ketoshop | Ketogenic and Low Carb diet blog

ISO POOFS – Low Carb KETO Cereal

Iso Poofs are back!

Do to our overwhelming response to our pre-sale last week (over 400 boxes sold in 1 week) of the super popular Iso Poofs (aka Keto Poofs) – low carb, keto cereal snack, we have added a lot more product to inventory!

We are still running a sale for the next week. Enter KetoPoofs10 at checkout for 10% off your order. You can ORDER HERE

Iso Poofs is proud to be the #1 low carb/keto cereal type snack with regards to the lowest net carb count and the highest protein and priced better per serving then any other brand on the market!

Keto Friendly HIGH PROTEIN, Gluten Free, LOW CARB CEREAL or Snack

Less than 1 gram of sugar per serving
Only 1 gram of fat per serving
19 grams of protein per serving
As low as 1 gram of net carbs per serving!
29 servings per box!

Iso Poofs currently come in 2 amazing flavors: Apple Cinnamon Crunch and French Toast (our top selling flavor).

Because of the demand for more savory type snack flavors, in the next month we will introduce our new savory flavors!

Iso Poofs Low Carb Keto Cereal in Yogurt — Low carb vanilla yogurt mixed with Walden Farms chocolate syrup, topped with french toast Iso Poofs. Yum!

MPA Iso Poofs™ is the perfect snack or cereal for anyone who enjoys satisfying a sweet craving without sabotaging their dieting efforts. In fact, you can conveniently incorporate MPA Iso Poofs™ into your nutrition plan as it would be a sufficient animal protein or whey protein shake replacement.

MPA Iso Poofs™ can be enjoyed as a delicious cereal, accompanied with your choice of fat-free milk, or your preferred milk replacement i.e., (Almond, coconut, cashew milk etc…). You could also use pasteurized liquid egg whites as a “milk substitute” as well.

MPA Iso Poofs™ can also be enjoyed simply as a snack, eaten dry like you would a bowl of popcorn or any “finger food” snack.

Come and try what the low carb and ketogenic world is currently raving about. ISO POOFS!

Enter KetoPoofs10 at checkout for 10% off your order.

You can ORDER HERE

Fish Oils and PSMF Diet and Omega 3’s and Rapid Fat Loss Handbook

The ever so popular Protein Sparing Modified Fast diet, specifically the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook by Lyle McDonald is one of the most effective fat loss protocols around. Previously discussed here: PSMF

Because of the low calorie design of the diet, a few supplements are essential to be able to function properly and stick to the diet.

The most common and possibly most important thing one must supplement with on a PSMF, other than electrolytes, are fish oils. With such low fat intake on this diet, supplemental essential fatty acids are of utmost importance. As per Lyle McDonald:

Research has found that the body will saturate tissue levels of the EPA and DHA at an intake of roughly 1.8 grams EPA and 1.2 grams of DHA.

Depending on a dieters meal frequency, this should allow 2-3 fish oils capsules (or a teaspoon of liquid fish oil) to be consumed with each meal.

This works out to 10 standard one-gram fish oil capsules. Some companies make extra concentrated fish oils, typically containing about double the EPA/DHA content. The main benefit would be less pills to swallow, and a few less calories.

Ketogenics brand Fish Oils are triple strength and have a high EPA and DHA content. 5 to 6 pills a day is all you need compared to 10+ pills of the average fish oil product on the market. Click the image below to read more or to place an order:

How to stay keto during the Holidays – Dealing with Holiday Weight Gain

So it is “that” time again, or better yet that “season”. All sorts of triggers around us innocent mostly-carb-avoiding keto dieters. We have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc and of course New Years (parties). Let us not forget one not so really but damn close enough “holiday” – our beloved Superbowl Sunday! These are trying times in the life of a low-carber or anyone looking to stay in shape and not derail their fat loss and efforts.

So what can you do to stay the course or at the least, keep any “damage” you may do to the absolute minimum?

Keepin’ it Keto

Lets be honest, us Ketotonains love this time of the year, not because of the junk food that may be all around us but more of the food we really love. Meat and cheese trays, all sorts of low carb finger foods, etc etc. So in that regard it is pretty easy to “keep it keto” even though you may eat more calories then you usually do, at least the stress of being “kicked out of ketosis” is not on the table. (Not that ketosis really matters but that is another topic for another day)

There really is no excuse this time of the year (other than those darn peanut butter cups on Halloween) to be able to stay keto since there are so many low carb foods that are part of the holidays. So if you plan to keep on course, not “cheat’ as well as overeat then pat yourself on the back, you are the real MVP’s of the season and have found that keto is not so much a “diet” but a way of eating and you have the control to stick to it.

Decide in advance if you plan to stay the course or not.

You should prepare yourself mentally for these events, prep yourself, your willpower and your state of mind and envision hat you see happening. Do you plan to stay strict and not partake in not only “unfriendly keto” foods but also eating just way too much, keto or not. Do you know from past experiences or you just know yourself too well that you will probably end up eating stuff/junk you really should not. Or maybe you realize you are a grown adult and can handle one day off plan and can bounce right back without screwing you up for the next few weeks. Try to plan ahead now so that you are not stressing out for weeks on end leading up to the big day(s).

Prepare for the big day – diet a little harder – “Earn your Carbs”

For those who know you can’t resist, plan ahead. Maybe give yourself a goal weight or a certain pant size to get down to so when the day comes you are so ahead of the game that you can “reward” yourself (nice way of saying eating junk) and it won’t do much if any damage. Lose 15-20lbs leading up to the big day and enjoy yourself.

Or if you find that too stressful then just “prep” the week before. Get real strict with your diet, keep calories AND fat low and prime yourself for the carb debauchery. If you normally eat 2000 calories a day or 14,000 calories a week then try 1,000-1,200 cals a day for 5-7 days prior to the big day (keep protein high and fat lower). That is only 7,000-8,400 calories whereas your normal week is 14,000 so a deficit of 5,600 to 7,000 calories. In theory if you eat 5,000 to 7,000 calories in that one holiday event you should/won’t get fat. Yes you will add some/ a lot of water but it goes away in a few days.

So you are giving yourself some padding to say, some “breathing room” in case you over do it. And you will see that even if you over do it, a few days later after all the water and bloat is gone, you will feel fine and look fine! Sometimes this is a good thing, the “whoosh effect” as it is called.

PSMF

You can employ the “nuclear warhead” of diets and do a week of PSMF prior to the holiday get together. PSMF stands for Protein Sparing Modified Fast, very high protein and very low fat an carbs; you can learn more about that here: PSMF.

Again you may end up coming out of it looking and feeling just fine!

This is similar to priming a car before you paint it. You prep the surface in such a way that when it is time to apply that paint and clear cloat it is near imperfection free!

So prime your body and enjoy yourself. Very similar to how fitness and bodybuilding competitors do when dieting for a show and then their post show “binge”. The next day, post binge they look better than before they started! Yes this is not only possible but very common. But don’t go overboard.

Bring out the “big guns” – Intermittent Fasting

For those of us who also practice intermittent fasting this is even easier, almost laughably easy. Why? Because fasting is a super effective/easy/fast way to create a major caloric deficit.

