(« Part 1 of my personal journey: Why I decided to lose weight)
The figure above gives you a timeline of my nutritional journey. Over a 20 month period I made four dietary interventions:
- September 2009 – I eliminated most sources of sugar in my diet (for a definition of “sugar” click here) six days per week. One day per week I let myself eat whatever I wanted.
- February 2010 – I switched all white sources of carbohydrates to brown sources whenever possible (e.g., brown rice over white rice, brown pasta over white pasta), switched over to carbs that were higher in insoluble fiber, and eliminated sugar altogether.
- January 2011 – I reduced starch intake to one serving per day, but continued to eat fruits and vegetables in an unrestricted manner.
- May 2011 – Reduced carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams per day and reduced protein intake to approximately 120 grams per day, entering a state of nutritional ketosis.
Essentially, I gradually went on a super low carb diet.
Another way to see the implications of these changes on my actual intake is shown in the figure below.
On the left is where is I started in September 2009 – a typical (Western) athlete’s diet made up of two-thirds carbohydrates – most of them the so-called “good” or “complex” ones. I ate a lot of lean protein (mostly chicken, turkey, and tuna) and very little, if any, saturated fat. About a year later (middle circle) I had significantly reduced carbohydrate intake by over 50% while I increased both fat and protein intake. Note that total caloric intake was about the same, just over 3,000 calories per day.
In May 2011 I made the final metabolic “switch” to a ketogenic diet (right circle) by reducing carbohydrate intake to almost negligible levels and actually reducing my protein intake from very high levels (about 3 grams/kg) to normal levels (about 1.5 grams/kg). Two things jump out at you, I’m sure: I eat virtually all of my calories in the form of fat and my total caloric intake has actually gone up by about 50%. Let me reiterate, I don’t exercise any more today than I did 2 years ago. In fact, if anything, I probably exercise a bit less (i.e., down from 3-4 hours per day to 2 to 2.5 hours per day).
On a low carb diet, I lost weight and reduced body fat
The most externally obvious change that occurred as I ratcheted down my carbohydrate intake was a decrease in body fat. To assess this most accurately I relied on test called a DEXA scan. DEXA stands for Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. It’s a pretty remarkable test that is now the gold standard for measuring body composition. Back when I was in high school we relied on a combination of calipers (in the hands of an experienced user) and something called hydrostatic testing, where you are weighed in and out of water to calculate your percentage of body fat.
The real beauty of DEXA, besides its accuracy, is that you get segmental information. For example, you can learn how much lean tissue (i.e., muscle) you have on one leg versus the other, and how this changes over time. Furthermore, DEXA gives bone density information.
The other (profoundly simple) “test” I used to track my weight loss was my waist measurement. I recall the days in high school of having a 28 to 29 inch waist. Somehow that ballooned to 36 inches two years ago. As silly as this sounds, I recall, back in the spring of 2009 while stuck in an airport, using calculus to integrate the volume of fat I needed to lose from my waist (both visceral – around my organs – and under my skin) to get down to a 32-inch waist. It’s actually an easy problem if you can remember how to integrate the volume of an oval “cylinder” and you know the density of fat.
Here’s what my measurements showed: I lost weight, sure, but it was almost all fat.
At the outset, I weighed 195 pounds, of which just over 20% was fat –about 40 pounds. My waist was 36 inches. My goal was to reduce my waist to 32 inches and I calculated I would need to lose 20 pounds of fat, without losing any muscle mass, to do this. So this defined my targets: 175 pounds, 11% body fat, 32-inch waist.
Remember one other point, I was not interested in increasing how much I exercised at all. I was examining the role of diet on my body composition, not additional exercise. The figure below shows how my body “morphed” over nearly two years. Total body weight is shown on top of each bar, while the blue bar represents lean tissue and the red bar represents fat. Hence, in September 2009, I weighed 195 pounds, of which 156 was lean, 39 was fat, and my body fat (the number below) was 20%. Not shown in the figure is that my waist was, as I mentioned, 36 inches. By August 2011 I had actually exceeded my goal, as you can see from the figure. Without any loss of lean tissue, I had reduced fat mass to 13 pounds and body fat to under 8%. My waist measured about 31 inches.
There are a couple of things I should point out, that make this a bit confusing:
- Between February 2010 and July 2010 I had a bad bout of swine flu, which left me in pretty rough shape for a while. As a result, I probably lost more lean mass than I would have liked, or expected to, even transiently.
- Pay more attention to fat mass, separately, than overall body weight, and do the same with lean mass. Fat mass decreased monotonically, even as weight fluctuated. Lean mass took a big hit initially (although I believe in my case, the prolonged illness didn’t help), but then recovered. This is actually not uncommon among folks losing weight. Losing weight the “right” way ends with a recovery of lean mass. Doing in the “wrong” way can result in equal loss of fat and lean mass (or, worse yet, disproportionate loss of lean mass).
