Is the ketogenic diet all its cracked up to be?

[Vitsandmins1]

I'm post menopausal. I'm not fat - I already eat virtually no carbs, high protein - but I've got bigger since the menopause and want to lose inches from thighs and half a stone.

My sister in law swears by the ketogenic. But it seems like a glorified Atkins diet to me and wasn't that considered dangerous in the end?

It's such a shift in mind frame to start eating TONS of creamy, fatty things

[Auchan]

I've been ketogenic for 2 years. I lost 8 stone and kept it off. I'm healthier and fitter than I've ever been. Saturated fat is not unhealthy. There are so many studies that show it's beneficial. It the diet we've been eating his hundreds of thousands of years.

2 keto dudes is a fantastic podcast and they go through all the science including linking all the studies.

[BIWI]

No. Atkins isn't dangerous at all. There's lots of good science to support a low carb way of eating.

What on earth are you eating?! You need to be eating high fat, medium protein and low carb to lose weight.

[wildthingsinthenight]

I've been on keto for 2 months now. I find it really good! Lost 18 pounds and no cravings for anything. You must eat high fat though. Give it a try!

[Lyreco]

Watching with interest . I am struggling big time although normally exercise and low fat diets work for me but I have been disastrous recently . My buddy has lost 24lb since march on the keto diet but she has not cheated once to my knowledge. She wants me to start but I am a bit concerned that if I did it then stopped then I am right back to where I started . She eats a maximum of 65g of carbs a day but gets to stick to 25g .

[Lyreco]

Try's to stick - sorry

[Lalalanded]

Worked for me - I started in November last year and by Feb had lost 2 stone. That was on 20g carb p/day and measuring macros, plus using my fitness pal religiously. It was pretty ok tbh - just had to stick to the macros. After the first week I felt great, aches/pains gone, sleeping well and not hungry at all.

Have kept the weight off to date - phased out weighing everything, then only weighing high calorie foods, then all weighing, then MFP. Now I will eat carbs once p/week or so and don't seem to fall out of ketosis. No calorie counting.

Would recommend the low carbers forum - they are a font of knowledge and got me through keto flu!

[Grimbles]

It is scary lyreco, The very thought of not worrying about calories and fat content and eating as much as you wanted is a bit mind blowing! when I first went low carb I was shit scared that I was doing something wrong or had misunderstood something fundamental and was going to end up piling more weight on.

I lost 2 stone in about 10 weeks!

[misscph1973]

I was quite surprised at how efficient a keto diet is. I have been eating paleo/primal/LCHF/IF'ing for some years now, but in the spring I got into keto with IF and I really got results. I have never had a flat tummy in my life, although I have never been really overweight. But now I have a perfect flat tummy! And I only lost a few kg, so it was probably carb bloat.

You do have to really watch our protein intake and eat a lot more fat than you would have thought. I get through a pack of butter on my own (plus lots of avocados, olive oil, coconut oil and cream) in a week. I have also really focused on greens, I eat more kale and cabbage than I thought possible.

I do shake it up with carbs for 1-2 dinners weekly, just a bit of rice or potato. I think it's because I also skip breakfast 2-3 times a week, so I can manage the carbs.

I enjoy my food and I don't feel that I am depriving myself.

[ILoveGrammar0]

You'll probably lose a lot of weight on a ketogenic diet, but it may not be that healthy.

[misscph1973]

From what I have read (David Perlmutter), it's healthy:

www.drperlmutter.com/ketogenic-diet-benefits/

I think it's hard to say what is healthy and what is not, as science and research in diet is hardly conclusive. We have recently found out that butter is good and margarine is bad, but it was the opposite only some years ago.

[OliviaD68]

Thinking about going keto and doing IF. Have you found any information that it's unhealthy? I've looked and not found anything credible to point to keto being unhealthy - the foods look all pretty good!