Intermittent Fasting is the treadmill of the 21st century. What I mean by this is; in decades past we would eat too much then go workout do hours of cardio, like a damn rat spinning our wheels and punishing ourselves. In reality how many calories did we just burn? 300? 400? 600?

Enter Intermittent Fasting.

Skip ½ or the whole day? You just skipped on eating anywhere from 1200-2200 cals (just rough #’s). That is like 8hrs of cardio and its SUPER EASY 🙂 Just don’t eat! (fast)

You can fast a little longer than you normally do leading up to the big day(s) and then fast even longer the day after the “event” (holiday parties). Post food fasting aka “damage control” is another tool and typically just makes you feel better, drop some water weight and bloat. Works really well and makes you feel great. But plan it ahead, put it on paper, don’t punish yourself and feel the post food fast is a punishment. Just plan it as part of the protocol.

Grazing

In addition to fasting, grazing is my secret weapon. On holidays especially Thanksgiving I don’t really sit down to large meals/servings. Instead I graze all day. Small little bits of food all day long. Then when it is time to sit down, I eat some turkey (just to say I did) and some low carb stuffing, a very moderate child-like serving and then back to grazing “desserts” later on or no desserts at all. This really works wonders as you feel satisfied all the time with the constant small yet satisfying portions and don’t feel deprived as well as full and bloated.

When all else fails, “Ketofy that sumbitch”

This can actually be pretty fun and a challenge to give yourself. Come up with all sorts of “keto” versions of the common carb loaded foods. This is rather easy with the various high fiber, low to moderate fat products out there. Cauliflower seems to be a top choice to replace certain carb foods. You can also make low carb desserts, Protein Sludge etc. There really is no excuse, with the internet you can learn to copy cat any recipe and “keep it keto”. And if you are going to someone’s house, bring stuff with you. I do it every year and no one cares because they are happy you brought something (insert smart guy meme here)

My advice is see if you can stick to your keto macros and build up such willpower that these holidays parties or event’s will do nothing to you, they won’t break you. That is probably the best thing to do especially for those who have an unhealthy relationship with food or come from a binge eating background.

As far as the best method to prepare for the days where you know you may go off plan. I follow the “earn your carbs” mantra. I don’t like post binge punishment. (fasting too long after you ate crap). This works really well for those that like to follow a cyclical ketogenic diet or PSMF that implement random but planned in advanced carb or “refeed” days. The various carb and refeed days can be worked into the holidays perfectly and help you stay on course.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare and almost nothing can go wrong. And often you are so proud of what you accomplished that you decide you do not want to ruin what you just did by eating crap. Trust me I have done this many times; passed on eating junk even though I prepped successfully for it! A win-win!

If you are able to diet a little harder, drop some extra fat not only does this give you a nice goal to look forward too but you will come out of this with zero issues. I don’t ever partake in off plan eating unless I earned it well that is not including those random “snaccidents” that happen from time to time.

I usually drop an extra 7-15lbs leading up to, preparing for the holiday season. Try it and see how you make out!

The Carnivore Diet: Zero Carb Ketogenic Diet

So what is all the hype over Carnivore? The zero-carb, somewhat “keto-ish” diet that lots of people are really enjoying and loving the results.

A carnivore /ˈkɑːrnɪvɔːr/, meaning “meat eater” (Latin, caro, genitive carnis, meaning “meat” or “flesh” and vorare meaning “to devour”), is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue.

The carnivore diet – also known as the all meat diet or the carnivorous diet; entails eating almost nothing but meat for every meal, every day. That means a lot of protein, fat, and almost zero carbs. Any carbs come from non plant sources such as any trace amounts found in various curing methods in foods like bacon, pepperoni etc.

The carnivore diet is based on the theory that our ancestors ate mostly meat because it wasn’t energy efficient to gather a lot of fruit or vegetables. As a result, our bodies have evolved to run optimally on a meat-centric diet. So the theory goes.

From my experience it seems carnivore achieves a few things:

Reduces inflammation.
Better gut health
Relieves constipation (yup without needing to add fiber)
Drops water weight – reduces cortisol and inflammation
Better sleep
Better gym performance
Easier “weight” loss.
Solves digestion issues
…and some other non fat loss related things

Carnivore foods

Coming from 20+ yrs Keto to Carnivore this is the changes I made:

My keto foods:

Meats, some fish, no veggies (hate them), cheese, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, turkey, chicken, eggs, whey, casein protein powder, almonds, mixed nuts etc, nut butters, mayo, low cal ketchup, cottage cheese, powdered peanut butter from time to time to add to my whey protein, flax/chia/hemp seeds/meal etc.

My carnivore foods:

Meats; fish, bacon, pepperoni, turkey, chicken, sausage, etc

If you like to use protein powder supplements to meet your protein needs for the day you can use beef protein isolate and egg white or whole egg protein powder.

Eggs and cheese are okay for some and not for others; I did not incorporate them. So my food choices are simple. Meat and water.

I have been keto for over 20 years and started carnivore on 3/22/18. After starting strict carnivore for 7 days and I felt amazing, down 8lbs (lots of water) and just feel darn good. Coming from an already great feeling you get from keto, this was also unexpected since I already lost all the water weight from keto a long time ago.

Other notable things I experienced:

Great digestion/never any issues (whey and dairy and nuts would bloat me)

Never feel bloated or full, always feel good/empty in the stomach but not hungry.
Great energy.
VERY good workouts, great pump and energy.
No gas
No heartburn
Need less sleep
Don’t need as many electrolytes as I did on keto and less occurrence of headaches.

Why carnivore “works” for some

Helps breaks a “keto stall” (which is not really a stall just bad calorie tracking; read more HERE to learn why).

Since there are no foods to snack on or really over eat on, those foods that you forget to account for that add up to hundreds of calories a day are removed so weight loss starts again. You also lose water from reduced cortisol and inflammation and expelling all the bulk from veggies.

Helps digestion and inflammation, cortisol issues; possibly the biggest reason people do the diet. These things mostly cause water retention.

I decided to go strict carnivore mid March 2018 for a few reasons. I had been dieting since Thanksgiving 2017, a good solid 4 months. Weight was moving down but not as fast as prior dieting phases. Then for 6 weeks I kept losing and gaining the same 2 to 3 lbs. It was very odd because the way I diet is I lose a consistent 1 pound of fat per week.

It was odd because I NEVER stall. Me, stall? HA! cmon now I am a pro at dieting. Interesting tidbit: I also started doing less and less carb ups in fact I was maybe doing once a month and I still believe that’s one of the reasons why I was “stalling”. I had doing a CKD (Cyclical Ketogenic Diet) for over 20 years I never stalled, not once and I owe that to the switching it up with the sporadic carbohydrate refeeds and I was not doing that for the past 4 months. Agree or not I felt that was a factor for the problems I was experiencing.

I was also thinking maybe I was suffering from the perils of Adaptive Thermogenesis: stress, cortisol inflammation, water retention – which in fact doesn’t mean you’re not losing fat but it’s not seen in the mirror or scale because of the water weight you’re holding onto while you’re losing fat (scale doesn’t move). *Trigger warning*: carbs as well as a diet break are one of the handful of tools used to help offset this for those who try to fix it.

