I tried the Keto Diet - big results!

There are a million and one diets.

I heard about the Ketogenic diet and wanted to put it's claims to the test. I was surprised by the results I saw, so much so that if I was to put a client on a fat loss/inch loss diet, this would be the one.

What is the Keto diet? Essentially, it's high fat, low carb, moderate protein (note: moderate protein will probably seem like very high protein to most of you, who are majorly lacking in this macro-nutrient).

It came to prominence in the 1920's as a way to help epilepsy, by changing how the brain gets its energy - and that shift can calm overactive neurons that trigger seizures. Our normal brain fuel is glucose, from carbs, but with epilepsy, glucose may not work optimally in certain areas of the brain. A Keto diet cuts carbs drastically, so the body creates ketones from fat which stabilises neurons.

Our body uses either carbohydrates (carbs), or fat as it's energy source. Carbs are our preferred energy source as they are quick-release and readily available - we store them as glycogen in our muscles. We can pull on them for quick-fire exercise, speed and power.

There are three main types of carbs - starchy carbs, like bread, potato, pasta, rice, simple carbs like fruits, and fibrous carbs such as avocado, and most green vegetables.

Keto Diet lunch

If we eat any of these carbs, they will be converted into glycogen and used as our primary source of energy. If we take these carbs away, our body will turn to fat as it's primary energy source. Simple.

Or is it?

In theory, yes. In practice, not so much. If you've spent most of your life enjoying bread, oats, bananas, berries, vegetables and the odd sweet treat, taking them away is hard!

Replacing them with higher fat options takes planning - you're taking away your quick go-to's.

Our body takes around 16-hours to enter Ketosis - the state where our body uses fat as a fuel source when the carbs are all gone. So your last carbs eaten will last for up to around 16 hours to burn out. Then you're burning fat.

Interesting fact: A study showed that fat cells from the stomach are three-times more active in ketosis - i.e your're burning fat ALOT quicker in ketosis.

For one week, I went strict Keto. I measured weight and waist measurements at the start and at the end. Here is what I found:

• 0.8kg lost - this is a lot for one-week. Think of it over a month, it's over 3kgs. I'm 75kg, if I was heavier, I would expect this number to be bigger.

• 2.5cm decrease in my waist measurement. I was very surprised at this. My body fat is around 12% which is in the 'Athletic' range. Someone with a 'average' body fat range of 15-20% should expect to lose more than my 2.5cm.

Those two measurable results were much more than I expected. Aside from the numbers, I could visibly see more definition in muscles around the core and abs. Water retention will play a part in this - when we take on carbs, we retain water - when we take them away, we lose that water.

I wasn't doing the diet to lose weight or measurements. My main point of interest was how it affected my energy levels. This surprised me too...

As mentioned, carbs give us quick release energy - and quick crashes aswell. As a trainer who is on GO from 8am, I was used to having energy when I wanted it. Yes, I'd get a little crash around 11am when my oat breakfast was used up, but I'd just eat some more carbs and protein like some fruits and yoghurt. That would see me through to lunch.

On Keto, my high fat breakfast would leave me feeling a bit sluggish, weaker and less ready to give energy in sessions. BUT...around midday I would get the feeling of energy coming through and it would last all afternoon. No crashes, no hunger, just a constant stream of energy. That's exactly how Keto should be.

For me, it didn't suit my work lifestyle. I do the majority of my work in the morning and want that quick fire release. Feeling sluggish until midday wasn't the one for me.

Research does, however, show that after 6-10 weeks on Keto, our body adapts better to using fat as it's energy source and it may possibly show sooner than midday.

Here's what I ate for my Keto Diet;

• 7am black coffee with 30g coconut oil

• 7am Smoothie w/100g milk, protein powder, 50g peanut butter

• 8am 80g Emmental cheese

• 8am 20g Macadamia nuts

• 3pm Green leaf salad with:

• 75g La Selva bacon cubed

• 3 eggs

• 1 avocado

• 20g extra virgin olive oil

• big squeeze of lemon juice

• 7pm 200g sirloin steak or salmon

• cream cheese

• broccoli

Around 1pm I would also have a protein shake (water base).

Eating like this gave me around 2500 calories, which is more than I'd eat on a more carb-heavy diet. Fat was around 200g, protein around 150g and carbs around 20g. These are perfect ratios. If carbs go over 25/30g, you will not be in ketosis and your body is kind of in no-mans-land where it's not fully burning carbs or fat. For reference, one banana would drive you above 20g carbs. So fruit is very limited for sure.

Would I recommend the Keto Diet? Yes. I would advise anyone who has a good amount of fat to lose, who is maybe more sedentary than a full time trainer, to do it. I would say try it for a month. Measure yourself before and after.

It's worth bearing in mind, that not every diet works for every person. A Keto diet may work exceptionally well for some and not at all for others. Just like a carb-heavy diet can be great for some and leave others feeling sleepy all day.

So, that was my little dip into the keto world. I'm glad I tried it.

Since then, I've gone to more a hybrid diet, as I call it. Still around 2300 cals a day, low-ish carb (under 100g), medium-high fat (100-130g) and medium- high protein (150g). My energy is great, it's there when I need it and the 11am crashes are gone as I have a high fat smoothie with my oats in the morning now (fat slows the release of carbs).

I welcome any questions. And if you're on a Keto diet, I'd like to hear your views.

Thanks for reading.

Iain