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Effects of a Year in Ketosis [video]
- myztic 11y ago2 weeks in ketosis, all I can say by now (and this only applies to me of course): 1) It was far easier than I thought it would be (some fatigue 5-6 days in, but that was quickly gone) 2) I have less meals (usually 2 meals, I am totally fine with that) 3) I have no cravings (the famous midnight snack is no more) 4) No side effects so far, not even constipation which I read some people have. 5) It requires creativity in the kitchen (or else you'll be sick of eating the same things again and again). I supplement with Calcium-Magnesium-Zink and Multi-Vitamins. For me personally it is easier to loose weight on a ketogenic diet than with a carbohydrate-rich diet. Especially due to no cravings, that probably due to more stable blood sugar. That being said you can loose weight with any diet of course. Interestingly Ketosis is nothing "new", it has been used for a very long time in younger patients with regular seizures, as ketosis reduces the amount of seizures significantly[1]. A lot of interesting research will follow in the near future. For example whether a ketogenic diet reduces the risk of some form of cancers (it might "starve cancer cells"), if there are significant long-term side effects, et cetera... [1] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001903.pub2/abstract http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001903...
- ferrari8608 11y ago7 months in ketosis, and I can confirm all of your points. I don't bother with supplements though. Well seasoned meat has everything the body needs.
- mingabunga 11y agoI did a couple of months and quite liked it. Couple of downsides/notes. 1. I do a lot of sport (sprints/track & Field) and it's no good for the dynamic sports as I found out. Energy from fat explosive events because the free fatty acids can’t produce ATP quickly enough. Carbohydrate metabolism occurs faster that fat metabolism, refilling ATP stores quicker, and improving short range (10-60 seconds) recovery better than Fats. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-06/uosc-fts060214.php http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-06/uosc-fts06021... 2. You're thirsty a lot - just keep your fluids up. 3. Your partner may not appreciate your acetone breath 4. Eat too many nuts and you'll probably get an itchy bum!
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- toomuchtodo 11y agoGo easy on the red meat; research is starting to show it can cause colon cancer in certain quantities. Use whey or soy protein for some (not all) of your protein macros. https://www.pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/diet-cancer/type/colon-cancer https://www.pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/diet-cancer/typ... http://www.health.harvard.edu/family_health_guide/red-meat-and-colon-cancer http://www.health.harvard.edu/family_health_guide/red-meat-a... http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174014000564 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174014... http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/red-meat.aspx http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/red-meat.aspx
- ferrari8608 11y agoI hardly eat any red meat. It's expensive, and there just isn't enough fat in it. Pork, fowl, and fish are more than enough options for hitting a protein target.
- toomuchtodo 11y agoDo you like eggs? They're a fantastic protein source! Also, fish (I see you mentioned that) is helpful for omega-3 intake.
- noondip 11y agoOr, get your omega-3 from plant sources like flax and chia seed, and avoid eating fat-soluble industrial pollutants, like mercury and lead, found in fish.
- ferrari8608 11y agoAh, I forgot about eggs. Not sure how though; I eat at least one every day. They're so versatile, and they literally have all of the nutrients required to build a functional chicken. Nutrient density is an underrated metric.
- noondip 11y agoThis presentation conveniently forgot to mention the ill effects, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, resulting as a consequence of getting "80% of your calories from fat" and just how unsustainable this way of eating is. I much prefer a high-carb, low-fat vegan diet which has many more benefits and is overall healthier, more sustainable. It's strange people still go for low-carb, ketogenic diets given how much research shows its harms (for example, http://atkinsexposed.org/ http://atkinsexposed.org/). It's also puzzling why one would not prefer the only diet clinically proven to reverse heart disease, the top cause of death in the US.
- e40 11y agoThe only evidence you provide is from a site that has clear biases against a diet which has a heavy non-vegan component. See the the Talk section of the Atkins page on wikipedia (search for the referenced website): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Atkins_diet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Atkins_diet EDIT: for those downvoting. Look at the "Expert opinions" section, it has the details that others have given about the referenced site.
- noondip 11y agoSorry, what should I be looking at on there? If you want evidence for eating high-carb vegan over low-carb keto, read dietary guidelines from any non-profit nutritional or health authority. They all uniformly and strongly advise people away from animal products and on to low-fat starchy vegetables and fruit.
- ioquatix 11y agoWhat is wrong with having a well balanced diet? Some days eat lots of fats, some days more carbs, etc. Extrema are not good for your health.
- jordanthoms 11y agoBasing your diet off of adages isn't good for your health either. Ketosis doesn't work well for everyone or in every situation but rejecting it on the basis of 'balance' without any evidence of harm is just lazy.