Adaptive Thermogenesis often kicks in after you have been in a caloric deficit too long, too low, it’s a response to the stress of dieting. You’re body is trying to maintain homeostatic often referred to “set point theory”. The biggest side effect seen other than inability to lose weight is holding onto a lot of water. I may or may not have experienced true Adaptive Thermogenesis but one of the side effects was the same, I was looking soft/holding water.

To fix this and drop the water etc I figured let me do what I used to do back in the 90s which was an Atkins “Fat Fast” (silly name but people know it) which is basically strict carnivore: meat and water and nothing else. I have people that I help that are stalled do these and it works wonders but I haven’t had to do one myself in decades.

As I mentioned about it works for a couple of reasons; it can help with cortisol issues, removes any sort of inflammation and water retention you’re having from any potential food allergies or sensitivities to dairy etc. Veggies often cause issues with people (no veggies on carnivore).

It also works for another reason: it’s a 100% strict tracking because you’re not snacking on anything because those snacks are not part of carnivore it’s meat and water and that’s it. No sneaking in some nuts or nut butter here and there, no cheese even whey protein is eliminated (replaced with beef protein isolate and egg and egg white protein powder if need be). So the biggest snack foods (calories) and water retention, inflammation offenders are eliminated.

Cyclical Carnivore Diet

In 2+ months doing this I have adapted it to my style and been having great success for what I coined the term “Cyclical Carnivore Diet” aka CCD.

In fact it’s quite genius because on a regular keto diet (or any diet) you’ll find a couple of things; you’ll find people like me that cycle carbs sporadically (CKD) and then you’ll find people like me or just your average keto dieter who does not cycle carbs but that has episodes where they’re craving carbs very bad. The great thing about carnivore; I don’t crave carbs but once in awhile I do crave standard ketogenic macros/foods which is such a beautiful thing because if you go off plan for one day – who cares because you’re eating standard ketogenic macros within your caloric limit and can still lose fat. Your “cheat meal” is not a cheat at all.

So what I’ve been doing is 5 days on 2 days off for 6 days on 1 days off where I go super strict carnivore all week (meat and water) and then one or both days over the weekend I just eat my standard keto macros. I don’t add veggies back since I never ate them anyway but typically involves a lot more cheese and nuts, flax meal, whey protein for my “protein sludge”.

It gives the same effect that I had on a cyclical ketogenic diet with regards to mentally staying the course and always looking forward to the weekend and not eating junk on the weekend. It does wonders for diet adherence. In fact this is the longest I have gone in decades without a “carb up” and I will see how this goes and how long I will do it.

So for those looking to change things up or maybe you feel you are having some food intolerance issues, holding water or just stuck at a certain bodyweight for too long; going carnivore, even if for only a short while may be just the thing you need.

To learn more visit the Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/KetoCarnivoreIF/

Atkins Fat Fast | Egg Fast | Beef and Butter Fast

What is a Fat Fast

Atkins Fat Fast, Egg Fast, Beef and Butter Fast for all intents purposes for this blog post these will be treated as one in the same with regards to the reasons why they are done and the results they are purported to provide.

From time to time we see these phrases or dietary protocols thrown around that some people like to incorporate into their keto lifestyle to accelerate their weight loss or break through a “stall”. Decades ago Dr. Atkins would recommend his patients try a fat fast if they were extremely insulin resistant and had a hard time getting into ketosis or having a stall for longer than 3 weeks. Even though most “stalls” really are not stalls at all (read more about that here).

The original “Fat Fast” designed by Dr Atkins consisted of a 3 to 5 day cycle in which you consume around 1,000 calories a day. 85%-90% of those calories would come from fat. In addition, Dr Atkins preferred people eat 4-5 small meals per day instead of 1-2 larger ones during the fat fast.

Unlike, Atkins’ general advice of eat all you want (until satisfied) and just count carbs, the Fat Fast is a calorie, carb and protein restricted approach where one eats a very narrow range of fat-based foods for a short period of time.

Why the fat fast works

The fat fast is often (but not always) lower calorie than what you were previously consuming. Atkins had people keep calories at around 1,000 and the typical Atkins dieters on their normal days kept calories between 1,500-1,800/day. So this large reduction of calories down to 1,000 calories/day will of course cause weight loss.

It is a nearly carb free protocol, so even more water is lost similar to when a keto dieter first starts a ketogenic diet; hence scale weight drops. This is also good for those who are very carb sensitive and need to severely restrict carbs to become fat adapted, be efficient at using fat for fuel or enter ketosis at all (even thought ketosis does not equal fat loss as discussed here)

Typically most dairy type of foods (but not always) are removed during the fast, especially during egg and beef and butter fasts. Those sensitive people who remove dairy during the fat fast will have better results due to reduced water/cortisol/inflammation. Certain individuals are sensitive to dairy as well as certain protein sources that leads to inflammation and water retention. The removal of these foods often cause a large drop in water weight rather fast.

Removing any sort of plant based foods, veggies, nuts, etc will also help offset inflammation, bloat and water retention; for those sensitive to these things.

So in essence the “fat fast” was a quick way to drop water weight.

On average the typical dieter would lose around 1lb a day (of scale weight) on a fat fast. It’s rather hard to lose pure fat that fast, especially for someone who has already been dieting and losing weight for a while; so it is mostly water. It could though lead to more weight loss and a higher percentage of it being fat if one was to do the “fast” (large deficit) longer.

In my opinion, a huge reason why the fat fast works is because it requires precision with tracking, no snacking or cheating. You are taking a person who may not be counting those nuts they eat here and there, maybe some food they picked on while making dinner, maybe a few tbsp of heavy cream in their coffee etc. Often 500-600 calories a day are going “unnoticed” or unaccounted for by the typical keto dieter. So this removes all those “mysterious calories” that you are eating and did not realize and thus stalling your weight loss.

Dr Atkins was very specific in saying the Fat Fast is a calorie, carb and protein restricted approach where one eats a very narrow range of fat-based foods. This makes a person track with near precision and not “lazy keto” as we call it. So those extra 500+ calories are no longer being consumed and yet another reason why these fat fasts “work”; the people are eating less.

The Fat Fast is a controlled carb program where you COUNT CALORIES. (Atkins, Robert C. Dr Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. New York, 2002. 272-274.)

From the Atkins official web site:

The Fat Fast is a low-calorie, high-fat program (1,000 calories/day and 80% fat).

*They do not recommend the Fat Fast without medical supervision.
*All it does is shift water balance.
*You will see the scale move, but as soon as you start eating normally again, some weight will creep back often to the same starting point.

Typically the way we did the fat fast in the early 1990s was just have lots of meat and water, basically a zero carb carnivore diet; a “carnivore fast”. Things like ground beef, sausage, bacon etc. No condiments, no mayo, ketchup, sauces (regardless of how low carb they were) etc. This did work well, it did result in “scale weight loss”.

