazy Persons diet."

only goes to show how little knowledge to keto dieting certain people have. Atkins is one way of keto dieting, and it isn't a magic diet, none of the keto diets are - and by God does it take much effort and self control to go through a keto dieting plan. And at least for me - a lot of hard work:

- biking on the road 40 mins 5 days a week
- spinning 40-60 mins 3 times a week
- light weights 2-3 times a week

...I would not call that lazy, and I would highly recommend that you enlighten yourself on the keto dieting subject before you give any advice or recommendation to anyone.

The key thing is to find a way that works for you - we all know that keto work, and we all know that a restricted calorie diet work.

But in reality, my keto diet has been a restricted calorie diet too, cause I simply can't force myself to eat enough - I'm having a really hard time eating more than 1600 k cal, but have forced myself to eat at least 1700.

This thread is yet another example of what I brought up in this thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=1625), and I honestly don't understand how anyone that haven't even tried keto dieting can say anything about it. One thing is what you read, another thing is experience.

It's like if anyone asked me about who they should vote for in the Burkina Faso presidential election - I have no clue about it, so I can't tell. :confused:

"I sometimes refer to the Atkins Plan as the Lazy Persons diet."

only goes to show how little knowledge to keto dieting certain people have.

I was on Atkins for about 2 months and it made me feel like complete crap. I was irritable and tired all the time. My reference to comes from my experience with people on it. People go on it and lose weight without having to excercise.

It is funny how people can pick and choose. The end of my post states

It is different for each person. If you were on Atkins and it worked for you and you kept the weight off that is terrific. Unfortunately for me, I am surrounded by people at work who did not have that success and now weigh more than when they started.

So some people have a good experience with some do not. My point was you have to find out what works for you. Each persons body is different and will respond different. I have had good success with my diet, that does not mean that you will to. I think you can take a little bit of information from each plan and construct your own personal diet.

"I sometimes refer to the Atkins Plan as the Lazy Persons diet."

/me rolls eyes...

Here are some studies for you to chew on before you go around bashing low carb diets again. Be sure and check the results of the first study I made bold..
Thank you and good night I'm retiring from the discussion :D


Summary:


The following information was a conference presentation and was not written by Atkins professionals.

Some studies suggest ultra-low carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets may be useful for weight reduction. In this prospective, randomized controlled three-arm pilot study, subjects were fed freshly prepared meals for 12 weeks. Portions were measured by grams. Menus were matched (different quiche, bread, key lime cheesecake recipes, etc.; differing portion sizes of poached salmon, turkey teriyaki/noodles, grilled chicken, broccoli, string beans, salad, etc.)

This study design, which carefully controlled caloric intake, addressed whether ketogenic diets may work by reduced energy intake due to satiation or boredom, or whether there are differences in the utilization of calories.

The study included 21 subjects: mean age 58 (+ 5.5); mean BMI 33 (+ 3 ) All subjects received multivitamin/mineral supplements. The macronutrient caloric percentages were LF: 55% carbohydrate, 15% protein, 30% fat; both LC: 5% total carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 65% fat. The table includes the caloric totals for each Diet Group.

Main outcomes: Weight, vital signs, labs including cbc and blood chemistries including lipids were measured every 4 weeks; DEXA scans (for fat/lean tissue) and waist/hip measures at baseline and endpoint.


