The keto diet has gained a lot of media attention throughout 2018, you must have noticed this right? In case you were unsure, the keto diet is a really specific high fat, moderate protein, and low carb system of eating, made famous for its supposed ability to help people burn fat while eating a lot of it! The public perception of the keto diet is that it’s a fat loss miracle, but I’ll get back to that point in a little while…

The specifics of the keto diet are:

70% fat
25% protein
5% carbs (carbohydrates must remain 50g and under to sustain ketosis)

Just eating a “low carb” diet or trying to cut carbs out of your diet and survive off protein and fat doesn’t qualify as a ketogenic diet, the ratios are really specific to get the body into ketosis and stay there. Meaning if you aren’t spot on with your ratios your results will be compromised and you can look forward to experiencing some unwanted side effects such as low energy, difficulty concentrating and even a lower sex drive!

Here is the thing though, the keto diet isn’t something we really like or advocate at Nutrition Solutions HQ, even if it means you’re allowed to eat a lot of cheese, bacon and steak! 😉

This is why:

It is super limited, meaning you can’t eat more than 50g of carbs per day. Does that sound appealing to you?
Every gram and calorie has to be accurately accounted for which takes a lot of time, effort, energy and can make you really anti-social to be around. Do you want that?

In the 7 years we’ve been in business we have heard hundreds of stories from clients who experimented with keto who lost a ton of weight in a relatively short period of time, only to gain it all back and then some! They also reported having a harder time losing the weight the next time around.

Oh, and Did I mention about the carbs thing…? That would mean no Clean Cheatz protein donuts, protein pizza or bison Mac & cheese! Or not very much of that or any of the good stuff… You don’t want to be that restricted or make things more difficult than they have to be, do you?
While ketosis is a natural metabolic adaptation, the biggest driver of fat loss behind this diet, like any, is portion control. By cutting an entire food group out of your diet, it is harder to over consume calories.

The smarter, easier and more fun way to exercise a sound nutrition plan with proper portion control is by sticking to sensibly sized meals that you actually enjoy and cut out any junk, soda or mindless snacking because of boredom! Eat more veggies, drink lots of water, consume more protein, only eat carbohydrates and fats which haven’t been processed etc

If it comes from a drive-thru or kiosk already prepared, don’t eat it. The only ready prepared meals you should have are either the meals you prep on your own, or healthy meals from Nutrition Solutions or another trusted company that will do the work for you. This is because you know that you’ll be fueling your body with only the best quality meals packed with the nutrients that you need to look and feel you’re very best!

Obviously, you’re already doing this, which is awesome, I just wanted to take the time to fill in any gray areas about keto in case you were wondering and also remind you how important consistency is as we keep moving forward together toward crushing your goals!

In conclusion, is the keto diet best for you? As a dual certified National Academy of Sports Medicine Fitness & Nutrition Specialist and Weight Loss Specialist who consults with a licensed physician and sports scientist weekly, unless you live a sedentary lifestyle, don’t work out, have an overwhelming amount of free time on your hands everyday to monitor macros or simply want to make dieting 10x harder than it has to be, the answer is no. As with all things in life I’m a huge advocate of the KISS method. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!