[RajeevSharma]

If one is fit and wants to stay fit, there is one and only one simple rule which is:

Calories In = calories out

There should be some workout or exercise involved to keep the body in a fluid situation. One also needs to eat vegetables and fruits for daily intake of vitamins and minerals or supplements which is gaining popularity these days.

Play with this equation on either side for weight loss or gain as the case may be.

Giving on on sweets and bread (which are simple pleasures of life) is easier said than done. For me culprits are sugar and trans fat in our food which should be consumed with full knowledge that what we over-eat is stored in the body as fat for future energy source which makes us fat and our health starts to suffer as we gain more and more weight.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Excellent @graaja. Can't get more comprehensive than this!

What's your opinion on other oils like Sunflower oil, ricebran oil, etc for the "fat" part? I guess the main concern here is that it is "refined"?

Thank you for the kind words!

It's not just the "refined" part which makes seed oils bad, but also the type of fat, inflammatory response and Omega-3 vs. Omega-6.

The first preference in oils should the ones with saturated fat. Unlike what we have been brainwashed in the past few decades, saturated fats do not cause heart disease (like the 2014 Times article I had mentioned in the post about LCHF and Keto 101 Part 1). And saturated fat is present in butter, ghee and coconut oil. So, these are the first preference.

The next preference in oils should be the ones with mono-unsaturated fatty acids like olive oil and avocado oil. These oils are also rich in Omega-3 which is anti-inflammatory.

All other oils based on seeds - sunflower oil, palm oil, soy bean oil, rice bran oil etc., should be avoided. These oils are rich in poly-unsaturated fat and Omega-6 which produces high inflammatory response in the body and can result in weight gain and other health issues. Also, these oils are highly processed with chemicals which are very bad for health.

All the advertisements about these oils being good for the heart are pure rubbish. In fact, these are extremely bad for health and should be completely avoided.

Originally Posted by AutoDowntowner

excellent article put together. Never read such detailed information. Easy to understand as well. Thanks.

Thank you for the kind words!

Originally Posted by RajeevSharma

If one is fit and wants to stay fit, there is one and only one simple rule which is:

Calories In = calories out

There should be some workout or exercise involved to keep the body in a fluid situation. One also needs to eat vegetables and fruits for daily intake of vitamins and minerals or supplements which is gaining popularity these days.

Play with this equation on either side for weight loss or gain as the case may be.

Giving on on sweets and bread (which are simple pleasures of life) is easier said than done. For me culprits are sugar and trans fat in our food which should be consumed with full knowledge that what we over-eat is stored in the body as fat for future energy source which makes us fat and our health starts to suffer as we gain more and more weight.

In your statement, the key is "if one is fit and wants to stay fit". Calorie in Calorie out method works only in individuals who have a healthy metabolism and have not developed insulin resistance. Once someone develops insulin resistance, it becomes much more complex than simple thermodynamics.

Yes. Even when one is following a low carb diet, you still need to create a calorie deficit so that body uses the stored fat for the rest of its energy needs.

Another myth is that the dietary fat we eat gets stored as fat. Fat cells convert glucose into triglycerides and store as fat. And glucose comes from carbs.

I do not want to get into an argument on this topic. Earlier, I was an ardent believer of this concept, but my experience proved this wrong

All I request you is to have an open mind and do some research on this topic.

[vivek_lm]

Very comprehensive indeed!

My perspective: I believe there might be some of you (like me) who are concerned about the practicality of following such diets (may be due to various reasons- you live in rural areas where availability of many fruits/vegetables etc. might be limited, you live with small kids who need liberal doses of carbs or your aging parents who cannot let go of their rice/roti etc.). For such folks, I'd suggest the following:

1. Just follow the diet you've grown up consuming- but make sure you TWEAK THE PORTIONS accordingly to suit your current (sedentary in varying forms of severity) lifestyle. If you switch to a different diet, you may not like various food items (fruits/vegetables/grains/nuts etc.) that you might not be used to, depending on whether your taste buds are conservative or not.

2. Particularly if you live in your respective home-towns (mostly applicable for folks in rural areas), keep consuming locally grown fruits, vegetables and other food as much as possible. These would mostly be the ones you grew up eating. For example, in my case it's been gooseberries, guava, sapota, banana, water apple, custard apple, pomelo, jackfruit, mango, drumstick, colocasia, tapioca, raw banana, banana flower/stem, coconut, coconut oil, cashews, etc.

