Is the ketogenic diet the right way to lose weight?

April 22, 2017 Ashley 0 Comments

So, a classmate of mine (we’ll call her Allie) was all smiles online this week.

Why? Because her latest weight loss method’s already landed her some seriously slenderizing results. Granted, this’s coming from a chick who’s toted a bunch’ve different gimmicks before. From programs that offer lingerie model bodies to shakes you suck down to suck fat from your azz, I’ve heard it all from her. But she never really seemed legit happy herself. I never believed in what she was doing ’cause I never saw great “before and after” photos from her. (And her posts were always depressing.) But now? On this thing called the “ketogenic diet”? She’s not only posting results, but she appears pretty pleased.

Alright, so she’s got our attention, right? What would we have to do on this ketogenic diet? Well, what is is – is an elimination diet. And what’re we eliminating? Carbs. (Mostly, anyway.) I know. I know. They’re my fave too. Can’t imagine life minus them. But, in the name of novel weight loss methods, I just needed to know. Does it really work? I mean, my buddy seemed to be benefiting. All smiles. But were those smiles legit? Or just confirmation bias for a diet that’s about to blow up in her face? And on her scale?

(The diet’s mostly fats and protein.)

Well, to find out, let’s start by looking at what ketosis is.

Ketosis, is like the “lite” version of ketoacidosis. And, if neither’ve those things mean anything to you, then just think of ketoacidosis as a an insulin vs. blood sugar seesaw gone wrong. We want those things balanced. But, with ketoacidosis, they’re not – and you can even die from it. That said, we don’t hafta get so “extra” about it – not when it’s just ketosis. Not if it’s just for a little bit, at least. But, over the long term? Probably.

So, why are so many people so taken with it?

Well (aside from the fact that you get to eat fat), probably because it expediently excises inches from all over your body. It’s rapid weight loss. And, in our impatient, instant-gratification culture, we want weight loss yester-second. We don’t want to wait for it. (Or put in regular effort.) I mean Allie lost a visible about of weight within a mere week. But you wanna know who else lost the same amount of weight? My friend (who we’ll call Elle), who went on a clean, plant based diet (one where she could still enjoy carbs) about a year ago. She lost the same amount’ve weight – and kept if off. The reason the ketogenic diet works is simple. This shiz works firstly because you’re cutting processed foods and forcing your body to burn fat reserves because no carbs are on deck for fuel. (Protip: that can also happen on a clean, green diet by just cycling your carbs, not dramatically erasing ’em.) You also end up losing a lot of water weight that processed, sugary, salty food usually makes you hang onto. (Protip: you lose that as well on a clean, green diet.) You get better blood sugar levels because you’re cutting processed sugar. (Protip: see past two parenthetical asides.) See where I’m going with this? You could get all of these same benefits on a well rounded, macro balanced, plant based diet. (Without nixing deliciousness indefinitely.)

So, why would I choose the plant based option in lieu? Why not stay on the keto one – where I can still eat animal stuff? Well, because the pros of the the keto diet accompany some cons. See, according to some studies, this diet’s potentially harmful in some ways. Especially if you’re an athlete. In many case studies, subjects were observed to lose muscle mass (which you need to burn fat), go into a state’ve starvation, and have trouble getting rid of any additional weight after that initial loss. (The dreaded “weight loss wall”.) What’s more, even if you lose a good amount before hitting that wall, the real drag is skin sag. When you’re shrinking and your cutaneous coating can’t catch up fast enough, you suddenly end up with stretch marks or excess flesh hanging over an otherwise waif-ier frame. It’s like this floppy, permanent reminder that it takes commitment and time to undo the poor lifestyle choices of your past.

And, speaking of time, what happens within a year? Unfortunately, many gain back whatever it is they’ve lost. Why? Well, it’s a really restrictive diet. If you don’t stick to it perfectly, you enter starvation mode, hoard whatever calories you’re getting, and gain weight. Also, the fact that it’s so strict, significantly lessens its potential to be a sustainable diet. Carbs are hard to avoid. We were kinda designed to eat them.

So, it’s not surprising that people fall off the ketogenic carriage, hard onto the carb-lestone street, binge on the macro they’ve been missing, and subsequently balloon up like an overblown, porky, parade float. Not surprising at all. So, while this could be a good let’s-do-it-for-less-than-a-week-to-fit-into-my-gala-gown plan, planning to make it permanent’s a lifelong commitment to misery. (And failure… And disappointment.) All of which make me uber bummed for my buddy; I was really hoping this would be the pound ditching panacea for her.

But, unfortunately, it looks like keto’s no key to lasting weight loss.

If you want results that last, ya just gotta invest with perspiration, plant-centric eating, and patience.