Outcome Measure Decreases: Mean (+s.e.) and Percentage from Baseline

Decrease in: LF1* LC1* LC2*

(1500/1800 kcal) (1500/1800 kcal) (1800/2100 kcal)

Weight (pounds) 17 (+2.4); 8% 23 (+4.6); 11% 20 (+ 3.4); 10%

Waist (inches) 2.6 (+.54); 7% 4.3 (+.73);11% 3.8 (+ .68); 10%

Hip (inches) 1.9 (+ .71); 4% 2.6 (+.68); 6% 2.9 (+ .71); 7%

[*Calories Women/Men, respectively]


A large weight loss was seen in all three groups (8%, 11%, and 10% of baseline weight in 12 weeks). Although not statistically significant in this pilot, a trend was observed toward greater average weight loss in the higher caloric LC2 than in LF1, with LC1 losing the most The finding that all three groups showed large weight loss, with caloric intake carefully controlled, runs counter to the idea that ketogenic diets work primarily by reduction in energy intake.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Background: Childhood obesity has been recognized as the new epidemic in developed countries. Caloric restriction with physical activity is the main therapeutic treatment available for these children. We compared two different dietary protocols to assess treatment efficacy. Methods: Obese children from the Pediatric Endocrinology clinic were prospectively recruited for the study. Children and their parents were allowed to choose one of two dietary protocols: (1) carbohydrate restricted diet (<30 g/day), with unlimited calories, protein, and fat (High protein, Low CHO Diet), and (2) calorie restricted diet (Low Cal Diet). Anthropometric data were measured at baseline and at the 2 month follow up appointment. Results: Thirty-seven children completed the study of whom 27 chose High Protein, Low CHO Diet and 10 chose Low Cal diet. No differences in gender ratio, age, or BMI were observed at baseline. At 2 months, children in the High Protein, Low CHO Diet lost an average of 5.21 ± 3.44 kg (p < 0.001) and decreased their BMI by 2.42 ± 1.3 points (p < 0.001), compared to the children in the Low Cal Diet who gained an average of 2.36 ± 2.54 kg and 1.00 point on the BMI value (p < 0.001). Conclusions: A high protein, low carbohydrate, unlimited calorie diet was superior to a restricted calorie protocol for weight loss in obese school age children; moreover, compliance was better.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Claims about the merits or risks of carbohydrate (CHO) vs. protein for weight loss diets are extensive, yet the ideal ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein for adult health and weight management remains unknown. This study examined the efficacy of two weight loss diets with modified CHO/protein ratios to change body composition and blood lipids in adult women. Women (n = 24; 45 to 56 y old) with body mass indices >26 kg/m(2) were assigned to either a CHO Group consuming a diet with a CHO/protein ratio of 3.5 (68 g protein/d) or a Protein Group with a ratio of 1.4 (125 g protein/d). Diets were isoenergetic, providing 7100 kJ/d, and similar amounts of fat ( approximately 50 g/d). After consuming the diets for 10 wk, the CHO Group lost 6.96 +/- 1.36 kg body weight and the Protein Group lost 7.53 +/- 1.44 kg. Weight loss in the Protein Group was partitioned to a significantly higher loss of fat/lean (6.3 +/- 1.2 g/g) compared with the CHO Group (3.8 +/- 0.9). Both groups had significant reductions in serum cholesterol ( approximately 10%), whereas the Protein Group also had significant reductions in triacylglycerols (TAG) (21%) and the ratio of TAG/HDL cholesterol (23%). Women in the CHO Group had higher insulin responses to meals and postprandial hypoglycemia, whereas women in the Protein Group reported greater satiety. This study demonstrates that increasing the proportion of protein to carbohydrate in the diet of adult women has positive effects on body composition, blood lipids, glucose homeostasis and satiety during weight loss.

----------------------------------------------------------------

As you only referred to your current non-lowcarb diet, I assumed, rightfully, that you had no experience with keto dieting.

I think I've pretty much covered my ass in my post as to picking, choosing and assuming. Your lack of info has led me to assume the wrong things, and I'm sorry for that :rolleyes:

Thanks for all the inputs. I like hearing everyone's opinion about losing weight.
Personaly, I tried Keto, under 20 g of carbs a day, but I didnt like it because 1)Its too hard for me to cut something completely out of my diet, and 2) I seemed to bulk more than anything.
All in all, I think its alot easier for me ot eat a little of everything and lose weight, than eliminate one thing.
They are all diets, and I dont think one works better than the other. I think it jsut depends on everyone's preference.

