The Keto diet is a popular weight loss diet right now, and this article is a breakdown of why it may not have worked for you in the past, and if it’s the right diet for you.
The keto diet has been around for decades, but has seen a recent resurgence in popularity. Next to “ab workouts” it’s probably the next most trendy health and fitness topic on Google, and you won’t find a personal trainer in the world that hasn’t had clients ask about trying the Keto Diet.
Here’s the basics: The ketogenic diet is an ultra-restrictive diet where you cannot eat more than 30 grams of carbs per day and must eat a very high fat content. This causes your body to produce ketones, which your body can use as fuel.
However, It’s well studied that ultra-restrictive diets are pretty much guaranteed to fail at some point.
If you are considering the keto diet or just started it, you probably rolled your eyes at that last sentence. So, let’s dive a little further.
The keto diet is the wrong term, it should really be called “keto lifestyle” because your entire lifestyle must change to support this diet. How so?
-You can’t eat out at most restaurants
-You can’t eat most food served at a kid’s birthday party or when hanging out with friends
-You are going to have a hard time traveling anywhere without doing hours of research or bringing all your own food
-You have to push through two weeks of “keto brain” (two weeks of brain fog)
-Athletic performance will be diminished except for long duration cardio
-No pizza, burgers, or tacos (Don’t tell me that your cauliflower keto pizza crust tastes like the pizza at Naples 45 in NYC)
Are there any advantages for fat loss over a regular diet?
No
When compared to diets that are higher in carbs, the keto diet is just about equal in weight loss
. All grounds lose about the same amount of weight when people following both diets eat the same number of calories.
If you still want to go all-in on the keto diet, great, but realize there is no “trying the keto diet” because it takes you a long time to change your lifestyle, and if you ever decide to stop, your body’s hunger signals might be messed up when adding carbs back in leading to overeating and weight gain.
Okay, it may sound like I am bashing the keto diet a little. For certain populations, the ketogenic diet is a great tool, and you can make the diet very healthy if you are smart about it. But for most people the time and effort needed to be successful isn’t worth it.
What do we suggest to our personal training clients in West Chester, PA?
Most people do best with a mixed diet.
Why? Because you can eat anything and still lose weight. A balance of protein, carbs, and fats means you should probably be eating chicken and brown rice most of the time, but the occasional Ben and Jerry’s is fine!
Want help getting started with your fat loss plan? Send an email to
to learn how we can get you started on a safe and effective weight loss plan.