- Most people, especially physically active people, probably experience some seasonal variation in body fat, especially at low levels. My body fat probably fluctuations between 7 and 10% over the course of year now, often a function of activity type (more than activity level).
(Part 3 of my personal journey: How a low carb diet reduced my risk of heart disease »)
Hi Peter
Interesting and informative site. I came here as a result of Gary Taubes’ recent blog.
A problem I have is resolving differences between you and other ‘low-carbers’ with that of the paleo approach espoused mostly recently by Prof Cordain in ‘The Paleo Answer’
He has softened his stance on fat/saturated fat, but would still advise one to get it in a paleo way. So, fat from dairy would be out. He also is not a fan of added salt (due to effects on acid-base balance), but then I guess his Paleo approach is less ketogenic, if at all…(so less issues with sodium loss)
Apart from modern evidence, Cordain’s driving paradigm is evolutionary medicine (hence no dairy and, obviously, grain, sugars etc) but his stance on fruit seems to conflict with that (given that modern sweet fruit always available 24/7 doesn’t really have an evolutionary precedent).
I must say, I DO have reservations about dairy….but I see that then removes quite a few potential sources off at from a would-be ketogenic diet…
It would be nice if it was all oh so simple and all the experts agreed…:-)
Steve L
Steve, I do plan to do a post on your exact (first) question. The “what’s the difference between diet X and what you’re talking about?” stuff. The dairy issue is one of the individual. For some folks (like me) it’s really well tolerated (e.g., no insulin spike, no dyslipidemia), but for others it must be consumed in moderation. Personalization is everything, once you get past the basics (kill the sugar, kill the simple/refined carbs).
What about raw milk? Have you heard of Sally Fallon and the Weston A. Price Foundation?
I don’t consume raw milk. Yes, have heard of them.
Very exciting and inspiring! I can’t imagine how you are eating all this fat–could you outline the foods you eat in a typical day?
Thanks so much for your comment. Check the post “what I eat” for an idea of my typical intake. Of course, what I eat and what you eat won’t necessarily be the same.
Peter, Happily stumbled upon your blog last night and am very excited about the information you have to offer. I am a Type 1 insulin dependent diabetic. I currently follow a low carb diet but after reading your website, will focus on lowering my carbs and pay attention to the amount of protein I am intaking. How do you determine the right amount? I do not eat white foods, starchy veggies or any fruit other than berries on occasion. I exercise on average 4 days week (60 min spin class 3-4 days a week and Pilates one day a week). I am trying to reduce the amount of insulin I take on a daily basis but even with an egg and cheese breakfast, I have to take at least 2-3 units of insulin. In your opinion, would taking insulin have an affect on being able to loose weight? How can I acheive nutritional ketosis with having to take insuling? I have not been able to loose a single pound since being diagnosed with Type 1 5 years ago. Thank you for your insight and I look forward to keeping up with your posts.
Wow, Sherry, you’re really asking some excellent questions! I’m going to write more about this in future, I promise. I have worked a few people with Type I diabetes and WITHOUT exception, all of them have been able to reduce their insulin requirement significantly. In fact, just today I was communicating with a friend whose wife has Type I diabetes. She has reduced her total insulin requirement (basal + bolus) from 150-200 units/day down to 40 units/day. Her experience is not unique, either. As you’ve guessed, when you require less insulin, you start to re-train your body to burn fat, rather than always be storing it. Your question about achieving ketosis is a much more nuanced questions that I can’t really address right now, but I do recommend you check out a book by Dr. Richard Bernstein titled, “The complete guide to achieving normal blood sugars.” Dr. Bernstein himself has Type I diabetes. Lastly, as far as protein goes, 1-2 gm/kg/day is the probably the right range.
Peter,
I just stumbled on your site by way of Gary Taubes’. I appreciate all of the details of your experience switching from a standard Western diet to a low-carb one. My husband and I made the switch pretty much cold-turkey last summer when his blood sugar numbers (he’s a type 2)really rattled us. We dropped from a fairly standard Western diet (although we had reduced sugar-carbs somewhat) to one that on average supplies us with fewer than 40 carbs. We did not worry about calories, amount of protein, or amount of fat. We both lost (and continue to lose) weight, especially around the waist. His glucose numbers are pretty close to normal now. We are currently trying to tweak the diet a little by increasing low starch vegetables and decreasing protein a bit.
I look forward to reading more of your blog to help us in this journey.
RoseAnne, these are the stories that make so excited to get up every morning. Thank you so much for sharing, and congrats to you both.
