- Many people assume that because I've made a lot videos
about ketogenic diets,
that must be what I always recommend to people.
Well, no.
Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all,
and in this video, I'm going to take you through
all the things you might like to consider
when deciding which is right for you.
However, one approach stands out for me above the rest.
It's the one that I generally recommend to my clients.
So make sure you keep watching,
because at the end of the video,
I'm going to let you know what that is.
(upbeat music)
Let's start by looking at which is more effective.
Now, it would have been nice
if there were some scientific studies
to help answer this question,
but no studies have been done that compare low carb diets
to ketogenic diets.
Most of what I'm saying in this section of the video
comes from my experience of helping people,
and the opinion of other health professionals
that I work with.
Now, it seems logical that with a ketogenic diet
being a more restrictive diet,
you would expect a more significant impact on weight loss,
and that's certainly been my experience
and that of my patients.
But this doesn't necessarily mean
that people need to be in ketosis to achieve weight loss.
Some people see incredible results
on a low-carbohydrate diet
without ever going to the extent of a ketogenic diet.
And we know that even a moderate
reduction in carbohydrate consumption
can have fantastic metabolic benefits beyond weight loss.
Others may find that a moderate low-carb diet
simply isn't enough get them results.
This is particular true for people
who have been overweight for a long period of time.
What seems clear is that people who follow a ketogenic diet
will lose weight at a faster rate
than those on a more moderate low carb diet.
Now, this rapid weight loss
can provide a real psychological boost
when you're just starting out.
People who are seeing faster results
tend to be more compliant.
"I'm getting great results,
"so I'm going to continue with this."
Slow progress, on the other hand,
can frustrate people to the point where they give up.
Yes, in the first few days,
the main initial burst of weight loss will be water weight,
but it goes beyond this.
Check out my weight loss graph from 2016.
This is what happens in six months on a ketogenic diet.
For me, it was the difference between being obese
and being a normal weight.
I'm not an isolated case.
Rapid weight loss is possible,
and I'm sure there are may people watching this
who have had similar results,
and I regularly have people losing 20 kilograms or more
in just eight weeks during the challenge I run.
But faster isn't always better.
We all know that sometimes slow and steady wins the race.
Remember the hare and the tortoise?
Yes, weight loss is likely to be slower on a low-carb diet
than on a ketogenic diet,
but if you're okay with that,
then going slowly and steadily might just be for you.
Importantly, you've always got the option
of switching to a more restrictive ketogenic diet
if you're finding it isn't giving you
the desired results.
Let's look at which is the easiest to do.
As you've probably guessed,
ketogenic diets are more restrictive than low carb diets.
Does this make them harder to do or easier?
Carbohydrates come from plants.
The more strict we are with our carbohydrate restriction,
the less fruit and vegetables we will be able to eat.
To achieve ketosis, you must consume only limited quantities
of lower-carb fruits such as berries,
and only lower-carb vegetables,
typically those that grow above ground.
This can be restrictive for some people,
too restrictive in fact.
I have to be completely honest.
A strict ketogenic diet
is just too restrictive for some people.
I've seen a number of people end up in this cycle
of being very, very strict
and then completely falling off the wagon,
taking some months to get back on it.
I wonder if some of you can relate to this?
Let me know in the comments down below.
Others don't mind this restriction.
In fact, having a smaller palate of ingredients
or meals can actually make things easier.
Have you ever sat down in a restaurant
and been completely overwhelmed
by the number of items on the menu
to the point where it's hard to choose
what you want to order?
That's the paradox of choice.
The more options we have,
the harder it can be to make decisions.
We bought a new bed recently.
My wife and I went to a showroom
and we picked the bed we wanted.
We were then handed a big book
full of all the different fabric options,
a huge choice of different fabrics
in every color imaginable.
It was overwhelming, so we left
and ended up buying one from Ikea
where there was only one option, blue.
For others, variety is important and may increase enjoyment
and sustainability by providing more flexibility.
With a moderate low carbohydrate diet,
you can enjoy a wider variety of fruits and vegetables,
but this slightly more relaxed low-carb approach
doesn't mean you should start adding in
poor-quality refined carbs.
Rather, we can add more fruits and vegetables
and even limited amounts of nutrient dense,
higher-carb vegetables such as sweet potatoes.
When you compare this to the standard diet
that most people eat,
it still represents a significant improvement,
and if this more moderate approach
helps you achieve your personal goals, then great.
If you need clarification about which foods
contain how much carbohydrate, don't worry.
I've got you covered with a visual guide
which will make it easy for you.
