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Is this basically a book review? Anyway, keto is great. I wasn’t terribly overweight and lost 19lbs in 9 weeks with it with a cheat day included. It’s great be

Is this basically a book review? Anyway, keto is great. I wasn’t terribly overweight and lost 19lbs in 9 weeks with it with a cheat day included. It’s great because it’s a very simple set of very few rules. It’s easy to adhere to because it removes moment decision making around whether or not you “should” or “deserve” to have X food. It’s nearly impossible for you to eat enough calories to maintain your current weight on keto when you’re already overweight. Therefore a deficit is nearly guaranteed therefore weightless is guaranteed. On top of all that you do get better at burning fat and don’t get as hungry. The counterpoint is the tough piece - how do you come off that diet and reenter the real world where people eat carbs. How can you get pizza with friends, etc. I understand their are some who view keto as a lifestyle, good for them but most people aren’t going to do that. Beyond the simple reality of calories are calories, none of this other stuff around fat vs protein vs carbs is really very hard to understand. Simple carbs are rocket fuel, they provide a lot of energy over a very short period of time. If you’re not going to use it, once the sugar saturates your blood, the excess will be taken out and stored. Then you’ll get hungry again. Fats are slower burning, so it’s harder for you to saturate your blood quickly. This is an over simplification obviously but this is just not so hard to understand that it needs to be an endless debate over or be positioned as controversial in order to sell books. 1. Losing weight can and often will fix your diabetes. 2. Be conscious of the method you choose for weight loss, when you obtain your goal weight - what will you do long term?

drjasonharrison 3y ago
The problem with your simple model of carbs, fats, proteins is that in people with type 2 diabetes their dietary fats have clogged up their muscle cells ability to store blood sugars as glycogen. So while removing the "rocket fuel" from the diet its not clear that the underlying problem has been solved. At least not until the fats have been removed from the muscle cells. And yes, transitioning off of a keto diet may lead to the reversal of the positive gains (insulin sensitivity, body composition, average blood sugar level measured using red blood cell oxidation or A1C). And agreed, controversy gains attention which may lead to book sales.
pixl97 3y ago
Don't forget to add fiber on this... Modern foods are horrifically fiber deficient, as in it's removed and fed back to animals. One of the key things you said around this is... >once the sugar saturates your blood, This is the glycemic index. Our modern diet is filled with foods that are pretty much instantly available to the bloodstream. If like me you have a continuous blood sugar monitor you can see this in effect. Drink a soda and minutes later your sugar levels go up. Eat simple carbs and 15-20 minutes and it starts climbing. Move to more complex carbohydrates and items high in fiber that take a long time to break down and the ramp is slower and less steep. The problem for just about everyone is how do we get away from our simple carbohydrate based lifestyles.
bruce511 3y ago
I wouldn't describe my diet as "keto" (I don't think of it as a "diet" at all.) I am aware of carbs though. Specifically though the difference between "sugar" carbs and "starch" carbs. I try and minimise sugar carbs (I haven't eliminated them) and I do starch carbs "in moderation". With cheat days for both. I'll happily enjoy a good desert when eating out. I'll have a pizza now and then. I love re-fried potato. I only very occasionally drink soda. I don't take sugar in coffee. Each change has been introduced slowly. I stopped taking sugar in coffee. It took about a month to adjust. Now its just how it is. I reduced bread (oh man, I love good bread..) Over time I've come to enjoy a bit less, a bit less often. My weight is trending down. I'd like to lose 15 lbs, but I'm happy if it takes all year to do it.

drjasonharrison 3y ago

The problem with your simple model of carbs, fats, proteins is that in people with type 2 diabetes their dietary fats have clogged up their muscle cells ability to store blood sugars as glycogen. So while removing the "rocket fuel" from the diet its not clear that the underlying problem has been solved. At least not until the fats have been removed from the muscle cells. And yes, transitioning off of a keto diet may lead to the reversal of the positive gains (insulin sensitivity, body composition, average blood sugar level measured using red blood cell oxidation or A1C). And agreed, controversy gains attention which may lead to book sales.

pixl97 3y ago

Don't forget to add fiber on this... Modern foods are horrifically fiber deficient, as in it's removed and fed back to animals. One of the key things you said around this is... >once the sugar saturates your blood, This is the glycemic index. Our modern diet is filled with foods that are pretty much instantly available to the bloodstream. If like me you have a continuous blood sugar monitor you can see this in effect. Drink a soda and minutes later your sugar levels go up. Eat simple carbs and 15-20 minutes and it starts climbing. Move to more complex carbohydrates and items high in fiber that take a long time to break down and the ramp is slower and less steep. The problem for just about everyone is how do we get away from our simple carbohydrate based lifestyles.

bruce511 3y ago

I wouldn't describe my diet as "keto" (I don't think of it as a "diet" at all.) I am aware of carbs though. Specifically though the difference between "sugar" carbs and "starch" carbs. I try and minimise sugar carbs (I haven't eliminated them) and I do starch carbs "in moderation". With cheat days for both. I'll happily enjoy a good desert when eating out. I'll have a pizza now and then. I love re-fried potato. I only very occasionally drink soda. I don't take sugar in coffee. Each change has been introduced slowly. I stopped taking sugar in coffee. It took about a month to adjust. Now its just how it is. I reduced bread (oh man, I love good bread..) Over time I've come to enjoy a bit less, a bit less often. My weight is trending down. I'd like to lose 15 lbs, but I'm happy if it takes all year to do it.