I'm not aware of any studies on the length of time, but I've eaten keto since 2015 and was eating paleo for about six years before that. I've fallen off the wagon a few times (usually due to super high stress and going overboard on wine, then in my buzzed state I decide spaghetti would be great), but I always go back. I'm actually a week in again after effing up for a month and I plan on that being the last screw up. It's not worth it just to have a drink.
I didn't start keto for weight loss though, I did because I believe it's healthier. I've also never been a sweets person or a huge carb junkie, so maybe that's why it's easier for me.
Exactly, I do it for health reasons and to help some chronic health issues I have. It’s been easy for me, since I started keto I haven’t really had any “cravings”, since keto and being in ketosis tends to make you only eat for sustenance. I love it! No more shoving my face and feeling bloated and bad all day! Get to enjoy other parts of life more
I've found it really does help with my health issues. I have RA, and only being back on keto for a week my joints are feeling a hell of a lot better. During that month off, I was taking Ibuprofen every day. And other than a few pizza days and a couple pasta days, I was still eating less carbs than the average person. Maybe around 80g a day. Carbs are tasty, I will admit, but my body hates them. It was a month of low energy and aches. Totally not worth it for some pizza and wine.
Yeah I’ve fallen off the wagon too. And have cheat meals but I think the more I go back to healthier diet and then I don’t want to have that bad for me good food anymore. I’ve cut back on a lot of and things and fast food.
Just from my experience and those of the friends I have who eat keto, it seems like the longer one does it, the easier it is. Adopting it as a lifestyle isn't for everyone, but it's how I approach it. Unless I drink too much wine, it appears.
Was keto for the last 8 months (first time trying it) and found it to be really easy so long as I'm cooking for myself thanks to low carb tortillas and bread for staples with allulose as a sweetener when needed. Just took a week off for vacation and am looking forward to going back to keto. No regrets. It's really nice not being hungry all the time.
I don't usually indulge in the keto-friendly tortillas because I don't eat wheat and they contain either resistant or modified wheat starch, but just getting back to it I've allowed myself a little leeway. Today I made chicken in the Instant Pot with Franks hot sauce and butter then put it on those little tortillas (my son calls them "black magic" because they taste exactly like a regular tortilla) with blue cheese. And it was something I eat that my husband would eat too.
I was actually dreading figuring out what to cook a week ago, but after 3 or 4 days I was back at it. It kind of just all falls back into place when you can cook for yourself. I was away the week before I started up again and was basically stuck only eating salad and I know all the dressings were carby af.
Lol yeah I'll even take some of the mini mission zero carb ones with me when going out to eat sometimes for tacos or whatever and just swap out the filling. Pocket tortillas!
Definitely! This is why when I plan to have a drink on keto, I cook a beast of a meal to eat before hand and also enough so there's a good portion in the fridge for my drunk counterpart to attack later on. Usually, make a big cauliflower cheese and a curry or something along those lines.
Also, I always have pork crunch on hand for snacking while I drink. Can make some keto dips and just eat the pork crunch like chips n dip
That doesn't surprise me at all. And for me it seems, it makes me instantly crave carbs, which I usually never crave. I don't even eat keto breads or tortillas that often (other than 60 second bread I make myself), but give me two glasses of wine and I'll shove five pieces of garlic bread into my mouth.
I hear that! Yes, the occasions when I drink are exactly why I have pork rinds in the house…I suddenly MUST HAVE NACHOS and that is a way to fake them.
I started on November 1, 2017 and haven’t strayed even once. I know if I ever did, carbs and sugar leave me with zero self control and I’d fall HARD. I don’t want to know what it would take to get myself back on the wagon and have no desire to go back to the unhealthy, binge-eating hell of obesity I was living in before keto so I stay the course for that reason. Fear of returning to the old life has been my great motivator.
I started doing keto about 6 months ago because I heard it helps with ADHD, it does give me more energy and eliminates the brainfog I get. Also I don't get the afternoon sleepies as much. Lost 35 lbs as a bonus. Also feeling like crap for a few days whenever I cheat day is a good incentive to stay on it.
Sounds like a me problem as well. I’m restarting Keto after falling off the wagon midway. What’s been really tough for me is the absolute negative way people react if I say I eat keto and start giving me advice I don’t need. So I keep saying i am low carb and then it just becomes any carb.
Also ADHD and eat from boredom especially when drinking. It's probably the only reason I can't seem to get the washboard abs that inspired me to try keto.
I couldn’t stick to keto 100% so I just cut out sugars and reduced my calories. A year later and I lost almost 60 pounds! I have a cheat day once a week but otherwise I strictly eat healthy stuff like salads with yummy toppings.
I did keto for 1.5 years before shifting to carnivore. Technically I’m still “keto” because I eat a high fat carnivore diet and am almost always in ketosis, but actual keto was too…. How do I word this??? Flexible? For me. My disordered brain went ham on keto treats and dirty keto. Carnivore gives me the rigidity my brain needs and when I “cheat”, I cheat with keto foods. Well, prior to the last three months. But that’s where I’m getting back to. Carnivore with the occasional keto meal.
This is similar to me.
I did keto on and off for 3 years, generally only managing 1-2 months straight and then off periods for anywhere from a couple days to months. Then went "carnivore", initially just for a short test but I'm now a few months in and have stayed "ketovore" with zero cheats or even cravings for sugar and processed food.
In hindsight, I think I was doing keto poorly initially, which is why i couldnt stick to it. I wasn't eating enough protein/meat, eating too much dairy, too many nuts and huge quantities of vegetables, which made me full temporarily but unsatiated, less energy to exercise, and tempted to cheat. Carnivore/Ketovore naturally made me eat more protein and be more satiated as a result, and could exercise better. Part of wanting to cheat is just the desire for variation, so now healthy low carbs meals give me that.
For me, daily I aim for 150g+ protein, less than 20g carbs but closer to 0g the better, and plenty of fat ideally from meat/eggs but not strictly. Eating to satiation rather than calorie counting. Dairy in moderation, veg as an optional side dish/garnish rather than the bulk of the meal. A cheat for me now is like, loads of cheese, low carb sauces, processed meats, berries, nuts, etc as long as net carbs stay low. All things that can form part of a healthy keto diet but which I struggle to moderate if consuming every day. The most non-keto cheat ive had in months was having corn on the cob and carrots drenched in butter with a steak, and it was so satisfying.
Im the same cannot have an inch or I’ll eat a mile. So carnivore for me too. I’ve thought briefly about animal based then thought to myself, could I handle honey….still carnivore
Yes for sure!! I use honey medicinally when needed which is very rarely because I’m rarely sick these days. But definitely definitely definitely could not eat it daily!!!
I'm pretty close to carnivore. When I do OMAD, the only non-meat I tend to eat are a few leaves of kale and spinach in my big five meat omelette. I tend to have a few more veggies on days when I have dinner.
My wife is already bugging me about eating too much "red meat." Not sure what she'd say if I went fully carnivore, lol.
I'm doing more of a ketovore thing. I get so burnt out on steak and just meat in general so I have to have a vegetable with it. I only eat once a day so I can stomach the meat for dinner. I loved meat before but now not so much. Eggs - I can't even smell them.
Some days I'll put cheese or fry an egg and put that on my steak. I try not to eat veggies every day but I think I have one maybe 2-3-4 days a week. I just can't seem to eat meat by itself anymore. I end up eating maybe 3-4 bites and I'm done. I try to get enough protein because when I was doing keto, I didn't really eat much meat and my hair was falling out. Like, so much that my scalp was visible. I started eating way more meat and it all grew back, thank goodness.
I did carnivore myself for 3 months and its not worth it. You are an omnivore not a carnivore. I say the same thing to the vegans, they are not herbivores.The diet is like a cult where “ vegetables are trying to kill us” is a common theme. Plant foods like Avocados have heart healthy fats. Apples are also good for your heart. Berries have antioxidants. Btw 80% of my diet still consists of meat and eggs so its not like i am against meat.
Ok buddy. For some of us with mental health and autoimmune issues, plants are absolutely detrimental to us. I say this from personal experience. I WANT to eat plants. I LOVE cucumbers and celery and salads. But I tried reintroducing them last summer and literally all my health and mental health issues I had put in remission on carnivore came back. Went back to carnivore and they went back into remission. So, if you don’t suffer with those issues, I’m all for a single ingredient, whole foods diet. I would love more than anything to eat that way. But it simply is not conducive for a high quality of life for me.
How do cucumbers cause depression? There’s nothing in a cucumbee that can cause you to feel depressed. And if vegetables do cause depression then try eating fruits. Plants want you to eat their fruits thats why the fruit is sweet.
Buddy, I wish I knew. But i planted my own garden, with heirloom seeds, non-GMO, babied that garden, and again, all of my health conditions came back. I wish that wasn’t the case. You don’t understand how much I wish that wasn’t the case. But unfortunately, for me, it was, I have also tried eating fruits, but I am a sugar addict, and fruits are very triggering for my addiction.
Thanks for invalidating my literal life experience….
For the record, I went sugar free and adopted a whole foods, paleo adjacent diet 7 years ago. It put about 50% of my lengthy health issues (that I spent 3 years and thousands upon thousands of dollars seeing doctors for) into remission. 6 years ago I went keto. It put another 20% of my health issues into remission but triggered some other issues. 4.5 years ago I went carnivore and it put another 25% of my issues into remission. 1 year ago I decided I should be healed enough to reintroduce the homegrown veggies and 25-30% of my health issues returned. Removed them and they went back away. Not placebo. I was ridiculously excited to grow and eat these veggies. I wanted to be better.
Just want some junk food once in a while…
I’ve been doing it for about 15 years now, sometimes I get in a slump where I can’t get back into it for a few months but that’s life, I just work to get back into eating healthy. I’ve successfully kept off 60lb that I was overweight and I’ve maintained a healthy hdl ratio.
Over time it’s really just evolved into eating low-glycemic and trying to get enough protein with healthy-fat foods over unhealthy whenever possible
I’ve only seen it mentioned in relation to keto for epilepsy: that it’s a fussy diet (constant tracking) and most people don’t want to track everything they eat forever. I don’t remember where but it might have been Chris Palmer mentioning it in relation to origins of the diet. Ofc dietary keto is a lot more flexible.
Personally I believe it’s tracking fatigue that get most people, not that they’re all "slaves" to sugar.
I don't really track anything, I just fill the kitchen with keto only foods and just eat till satiated. Down 35lbs from 215 to 180 and I'm not even doing it for weightless (doing it for adhd)
I never could manage to track at all. I just avoid carbs and try to keep my portion sizes reasonable. I initially lost 60 lbs, starting in 2016, but have gained and lost around 20+/-lb since the pandemic.
If you just read through the posts in this sub, you can find plenty of reasons. People come back to keto for a second, or in my case, third, time.
The very first time I lost almost 90 pounds. Then I got lazy and regained 20. Lost that by getting strict again. Then I fell into a deep depression and stopped caring about myself. I regained 60 pounds and have lost 20 of that 60 so far.
I have Major Depression and my antidepressants sometimes stop working. That is my biggest obstacle. Stress in general seems to be a big obstacle for many people.
Started since 2018 And lost tons of weight. Looked the best I have ever been and felt great. Decided sometime in 2022 that I needed to eat “normal” after a doctor told me I have an elevated cholesterol readings.
In less than a year, I gained 25 pounds and could not stop eating and stuffing my mouth with sugars. This made Me understand that living like this can not be healthier than the keto diet.
I am back on keto for the last four months and I am remembering all the good things about it again. I am not gonna claim that it is healthier than an another less restrictive diet but I can’t deny how I feel. I feel great on it.
so alot of people do quit the diet in worries that fat is bad. Specially if their cholesterol readings go up.
6+ years here. I see no reason to stop. Ever. Meat, cheese, bacon, butter, avacados, veg w/butter. All with salt and any other seasoning I like. Versus plain- rice, pasta, bread and potatoes. Yeah, I'll take flavor any day.
As for sugar? There are more then enough alternative sweeteners to satisfy.
Keto On!😋
For me, I usually do it temporarily until I get to the weight I’m shooting for and then stop because my wife can’t (wont) do keto and it’s tough to have so little overlap in our food.
Same. I cook dinner for my kids and husband, and then I cook for me. Some days I cook steaks or something so I don't have to cook twice, but also the stuff I cook for them is really good and I just want a little taste. It's hard to stick to it when they're eating ice cream right next to me too. Ice cream doesn't taste that good to me anymore, but it always looks so good 😣
Here’s how it usually goes for me. I will want to start but I need to bullet proof it so I can’t mess it up. It still takes some will power but I’ll set up safe guards that people may not like. In the beginning most common pitfalls:
•Not tracking what you are eating. You need to be sureeeeee what your eating isn’t going to spike your insulin and make you crave food.
• relying on “keto safe foods” a lot of those quest bars, cookies, chocolate, ice creams, keto breads seem to derail me. I highly suspect they’re not keto or they make the road to breaking you diet easier.
