Not zero carb, is there any benefit?

#1

I can’t remember on which episode of 2KD where Carl and Richard discussed about having to cut carb as close to zero as possible in the beginning of the diet in order to reach ketosis and reap the most benefit from the diet.

I don’t cook and the meal option that I can buy are limited. My plan is to just reduce carb consumption and trying to eat more fat.

Suppose I never reach ketosis because I still consume carb, is there any benefit in making this effort of reducing carb intake? Or is this kind of diet is actually worse than my normal eating habit?

#2

Sorry…I’m trying to understand your post.

Is your question ‘is keto way of eating worse than your current diet?’

Not sure how to answer that question, because you did not describe your current diet.

#3

Is there any benefit in just reducing carbohydrate and increasing fat intake (instead of going all the way cutting carb to zero)?

#4

Foods containing carbs, that are not part of animal origin, can present challenges for digestive system, as well as hormonal effects (especially those with deranged metabolism, and correlated diseases, like type 2 diabetes).

Zero carb allows the most strict elimination of the challenging factors, which provides an avenue for a person to recover from illnesses/issues associated to those challenges.

However, where strict zero carb regime is not necessary, a few more carbs allowed in the regime, like 20 grams daily limit, can be sufficient for many to reach their health goals.

#5

Alright! Nice to know that. I’ll continue reducing carb then.

(Karen Fricke) #6

Is there a reason you don’t cook? There are tons of very easy recipes here and on other web sites. We have cooked from scratch for several years and rarely spend more than 30 minutes on a meal. Besides having hidden carbs, processed food can have other additives that aren’t good for you.

#7

When people ask me about LCHF/keto I recommend doing something similar to what Dr. Peter Attia of Eating Academy and NUSI did - he started by scrupulously finding and eliminating ALL forms of sugar and even began to make all his own condiments and sauces because he was amazed how sugar was literally everywhere. By then he realized that refined carbohydrates were next to be identified and eliminated.

Someone else’s starting point might be bread, or chips, or potatoes, etc., but the larger picture is to reduce carbs in such a way that you can adapt your lifestyle and make this a permanent Way Of Eating (WOE).

However, some people have what it takes to immediately eliminate the carbs and start Zero Carb (ZC) from the beginning.

As @Fiorella says, for people that are looking to keto for specific issues, ZC will give them quicker results, but if eating that way is just too hard after eating high-carb, then reducing carbs at a rate you can adapt to is the best way to reach your goals.

#8

There may be a point where you aren’t in ketosis, but have reduced your carb intake low enough to make your brain or muscles feel glucose deprived. This was coined the “halfway to Hawaii” scenario by Volek and Phinney. You don’t want to run out of fuel before you reach the destination.

#9

You don’t have to go zero carb, although some folks are into that. My goal is 20 grams of net carbs per day, so total carbs minus fiber. I get those carbs from leafy green veggies, cheese and nuts. This level of carb restriction is enough for almost everyone to get into ketosis and makes for good eating. :slight_smile:

#10

Maybe I should! :slight_smile: I’m currently browsing the recipes. I live in asia though, so the available material is a bit different.

#11

When that time comes, what should I do? Wait it out, eat a bit more carb, or go all the way to zero carb?

#12

Eating more carbs at that point will just make the transition take longer. The general rule of thumb is you will be able to get into ketosis at around 20 -30g net carbs. Some people have to go with total carbs instead of net. Some people also have to cut back on protein if they are hyper producers of insulin. There is often a transition period where you’re body is learning to use ketones you are producing effectively, and that you just have to wait out.