Should You Try the Keto Diet?

Should You Try the Keto Diet

On January 1, I decided to try the keto diet. Over-indulging in holiday treats had resulted in a few extra pounds that I wanted to shed, so I was committed to doing keto for two weeks. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel hungry during my days on the diet. Urine tests revealed that I did not actually achieve ketosis, but I definitely cut my carb and sugar intake and did lose a few pounds. Spoiler alert – I did not make it the full two weeks. Keto may not be a long-term diet solution for you, but it can be a great way to kick-start your weight loss regimen.

Part of my reason for trying keto was that it was my topic for my March Health and Wellness Column in Dairy Foods magazine. Research for my monthly columns typically involves scouring the internet for news, reviewing research in PubMed, speaking with experts, and heading to my local grocery stores to buy and try the foods that I’m writing about. So it only seemed fair that if I was going to write about keto, I should give it a try.

I used my FitBit app to carefully record all of the foods that I ate. For accuracy, I weighed and measured most foods or estimated as best I could. The standard ketogenic diet portions out calories as a very low carb (10%), moderate protein (20%), and high fat (70%). I didn’t achieve those targets, but I got close. Some people target 50 or less grams of carbs per day, or even 30 grams or less. It’s really hard to get below 30 grams or less of carbs, and I’m wondering if those individuals count all carbs or just those in starchy foods like bread and pasta?

Here are some typical meals that I ate and my diet stats:

Breakfast:            2 eggs scrambled in 1 T butter, plus ½ avocado—Fat 34g, Prot 14 g, Carb 9g. (or)

                                100g Fage 5% yogurt, 50g raspberries, 30g pecans—Fat 29g, Prot 12g, Carb 14g.

Lunch/Dinner:   Wendy’s grilled chicken sandwich, no bun—Fat 16g, Prot 29g, Carb 5g.  (or)

                                4 oz grilled salmon, 1 ½ cups tossed salad, 1 T dressing—Fat 31g, Prot 38g, Carb 6g.

Snack:                   Keto Fat Bomb (1 tsp Almond Butter, 1 tsp Sunflower Butter, 1 tsp Hershey’s cocoa, and 1 T MCT oil)—Fat 20g, Prot 2 g, Carb 4g. (or)

                                ¼ Fuji Apple and 2 oz Cheddar Cheese—Fat 18g, Prot. 14 g, Carb 7g.

A number of my friends have tried keto or very low-carb diets. Most of them lasted on keto for months and lost their target weight. It’s definitely easier if you live alone, or if you and your spouse try it at the same time. Many times I would make a regular meal, and serve my husband a baked potato, while I ate extra salad and salad dressing. Once I made a chicken soup base and added noodles to Dave’s and kale to mine. The hardest part for me was walking through the grocery store and telling myself that I couldn’t have whole wheat bagels, sweet potatoes, or bananas—all foods that I feel are healthy and part of my regular diet.

Actually, my favorite diet is called Diet Free Life. “It’s an eating plan that shows you how to eat food – ANY food – to lose fat.” In this diet, Robert Ferguson teaches you how to eat all foods, but in the right proportions. He also uses a concept called “carb-stepping” where you gradually increase carbohydrates to correspond with your activity level. Now that’s a diet that I can stay on for life.