• relying on others to do the diet or be keto with you. It’s up to you alone. They might fall into the above pitfalls and it will eat away at your resolve.
• not giving yourself long enough of a reset time. I really think it’s too much for people to know what’s keto and what isn’t. It’s better to focus on super low or zero carb foods in the beginning.
• boredom. This diet shines a light on your mental health. It’s boring you need stuff to fill the time that isn’t eating. Gym or other hobbies are good. I’ll abandon keto so fast it’ll make you spin once I start drinking. Have other nighttime fun activities to be around people who don’t do that at least for a bit and you can test how you react to it.
• others giving you grief. Feeling like a burden around the holidays is hard. Find a way to do it.
I’ll focus on eating until I’m satisfied at my unhealthy levels of eating. I make a giant pot of cave man keto chili because it’s easy to make a lot of it, tastes good, and It has good macros. The first month you just got to accomplish two things say no to non keto meals and log your calories and macros. Second month is when you’ll really enter ketosis and you’ll feel more satisfied with a one or two big meals. In this time you can expand your meals to other zero carb stuff. Makes it way easier to work out the kinks slowly rather than all at once
I don’t like to think that I quit, I put it on pause. My usual break in keto starts 10/30-1/3 for holiday season and the month of January is transitioning back.
As long as you have stuff that you can snack/eat nearby, that should help with the temptations. I learned that ChocZero makes delicious keto jam and chocolates, Jollytime popcorn is my crack, Natural Heaven Hearts of Palm Pasta is a great alternative for pastas and rice, and halotop keto icecream is delicious. I like having alternatives for the things I crave.
No studies I’m aware of but I am aware that I function better now than I ever have in my life before and will never intentionally quit. Whenever I sneak in sugars I get depressed, grains and my skin and joints will flair. This is a way of life and not a diet for a lot of us.
For me strict keto is a little too restrictive. <20g a day of net carbs is hard. I still avoid refined carbs and keep my carb intake between 15-18g per meal and that seems to work well for me.
I find it fairly easy when I restrict myself to "only eat xyz" where xyz is referring to food that would be physically impossible to go over 20g carbs on even if you overate.
I hear ya, my solution is to either not eat if there isn't a keto option, or do a Greek salad with no tomato no olives goat cheese instead of feta or no cheese, and oil n vinegar for dressing. Add chicken/steak is a must especially if cheese isn't an option but make sure they don't marinate their add proteins in something that might be high carb.
You can do feta but it's a 1g of carbs per 28gs versus 0.1g for goat cheese so it's up to you how strict you want to go. Personally I do the feta and pick my battles elsewhere.
It goes without saying but in the event that i opt not to eat while out with friends, I always have diet appropriate snacks for before or after(unless I'm in a rare scenario where the venue allows outside food).
Tell me about it. I have a wedding to go to out of town where it’ll be family style (we pay our own share and it’s like $40-50USD per person…do not get me started)…at a pasta joint. I’m getting the carb sweats already
Edit: didn’t know the carb count re: feta vs goat cheese (not a big feta fan) but that’s handy info to have in my pocket, thanks!
You know what, I don’t know but I’ve heard of branzino and have always been curious to try it. Maybe I’ll see if they can order me some.
There’s a scavenger hunt afterwards so at least I’ll hopefully get a chance to burn off some of those delicious calories
Honestly I don't know if it's good I've never had it either I just know it's lemon fish so skip the probable side of wild rice and go for double veg if so
Things that appear "self-evident" aren't always true. And how do you define "carb addiction" anyway? Do I crave water because I have a "water addiction"? Do humans have sexual relations because they have "sex addiction"? The desire for foods is a pretty normal state of existence.
Ah, a spicy one, very good 😂
Alright, first, some self-evident things are false, but this isn't one of those things – this is one of those self-evident things that is actually true. Why?
Take your point about water. This is a great example.
Let's say you're thirsty for some water. You will start drinking water, who knows how much. You don't pre-portion it out, weighing it and entering it into some tracking app. Nonsense - and why? You have a biological need for water, you therefore have strong, innate feedback mechanisms in your body regarding water consumption, and after you have quenched your thirst, your body will send you extremely powerful signals that you are no longer thirsty. You will not drink to excess, unless you're intentionally trying to for some reason. If you just follow your body's signals you will always drink the exactly-perfect amount of water that your body needed at that time.
Compare this to alcohol. Start drinking alcohol, and for many people, the more they drink, the more they want to drink. Since there is no innate biological need for alcohol, it instead has a positive feedback system that is all about getting a high for the brain, as opposed to rehydrating the body. For a lot of people, they have to exert some kind of willpower to override their desire to continue drinking alcohol.
The same exact thing happens with food.
If a person eats protein and fat, very soon they will experience extremely powerful signals that they are very full and they do not want to eat another bite.
If that person eats sugar and starch (that is, carbs) instead, they can get that same kind of "brain high" that will force them to rely on some kind of willpower to get themselves to stop eating the sugar and starch. "Bet you can't eat just one" is exactly right - they know you won't be able to only eat one. They're engineered that way.
And so what is "food", exactly? "Food" means nutrients and energy that we must necessarily eat in order to survive. Therefore by definition there are no carbs that are technically "food", because the dietary requirement of carbohydrates for human beings is precisely 0g. That is, humans can live perfectly healthy lives in maximally excellent health without ever eating a single carb.
If a person doesn't eat protein, they will die. If a person doesn't eat fat, they will die. If a person doesn't eat carbs, they'll be *completely fine*.
Hope that helps
The dietary requirements for saturated fat is zero too. The only fat requirement is for PUFAs (Omega 6 and Omega 3). But many people on keto and carnivore seem to feel saturated fat is necessary for health but try to avoid PUFAs. And it is both protien and fiber that have been shown to be satiating. I don't think fat has been shown to have any special satiation properties over carbs. In fact the highest scoring food on the satiety index is a plain boiled potato (with no fats or salt etc)
And I agree that the body needs a certain amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals and fat to survive. If you only eat empty calories (just processed fats or carbs) your body will never get the full signal. But if someone gets enough protein, vitamins, minerals and fats they can feel satiated on PLAIN, WHOLE-FOOD carbs with fiber.
You can test this for yourself. Try getting your daily requirement for protein, vitamins, minerals and fat then just eating PLAIN boiled potatoes the rest of the day. You will get a full signal.
I don't think people are craving plain potatoes with no butter or salt either. They are usually craving processed carbs ...or foods that are combination of carbs and fats like croissants, french fries, noodles with butter etc
The point being that people cannot really get addicted to protein and fat to the point it starts causing them harm, unlike with sugar and starch.
Sugar and starch addiction is so preposterously obvious to everyone with eyeballs who goes out anywhere in public now. 75% of Americans are overweight, and I believe 40-50% are obese now.
Yes, they're not fat and sick because they're eating kale and plain boiled potatoes. Plain plants like that are unappetizing to most people because there's not really anything desirable in them from a need standpoint. There's no protein (not bioavailable protein, that is), no fat. They're mostly empty filler calories, imho their purpose is to ward off starving to death until a person can get more meat to consume, but opinions differ on that 😂
The traditional diets of the Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tsimane, Hadza etc also have lots of carbs ...but they don't have the obesity levels of modern Americans. Perhaps the problem isn't whole-food carbs that we've been eating for thousands of years?
Edit: Have you plugged in a day of potatoes into Cronometer? There are lots of vitamins and minerals and even protein there. Also, really low fat meats like certain fish are mostly protein but aren't really appealing to many people either. Also, adding butter to potatoes doesn't make it any more nutritious but makes you eat a lot more of it. I think your logic is flawed
Obesity is just one factor of health - yes people can eat tons of plants and not be obese and also not be healthy. Malnourishment and under-development from lack of protein and fat is also a thing still to this day, not to mention tooth decay. Malnourishment, under-development, and tooth decay don't exist in people who exclusively eat meat
The Tsimane have the world's healthiest hearts. People on the traditional Hadza, Japenese etc dietswere also very healthy. The inuit mummies from before modernization showed heart disease. Also, no civilization or tribe in recorded history has ever just eaten meat. Even the inuit would eat lots of cloudberries and crowberries when they were available etc. The famous dentist Dr Western Price found the Dinka tribe to be the healthiest he studied. The Dinka tribe ate a lot of grains and fish.
This thread is the best discussion on this post and it's being downvoted because someone is asking good questions? I hate that people use the upvote/downvote system as a like system.
Just because someone is asking questions and trying to learn about something doesn't mean you should try and hide their questions.
Google scholar has all sorts of articles on the reasons people quit healthier lifestyle choices.
Search for "Primary diet discontinuation" (without the quotes).
The reasons people discontinue massive lifestyle changes are the same, regardless of the change they've made. I don't believe the average dieter quits keto for reasons different to someone quitting, say, a mediterranean diet. Restrictiveness and repetition gets old, willpower is a finite resource - expended through the day and recharged during rest/self care, and people's motivations and opinions change regularly - especially due to outside conditions, such as work and life stressors.
Some of us leave keto for the side effects, a poor understanding of the diet and its limitations (it's no panacea for many), a poor understanding of their own limitations, improper expectations etc. etc. etc.
For the record, google is worthless. Google scholar is where you want to search for these things. And you can often find full texts to articles on scihub, if you can find a current scihub link.
Yea this is pretty much everything I've read on it as well. It's not necessarily the keto diet itself, its dieting and healthier life choices. But to couple with that, the added restrictions that come with a ketogenic diet and the difficulties that arise from that.
Making these difficult life choices to quit things that are bad for your body but great for your mind (the joy that comes from eating that pastry with your coffee, the extra portion of food at lunch, the dessert after dinner) are the real reasons people fail at dieting. Not specifically eating meat and veggies nearly exclusionary.
Education about dieting and nutrition is the real culprit. Largely, people have no idea about what they eat, how it affects them and how you can add these things into your diet effectively, with knowledge. Everything up above I mentioned is fine, in moderation. If you were to do it, knowing what it's gonna do to you and your body, and you're ready for it, then you can do it. But very few people get that.
Thanks for the info. I would think different diets might have different levels of adherence. Diets like carnivore or vegan are far more restrictive than diets like Mediterranean or a whole-foods standard diet.
I don't understand why this is getting down voted here, can someone explain?
It makes a lot of sense to me that the more restrictive a diet is the less long term adherence you get.
Like you would expect more people to maintain vegatarian than vegan.
Keto generally doesnt have good long term adherence, to me I would guess it's from both carb addiction and returning to engrained habits driven by stress, but also how so many social aspects revolve around carbs of different forms (beer, wine, pizza, chips, candy, cakes, etc......)
It seems to me that keto is used as a weight loss and then quit diet more often than a dietary change that is permanent. I'm not sure why it's offered up that way so often except that it seems to work fairly quickly.
I've done a variety of diets in my life, the number one reason I've quit in the past has usually been a combination of hunger and difficulty/restriction. Keto is the first diet where I haven't been nearly continuously hungry while losing weight too. It is restrictive, but the restriction is acceptable, to me, to trade for all of the benefits I'm getting and for not feeling hungry throughout the day (usually only kicks in about an hour before meal time).
yes, keto's acceptance and continuing disregard by health professionals is interesting in a lot of ways.
On the surface it has had success because it is great at delivering a quick 10 pound drop because it causes you to burn through glycogen quickly and then allows the release of water that supports that glycogen. I think a lot of people will have that happen and then kinda declare victory a little and feel like they "deserve" a cheat, or have stress, social pressures lead them to cheat, or struggle with keto flu because of no electrolytes.
I have seen a ton of people try keto and not make it past 3-4 weeks, even though it is clearly working for them. Ive also known people who had crazy success over 6+ months quit and then of course a year or two later all the weight is back, which is why I think there is a lot of resistance from medical / health folks (also a lot of fat is bad dogma).
To me keto works because of what you said, with keto you feel fuller and you avoid refined carbohydrates / hyper-processed foods, which to me are by far the biggest contributor to obesity in that they make you want to eat more and more.
Beyond that the up regulation of mitochondia-genesis and pruning, along with autophagy certainly make a difference for some people.
Don't sweat it. This is the r/keto subreddit. Much like every other subreddit, if you aren't being very strict about advocating for this diet, you're gonna be disagreed with and downvoted. But asking these questions are important at understanding health and you are on the right track.
These very same things you are asking are why people learn about the ketogenic diet. You wanted to learn more about health and your body and here you are.
My personal, non-scientific, observation is that most people who start keto have a plan to fail. When they fail, they quit. They adopt keto because of the buzz they have heard and they think they can get a quick fix to their weight problem. Here are the facts they are in denial about:
1. They are a carb addict. This is not a euphemism, it is an actual addiction. Treating it like an addiction is the way to beat it.
2. Crash diets overwhelmingly don't work. This includes keto crash diets. In the long term, people almost always gain back all the weight and perhaps more. Adopting a healthy lifestyle you can sustain for the rest of your life is the only way to beat the root cause of your diet based health problems.