Peter – I’m curious about your September 2009 plan that “One day per week I let myself eat whatever I wanted.” Do you still do that? I’ve lost about 40 pounds following the paradigm from Gary’s book, but have stayed the same (much reduced) weight for a couple of months now. No longer overweight, but still not “thin” – in fact, looking more like your “before” pictures without all the muscle mass.
I estimate that I’d be “not fat” by losing another 15-20 pounds, which would be the in the “healthy” range for my age/height and above where I was in my 20′s. I’m somewhere between your January 2011 and May 2011 plan – no starch (even brown rice) or refined sugar/carbs at all – but definitely veggies and some berries, but not oranges or similar fruits. Any advice for taking off the last 15-20? Does “eating whatever you want” once per week (e.g., pizza, ice cream, etc. which I never eat anymore) “shock” the system so that it can again lose weight by the low-carb process? Or, as Taubes says, is there just a point where this doesn’t take you any lower and it might not be the set-point that you were looking for?
Thanks.
Nope, that was only during that first phase of my “experiment.” I don’t do any cheat days or cheat meals. 24/7 ketosis for me. That said, everyone is different and responds to different things. Furthermore, we all have different goals (I’ll be writing more about this later). What you’re doing now sounds pretty good, actually. Maybe consider your own “experiment?” Say, 8 weeks of nutritional ketosis (no cheat meals)? I would recommend getting high quality data pre- and post-, such as DEXA and lipid NMR, but that’s just me (data junkie…)
Regarding protein, I can not seem to find a definitive answer on the potential danger of soy protein, i.e. the link betw its estrogen and cancer. Also, for those looking for a shake/bar form of protein, do you recommend egg white or whey? Thank you very much for your help.
I don’t really consider myself an expert on this topic, yet. I have read a great deal of conflicting information on the role/harm of soy protein, but I have not be convinced. I’m sorry that I don’t know enough on this topic to provide a really qualified response. I will tell you that I personally use whey protein, but that’s a function of the brand I use, which contains no sugar at all (why I like it).
Peter,
I’m very intrigued by the amount of fat your consuming and obviously still performing at a high level. Could you elaborate a bit more on your fat consumption during the day? I’ve recently upped my fat intake to around 63% of my total calories and cut the carbs down to around 60gms/day or 12%. I’ve noticed I feel full all the time, but also a bit uncomfortable and was thinking about cutting back the fat a bit. Have you experience anything similar?
You have some very interesting posts and I look forward to following and learning from your journey.
It varies by day and other things like travel and work-out schedule. Take a look at my post “What I actually eat” from Dec 19 for a “typical” 5 days. I have not noticed what you describe, but perhaps you are forcing too much down. See what happens when you back off a bit?
I too arrived at this blog via Gary Taubes’ website. This is a great resouce and I thank you. I have a pretty basic question. I keep hearing the phrase “You need carbs.” Did you restrict your diet to 40 grams of carbs/day because your body (brain) needs a minimum of 40 grams of carbs to function?
No, once you’re in ketosis your brain does not need any carbs. But if you consume more than 40-50 gm/day of carbs and/or more than about 150 gm/day of protein you can’t make enough ketones to please your brain. Hence, there is a place (for some) I call the “zone of misery,” which I’ll write about in the future, where you’re eating too many carbs to generate sufficient ketones, but too few to satisfy your still-glucose-dependent brain. Only reason it’s not zero carbs is a practical one. Most of my fat sources are accompanied by *some* carbs, except for pure oils.
Thank you for taking the time to clear this up for me!
Not to take up too much of your time, but this is the most profound thing I’ve seen on this website. So you’re saying that if you eat more than 40 or 50 carbs, combined with more than 150g of protein, you cannot get into ketosis? I feel like the last few times I’ve tried low carb I quit because of this zone. Can you explain a little more? Should you stay at below 150g of protein, and in the 20 carb zone? Could this stall fat loss? Very interested to hear this one.
That’s correct. I will address this in future posts. Remember, at high enough levels, protein can start “acting” like carbs, thereby suppressing ketone production.
Peter, forgive me pressing for yet further elaboration, but I’m still unclear about the 150g protein value and how it possibly relates in individual application.
Do you think that (like most things) it would vary up or down somewhat depending upon size/ gender/ activity level etc?
For example, I am a small, 5’1″ female, not very active and weigh around 105 pounds.
I try to stay in ketosis for the mental health it provides me (relief from depression and ADD, plus relief from a whole host of other physical ailments), and because I like to eat ‘freely’ and not have to worry about gaining weight.
But I can easily eat 150g protein per day and in fact I seem to average around 200g per day! Due to my ‘zero carb’ diet however my contextual daily percentages are still usually around 70% fat, 25% protein, 5% carbs.
So my question and what I am trying to understand is: would I (given that I am so small/female/not very active etc.) need to drop to an even LOWER level of protein to ensure I stay in ketosis, since at 150gm protein I’d be at 3gm/kg/day!
