Is the Ketogenic Diet Good For Weight Loss?

IS THE KETOGENIC DIET GOOD FOR WEIGHT LOSS? READ THIS FIRST

Written by Jonathan Fletcher

Every 15-20 years the low-carb diet is resurrected under a different name. In the late 60’s Irwin Stillman popularized the “Stillman Diet”. In the early 70's, Robert Atkins of the "Atkin's Diet" fame brought low-carb back to the forefront. He didn't have much success with it at the time, but had MASSIVE success when it returned in the early 1990's.

The current low carb craze has been re-branded as the "ketogenic diet" and it is hotter than Houston in September.

I have a feeling it’s not going anywhere, so let's dig in and talk about the science behind low-carb diets.

What is the ketogenic diet?

We have to start with the basics. What are carbohydrates anyway?

They’re organic molecules classified by their molecular structure. Some have one or two sugar molecules linked together, and others have multiple groups of sugar molecules linked together. The structure of these molecules is what determines how quickly they’re broken down into glucose (sugar) in your body when eaten. The closer in structure the carbohydrate is to sugar to start, with the more quickly its converted to sugar in the body.

Eating carbohydrates with dietary fat and/or protein together in a meal will slow down the conversion process.

Once eaten, broken down and absorbed, the sugars head off to the liver and muscles to fill up our energy storage tanks in the form of glycogen.

They also stay in your bloodstream for energy demands. Some foods that come to mind as examples of carbohydrates are grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, dairy, potatoes, and of course processed stuff like sweets and candy.

We've written before about whether or not a low-carb diet is right for you.

Recap: If you lift weights, do any sort of high-intensity training, or can’t see yourself avoiding bread for the rest of your life… A low-carb diet isn’t a good idea for you.

Today we are going to focus on what actually happens to your body when you restrict carbohydrates, so you’ll be better educated on the entire scenario.

Let's start by acknowledging that when we eat carbohydrates that become stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, they cause water retention.

When stored, every gram of glycogen binds with about 3g of water.

So as your body converts carbohydrates into sugar, and then into stored glycogen, it contributes to your overall body weight.

This is NOT stored fat, it’s the weight of this stored glycogen and water in your muscles and liver. Ok, back to the topic at hand.

What happens when you stop eating carbs?

Well, since you’re still alive and requiring energy to live, your body will still follow its default chain of command for acquiring energy.

It will first look to use up all of the available glucose (made from carbohydrates) that’s available in your bloodstream.

Once that fuel is gone, it will look to your reserve tanks of glycogen in your muscles and liver that we talked about.

Depending on how active you are, and what type of exercise you do, it may take several days to burn through your glycogen stores.

Since sugar (in the form of glucose and glycogen) is the preferred energy source for your body, what happens when you run out?

As always, our bodies have found ways to adapt to what we do to them. If there is enough protein in your diet, your body can actually make sugar from protein by breaking down the amino acids in protein into glucose through a process known as gluconeogenesis.

If your carbohydrate AND protein intake are restricted, your body has another tool in its toolbox to keep you moving.

What is ketogenesis?

Through the process known as ketogenesis, your bodies can convert fatty acids from dietary and stored body fat into ketone bodies, which we you then use instead of glucose for energy.

To enter a state of “ketosis” (which means you’ve transitioned from burning glucose for energy to producing and burning ketones for energy) you’ll likely need to keep your protein intake to somewhere around 20% of your total calories, and your total carbohydrates to under 10% of your total calories. Otherwise, your body will continue to make and use glucose for fuel. The rest of the calories you eat needs to come from dietary fat.

What does it feel like to be in ketosis?

Remember that stored water we talked about before? As you deplete your stored glycogen, you’re going to lose that water weight.

It can be a significant amount. Anyone who has done a “low carb diet” can tell you that the initial 5-15-lb drop on the scale can be a big confidence booster.

In nearly all cases, this initial weight loss is due mostly to glycogen and water loss, and not body fat. Sad, I know.

Another thing to expect during this period of adaptation and transition is something that has been nicknamed the “keto-flu”.

This is a temporary state of lethargy, mental fog, and general “meh” feeling as your body is not happy about the shortage of its preferred energy source (glucose).

If you can maintain a low carbohydrate and low enough protein intake to stay in ketosis, your body will adapt to ketones as its new energy source.

Is the ketogenic good for people who work out?

Since you’re reading this article on Digital Barbell, we can assume that you have some interest in nutrition, fitness, and exercise.

So.. it should also be noted that even though the body can adapt to using ketones instead of glucose for most energy demands, ketones CANNOT be used for anaerobic activity.

Remember, anaerobic exercises are those short-duration activities like sprints, hard effort lifts with weights, and explosive efforts.

Your body MUST use stored glycogen for those. If your training relies heavily on anaerobic activity, you might be riding the struggle bus on a low-carb or ketogenic diet.

Last on the list of things to expect when adopting a low-carb diet or lifestyle is the possibility of body composition changes.

We’ve talked many many times about dietary protein’s role in the building and preservation of lean body mass (muscle).

The amino acids in protein are the building blocks of our muscles and connective tissue. As it turns out, carbohydrates are also a muscle-preserving nutrient.

After an extended period of time, a high fat, low carbohydrate, low/moderate protein diet can result in reduced lean body mass (muscle) and an overall “soft” look to the body.

You can attempt to combat this by lifting weights, but you can’t completely avoid it.

Even though this article is about the physical changes your body goes through when limiting carbohydrates, I want to touch on the idea of using a low-carb diet for weight/fat loss.

Remember, weight gain or loss is a function of energy balance.

Calories in vs. calories out.

If you are eating more calories than you are burning, your body will store the extra calories as new tissue (fat and muscle).

If you are eating fewer calories than you are burning, your body will look to its stored energy to make up the difference (your body fat).

Maintaining a negative energy balance (calorie deficit) over an extended period is the key to weight and fat loss. Sustainability is what I’m talking about.

Choosing an approach that is sustainable, in our opinion, is the most important predictor of long-term success.

If getting into and sustaining a caloric deficit through a high fat/low carb diet works for your lifestyle then that is fantastic.

Any approach that you take that can’t be sustained will likely result in you regaining any weight that you lose, and that is not only a problem psychologically, but it’s not the best thing for your metabolic health either.

Crash diets, fat diets, and 30-day challenges are not the answer.

Short-term intensity is sexy, but it’s not the answer. Education, consistency, and accountability are where it’s at.

If you’re ready to reach your goals without ever dieting again, we can help. Apply for coaching below.

If you need help setting your target calories, protein, carbs, and fat without going low-carb, download our FREE Calorie and Macronutrient Guide HERE.