The “eat more fat” segment of the ketogenic world

These “fat fasts” are what I blame for all the misinformed keto dieters who chant “eat more fat” to accelerate fat loss because they heard from the 80’s and 90’s that FAT fasts causes people to lose weight (not fat) and break through a stall; they assumed it was the fat intake causing the weight loss. But it was not. They also assumed it was fat loss, it is not. It was lower calories and water loss that caused the weight loss during the “fast”. Do this too long (high fat, low protein) and then you start losing muscle, hence more “scale weight” loss. Not a good idea.

So are these “fasts” a gimmick”?

Yes and no.

They are not fasts because a fast is the act of not eating. If you are eating you are not fasting. Period.

I think the word fast is thrown in there to imply your body will be acting as if it is fasting and magically lose weight super fast while you are still “eating”. So who really knows. They are though very gimmicky, “egg fast”, “beef and butter fast” there is even a “avocado fast”. These are just wacky names for those who feel they need some gimmick to lose weight when in fact all they need is proper tracking of their daily food intake and consistency. Nothing else.

The #1 reason deiters fail is because lack of consistency in their diet. Understand that all diets work, it is the dieter that has an issue adhering to the diet and the reason for less than desirable results on most “diets” a person follows.

I would avoid doing these things, which are often short term and stick with a sensible long term way of eating; ie ketogenic diet with tracking your food intake. The ketogenic diet is regarded to be superior to just about any other dietary protocol with regards to adherence. Adhering to the diet, adhering to the meal plan/food choices, adhering to the being able to control your food intake ie; maintain a caloric deficit. So don’t try to fix what isn’t broken.

Do you need a fat fast to break a stall?

No.

Or better yet understand what it is and why it works:

It is lower calorie then your previous intake.
It is nearly zero carbs.
It is limited food choices.
It requires you to count calories.
It results in a large caloric deficit.
It often reduces water retention, inflammation

BUT you can do that without having to partake in some fancy named short term dietary gimmick.

How? By tracking everything you eat so there is no guessing and no cheating on your diet.

Avoid snacking, avoid eating while you prepare meals. Nuts, and nut butters are notorious for pushing people over their daily caloric maintenance. A serving size is so small that most people hardly ever keep it to “one serving”. Also they taste great and have a “Doritos effect” where you can’t have just one. Stop using so much creamer and heavy cream or “BPC” coffee that just results in a huge amount of often nutrient void calories. So in essence, control/watch your food intake.

If you would like to learn more how to overcome a stall on a ketogenic diet click here.

BUT before you go… what if there WAS a super effective “fancy named short term dietary (non gimmicky) protocol” that would ensure you not only break through a stall but to lose fat at an accelerated rate?

Good news; there is one.

Enter, The Protein Sparing Modified Fast.

First developed in the 1970s, the PSMF has been fined tuned by Lyle McDonald in his Rapid Fat Loss Handbook and is regard by those in the health and fitness and dieting world as the gold standard and most effective fat loss protocol that has ever been put down on paper.

To read more about the PSMF click here.

Whey Protein Sludge

So what exactly is protein sludge?

It all started way back around 1993 when I bought my first box of Met-Rx meal replacement packets (MRP’s). I was used to egg white, whey and some other protein powders but never tried a true MRP. I added it to the blender like I would with any other powder and did not use enough water. Compared to just straight protein powder, Met-Rx required a lot more liquid. Well it was so thick I figured why not let me eat it out of the blender with a spoon, and I was sold on it forever! From that day on I started making protein “sludge” as I coined it, every time I had a packet.

After that and to this very day I hardly ever “drink” a protein shake, 99% of the time I eat with a spoon via “Protein Sludge”.

There are so many variations and the key is to make it smooth and creamy and without the carbs. Met-Rx contained a protein blend plus maltodextrin (a carb) so this is what made it so creamy or like a sludge when added to a small amount of liquid.

To replicate the consistency using just protein powder I had to add a few things. Whey protein was always the base but it clumps up by itself. I then discovered Soy Protein Isolate. It was a game changer! Made it so perfect and creamy, my perfect sludge. Then after a while I realized soy really should be avoided no matter how good a quality of a soy I used.

I started adding in flax meal which helped a lot even a little sugar free Jell-O pudding (8gms of maltodextrin per serving) and this helped as well. But the REAL “binding agent” to make the PERFECT sludge was PEANUT BUTTER. Oh…. that plus whey and some cold water, milk, etc was the bees knees.

But keep it low carb, low fat or mainly protein a whey protein blend or various sources of protein powder was needed. Then many years later Micellar Casein protein became popular and this was the needed ingredient to make the perfect, protein only sludge!

Usually it’s a 1:1 ratio or 1.5:1 So 1 to 1.5 scoop of whey protein isolate and 1 scoop of casein. 2 scoops/2 scoops, etc.

You can add anything else you like: nut butter, flax meal, chia meal, flax seeds, some almonds, you name it. As long as its keeping within your macros.

The “invention” of powdered peanut butter; PB2 etc really took this to a new level such that if you add enough, you don’t need any casein to make the whey creamy but the carb/calorie count ads up.

You can also use cottage cheese as the binder or “sludge catalyst”. Whey alone just doesn’t do it so that is why these other protein sources, nut butters etc are used AND they taste amazing!

EDIT: since this post I have received a lot of feedback from people basically saying “how the heck do I make this, give me the cliff notes” 🙂 so here you go:

Basic sludge recipe:

Take a mug, cup, bowl etc and add a little liquid, you can use water, unsweetened almond milk, liquid egg whites etc. Whatever “keeps it keto” for you.

Start with 2-4 ounces of water (cold or room temp) then add in 2-3 scoops of powder. Typical ratios to make the sludge creamy is 1 scoop of whey, 1 scoop of casein. Or 1.5 scoops of each, 2 scoops of each etc. Trial and error. Less liquid is best, add more if you need too and if it is too thick

You do not need anything else, that it is it!

You can add a little cinnamon if you want, maybe a touch of Stevia, whatever is your fancy.

For those who want to kick it up a botch you can add:

1-2 tbsp of powdered peanut butter
And/or:
1-2 tbsp of real peanut butter, almond butter or any nut butter.
Flax meal, chia meal, hemp etc.
Halo Top, etc type low cal ice-creams – in moderation.

Keep in mind this adds a lot of fat, protein sludge is meant to be a protein snack not a fat bomb but do as you please as per your goals. Also those low cal ice creams like Halo Top will start pushing your carbs and calories up, so remember protein sludge was always about protein first so add whatever else you want, like you would add options on a car…to each their own.

Though I can tell you protein sludge + flax meal makes one VERY “regular” and is a tasty way to help keep the “pipes moving” so to say.

Here are a bunch of my Instagram protein sludge posts to get an idea of how creative and tasty you can get.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb28oh7B-xi/?taken-by=keto_diesel

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfl_pTIh5fM/?taken-by=keto_diesel

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whey protein sludge

Do you have to Count Calories on a Ketogenic Diet – Do Calories Matter?

Do you need to count calories on a low-carb or ketogenic diet?

Answer: Yes.

I could end this blog post right there but I wont.