Keep the inputs coming.

D

Hee hee... This looks good. No seriously though, keto vs. anti-keto, it's an interesting question.

Over the last month I have been doing none stop research at the computer or with my head in books and what i've found is pretty amazing.

We all eat too much carbs. Whether we like to admit it or not, that IS the end of the story. Carbs is energy. If you don't use that energy, it is stored in fat cells and you get fatter. Full stop.

Much deliberation and research has shown a common trend with everyone here. We are all exercising to burn off what we've eaten during the day, with the hopes of either becoming more muscular or trimming down to the 6 pack. Eating is normal but exercise is not. That is an extra activity we are doing because we eat too much.

The human body is only meant to maintain itself for the day. Call it the BMR if you will. That's it, you're not supposed to go beyond that. You're not supposed to have to lower calories to reduce your stored energy reserves and you're certainly not supposed to eat extra just to burn extra.

Ketosis... Now, Ketosis is actually a normal bodily function. It is only because people have become so fat in the first place that doctors and medical experts alike are having to remind themselves that old school works instead of messing about looking for ways to alter the metabolic norms of the body.

Carbohydrates are only supposed to be of the kind that come from fruits and vegetables. We're not supposed to eat pasta, or rice, or lasagne or spagetti. We're built to eat meat by the kilo and whatever fat comes off of it.

When someone tells me that it's not normal to lose weight so quickly, I say that if it wasn't normal, we wouldn't be able to do it. Unless it's through illness.

The other part of the research that I did, was about the specific weight loss and the speeds at which it can happen. You can indeed lose fat from eating less, and you can indeed lose fat from exercise. What changes is what you are capable of eating during the day. Seems simple? Well, it is. i.e. you eat and you don't feel full, you eat again or feed later. If you don't eat, and feel hunger, then you're not eating enough.

Combining all these and you can create a huge window in which you can burn all the fat you want in the healthiest way to you.

We know that ketosis type diets are actually normal, yet we also know that if we want to eat more carbs, as long as it's burned off and not stored, all is well. Guaranteed, that those eating more carbs are exercising more than they have to.

If I'm lazy for being smart, then damn.

Hope all goes well!

A bit of heated discussion in here, nothing wrong with that.

Before I get started some background on me.
Went on 'Atkins' type low carb diet and lost 55 pounds (245 - 190) with no exercise.
I have kept it all off over the course of two years.

Did I feel tired all the time? No
Did I 'gain it all back and then some'? Obviously not
Did Atkins make me 'skinny-fat' (a lot of lost muscle)? No, some muscle loss but not enough to even be perceptable.

Seriously, before anyone can comment on any particular diet, they need to at least read the material or get educated about what it's about. Most people get their information by word of mouth and one persons opinion becomes someone elses fact.

One point I would like to make loud and clear...

**It doesn't matter what kind of diet you are on, fad or otherwise, if you fall back into your old habits you WILL regain what you lost. This is no different with Atkins as it is with a 'clean' balanced diet. There is no magical formula in a low-carb diet that makes you gain more than you lost. It's called lack of commitment and failure of willpower.**

What a lot of people fail to realise is that the method of eating that is espoused on the board is not that different in principle to low carb diets.

No refined sugars
No refined breads
No or low fruit consumption
No or low starchy vegetables
Higher than FDA recommended protein intake

Is this low-carb or 'eating clean'? Kind of hard to tell isn't it.

While there are differences, and 'eating clean' I think is obviously preferable for several reasons, to dismiss low carb diets out of hand for someone that is overweight doesn't make sense.

If anyone wants my opinion on Atkins here it is...