While 150gm does not kick you out of ketosis, is it reasonable to assume that it IS possibly kicking me out and that I should therefore drop my level to around 100gm to ensure I don’t go over 2gm/kg/day if I want to stay in ketosis?
Would love any thoughts you could offer on this, with many thanks and much appreciation in advance!
It’s possible. Why not just aim for 1 to 1.5 gm/kg/day of protein and experiment in that range?
Peter,
Late to the conversation here, but I’m the same weight (105 lbs, ~45 kg), have a higher caloric requirement for my size and find it very difficult to take in less than 150 grams of protein. Eating 1 to 1.5 g/kg (kilograms, as in 45 to 90 grams of protein) is low. It basically means I eat nothing, but oil and maybe a few eggs or bites of steak. Are you sure you don’t mean 1 to 1.5 g/lb? 45 – 90 g of protein just seems so low.
No, I mean per kg. Don’t confuse the weight of the meat with the mass of protein. If you consumed 1.5 gm/kg/day you should be fine. It’s not that 2 (90 gm/day) would be harmful, but you may find your kidneys excreting a lot of it.
I’m not confusing weight with amount of grams in a protein source. I mean that’s like a nice sized steak and few eggs or something. for me that’s about 90 grams of protein which would be ~ 15% of my calories from protein. For someone that is 200 lbs, I can see maybe it working fine. 90 grams of protein, I don’t see how that’s sustainable or even possible. I workout everyday, lift weights, etc. I’m fairly active. Calories are upwards of 20-25 x my body weight in pounds just to maintain.
Maybe I’m missing something…why are you asking this question? Are you trying to be ketotic? If not, don’t worry about how much protein you eat.
I was just asking going off your recommendations since I always read for most active people 1 to 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight (100-150 grams for me) for lean individuals. However, maybe I should learn more about why I would want to be ketonic or not care. Is there a difference between being ketonic and being in ketosis? I see you mentioning something about two different variations of ketosis, maybe I missed something and being dumb.
Very sorry about this confusion and question. However, I’m learning and appreciate you taking the time to even bother answering.
A healthy person can tolerate a wide range of protein intake — roughly 1 to 2.5 (maybe even 3) gm/kg/day. Ketosis is pretty tough if one is consuming more than about 125-150 gm/day. The bigger you are, the more you need to restrict protein to be in ketosis.
Hello Peter,
My question/comment is in reference to this sentence:
“No, I mean per kg. Don’t confuse the weight of the meat with the mass of protein.”
I ignorantly was equating weight of meat with mass of protein. I will try, on my own, to figure this out. But could this point (weight vs. mass of protein) be discussed, say, in your future “Zone of Misery” post?
Many thanks with lard on top!
No worries. I find this website really helpful for getting accurate numbers: http://nutritiondata.self.com/
Hi Peter – how wonderful to find you through Gary Taubes. Question: when I stay low carb I find I don’t sleep very well. As soon as I have baked potato, or baked sweet potato for dinner I sleep much better. Why does that happen? As well, as a post menopausal woman I’m having a terrible time losing that “middle-aged” spare tire even tho I’m slim elsewhere. Any suggestions? Should I lower calories? Or add more expertise? Any thoughts on an article for older women? You know there are many many of us out there….any many many more coming up the ranks!!!!
Barbara, I experienced this while I was in the so-called “zone of misery” – a place that for reasons I don’t yet understand some people hit and other don’t. One explanation might be that you’re reducing carbs a lot (and your brain my be noticing), but not quite enough to generate sufficient ketones. I was able to stop this when I increased my fat intake and reduced my carb intake even further. As for breaking through the plateau, you’re certainly correct that peri- and post-menopausal women are up against one more variable: hormones. It might be worth trying (I’m assuming you’re not in full ketosis, given your sleep issue), full nutritional ketosis for a period of time as an experiment, say, 8 weeks? Like I tell everyone, I really recommend documenting everything, so consider getting a DEXA scan pre- and post- dietary intervention.
You are really correct, that I do need to write a bit more, specifically, about issues that women like are you discussing. I will do so, as I open up more time…
I hate to take up even more of your valuable time Peter but how the heck would I get into FULL Ketisis? My pee sticks are light purple to mid-purple now. Lots of bacon? Just egg yolks no whites? Cream Cheese? Zero carbs? very little protein but much more fat? Spoonfuls of coconut oil? For an ordinary person it seems daunting? Any suggestions? Thank You so much.
Stay tuned. Can’t do it all in one day. By “full” I mean a documented blood level of beta-hydroxybutyrate level > 0.5 mM. It’s possible you’re already there, but the urine sticks don’t allow this level of precision.
