Stick with keto or calorie restrict

(Kellie) #1

Do you think it would be faster to lose weight by keto or calorie restriction if you are already at a healthier weight? I have been on keto since April 2018 and kinda fallen off in late December , everytime I try to go back to keto I end up eating a candy bar or having a drink :frowning: I was so good before but it’s hard now that I fell off. I have lost 46 pounds and I’m in the healthy Range for my height and weight but still would like to lose another 10 pounds or so. At this point would keto still work for weight loss or should I just calorie restrict ? I’m 5’5 , 138 , 25 year old female. Looking to be 125-130.

#2

Calorie-restriction has a 98% long-term failure rate, so hedge your bets accordingly.

(Robert C) #3

You only offer 2 options so I will go with calorie restriction (through fasting, not daily) as the fastest way to lose weight. Keeping it off will require regular weekly fasting (drop a day of eating each week or something) and maintaining keto the rest of the days.

(Kellie) #4

Idk why but I have it in my head that if I do keto and don’t combine it with calorie restriction that I won’t lose weight. At the end of my fall of keto I hardly ate and now starting up again I feel Guilty for eating and I think if I keep Eating ( even if it’s keto food and under 20g carbs) if I’m over on calories nothing will happen because I’m at a healthy weight. Before when I was heavier I didn’t count calories but now that I’m at a lower weight I just have it in my head that I have to be more strict but I find it hard to do keto and restrict calories

(Cindy) #5

Kellie, I SO understand that thought process, but maybe it’s why it’s an even better reason to do keto and stick with it. You’re young, please don’t spend the rest of your life calorie counting (even if it’s just in your head). Eat!! Trust your body and the keto way of eating, WITHOUT eating candy bars or having a drink, and you might find your weight naturally goes lower anyway.

(Robert C) #6

The more (full day) fasting days you have, the fewer hard-core keto days you need (i.e. can loosen up a few times a week). Just stay away from daily low calories. Note that full fasting days are keto!

(Frank) #7

You know how this works because you did it before and had success. Just do that again. The candy bars and drinks are on you. You have to decide what your priorities are.

(mole person) #8

I’m 5’5 and I am at my goal weight of about 110 lbs and have been for many months, but I too became stuck on basic unrestricted keto somewhere along my weight loss journey. It can be discouraging and so I can understand falling into an occasional chocolate bar. Been there many times.

For me the final trick was OMAD. As long as I stuck to a single meal with no snacks or calorific drinks outside of my meal time I kept losing weight. In fact, I now have to add in a second meal a few days a week in order to not get thinner than I want.

Don’t calorie restrict. Instead restrict meal timing and eat AS MUCH A YOU NEED at your meal times. Change it up as well so you don’t get bored, and your metabolism doesn’t get in a rut. Some days have more meals, some days go 36 hrs without eating if you can, it’s really not that hard once you are fat adapted.

And it really works. I haven’t been this tiny in 20 years, and it’s almost all been from keto and IF. I’ve yet to really get into any extended fasting. Although I’m very curious about it, I don’t really know how well it would go at my current fat %.

(Kellie) #10

Do you work out?

(Carl Keller) #11

I believe the process of doing keto will self-regulate the calories and they will fall because you are not as hungry. So technically you are doing both. The only true restriction you have to focus on is the restriction of carbs.

Vanity weight is the most difficult to lose. Our bodies look at fat much differently than our eyes do. Our bodies see fat as an insurance policy against starvation and will fight to keep some in reserve. I think 70% of the world would love to be in your situation. I wouldn’t stress too much over a few kilos.

I’m in the same situation as you as far as being just shy of my weight goal but I don’t worry about it. I just focus on continuing to eat healthy, feeling good and using my energy in a positive manner. If it’s any consolation, I’ve seen your before and after pics and I think you look great. :wink:

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#12

The question makes no sense to me. You can only lose weight if the calories consumed is less than the calories used. You can gain weight while in ketosis. You can’t gain weight if calories are restricted enough.

I think what you want to ask is: “Is calorie restriction easier with or without keto?”

I would resoundingly answer, “WITH keto!”