If you are more than 30 pounds over your ideal weight or have a lot of problems getting decent cardio because of your weight, give it a try. Go 30 days very limited carbs, all the green veggies you want. If you are male and you stick to it, you can very likely come away 30 pounds lighter. And no, it won't be 'all muscle'. This won't work for everyone, and males respond to this much better than females as a rule. If you don't like how it makes you feel or doesn't work for you, quit, no harm no foul, you will not die any more likely than burning yourself out on the treadmill or severely restricting your calories. However, if it doesn't work for you please don't go around yelling that Atkins is stupid because it didn't work for you. It obviously works for many people, including me, so it's going to be pretty damn hard to convince me that I made a mistake.

I went low carb and have since phased into a 'clean diet' along with regular excersise that is recommended here and while the results are slower, it's easier to maintain and overall heathlier.

Man, this is gonna be debated to no end

But still I gotta throw in my two bits :D

I dont reccomend anyone being on it if youre below around 15% to 20% BF. That being said, it is the fastest way to lose weight. Still, speaking from personal experience, I do not believe it was good on my heart! I found it was often racing and my blood pressure was very high. If you do Atkins, keep the red meat consumption down and monitor your blood pressure for changes.

I think Atkins is getting way to popular. I can't go anywhere without someone shoving that stupid red A in my face....restaraunts, grocery stores. It's so annoying.

While I agree that the 'Atkins craze' can be grating, I think as a whole the phenomenon has had a net positive effect to health and fitness. The linking of carbohydrate and fat excess has opened the eyes of many people and given them a reason to look at food labels. No one that I know that went on a diet like this has walked away with less knowledge than when they started.

Before I went on Atkins I had no clue about nutrition and never read labels on anything. My perception was actually that fat made you fat. I had NO CLUE that sugar could fatten me up. Now I read labels on EVERYTHING and understand what I am putting into my body. :tu:

My uncle just got done doing the Atkins diet. He's in his mid 30s and has always been fit. No one in the family felt he needed to lose any weight at all, but he said he felt like he was getting fat. He lost like 20-30 pounds and now looks cut. The diet really worked, I think I might go ahead and try it.

I agree with the "pro ketosis" people here, however Im currently trying to get into ketosis and finding my body to be VERY stubborn... its totally annoying me.
arrrrghhh

I would like to add that all diets will WORK! it's only a matter of how fast it'll work and hw discipline you can be.

Personally, i think Keto's the best way to kickstart my diet. I have tried many other ways, but result was slow or close to zero and often end up discourage and gave up.

When i started Keto, result was fast and visible, 1st two weeks lost a total of 11lbs, and then a further 5lbs was reduced. I have been on this diet for abt 8 weeks and total weight loss is 15lbs.
However, from week 6 to week 8, my fat loss has stall. Planning to slowly introduce more carbs back into my systems.

Finally, please bear in mind that the Human Body is very very adaptive, therefore variety is the key!

Here is good reference site:
http://www.c-k-d.com/

:gl:

Ok, now we're getting somewhere with this thread. StrongBad, excellent post! :tu:

And I find it quite interesting that there are only a few (two now as I know of) that has been on a keto diet that won't recommend it.

John has a lot of excellent info on his way of dieting, but what if someone here on these boards did an article on the "eating clean" vs keto dieting?

I think that could be very interesting for newbies here. Most other articles I've read are very biased towards one certain diet, but I think that we could pull off a good unbiased article...anyone up for the task?

Ok, now we're getting somewhere with this thread. StrongBad, excellent post! :tu:

And I find it quite interesting that there are only a few (two now as I know of) that has been on a keto diet that won't recommend it.

John has a lot of excellent info on his way of dieting, but what if someone here on these boards did an article on the "eating clean" vs keto dieting?

I think that could be very interesting for newbies here. Most other articles I've read are very biased towards one certain diet, but I think that we could pull off a good unbiased article...anyone up for the task?

