Keto-Diet - What's the Deal?

[Detritivores]

I see people posting about keto-diet with a borderline religious fervor. I went to their subreddit to try to figure out if this was a real thing or not and all I found was an echo-chamber of people judging ignorant fools who don't keto and advising folks to ignore doctors and gorge on red meat and vegetables. Is there actual science behind this? I would love to read a real study but can't find any. I assume this is Atkins 2.0 fad diet but am curious if I'm missing something.

Edit: for some context... http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq

[Dethh]

Gorging on red meats sounds terrible.

[Detritivores]

Gorging on red meats sounds terrible.

My impression as well. I stopped eating red meat years ago because there are much leaner, healthier options.

[jackofwind]

Keto diets are possible and do work, speaking from experience.

However, the transition phase where you starve yourself of carbs in order to force ketosis is fucking painful and awful. It's like wilfully experiencing the symptoms of hypothyroidism and mono all at once.

[Kezotar]

A diet where you eat mostly meat. You will crave for other stuff you can't eat. Which will really depress you. Don't bother.

[PACOX]

People like fat and meat.

The science behind it?

No calories from carbs? iunno.

[Detritivores]

People like fat and meat.

The science behind it?

No calories from carbs? iunno.

I get that it's very low calorie. Just confused about the logic behind their choices and how mostly eating fat calories could possibly be a good idea. Why not just balanced low calories? I see lots of claims that this DOESNT CAUSE HEART DISEASE but no evidence.

Also, on that page I linked, they completely discredit exercise as doing anything good. Just seems like crazy people to me.

[DarkTZeratul]

These fad diets are all a load of bullshit, and all have the potential to cause major fucking problems if you do them wrong, or for too long, or if you have underlying problems that could be made worse by dramatically unbalancing your diet by eating an extreme amount of one thing while completely denying others.

[Deleted]

Frankly there's very little evidence on either side about the safety of keto diets.

They obviously work for losing weight but do come with immediate side-effects and there haven't been any long term studies on the risks, dangers and benefits.

Very few medical professionals will be willing to endorse a keto diet because of the lack of evidence. The best advice is eat healthily and follow an effective exercise regime, don't try "fad" diets - they may work "faster" but they may also cause you long term health issues.

[Detritivores]

Mike, you make sense. These responses are reassuring me that people are generally sane. I think I just spent too much time on their subreddit >.>

[Deleted]

TBH i think fat has gotten a very bad name in the last couple of decade with little basis in fact.
True some fats are really bad for you, but in general there is very little wrong with fat.
On the other side of the scale, it's really easy to eat more carbs then you need, and a lot of carbs have high GI so that doesn't help either.

I think you should use fat as your main source of energy, and use carbs for high energy activities like sports, manual labor, learning, etc.

Ofc any diet that recommends extremes is probably not to good in the long run.

[obdigore]

Theres a big-ass thread in the sports/weight loss forum about keto diet, with tons of links and stuff.

It does work, but it generally also increases your cholesterol, and that isn't always good.

Also you feel weak as a baby for a couple weeks when you switch to it, and if you do things like drink beer very often, you are very much in danger of flipping off of it and having to go through that whole process again.

[Rhine101]

Meanwhile I am here eating what makes me happy and exercising and look better than most people my age.

Fads are stupid.

- - - Updated - - -

TBH i think fat has gotten a very bad name in the last couple of decade with little basis in fact.
True some fats are really bad for you, but in general there is very little wrong with fat.
On the other side of the scale, it's really easy to eat more carbs then you need, and a lot of carbs have high GI so that doesn't help either.

I think you should use fat as your main source of energy, and use carbs for high energy activities like sports, manual labor, learning, etc.

Ofc any diet that recommends extremes is probably not to good in the long run.

From what I understand, actual fat in meats are not bad for you. They are actually rather good. The fat that is bad is the oils and sugars that your body converts to fat quickly. I still don't like the texture of fat, but I don't think it's bad.

[lokithor]

Frankly there's very little evidence on either side about the safety of keto diets.

They obviously work for losing weight but do come with immediate side-effects and there haven't been any long term studies on the risks, dangers and benefits.

Very few medical professionals will be willing to endorse a keto diet because of the lack of evidence. The best advice is eat healthily and follow an effective exercise regime, don't try "fad" diets - they may work "faster" but they may also cause you long term health issues.

My moms doctor actually recommended her to a place that does the whole keto diet. She was under medical supervision while on it though, and se was on supplements while she was on it.

It just started as a keto diet for the first month or so I believe, then she was able to start adding in fruits and veggies. For the first month though it was mainly fish and chicken, with red meat only a handful of times.

[lokithor]

Fads are stupid but desperate people who just cannot hold onto a proper diet long enough for results will go for anything that works fast, and keto works faster than most diets.

Sometimes proper diets just don't work for some people.

[Deleted]

My moms doctor actually recommended her to a place that does the whole keto diet. She was under medical supervision while on it though, and se was on supplements while she was on it.

It just started as a keto diet for the first month or so I believe, then she was able to start adding in fruits and veggies. For the first month though it was mainly fish and chicken, with red meat only a handful of times.

A doctor recommended keto diet while under medical supervision is vastly different to listening to an echo chamber on reddit and following internet guides though .

[cyndallis]

There is some scientific research being done into the short and long term effects of ketogenic diets. It is early days but it does seem to work and if it is what it takes for somebody to drop to or maintain a healthy body weight...

Example:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892194/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17228046

[Rhine101]

Sometimes proper diets just don't work for some people.

They do, it's the people who lack discipline to go through with it. People look at diets as just an easy way to lose weight. It isn't. It is a lifestyle. And too many people skip the while exorcise part.

I am not saying this thing doesn't work. It's just diet fad #8 as far as I am concerned. But I just wanted to say that diets only work if you actually stick to it. Eating junk food and blaming your diet for failing you is dumb.

[Slant]

I see people posting about keto-diet with a borderline religious fervor. I went to their subreddit to try to figure out if this was a real thing or not and all I found was an echo-chamber of people judging ignorant fools who don't keto and advising folks to ignore doctors and gorge on red meat and vegetables. Is there actual science behind this? I would love to read a real study but can't find any. I assume this is Atkins 2.0 fad diet but am curious if I'm missing something.

Edit: for some context... http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq

Eventually, someone is going to expose a diet industry that has a R&D department thinking up new ways to sell previously low cost, low demand food groups as the ridiculously overpriced new wonder diets.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

If you are considering a diet that seems "odd", talk to a doctor or a qualified nutritionist. Then you don't risk falling prey to the nutritional equivalent of the "if you microwave your iPhone it becomes waterproof" troll.