Scared Keto will be another yo-yo diet to add to my long list

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diet
(Nikki) #1

Hello!

I am very very intrigued by Keto - I’ve known about it for a while and after chatting with a family member last week who has had a good experience with Keto I am contemplating starting it (currently reading the Keto Reset Diet book).

But I find myself kind of gripped by fear that this will just be another yo-yo experience for me that will do even more damage to my body. I’ve tried literally every diet under the sun and can usually stick it out for several months but always always wind up where I started and a bit worse off. At this point, in the last 11 years I’ve put on almost 60 lbs, losing 20lbs here and there along the way - probably about 5 times. Honestly, keto just seems to good to be true and also, I am worried that by cutting out entire food groups I will just be setting myself up for failure and that it will not be sustainable in the long run.

I would really appreciate some insights from this community! It’s interesting to realize you are terrified of dieting again and think just being overweight is healthier than another loss and gain cycle.

Thanks!

Nikki

(less is more, more or less) #2

This forum is brimming in what you seek. Just start clicking and reading. Heck, click the search button and type “yo yo diet.” and behold!

#3

Welcome Nikki

I think you’ve come to the right place. This forum has a very friendly, supportive group of people, a lot who’ve had struggles and doubts of their own.

I recommended keeping it simple at the start with keto. Under 20 grams of carbs per day, hi fat, moderate protein. Keep your water and salt intake up and you should be off to a great start. If you struggle or fall of the wagon, just know that you’ll get a load of support and advice here on the forum, and we’ll help you with any questions or doubts you have.

I also recommend listening to the 2ketodudes podcasts, very informative and entertaining and I think you’ll find it to be a great help.

All the best!

(Carl Keller) #4

Welcome Nikki. I started Keto on a whim… just a little 1 week experiment and here I am 11 weeks later, 30 pounds lighter, with all day energy and more of it that I have had in decades. It’s really simple how it works and it just requires a few things to pay attention to:

Keep total carbs under 20 grams per day.
Eat fat/protein to satiety.
Drink plenty of water and make sure you get plenty of salt (2liters/2+teaspoons).

If you can do that, the rest takes care of itself. The first week might be a little rough, but after that my cravings were gone, my hunger was just a shadow of what it once was and all the inflammation that comes with eating carbs was all but gone. I wasn’t expecting the last thing I mentioned and it totally has made living life so much easier. Even without the weight loss all those other things make this way of eating worth it.

(John) #5

It works. However, it is not easy, and takes a commitment to changing your lifestyle and eating choices.

You got where you are today by a combination of your genetics, lifestyle, and eating habits. You can’t change genetics. You can change the others. If you are not willing to make a change and stick with it, then you probably are not going to succeed, no matter what way of eating you choose.

It’s a hard truth, but one you have to come to accept. Or you can instead accept that you aren’t going to change behaviors, and so your results aren’t going to change.

There are other diets that work, which also take a commitment to changing eating and lifestyle and sticking to the changes.

Most people who lose weight on a diet gain it back when they stop. Long term weight loss is very difficult, but not impossible. But you can’t do any of them as a short term thing and expect the results to be permanent. Sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear.

(Nikki) #6

Yes I am so glad I found this forum! It looks like a treasure trove of information - I will certainly spend a lot of time on here - thanks :slight_smile:

(Robert C) #7

Keto is probably the least likely diet to yo-yo on in terms of the food itself.

Most other diets feature calorie restriction and cause metabolic slowdown - once you eat again, even at lower levels than before you started - the weight just comes back on - and usually more because of the slowdown.

Keto avoids the slowdown by keeping calories high but manipulating your fat storage hormones (significantly lowering them so they don’t store fat). Then, skip a few meals and your fat stores make up the difference (being careful to not restrict daily - which again leads to metabolic slowdown).

Of course, you can still yo-yo for mental reasons. If you feel that you have deprived yourself for a long time, you might rebound with all of your old favorites and get it all back. Again, keto shines here because it is unlikely that you will feel deprived with the satisfying foods you can eat.

(Nikki) #8

Hi Chris - thanks for your words of encouragement! I am impressed there are already comments on my post - I can tell how supportive everyone is. I will definitely check out the podcast too!

