To Keto or Not to Keto? And What About Intermittent Fasting?

I have heard more people talk about either going keto or enduring intermittent fasting in the last year than I could count. In my opinion, these are just two new ways to spin the old idea of restrictive eating and minimal calories leading to weight loss (which only works int he short teem, by the way). If anyone can tell the future and knows when we can finally leave these archaic views in the rearview mirror, please let me know.

Many dietitians pride themselves on using a “science based practice,” so let’s use the science to dive into these two diets and why they probably don’t work for the common person for an extended period of time.

The Keto Diet-Debunked:

The Keto Diet depends on the body being in a very low Carbohydrate state, so much so that the body believes it is starving and enters into ketosis. During ketosis, the body utilizes fatty acids for energy instead of sugar. Although in theory, I am with you that it sounds pretty promising, research has shown the opposite. For one thing, our bodies are not built to maintain ketosis for the long-term without detrimental side effects. Ketosis is a survival tactic and in survival, protein (better known as muscles) breaks down at a higher rate than fat. Research shows that the weight loss that was achieved during this regimen was regained within a year after the diet was completed. The increased protein in the diet also leads to an increase in the loss of water, leading to dehyration. Most of the weight that ends up showing a lower number on the scale is due to the loss of water and the loss of muscle, NOT the loss of fat.

OK– so if keto is not the route to go, what about intermittent fasting?

In my opinion, intermittent fasting is a blanket name for limiting food intake and restricting when to eat. It is defined as a period of eating followed by a period of fasting. There are a multitude of ways to do this on the internet, ranging from a few hours or to a more extreme level of separating patterns by days of the week. Intermittent fasting can lead to irregular blood sugar levels which leaves people feeling exhausted, experiencing body fatigue and having headaches. The lack of nutrients can also severely decrease adequate brain power for the work day. Often, intermittent fasting is not sustainable solely because life gets in the way. It is extremely difficult to perfectly time your meals in such a way that you can follow the guidelines of intermittent fasting.

So- what should you do?

You should listen to your body. Learn to understand your body’s cue for hunger, nourish your body with a meal that is balanced and will sustain you until the next time you are eating. Plan ahead but have some wiggle room, life happens and there is no reason to feel as if you failed if you couldn’t make it work for a day. Remember the 20-80 rule, 20% of the time allow yourself to live, don’t worry about the calories or about the macro balance, worry about the taste and the enjoyment you feel while eating, get back to eating balanced for the other 80% of the time.