Did you know that some people try to lose weight by eating more fat? This might sound crazy, but a number of people live by the phrase, “fight fat, with fat,” to lose weight. This phrase comes from the ketogenic diet, also known as ketosis, a diet that consists of consuming foods that are high in fats but low in carbohydrates. My dad has been on the ketosis diet for years and has told me all about the positive effects of it, so I decided to give it a try.
The ketosis diet places very strict limits on what foods you can eat, limiting you to those that are very low in carbohydrates.
Although it is very restrictive, according to registered dietician Franziska Spritzler, there are a lot of protein options that you can eat on the diet. One of the most common types of proteins to eat on the ketosis diet is seafood. Fish and shellfish contain a lot of omega-3 fats while staying low in carbohydrates. Another popular source of protein on the ketosis diet is meat and poultry. If these meats are fresh, not processed, and cooked in a healthy way, they contain zero carbohydrates. Eggs are also a great source of protein on the ketosis diet for breakfast because each egg contains less than one gram of carbohydrates.
Since many fruits and vegetables are high in carbs, Spritzler also explains that only certain types of fruits and vegetables are allowed on the ketosis diet. For example, only dark green vegetables and berries are allowed on this diet. This is due to their amount of net carbohydrates. Net carbohydrates are calculated by subtracting the amount of fiber per serving of a food from the number of carbohydrates per serving. The result is the number of carbohydrates that are counted towards the ketosis diet. Since dark vegetables and berries are high in fiber, their net carbohydrate result is low, which qualifies them for ketosis. Fiber does not break down into glucose when digested, Spritzler said. Avocados are also a popular item on this diet due to their high amounts of fat and the fact that they only contain 2 grams of net carbohydrates.
Foods that you wouldn’t expect to be part of a normal “weight loss” diet, such as dairy and nuts, are allowed on this diet, according to Spritzler. Cheese, yogurt and milk are high in saturated fats while low in carbohydrates, making them a great fit for the ketogenic diet. Nuts and seeds are also high in fiber and fats while being lower on the carbohydrate side, qualifying them for the ketogenic diet.
There are a number of ways in which the ketosis diet affects your body, but the most noticeable effect is weight loss. Your body uses carbohydrates as its main source of energy, so when it is deprived, your body uses an alternative source of energy, called ketones, which are produced from stored fat (Harvard School of Public Health). If there are no carbohydrates left in the body, due to their restriction, your metabolism will start to use up your body’s fat as a source of energy, contributing to weight loss. My dad experienced this while on the ketosis diet, and he told me that he lost weight without changing his workout routine. I decided to try this diet after hearing this, but I did not have quite the same results as he did.
Within the first couple of weeks that I was on the ketosis diet, I lost a lot of weight, but it wasn’t sustainable in the long run. As a teenage girl, I couldn’t just eat meat, vegetables and dairy for the rest of my life, so naturally, I decided to treat myself to things such as bread, pasta and other carb-filled desserts. But, once I did treat myself, my body had been so deprived of carbohydrates that it was all that I craved. I found it extremely hard to go back on the ketosis diet after this, so I ended up gaining all of the weight that I lost back, plus more, which was devastating.
In total, the ketosis diet may not be the right answer for everyone. My dad has extremely good discipline, so he is able to stay on the diet and eat the limited amounts of food that it offers. But, not everyone is that way. Lots of people want to eat other foods, have balance and live a little, which doesn’t work with the ketosis diet. Your body will always be fluctuating between high amounts of carbs or none at all, which isn’t healthy for your metabolism and will cause a lot of weight fluctuation. So unless you are willing to eat a certain way for the rest of your life, I would not recommend trying the ketosis diet.