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Your energy gains are more from being more healthy and not weighing as much. Not so much the particular diet you're on. Now that you are down 17lbs, go grab 17

Your energy gains are more from being more healthy and not weighing as much. Not so much the particular diet you're on. Now that you are down 17lbs, go grab 17lbs worth of weights and strap them to your body somehow and walk around the house for a bit like that. It's pretty incredible how much 17lbs will feel like. Now think of how much harder your body had to work to carry that extra 17lbs everywhere. (This is assuming that the 17lbs lost was not comprised of muscle =p)

dchuk 9y ago
Good point!
- Cshelton 9y ago
  The best thing you could probably do now is some weight training. By adding more muscle and increasing your resting metabolism, you're more likely to keep that weight off and feel even more healthy/stronger. Not to mention looking a TON better too.
  - dchuk 9y ago
    That's on the list. Her and I are currently training for a half marathon that's happening in a few months so definitely getting my exercise in. Next goal is some body weight stuff at home, been a while.
HorizonXP 9y ago
I've lost this much weight via traditional means before, and I will say that keto is very different. Your sleep improves, and overall focus is better. The weight loss certainly helps. But for me, keto does something different.
- komali2 9y ago
  This illustrates my problem with "the keto phenomena" (also including Atkins and its ilk). My problem is because my parents have been on the Atkins diet for about 5 years now. They objectively have lost weight, they claim to feel much better, more energetic, etc. I don't have a way to argue that this could just be because they are healthier, fitter, and slimmer now. That the reason could just as easily be because they consume less calories and a no-longer-absurd amount of carbs. To them, it's all because of Atkins. The reason I have a problem with it is that I'm not convinced that long-term, severe carb restriction (and the consequential increase in fat in the diet) is healthy. Their cholesterol is rising, they are consuming alarming amounts of high-fat foods such as bacon and butter, and I don't think they ever actually learned how to "diet" because they still eat a lot, but because it's low carb, they don't gain weight. They still drink and eat a lot of "sweet food," because they never tackled those cravings, just instead of sugar now they get aspertain or whatever it's called. Lots of coke zero, atkins bars, etc. I can't find any evidence that long term atkins dieting is unhealthy, so I can't convincingly link the increase in cholesterol (or convince them that high cholesterol levels are unhealthy) or increase in kidney stones to their diet. To them if I ever am able to point out a negative change before and after their diet, it's simply due to old age (kidney stones for example).
  - Baeocystin 9y ago
    The increased kidney stone problem is a real risk. You can help minimize it by taking citrate ion supplementation, which is available in prescription slow-release, or cheap OTC regular tablets. My doctor recommended it when I started keto years ago, and so far so good. I would do it anyway, as I've had a kidney stone again, and holy hell I do not want to experience that twice if at all possible! Regarding cholesterol levels: make sure they get a full vertical profile, not just a calculated one. If their overall levels are higher, but it's from HDL, and the amount of LDL or VLDL is low, there is no associated increase in cardiac risk. FWIW.
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  > Your sleep improves Your sleep may have improved, but that's not generalizable. People have extremely different reactions to keto.
Baeocystin 9y ago
(Not OP, just chiming in with my own experience) It honestly isn't. My weight has fluctuated quite a bit over my adult life, and I can tell you with 100% certainty I had more energy (by far) eating keto when I weighed near my max of 250 than when I used more traditional diets to get to ~220 during an earlier cycle.
bsilvereagle 9y ago
Another thing to consider when people mention feeling better on a ketogenic diet: * Most ketogenic dieters are properly hydrated so they lose the initial water weight * Ketogenic dieters watch their electrolyte levels * A ketogenic diet removes wheat/gluten which may be causing inflammation/other irritations for some people * Most ketogenic dieters increase their intake of leafy greens/vegetables since they are great carriers for fatty dressing and butter * Lack of sugar so blood sugar levels stabilize I think it's very difficult to say whether it's ketosis, proper hydration, better electrolytes, lack of inflammatory foods, no sugar, or increase in vegetables that leads to people feeling "better" on a ketogenic diet.

dchuk 9y ago

Good point!

Cshelton 9y ago
The best thing you could probably do now is some weight training. By adding more muscle and increasing your resting metabolism, you're more likely to keep that weight off and feel even more healthy/stronger. Not to mention looking a TON better too.
- dchuk 9y ago
  That's on the list. Her and I are currently training for a half marathon that's happening in a few months so definitely getting my exercise in. Next goal is some body weight stuff at home, been a while.

HorizonXP 9y ago

I've lost this much weight via traditional means before, and I will say that keto is very different. Your sleep improves, and overall focus is better. The weight loss certainly helps. But for me, keto does something different.

komali2 9y ago
This illustrates my problem with "the keto phenomena" (also including Atkins and its ilk). My problem is because my parents have been on the Atkins diet for about 5 years now. They objectively have lost weight, they claim to feel much better, more energetic, etc. I don't have a way to argue that this could just be because they are healthier, fitter, and slimmer now. That the reason could just as easily be because they consume less calories and a no-longer-absurd amount of carbs. To them, it's all because of Atkins. The reason I have a problem with it is that I'm not convinced that long-term, severe carb restriction (and the consequential increase in fat in the diet) is healthy. Their cholesterol is rising, they are consuming alarming amounts of high-fat foods such as bacon and butter, and I don't think they ever actually learned how to "diet" because they still eat a lot, but because it's low carb, they don't gain weight. They still drink and eat a lot of "sweet food," because they never tackled those cravings, just instead of sugar now they get aspertain or whatever it's called. Lots of coke zero, atkins bars, etc. I can't find any evidence that long term atkins dieting is unhealthy, so I can't convincingly link the increase in cholesterol (or convince them that high cholesterol levels are unhealthy) or increase in kidney stones to their diet. To them if I ever am able to point out a negative change before and after their diet, it's simply due to old age (kidney stones for example).
- Baeocystin 9y ago
  The increased kidney stone problem is a real risk. You can help minimize it by taking citrate ion supplementation, which is available in prescription slow-release, or cheap OTC regular tablets. My doctor recommended it when I started keto years ago, and so far so good. I would do it anyway, as I've had a kidney stone again, and holy hell I do not want to experience that twice if at all possible! Regarding cholesterol levels: make sure they get a full vertical profile, not just a calculated one. If their overall levels are higher, but it's from HDL, and the amount of LDL or VLDL is low, there is no associated increase in cardiac risk. FWIW.
dragonwriter 9y ago
> Your sleep improves Your sleep may have improved, but that's not generalizable. People have extremely different reactions to keto.

Baeocystin 9y ago

(Not OP, just chiming in with my own experience) It honestly isn't. My weight has fluctuated quite a bit over my adult life, and I can tell you with 100% certainty I had more energy (by far) eating keto when I weighed near my max of 250 than when I used more traditional diets to get to ~220 during an earlier cycle.

bsilvereagle 9y ago

Another thing to consider when people mention feeling better on a ketogenic diet: * Most ketogenic dieters are properly hydrated so they lose the initial water weight * Ketogenic dieters watch their electrolyte levels * A ketogenic diet removes wheat/gluten which may be causing inflammation/other irritations for some people * Most ketogenic dieters increase their intake of leafy greens/vegetables since they are great carriers for fatty dressing and butter * Lack of sugar so blood sugar levels stabilize I think it's very difficult to say whether it's ketosis, proper hydration, better electrolytes, lack of inflammatory foods, no sugar, or increase in vegetables that leads to people feeling "better" on a ketogenic diet.