So yes the simple answer is that you do need to count calories and calories count, no matter what you have heard otherwise; this is a fact.

The long answer.

The biggest misconception of the ketogenic diet is that you do not need to track calories and track macros and that calories really do not matter as long as you eat low carb. Some have gone as far as making claim that you can “eat as much as you want and still lose fat” as long as you are eating low carbs.

This error in this thinking dates back decades ago when Dr. Atkins would preach that you do not have to worry about calories on a ketogenic diet BUT that does not mean they do not matter or that they do not count.

What Dr. Atkins was trying to explain is that because a ketogenic diet (with adequate protein) has very strong appetite suppressing effect; it makes you naturally eat less. So while his statement of not worrying about calories is true, he means that you won’t eat enough that it will be a problem or better yet it is hard to eat too much on this diet because of the satiating effects of the diet.

“A hierarchy has been observed for the satiating efficacies of the macronutrients protein, carbohydrate and fat, with protein as most satiating and fat as least satiating.” ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17824197

Unfortunately too many people took this to mean you can eat all you want and lose weight. This then became a catchphrase in marketing of diet books. Just think how many books/diets one can sell if the title says “Eat all you want and lose weight”. Lots of unethical salesman out there made and still make a fortune over this claim.

If you eat too much of anything you won’t be able to lose weight, whether it is zero carbs or hundreds of grams of carbs. Energy Balance/Calories is the main predictor of fat loss/fat gain and millions upon millions of dollar have been spent on medical ward studies proving this.

Energy intake that exceeds energy expenditure is the main driver of weight gain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5325830/

Total energy intake remains the dietary predictor of body weight: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26413954

Low Carb vs Low Fat weight loss

One of many examples/studies proving that energy balance or calories matter is a 12 week study, directed by Penelope Greene of the Harvard School of Public Health where they compared weight loss on a low carb diet vs those on a standard low fat diet.

In the study, 21 overweight volunteers were divided into three categories: Two groups were randomly assigned to either low fat or low-carb diets with 1,500 calories for women and 1,800 for men; a third group was also low-carb but got an extra 300 calories a day. The low-carb meals were 5 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein and 65 percent fat. The rest got 55 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein and 30 percent fat. So this was a true ketogenic diet at 5% carbs. In the past studies have failed to have a true ketogenic diet as one of the study groups, this one did not make that mistake.

In the end, everyone lost weight.

Summary:

Low carb group 1500 and 1800 calories (women vs men) – avg “weight loss” was 23lbs.
Low fat group 1500 and 1800 calories (women vs men) – avg “weight loss” was 17lbs.
Low carb group 1800 and 2100 calories (women vs men) – avg “weight loss” was 20lbs.

As we all know a ketogenic diet leads to a lot of water loss in the early stages of the diet, so that is what we are seeing with these results, the extra 6lbs “weight loss” is often attributed to the water loss in the first few weeks of the diet. The other factor is the satiating effects of protein (you end up eating less) and higher Thermic Effect of Food plus the fact it is near impossible to store excess protein as fat results in higher weight loss for those who eat more protein, NOT those who eat less carbs. It is always the protein.

The thermic effect of food is the caloric cost of digesting and processing different macronutrients. Protein has a thermic effect up to of five times greater than carbohydrates or fat. The average person will burn up to 30 percent of the calories in protein foods just to process them. Carbohydrates thermic effect averages between 15 and 20 percent of the calories in those foods. Fats only have a thermic effect of only 2 to 3 percent. This means that your net caloric gain from fats averages 97 to 98 percent of their total calories, compared with a net caloric gain of about 70 percent of the calories in protein.

So any low carb diet that looks like it is superior to the weight (fat) loss of a low fat diet in fact has zero to do with the low carb intake, but everything to do with protein intake. Most diet comparison studies do not match protein and calories, if they did then the “fat” loss (not water weight) results would all be the same; low-fat, low-carb, high-carb, high-fat as long as protein is matched as well as calorie intake.

Calories matter

So back to the study results above. It indeed proved that calories matter, the lower calorie low-carb group LOST MORE weight than the higher calorie low-carb group. Dismissing the myth that calories do not matter on a low-carb/ketogenic diet.

Do you have to count calories and track your macros

So the question still needs to be answers – do you have to count calories on a ketogenic diet. Yes and No.

Whether or not you’re actually counting calories, your body is counting calories.

Basically what that means is you can’t eat over what your body’s maintenance caloric level is and think you’re not going to gain weight. For those who do not track calories yet are able to lose weight, it is like saying you never look at the gas gauge on your car and you never run out of gas…that doesn’t mean that you have special magic abilities that just means you got lucky and you got gas in time before you ran out.
So by you not actually counting calories is fine but that means you’re staying under maintenance and that’s why you’re able to lose weight. Until you stall….

Not counting calories and stalling on a ketogenic diet

It is inevitable for a ketogenic dieter to hit a stall and after working with thousands of low carb ketogenic dieters who have stalled, we see that once they start tracking every calorie they eat and start making adjustments to reduce calories they break the stall and start losing weight again. So it turned out they were eating too much. This again shows why calories matter on a ketogenic diet or any diet for that matter.

Do only calories matter?

So are calories the only piece of the puzzle, the only part of the equation of fat loss? No but it is the #1, main predictor of weight loss; energy balance. Hormones, genetics, body type, food allergies, inflammation etc all play important yet small role in the overall equation but hormones and genetics will never come before energy balance nor with the hormonal response to a meal or type of calorie eaten supersede the weight loss effects of a calorie deficit.

If you find that your weight loss has stalled and you have not been tracking your calorie intake, this is a good sign that it is time to count and track your food intake and make adjustments to start losing again.

Recommend supplements on a ketogenic diet

Official KetoGenics® recommended supplements to take on a ketogenic diet

Supplements are just that, to supplement above and beyond an already balanced diet. The problem is and especially on a ketogenic diet, not all needed nutrients are consumed with the available foods choices that make up a ketogenic diet.

In addition to the potential lack of certain nutrients on a low carb diet, even if you are able to eat the foods you need to get all the nutrients your body requires for optimal health, your efforts often fall short because of the low quality food on the market as well as nutrient depleted soils the crops are raised in contain. In addition, the overuse of pesticides and chemicals that are used in the treatment of crops greatly reduces their level of nutrients. Animals who are fed these crops are growing with less than optimal nutrient levels and thus is reflected in the meat that comes from them.

To get deeper into this nutrient depletion topic check out the blog post here: Is a multivitamin needed on a ketogenic diet?

This list below serves to describe some needed supplements as well as supplements that go above and beyond “need” but more so help achieve optimal health and performance which may or may not be optimal for some. It all depends on your goals.

Electrolytes

Without a doubt, the most important class of nutrients needed on a low carb and ketogenic diet are electrolytes, especially sodium, potassium and magnesium; chloride and calcium also play an important role.

On a ketogenic your body excretes more water than it stores and with this water loss the minerals found in that water are excreted as well. It becomes hard for your body to function properly when it is depleted of these key electrolytes. Here is some further reading and in depth blog post looks at the Importance of Electrolytes on a Ketogenic Diet

Sodium

The easiest way to up your sodium intake is to liberally salt all your foods. Choose salty foods such as bacon and fish and bacon…did we say bacon? 😉 An even tastier way is to have some warm bouillon broth in water a few times a day.