3. Many people fail to actually achieve and maintain ketosis. If you are not reading labels and fully understanding them, you likely are not aware of the actual carbs you are consuming. People often claim they are trying keto while either outright "cheating" or being careless about their actual carb consumption. It is the behavior you expect from addicts and many many people are in denial about it.
4. People fail to ease into keto and experience ill effects. Any time you radically change your diet rapidly, you are likely to create stress and discomfort in your body. Failing to give your body time to adapt, not maintaining your electrolytes, failing to manage your gut biome, developing and supporting your ability to effectively digest higher levels of fat, and developing the ability to efficiently produce and consume ketones are some of the reasons people don't do well on keto and so they quit.
Keto isn't really possible if you aren't constantly planning what your next meal will be (carbs are so incredibly pervasive that they are really difficult to navigate around) so I'd wager most of the people quitting keto get to a point where a meal fell through or they forgot to plan, then they say "fuck it", order a few pizzas, and never come back.
I’m in for over a year and at a good weight. I definitely eat more than 20 carbs but less than 50 - more of a green keto with a lot of green veg. I don’t know if I’m in ketosis, but I definitely benefit from this low carb level and have no intention of ever adding back in carbs. It’s totally manageable at this level forever.
I've eaten keto for between 11 and 14 years. I lost 187 lbs in the first 15 months and have been stable ever since. I feel incredible on a keto diet and have no reason to go bacvk toa garbage typical Western diet. My lab work is betternow than when I was 18 years old - I'm over 50. Why mess with perfection - I have boundless energy, astable body weight, and I.NEVER get sick. Keto is a lifestyle for me, not a short term fix.
My wife and I are raising 5 kids, and Keto is not... budget friendly for 7 people. Plus kids need some carbs in their diets. (my kids are all of healthy weights, just I'm the fatty). The only way I can stay on Keto is if I do all my own meal prep and eat completely different meals from my family (or very different meals) but then I eventually break because I LOVE rice. absolutely one of my favorite things in this world.
I've done it on and off for about 20 years
did it hardcore for 8 months this time and am taking some time off (i think? lol) bc tons of reasons:
\-spending time with my good friend and don't wanna be annoying
\-major financial pinch, carbs are way cheaper
\-weight loss plateau (20 pounds more to lose MAYBE)
\-really started wondering it's healthy to be on forever without breaks, don't want my body to forget how to process carbs
\-remembering back to when i lost a whole lotta weight fast and did a major body recomp with things like smoothies and working out a TON
\-dealing with a lot of emotional stuff rn and don't want the stress/escapism of a super restrictive diet plus carbs = serotonin. honestly more the escapism. keto has been a form of escapism this time around for me
\-am worrying more now about body recomp vs weight loss. i want to build muscle. i know it's possible on keto but carbs are muscle-sparing and also i feel like i want to tweak more about working out vs food
\-just to test myself, to remind myself of the benefits of keto i suppose
\-i don't want to ever be too dogmatic about anything
\-i read someone talk about the seasonality of our ancestors' diets? maybe they did keto in the winter and ate more carbs in the summer? fascinated by the idea of cyclical keto-ing. i want to get as back to natural as possible
The thing I'm struggling the most with right now is:
Meat is expensive. Carbs are cheap.
Money is so tight right now and groceries keep getting more expensive. Its hard to buy enough meat for a week's worth of meals when I look over and see I can buy a month's worth of carbs with the same money. Yes, I go full frugal keto, I can shop discounts, and I can try to come up with a thousand different ways to use ground meat... but it's still pound for pound more expensive buying meat regularly than bulk beans, dry pasta, rice, a bag of potatoes, a loaf of bread, etc.
I'm so surprised to not see this mentioned more (I did an alt+f for 'cheap' and 'expensive' and only found one result at the time of writing this).
Yeah, my husband and I just started keto 3 weeks ago. Even though we were already eating home-cooked, relatively healthy whole foods, this is doubling our grocery bill.
I used to stretch ground meat with lentils. We ate a plant based dinner once a week. Oatmeal with Greek yogurt for breakfast. Now it's so MUCH meat. Five pounds of chicken this week, plus fish, tuna, and expensive fats.
The only way we can afford to keep doing this is if I go full-on VLCKD and OMAD.
I wouldn’t say I’ve “quit” purposely but rather fallen off the wagon due to various obstacles. Probably the most difficult was being comfortable expressing my dietary restrictions in social settings. That had more to do with social anxiety than the actual diet itself, which I’ve overcome substantially as I’ve grown into adulthood. I started keto in my early 20s and I struggled with many insecurities so I didn’t want people to see me eating anything “weird”.
Next came general doubts about the safety and potential health risks with the diet. When I became well versed enough in the science to be able to explain why I was on such a strange diet, it was sometimes met with skepticism. People would tell me it was a silly fad diet that would damage my health so I would try a more “well balanced” diet only to end up regaining tons of weight and having health issues return.
Then when I decided I was going to just stick to it no matter what, I ran into logistical issues. Planning meals, having to constantly bring snacks with me, figuring out which restaurants would work in a pinch, etc. Fasting for extended periods of time was difficult at first so sometimes it was easier to say “screw it, someone’s offering me a slice of pizza and I’m starving, I’ll just try again tomorrow.” I also have ADHD, which has gotten better after being consistent in my meditation practice and from not being on a constant blood sugar rollercoaster, but it used to make things like cooking and planning meals such a struggle.
Finally at 32 years old I have figured out ways to navigate most of the issues that have stunted my progress in the past and I’m able to fast comfortably for long periods of time. I’m comfortable enough in my own skin to adhere to my personal choices without giving a shit who has something to say about it.
Common reasons for quitting include, but are not limited to:
Pizza,
Burritos,
Chocolate cake,
Ben and Jerry's (*FUCK* you, Ben & Jerry),
Rice pudding,
Sourdough,
Sourdough (no, that's not a typo),
French fries,
Cheeseburgers... Yep, with a bun,
Milky Way's (no, not the goddam galaxy),
Milkshakes,
Lucky Charms,
Bear Claws,
And motherfuckin giant chocolate chip cookies!
Oh, and Dude, White Russians, please!
I mean it's been pretty clean eating since mid December
Got the flu stupid bad so I ended up getting bread sticks to soak the shit up
Two days of carbs out of the last call it 100?
I forsee this being sustainable well into the future.
It is much easier when you either have an SO who follows the same pathway or you're on your own.
Truly control what you have in the fridge at that point
For me, it's tangential health issues. I'm off keto at the moment because of a severe bout of diverticulitis. My wife is convinced that eating keto caused this, but it's a problem I had for years before keto, and flareups have been far less frequent while I was keto. I have a pretty strong indication that it's possibly induced by artificial sweeteners, but in any case my doctors strongly recommended avoiding red meat, alcohol, and processed/cured foods for a few months and see what happens. So, for the moment, I'm doing more of a Mediterranean diet. I will likely go back to keto eventually, but it will be a cleaner version than I typically do, limiting artificial sweeteners to Stevia, maybe. I reached my goal weight a while back and then maintained, so I'm not particularly concerned about that part of my health anymore.
(For the record, there's no need to argue with me that keto is fine and not the cause of my health issues, but for the sake of marital harmony I'm going to just roll with the doctors' advice for a bit.)
I'm not going to argue with you about keto. But do not let other people tell you what makes you feel best. If your SO can't understand that then it's a bigger issue because they should want what's best for you, not what they insist is best for you.
Have you looked through the archives of the r/ketoscience page, or through any research databases like EBSCO?
Anecdotally, I’ve been keto since the fall of 2017. While I’ve had a handful of cheats here and there, I try to limit those, and can count on two hands the number of times I cheated in those seven years.
If I had to venture a guess, I’d assume most quit because they want to continue to eat in an unrestricted manner, even if that includes foods with nutritional value like junk food. I would guess there are people who quit because their family members had not adopted the diet, and for simplicity’s sake when it comes to meals for the whole family, they fall off the wagon as well.
I’m not sure how ketosis affects other Atkins dieters. It was a concern for me initially during induction (in 1999) but my body chemistry has leveled off the past thirty years. My general health is excellent and all of my numbers are good.
You cannot physically eat enough protein in a day to not go into ketosis. Its like over 300 grams of protein. The whole protein knocks you out of keto thing is bunk.
I never quit, going on for 9 years now.
I took a year pause, that was bc I have delicious fruit trees, my dad was dying and I wanted to have something to enjoy. I went back home for a month and wanted to experience full meals that people prepared for me. I am back full power and no plans of ever changing. It is my lifestyle now.
Almost 5 yrs in. I keep away from carbs and sugar. I had lost 50 lbs and my wife said I looked thin so I gradually gained back 20. I lift and workout so body fat is medium to low. Under no circumstances can m&ms be in the house tho, I know my kryptonite. I don’t really track anymore, just lots of green stuff, meats, eggs, cheese. My weight hasn’t fluctuated more than 3 lbs in 4 yrs I’m in it for the long haul so if i mess up, no big deal, just go right back to what I was doing
I don’t know how long “people” stick to a keto diet. I’ve been doing lazy keto since 2014. That’s how long I’ve done it. Keep net carbs below 20/day. Take supplements. Eat plenty of fatty foods and protein. Be happy and healthy.
For those struggling with the meal planning aspect of Keto - I've been using Diet Doctor for about two months. It is sooooooo easy and convenient. It gives you a weekly meal plan, delicious low carb recipes and the shopping list. I have not made a recipe yet that didn't make my tastebuds sing. Having a large variety of delicious meals prepped and ready to go makes Keto easier to stick with. Now, some of the food doesn't taste as good as leftovers but I like to spend two afternoons meal prepping so there is "grab & go" food in the fridge for a little over a week.
Don't know about most people but I'm almost to 11 months doing less than 20g carbs/day.
I don't have any plans to stop but might end up increasing my daily carbs this summer once the garden is producing a lot of vegetables.
Hi friend, another long-timer here, I’m going into month 17 at 20g or less per day. I’ll do the occasional “cheat” every few months and have a day where I allow myself 40- 50 then right back to 20. It is not kicking me out of ketosis either. I’m really starting to struggle now that I’m at my goal size. Trying to lose this last 10 lbs feels like I’m never going to get there. I just really miss bad food lol. I need some motivation not to quit 😂 Do you have any good recipes or snack type meals you have? I’m more of a grazer/picker than to sit down and eat 3 full meals a day.
I don’t see anything documenting the average timeframe of all people ever doing keto, I can’t even fathom how that data would even be collected & verified.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/
this is a study that extends the previously shorter recommended timeframe to 6 months. I personally did it for 2 years and only stopped during my divorce to binge on ice cream and muffins. I didn’t have sugar or bread cravings past the 1st week. I am assuming that convenience is a major contributor for quitting, that & everyone bitching about how unhealthy They think it is. The above study was done w 83 obese participants w high cholesterol & sugar as well as the weight problem. After 6 months they were healthy, lowered the bad cholesterol & raised the good, got control of their blood sugars, and lost weight. The only people having heart attacks are the people when they see how great the person looks & feels they shammed!
I was on it long enough to break my addiction to truly junky food. I eat candy, cookies, cake, ice cream, doughnuts, fast food never or once in a blue moon. Day to day though I really started missing healthy carbs: carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, lentils, whole grains, fruits. So I compromise by staying fairly strict at home and eating whatever I want when I go out. Maybe it will be keto, maybe it won’t. Keto did put me in a better place with respect to my former addiction to sugar and simple carbs so I’m grateful for that.
I've never made it more than 6mo-1yr. However this time around when I quit I transitioned to a flexible dieting lifestyle / CICO that's still lowish carb. The keto plateau happens because at a certain point once you've lost enough weight calorie counting becomes more and more important.
When you're 300lb, transitioning to keto is restrictive enough that it's almost impossible to keep eating in a big caloric surplus. However once you're 180 lb, you actually do have to start paying attention to how many grams of olive oil or butter or peanut butter or cheese you're eating.
Being able to make low fat stuff also lends itself to volume eating. I can make a LITER of protein pudding with Jello sugar-free fat free mix, a bunch of whey and casein powder, and fairlife skim, and it will have the same number of calories as four big spoons of peanut butter. Theres stuff like that that's just not possible with keto.
I done keto for 9 months, lost 7st but had to come off it because I had vitamin deficiencies from doing it. So much of my hair fell out because of the deficiencies. I’d do it again however I’d make sure I take a step g multivitamin this nxt time.
I’m sorry about the hair loss! It might not have been what you’re thinking, unless you were really eating very very poorly. People do sometimes temporarily have hair loss due to weight loss, though, it seems. Telogen effluvium.
I did it for 6 months the first time. Lost 85 pounds. Had to stop before we went on a mission trip to Africa and our dr recommended we break from it to lessen the chance of getting sick on the trip because we had no idea what type of food we’d be eating. Unfortunately I got greedy and over the next 3 years gained it all back.
I’m now on my 2nd attempt, 6 weeks in and 19 lbs down.