Peter, I so appreciate your sharing your talent and expertise with us. My burning question is this: I am a 53-year-old female involved in endurance sports and weight lifting. Since turning 50, my weight has crept up quite a bit (it’s not lean muscle), and I am completely unable to lose weight by calorie restriction (less than 1200 kcal/day). If I am not consuming enough calories to fuel my activities, AND I’m not making use of the energy stored in my fat cells, where does the energy come from?
Sandra, I’m sorry to hear about your struggle, but I feel our pain. Remember – there are 4 (broadly speaking) ways you “burn” energy: 1. Exercise, 2. Digestion, 3. Activities of daily living (e.g., carrying the groceries, walking up the stairs), and 4. Basal or underlying metabolic rate. This last one is SO important and so often ignored. Even when you calorie restrict, you can still reduce this fourth category and the net result is you continue to be in positive energy balance, as it seems you are. The key is not eating less, it’s eating less of the foods that raise insulin and in turn reduce your basal metabolic rate.
Thanks again — I’m excited about the possibilities.
I am 59 and the only way I was able to lose the extra weight was to give up sugar including fruits.
I do have a glass of wine once in a while meaning once every week or two or could be even a month. It has been about a year and this has worked very well for me. I never count calories and I eat protein but no red meats or deli meats and I primarily use coconut oil as my fat found in the health food store. Great information blog and I think our problem here is a menopause womans thing. What do you think Peter?
Hi Peter,
Thanks so much for the articles in your blog. I read a number of blogs and journal articles, but most of them are too “technical” for me to share with friends/family. You write in a very accessible manner, and I’m excited to share your articles.
I am not new to low-carb eating, I’ve been quite low carb for close to 10 years. It’s only during the last couple of years that I’ve realized, a lot of what you talk about regarding keeping proteins at a fairly low level. I haven’t, until recently, been able to put that into practice. I just gave birth to my twin boys 8 months ago and had a very difficult pregnancy and had to deal with quite severe hyperemesis. My question pertains to weight loss while breastfeeding. I’ve been exclusively breastfeeding my babies and I’ve had a terrible time with weight gain, despite a very low carb diet and restricted protein. I have continued to increase the ratio of fat that I’m eating, but all the while have continued to gain weight. I had lost almost all of my pregnancy weight by 2 weeks post-partum, and have now gained most of it back (about 25 pounds)! I’ve finally resorted to lowering my calories, in order to stop gaining weight. I’ve been averaging about 1200 calories a day with aprox 80% from fat, 5% carbs, 15% protein. For reference, I’ve had this issue while nursing my first two children, but getting control of the weight gain didn’t seem to be quite so difficult. I realize you may not have any ideas/advice because it seems so contrary to what typically happens. I’ve talked to both my OB and general doctor and they just shrug their shoulders and tell me it’s so unusual because they’d expect me to lose more easily now.
Thank you for taking the time to read my lengthy message.
Trisha, I must admit I really need to better understand the impacts of carb restriction on pregnant and breast-feeding women. I just don’t know enough yet. I am working hard on it, though. My gut (take that for what it’s worth) says to go easy on yourself during this period, especially after twins! In other words, this time will pass and you will regain your pre-pregnancy physiology. Focus (as you are) on the QUALITY of what you eat, but not so much on the quantity. What you are doing is very metabolically demanding and I do not think you should in any way deprive your body of its needs. Sorry I don’t have a better answer for now.
Hey Peter! This is some very interesting stuff. I’m currently following a paleo type diet and probably consuming too much protein. I only eat “safe starch” after heavy lifting sessions. My question is (and I apologize if you’ve answered this fifty times by now) is it possible to make substantial muscle gains on such a high fat diet? I’ve gone through ketosis before and noticed my strength gains were much less impressive and the actual definition of my muscle was less pronounced. I would love to eat the way you do; i just don’t want to make my time in the gym for nothing. By the way, I lift heavy three times per week, and do metabolic work 3 times per week. Thanks man!
Benjamin, thanks so much for your comment and question. Yes, I eat “high” fat, but keep in mind I’m not a “low” protein diet, per se. I consume about 1.5 gm/kg/day of protein, which is more than adequate for most. True, I once consumed 2.5 to 3 gm/kg/day, but I would argue that was too much (and it make ketosis impossible). One thing to keep in mind (I’ll try to remember to post on this at some point) is that when in ketosis you actually spare BCAA (Steve Phinney showed this in his remarkable 1983 paper from when he was at MIT). Keep up the good work!
Hi Peter, thanks so much for the detailed website, and the explanation of everything you did/and are doing. We need more of these common sense approach websites out there so people can see that low-carb is healthy and not a gimmick.
