What to Do When Keto is NOT Working
There was a point for me where I was trying SO HARD to make keto work, but just couldn’t help but repeat over and over to myself, “Keto is not working. Keto is NOT working.”
So I quit!
Ha ha. Just kidding about eating junk instead!!
What I’m trying to say is, there’s an EASIER ALTERNATIVE to keto.
It’s called the MADE Diet!
So no worries, this isn’t one of those shaming articles that says “You Should Quit, YOU QUITTER!!”
Nope, I’m serious. I don’t think keto is the easiest way to a healthy lifestyle and a trim waistline.
And of course I know those things aren’t “easy” anyway. They are going to take lots of willpower in the kitchen and in the gym no matter what.
But still, keto…especially with those beginning symptoms of fatigue, nausea, diarrhea etc.…and constantly monitoring and restricting yourself…really is just too dang difficult to stick with for many people.
And you know what? There is NO shame in deciding, “Keto is NOT working!”
Keto vs. the MADE Diet
Now, as I’m sure you already know (or, what the heck were you doing on keto, without knowing how it works? 😉), the keto diet is all about restricting your carbs until your body decides to burn FAT for energy, instead. The liver converts fat into a usable energy source — acids called ketones.
Now, if your body runs on ketones all the time because you consume almost no carbs, you can say you’re in a state of ketosis, and on a ketogenic diet.
However, in order to maintain this state, you have to eat less than 30 grams of net carbs every day. “Net carbs” means that you can subtract grams of fiber from your total carb count, because fiber is a carb but it doesn’t raise your blood sugar, so it should not count towards the total.
OK, I’m sorry, hang on a second…
Doesn’t keto sound complicated and kinda exhausting and stressful already?
Having to track, test, and extremely limit your carb intake EVERY DAY??
Personally, I think a High Fat, Low Carb diet that is less restrictive than ketosis, but still allows you to reap the BENEFITS of insulin resistance and avoiding “diabesity” and disease…THAT’S the answer.
Turns out, you CAN have your cake and eat it too! But only one piece, please. 😉
Basically, my argument is that the benefits of KETOSIS itself are negligible, compared to a MADE Diet (50 – 150 carbs a day), including intermittent fasting.
But I don’t want to get ahead of myself here…
What I want to do is cite a couple of studies!
Previously, when I came out “against” keto, I was accused of throwing keto under the bus simply in order to promote my MADE Diet. And to those accusations, I say, well, of course! Because my own research has show that the MADE Diet is 1) EASY and 2) combines and integrates many healthy practices from ALL the research I’ve done.
I’m sitting on all the nutritional books I’ve read. Some align WITH my beliefs and other do not. I take a scientific approach. I have my beliefs but then try to find scientific proof that this belief is WRONG. With the MADE Diet…I only found more support and evidence.
Let’s see if you actually have to be in a ketogenic state to live longer…
(For simplicity’s sake, instead of using the term “less restrictive, not keto” over and over, I’m just going to call it “MADE Diet” 😉)
Keto vs. the MADE Diet on Reducing Cholesterol
This study on keto shows that in 6 months, there was a 0.8 mmol/L (that’s a European measurement, don’t worry about it, LOL) drop in bad cholesterol.
This study on a MADE Diet, done over 2 years, resulted in drop of 3.3!
So, doing the math, if the keto study had also lasted 2 years and continued down the same path…The results of “basic” HFLC vs. keto would be about THE SAME.
Oh, and by the way, intermittent fasting also lowers your bad cholesterol by 25% in just a FEW months…
Sooo, again, I must ask, why are you doing keto, and depriving yourself of corn, tomatoes, beets, and sweet potatoes??
Keto vs. the MADE Diet on Reducing Inflammation
This study done over 3 months showed that a ketogenic diet reduced an inflammatory molecule (called IL-6) by 3.7%.
This study done over 6 months showed that a 20% carbs diet reduced the same molecule in the cells, by “over 5%.”
Again, adjust for duration and it is basically…
…THE SAME AMOUNT.
So as you can see, the results are very similar with keto vs. the MADE Diet, except the difference is, you’ll stick with the MADE Diet, because it won’t feel like a diet.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be consuming 20% carbs than 5%, so I can have a glass of wine every once in a while without worrying about whether I will get “kicked out of ketosis.”
Again, that just sounds exhausting to me. “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
Also, do you notice anything else? The studies I found on keto diets all seemed to be way SHORTER in duration than the basic “low carb” ones.
I think it’s safe to gather that this means, people are able to STICK WITH a simple high fat low carb diet that involved less maintenance.
If you’re one of those people noticing keto is not working for you…just know there’s a different lifestyle available to you that doesn’t require you to constantly check / monitor / turn down that splurge dinner with friends!
So guess what? You can get the same results from the MADE Diet…without peeing on a stick, keto breath, or skipping your favorite veggies.
If you’re interested in learning more about the MADE Diet and how I do what I do, then head on over here to learn more and take a peek at the Amazon reviews.
Don’t feel guilty for quitting keto and becoming MADE. The fact that keto is not working isn’t your fault…It’s a sign that it’s time to move on!!
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