3. Most importantly, listen to your body- if it signals it's full, stop eating then and there. To be able to do this judiciously, eat only at a dining table and not in front of any electronic gadgets (so your brain is focused on the food in front of you and it'll be able to listen to your stomach properly).

4. Limit your use of electronic gadgets (which is exactly the opposite of what I'm doing while typing this and what you are doing while reading this!) which would automatically result in you moving around much more than you do now and that in itself would keep your body fat in check, at least to some extent. Gadgets are what mostly make you stationary. Of course, for those of us whose jobs demand us to sit for eight hours per day, we can only aim to not be stationary for the remaining nine hours (assuming seven hours of sleep).

I believe that following any tailor-made diet may not be a feasible/practical long-term solution for folks who cannot muster the level of determination required to strictly follow such diets. I've seen this happen to many people known to me. Take control of your body and make it a habit to eat and live healthy- without your food choices considerably impacting your level of happiness in life (from my experience this is the most difficult part!). Your diet choice should NEVER make you feel that you are missing out on something (pleasure/happiness/satisfaction or whatever you'd like to call it) in life!

PS: The above post is NOT intended to be judgemental in any way. Apologies if it signals prejudice of any kind. This is purely from my experience (74 to 61kg in four years, 5'4'') and the failed and successful experiences of some people known to me.

[lazy]

graaja

This is amazing.

What you have achieved is not just weight loss, but a profound shift in life philosophy that looks at food as fuel and nothing more.
Am not sure how many people appreciate this point, but to me that is a huge thing you have achieved. And that comes with the understanding the true costs of eating "tasty" food in terms of having to giving up on health, sports, agility, etc.

I have been trying multiple things to reduce my weight since 2015, when I was at ~29 BMI. One after the other with some overlaps, so I know confidently what works (for me).
These are the things I tried - long brisk walks, running (5-10k), normal dieting (reduce calories), High-Protein-Low-Carb (not high fat), some strength training and now since past 2 years trying to totally change my diet.

I am on the journey which you have completed - where I look at food as fuel only, but I am almost there.

I never tried outright Keto, but I had tried high protein diet for about 4-5 month and it would leave me feeling heavy all day. So quit.
If it works for you great.

Originally Posted by graaja

Sustainability of Keto diet over long time

There are a few factors that affect the sustainability of Keto diet over long time.

Societal pressure: .....You become a social pariah and people start giving you that “is this guy crazy?” look!
Cooking two meals at home: ......
Vegetarians: ......
Micro-nutrient deficiency and side effects: .....

Now imagine my case - our families are total foodies with almost everyday nonveg eating, and here I am turning vegan, not just vegetarian, it is a shocker for everyone.
But I have never felt better, I don't get tired, no body aches, no sleep troubles, BP gone, fatty liver gone, cholesterol gone, better skin, Levis size 34' to <30' now. Who's complaining?

But it is not easy, all the tasty stuff is nonveggie, and avoiding milk, butter, ghee is crazy tough.

Originally Posted by graaja

Disclaimer: This article is to share information on LCHF and Keto. I mention about LCHF and Keto in reversing medical conditions like diabetes, blood pressure and in treating Alzheimers, epilepsy, cancer etc. This information should not be taken as medical advice. If you have any of the medical conditions, discuss with a doctor and nutritionist who are open to these concepts and then follow these concepts to get well.

I'll not argue with you here, this is your thread. But I'll say this - if disease reversal is the goal, then long fasting (24 hrs+ to induce autophagy*) and raw plant based diet is the way to go. Any animal sourced food eating cannot help at all for such outcome.

(* - got aware of this word from one of your posts, i think, in the Weight loss thread many months ago)

cheers
lazy

[jacob.thomas]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Excellent @graaja. Can't get more comprehensive than this!

What's your opinion on other oils like Sunflower oil, ricebran oil, etc for the "fat" part? I guess the main concern here is that it is "refined"?

The sources of fat mentioned by you have a high proportion of unsaturated fat. What you want to focus on are sources of saturated fats ( a thumb rule is generally anything that solidifies in room temperature like ghee, butter, coconut oil, cheese etc.)

Its better to switch over to saturated fats. It will definitely improve your HDL to LDL ratio too

[NPV]

Originally Posted by RajeevSharma

If one is fit and wants to stay fit, there is one and only one simple rule which is:

Calories In = calories out

@Rajeev - please do take the time out to read up on the Weight Loss thread if time permits right from the first post, you will see how the discussion has progressed with great references for how the calorie counting methodology has been debunked by renowned doctors and dieticians the world over and moved towards LCHF and Keto diets as the best way forward for weight loss and well being in general.
If you read that, you will be able to relate better with @graaja's experiences articulated in this thread.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by RajeevSharma

If one is fit and wants to stay fit, there is one and only one simple rule which is:

Calories In = calories out

There should be some workout or exercise involved to keep the body in a fluid situation. One also needs to eat vegetables and fruits for daily intake of vitamins and minerals or supplements which is gaining popularity these days.

Play with this equation on either side for weight loss or gain as the case may be.

The human body is a complex machinery - very complex. What you write is okay for those below 30. It is only half true for those between 30 and 45 and not correct at all for the population above 45. As @Graaja wrote the factor of insulin resistance creeps in and alters the whole equation of in versus out. It is not just calories in and out but what kind of foods, what kind of metabolism, age, carbs vs fats etc. That is where more researched routes such as IF come into play.

My weight has remained constant within a +1.0 to - 1.0 kgs range for 20+ years. Not by magic but some sensible effort of moderate exercise/yoga and mindful eating. All told I think such consistency is good. But now with my age I wanted the weight to be reduced by say 10 kgs to prepare for the passing of middle age in some years and onset of old age. More exercising or brisk walking made no difference and I really can't eat much less given that I am a moderate eater to start with. And the method that has worked finally has been IF because it is directly addressing the insulin resistance that has started in my body - it is a 60-year old machine - stuff happens.

[RajeevSharma]

Originally Posted by NPV

@Rajeev - please do take the time out to read up on the Weight Loss thread if time permits right from the first post, you will see how the discussion has progressed with great references for how the calorie counting methodology has been debunked by renowned doctors and dieticians the world over and moved towards LCHF and Keto diets as the best way forward for weight loss and well being in general.
If you read that, you will be able to relate better with @graaja's experiences articulated in this thread.

I already read some of it and will go through it again. I say that it is a well written post, informative and provides and great insight into topic.

But diet regularization is also required which is the first principle and the one I was trying to highlight. We all know what age does to our metabolism and health but it is also true that weight (ideal weight) can not be the only measure of health.
I love any kind of discussion on health and weight to rhe point that i have been inspired by Graaja's earlier posts as well.

I am not disrespecting the views or taking them lightly. It is just that some of us find hard to stick to a strict diet regime and I am one of them.

[sridhar-v]

Thanks for the detailed writeup.
A quick history of my journey:-

I am 1958 born, with a history of diabetes in my father's side.
I am diabetic since 2000. For 13 years I managed with weight training and moderate diet.
But age caught up and I had to go on medications. these created havoc with my health. So starting 2016 I shifted to Ayurvedic treatment under a very knowledgable MD (Ayurveda). But there was one allopathic medicine that we could not stop. And it was contraindicated for long term use. So eventually in mid 2019 I hopped on to the KETO/LowCarb wagon combined with IF.

As I was a vegetarian and was working out in the gym I had to ensure proper protein intake. I worked out the quantities and types of pulses I would take as also the type of protein shake. As I had been diagnosed with beginnings of arterial plaquing I slowly increased fat intake, in consultation with my doctor, while checking the cholesterol behaviour. BTW cholesterol is not the culprit it is being made out as!!
See my post here:- https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ml#post4897357 (BHPians, take care of your heart! Cardiovascular disease & heart attacks are the no.1 killer)
One point we often overlook is that pulses have a fair amount of carbs and that has to be taken into account for calculating total carbs. My 14 years of diet control helped me fit into the new regime.

HbA1c has dropped from 10ish to 6.6-6.7 range. Almost all medicines, including the strong allopathic one, have been stopped. All in under 1 year. Due to Covid19 we are going easy on the last steps of removing remaining medicines.!!

In brief - the Keto/Low-Carb+Intermittent Fasting works. For weight reduction, putting Diabetes in remission, taking care of Arthritis, reversing Heart plaquing.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by vivek_lm

3. Most importantly, listen to your body- if it signals it's full, stop eating then and there. To be able to do this judiciously, eat only at a dining table and not in front of any electronic gadgets (so your brain is focused on the food in front of you and it'll be able to listen to your stomach properly).

Agree with all your points. This point is the key though. Stopping to eat when the body signals it is full, and not eating at all when it does not signal it is hungry is the best way to stay healthy. In Tamil, there is a proverb "Pasithu pusi", which means eat only when hungry. Early this year, I had attended a workshop on natural farming from the students of Nammalvar. They not only taught about farming, but also about the lifestyle of farmers. One of the messages they highlighted was "It is ok if you do not eat when hungry, but it is not ok if you eat when you are not hungry".

One of the key hormones that play a role in this process is Leptin. This is the satiety hormone and signals the brain when body does not need anymore food. However, in the presence of insulin and high exposure to carbs, the brain's receptors to this hormone become insensitive. This causes overeating.

With lifestyle changes like IF and low/moderate carb diets, the brain receptors to leptin become sensitive again. This is why in IF, it is possible to properly sense hunger. Also, we stay full for longer time.

Originally Posted by RajeevSharma

It is just that some of us find hard to stick to a strict diet regime and I am one of them.

With Keto or LCHF one has to avoid large food groups. However in IF, unless you already have some advance conditions like obesity or diabetes, we can get away with the usual foods. This is the reason why I have been repeating many times that IF is much more sustainable as a lifestyle than Keto or strict LCHF.

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

Thanks for the detailed writeup.
A quick history of my journey:-

I am 1958 born, with a history of diabetes in my father's side.
...
In brief - the Keto/Low-Carb+Intermittent Fasting works. For weight reduction, putting Diabetes in remission, taking care of Arthritis, reversing Heart plaquing.

Thank you so much for sharing your life experience. This will be a big motivation to many who are looking to reverse major health conditions.

Originally Posted by NPV

...you will see how the discussion has progressed with great references for how the calorie counting methodology has been debunked by renowned doctors and dieticians the world over and moved towards LCHF and Keto diets as the best way forward for weight loss and well being in general.

Thanks a lot for chiming in. I am hoping that in a decade, we can expect more offical studies on IF, Keto and Low carb and these become official treatment protocols for obesity, diabetes and other health issues.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The human body is a complex machinery - very complex. What you write is okay for those below 30. It is only half true for those between 30 and 45 and not correct at all for the population above 45.
...
And the method that has worked finally has been IF because it is directly addressing the insulin resistance that has started in my body - it is a 60-year old machine - stuff happens.

Aptly put Narayan Sir I am greatly looking forward to your success story with IF.

[Nilesh5417]

Very detailed study and write up!! Will be a good guide if I ever go back to diets.

Extreme diets work in extreme conditions. I did Keto for 8months and went from 98kgs to 69kgs. But couldn't introduce regular exercise to maintain the weight loss and was hard to change dietary habits to align with Keto esp when our Indian kitchens cook for the entire family and not just you. I am back to 84kgs in 2yrs.

So bottomline is there is no replacement for discipline! Even following a diet to get intermediary results takes extreme discipline and constant planning.

Extremely restrictive diets are not for everyone and the results are hard to sustain. Best is to understand your body type and metabolism and make long-term adjustments to your habits. It's a slow process but more sustainable over a lifetime.

And I know am not saying anything new! But it is my personal experience.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by graaja

Thanks a lot for chiming in. I am hoping that in a decade, we can expect more offical studies on IF, Keto and Low carb and these become official treatment protocols for obesity, diabetes and other health issues.

@graaja - Sorry for posting so late, I've been meaning to post here since this thread went live, but somehow kept forgetting!
Thanks for sharing your experiences in this wonderful thread, super informative and inspiring

I've been following your posts on the weight loss thread, this thread and also your blog outside the forum.

[camitesh]

Originally Posted by graaja

Disclaimer: This article is to share information on LCHF and Keto. I mention about LCHF and Keto in reversing medical conditions like diabetes, blood pressure and in treating Alzheimers, epilepsy, cancer etc. This information should not be taken as medical advice. If you have any of the medical conditions, discuss with a doctor and nutritionist who are open to these concepts and then follow these concepts to get well.

Very informative post Graaja, thanks for sharing. However, I would like to highlight the disclaimer section in particular which is very important.