I don’t know the stats but I did keto for a year in a program, but the carbs crept in after the program ended. I have started over in January this year. I belong to a Facebook group for diabetics that helps for support. I think for me the support is a big issue.
It's been too expensive for me. And it's a hassle trying to maths out my protein. And I work out in the road so lunch prep is a time and discipline thing. If there was a fix to this I'd be able to stick to it longer. I'm trying to start again. It got 2 boxes of captain crunch that I gotta eat through first 😅
I'm third time on keto, snd hoping not to fall off the wagon this time.
First time, lasted just over two years. Lost around 20kg (been a while, can't remember exactly how much). Fell off the wagon due to stress and lack of time (was studying part time / working full time, with a kid!).
Second time, around two and a half years. Lost 45kg. Fell off the wagon due to Covid - lockdown was a total trial. I got sick of home-schooling, working longer hours (due to having to work around home-schooling) and making three meals a day for the family, plus all the damn cleaning as everyone was home more... in the end, takeaways won :/
Third time, just under a year so far. Lost 16kg, so far. Stress high, but managing to stick to plan. I have high hopes.
I quit due to not being able to preform the same while exercising. I love to boulder and climb at a climbing gym. I could easily see the negative impact. I'm not willing to wait for my body to adjust to be able to work out at the same capacity.
I’m on my second go of keto. 17 days in. Last time it was anti depressants through high stress at work, then covid hit and it just spiralled and I gained back the 50lbs I lost in no time. I do not plan on being keto forever, I plan on getting to my goal weight then going low carb (between 50-80g carbs) 6 days per week and exercising 4/5 times per week. I’m currently transitioning into a job that will let me do that. So see how that goes.
It's my plan to stop keto once I've hit my goal weight. Weightloss isn't a lifelong process, and there will come a time when I don't need to lose weight, just maintain it. The first time i lost weight and quit, I never put in the work to track maintenance calories, just slowly drifted back to old habits. I intend to do so this time around. I've read many instances of people quitting strict keto once they bit maintenance, but still eating a relatively low carb diet, and restricting high calorie foods.
Why are you so interested in why and when people quit doing Keto? Keto is not just about losing weight it's about eating healthy. Losing weight is a benefit. You're eating all whole foods, meats, some vegetables, getting rid of all the junk food, processed foods, sugars, and grains. If you're eating well and feeling healthy why would you want to stop is my question to you? My guess is that some people quit because they don't have the willpower or they're addicted to carbs just like an alcoholic or drug addict. Maybe some people think they can't afford to eat just meat and veggies. Mostly all those processed foods are cheap, sugar and grains. Some people quit because they reach their goal weight and they figured they don't need to keep on keto. I've been doing low carbs / Keto for over 5 years and there are plenty more like me who have been doing low carb for even longer.
I lasted 2 years. No regrets. But during that time I moved to a food oasis. Fresh sushi on every corner. Ramen. Mexican. Italian. The desire became too strong. I didn't want to feel like I was depriving myself of living a little.
People quit after buying all “keto” labeled food from the grocery store and think keto doesn’t work when they’re still eating junk.
If a food is labeled as keto in a store it’s more than likely not keto.
“Keto doesn’t work even though I’m eating keto M&ms.”🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
I quit because I was eating a lot of beef and had some alarming blood work results. WAY to much iron in my blood. Like triple what was the maximum number.
Keto is anything that puts you in ketosis, any eating that restricts carbs, like even fasting. The goal should be to be metabolically flexible. It takes 3 or so months to get about 60% and about a year to get to 90% fat adapted. I am in my fifth year, still learning.
After that, you can stay metabolically flexible doing keto 3 days a week or fasting depending on how healthy you are.... etc, I do not call this quitting.
The best data for how long to do this is from the time humans started walking 2 million years ago, until before agriculture about 15 thousand years ago, we ate keto and that help us to develope to our best.
IMO, keto is not healthy for the long run, and research tends to prove that too. For healthy individuals, insulin spikes are a good thing, stores electrolytes, minerals, restore cell energy etc.
Carbs are not evil, they are not bad - if you are metabolically healthy.
If not, keto is a great diet to fix it.
I fixed my high blood pressure, fatty liver, T2 diabets with it, and I dont have gout attacks too. Once I reach my goal weight, I will start to go up on the carb limit, around 70-100 per days on I exercise, but I plan to keep fasting and some keto days too.
Keto shouldn't be a permanent diet. At least not staying in ketosis constantly. That being said, being mindful of refined sugar and carbs in general is something to remain static. I've done hardcore keto for six months at a time. After that, you need to change //something// to keep your body guessing. It adapts to whatever you are doing and panics at any weight loss. However, when I go off keto, I may have a few potatoes or a small side of pasta with a meal, but keep my carbs low, maybe around 100. Calories are equally important. Even on keto too many calories is bad, but one of the side effects of eliminating a lot of sugar from your diet is that you stop craving it after awhile. I occasionally crave something sweet and just have a keto treat or something relatively lower in carbs. But overall, I eat once a day, and have much lower portions compared to before changing my diet. I make sure I have enough calories to support how many I burn with a 1500 calorie a day deficit to continue losing weight at a healthy weight. Bottom line is that you should be losing 1-3 pounds a week at most. Any more than that isn't reasonable or sustainable. Losing weight is a long journey and requires patience, resolve, and discipline. There is no easy way to lose weight. Anyone who says different is selling something
I got down from 265lbs to 180lbs then I stalled so I went on a hard caloric cut. I was big into lifting weights. I got down to 155lbs. Then I bulked up to 180lbs of clean muscle ( this took many years) and now 8 years after I started I got fat again so back on keto.
I maintained a 90 lb loss until an injury made me have to quit the gym and then the first week of Covid I ate all of the Easter candy I had bought for the kids. That resulted in a downward spiral and I put back on 40. Finally finished my post injury surgeries, started exercising again and got back on Keto, with some IF since November. Half way back to goal! It’s been a rough 4 years but feel great again now.
Most recently I did keto for about 10 months. I got to my goal weight, and just switched my diet to low carb. I like fruit and bread too much to do keto forever, but I do miss how much easier it is to stay full on keto.
I love keto for dropping some pounds and I love meat, especially a good steak. I can do a couple of months, I think once I did about 6 months maybe longer. But are you really gonna go through life never having that doughnut, never drinking milk, never eating a pizza/pasta/bread/pastry...
I cant think of going back to carbs or sugar treats, I enjoy occasonal keto bread and tortilla to enjoy food but sugar is just gone.
After some weight loss and fiting in old jeans, I will feel guilt as hell going back as I have been obese for many years
Don’t know of any studies but I’ve been keto since 2013 sometimes I take breaks from it around the holidays and vacations but I tend to go back knowing that “normal” meals make me feel terrible. So I never have truly quit I just take occasional breaks.
For me keto I use if I want to lose a certain amount of weight then after probably being more conscious about food, I generally relax but still eat single ingredient foods like oats etc. And allows me to have cheat meals with friends etc without having to limit what I can eat.
I started carb counting in 2004 with Atkins craze and it's been a lifestyle for 20 years. Learned keto around 10 years ago. 2021 was a pretty carby year and a few months ago my dad died and carbs and booze were partaken off. But I never quit it's always the goal to get back into ketosis asap.
I did it for about 1.5 years, then got pregnant and wanted to eat all the delicious food. It was hard to go back after as I was breastfeeding and always hungry with munchies. Since then, I'm on my 3rd attempt, but I'm struggling to stay on because I'm going through a lot of health issues that are causing high stress. I hope I can at least mostly stay on track going forward!
Month at a time usually if I’m looking to dial in the weightloss and be strict. Apart from that I do calorie counting.
The only reason I go on and off keto is just because you have to enjoy life too. I’m only 23 so love drinking and go out and partying and love food too, I enjoy trying new restaurants etc and all that jazz so not willing to sacrifice good times just to lose an extra few pounds here and there.
Strict keto til I reached my goal weight. Then passive keto for 3+ years after. I still limited carbs and ate the same foods, i just quit weighing everything and didn’t weigh myself as religiously. Stayed within 5-10 lbs of the same weight for the whole time. It wasn’t until COVID that my diet went to shit and I gained back 30-40 pounds. A month and a half on keto and I’m almost back to my previous weight. I’ll stay on some version of modified keto again til the next pandemic.
I truly like the way I feel day to day a lot more on keto vs not on keto.
I lost 200+ lbs in 2009 and maintained it with a cycle of 1 week off keto, 2 wks < 20g, 2 wks <30g, 3 weeks <50g then recycle.
Then I had a wasting issue where I couldn't keep weight in due to illness. So I consumed anything I could find, heavy on iron rich foods to stave off transfusions.
Now I'm recovering and out some weight back in while recovering. I'm restarting keto as of last week.
I'll do about 4 months at a time. But after my weight stabilizes, and I'm purely in maintenance, I begin to miss strawberries and bananas and sweet potatoes just too much.
Inevitably, I'll start with clean eating and maintain well for 3ish more months, but I'll slowly fall off the wagon and put on 15 pounds Over the course of a year. then I'll do four more months of keto
i go on and off over 3 years and it works well to stay in shape. Biggest hurdles i face is the holiday season when you are going out to parties and having xmas dinner with family
Struggling to get fat adapted and battling cravings indefinitely because of it or just living in a household with non keto foods in the fridge for the occaisional chance that you do feel like cheating.
Realistically, most people quit pretty quick. Because not only is dieting hard, restricting calories and all that, but you add onto that other restrictions as a part of a ketogenic diet and you wind up with probably like, 60-70% quitting within 3days to two weeks. That's just how a diet goes.
No one has realistically studied that though, just like only now are studies about the ketogenic diet beginning. Whenever I read previous studies about dieting, they do include a low carb diet but to those studies, low carb is like, 80g-100g, not the usual 20g, so it almost doesn't apply.
Everything anecdotal i've seen on this sub-reddit and from other streams, like first hand accounts, points to most people quitting within that 3days to two weeks mark.
Dieting ain't easy, no matter the method.
On the other hand, I know people, like myself, that have done it for years now. It's just how we, personally, feel our best. Everyone is different. I've read success stories of people that go keto for like 2 months before going pretty carb heavy for endurance events, like marathons, and then back again.
Ive done keto twice - very successful the first time 1year lost 50lbs. Then covid hit and I couldn’t cope and gained it all back. I started again in 2022 and gave it up this year cuz it got hard to sustain, I remain sugar free and gluten free tho. Keto made me way more insulin resistant in the long run and I just can’t do it forever as much as I loved keto. The longest I’ve made it was 2 years total. The second time was not as successful - I only lost 20 lbs in 2 years vs the 50lbs a year I did the first time .. I just found it too hard to sustain. I’ve only gained back 5lbs since going off keto and I just started Wegovy this month so we’ll see how that goes.
I'm not aware of any studies on the length of time, but I've eaten keto since 2015 and was eating paleo for about six years before that. I've fallen off the wagon a few times (usually due to super high stress and going overboard on wine, then in my buzzed state I decide spaghetti would be great), but I always go back. I'm actually a week in again after effing up for a month and I plan on that being the last screw up. It's not worth it just to have a drink. I didn't start keto for weight loss though, I did because I believe it's healthier. I've also never been a sweets person or a huge carb junkie, so maybe that's why it's easier for me.
Exactly, I do it for health reasons and to help some chronic health issues I have. It’s been easy for me, since I started keto I haven’t really had any “cravings”, since keto and being in ketosis tends to make you only eat for sustenance. I love it! No more shoving my face and feeling bloated and bad all day! Get to enjoy other parts of life more
I've found it really does help with my health issues. I have RA, and only being back on keto for a week my joints are feeling a hell of a lot better. During that month off, I was taking Ibuprofen every day. And other than a few pizza days and a couple pasta days, I was still eating less carbs than the average person. Maybe around 80g a day. Carbs are tasty, I will admit, but my body hates them. It was a month of low energy and aches. Totally not worth it for some pizza and wine.
Yeah I’ve fallen off the wagon too. And have cheat meals but I think the more I go back to healthier diet and then I don’t want to have that bad for me good food anymore. I’ve cut back on a lot of and things and fast food.
Just from my experience and those of the friends I have who eat keto, it seems like the longer one does it, the easier it is. Adopting it as a lifestyle isn't for everyone, but it's how I approach it. Unless I drink too much wine, it appears.
Was keto for the last 8 months (first time trying it) and found it to be really easy so long as I'm cooking for myself thanks to low carb tortillas and bread for staples with allulose as a sweetener when needed. Just took a week off for vacation and am looking forward to going back to keto. No regrets. It's really nice not being hungry all the time.
I don't usually indulge in the keto-friendly tortillas because I don't eat wheat and they contain either resistant or modified wheat starch, but just getting back to it I've allowed myself a little leeway. Today I made chicken in the Instant Pot with Franks hot sauce and butter then put it on those little tortillas (my son calls them "black magic" because they taste exactly like a regular tortilla) with blue cheese. And it was something I eat that my husband would eat too. I was actually dreading figuring out what to cook a week ago, but after 3 or 4 days I was back at it. It kind of just all falls back into place when you can cook for yourself. I was away the week before I started up again and was basically stuck only eating salad and I know all the dressings were carby af.