As far as bodyfat % goes, thank you for posting about the DEXA. I never trusted calipers, and the simple math never made sense in my mind if you were guessing on things. Do you know where one could go to get this done? I did a quick google search and found absolutely nothing in the states.
Also, what are your thoughts on sleep? I’ve seen that it makes a huge difference in every part of my life, including weight loss.
Thanks again for everything, especially the time and details. Keep up the good work.
Gary, I live in San Diego and there are 2 or 3 places here that do it, though I do my testing at one of the universities. Have you checked with a local university that has a good sport-research center?
For me, sleep makes a huge difference. While this is not true for everyone, I believe in me the following cascade of events is triggered by poor sleep: increased cortisol, increased LPL production on fat cells, increased fat accumulation.
Thanks, Pete. I will dig a little deeper. Being in the mid-west, it might be a little harder, but maybe I can find somewhere close.
I agree on the sleep, but for me i found that staying away from caffeine, and using nasal strips gave me the restful sleep I needed.
Peter, I also came to you via Gary Taubes. After reading his books last spring I went on a low carb diet. Within 4-5 months I lost 40lbs and picked up walking 2km a day. I was feeling great, but then something awful happened, in November I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. But during my treatment my low carb diet tasted horrible, I mean the fats and meats made me ill. So to keep my weight up and keep myself hydrated I went back my old high carb diet. I especially started drinking gingerale and clementine oranges. And guess what, within 8 weeks I gained back 15 lbs. Now that my treatment is over I’m back on my low carb diet. Within a week I’m already feeling better and less bloated. One question though, one problem I had with low carbing was constipation, any suggestions?
Teresa, I’m so sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but it sounds like you’ve weathered the treatment well. Constipation is pretty common problem until you make a few adjustments. Here they are: consume more salt (I supplement with bouillon 1-2 gm/day), consume more oils (especially medium chain triglycerides, which I do directly, or you can get it in coconut oil or palm oil), and keep hydrated with water. Hope this helps.
Hello Dr. Attia I’m really enjoying your blog and website. I have also watched your JumpstartMD videos, and I’m fascinated with the change in your resting metabolic rate after going into nutritional ketosis. I have not seen this reported elsewhere. Has it been seen previously, and reported? Or, are you a metabolic outlier?
Not clear and this really needs to be studied more rigorously. In my (limited experience) about 20-30% of folks, when they abandon carbs, seem to increase their caloric intake and still lose weight, despite no clear change in activity level. Metabolic expenditure is part of it. Digestion pass through, perhaps, another. (One important test I did not do on myself was a fecal fat test.)
Peter, thank you for your reply to my earlier question regarding the 150gm protein daily max (in order to ensure continued ketosis) and whether it’s an absolute value or more of an individual variable. I could not add my reply to yours above hence my posting it as a new comment.
I am now trying to not go above 1.5gm/kg/day as you suggested, but am finding it quite difficult as, for me, 1.5gm/kg/day means I have to stay around 70gm protein per day!
Gah, doesn’t seem enough food, LOL! Since I can’t ‘bulk’ up my meals with and veg or nuts or the like (as my gut can’t seem to handle them), I have to try to get used to eating a much smaller volume in order to test this out and see if it improves my results.
Oh well, I imagine it will take some adjusting to, so will just see how I go. If I don’t feel any improvements to my energy levels etc., I guess I can always just go back to larger meat meals.
Thanks again for your thoughts!
hi Peter,
your posts are very intriguing and fascinating! i have two questions: why not go straight to no sugars, few carbs, much fat, as you showed in the last stage, but rather do it modirated?
second, i run abour 5 times per week, training for a marathon. i have been taught,to eat some carbs 2-3 hours before jogging to have available energy to use while joggin. my trainer told me not to eat fats before jogging since the body needs more time to break them to free energy, and also the body needs some carbs to do so. so if i follow your diet, will it influnce my ability to run long distances (between 1 to 5 hours joggin)? what do you recommend to eat before and during the run?
thanks for your time.
It’s all a personal choice. I started “slow” (i.e., it was 18 months of gradual reduction before I entered nutritional ketosis), but others jump right in. Body does not need carb ingestion for exercise. Common myth, unfortunately. Check my post “my pet peeve.”
I also stick to about 120 g of protein a day, but I am 248.. should I be eating more, and is that okay. I hear about protein being converted to glucose.?? I am eating only about 1600 calories. 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5 % carbs.. none from sugar. I am working out daily but lightly, since I have just started ( tough for me, but light overall ). I was amazed at the calories, and fat% you are doing. Reading DANDR, it says the higher the fat, the faster you lose. So since I am not increasing carbs much, should I be increasing my protein, or making up calories with fat. I am in Induction now, so I may go to 25 or 30 net carbs, basically to add spices, cheese, and maybe nuts, but not looking to go “moderate”. I am not hungry, but wonder if I can slow down weight loss as I reach a desired weight by increasing fat, therefore calories. I don’t want to have to eat 60 g of carbs to maintain. Are these valid concerns, or just myths? Also was told my gout was caused by protein, but since upping protein, and removing sugar.. no flare-ups. so wondering if you can eat too much protein, higher fat to maintain weight, and if you think gout will be more pronounced if I add protein. I’ve read that by drinking more water I can also rinse out the uric acid from excess protein. I drink 14 glasses a day, nothing else.
