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Keto/Atkins is a plague

shortz

shortz

Beard of Knowledge VIP
May 6, 2013
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Hear me out for a moment before you jump all over me. Generally speaking, for the average person, I truly believe that Keto diets are a plague. Without a basic understanding of diet, understanding calorie and macro manipulation, individual needs and goals, and being able to make an informed decision on what it is best, makes Keto just an absolutely horrible choice for your average dieter.

When you are a competitive BBer, prepping for a show or just trying to get very, very low, Keto can be very helpful. A lot of these folks know what they are doing, and understand Keto is a "temporary diet". Most average folks don't know enough though. They default to Keto when, in fact, it's usually a horrible option for them. Hell, I know a few lifters like this too, but that's another rant...

A conversation I had with someone the other day via text...

*Hey, I heard you fast in the morning.

*Yes, I do. I do intermittent fasting. Be aware though, IF is only an eating schedule. It's not an actual diet. It's impact on fat loss if more for overcoming the mental and physiological aspects of dieting, i.e. Hunger. My actual diet is flexible eating. I meet calorie and macro requirements for the day, and I can choose from a much larger choice of foods, not all of which are healthy, but will still help me lose fat.

*Ok, thanks. I am doing low carb/Keto, so I don't need to track anything.

See, had she just said from the beginning she has no idea what she's doing and doesn't want advice to learn more, I wouldn;t have wasted my time even replying in the first place. This is why she is obese and will never lose the weight she wants to lose. She, as well as many others, just believe you eat low carb and eat as much fat and protein as you want an it will automatically make you lose fat.

I digress. I wish it would just go away and wish Keto would have just been left to the bodybuilding world. I just don't believe it really has any place in the general public. Sure, we could argue special cases (morbid obesity, for instance), but that's not what I am referring to.
 
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Mike_RN

Mike_RN

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Aug 13, 2013
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All the middle aged chubby nurses I work with celebrate that initial water weight loss as a triumph :p
 
gunslinger

gunslinger

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Sep 19, 2010
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Keto is the only way I have managed to keep my calories low and not feel like shit all the time. Considering anything over 100 grams of carbs per day makes me fat regardless of source, keto is amazing.
 
monsoon

monsoon

Senior Bacon VIP
Nov 1, 2010
5,007
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All the middle aged chubby nurses I work with celebrate that initial water weight loss as a triumph :p
Mmmmmmmm, middle aged chubby nurses....

Anyway, that quick drop in water weight can serve as motivation to keep someone on track longer than a more reasonable diet that has a pound of fat loss in the first week or two. Keto certainly has its place, but I agree that Adkins ruined it.
When Dan Duchaine first put out body opus, I bought the book and got absolutely shredded. I lost way more weight than I thought I would and I was completely natural.
That was 20 years ago and my life has changed. Now as a chubby middle aged dad bod stress ball, I have a much harder time dieting and I'm always looking for shortcuts. If I was completely uninformed newb in the realm of diet/ body comp and a coworker told me that I could lose weight eating as much bacon as I could carry. I would be very attracted to it.
 
Tuffoldman

Tuffoldman

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May 23, 2011
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I will agree with the OP, most people have no clue what a good diet is at all. Keto, Paleo, blah blah blah they are all the same if you don't understand the mechanics behind it. They are all Fad diets but they can all have their benefits in certain ways if you know what you are doing. Carb Cycling, Keto, Intermittent Fasting etc... all work for certain people under, again, certain conditions but most people have no freaking clue why or who or IF they should be doing it.

I actually use Ultra low carb (under 30 a day) for 6 days and then have my carb meals the last few hours of the day on the 7th. I use this when I am cutting and only when I am cutting. I use Carb Backloading when adding muscle but trying to maintain lean weight and then I also have used intermittent fasting a time or two which I don't care for myself it's hard for me to eat a lot on one day and almost starve myself the next day with much lower calories, this method works but it's all mental for me.

I'm old but leaner than most without having to kill myself with endless cardio. I eat a very high fat diet, moderate fats and lower carbs most of the time and then when I want to cut I just switch some carbs for protein and fats (the calories) and lean up quickly and feel great.
 
Lizard King

Lizard King

Administrator
Staff Member
Sep 9, 2010
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Can we jump all over you anyway?
 
Gms585

Gms585

VIP Member
Mar 17, 2017
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Diet is unquestionably the biggest challenge in the fitness and health industry. We started to touch on this in a different thread.
So many factors, so much information. I feel it should be taught in high school as every living human should understand basic nutrition science and needs. Not to mention even many nutritionists I feel don't grasp the metabolic impacts of extreme sedentary jobs.
I am stationary almost 10hrs per day. Even with 2 gym sessions per day, knowledge of nutrition, and intermittent fasting I find eating a challenge some days, weeks.
 
DungeonDweller

DungeonDweller

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Mar 21, 2017
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Not to mention even many nutritionists I feel don't grasp the metabolic impacts of extreme sedentary jobs. I am stationary almost 10hrs per day.
That's me too, including my commute. I was told something last week that I don't know is true or not: If I stay sitting for 30 minutes my metabolism will start to drop. This was with an encouragement to get up from the work desk every 30 minutes and do something.
 
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