I want to preface this by saying that I’ve been an accredited practicing dietitian for over a decade. I’ve worked with everyday people through my practice on the Mornington Peninsula for both general weight loss, as well as within hospitals and bariatric clinics to help weight loss patients. I’ve now brought this expertise to the weight-loss industry as co-founder of Be Fit Food, a whole-food based weight-loss meal delivery program.
With all this in mind my advice below won’t suit everyone. But that’s the nature of the game in health as it is all about the individual, and seeing that I don’t have the medical history of all those that will read this article, I can’t say that it will work the same for everyone.
It’s not for everyone.
I’m know how cliché this sounds, but everyone is different so what works for one may not work for the next. This is true for a ketogenic diet and some people will hear the term and want to know more, while others may see it as nothing more than another ‘trending’ diet. I’d like people to look at it and apply the same individualistic thinking that we attribute to people’s health; that ketosis might be different for everyone and it’s allowed to be.
Listen: Journalist Brigid Delaney tackled the ‘wellness’ cult and came out the other side. She talks to Mia Freedman, on No Filter. Post continues after audio.
It’s not what it used to be.
Traditionally, ketogenic diets were quite unbalanced and were based more in a medical setting than in a weight loss setting for treating conditions such as Epilepsy and Type 1 Diabetes. You can imagine that to treat medical conditions such as these the diets were extreme and this is why I think people still treat the modern day version with apprehension. The new age approach to a ketogenic diet is much milder and recommends to reduce your intake of carbohydrates as opposed to the extreme of cutting out food groups altogether.
Top Comments
My husband and I just started doing a mild keto diet last month, cutting out processed foods, grains, and high starch foods. It is working really well, he had lost 40lbs. and I have lost close to 15lbs. We both have a lot more energy to keep up with our toddler. And it is maintainable long term since we still eat loads of protein, healthy fats, and large amounts of fruits and veggies. We still have dairy from time to time, I just can't drink my morning Earl Grey without milk, but the amount consumed is negligible compared to what we used to eat.
I know a few people who have done keto (and lost weight, I will say) but they ate SO much processed food. Basically just a diet of salami and cheese.
Where as I imagine a more paleo-ish approach would be better? Meat, veg and healthy fats? But I'm no dietician. I'm having wine for dinner.
In the quest to eat more protein it's really easy to fall into the habit of eating a lot of processed food and low carb protein bars/drinks. I lost 30kg eating in this way but found I couldn't stand all the "fake" food. I'm now happily eating a well balanced diet with a few more carbs (fruit and veg) and feel more "well" than I did during the keto diet.