Bouillon can be found here. Herb-Ox Bouillon

Potassium

The preferred form of potassium for a ketogenic dieter is potassium chloride. Some foods choices to up your potassium intake are avocados, nuts, dark leafy green vegetables. A popular seasoning many use to up their potassium intake is No Salt.

No Salt (potassium chloride) can be found here: No Salt

A good all-in-one Electrolyte Supplement that is super popular among ketogenic dieters is Keto-Lytes, found at this link: Keto-Lytes Electrolyte Support

Magnesium

Some good food sources of magnesium would be leafy green vegetates, cacao/ dark chocolate, certain nuts, pumpkin seeds, fatty fish like halibut, salmon and mackerel.

A good supplement form of magnesium would be Magnesium Glycinate. A typical dosage is 400mg taken at night before bed.

Kal Brand magnesium glycinate is very popular among ketogenic dieters, found here: Magnesium Glycinate

Protein Powder

Since a ketogenic diet is naturally appetite suppressing, many people find it a struggle to hit the required protein amounts for the day. Supplementing with protein powder, especially whey and/or micellar casein protein is ideal to get in all your protein. Whey protein is top chouce and the 3 types of whey recommended are Hydrolyzed Whey Protein, Whey Protein Isolate Cold-Filtration and Whey Protein Isolate Microfiltration

Our recommend whey protein brands:

Dymatize Iso-100

NutraBio Whey

TrueNutrition.com – make/flavor your own protein blends.

The above brands also make their own micellar casein which is another good quality protein source.

For those with dairy issues or vegans, Pea Protein Isolate is a good option and can be found at True Nutrition Pea Protein

A lot of keto and low carb dieters like to use Isopure no carb protein powder but this is a very poor choice and we do NOT recommend it. Isopure 1990’s Ion-exchange technology. Ion exchange heats the protein during the manufacturing process, when you heat protein, the peptides and amino’s break apart, which makes it tougher to absorb.

Stick with cold filtered whey or hydro-whey as outlined in the above choices.

Omega Fatty Acids

We can’t say enough about the great benefits of Omega 3’s and fish oils in general. Our recommendations are:

Mega Epa/Dha

Krill Oil

Plant sources of Omega 3’s:

Flax Meal

Chia Meal

Hemp Protein Fiber – comes with the added benefit of additional protein from the hemp seeds.

Constipation and Fiber supplements

Even though there is plenty of meat and adequate vegetables, some ketogenic dieters find themselves constipated on the diet, here are a few things that can help:

Pysllium Fiber

Inulin – Prebiotic Fiber

Magnesium Citrate (more of a laxative effect)

Flax meal, Chia Meal, Hemp Protein fiber – all previously mentioned above are great sources of fiber and are VERY helpful in keeping things “moving” 🙂

Cascara sagrada (more of a laxative effect)

Sleep aids

There are various reasons why some people have sleep issues on a ketogenic diet, we get into more detail here at this blog post: Insomnia on a ketogenic diet

Some helpful remedies include:

SnoozeControl™ – all in one Ketogenic sleep aid.

Some individual ingredients that are common sleep aids:

Magnesium Glycinate – 400mg at night before bed, not really a sleep aid but does help relax you.

Melatonin – a hormone found naturally in the body that helps regulate other hormones and maintains the body’s circadian rhythm.

5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan)

Glycine – functions as a calming neurotransmitter in the brain.

GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) – helps promote relaxation and ease nervous tension.

Pre Workouts powders

These are more luxury non-essential items but are useful and have a huge following in the fitness community.

It seems the #1 ingredient in an effective pre-workout is caffeine or a similar stimulant. It is cheap and it is effective. Other ingredients that are rather popular are the various “pump” type ingredients such as creatine, citrulline, glycerol, arginine, taurine, agmatine, betaine and a few others.

Some good all-in-one pre workouts we recommend are below:

Nutra Brio PRE – Would be our #1 choice for this category.

Kaged Muscle Pre Kaged

Pre JYM

Non Stim:

Allmax H:vol

Primeval Labs MEGA PRE

Fat Burners

This category is more of the specialty category and not considered must have supplements. While fat burners do “work” it only accounts for a small % of the weight loss in those who are dieting and following a calorie reduced diet.

ECA stack – the most effect and researched “far burning stack”; Caffeine Ephedrine and Aspirin. Typically taken 15-20 minutes on an empty stomach prior to meals. Since Ephedrine is a gray area of legality, we won’t go into much detail. There are plenty of resources on Google for the “ECA Stack”

Other notable mentions are any sort of “fat burner” or supplement that raises your heart rate and increases Free Fatty Acids (FFA’s) in the bloodstream, others focus on BAT – (Brown Adipose Tissue thermogenesis), PPAR and AMPK activation and increase metabolic rate.

Green Tea Extract – has good antioxidant properties and can have some beneficial effects on increasing resting metabolism and increase rates of fat oxidation (or fat burning)

Green Coffee Bean Extract – has good antioxidant properties, glucose disposal properties and involved in fatty-acid transport and oxidation.

L-Carnitine L-Tartrate – helps shuttle fatty acids across cell membranes to be oxidized by mitochondria. This can be useful on a ketogenic diet to help shuttle dietary fats can’t get into the mitochondria and be burned for fuel

Capsicum Extract

A recent study with 40 healthy adults examining the effects of either 2 mg capsaicinoids from 100 mg of Capsimax or placebo on resting energy expenditure, heart rate and blood pressure showed that supplementing with this low dose of Capsimax increased metabolic rate which calculated to an equivalent to burning an extra 116 calories per day. Moreover, though resting energy expenditure varies with each individual, this increase would yield almost 1 lb. of fat lost over 30 days.

With the low availability of Capsimax, most people buy Cayenne Pepper Extract instead.

We believe the real benefits of these “fat burning” ingredients would be used pre-fasted cardio. Take them 15 – 20 minutes prior to cardiovascular activity. Many of these ingredients help release Free Fatty Acids (FFA’s) into the blood stream to be used during the cardiovascular exercise.

If not taken prior to cardio, then take 15-20 minutes prior to a meal should suffice.

Other notable supplement mentions:

Probiotic

Science has really evolved regarding healthy gut bacteria and optimal healthy. Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac says it beautifully here:

“Research over the past two decades has revealed that gut health is critical to overall health, and that an unhealthy gut contributes to a wide range of diseases including diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, autism spectrum disorder, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

In fact, many researchers (including myself) believe that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the gut barrier will be one of the most important goals of medicine in the 21st century.”

If you were to remove all supplements and only allowed to take one for the rest of your life it would be wise to choose a probiotic as that one supplement.

Learn more about our favorite probiotic here: KetoBIOTIC

Ketogenic Multi Vitamins

Essential Amino Acids

Most commonly used are Branched Chained Amino Acids (BCAA’s) which are really not worth it especially if you are consuming adequate protein on a daily basis but with the availability of Essential Amino Acids (EAA’s) which have a complete amino acid profile that also includes BCAA’s, it makes a standalone BCCA product worthless. If you feel you must have some extra amino’s then get the right ones, EAA’s.

