Yes… You read that correctly.
Before diving into my experience, I should start with what the keto diet is. The keto diet essentially is a low to moderate protein, LOW carbohydrate, and high fat diet. Because carbs and protein are so low the body burns those macronutrients quickly and is then forced to use stored fat or ketones as its primary fuel source.
Important note: In order to do the diet correctly, you have to eat low to moderate amount of protein, because the body can use protein like a carb if needed.
A while back, I decided that I wanted try the keto diet because I believe it is important for a coach to know how different “diets” feel before prescribing them to clients.
My opinions on keto prior to trying it was based off of the research I had read.
According to the research, we know that keto works best for those who live a sedentary lifestyle or those who do low intensity exercises.
There are a few health concerns of doing keto long term like thyroid and hormone health.
The problem with the research is that there is not enough long term data to know the real implication of the diet.
Now.. My personal experience:
For 4 weeks I followed the keto diet using the macros 90g protein/ 30g Carbs/ 163g fat, with 1 refeed day a week. Starting weight 126 lbs. Prior to the diet, I had no complaints regarding energy levels, sleep, etc. I CrossFit 4-5 days a week, which usually consist of 1 metcon, 1 strength piece, and 2 accessory pieces.
The first week was hard in that it was a completely new diet. In order to really stick to and understand the diet, I preplanned my macros and meal prepped all my food.
Performance… After day two, I could feel that my energy level would tank around 15 minutes into working out. Strength however remained consistent.
Recovery…The first week I felt completely under recovered. My legs were severely heavy and overly sore, which is a sign of under recovery. After the second week it eased up a bit. There was also was no perceived changed regarding joint and ligament inflammation.
Sleep… This was the biggest shocker. My overall sleeping hours and sleep quality both tanked on Keto. I would wake up multiple times a night and rarely get into a deep sleep. This concerned me because if this trend would of persist it would obviously cause long term effects. Our bodies and brain not only recover during sleep, but this is also when our hormones are being produced. So even if I was getting immediate results, I know that eventually it would plateau or even regress based off of this sleeping pattern.
Mood and brain power… Here is finally a positive point for Keto. I experienced less brain fatigue and my mental clarity overall improved.
Emotionally… I wanted food. I wanted more than just butter and oil. What was mentally draining wasn’t the fact that I couldn’t eat a sliver of cake, it was the fact that I couldn’t have a cup more of veggies or the other half of an avocado because it would put me over more carb numbers and knock me out of ketosis. Soon, I started to to notice that I living for my refeed days. Emotionally this was dangerous for me. Once I got to those refeed days, I would have little to no control. I ate everything. The control fatigue hit hard and led to self destruction, a negative view of food, and an obsession with food.
Practicality… Personally, this was not a sustainable and practical diet for me. If I did not watch my macros, it would easily go over my protein or carbs. If I did not meal prep, my options were to undereat (if eat at all) or get out of ketosis. Some days, I am busy and I cannot prep. Where before going popping in a paleo Ice Age Meal was option for a quick meal, it could not even be considered for this diet.
Disclaimer: If you are going keto, but not tracking your food, I highly doubt you are reaching a state of ketosis, because you are most likely going over either on your protein or carbs. This is also why it is important to measure your ketone level either through blood or urine testing.
Ending weight 123.
My thoughts on keto based off of my experience…
I was slight surprised that my strength remained consistent because of truly expected a drop. HOWEVER this is not completely shocking because most lifting does not require someone to perform consistently at a high heart rate.
It absolutely gets results in regards to weight loss. Therefore, if someone needed a lose weight quickly, this can do the job.
BUT… I do think that you can get results (maybe not as quickly) that are not only longer lasting, but also emotionally and nutritionally healthier.
When omitting full foods groups two things happen. First, you are way more likely to cut out major nutrients. Second, you put yourself in a negative mindset in which foods (like carbs in this instance) are “bad”. Fruit is not bad. Eating fruit will not make you gain body fat. Eating an excessive amount of fruit can cause you to gain body fat.
My last thoughts are… if you cannot commit to adhering to the diet 90% of the year, then it is not the diet for you. It is not a lifestyle. It is just a quick fix that lead back to where you are.
So ask yourself:
What is your goal?
What kind of job do you have? I would not suggest this diet for those who do hard labor.
What do you do for working out? Once again, not the best for high intensity.
Are you willing to prep and pee on sticks 90% of the year?
If so… It might worth trying.
There is my take on keto. Now back to eating a balanced, whole food diet for me!