There's even a traffic light system to help you identify
low, moderate, and high-carb foods.
You can download it from my website,
and I'll leave a link in the description for you.
A ketogenic diet may require additional monitoring.
There's a clear boundary when it comes to a ketogenic diet.
You're either achieving
the physiological state of ketosis or you're not.
This can be psychologically quite helpful for some people.
They like knowing with a simple test
whether they're in ketosis or not.
Now, it is possible to know whether you're in ketosis or not
by tracking your symptoms,
but it's not 100% reliable.
In fact, my most popular video on this channel
is about this topic,
a link to that, again, up here.
But blood ketone monitoring
is the only way to know for sure.
This is definitely a downside of ketogenic diets,
because you have to prick your finger
to check your blood ketone levels
Well, it's not nice,
and the ketone testing strips are also quite expensive.
You can use urine dipsticks to test your ketone levels.
These are inexpensive and are particularly useful
when you start,
however, they do become less useful over time
because we stop excreting ketones in our urine
after a few weeks on a ketogenic diet.
With a moderately low-carb diet,
you will need to keep track of your carb count,
especially when you are first learning,
so you don't need to do anything invasive
like blood monitoring.
But this is a much fuzzier line than the yes, no,
"Am I in ketosis or not?"
Eating out is another consideration.
Whilst it's entirely possible
to remain on a strict ketogenic diet and still eat out,
it makes things a little more complicated,
because irrespective of the restaurant,
menus tends to be quite carb heavy.
Being on a moderate low carb diet
certainly makes this experience easier.
Then there is the subject of fiber.
Fiber is the cell walls of plants,
which humans cannot digest,
so the more you restrict carbohydrates,
the harder it is to get fiber in.
Lots of people are really big
on getting enough fiber in their diets.
I'm not overly convinced by it personally,
but that's another video for another day.
What about side effects?
Well, a moderate low-carb diet is generally well-tolerated,
and switching to it shouldn't cause you
any side effects whatsoever.
The same, however, is not true for ketogenic diets,
especially when you suddenly change onto one.
Because we see rapid improvements
in the amount of insulin our bodies produce,
our kidneys no longer need to hold on to so much fluid.
Additionally, some salts are lost alongside that fluid,
and on the positive side,
people quickly look less bloated
as that water weight is rapidly lost.
But on the negative side,
it can produce a collection of symptoms such as headaches,
fatigue, challenges in your bowel habits,
sleep disturbances,
these are commonly known as keto flu.
These symptoms shouldn't be a reason
to avoid a ketogenic diet.
They are to be expected as your body changes
to a new fuel source that it's not used to.
Some people advocate for slowly weaning off carbohydrates
in order to minimize these symptoms,
but it can be tricky
to slowly wean yourself off carbohydrates,
especially if you're a sugar addict.
Personally, I recommend the cold turkey approach.
After all, these symptoms can be avoided entirely
or at least managed by ensuring you get plenty of fluid
and electrolytes while you're transitioning.
I've written a complete troubleshooting guide called
"How to Manage the Side Effects of Ketosis,"
which you can also download from my website.
And it's essential for those who are on medication
for Type 2 diabetes,
especially medication that lowers blood glucose,
to consult their medical team when they switch
to any low carb diet.
This is because a rapid improvement in blood glucose
can end up causing people to be over-medicated.
The same is true for those on blood pressure medication.
Next, let's look at the effect on hunger.
One of the most transformative things
about going on any sort of a low carbohydrate diet
is the change in the experience of hunger.
Here's another paradox for you.
Why do people who are overweight feel hungry
if they've got so much energy stored on their bodies as fat,
yet they do, and they feel hungry a lot.
I know this from experience.
Hunger ruled my days when I was obese.
And there is this perception
that people who are overweight or obese
who keep eating are just being gluttonous,
that they can't possibly be hungry so frequently.
Except, this is not true.
It's not gluttony at all.
It's a sort of internal starvation.
Let me explain.
The stores of fat are there, but they're locked away,
because our bodies are swimming in insulin.
Insulin is a fat storage hormone.
Persistently raised levels of insulin
are common in people with obesity,
and they effectively stop us from burning fat as fuel.
This creates a sort of internal starvation
where we have the fat stores, but we can't access them,
so we feel the need to keep eating
in order to keep our energy levels up.
When we switch to a low-carb diet,
because of our low insulin levels,
our fat stores can give up their energy between meals
like they're supposed to.
But it's not just insulin.
Leptin, a hormone produced by our fat cells
that is found to be lower
in those on a low carbohydrate diet,
suggesting an improvement in sensitivity to this hormone.
