Why the Keto Diet works

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Why the Keto diet works

Heading into the summer season, there does be an increased talk about diets (and weight loss drugs - a future newsletter topic), and one that keeps popping up is the Keto diet.

The ketogenic diet is high in fat, plenty of protein, and really low in carbs. It has contributed to people demonising carbs. To be completely honest, it is very similar to the diets I used to follow in the past and have gotten great results from. Mine was a little more Paleo—an emphasis on higher protein but not so much on higher fat and ketosis.

The Keto diet is also similar to the Atkins diet.

There are claimed benefits for getting into ketosis (using your body fat as fuel instead of carbs) that can help with diabetes and other health ailments.

But we’ll leave that part to nutritionists and focus more on whether it’s good for getting those six-pack abs for beach holidays. You can probably see where I am going with this.

Foods you can eat:
Nuts
Meat
Fish
Low Carb veg
Eggs
Condiments
Nuts
Seeds
Butter

Foods you can’t eat:
Sugar and sugary foods
’Sugar-free’ foods
Fruits (except small portions of berries)
Grains
Potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables
Low-fat/’diet’ foods
Alcohol

Sauces

At a quick - ok, very quick glance at the two lists - in number, they seem pretty equal, but the ‘can’t eat’ list has very general terms that encompass a lot of food. And the ‘can eat’ list is very specific.

The ‘can eat’ list contains foods that are not calorie-dense nor foods that you would likely overeat. You’re not going to see these foods dominate the dessert menu the next time you go out for food. They pretty much eliminate all ‘junk’ food. Goodbye to your pizzas, cakes, chocolate, crisps, snacks, red wine or any alcoholic beverage… or most drinks!

So there’s a lot of negatives.

But it also gives a lot of structure. With planning, there’s only a certain amount of meals you can have. A lot of options are taken off the table here. And because you are eating foods that you are less likely to over-consume, you are more than likely going to be in a calorie deficit.

And, regardless of whether you are in ketosis, you will lose weight.

So, it will work.

The real question is: Is it sustainable?

Yes, it worked for me in the past when I used to do 4-6 weeks on this diet… with the odd break having a full bowl of sweet potato fries with my meat as I was craving them. But, overall, remained in a calorie deficit.

The problem would be after it when I would have a big blowout and slowly get back to old ways. So much so that a year later I was doing the diet again from a similar set point.

If you need structure in your diet, this could work. Even a variation of it with 5 days on and 2 days off, strictly from a weekly calorie consumption point of view, could work—if you didn’t go completely off the rails in your two days off.

Me?

I don’t see myself doing that diet any time again in the near future.

_____________________________________

For those interested in how I felt at the time doing those diets years ago (roughly 10), I do have some old blog posts on the topics HERE and HERE. Although, having not read them in a while I may not necessarily agree with everything I said back then. As Muhammad Ali is quoted as saying: “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life”

ANY GIVEN RUNDAY PODCAST

On last week’s episode of the Any Given Runday Podcast, after Eric catches us up on all his adventures, it’s the review of the Wexford Festival of Running 2024 that took place last weekend in Johnstown Castle run by the @wexford_marathon_club

My second attempt at the 100 miles in 24 hours (third overall), he talks about all the ups and downs over the 24 hours and all the people who helped me do the 120 laps of the 1.3km loop in under 24 hours to finally hit his goal.

We also talk about our Group Marathon Trip for 2025. If you have not registered yet, there is a waiting list available at the link in our bio. Spaces will open up in June if they are not all taken by our current interest list (click here to add yourself to the waiting list)

You can listen to last week’s episode on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/77sU5wGxm7YSB0Wzcis7IO?si=evX3xFg7SGKt8CEXPgZgJw

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/211-wexford-festival-of-running-2024-review-se%C3%A1ns/id1493778874?i=1000656100488

or wherever you get your podcasts from

#AnyGivenRunday

You can also follow our podcast page on Instagram: @AnyGivenRundayPodcast
and see our other social links at: https://bio.site/anygivenrunday

ANY GIVEN RUNDAY PODCAST

On this week’s episode of the Any Given Runday Podcast, after Eric gives a preview of the Cork City Marathon and TriAthy coming up this weekend, we talk with triathlete and strength/endurance coach Chrissy Harford.

Chrissy talks about her journey from not being able to swim in 2021 to being the first female to cross the finish line in the Cork Ironman in 2023, along with ALL of the events she has done in between including the Wicklow 200 and solo Mondello24. She also talks about managing to balance her training with her work and being a mother.

In terms of having excuses for not finding the time to train, Chrissy evaporates nearly all of them, documenting her journey in this episode.

You can follow Chrissy on Instagram: @chrissytricoach

You can listen to this week’s episode on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6YOumUJHYbHaXzb41uczXq?si=qLdfameyQaeiDAh_W2sIgg

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/212-chrissy-harford-on-winning-cork-ironman-23-wicklow/id1493778874?i=1000656853172

or wherever you get your podcasts from

Any Other Q’s

Do you have any burning questions about cardio, heart health or specific fitness goals? I'd love to address them in our next newsletter. Simply email me at sean@coachseanc.com, and I'll do my best to provide you with the answers you need.

Thanks for reading and subscribing to the newsletter!

And if you are interested in having me as your coach, I currently have two options:

Online Personal Training starting at €99 a month

or

CSF Womens Fitness Castleknock starting at €65 a month (once a week)

Seán

#LetsGoGetEmAgain

CoachSeanC.com