How I see it:

  • Keeping net carbs low is what keeps you in ketosis
  • Your body needs a certain amount of protein, based on body composition and activity level
  • Fats should be eaten to satiety

A lot of people lose their hunger when in ketosis, because the body is using stored body fat in place of consumed calories. That loss of hunger is what makes losing weight on keto easier than without it. If you are at a healthy weight, your hunger level should increase because the body would want to hold on to stored body fat.

(mole person) #13

Yes. I mostly do resistance training with weights.

(Karim Wassef) #14

Ogre is exactly right. There is no conflict between keto and CICO. The difference in restricting calories with and without keto is that without means you need to suffer through insulin and hunger. You also calorie restrict by counting calories - it’s forcing yourself to suffer.

Keto suppresses appetitite when done right - it’s satisfying if you eat enough fat and reduce carbs to stop the insulin waves. The end result of keto is calorie restriction. You basically get there for free and without the suffering of hunger. Also keto protects against muscle loss that higher carb calorie diets cause- that’s really important because muscle loss drives a reduced metabolic rate that will cause you to gain weight much faster next.

Your description of cheating says that you either are eating emotionally or not taking in sufficient fats/limiting carbs.

The last few pounds for me went with keto+if. Fasting is also very hard for me without keto.

So your choice is… do you want to suffer with hunger and waste time counting calories & lose muscle that allows you to eat without gaining weight or eat fats until you’re satisfied to lose fat and maintain your metabolic rate so you don’t gain it again…?

(Empress of the Unexpected) #15

I am not a big eater, so basically 900 calories a day, pre and post keto, since I was a teen (last few days, OMAD, 750). Got into trouble with menopause, and gained 40 pounds. Doing keto, I have maintained my normal adult weight goal (111 pound for a few months.) At this point I feel I am too skinny, and need to gain a few pounds. But I do know that eating strict keto does help. If I went back to carbs, I would gain a lot of weight.

(Todd Allen) #16

Harsh calorie restriction will lose weight faster with or without keto. Near starve yourself for a month or two or three and you could make goal. But that approach makes sustaining your goal weight harder. You’ve come so far and only have a few lbs to go. I think the better question is, What is the easiest way to make goal weight?

Finding a pattern that keeps you weight stable that you can sustain regardless of whatever life throws at you may be more valuable than achieving goal quickly. When that is solved you can chip away at making goal a lb or two at a time whenever it fits your life and priorities. Confidence you can sustain whatever progress you make will take weight off your mind.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #17

Basically, two meals a day equal 900 calories.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #18

I’ve done calorie restriction my entire life. The only time it did not work was during menopause, when I also learned to cook. I am back to eating to my appetite and staying at goal weight.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #19

Calorie restriction does work - I am living proof. I’ve been doing it for years. I do believe in keto, but the eat to satiety thing is being misinterpreted. People are using that as an excuse to WAY overeat.

(Karim Wassef) #20

So I tried to do this and literally couldn’t overeat. The key detail here is fat intake. I pushed myself to nearly 4000 calories with 80% fat and it was very hard to do.

Overeating on keto while maintaining the fat ratio was sickeningly hard.

The problem is when people eat excess protein and call it keto. It’s not. That’s called Atkins and you can overeat on it.

Keto is self regulating when done right. I had zero appetite for days after this experiment. Even the thought of food was unpleasant. That’s my experience at least.

Also keto is naturally calorie restriction - but calorie restriction is not keto. Calorie restriction without keto destroys muscle and reduces metabolic rate creating conditions for future weight gain easier. Keto calorie restriction spares muscle and maintains a higher metabolic rate with satiation if done right.

#21

I went from 50% to 25% bodyfat via calorie restriction. As in, zero calories. Fasting is the fastest way to lose weight.

I’ve learned body aesthetics is driven mostly by % fat rather than actual weight. My current goal is 18% bodyfat, which is fairly ambitious for someone who is perimenopausal.

I can lose 10 lbs in 4-7 days by fasting. I can also regain it just as quickly. Keeping it off requires some degree of intermittent fasting, varying 18-72 hours depending on what and how much I ate, and hormone fluctuations.

I eat in a manner such that I maintain a state of ketosis because I want to optimize my health. I don’t think ketosis is the most efficient way to improve body composition for folks who are normal weight.