PEScience Amino IV is good product.

Vitamin D – may or may not be lowered on a ketogenic diet but a rather good supplement to look into.

Alpha Lipoic Acid – a very potent antioxidant which can also increase insulin sensitivity resulting in lower insulin levels, higher glucagon and a faster entry into deeper ketosis from speeding up liver glycogen depletion. Can also opt for the more expensive R-Ala or Na-R-ala forms of Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Curcumin – tons of benefits and most commonly used to ease inflammation.

In Summary

While there are plenty of other vitamins and supplements one could take on their question for optimal health., tried to keep this list simple and of course cost effective for the average keto dieter. Remember you can’t out supplement a bad diet. Make sure you are eating a healthy diet that involves exercise and use supplements as needed.

Is a multivitamin needed on a ketogenic diet

Should you be supplementing with a multivitamin on a ketogenic diet

In addition to the potential lack of certain nutrients on a low carb diet, even if you are able to eat the foods you need to get all the nutrients your body requires for optimal health, your efforts often fall short because of the low quality food on the market as well as nutrient depleted soils the crops are raised in contain. Furthermore, the overuse of pesticides and chemicals that are used in the treatment of crops greatly reduces their levels.

A famous study done at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was published in December 2004 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. They studied nutritional data from both 1950 and 1999 for 43 different vegetables and fruits, finding declines in the amount of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C over the past half century.

There were several other studies with similar findings: A Kushi Institute analysis of nutrient data from 1975 to 1997 found that average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables dropped 27 percent; iron levels 37 percent; vitamin A levels 21 percent, and vitamin C levels 30 percent. A study of British nutrient data from 1930 to 1980, published in the British Food Journal, found that in 20 vegetables the average calcium content had declined 19 percent; iron 22 percent; and potassium 14 percent. Another study concluded that a person would have to eat eight oranges today to derive the same amount of Vitamin A as decades ago.

A report comparing the nutritional content of food in 1940 and 2002 shows that the mineral content of vegetables, fruits, meat and milk has fallen significantly over the past 60 years, in some cases by as much as 70%. And the loss of essential minerals – such as calcium, magnesium and iron – from our food can have serious implications for health.

For the ketogenic dieter with regards to animal products, meat, poultry etc – there is declining nutritional content in industrial meats and animal products. The report also examined data from 15 different meats and found that iron levels fell by an average of 47%, with the highest drop being 80%. Compared to 1940, chicken now contains more than twice as much fat, a third more calories and a third less protein. This is likely explained by the quality of animal feed.

Ref: http://www.mineralresourcesint.co.uk/pdf/Mineral_Depletion_of_Foods_1940_2002.pdf

So it seems even if we try to eat as many high quality nutrient-dense foods and vegetables, sometimes our efforts fall short. Supplementing with a ketogenic multi-vitamin may be just what we need.

How to break a stall on a Ketogenic Diet

Breaking a Stall on a Ketogenic Diet

On a ketogenic diet, your body will lose a lot of water weight in the first couple of days due to carbohydrate restriction, but fat loss depends primarily on calorie intake. Since weight loss is not linear and doesn’t happen at a constant rate, there are bound to be plateaus or stalls or periods of times when the scale just won’t budge; but this doesn’t mean you have stalled.

Your body loses a lot of water weight (scale weight) the 1st few days or weeks of a ketogenic diet, the scale loss numbers are rather big. After your body adjusts to the ketogenic diet and starts to burn/lose mainly fat (as long as you are in a caloric deficit) the scale numbers seem much lower. But this is not bad.

For example, if you lost 7lbs the 1st week, 5 lbs the 2nd week and only 2 lbs
the 3rd week…chances are the 1st and 2nd week was mostly water and maybe you only lost 2lbs of fat. So in this case you are still doing good and you are on track, you are not stalled nor did your “fat” loss slow down. Your “weight loss” did but we only care about “fat loss”.

That is why using a scale to gauge your fat loss progress is near useless and stressful since the numbers do not tell you what is truly going on.

Now let’s say you have been on the diet a while 6-8+ weeks and you no longer see “scale weight” loss, again it doesn’t matter but work with me for a bit here. If you are exercising you probably put on some muscle. For example lets say you lost 1lb of fat and gained 1lb of muscle in a week…the scale shows ZERO change, BUT you still lost fat 🙂 This is a good thing! (can you see the trend here?- ditch the scale). Use the mirror and how clothes fit to track your progress.

So far the “stall” is not yet a stall since you are still losing fat.

But what happens when you really hit a true stall or a plateau? Clothes are not fitting better in fact maybe they are tighter? You do not look any better in the mirror for the past few weeks. What is going on here is closer to a true stall than anything else. Sometimes stalls are just part of the process and you need to wait it out.

Whoosh Effect

Another thing that may be going on is that your body is about to experience the “whoosh effect” which will sneak up on you one day and you all of a sudden lose a few pounds or more on the scale. This happens after your fat cells that have held onto water for a period of time finally release it and a decent amount of scale weight drops off. But it is water, not fat but it still makes you feel good to see the numbers dropping again.

Tracking Macros

After all these things are accounted for and you are still not losing weight then it is time to look at your macros; Fat, Protein and carbs. How much of each are you eating in grams and ultimately how many calories per day.

Since a ketogenic diet is naturally appetite suppressing, most people do not count calories and are still able to lose fat because they are just not eating a lot. They naturally eat under their daily caloric maintenance. But some people are actually eating more than they should and here is where the math needs to be done.

When you do not track your food and you are stalled that means a few things are happening:

1) you are eating too much fat, even though you think you aren’t.
2) you are eating too many carbs, even though you think you aren’t. (hidden carbs, “ketofied” foods etc)
3) you are eating too many calories
4) not getting adequate electrolytes
5) eating too many “trigger foods” – nuts, dairy, nut butters; foods that cause you to eat too much or cause inflammation which makes you retain water. (A good probiotic is the first line of defense for inflammation)
6) you are not moving (exercising) enough. There are 2 parts of the energy balance equation; calories in/calories out. You may have a grasp on the “in” but your “output” is too low; start moving/exercising more.
7) you have been dieting (in a caloric deficit) too long

So the obvious questions are; Why should you adjust your macros? How were you able to lose fat in the first place without worrying about your macros?

A few things happen when you are in the process of keto adaptation, as we have seen there is a lot of water loss.

There is often a decrease in inflammation on a keto diet so even more scale weight/water loss.

You eat less. Probably the biggest benefit of a ketogenic diet with adequate protein is the natural appetite suppressant effect of the diet. You do not track calories but you end up eating less than you would have on a non keto diet, you eat under your maintenance calories and you lose weight.

You are increasing your insulin sensitivity so you are better able to handle the food/carbs you eat. This is seen often in women with PCOS who lose a LOT of weight once they increase their insulin sensitivity.