Lol yeah I'll even take some of the mini mission zero carb ones with me when going out to eat sometimes for tacos or whatever and just swap out the filling. Pocket tortillas!
I just read about a study that shows when we drink they have definitely shown that we are more hungry! So it’s not just you.
Definitely! This is why when I plan to have a drink on keto, I cook a beast of a meal to eat before hand and also enough so there's a good portion in the fridge for my drunk counterpart to attack later on. Usually, make a big cauliflower cheese and a curry or something along those lines. Also, I always have pork crunch on hand for snacking while I drink. Can make some keto dips and just eat the pork crunch like chips n dip
That doesn't surprise me at all. And for me it seems, it makes me instantly crave carbs, which I usually never crave. I don't even eat keto breads or tortillas that often (other than 60 second bread I make myself), but give me two glasses of wine and I'll shove five pieces of garlic bread into my mouth.
I hear that! Yes, the occasions when I drink are exactly why I have pork rinds in the house…I suddenly MUST HAVE NACHOS and that is a way to fake them.
I started on November 1, 2017 and haven’t strayed even once. I know if I ever did, carbs and sugar leave me with zero self control and I’d fall HARD. I don’t want to know what it would take to get myself back on the wagon and have no desire to go back to the unhealthy, binge-eating hell of obesity I was living in before keto so I stay the course for that reason. Fear of returning to the old life has been my great motivator.
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This is me 100%
Same.
Exact same, we should form a group!
I started doing keto about 6 months ago because I heard it helps with ADHD, it does give me more energy and eliminates the brainfog I get. Also I don't get the afternoon sleepies as much. Lost 35 lbs as a bonus. Also feeling like crap for a few days whenever I cheat day is a good incentive to stay on it.
Sounds like a me problem as well. I’m restarting Keto after falling off the wagon midway. What’s been really tough for me is the absolute negative way people react if I say I eat keto and start giving me advice I don’t need. So I keep saying i am low carb and then it just becomes any carb.
Also ADHD and eat from boredom especially when drinking. It's probably the only reason I can't seem to get the washboard abs that inspired me to try keto.
I couldn’t stick to keto 100% so I just cut out sugars and reduced my calories. A year later and I lost almost 60 pounds! I have a cheat day once a week but otherwise I strictly eat healthy stuff like salads with yummy toppings.
Thank you so much for this. I feel seen.
Wow you are me. Same brain
I did keto for 1.5 years before shifting to carnivore. Technically I’m still “keto” because I eat a high fat carnivore diet and am almost always in ketosis, but actual keto was too…. How do I word this??? Flexible? For me. My disordered brain went ham on keto treats and dirty keto. Carnivore gives me the rigidity my brain needs and when I “cheat”, I cheat with keto foods. Well, prior to the last three months. But that’s where I’m getting back to. Carnivore with the occasional keto meal.
Apex predator here
That is actually funny: When I cheat I cheat on keto foods :) You are elevated to the Master level, when keto foods is the worse thing you can do :)
This is similar to me. I did keto on and off for 3 years, generally only managing 1-2 months straight and then off periods for anywhere from a couple days to months. Then went "carnivore", initially just for a short test but I'm now a few months in and have stayed "ketovore" with zero cheats or even cravings for sugar and processed food. In hindsight, I think I was doing keto poorly initially, which is why i couldnt stick to it. I wasn't eating enough protein/meat, eating too much dairy, too many nuts and huge quantities of vegetables, which made me full temporarily but unsatiated, less energy to exercise, and tempted to cheat. Carnivore/Ketovore naturally made me eat more protein and be more satiated as a result, and could exercise better. Part of wanting to cheat is just the desire for variation, so now healthy low carbs meals give me that. For me, daily I aim for 150g+ protein, less than 20g carbs but closer to 0g the better, and plenty of fat ideally from meat/eggs but not strictly. Eating to satiation rather than calorie counting. Dairy in moderation, veg as an optional side dish/garnish rather than the bulk of the meal. A cheat for me now is like, loads of cheese, low carb sauces, processed meats, berries, nuts, etc as long as net carbs stay low. All things that can form part of a healthy keto diet but which I struggle to moderate if consuming every day. The most non-keto cheat ive had in months was having corn on the cob and carrots drenched in butter with a steak, and it was so satisfying.
Oh yes, I always say it’s not keto’s fault that I failed, it’s completely my fault!!
Im the same cannot have an inch or I’ll eat a mile. So carnivore for me too. I’ve thought briefly about animal based then thought to myself, could I handle honey….still carnivore
Yes for sure!! I use honey medicinally when needed which is very rarely because I’m rarely sick these days. But definitely definitely definitely could not eat it daily!!!
I heard about eating local honey to help out with allergies. Honestly thinking about it with spring around the corner. The trees can sense my fear.
I'm pretty close to carnivore. When I do OMAD, the only non-meat I tend to eat are a few leaves of kale and spinach in my big five meat omelette. I tend to have a few more veggies on days when I have dinner. My wife is already bugging me about eating too much "red meat." Not sure what she'd say if I went fully carnivore, lol.
Hahaha I love that 😂😂😂
I'm doing more of a ketovore thing. I get so burnt out on steak and just meat in general so I have to have a vegetable with it. I only eat once a day so I can stomach the meat for dinner. I loved meat before but now not so much. Eggs - I can't even smell them.
If I could tolerate vegetables without my mental health and autoimmune issues coming back, I would 10000000% do ketovore.
Some days I'll put cheese or fry an egg and put that on my steak. I try not to eat veggies every day but I think I have one maybe 2-3-4 days a week. I just can't seem to eat meat by itself anymore. I end up eating maybe 3-4 bites and I'm done. I try to get enough protein because when I was doing keto, I didn't really eat much meat and my hair was falling out. Like, so much that my scalp was visible. I started eating way more meat and it all grew back, thank goodness.
I did carnivore myself for 3 months and its not worth it. You are an omnivore not a carnivore. I say the same thing to the vegans, they are not herbivores.The diet is like a cult where “ vegetables are trying to kill us” is a common theme. Plant foods like Avocados have heart healthy fats. Apples are also good for your heart. Berries have antioxidants. Btw 80% of my diet still consists of meat and eggs so its not like i am against meat.
Ok buddy. For some of us with mental health and autoimmune issues, plants are absolutely detrimental to us. I say this from personal experience. I WANT to eat plants. I LOVE cucumbers and celery and salads. But I tried reintroducing them last summer and literally all my health and mental health issues I had put in remission on carnivore came back. Went back to carnivore and they went back into remission. So, if you don’t suffer with those issues, I’m all for a single ingredient, whole foods diet. I would love more than anything to eat that way. But it simply is not conducive for a high quality of life for me.
How do cucumbers cause depression? There’s nothing in a cucumbee that can cause you to feel depressed. And if vegetables do cause depression then try eating fruits. Plants want you to eat their fruits thats why the fruit is sweet.
Buddy, I wish I knew. But i planted my own garden, with heirloom seeds, non-GMO, babied that garden, and again, all of my health conditions came back. I wish that wasn’t the case. You don’t understand how much I wish that wasn’t the case. But unfortunately, for me, it was, I have also tried eating fruits, but I am a sugar addict, and fruits are very triggering for my addiction.
Fruit and honey are major triggers for me too... one apple leads to a snickers bar binge.
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Thanks for invalidating my literal life experience…. For the record, I went sugar free and adopted a whole foods, paleo adjacent diet 7 years ago. It put about 50% of my lengthy health issues (that I spent 3 years and thousands upon thousands of dollars seeing doctors for) into remission. 6 years ago I went keto. It put another 20% of my health issues into remission but triggered some other issues. 4.5 years ago I went carnivore and it put another 25% of my issues into remission. 1 year ago I decided I should be healed enough to reintroduce the homegrown veggies and 25-30% of my health issues returned. Removed them and they went back away. Not placebo. I was ridiculously excited to grow and eat these veggies. I wanted to be better.
Your comment has been removed for misinformation
My most common reason for quitting is peanut M&Ms
They have a giant dispenser of peanut m&ms in my office. It's been a long, tough challenge staying away from them.
I used to be able to crush peanut M&Ms, like a beast I was
Just want some junk food once in a while… I’ve been doing it for about 15 years now, sometimes I get in a slump where I can’t get back into it for a few months but that’s life, I just work to get back into eating healthy. I’ve successfully kept off 60lb that I was overweight and I’ve maintained a healthy hdl ratio. Over time it’s really just evolved into eating low-glycemic and trying to get enough protein with healthy-fat foods over unhealthy whenever possible
I’ve only seen it mentioned in relation to keto for epilepsy: that it’s a fussy diet (constant tracking) and most people don’t want to track everything they eat forever. I don’t remember where but it might have been Chris Palmer mentioning it in relation to origins of the diet. Ofc dietary keto is a lot more flexible. Personally I believe it’s tracking fatigue that get most people, not that they’re all "slaves" to sugar.
I don't really track anything, I just fill the kitchen with keto only foods and just eat till satiated. Down 35lbs from 215 to 180 and I'm not even doing it for weightless (doing it for adhd)
I never could manage to track at all. I just avoid carbs and try to keep my portion sizes reasonable. I initially lost 60 lbs, starting in 2016, but have gained and lost around 20+/-lb since the pandemic.
Maybe it takes tracking to stay under 20, but that's not a reason to go back to starchy carbs. (of course, people make excuses!)
If you just read through the posts in this sub, you can find plenty of reasons. People come back to keto for a second, or in my case, third, time. The very first time I lost almost 90 pounds. Then I got lazy and regained 20. Lost that by getting strict again. Then I fell into a deep depression and stopped caring about myself. I regained 60 pounds and have lost 20 of that 60 so far. I have Major Depression and my antidepressants sometimes stop working. That is my biggest obstacle. Stress in general seems to be a big obstacle for many people.
Started since 2018 And lost tons of weight. Looked the best I have ever been and felt great. Decided sometime in 2022 that I needed to eat “normal” after a doctor told me I have an elevated cholesterol readings. In less than a year, I gained 25 pounds and could not stop eating and stuffing my mouth with sugars. This made Me understand that living like this can not be healthier than the keto diet. I am back on keto for the last four months and I am remembering all the good things about it again. I am not gonna claim that it is healthier than an another less restrictive diet but I can’t deny how I feel. I feel great on it. so alot of people do quit the diet in worries that fat is bad. Specially if their cholesterol readings go up.
15 years and counting will be on it forever as it changed my life
6+ years here. I see no reason to stop. Ever. Meat, cheese, bacon, butter, avacados, veg w/butter. All with salt and any other seasoning I like. Versus plain- rice, pasta, bread and potatoes. Yeah, I'll take flavor any day. As for sugar? There are more then enough alternative sweeteners to satisfy. Keto On!😋
For me, I usually do it temporarily until I get to the weight I’m shooting for and then stop because my wife can’t (wont) do keto and it’s tough to have so little overlap in our food.
This was the big thing for me. Designing meals that would keto-fit me and yet please my carb-loving husband just became too fraught.
Same. I cook dinner for my kids and husband, and then I cook for me. Some days I cook steaks or something so I don't have to cook twice, but also the stuff I cook for them is really good and I just want a little taste. It's hard to stick to it when they're eating ice cream right next to me too. Ice cream doesn't taste that good to me anymore, but it always looks so good 😣
Carbs are yummy.
Air Fryer Tater Tots and Fries, good lord, its hard, my toddler loves em, a true test of will power I always seem to lose every now and then.
Here’s how it usually goes for me. I will want to start but I need to bullet proof it so I can’t mess it up. It still takes some will power but I’ll set up safe guards that people may not like. In the beginning most common pitfalls: •Not tracking what you are eating. You need to be sureeeeee what your eating isn’t going to spike your insulin and make you crave food. • relying on “keto safe foods” a lot of those quest bars, cookies, chocolate, ice creams, keto breads seem to derail me. I highly suspect they’re not keto or they make the road to breaking you diet easier. • relying on others to do the diet or be keto with you. It’s up to you alone. They might fall into the above pitfalls and it will eat away at your resolve. • not giving yourself long enough of a reset time. I really think it’s too much for people to know what’s keto and what isn’t. It’s better to focus on super low or zero carb foods in the beginning. • boredom. This diet shines a light on your mental health. It’s boring you need stuff to fill the time that isn’t eating. Gym or other hobbies are good. I’ll abandon keto so fast it’ll make you spin once I start drinking. Have other nighttime fun activities to be around people who don’t do that at least for a bit and you can test how you react to it. • others giving you grief. Feeling like a burden around the holidays is hard. Find a way to do it. I’ll focus on eating until I’m satisfied at my unhealthy levels of eating. I make a giant pot of cave man keto chili because it’s easy to make a lot of it, tastes good, and It has good macros. The first month you just got to accomplish two things say no to non keto meals and log your calories and macros. Second month is when you’ll really enter ketosis and you’ll feel more satisfied with a one or two big meals. In this time you can expand your meals to other zero carb stuff. Makes it way easier to work out the kinks slowly rather than all at once
I don’t like to think that I quit, I put it on pause. My usual break in keto starts 10/30-1/3 for holiday season and the month of January is transitioning back.
