Study reveals ketogenic diet can help keep weight off long term

(Antony Collins) #1

http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health-news/study-reveals-ketogenic-diet-can-help-keep-[weight-off-long-term/news-story/69c70b6fceefb80b5b1f21b22ecc3622](http://Original Article here)

** Good article other than the ‘high protein’ reference **

A group of Spanish researchers have uncovered yet another reason to love the keto diet. Not only does it burn fat fast, it could also help to keep weight off long term.

In a study published in the Nutrition & Metabolism Journal, researchers looked at obese patients who wanted to lose weight and found that the low-calorie diet was perfect in maintaining weight loss for up to two years.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the keto diet works like this: you cut carbs but eat food high in fat and protein. This means that your body relies on fat as its energy source and when it runs out of ingested fat, it starts burning excess fat stores. Result: you lose those extra pounds and everything in your wardrobe fits again. Magic!

Essentially when you eat less your body copes by using less energy for basic activities such as breathing. It’s basically going into survival mode, conserving precious energy for when it really needs it. If over time your body adapts to need less energy for basic functions then you need less energy intact overall.

Researchers in this study hypothesised that the low-calorie keto diet could trigger this reaction in turn diminishing the likelihood of weight regain later on. Sadly the study didn’t result in an overall change in resting metabolic rate but it did result in maintained weight loss for participants.

Researchers concluded this was due to the fact lean muscle mass is often preserved when following the keto diet. Even though the study didn’t result in an overall change to the RMR, eating full fat everything and losing weight long term still sounds pretty good to me.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #2

Bad link:

While this diet was technically ketogenic, I dunno.

The first three steps consist of a VLCK diet (600–800 kcal/day), low in carbohydrates (< 50 g daily from vegetables) and lipids (only 10 g of olive oil per day). The amount of high-biological-value proteins ranged between 0.8 and 1.2 g per each kg of ideal body weight, to ensure patients were meeting their minimal body requirements and to prevent the loss of lean mass. … In steps 4 and 5, the ketogenic phases were ended by the physician in charge of the patient based on the amount of weight lost, and the patient started a low-calorie diet (800–1500 kcal/day). At this point, the patients underwent a progressive incorporation of different food groups and participated in a program of alimentary re-education to guarantee the long-term maintenance of the weight loss. The maintenance diet, consisted of an eating plan balanced in carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Depending on the individual the calories consumed ranged between 1500 and 2000 kcal/day, and the target was to maintain the weight lost and promote healthy life styles.

Their conclusion from the study was:

The rapid and sustained weight and FM loss induced by VLCK-diet in obese subjects did not induce the expected reduction in RMR, probably due to the preservation of lean mass.

So, basically, lose your weight, preserve your LBM, and you will maintain your RMR, which might help with maintenance, though they didn’t really look at anything like long term maintenance. Their longest observation was 140 days from start to finish. Less than half a year.

Oversold headline, incorrect conclusion.

(Rob) #3

Indeed. This is very much like the Newcastle University study focused on Diabetes - VLCK. It drops weight, it improves your metabolism (looks a bit like a PSMF) BUT IT SUCKS!

Damn the calories and pass the bacon!! :bacon:

(Miss E) #4

A lot of keto studies I’ve seen have been low caolorie. So frustrating.

(Michele) #5

Link didn’t seem to work for me.
Where are the deeper questions that ask how are the bodies ecosystem/s, biochemistry/s, fuel burning, etc systems changed when we continue to eat in a different way? I wonder what invisible changes my body is going through because I no longer consume mountains of carbs in the form of bread, pasta, icecream, muffins, cake, standard pizza etc. These are more complex questions than how much was lost over what time, what calorie intake, how long the weight was kept off, how much exercise etc. What is happening at the cellular level? A much more interesting question/s.

(Ken) #6

Of course it works. You never go back into sustained lipogenesis, and therefore never go back to storing fat, even if you occasionally overeat in the caloric sense. That’s the beauty of fat based, lipolytic nutrition. I’m living proof, nearly 20 years and I’ve never regained an ounce of fat.

(Diane) #7

Tha is for sharing! That’s so good to hear, gives me hope for my long term success.

(Vivienne Clampitt) #8

I did the Newcastle diet several years ago, it worked. But it was difficult! Maintenance was easy for a few months but gradually without support I went back to my old ways. However I did maintain the weight loss - surprisingly. My BS levels however have soared, and worse than before, hence now trying Keto! I am hoping that this woe will be sustainable and that I will see improvements in my Diabetes.

(Rob) #9

It seems surprising but apparently the starvation has some magical properties of metabolic reset. Sadly it doesn’t make you bulletproof (in the non keto sense :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:) and can’t protect you from a renewed bad diet. Keto is so much easier…

You can tell the difference between keto and most other diets/WOEs… here when people (really) complain it is usually about stalls not yo-yo-ing or struggling with the food or hunger… and of course cortisol inducing LDL paranoia :scream::scream::scream::scream::scream:

(Vivienne Clampitt) #10

Keto is most certainly easier than the calorie restricted method I used last time. Everything is a little slower at bringing down my blood sugars but I think it is a more sustainable way of eating.
I have been on keto for nearly 4 weeks now and managing quite nicely on two meals per day and most importantly not feeling hungry or have cravings for sweet foods. I am even going off red wine too :frowning: .
I feel much better and now able to start enjoying my exercise again.
My Blood sugars are slowly coming down - thank goodness. My body shape is changing, but little weight loss ( which I am fine with as I weigh the same as I did at 18!)
Next week I aim to add IF to my weeks too.