Sorry for all the questions at once. I still have 76 lbs till my goal weight of 172, but just lost 11 in last 5 days, so who knows how quickly I will get there.
If you are not satiated by your current diet, I would turn to fat over protein to fill up the difference. More oil in your salad dressing, for example. When eating nuts, go for higher fat relative to protein/carb. Also, assuming you have normal kidney function (you may need to check with your doctor), be sure you’re getting enough salt.
Dr. Attia,
Thanks so much for taking on this effort. What an amazing resource.
A quick question which you’ve probably answered a thousand times already…
Do you feel that you can achieve significantly less body fat going full into ketosis than you could on a typical low carb (i.e. paleo) approach? I’m just curious as to how much additional fat loss or leanness you feel you were able to achieve via ketosis vs. low carb/paleo.
Thanks so much for your time.
Probably depends on how carb sensitive you are. I think for most people, ketosis gets them to a new level (beyond non-ketotic low carb) of fat reduction. But it’s not clear this is the case for everyone. However, there are many advantages to ketosis beyond “just” body composition that need to be factored into the thought process.
I’ve been researching this diet for some time now and so happy to have found your blog! From what I have seen this appears to be the best place to get honest strait forward answers to questions regarding this life style change. After turning 30 I’ve slowly gained about 25 pounds which I’m now trying to lose. I started 3 weeks ago, and have not lost a pound. As far as inches go my clothes are no loser, maybe even a little tighter some days. I do walk almost every day, used to work out regularly and would love to get back to that, but after starting this just have no energy for high impact/weighted workouts. I don’t feel terrible, but kind of in a “funk”. I’m wondering if I’m eating too much fat? I’m a little under 5 feet tall, so I’m not sure if I should be eating a little less than I am? I more or less eat the same foods every day, so maybe I need to tweak something? I have 1 TB coconut oil in chi tea every morning and evening. At least 3 eggs, 1-4 TB heavy cream, 2-4 TB butter, 2 TB olive oil with vinegar, salad with 1-2 cups romaine or spinach, 3-5 cherry tomatoes, small hand full of broccoli. 2-3 pieces of bacon, 4-8 oz of meat, and 2-4 oz of hard cheese. I make different things every day, but this is mainly the amounts of fats/protein/carbs I’ve been having. I also have been taking potassium, magnesium, and vitamin D supplements. I’m wondering if cutting back on the cream or cheese would make a difference with weight/inchs lost?
It could be that the cream and cheese is leading to insulin release in you, as is the case in some. Maybe try an experiment and reduce your dairy intake to as little as possible for, say, 3 weeks? Also, have your doctor check a complete metabolic panel to look for all possible hormonal abnormalities (e.g., thyroid dysfunction).
I found after some frustrations with my very low carb plan that I was taking in too much protein, and once I cut that back and increased fat things improved. I’m definitely on the far end of the insulin resistance spectrum. Your points are well made that one size does not fit all.
Thanks for the blog.
Hi Peter,
I need you to clarify something for me.
I’ve started on a daily intake of: carbs 40g/protein 120g/and the rest from fat, I then have to wait for my body to slowly go in to Ketose state?
Is there anyway I can accelarate this transission ?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but could LSD(LongSlowDistance)training to the point where I bonk maybe be the way to accelerate the proces ?
My favorite sports are running and cycling. I think this Ketose state could be an advantage to me when switching from marathons into ultra-running next year.
At that caloric mix, you should be in ketosis within a few days. MCT oil can speed it up. Ketosis can be a huge advantage in ultra-distance, which is one of my passions.
Sounds good. I can’t wait to experience how the longer training runs feel like when in ketosis.
Hi Peter,
I came across your website through your interview with Ben and I am quite inspirited by your passion in life. I am really excited by your story because it reassures me that I did something right and offers me much needed guidance for the future.
I played lots of sports until my ankle was busted in a basketball game. As a result, the 25 years old me was depressed, gained 32 kg (around 70 lbs)of pure fat, and suffered a serious career setback (perhaps the setback is good for me from the hindsight). I’ve lost all the motivation in fitness.