- omginternets 11y agoThe whole question is determining what "normal" (and thus "extreme") actually is, so statements like "extrema are not good for your health" are just plain silly in this context. In fact, it's even sillier than that since extreme bursts of energy (which most of us call exercise) are demonstrably very good for your health. If by "extrema" you meant "excessive things", then your point is tautological.
- ioquatix 11y agoWell, I do believe there is such a thing as a "well balanced diet" which includes food from all groups.
- gayprogrammer 11y agoThe context of balance is the very thing being studied. How are the food groups defined? Why isn't ethanol included as a food group? Do you consider fiber in its own group? Taking "balanced" portions from a set of groups makes the context in which the groups are defined very important.
- omginternets 11y agoThat's nice, but you've said basically nothing. What are the food groups? What's the right proportion? Does it vary with age/ethnicity/nurture? These are precisely the questions being examined, so telling people to eat a balanced diet without telling them what that actually is, doesn't help.
- moron4hire 11y agoI'm currently a month into a ketogenic diet. I've lost 10 lbs so far (moving average, not spot measure). I had done it once before, 5 years ago, for a length of 3 months, where I lost 30 lbs, but then I gained it back over the course of two years after getting married. Hydration is extremely important in any diet, but this particular diet on me seems to especially need it. I get extremely lethargic if I don't get enough water. I also find I have to force feed myself. To have enough energy and therefore willpower to avoid carb-loaded food, I generally have to eat 50% more than I feel like I "want" when first sitting down to a meal. I find myself getting bored with the food before I'm done. But it works for me. If I play by the rules, it's the only diet I've been able to see results and thus stick to. I've been lazy lately and eating a lot of deli meat, so I need to reduce my sodium. Otherwise, I eat a lot of ribeye steaks, porkloin steaks, chicken thighs, eggs (often fried over easy and served on top of the steaks), peppers, onions, broccoli, spinach, romaine. Small amounts of cheese, beans, and tomatoes. Lots of spices. And that's about it. Probably most of the weight loss is the fact I'm not drinking beer or eating cheeseburgers all the time. An ounce of lean protein is only about half the calories of an ounce of bread. Does one feel different than the other in the stomach? I think I'm probably de facto calorie reducing. But whatever. I don't care what the mechanism is. Leave that to the researchers. I just care that my knees don't hurt as bad and I have more energy.
- toomuchtodo 11y ago> or eating cheeseburgers all the time. Cheeseburgers are okay! Just hold the bun and the ketchup. One of my favorite keto meals is a double cheeseburger with bacon, mustard, extra mayo, lettuce, and onions from Five Guys or In-N-Out.
- moron4hire 11y agoWhy go through the bother of deconstructing a meal to receive what is ultimately a low-quality piece of meat? I love me a burger, but let's face it, grinding beef is a means to save tough meat. And these chefs who are making burgers out of Wagu should be considered a criminals. I keep steaks in the fridge at home. Four minutes a side is a lot faster, less effort, and tastes better than driving down and pulling apart a Five Guys burger.
- Kinnard 11y agoCan I say: people seem surprisingly emotionaly invested in arguments for or against certain diets. I expected more presentation of data and less ad hominen from HN on a subject that as far as I knew wasn't the most contentious our society was facing.
- brandonmenc 11y agoCasual observation, but hackers seem to gravitate toward vegetarian and caveman diets more so than the general population, which is probably why this thread is so frothy.
- Kinnard 11y agoI noticed that too. Myself included. I really wonder why? Some form of anarcho-primitivism that comes from working so closely with the most advanced tech?
- brandonmenc 11y agoI think because the body becomes something to hack, they're often already adventurous eaters, and smart people sometimes fall into the trap of believing their intelligence applies equally well to areas outside their expertise (ex: the physician who thinks they can pick stocks, or the programmer who thinks they know more about cholesterol than a cardiologist.)
- Kinnard 11y agoHmmm. So you don't believe in polymathy?
- brandonmenc 11y agoI don't believe that people who aren't medical researchers can argue against the prevailing theory of dietary cholesterol any more than a layperson can go head to head with climate scientists and argue against global warming. Ironically, I eat a high cholesterol diet because I believe I'm not a so-called hyper-responder. But also because my doctor says "keep doing what you're doing" every time I get a lipid panel.
- ceratopisan 11y agoFrom what I've seen, it doesn't seem that carbohydrates are necessarily bad; it's that they are so calorically dense that cutting them out and replacing with something else less intense (like lean meat or relatively healthy fats) makes a difference. I've lost 30 pounds while baking as a hobby and reducing meat intake to accommodate a family member; my carb consumption is way up. This is in part because I know what I'm eating, in carbohydrate form, and am conscious of the quality and quantity. I'm not necessarily recommending that as a diet plan for anyone; I'm presenting it as a counter to the keto diet items that show now.