The ketogenic diet has surged in popularity, fueled by anecdotal success stories and celebrity endorsements. This high-fat, low-carb eating plan promises weight loss and other health benefits. But what do real people say about their experiences with keto? This article explores compelling keto success stories, highlighting the transformative effects of this lifestyle.
Weight Loss Wonders
Many individuals have turned to keto for weight loss, and the results can be remarkable.
- One person from St. Petersburg, FL, shares: "Living low carb has done nothing but improve my life. I am no longer constantly hungry or borderline diabetic. I’ve lowered my cholesterol and lost 123 pounds."
- Another individual from East Meadow, NY, reports losing approximately 100 pounds and maintaining the weight loss with an almost zero-carb, animal-products-based diet.
- Someone from Lincoln, MI, lost 150 lbs.
- Another person stated that after following a low-carbohydrate diet for a year, they’ve lost 90 lbs., and their acid-reflux is completely gone!
These stories showcase the potential of keto for significant weight loss and improved metabolic health. Alison went from obese to fit in the last 18 months. In the last 14 months, Mayra lost more than 100 lbs. After two years on keto, Megan’s kicked her depression, too. One person started their journey in January last year at 218 lbs, after trying so many diets previously. They were borderline diabetic, extremely overweight and just outright uncomfortable with themselves. They somehow found info about the keto diet on Instagram and it seemed pretty easy!
Reversing Health Issues
Beyond weight loss, some individuals have experienced improvements in various health conditions through keto. Trisha reversed her PCOS using a ketogenic diet.
One person shares that eating low-carb/keto has saved their life.
Read also: Impact of Keto on Fertility
Managing Diabetes
The ketogenic diet may help improve outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes. One trial showed that people with type 2 diabetes who followed a ketogenic diet for two years were able to decrease their use of diabetes medications by 81 percent, while those in a control group increased their medication during the same time span.
Epilepsy Control
The ketogenic diet has a long history of use in managing epilepsy, particularly in children.
- One person recounts being put on the ketogenic diet at age four for absence epilepsy in 1945. After a couple of years, the diet was stopped, and they never had another seizure. They went on to graduate from the Naval Academy and had a twenty-year career as a Naval Officer.
- