Thread: Need Direction On Weight Loss/Building Muscle

Hi All,

I've been contemplating the keto diet for weight loss and was wondering what thoughts are on this...I'm 5'10 177lbs 34 years old. With my commute and FT job, I'm out from 7:45AM-6:30PM so that is one of the reasons I am considering this diet. My job is auto sales so I at least get a good 5 miles of walking throughout my day. I'm trying to get on a simple meal plan (chicken, potatoes, protein shakes) that I can keep up with to build muscle as I do have some weights at home..But with my time, I was wondering what thoughts were on keto for losing fat first or is it better to go another route? I'm tracking what I eat on the LoseIt app and I aimed for 2k calories a day but haven't seen much progress so i'm a bit stumped. Any help is much appreciated!

Keto has no special advantage compared to another diet with equivalent calories.

Having said that, I think become keto adapted is useful if you have trouble entering a calorie deficit without nasty blood sugar swings. But you only need to maintain the diet for a couple of weeks for this to happen.

The downsides are that food choices are very restrictive which will start to wear on you. Also, you get wild swings in bodyweight because of lost glycogen (it all comes back when you start eating normally again). This makes measuring progress harder.

If you can lose weight steadily on a standard mixed diet without it making you feel bad, that's got to be the best bet. Meal prep is much easier, there is a wider range of portable food choices available.

Originally Posted by SuffolkPunch

Keto has no special advantage compared to another diet with equivalent calories.

Having said that, I think become keto adapted is useful if you have trouble entering a calorie deficit without nasty blood sugar swings. But you only need to maintain the diet for a couple of weeks for this to happen.

The downsides are that food choices are very restrictive which will start to wear on you. Also, you get wild swings in bodyweight because of lost glycogen (it all comes back when you start eating normally again). This makes measuring progress harder.

If you can lose weight steadily on a standard mixed diet without it making you feel bad, that's got to be the best bet. Meal prep is much easier, there is a wider range of portable food choices available.

From my own experience I agree with all of this. I tried keto but it wasn’t maintainable for me. It does feel good to have a bunch of weight loss at first until you realize it is all just water loss from glycogen depletion. Without glycogen it made lifting harder for me as well.

All that being said I don’t think there is a one size fits all diet. Do what is sustainable or works best for you. I like skipping breakfast to restrict my calorie window most days as I am just not that hungry in the mornings and aim to try to get about 1gram of protein per pound/day.

You might also consider furthering your calorie deficit or adding sustainable cardio (like walking) if you are hitting a wall. Additionally resistance training long term will help increase your overall BMR. Your calories just might be at maintenance now depending on the types of food and activity level you are getting.

If you are tracking your weight try to do so with average 10 day weight over time that as well, as it will give you a better idea than the fluctuations you might see vs day-to-day with weight. After all, with a calories deficit of 500 calories you should only be expecting to lose a lb per week.

Originally Posted by SuffolkPunch

Keto has no special advantage compared to another diet with equivalent calories.

Having said that, I think become keto adapted is useful if you have trouble entering a calorie deficit without nasty blood sugar swings. But you only need to maintain the diet for a couple of weeks for this to happen.

The downsides are that food choices are very restrictive which will start to wear on you. Also, you get wild swings in bodyweight because of lost glycogen (it all comes back when you start eating normally again). This makes measuring progress harder.

If you can lose weight steadily on a standard mixed diet without it making you feel bad, that's got to be the best bet. Meal prep is much easier, there is a wider range of portable food choices available.

Thank you for your input! You're definitely right with the restrictions on keto. The fat calculations is tough for me. I agree, meal prep would be better. Thanks again

Originally Posted by dexter249

From my own experience I agree with all of this. I tried keto but it wasn’t maintainable for me. It does feel good to have a bunch of weight loss at first until you realize it is all just water loss from glycogen depletion. Without glycogen it made lifting harder for me as well.

All that being said I don’t think there is a one size fits all diet. Do what is sustainable or works best for you. I like skipping breakfast to restrict my calorie window most days as I am just not that hungry in the mornings and aim to try to get about 1gram of protein per pound/day.

You might also consider furthering your calorie deficit or adding sustainable cardio (like walking) if you are hitting a wall. Additionally resistance training long term will help increase your overall BMR. Your calories just might be at maintenance now depending on the types of food and activity level you are getting.

If you are tracking your weight try to do so with average 10 day weight over time that as well, as it will give you a better idea than the fluctuations you might see vs day-to-day with weight. After all, with a calories deficit of 500 calories you should only be expecting to lose a lb per week.

Appreciate the reply! I've done the diet previously and lost some weight but dropped it after about a month. I saw my arms shrinking and it de-motivated me to continue. Then I found out it was most likely just water. I haven't been to a gym since the start of this pandemic but I have a bench and adjustable dumbbells I use 3-4x week for about 45 mins day. I believe maybe meal prepping would help me out but the plans I come across online show 5-6 meals which with work, I wouldn't be able to stick with. I think if there's a 3 meal plan that would work for me (meats, carbs) but would this help w/muscle or should I be eating a lot more? Again thank you! I have a bad habit of letting the scale upset me after eating right and still gaining weight.

Originally Posted by Tommy W.

You need to post a pic of yourself. At your stats it's hard to give you accurate opinions without one. First off KETO is of no benefit no matter your goals. Secondly, don't get on a restrictive diet. You just need to hit your protein and fat numbers and stay within your calorie target. Your food choices will be those that you enjoy and can adhere to within your calorie goals

Thank you! Looks like keto is not the answer for me. I appreciate the info and will get my macros right. I have a tought time with my fat numbers, but i'll try and get that right over time. Protein is easy for me (Im taking in about 170g per day).