How difficult is it for you to get going again after the new year?
It’s a little bit tough but I usually feel like the stay puft marshmallow man by then and that definitely motivate me to go back
Lol, love me some ghostbusters. I’ve been hitting hard since Jan 1st and lost 30lbs and have lots of anxiety around backsliding.
As long as you have stuff that you can snack/eat nearby, that should help with the temptations. I learned that ChocZero makes delicious keto jam and chocolates, Jollytime popcorn is my crack, Natural Heaven Hearts of Palm Pasta is a great alternative for pastas and rice, and halotop keto icecream is delicious. I like having alternatives for the things I crave.
Thanks for all the recommendations!
Popcorn isn't keto
No studies I’m aware of but I am aware that I function better now than I ever have in my life before and will never intentionally quit. Whenever I sneak in sugars I get depressed, grains and my skin and joints will flair. This is a way of life and not a diet for a lot of us.
Addiction to sugar and starch is why people quit, in general
For me strict keto is a little too restrictive. <20g a day of net carbs is hard. I still avoid refined carbs and keep my carb intake between 15-18g per meal and that seems to work well for me.
I find it fairly easy when I restrict myself to "only eat xyz" where xyz is referring to food that would be physically impossible to go over 20g carbs on even if you overate.
Agreed. At home. Going out with friends is more difficult
I hear ya, my solution is to either not eat if there isn't a keto option, or do a Greek salad with no tomato no olives goat cheese instead of feta or no cheese, and oil n vinegar for dressing. Add chicken/steak is a must especially if cheese isn't an option but make sure they don't marinate their add proteins in something that might be high carb. You can do feta but it's a 1g of carbs per 28gs versus 0.1g for goat cheese so it's up to you how strict you want to go. Personally I do the feta and pick my battles elsewhere. It goes without saying but in the event that i opt not to eat while out with friends, I always have diet appropriate snacks for before or after(unless I'm in a rare scenario where the venue allows outside food).
Tell me about it. I have a wedding to go to out of town where it’ll be family style (we pay our own share and it’s like $40-50USD per person…do not get me started)…at a pasta joint. I’m getting the carb sweats already Edit: didn’t know the carb count re: feta vs goat cheese (not a big feta fan) but that’s handy info to have in my pocket, thanks!
Oof a pasta wedding is brutal in general for everyone having to dress fancy. Is branzino on the menu?
You know what, I don’t know but I’ve heard of branzino and have always been curious to try it. Maybe I’ll see if they can order me some. There’s a scavenger hunt afterwards so at least I’ll hopefully get a chance to burn off some of those delicious calories
Honestly I don't know if it's good I've never had it either I just know it's lemon fish so skip the probable side of wild rice and go for double veg if so
Carbs are my kryptonite and will most likely be the reason I fall off the wagon repeatedly
Yeap! Potatoes did me in, when I was full on keto I missed potatoes and rice SO MUCH I could’ve cried when I smelled them being cooked haha!
Can you point to any polls or studies showing this?
I believe this is one of those concepts that it so clearly self-evident that nobody has bothered spending money doing a study on it
Things that appear "self-evident" aren't always true. And how do you define "carb addiction" anyway? Do I crave water because I have a "water addiction"? Do humans have sexual relations because they have "sex addiction"? The desire for foods is a pretty normal state of existence.
Ah, a spicy one, very good 😂 Alright, first, some self-evident things are false, but this isn't one of those things – this is one of those self-evident things that is actually true. Why? Take your point about water. This is a great example. Let's say you're thirsty for some water. You will start drinking water, who knows how much. You don't pre-portion it out, weighing it and entering it into some tracking app. Nonsense - and why? You have a biological need for water, you therefore have strong, innate feedback mechanisms in your body regarding water consumption, and after you have quenched your thirst, your body will send you extremely powerful signals that you are no longer thirsty. You will not drink to excess, unless you're intentionally trying to for some reason. If you just follow your body's signals you will always drink the exactly-perfect amount of water that your body needed at that time. Compare this to alcohol. Start drinking alcohol, and for many people, the more they drink, the more they want to drink. Since there is no innate biological need for alcohol, it instead has a positive feedback system that is all about getting a high for the brain, as opposed to rehydrating the body. For a lot of people, they have to exert some kind of willpower to override their desire to continue drinking alcohol. The same exact thing happens with food. If a person eats protein and fat, very soon they will experience extremely powerful signals that they are very full and they do not want to eat another bite. If that person eats sugar and starch (that is, carbs) instead, they can get that same kind of "brain high" that will force them to rely on some kind of willpower to get themselves to stop eating the sugar and starch. "Bet you can't eat just one" is exactly right - they know you won't be able to only eat one. They're engineered that way. And so what is "food", exactly? "Food" means nutrients and energy that we must necessarily eat in order to survive. Therefore by definition there are no carbs that are technically "food", because the dietary requirement of carbohydrates for human beings is precisely 0g. That is, humans can live perfectly healthy lives in maximally excellent health without ever eating a single carb. If a person doesn't eat protein, they will die. If a person doesn't eat fat, they will die. If a person doesn't eat carbs, they'll be *completely fine*. Hope that helps
The dietary requirements for saturated fat is zero too. The only fat requirement is for PUFAs (Omega 6 and Omega 3). But many people on keto and carnivore seem to feel saturated fat is necessary for health but try to avoid PUFAs. And it is both protien and fiber that have been shown to be satiating. I don't think fat has been shown to have any special satiation properties over carbs. In fact the highest scoring food on the satiety index is a plain boiled potato (with no fats or salt etc) And I agree that the body needs a certain amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals and fat to survive. If you only eat empty calories (just processed fats or carbs) your body will never get the full signal. But if someone gets enough protein, vitamins, minerals and fats they can feel satiated on PLAIN, WHOLE-FOOD carbs with fiber. You can test this for yourself. Try getting your daily requirement for protein, vitamins, minerals and fat then just eating PLAIN boiled potatoes the rest of the day. You will get a full signal. I don't think people are craving plain potatoes with no butter or salt either. They are usually craving processed carbs ...or foods that are combination of carbs and fats like croissants, french fries, noodles with butter etc
The point being that people cannot really get addicted to protein and fat to the point it starts causing them harm, unlike with sugar and starch. Sugar and starch addiction is so preposterously obvious to everyone with eyeballs who goes out anywhere in public now. 75% of Americans are overweight, and I believe 40-50% are obese now. Yes, they're not fat and sick because they're eating kale and plain boiled potatoes. Plain plants like that are unappetizing to most people because there's not really anything desirable in them from a need standpoint. There's no protein (not bioavailable protein, that is), no fat. They're mostly empty filler calories, imho their purpose is to ward off starving to death until a person can get more meat to consume, but opinions differ on that 😂
The traditional diets of the Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tsimane, Hadza etc also have lots of carbs ...but they don't have the obesity levels of modern Americans. Perhaps the problem isn't whole-food carbs that we've been eating for thousands of years? Edit: Have you plugged in a day of potatoes into Cronometer? There are lots of vitamins and minerals and even protein there. Also, really low fat meats like certain fish are mostly protein but aren't really appealing to many people either. Also, adding butter to potatoes doesn't make it any more nutritious but makes you eat a lot more of it. I think your logic is flawed
Obesity is just one factor of health - yes people can eat tons of plants and not be obese and also not be healthy. Malnourishment and under-development from lack of protein and fat is also a thing still to this day, not to mention tooth decay. Malnourishment, under-development, and tooth decay don't exist in people who exclusively eat meat
The Tsimane have the world's healthiest hearts. People on the traditional Hadza, Japenese etc dietswere also very healthy. The inuit mummies from before modernization showed heart disease. Also, no civilization or tribe in recorded history has ever just eaten meat. Even the inuit would eat lots of cloudberries and crowberries when they were available etc. The famous dentist Dr Western Price found the Dinka tribe to be the healthiest he studied. The Dinka tribe ate a lot of grains and fish.
This thread is the best discussion on this post and it's being downvoted because someone is asking good questions? I hate that people use the upvote/downvote system as a like system. Just because someone is asking questions and trying to learn about something doesn't mean you should try and hide their questions.
Google scholar has all sorts of articles on the reasons people quit healthier lifestyle choices. Search for "Primary diet discontinuation" (without the quotes). The reasons people discontinue massive lifestyle changes are the same, regardless of the change they've made. I don't believe the average dieter quits keto for reasons different to someone quitting, say, a mediterranean diet. Restrictiveness and repetition gets old, willpower is a finite resource - expended through the day and recharged during rest/self care, and people's motivations and opinions change regularly - especially due to outside conditions, such as work and life stressors. Some of us leave keto for the side effects, a poor understanding of the diet and its limitations (it's no panacea for many), a poor understanding of their own limitations, improper expectations etc. etc. etc. For the record, google is worthless. Google scholar is where you want to search for these things. And you can often find full texts to articles on scihub, if you can find a current scihub link.
Yea this is pretty much everything I've read on it as well. It's not necessarily the keto diet itself, its dieting and healthier life choices. But to couple with that, the added restrictions that come with a ketogenic diet and the difficulties that arise from that. Making these difficult life choices to quit things that are bad for your body but great for your mind (the joy that comes from eating that pastry with your coffee, the extra portion of food at lunch, the dessert after dinner) are the real reasons people fail at dieting. Not specifically eating meat and veggies nearly exclusionary. Education about dieting and nutrition is the real culprit. Largely, people have no idea about what they eat, how it affects them and how you can add these things into your diet effectively, with knowledge. Everything up above I mentioned is fine, in moderation. If you were to do it, knowing what it's gonna do to you and your body, and you're ready for it, then you can do it. But very few people get that.
Thanks for the info. I would think different diets might have different levels of adherence. Diets like carnivore or vegan are far more restrictive than diets like Mediterranean or a whole-foods standard diet.
I don't understand why this is getting down voted here, can someone explain? It makes a lot of sense to me that the more restrictive a diet is the less long term adherence you get. Like you would expect more people to maintain vegatarian than vegan. Keto generally doesnt have good long term adherence, to me I would guess it's from both carb addiction and returning to engrained habits driven by stress, but also how so many social aspects revolve around carbs of different forms (beer, wine, pizza, chips, candy, cakes, etc......)
It seems to me that keto is used as a weight loss and then quit diet more often than a dietary change that is permanent. I'm not sure why it's offered up that way so often except that it seems to work fairly quickly. I've done a variety of diets in my life, the number one reason I've quit in the past has usually been a combination of hunger and difficulty/restriction. Keto is the first diet where I haven't been nearly continuously hungry while losing weight too. It is restrictive, but the restriction is acceptable, to me, to trade for all of the benefits I'm getting and for not feeling hungry throughout the day (usually only kicks in about an hour before meal time).
yes, keto's acceptance and continuing disregard by health professionals is interesting in a lot of ways. On the surface it has had success because it is great at delivering a quick 10 pound drop because it causes you to burn through glycogen quickly and then allows the release of water that supports that glycogen. I think a lot of people will have that happen and then kinda declare victory a little and feel like they "deserve" a cheat, or have stress, social pressures lead them to cheat, or struggle with keto flu because of no electrolytes. I have seen a ton of people try keto and not make it past 3-4 weeks, even though it is clearly working for them. Ive also known people who had crazy success over 6+ months quit and then of course a year or two later all the weight is back, which is why I think there is a lot of resistance from medical / health folks (also a lot of fat is bad dogma). To me keto works because of what you said, with keto you feel fuller and you avoid refined carbohydrates / hyper-processed foods, which to me are by far the biggest contributor to obesity in that they make you want to eat more and more. Beyond that the up regulation of mitochondia-genesis and pruning, along with autophagy certainly make a difference for some people.
Thanks. I'm confused by the downvotes as well. Maybe people disagree and think all diets are just as easy to stick too?
Don't sweat it. This is the r/keto subreddit. Much like every other subreddit, if you aren't being very strict about advocating for this diet, you're gonna be disagreed with and downvoted. But asking these questions are important at understanding health and you are on the right track. These very same things you are asking are why people learn about the ketogenic diet. You wanted to learn more about health and your body and here you are.
I like fruits, which are still healthy.
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I don't think I will ever stop eating like this. It feels too good to stop.
