Blog

Why Keto Isn’t The Answer For Weight-Loss

Keto has been the hot trend for several years for weight loss and continues to be everyone’s “go-to” for how to lose weight. But for the vast majority of the public it is not an appropriate way to eat. Not to mention that most people that say that they are “doing keto” are actually not even in ketosis. They think that the ketogenic diet is synonymous with low carb. Fact check…it is not. The ketogenic diet is comprised of at least 60-80% fat, at most 10% from carbs, and the rest of the calories from protein. The ketogenic diet was first used to treat epileptic seizures and has been used in certain neurological conditions (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases) and cancers. Aside from that, there really is no reason to be eating that way. Read on to find out why.

It is not sustainable

If you never want to eat fruit, any bread or grain product, and even some vegetables then maybe keto is for you. Personally we like eating those things at The Angry Nutrition Guy. With only a 10% of daily caloric intake allowed to come from carbohydrates you’ll be lucky to fit in two servings of broccoli and some spinach. People think that they can eat all of the vegetables they want because it only matters what “net” carbs they are eating. Wrong. You need to look at the total carbohydrates you are eating. Eat too much spinach and you are knocked out of ketosis.

This is the main problem with ketogenic diets. They are not sustainable. If you see yourself never eating a slice of pizza or even a banana again, then maybe it is. But realistically, people cannot live that way. Sure, you could sustain it for a few months and may even lose a large amount of weight doing it. But what happens when you want to eat “normally” again? You gain all of the weight back and possibly more. 

Your athletic performance will suffer

Again, like I said, you could lose some weight which will definitely help in your athletic performance to begin with, but to say that the ketogenic diet is why you are performing better just isn’t true. Your body uses carbs first and foremost for energy and performance. Although people will say you become “fat adapted” which will increase the body’s reliance on fat as fuel, studies show that high fat diets do in face impair high intensity work output. 

You will most likely lose muscle mass

Protein builds muscle and is muscle sparing when you are in a caloric deficit. When you are truly following a ketogenic diet and the majority of your calories is coming from fat, you are not getting those essential amino acids to build muscle. 

Eating high fat leads to cardiovascular issues

Another obvious risk of following a ketogenic diet is the effect it can have on your cardiovascular system. High fat diets will raise your cholesterol and put you at risk for other cardiovascular diseases. 

Burning more fat does not mean that you are losing more weight

Proponents of the keto diet for weight loss will say that you are burning more fat on a ketogenic diet. Be careful. You do burn more fat on a ketogenic diet but that is only because you are eating more fat…aka you are storing more fat. The ISSN (International society of sports nutrition) has found that all but one study have shown that ketogenic diets fail to show a fat loss advantage. 

Unless you have one of the stated medical conditions and are told by a medical specialist that a ketogenic diet has been seen to help patients with your specific condition, the ketogenic diet should not be your go-to for weight loss. Research has not shown there to be a benefit on fat loss and they really are not sustainable for the long-term. 

If this article interested you, check out this blog we wrote about THE WORST diet out there.