4 ms·

Have you, or anyone you know, been able to stay on it successfully long term? I know a couple who have tried it, had good results, but later stopped, but none

Have you, or anyone you know, been able to stay on it successfully long term? I know a couple who have tried it, had good results, but later stopped, but none who have stayed on it long term.

johnyzee 2y ago
That is the general experience, I think. I did pretty strict keto for 2.5 years. Been off it for about a year now, while many of the habits stick (I eat next to zero added sugar, and generally low carb, less processed food, etc.). I got rid of a lot of weight and some skin conditions. It was generally very positive. It was weird to have such stable blood sugar that you never feel hungry, even when not eating at all. There were some adverse results too, like zero muscle strength. I also digest carbs worse now it seems like. There might well be ways to avoid those issues with a more carefully managed keto diet. I'm not sure if I will jump back on a strict keto regimen, it requires quite a bit of effort to plan meals, especially when other people in the household eat a regular diet. I have come to see keto as an intervention, very effective at fixing acute issues. Once you have done that reset, I think a lot of those wins can be maintained through generally healthy habits (which you now understand a lot better).
QuantumGood 2y ago
The only kind of diets I know of that people stay on long-term are less strict diets. The stricter the diet, the lower long-term adherence is, which seems logical. Keto is very strict, very measurable. My pediatrician brother goes off and on keto very successfully. Whenever they need doctors for a test of the keto diet, he goes back on it. Despite being low body fat, he tends to lose more body fat than others on the diet, because he's a home chef and marathoner and very much in control of his diet. I tend to not make enough effort to balance my diet on keto, which causes issues that take me off of it, for example, I don't respond well to having too much cheese.

Have you, or anyone you know, been able to stay on it successfully long term? I know a couple who have tried it, had good results, but later stopped, but none who have stayed on it long term.

johnyzee 2y ago

That is the general experience, I think. I did pretty strict keto for 2.5 years. Been off it for about a year now, while many of the habits stick (I eat next to zero added sugar, and generally low carb, less processed food, etc.). I got rid of a lot of weight and some skin conditions. It was generally very positive. It was weird to have such stable blood sugar that you never feel hungry, even when not eating at all. There were some adverse results too, like zero muscle strength. I also digest carbs worse now it seems like. There might well be ways to avoid those issues with a more carefully managed keto diet. I'm not sure if I will jump back on a strict keto regimen, it requires quite a bit of effort to plan meals, especially when other people in the household eat a regular diet. I have come to see keto as an intervention, very effective at fixing acute issues. Once you have done that reset, I think a lot of those wins can be maintained through generally healthy habits (which you now understand a lot better).

QuantumGood 2y ago

The only kind of diets I know of that people stay on long-term are less strict diets. The stricter the diet, the lower long-term adherence is, which seems logical. Keto is very strict, very measurable. My pediatrician brother goes off and on keto very successfully. Whenever they need doctors for a test of the keto diet, he goes back on it. Despite being low body fat, he tends to lose more body fat than others on the diet, because he's a home chef and marathoner and very much in control of his diet. I tend to not make enough effort to balance my diet on keto, which causes issues that take me off of it, for example, I don't respond well to having too much cheese.