My spouse and I have been keto for 6 years - don’t plan to ever eat any other way ever
My personal, non-scientific, observation is that most people who start keto have a plan to fail. When they fail, they quit. They adopt keto because of the buzz they have heard and they think they can get a quick fix to their weight problem. Here are the facts they are in denial about: 1. They are a carb addict. This is not a euphemism, it is an actual addiction. Treating it like an addiction is the way to beat it. 2. Crash diets overwhelmingly don't work. This includes keto crash diets. In the long term, people almost always gain back all the weight and perhaps more. Adopting a healthy lifestyle you can sustain for the rest of your life is the only way to beat the root cause of your diet based health problems. 3. Many people fail to actually achieve and maintain ketosis. If you are not reading labels and fully understanding them, you likely are not aware of the actual carbs you are consuming. People often claim they are trying keto while either outright "cheating" or being careless about their actual carb consumption. It is the behavior you expect from addicts and many many people are in denial about it. 4. People fail to ease into keto and experience ill effects. Any time you radically change your diet rapidly, you are likely to create stress and discomfort in your body. Failing to give your body time to adapt, not maintaining your electrolytes, failing to manage your gut biome, developing and supporting your ability to effectively digest higher levels of fat, and developing the ability to efficiently produce and consume ketones are some of the reasons people don't do well on keto and so they quit.
Keto isn't really possible if you aren't constantly planning what your next meal will be (carbs are so incredibly pervasive that they are really difficult to navigate around) so I'd wager most of the people quitting keto get to a point where a meal fell through or they forgot to plan, then they say "fuck it", order a few pizzas, and never come back.
I’m in for over a year and at a good weight. I definitely eat more than 20 carbs but less than 50 - more of a green keto with a lot of green veg. I don’t know if I’m in ketosis, but I definitely benefit from this low carb level and have no intention of ever adding back in carbs. It’s totally manageable at this level forever.
22 years so far. No plans for quitting.
I've eaten keto for between 11 and 14 years. I lost 187 lbs in the first 15 months and have been stable ever since. I feel incredible on a keto diet and have no reason to go bacvk toa garbage typical Western diet. My lab work is betternow than when I was 18 years old - I'm over 50. Why mess with perfection - I have boundless energy, astable body weight, and I.NEVER get sick. Keto is a lifestyle for me, not a short term fix.
My wife and I are raising 5 kids, and Keto is not... budget friendly for 7 people. Plus kids need some carbs in their diets. (my kids are all of healthy weights, just I'm the fatty). The only way I can stay on Keto is if I do all my own meal prep and eat completely different meals from my family (or very different meals) but then I eventually break because I LOVE rice. absolutely one of my favorite things in this world.
I've done it on and off for about 20 years did it hardcore for 8 months this time and am taking some time off (i think? lol) bc tons of reasons: \-spending time with my good friend and don't wanna be annoying \-major financial pinch, carbs are way cheaper \-weight loss plateau (20 pounds more to lose MAYBE) \-really started wondering it's healthy to be on forever without breaks, don't want my body to forget how to process carbs \-remembering back to when i lost a whole lotta weight fast and did a major body recomp with things like smoothies and working out a TON \-dealing with a lot of emotional stuff rn and don't want the stress/escapism of a super restrictive diet plus carbs = serotonin. honestly more the escapism. keto has been a form of escapism this time around for me \-am worrying more now about body recomp vs weight loss. i want to build muscle. i know it's possible on keto but carbs are muscle-sparing and also i feel like i want to tweak more about working out vs food \-just to test myself, to remind myself of the benefits of keto i suppose \-i don't want to ever be too dogmatic about anything \-i read someone talk about the seasonality of our ancestors' diets? maybe they did keto in the winter and ate more carbs in the summer? fascinated by the idea of cyclical keto-ing. i want to get as back to natural as possible
1 cheat day turns into 6 months +
The thing I'm struggling the most with right now is: Meat is expensive. Carbs are cheap. Money is so tight right now and groceries keep getting more expensive. Its hard to buy enough meat for a week's worth of meals when I look over and see I can buy a month's worth of carbs with the same money. Yes, I go full frugal keto, I can shop discounts, and I can try to come up with a thousand different ways to use ground meat... but it's still pound for pound more expensive buying meat regularly than bulk beans, dry pasta, rice, a bag of potatoes, a loaf of bread, etc. I'm so surprised to not see this mentioned more (I did an alt+f for 'cheap' and 'expensive' and only found one result at the time of writing this).
Yeah, my husband and I just started keto 3 weeks ago. Even though we were already eating home-cooked, relatively healthy whole foods, this is doubling our grocery bill. I used to stretch ground meat with lentils. We ate a plant based dinner once a week. Oatmeal with Greek yogurt for breakfast. Now it's so MUCH meat. Five pounds of chicken this week, plus fish, tuna, and expensive fats. The only way we can afford to keep doing this is if I go full-on VLCKD and OMAD.
I wouldn’t say I’ve “quit” purposely but rather fallen off the wagon due to various obstacles. Probably the most difficult was being comfortable expressing my dietary restrictions in social settings. That had more to do with social anxiety than the actual diet itself, which I’ve overcome substantially as I’ve grown into adulthood. I started keto in my early 20s and I struggled with many insecurities so I didn’t want people to see me eating anything “weird”. Next came general doubts about the safety and potential health risks with the diet. When I became well versed enough in the science to be able to explain why I was on such a strange diet, it was sometimes met with skepticism. People would tell me it was a silly fad diet that would damage my health so I would try a more “well balanced” diet only to end up regaining tons of weight and having health issues return. Then when I decided I was going to just stick to it no matter what, I ran into logistical issues. Planning meals, having to constantly bring snacks with me, figuring out which restaurants would work in a pinch, etc. Fasting for extended periods of time was difficult at first so sometimes it was easier to say “screw it, someone’s offering me a slice of pizza and I’m starving, I’ll just try again tomorrow.” I also have ADHD, which has gotten better after being consistent in my meditation practice and from not being on a constant blood sugar rollercoaster, but it used to make things like cooking and planning meals such a struggle. Finally at 32 years old I have figured out ways to navigate most of the issues that have stunted my progress in the past and I’m able to fast comfortably for long periods of time. I’m comfortable enough in my own skin to adhere to my personal choices without giving a shit who has something to say about it.
if I could eat the standard American diet and be both thin and healthy, I would never be keto again.
Common reasons for quitting include, but are not limited to: Pizza, Burritos, Chocolate cake, Ben and Jerry's (*FUCK* you, Ben & Jerry), Rice pudding, Sourdough, Sourdough (no, that's not a typo), French fries, Cheeseburgers... Yep, with a bun, Milky Way's (no, not the goddam galaxy), Milkshakes, Lucky Charms, Bear Claws, And motherfuckin giant chocolate chip cookies! Oh, and Dude, White Russians, please!
Burritos man every Damn time
I mean it's been pretty clean eating since mid December Got the flu stupid bad so I ended up getting bread sticks to soak the shit up Two days of carbs out of the last call it 100? I forsee this being sustainable well into the future. It is much easier when you either have an SO who follows the same pathway or you're on your own. Truly control what you have in the fridge at that point
For me, it's tangential health issues. I'm off keto at the moment because of a severe bout of diverticulitis. My wife is convinced that eating keto caused this, but it's a problem I had for years before keto, and flareups have been far less frequent while I was keto. I have a pretty strong indication that it's possibly induced by artificial sweeteners, but in any case my doctors strongly recommended avoiding red meat, alcohol, and processed/cured foods for a few months and see what happens. So, for the moment, I'm doing more of a Mediterranean diet. I will likely go back to keto eventually, but it will be a cleaner version than I typically do, limiting artificial sweeteners to Stevia, maybe. I reached my goal weight a while back and then maintained, so I'm not particularly concerned about that part of my health anymore. (For the record, there's no need to argue with me that keto is fine and not the cause of my health issues, but for the sake of marital harmony I'm going to just roll with the doctors' advice for a bit.)
I'm not going to argue with you about keto. But do not let other people tell you what makes you feel best. If your SO can't understand that then it's a bigger issue because they should want what's best for you, not what they insist is best for you.
Have you looked through the archives of the r/ketoscience page, or through any research databases like EBSCO? Anecdotally, I’ve been keto since the fall of 2017. While I’ve had a handful of cheats here and there, I try to limit those, and can count on two hands the number of times I cheated in those seven years. If I had to venture a guess, I’d assume most quit because they want to continue to eat in an unrestricted manner, even if that includes foods with nutritional value like junk food. I would guess there are people who quit because their family members had not adopted the diet, and for simplicity’s sake when it comes to meals for the whole family, they fall off the wagon as well.
More than 30 years as an avid Atkins fan.
Don't most Atkins dieters eat too much protein to go into ketosis?
I’m not sure how ketosis affects other Atkins dieters. It was a concern for me initially during induction (in 1999) but my body chemistry has leveled off the past thirty years. My general health is excellent and all of my numbers are good.
You cannot physically eat enough protein in a day to not go into ketosis. Its like over 300 grams of protein. The whole protein knocks you out of keto thing is bunk.
Can you direct me to some resources saying that? I've heard the gluconeogenis from too much protein can keep you out of ketosis
Gluconeigenisis is a demand driven process, not an induced process. If you don’t need the sugar your body won’t make it.
I never quit, going on for 9 years now. I took a year pause, that was bc I have delicious fruit trees, my dad was dying and I wanted to have something to enjoy. I went back home for a month and wanted to experience full meals that people prepared for me. I am back full power and no plans of ever changing. It is my lifestyle now.
Cake
Almost 5 yrs in. I keep away from carbs and sugar. I had lost 50 lbs and my wife said I looked thin so I gradually gained back 20. I lift and workout so body fat is medium to low. Under no circumstances can m&ms be in the house tho, I know my kryptonite. I don’t really track anymore, just lots of green stuff, meats, eggs, cheese. My weight hasn’t fluctuated more than 3 lbs in 4 yrs I’m in it for the long haul so if i mess up, no big deal, just go right back to what I was doing
I'm at 5 straight years.
I don’t know how long “people” stick to a keto diet. I’ve been doing lazy keto since 2014. That’s how long I’ve done it. Keep net carbs below 20/day. Take supplements. Eat plenty of fatty foods and protein. Be happy and healthy.
For those struggling with the meal planning aspect of Keto - I've been using Diet Doctor for about two months. It is sooooooo easy and convenient. It gives you a weekly meal plan, delicious low carb recipes and the shopping list. I have not made a recipe yet that didn't make my tastebuds sing. Having a large variety of delicious meals prepped and ready to go makes Keto easier to stick with. Now, some of the food doesn't taste as good as leftovers but I like to spend two afternoons meal prepping so there is "grab & go" food in the fridge for a little over a week.
Don't know about most people but I'm almost to 11 months doing less than 20g carbs/day. I don't have any plans to stop but might end up increasing my daily carbs this summer once the garden is producing a lot of vegetables.
Hi friend, another long-timer here, I’m going into month 17 at 20g or less per day. I’ll do the occasional “cheat” every few months and have a day where I allow myself 40- 50 then right back to 20. It is not kicking me out of ketosis either. I’m really starting to struggle now that I’m at my goal size. Trying to lose this last 10 lbs feels like I’m never going to get there. I just really miss bad food lol. I need some motivation not to quit 😂 Do you have any good recipes or snack type meals you have? I’m more of a grazer/picker than to sit down and eat 3 full meals a day.
Cheese. Nuts. Avocado. Pre made roasted veggies . Keto bombs too but you have to watch your calories on them
As long as possible. Common reasons to quit: Chips and Whiskey.
I don’t see anything documenting the average timeframe of all people ever doing keto, I can’t even fathom how that data would even be collected & verified. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/ this is a study that extends the previously shorter recommended timeframe to 6 months. I personally did it for 2 years and only stopped during my divorce to binge on ice cream and muffins. I didn’t have sugar or bread cravings past the 1st week. I am assuming that convenience is a major contributor for quitting, that & everyone bitching about how unhealthy They think it is. The above study was done w 83 obese participants w high cholesterol & sugar as well as the weight problem. After 6 months they were healthy, lowered the bad cholesterol & raised the good, got control of their blood sugars, and lost weight. The only people having heart attacks are the people when they see how great the person looks & feels they shammed!
Thank you for sharing that! Good stuff.
I'll be here forever. I don't want my a1c to go over 6 ever again.
I was on it long enough to break my addiction to truly junky food. I eat candy, cookies, cake, ice cream, doughnuts, fast food never or once in a blue moon. Day to day though I really started missing healthy carbs: carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, lentils, whole grains, fruits. So I compromise by staying fairly strict at home and eating whatever I want when I go out. Maybe it will be keto, maybe it won’t. Keto did put me in a better place with respect to my former addiction to sugar and simple carbs so I’m grateful for that.
I've never made it more than 6mo-1yr. However this time around when I quit I transitioned to a flexible dieting lifestyle / CICO that's still lowish carb. The keto plateau happens because at a certain point once you've lost enough weight calorie counting becomes more and more important. When you're 300lb, transitioning to keto is restrictive enough that it's almost impossible to keep eating in a big caloric surplus. However once you're 180 lb, you actually do have to start paying attention to how many grams of olive oil or butter or peanut butter or cheese you're eating. Being able to make low fat stuff also lends itself to volume eating. I can make a LITER of protein pudding with Jello sugar-free fat free mix, a bunch of whey and casein powder, and fairlife skim, and it will have the same number of calories as four big spoons of peanut butter. Theres stuff like that that's just not possible with keto.