(Nikki) #9

I appreciate your honesty here and I completely agree. I think my other attempts at weight loss came from a place of desperation without ever looking to my underlying habits and how those need to change to support a true lifestyle change. From what I’ve read, I do think keto is a different beast. I love the science behind it and it makes sense to me. I think maybe it is something you don’t believe until you try it - in terms of being satiated despite the public perception that cutting out food groups leaves you feeling deprived.

What has worked for you to keep your commitment and motivation high in trying times while eating keto?

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #10

Yes, you will have to stop eating many things but you will be full. You won’t go hungry and you may find you are more satisfied around the clock than you ever were eating whatever you wanted.

It takes some weeks but that crave for “something” goes away. Meanwhile you’ll just feel better. I can’t even put my finger on exactly what, most of the time, but I’m just better overall.

Many folks complain that they aren’t dropping weight by the bucket loads right off the bat. You will probably lose lbs of water then nothing for a little while. You didn’t get to where you are now in a few weeks and can’t expect to be healed and healthy in a few weeks either. But the nice thing about this way of eating is that there is science behind it, it’s easy to do, you won’t go hungry and you can learn a lot in a short amount of time.

Best wishes!

(Nikki) #11

Thank you for your thoughts on this. I was recently reading about the metabolic slowdown and how even after losing weight the slowdown could mean you are burning 300-400 calories fewer per day than someone of the same weight who hadn’t lost weight. That fact makes me feel like what’s the point of even trying to lose weight, it’s so likely you will regain the weight!

It’s so great to hear that this slowdown can be avoided with keto. It feels so counter intuitive that planning to skip meals is a healthy approach! The 3 square meals a day thing is so deeply ingrained, it’s crazy!

Do you know of any reading on keto avoiding metabolic slowdown that you’d recommend?

(Robert C) #12

The most interesting and fun to research is “The Biggest Loser” story (just Google “metabolic” and “biggest loser”).

Trainers put these very large people on traditional routines of lots of exercise, few calories and many meals per day. So, in terms of diet, calorie restriction and high insulin (due to many meals per day).

In the end (after several years) - almost all of these people yo-yo’d and with something like a 500 calorie deficit on average daily metabolic rate (making trying to keep a low weight just about impossible).

Use keto to do the opposite (keep insulin low and calories high) and you’ll be a success story.

(John) #13

Like you, I have lost and regained several times over the years. It has always been because I returned to old habits after a while. Not true yo-yo - more like taking the elevator down (quick weight loss when adhering to better eating and exercising habits) and then escalator back up - a much slower, more gradual increase over years.

The advantage with the keto diet compared to the others is a natural appetite suppression / conscious control of hunger signals that manifested for me in about week 4.

When I was successful with weight loss in the past, there were always three factors involved:

  • Regular exercise
  • Consciously watching what I ate and eating less food and making healthier choices
  • An appetite suppressant

In previous periods of successful weight control, the appetite suppressant was either nicotine (until I quit in 1993) or the drug combo Phen-fen, which worked well for me but they stopped producing it.

The benefit of a low-carb ketogenic diet is that it (for me at least) provides a natural appetite suppression. Or more accurately for me, it gives me conscious control over how I choose to respond to hunger signals. And it does not require external drugs or chemicals to achieve that.

I have been doing it for almost 3 months (just ending week 12) and I have lost about 12% of my body weight (320 to 280).

I try to follow the basic rules very closely:
Eat real foods / avoid or strictly limit processed foods.
Keep carbs low
Keep protein moderate
Don’t avoid fat but don’t go crazy with it
Choose healthy fats
Eat when hungry, but learn to discern the difference between actual hunger, and wanting to eat for other reasons (like habit, stress, social pressures, self-medication for other problems).

What I can tell you is that for me, it works, and I think I am capable of sticking with it. It gives you some powerful tools, but requires a commitment to buying and preparing fresh foods, dealing with social and cultural pressures, and being willing to give up some things that you love but that are bad for you.

