Since entering my thirties, I’d felt a sudden shift from an eat-anything-sleep-all-day-and-not-gain-a-pound self of my twenties to a growing mass of BMI and back pain. Every slice of cake hung around the waistline long after the sugar hangover and a trip up the stairs had become a strenuous affair. It was clear: I’d physically peaked around 28 and was now slowly dying. I desperately searched for a diet to counter this aged withering. After scouring health and fitness podcasts, I came across the ketogenic diet (or ‘keto’ as we call it in the inner circles). It’s growing observational evidence of full body transformations and it’s promise of unlimited bacon intrigued me. I have always taken testimonials with a pinch of placebo, but it sounded as promising as any other diet I’d come across. The next day, I threw out my carbohydrate rich foods and loaded up on coconut oil, avocadoes, fatty steaks, and, of course, bacon to start my journey into ketosis.
For the uninitiated, the ketogenic diet is a high fat and low carbohydrate diet that monitors macronutrient ratios, rather than total calories. Dieters consume a ratio of 55-60% of calories from fat, 30-35% from protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates. When the body becomes starved of carbohydrates, it resorts to using fat as its primary fuel source which, in turn, generates ketones in the liver. This contrasts to the standard glucose produced from carbohydrates. The theory is that when ketones replace glucose as the body’s primary energy source, changes in biochemistry occur that result in increased fat burning as well a number of cognitive benefits (due to ketones’ ability to cross the blood-brain barrier).
By the first week, I started losing weight as promised. What really shocked me, however, were the significant changes in my mood and brain function: I slept better, thought clearer, and felt like I had more consistent energy throughout the day with no midday hangry mood swings. The best part? I didn’t feel hungry. I found it increasingly difficult to eat my decided minimum daily calorie intake. This is because, not only has ketosis been observed to suppress hunger, sugary and carbohydrate rich foods are dense in calories. One bagel packs 245 calories, whereas you would need to consume nearly ten cans of sardines (a highly keto, if less than appetizing, food) to get the same amount. The consistent, hunger-free weight loss led me to a goal weight I hadn’t seen in years by the second month.
Don’t take my word for it. In a study published in the Experimental and Clinical Cardiology Journal, “Long-term effects of a ketogenic diet in obese patients,” 83 obese patients were put on the ketogenic diet for 24 weeks. The study found that patients overall had significantly reduced body mass, body weight, triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose levels. This study also suggests that the diet may reduce risks of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases due to its stabilizing effect on patients’ blood sugar.
That said, keto wasn’t all fun and games. The “keto flu,” a common collection of nausea and fatigue as ketosis begins, is very real, though short lived. Also, I had difficulty building any muscle during my time in ketosis, regardless of workout routine. This is consistent with articles I’d seen prior to starting the diet: The low intake of protein and high-energy carbohydrates makes muscle growth more difficult. Research also points out the limited scientific literature on long term ketosis (over two years). In an article published in the Harvard Medical School blog, Marcelo Campos, MD, speculates that a high fat diet with “notoriously unhealthy foods” (such as red meat and salty foods) may cause long term effects over time. While potentially true, this could simply be reactionary pushback against a diet that opposes the traditionally held low-fat diet recommendation. Without long term studies, however, both sides are left to speculation and self-experimentation.
Eventually, I went off keto. I was moving to the UK for a year and didn’t see it fitting with the traditional English culinary faire of bread pudding, pasties, and warm beer. Although, since returning to the US and gaining my COVID twenty, I’ve looked back with harkening interest at the keto lifestyle. After all, a little sacrifice of carbs is a small price to pay to feel 28 again.
C.B. James Writing 