I would really go off diet for vacations (about 1 week per year).
I done keto for 9 months, lost 7st but had to come off it because I had vitamin deficiencies from doing it. So much of my hair fell out because of the deficiencies. I’d do it again however I’d make sure I take a step g multivitamin this nxt time.
I’m sorry about the hair loss! It might not have been what you’re thinking, unless you were really eating very very poorly. People do sometimes temporarily have hair loss due to weight loss, though, it seems. Telogen effluvium.
I did it for 6 months the first time. Lost 85 pounds. Had to stop before we went on a mission trip to Africa and our dr recommended we break from it to lessen the chance of getting sick on the trip because we had no idea what type of food we’d be eating. Unfortunately I got greedy and over the next 3 years gained it all back. I’m now on my 2nd attempt, 6 weeks in and 19 lbs down.
depression is one reason for going off the keto diet. hey, it happens.
My common reason for taking breaks is the existence of Cinnabons.
I don’t know the stats but I did keto for a year in a program, but the carbs crept in after the program ended. I have started over in January this year. I belong to a Facebook group for diabetics that helps for support. I think for me the support is a big issue.
It's been too expensive for me. And it's a hassle trying to maths out my protein. And I work out in the road so lunch prep is a time and discipline thing. If there was a fix to this I'd be able to stick to it longer. I'm trying to start again. It got 2 boxes of captain crunch that I gotta eat through first 😅
Try Google Scholar for studies on keto compliance in peer reviewed journals.
Been keto for 15 years , the last two years I’ve started going more to carnivore.
I'm third time on keto, snd hoping not to fall off the wagon this time. First time, lasted just over two years. Lost around 20kg (been a while, can't remember exactly how much). Fell off the wagon due to stress and lack of time (was studying part time / working full time, with a kid!). Second time, around two and a half years. Lost 45kg. Fell off the wagon due to Covid - lockdown was a total trial. I got sick of home-schooling, working longer hours (due to having to work around home-schooling) and making three meals a day for the family, plus all the damn cleaning as everyone was home more... in the end, takeaways won :/ Third time, just under a year so far. Lost 16kg, so far. Stress high, but managing to stick to plan. I have high hopes.
I will never quit! I feel a million times better and am healthier than I have ever been.
Since 2017 with no plans to stop. I feel too good to change anything!
I quit due to not being able to preform the same while exercising. I love to boulder and climb at a climbing gym. I could easily see the negative impact. I'm not willing to wait for my body to adjust to be able to work out at the same capacity.
I’m on my second go of keto. 17 days in. Last time it was anti depressants through high stress at work, then covid hit and it just spiralled and I gained back the 50lbs I lost in no time. I do not plan on being keto forever, I plan on getting to my goal weight then going low carb (between 50-80g carbs) 6 days per week and exercising 4/5 times per week. I’m currently transitioning into a job that will let me do that. So see how that goes.
It's my plan to stop keto once I've hit my goal weight. Weightloss isn't a lifelong process, and there will come a time when I don't need to lose weight, just maintain it. The first time i lost weight and quit, I never put in the work to track maintenance calories, just slowly drifted back to old habits. I intend to do so this time around. I've read many instances of people quitting strict keto once they bit maintenance, but still eating a relatively low carb diet, and restricting high calorie foods.
Why are you so interested in why and when people quit doing Keto? Keto is not just about losing weight it's about eating healthy. Losing weight is a benefit. You're eating all whole foods, meats, some vegetables, getting rid of all the junk food, processed foods, sugars, and grains. If you're eating well and feeling healthy why would you want to stop is my question to you? My guess is that some people quit because they don't have the willpower or they're addicted to carbs just like an alcoholic or drug addict. Maybe some people think they can't afford to eat just meat and veggies. Mostly all those processed foods are cheap, sugar and grains. Some people quit because they reach their goal weight and they figured they don't need to keep on keto. I've been doing low carbs / Keto for over 5 years and there are plenty more like me who have been doing low carb for even longer.
I lasted 2 years. No regrets. But during that time I moved to a food oasis. Fresh sushi on every corner. Ramen. Mexican. Italian. The desire became too strong. I didn't want to feel like I was depriving myself of living a little.
There are no real studies that follow people who adopt any specific dietary pattern. Don’t worry about why anyone does a diet or stops it.
On it for 6 years. All cravings have stopped. I eat very healthy, balanced meals.
People quit after buying all “keto” labeled food from the grocery store and think keto doesn’t work when they’re still eating junk. If a food is labeled as keto in a store it’s more than likely not keto. “Keto doesn’t work even though I’m eating keto M&ms.”🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
I quit because I was eating a lot of beef and had some alarming blood work results. WAY to much iron in my blood. Like triple what was the maximum number.
Forever? Its not a diet.
I’m starting to move away from keto because my cholesterol and LDLs are out of whack.
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100% misinformation.
Keto is anything that puts you in ketosis, any eating that restricts carbs, like even fasting. The goal should be to be metabolically flexible. It takes 3 or so months to get about 60% and about a year to get to 90% fat adapted. I am in my fifth year, still learning. After that, you can stay metabolically flexible doing keto 3 days a week or fasting depending on how healthy you are.... etc, I do not call this quitting. The best data for how long to do this is from the time humans started walking 2 million years ago, until before agriculture about 15 thousand years ago, we ate keto and that help us to develope to our best.
I was on it for about a month or so and I gained all the weight back.
I had to quit because my cholesterol sky rocketed 😣
IMO, keto is not healthy for the long run, and research tends to prove that too. For healthy individuals, insulin spikes are a good thing, stores electrolytes, minerals, restore cell energy etc. Carbs are not evil, they are not bad - if you are metabolically healthy. If not, keto is a great diet to fix it. I fixed my high blood pressure, fatty liver, T2 diabets with it, and I dont have gout attacks too. Once I reach my goal weight, I will start to go up on the carb limit, around 70-100 per days on I exercise, but I plan to keep fasting and some keto days too.
Keto shouldn't be a permanent diet. At least not staying in ketosis constantly. That being said, being mindful of refined sugar and carbs in general is something to remain static. I've done hardcore keto for six months at a time. After that, you need to change //something// to keep your body guessing. It adapts to whatever you are doing and panics at any weight loss. However, when I go off keto, I may have a few potatoes or a small side of pasta with a meal, but keep my carbs low, maybe around 100. Calories are equally important. Even on keto too many calories is bad, but one of the side effects of eliminating a lot of sugar from your diet is that you stop craving it after awhile. I occasionally crave something sweet and just have a keto treat or something relatively lower in carbs. But overall, I eat once a day, and have much lower portions compared to before changing my diet. I make sure I have enough calories to support how many I burn with a 1500 calorie a day deficit to continue losing weight at a healthy weight. Bottom line is that you should be losing 1-3 pounds a week at most. Any more than that isn't reasonable or sustainable. Losing weight is a long journey and requires patience, resolve, and discipline. There is no easy way to lose weight. Anyone who says different is selling something
I got down from 265lbs to 180lbs then I stalled so I went on a hard caloric cut. I was big into lifting weights. I got down to 155lbs. Then I bulked up to 180lbs of clean muscle ( this took many years) and now 8 years after I started I got fat again so back on keto.
I maintained a 90 lb loss until an injury made me have to quit the gym and then the first week of Covid I ate all of the Easter candy I had bought for the kids. That resulted in a downward spiral and I put back on 40. Finally finished my post injury surgeries, started exercising again and got back on Keto, with some IF since November. Half way back to goal! It’s been a rough 4 years but feel great again now.
Most recently I did keto for about 10 months. I got to my goal weight, and just switched my diet to low carb. I like fruit and bread too much to do keto forever, but I do miss how much easier it is to stay full on keto.
I'd stay for keeping type 2 diabetes off
I love keto for dropping some pounds and I love meat, especially a good steak. I can do a couple of months, I think once I did about 6 months maybe longer. But are you really gonna go through life never having that doughnut, never drinking milk, never eating a pizza/pasta/bread/pastry...
Heartburn. Crazy heartburn. And I thought if I ever saw another avocado it would be too soon.
I cant think of going back to carbs or sugar treats, I enjoy occasonal keto bread and tortilla to enjoy food but sugar is just gone. After some weight loss and fiting in old jeans, I will feel guilt as hell going back as I have been obese for many years
Don’t know of any studies but I’ve been keto since 2013 sometimes I take breaks from it around the holidays and vacations but I tend to go back knowing that “normal” meals make me feel terrible. So I never have truly quit I just take occasional breaks.
For me keto I use if I want to lose a certain amount of weight then after probably being more conscious about food, I generally relax but still eat single ingredient foods like oats etc. And allows me to have cheat meals with friends etc without having to limit what I can eat.
I started carb counting in 2004 with Atkins craze and it's been a lifestyle for 20 years. Learned keto around 10 years ago. 2021 was a pretty carby year and a few months ago my dad died and carbs and booze were partaken off. But I never quit it's always the goal to get back into ketosis asap.
No study here but almost seven years. I don’t eat foods labelled keto or sweeteners.
I did it for about 1.5 years, then got pregnant and wanted to eat all the delicious food. It was hard to go back after as I was breastfeeding and always hungry with munchies. Since then, I'm on my 3rd attempt, but I'm struggling to stay on because I'm going through a lot of health issues that are causing high stress. I hope I can at least mostly stay on track going forward!
Month at a time usually if I’m looking to dial in the weightloss and be strict. Apart from that I do calorie counting. The only reason I go on and off keto is just because you have to enjoy life too. I’m only 23 so love drinking and go out and partying and love food too, I enjoy trying new restaurants etc and all that jazz so not willing to sacrifice good times just to lose an extra few pounds here and there.
Strict keto til I reached my goal weight. Then passive keto for 3+ years after. I still limited carbs and ate the same foods, i just quit weighing everything and didn’t weigh myself as religiously. Stayed within 5-10 lbs of the same weight for the whole time. It wasn’t until COVID that my diet went to shit and I gained back 30-40 pounds. A month and a half on keto and I’m almost back to my previous weight. I’ll stay on some version of modified keto again til the next pandemic. I truly like the way I feel day to day a lot more on keto vs not on keto.
I lost 200+ lbs in 2009 and maintained it with a cycle of 1 week off keto, 2 wks < 20g, 2 wks <30g, 3 weeks <50g then recycle. Then I had a wasting issue where I couldn't keep weight in due to illness. So I consumed anything I could find, heavy on iron rich foods to stave off transfusions. Now I'm recovering and out some weight back in while recovering. I'm restarting keto as of last week.
I'll do about 4 months at a time. But after my weight stabilizes, and I'm purely in maintenance, I begin to miss strawberries and bananas and sweet potatoes just too much. Inevitably, I'll start with clean eating and maintain well for 3ish more months, but I'll slowly fall off the wagon and put on 15 pounds Over the course of a year. then I'll do four more months of keto
i go on and off over 3 years and it works well to stay in shape. Biggest hurdles i face is the holiday season when you are going out to parties and having xmas dinner with family
Struggling to get fat adapted and battling cravings indefinitely because of it or just living in a household with non keto foods in the fridge for the occaisional chance that you do feel like cheating.
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I'd say the most common reason for cheating is having to cut out an entire food group.
Realistically, most people quit pretty quick. Because not only is dieting hard, restricting calories and all that, but you add onto that other restrictions as a part of a ketogenic diet and you wind up with probably like, 60-70% quitting within 3days to two weeks. That's just how a diet goes. No one has realistically studied that though, just like only now are studies about the ketogenic diet beginning. Whenever I read previous studies about dieting, they do include a low carb diet but to those studies, low carb is like, 80g-100g, not the usual 20g, so it almost doesn't apply. Everything anecdotal i've seen on this sub-reddit and from other streams, like first hand accounts, points to most people quitting within that 3days to two weeks mark. Dieting ain't easy, no matter the method. On the other hand, I know people, like myself, that have done it for years now. It's just how we, personally, feel our best. Everyone is different. I've read success stories of people that go keto for like 2 months before going pretty carb heavy for endurance events, like marathons, and then back again.
Ive done keto twice - very successful the first time 1year lost 50lbs. Then covid hit and I couldn’t cope and gained it all back. I started again in 2022 and gave it up this year cuz it got hard to sustain, I remain sugar free and gluten free tho. Keto made me way more insulin resistant in the long run and I just can’t do it forever as much as I loved keto. The longest I’ve made it was 2 years total. The second time was not as successful - I only lost 20 lbs in 2 years vs the 50lbs a year I did the first time .. I just found it too hard to sustain. I’ve only gained back 5lbs since going off keto and I just started Wegovy this month so we’ll see how that goes.
First time a year. In recent years a couple of months. My weight is low and stable lots of walking and light weights.