Increased Insulin sensitivity

Insulin sensitivity is very important to fat loss because if you are insulin resistant your body is more likely to store energy (the food you at) as fat. Increasing insulin sensitivity also reduces inflammation which helps drop a lot of water weight. Increased insulin sensitivity will help you better utilize the carbs, albeit a small amount on keto, and not readily store them as fat.

One of the greatest benefits seen from a ketogenic diet is the increased insulin sensitivity many experience especially in type 2 diabetics. In Fact a study showed that the combination of Fish oils and a ketogenic diet reduced patients average insulin concentration by 43%. The study also showed that fish oil is also beneficial for lowering triglycerides and reducing inflammation! Which as mentioned above can mask your weight loss if not halt it for a while.

Ref: Paoli, Antonio, et al. “Effects of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (ω-3) Supplementation on Some Cardiovascular Risk Factors with a Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet.” Marine drugs 13.2 (2015): 996-1009

This small study resulted in a 75% increase in insulin sensitivity in test subjects following a ketogenic diet. Ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15767618

So we know keto has some benefits and increasing insulin sensitivity is one of them BUT when all the magical benefits of keto come to a halt; that means your lack of tracking macros has caught up to you and it is time for an adjustment.

Improper Calorie Tracking

Studies have shown that dieters who claim they track their food intake with precision are often off by as much as 30-40%! So yes most of these people are just eating too much. Most of the fault is in the consumption of fat. Since fat has 9 calories per gram and protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram, it is very easy for the calories to add up when you over consume fat. Often keto dieters consume a large amount of fat and still lose weight but after the initial weight loss from adapting to the ketogenic diet stops they must realize, it’s time to eat less.

In fact the most effective “keto” type diet known to science is the Protein Sparing Modified Fast which is VERY low carbs AND very low fat and very HIGH protein. PSMF dieters lose fat at an ACCELERATED RATE. The high protein as well as lower fat intake (compared to a standard ketogenic diet) not only has no negative impact on ketosis or fat loss but a positive impact on their fat loss.

But take baby steps at first. If you follow typical keto ratios of 70% fat, 25% protein, 5% carbs then change it up to 60% fat, 35% protein, 5% carbs. This has worked wonders in many people we know and we help with keto. Once you find your sweet spot and the fat loss begins again, stick with it until the next stall and then rework the numbers again.

Adaptive Thermogenesis

What other reasons would stall weight loss? Something that is very serious and requires very important steps to fix and it is called Adaptive Thermogenesis and happens after you reduce carbs as well as calories for too long. This is real and this is VERY common in low carb and ketogenic dieters and it is how the body responds to being in a caloric deficit for too long. This sounds like a bad thing but it is not, this is your body functioning the way it should, it is trying to maintain homeostasis.

Maintaining Homeostasis

Your body reacts to changes in energy balance where it speeds up your metabolism when you are eating well above your caloric maintenance or it slows your metabolism down when it seems you are not consuming enough energy it needs to deal with the daily functions it requires. And when you lose muscle it makes it even worse.

Less muscle = lower resting metabolic rate = harder to lose fat.

This is one of the MAJOR reasons to eat adequate protein on a ketogenic diet. Adequate means no less than 0.8 grams to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass.

In my opinion adaptive thermogenesis is the main reason why a true stall and weight loss plateaus are so common in ketogenic or any dieter. Adaptive thermogenesis has its strongest impact on your hormones and this is what is messing up your fat loss efforts. It strongly negatively impacts Leptin, insulin and thyroid. Stress and cortisol also come into play when dieting too long and that is a major cause of holding onto a lot of water weight.

Fixing a stall on a ketogenic diet

The following applies to ONLY those who have done everything they can to start losing weight again; reworking macros, lowering calories/fat maybe exercising more etc. If you have done all these, and weight has stalled again then the following is for you.

How to combat Adaptive Thermogenesis

Oh boy, most hardcore keto dieters are NOT going to like to hear thus BUT the #1 way to fix this issue is by consuming carbs and a lot of them.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates reset hunger hormones Leptin and Ghrelin levels which are crucial for continuous fat-loss, carbohydrates stabilize normal T4-T3 conversion, (which slows on keto). Carbohydrates also ncrease anabolism (muscle glycogen) to increase muscle mass.

Carbohydrates boost leptin levels far more than protein fat. In fact, fat has almost zero effect on leptin levels.

Carb overfeeding increased plasma leptin concentrations by 28%, and 24 hour Energy Expenditure by 7%. Basal metabolic rate and the energy expended during physical activity were not affected. FAT overfeeding did NOT significantly change plasma leptin concentrations or energy expenditure. Ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11126336CONCLUSIONS: CARB overfeeding, but NOT fat overfeeding, increases energy expenditure and leptin concentration.
High-fat, low-carbohydrate (HF/LC) meals, which induce smaller insulin and glucose responses, would produce lower leptin concentrations than low-fat, high-carbohydrate (LF/HC) meals.Ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10334310

During LF/HC feeding, there were larger increases of leptin 4-6 h after breakfast (38 +/- 7%, P < 0.001) and lunch (78 +/- 14%, P < 0.001) than after HF/LC meals (both P < 0.02).

During LF/HC feeding, leptin increased from a morning baseline of 10.7 +/- 1.6 ng/ml to a nocturnal peak of 21.3 +/- 1.3 ng/ml (change, 10.6 +/- 1.3 ng/ml; percent change, 123 +/- 16%; P < 0.0001). The amplitudes of the nocturnal rise of leptin and the 24-h leptin AUC were 21 +/- 8% (P < 0.005) and 38 +/- 12% (P < 0.0025) larger, respectively, on the LF/HC day. In summary, consumption of HF/LC meals results in lowered 24-h circulating leptin concentrations. This result may be a consequence of decreased adipocyte glucose metabolism.

One last interesting and beneficial thing carbs do to a stalled dieter; they elicit the “whoosh effect” that was discussed above! That is right, often after having a carbohydrate refeed you wake up the next day down 2-3 pounds on the scale! Its really cool how these things work.

Keeping it Keto

Ok, ok so lets be honest, most keto dieters are not going to start adding carbs back into their diet after coming so far on this diet. So if that is the case you still need a short diet break and you need to eat more calories and MORE protein. Working out with weights helps too.

Typically a 1-2 week diet break, eating over maintenance calories (no longer eat at a deficit). Don’t worry about gaining scale weight (it is mostly water weight anyay), sometimes you need to take 1 step back to take 2 steps forward. It is a process, dieting is a process so let the process play out the way it is supposed too. My advice during these 2 weeks; keep it strict! No nuts, dairy, “ketofied” foods, stick to meats, fish, poultry and some low carb veggies or just plenty of lettuce. Keep the calories high as well as the sodium and electrolytes in general. You may even notice some nice benefits during this time; better sleep, better energy, increase thyroid output, decreased cortisol and less stress overall.

Once you feel you are ready then it is time to reduce calories again and rework your macros.

Just remember, no matter how hard you try or how much effort you put into fat loss; weight loss is not linear. “Weight loss” is the number on the scale and changes on a daily basis for many reasons, this does NOT mean your “fat loss” has slowed. So don’t overthink it, don’t weigh yourself often and use the mirror and your clothes as your guide.