Thats a great idea,to have an unbiased informative article. Maybe some pros and cons to each, and make it a sticky, though I dont have near enough knowledge to write a complete article. I have been on keto and balanced diet. After being on both, I find it easier for me to be on a "balanced" diet. One of the reasons is, on keto, you need to figure out exactly how much cals,fat,carbs,and protein you need, or you could get hurt down the road.I think that is something alot of people don't understand. They seem to jsut eat a bunch of meat, not counting numbers. Also, too much protein can result in fat deposits in blood and arteries. I am on the "balanced" side, though I am not saying one is wrong or one is right. I think all the Atkins advertising actualy turns me away from the style of dieting. It seems more like a fad when you see the red A all over the place. So annoying. Let me know what big restaraunt chain has it on their menu so I can boycott it :nod: What is it, Outback Steakhouse? Ruby Tuesday?

By the way, Im on my moms computer (Im home for spring break), and I guess I made a name on her computer for this board that I forgot about, and it automaticaly logged me in. I'm "dso".

well, I'm no physiologist but I do know I lost 25lb on a largely ketotic diet over a few months. since I started training I've added "good" lo-glycemic grainy carbs. it was difficult to sustain that type of eating. meat meat meat. green veg green veg green veg. bleah. I really appreciate a nice bowl of oatmeal or a slice of nuggets 'n burrs bread now :)

I think a lot of the backlash is at people who, like someone said, are pursuing a lazy diet: not exercising, eating low-carb versions of the same crap that made them fat in the first place, etc

hey, does anyone else look at all the garbage people buy at the grocery store and want to just slap the snot out of them til they get it? especially when their kids are little round blobs of blubber :mad: or is it just me?

I did a strict keto diet about 1.5 years ago and lost alot of weight. I bought "keto strips", pissed on them, and hoped I was staying into ketosis. I admit that I never really researched the diet like I should have. I took advice from a personal trainer at a gym I was at. I was lifting weights at the time, but I don't think I was getting anywhere because I was lifting too hard without adequate calories and rest which resulted in a big overtraining experience.

I think keto is a great diet for stripping fat. I won't bash it, but I don't think it's a diet for me. I love carbs, but I monitor my carb intake and the type of carbs I eat. The only time I consume high glycemic carbs is after the workout or HIIT cardio session. Currently my diet is 45% protein, 35% carbs and 20% fat and I really like this diet. To me, I don't think carb restriction is as much important as is the TYPE of carbs we eat--low and high glycemic carbs make or break the diet. When considering carbs on a diet, low glycemic/moderate carb diet is the way to go for me.

Carbohydrates are only supposed to be of the kind that come from fruits and vegetables. We're not supposed to eat pasta, or rice, or lasagne or spagetti. We're built to eat meat by the kilo and whatever fat comes off of it.

What a horribly ethnocentric observation, I know maybe you didn't mean it to be that way...but think about it...what's the staple of Asian diets? Rice.
And in case you've never noticed they're not fat. I'm not necessarily anti-ketosis, but I don't want people to be brainwashed into thinking pasta, rice, or whole grains are bad for you. Like anything, they serve a function: moderation is key. And that's what I don't like about Atkins, its the exact opposite of moderation.

I don't doubt it works (I did it myself w/ success), but the long term effects of it arn't known. Plus I just hate how carbs have become the scapegoat for America's obesity.

What a horribly ethnocentric observation, I know maybe you didn't mean it to be that way...but think about it...what's the staple of Asian diets? Rice.
And in case you've never noticed they're not fat. I'm not necessarily anti-ketosis, but I don't want people to be brainwashed into thinking pasta, rice, or whole grains are bad for you. Like anything, they serve a function: moderation is key. And that's what I don't like about Atkins, its the exact opposite of moderation.

I don't doubt it works (I did it myself w/ success), but the long term effects of it arn't known. Plus I just hate how carbs have become the scapegoat for America's obesity.

You are right, I think ALOT of Americans are being brainwashed into thinking bread, pasta, fruit, is bad for you, and it is not. Like fat, it should be eaten in moderation though.