And ghrelin levels are significantly lower
in those on low-carb diets, too.
Ghrelin is a hormone that's produced by our stomachs
which signals to our brains that we're hungry.
So there's a significant advantage to being low carb
when it comes to the how hungry we feel.
But being in ketosis takes this a step further.
Not only do we have even better control
of blood insulin levels,
but ketones may actually also inhibit appetite directly.
People, therefore, who go on a ketogenic diet
tend to feel even less hungry
than those on a moderate low-carb diet.
It's common for people to go
from three meals a day plus snacks,
to two or even one meal a day
without feeling significant hunger.
It's entirely transformative to be free of something
that has ruled your life for so long.
What about the safety of these diets?
I don't see any real safety concerns
when it comes moderate low-carbohydrate diets,
but the ketogenic diet often has safety concerns
leveled at it,
in part due to the increased fat intake
that you'll need to consume.
But overall, I do think
that a well-formulated ketogenic diet
is generally safe for the majority of people,
and I discuss the safety of the ketogenic diet,
including those concerns about fat consumption
and heart disease in quite some detail in another video,
and you can watch that by clicking up here.
So I'm not going to dwell on the safety aspect in this video.
What about other benefits beyond weight loss?
Most people will feel significantly better
when switching from a standard western diet
high in processed carbs and seed oils
to a low carbohydrate diet,
but there are definite added benefits
that come along with a ketogenic diet.
Firstly, ketones are a fantastic source of fuel
for the brain,
and after a few days of being on a ketogenic diet,
your brain mainly runs on ketones,
and as a result, many people report
significantly enhanced mental clarity.
Blood glucose control may be better on a ketogenic diet,
and therefore, may be better for those with diabetes.
Ketones themselves are anti-inflammatory
and may benefit those with chronic inflammation disorders.
I've had many clients report that their joint pains
are significantly improved since going on a ketogenic diet.
Combine that with the weight loss,
I've had several clients who have canceled
the hip and knee replacements they had planned.
There may also be a role for ketogenic diets
in improving fertility,
particularly in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome,
and there are many potentially exciting areas of research
relating to brain health.
Ketogenic diets have been used to manage epilepsy
for many years now,
but there may also be a role for them in the prevention
and treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
There are also studies being done
to examine how ketogenic diets can be used alongside
other therapies to treat some cancers.
So those are the major things we need to consider
when trying to work out which is right for you,
and much of it depends on where you're starting from,
your health goals, and what type of person you are.
Do you prefer to rip the plaster off,
or do you like to peel it off slowly?
Do you want to look through the swatch book
and pick the best fabric for your bed,
or will you choose the bed from Ikea?
And I've made this sound like you have to choose
one of the other.
In reality, you can switch between the two as it suits you.
But at the beginning of this
I said I'd tell you what the approach
that I recommend to most people is.
This is what I generally coach clients to do
as part of the group coaching program that I run.
I recommend that people start out on a strict ketogenic diet
by following the tried and tested,
well-formulated meal plans that we provide.
We then coach them through how to minimize
the side effects caused by the transition into ketosis.
People then usually see really quick results,
which as I mentioned earlier, is very motivating.
And then when their hunger begins to improve,
we start to introducing intermittent fasting
to accelerate the process even more.
What I want is for my clients to really experience
the power of a strict ketogenic diet,
how incredibly effective it is for both weight loss,
and for completely transforming their experience of hunger.
And then in week eight, the final week of the challenge,
we discuss how to moderate diet
from the perspective of sustainability.
In the shorter term,
some people choose to stay on a strict ketogenic diet.
Some people choose to go more strict
and even try carnivore for a bit.
Others choose to go on a moderate low carb diet.
But in the medium to longer term,
they have the knowledge and the skills
to choose what the right diet for them is
at any particular time.
No two people are alike.
Everyone starts from different points.
Everyone has different ways
in which they like to approach things.
Ultimately, you've got to be willing to be your experiment
and find out what works for you.
If you'd like some help with that,
then I'd love you to check out my eight week challenge
where me and my team can help support you on that journey.
You can learn more by visiting carbdodging.com/challenge,
and I'll leave the link in the description of this video.
Otherwise, that's it for today's video.
I hope you've found it helpful.
If you have, I'd really appreciate it if you gave it a like,
maybe consider sharing it with a friend
who you think might find it helpful.
And if you'd like to see more of my videos,
then make sure you're subscribed to my channel,
and hopefully, I'll see you in the next one, bye bye.