I finally declared war on my obesity due to personal reasons in the year of 2010. Since then, I gradually eliminated sugar and started to make my own bread with whole wheat flour. I also started doing some low impact exercises for around 1-2 hours a week around that time. I started to reduce the amount of carb I take to 4 slices of bread a day (around 120 grams) starting in 2012 and increased the exercise to 4-8 hours a week.
fast forward to the present, I have lost 25 kg (55 lbs) of combined fat and lean mass, and my old jeans look ridiculous now. I am 6’5 (or 197 cm) with a medium frame and now weight 114 kg (251 lbs). I still have considerable amount of body fat to lose and I plan to incorporate some dead-lift and squat into my routine. I plan to stick to my current carb intake level for now and see how I do with lifting and cardio.
As I mentioned, Peter, your story inspired me beyond words, your suggested books seem to be very interesting and educational as well. Keep up the good work and hope you the best!
Cheers,
Xiaolei
Xiaolei, thanks so much for sharing your story. Nothing makes my day better. Keep up the good work.
Hi Peter,
I found your blog a couple of days ago and I think it is probably the best in its class. To me, you are somehow in the middle of extreme Paleo (carbphobic without knowing why) and traditional high-carbers. Because of this, you reminded me to Anthony Colpo. As you probably know, he is a moderate Paleoist, but calorie counting is king for him and nutrient partitioning is just a minor detail. What is your take on Colpo´s ?
Keep up the good work!!
Familiar with Colpo’s blog, but don’t know him personally.
Very interesting subject. I have ready Gary Taubes book and stumbled upon your website from a friend who recommended I read the science behind it a little more. Essentially it’s a low carb, high fat diet. I was curious to know what how you felt about the french Dukan Diet, which is also low carb, but is high protein and low fat. According to Dr. Dukan (who is a neurologist) many people have lost large amounts of weight on his diet. I’m curious to know if there is science behind it, and whether it would be best to do high fat or high protein (essentially Atkins vs. Dukan). Wondering your thoughts.
A variation on a similar theme, with a lot less understanding of what is driving things. Fundamentally, any time someone tries to steer you away from fat, it suggests they lack an understand of what regulates fat metabolism.
Corrie,
I did the Dukan Diet (stages 1 and 2) for 12 weeks and have lost all the weight I wanted to lose (15 kg). As you can see I lost the weight pretty quickly (especially because I was not overweight before). But now, after having read Gary Taubes’ books and this awesome blog here I have switched to LCHF to maintain my weight and have to admit this works a wonder and is much more enjoyable. I don’t think stages 3 and 4 of the Dukan Diet would have worked for me and I am sure I would have put all that weight on again as soon as I started to eat a normal high carbohydrate diet.
I just wonder scientifically why the Dukan diet works? Many people, including me, hit a wall on the low carb diet because I was not eating enough fat and was eating too much protein. I wonder why it is that so many can lose all that weight eating a high amount of protein. Do people who eat high protein and moderate fat hit a wall whereas people who eat high protein and low fat continue to lose weight?
Dukan probably works for most people for the same reason Atkins, South Beach, etc. work — removes the worst offenders from the diet. Ketosis isn’t necessary to do that.
Peter, I’ve been following all of your posts since the beginning of the year. One thing I did not pick up on right away was the fact that over the course of your two year experiment you lost “only” one pound of fat per month. Many of us are looking for the quick fix – the standard of 1-2 pounds per week or even more fantastical claims. Obviously, you could have lost a little faster by not being sick or going straight to keto – but we all need a reality check that 0.25-0.5 pound of fat loss per week is much more realistic, healthy and sustainable. Maybe a post on speed of weight loss would be in order. Thanks for all you do!
Peter,
I am so pleased to have found your story and informational blog! I am reading through it every spare moment.
I went low carb 4 months ago. I was obese and really suffering with metabolic syndrome. In fact, on 7 pills a day to treat blood sugar, lipids and depression. In the past 4 low carb months…. 50lbs gone! All labs in normal limits and even very good! No meds needed! I am a woman over 50 also. This approach to eating has been nothing short of a miracle in my life. I am now learning as much as I can in order to navigate eating from now on.
Thank you for taking the time to post your knowledge, experience and opinions!
Peter, I came back to this post to try and reconcile a point made by Phinney/Volek in Art and Science. They talk about the issue of making IR worse when percent dietary fat on VLC is in the 40-ish percent range; a problem that resolves when the diet goes above 65% fat. I wanted to see what your percent fat intake was during the period of time that you were resolving your IR and losing weight ( the pre-ketosis period previous to May 2011). I do see that in fact your percent dietary fat was in that 40% range and you seemed to do ok…although I guess you weren’t exactly doing VLC at that point either. Any input on this?
I think their point is a generalization, but not a “law.” I was so sensitive to the presence of carbs that simply reducing them (especially sugars), even in the presence of “modest” fat, had a huge benefit. It will vary for different people.