Does The Keto Diet Work For Weight Loss?
Q: My dream has always been to join a nutritional cult. I think I’ve finally found one, and it’s keto. Should I drink the Kool-Aid that keto is the one true path to weight loss? Oh wait, lord knows I’m not drinking that shit without dumping a bunch of sugar in it, which would then make it high in carbs and not very keto-friendly! Anyway, you know what I meant!!!
A: Does the keto diet work for weight loss?
You mean, does mostly eating shit that’s high in fat, such as avocados, bacon, butter, and cheese, help with weight loss?
You mean, does severely restricting bread, pasta, and rice turn the body into a fat-burning machine by making it use stored fat for energy instead of glucose from carbs?
Well, you’ll be happy to hear that keto does in fact work!
That’s right, keto works for weight loss but that’s only when you’re in a calorie deficit, which is the scientific underpinning of each and every successful attempt to lose weight regardless of the type of diet. As such, if you routinely eat less shit so you enter and remain in a calorie deficit while following keto guidelines, you’ll lose weight via keto. However, if you routinely take in more calories than your body needs, nothing will happen but your weight staying the same or increasing despite eating in accordance with the diet’s menu and macronutrient distribution. That’s all to say that keto isn’t special, as any weight loss that occurs with it is a result of a calorie deficit and not the product of exorcising evil carb juju from your life. It’s fucking crazy, but that’s science for ya!
So does keto work?
It sure does, as long as you’re not eating more than you’re supposed to.
Does that mean you should try it?
Sure, go ahead if you wanna!
However, before you do, it might interest you to know that keto isn’t superior to any other diet, making it hard to justify the shitload of side effects and health risks that help nutritionists, dieticians, and other food nerds to consistently rank it among the worst weight loss approaches.1Some of these side effects and health risks include kidney stones, constipation, dehydration, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, high cholesterol, heart disease, muscle loss, and the symptoms of and conditions associated with various micronutrient deficiencies.
Secondly, keto isn’t sustainable. The diet’s side effects and health risks have a lot to do with that issue but they’re not the only reason. Also at play is that the diet is hard to follow because of its restrictive nature that limits variety by cutting out an assortment of foods. What else can prove tiresome and make it difficult for someone to maintain the diet is the constant monitoring that has to be performed to ensure that you’re in ketosis.2Ketosis is the metabolic state where your body produces ketone bodies by breaking down fat into acids and burning them for fuel in place of glucose. Blood ketone meters, urine test strips, and breathalyzers are the methods used to determine the concentration of ketones in the body.
Last of all, people are notorious for gaining their lost weight back once they cease dieting but this phenomenon is especially common with keto when carbs are reintroduced. The simple reason why is that carbs help store glycogen in the muscle cells. So when you resume eating carbs and replenish your body’s depleted glycogen stores, your weight can increase from the added mass. What also contributes to weight gain is a greater retention of water due to the fact that every gram of glycogen holds 2-3 grams of water as well. In all likelihood, when you end keto, you can experience a weight gain that’s equal to what you lost during the first one or two weeks of the diet. More can occur if you revert to the old eating habits that were responsible for packing on the pounds that you turned to keto to lose.
The three outlined things should be considered when deciding whether or not to do keto. As stated before, the diet isn’t necessary for weight loss. What’s necessary for that is a calorie deficit and there are plenty of diets that make that happen without some of the listed drawbacks. That said, if keto enables you to maintain a deficit because you enjoy fatty foods, then do keto. If not, then find something else that allows you to eat at a deficit without feeling miserable about the food choices, which can lower your compliance and increase the chances of cheating and eventually quitting.
Anyway, I know you were more than likely being facetious with your talk of joining a nutritional cult when you made your query. But on the topic of cults, did you know that they’re on the rise in this country?3Cults and cultish subcultures in the realm of religion, politics, health, fitness, nutrition, and other arenas are flourishing at the present moment for a number of reasons. One is a growing distrust of established institutions, which has led to people seeking alternative sources of information that are outside of the mainstream. Another is the erosion of public education and subsequent lack of critical thinking skills that have made it difficult for some to assess what’s logical and what’s bat-shit crazy. The last is an increase in social isolation that has made people more susceptible to individuals and movements that offer them a sense of identity and belonging. Well, now ya know!
Now, does anyone else have a fitness or nutrition question of their own that they want to ask?
Glossary: caloric deficit, calories, cheat, diet, dietary fat, fat, fitness, food, glucose, macronutrients, muscle, nutrition
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