I have no knowledge on keto, diet plans and weight loss programs but would like to share a recent experience about one of my close friend's wife who passed away in her sleep due to a cardiac arrest last month. She was a cheerful and healthy individual well below 40 years with no significant medical history. She started her weight loss journey in October 2020 with a strict no sugar diet (not sure if keto) and lost 6-7 kgs in about a month. Without going into further personal details of this unfortunate event, all I want to say is a life was possibly lost due to the sudden rigorous diet regime.

Something similar featured into news headlines few months back after death of a Bengali actress during her Keto diet. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/78493135.cms

So do consider Graaja's advice in the disclaimer and seek professional help on your weight loss journey wherever needed.

[ndnesh]

Very well written, and very clear and easy to follow. I was always hesitant to even take the necessary basic steps to figure out what keto entailed. I knew that it meant eating a lot of fats and having carbs basically in the 20/30/40 grams zone, without losing sight of Proteins.

But the way you have put it across, makes it look , if not easy, but simple enough if taken one step at a time.

I am sure this is the start of many of us going on keto diets (lazy keto for me) and losing a lot of weight.

Thank you so much for your efforts on this.
Stay safe! Stay healthy!

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

Extreme diets work in extreme conditions. I did Keto for 8months and went from 98kgs to 69kgs. But couldn't introduce regular exercise to maintain the weight loss and was hard to change dietary habits to align with Keto esp when our Indian kitchens cook for the entire family and not just you. I am back to 84kgs in 2yrs.
...
Extremely restrictive diets are not for everyone and the results are hard to sustain. Best is to understand your body type and metabolism and make long-term adjustments to your habits. It's a slow process but more sustainable over a lifetime.

True. Diets can help you lose weight, but only a lifestyle change can help you keep the weight off. We know that our lifestyle is what caused all this obesity and bad health. So, there is no way doing a 3 month diet and going back to the same lifestyle is going to help keep the weight off.

I would highly recommend you give a try to IF. IF is a lifestyle which can be easily followed for life. And unlike Keto that has practical difficulties like cooking for many at home, in IF, you can easily lose weight and maintain by making smart practical choices in diet like cutting sugars, keeping portions of rice/wheat small and bigger portions of vegetables, meat etc.

Originally Posted by NPV

@graaja - Sorry for posting so late, I've been meaning to post here since this thread went live, but somehow kept forgetting!
Thanks for sharing your experiences in this wonderful thread, super informative and inspiring

I've been following your posts on the weight loss thread, this thread and also your blog outside the forum.

Thank you so much for the kind words!

Originally Posted by camitesh

I have no knowledge on keto, diet plans and weight loss programs but would like to share a recent experience about one of my close friend's wife who passed away in her sleep due to a cardiac arrest last month. She was a cheerful and healthy individual well below 40 years with no significant medical history. She started her weight loss journey in October 2020 with a strict no sugar diet (not sure if keto) and lost 6-7 kgs in about a month...

Something similar featured into news headlines few months back after death of a Bengali actress during her Keto diet...

Sorry to hear about your friend's wife.

I would like to touch on the topic of correlation vs. causation here. Many a times, when two events happen at the same time - like your friend's wife's passing when she was on a diet, and the Bengali actress and Keto, this is correlation. However, this correlation does not indicate causation.

There have been lots of discussions in the internet where Doctor's have talked on this news about the Bengali actress. While the news headlines screamed that the actress died of Keto, there was no proof to show Keto was the reason for her death (causation). The fact was that whe was following Keto at the time of her death (correlation). It is quite possible that she had some undetected pre-existing condition which caused here death and Keto had nothing to do with this. Similarly your friend's wife could have had an undetected heart condition that may have caused her death than the diet.

I am not saying conclusively that Keto or the diet were not the cause in these events, but the fact that it is not conclusive that the diets killed them either.

Originally Posted by ndnesh

I am sure this is the start of many of us going on keto diets (lazy keto for me) and losing a lot of weight.

Thank you so much for your efforts on this.
Stay safe! Stay healthy!

Thank you so much for the kind words! Glad to know that you plan to take up lazy keto. I would also suggest you to combine this with IF. Make IF your lifestyle. With this approach, even if you were to go back to your regular diet in the future, you will not gain back the lost weight. Check out my earlier post on IF.