#14

A very LC diet is extremely restrictive. Participants in forums like this aside, long term compliance is low because it’s so limiting. This isn’t new, Dr Atkins may not have used the term keto, but the strict versions of his diet probably resulted in ketosis.

Keto isn’t a panacea. People can gain weight while being in a state of ketosis. Check out YouTube bodybuilders who are trying to gain weight while doing keto. I’ve gained weight numerous times without breaking my ketosis. Right now I’m maintaining weight while being in a continuous state of ketosis.

If you’ve tried lots of diets, all without success, the problem isn’t the diet, it’s you. I’m not saying this to be discouraging; to the contrare, I’m saying know thyself. Figure out why the other diets didn’t work for you and address the issue.

For me, I know that dietary flexibility is essential for it to be sustainable for me. I also wasn’t willing to let any diet consume a central role in my life. I developed a plan that would allow me to accomplish my goals given who I am. I found a fasting regime best suited my needs. I fasted extensively and lost weight rapidly. Now I’m trying to gain muscle so I eat more frequently but still incorporate fasting to heal my metabolic derangement. About 80-85% of the time I’m on plan, which tends to be moderately LC Paleo. Maybe 1 day every month or two I wind up eating junk. The remaining meals are real foods, just not necessarily low carb or high quality. This works for me, I hope it helps you figure out what will work for you.

#15

I’m glad somebody is being honest about Keto. It’s not that easy and demands a commitment. But I will say this about Keto, if you stumble then it is one of the easiest to get back on track. And you feel good on Keto and not miserable at all.

#16

Nikki, if you really want to get a jumpstart on Keto, tomorrow do two things if nothing else — 1) examine what you eat at each meal (tomorrow) from a carb standpoint and 2) go on Amazon and immediately spend about $15 on “The Obesity Code” by Dr. Jason Fung who will explain to you how and why your body works the way it does. Read it from cover to cover and you will understand what all the fuss is about.

#17

You might also want to download a phone app that tells you how many carbs there are in various foods. I like KetoDiet because it lets you look up name brand foods. Cronometer and MFP are also popular.

(KetoQ) #18

Hi Nikki –

I felt the same way. I lost 19 lbs during the first two weeks and was waiting for it all to come to an abrupt and screeching halt.

The weight loss slowed down, but I kept losing and hitting new lows every week. As I maintained the momentum, I began exercising more, and trying to learn more about the low carb lifestyle. It was really working for me.

In time, the weight loss does come to a stall, but you have to figure out what is going to work for you and push through it. I’m down about 60 pounds in total and am confident I can continue losing if I focus on it.

I don’t think keto is as restrictive as some claim, but you have to be diligent and creative in how you are going to eat and live your life going forward – like any other successful healthy living plan.

Low carb has worked for me and many others here. Its not for everybody. Hopefully it can work for you, too.

Good luck,
Q

(Jane) #19

Well, you’ve heard from a lot of men here who don’t have the same hormonal issues we do so I thought I’d put my 2 cents in.

I’ve yo-yo’ed on every diet under the sun. Made goal years ago and a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers but was only successful once so I probably slowed my metabolism.

This diet is hard for some who have strong carb cravings or find they have to cut out dairy, nuts or artificial sweeteners to lose. I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to eliminate any keto foods.

And I LOVE the food and love the way I feel and this is the easiest “diet” I’ve ever been on. I lost 30 lbs in 7 months so not a fast loser - I’ll be 60 in Jan so not a spring chicken, either. I’ve kept it off for 5 months with little effort and this is a first for me in over 30 years.

I didn’t start fasting until 5 or 6 months on keto so not necessary unless you just want to, but wait until you are fat adapted and it will be easier. Long before that I just started skipping meals because I forgot to eat, which is just short of a miracle for me! :smile:

Of course that helps by keeping your insulin response low which I never understood on previous diets.

Good luck and you won’t regret it! What have you got to lose? :wink:

(Natasha) #20

This really struck a chord with me. I was explaining to someone the other day that I feel keto has broken the power of addiction/food obsession/insatiable appetite. It isn’t magic of course, I still have to make good choices if I want to see results but without the addiction/food obsession/insatiable appetite, I am able to make those choices consciously with my mind in the droving seat.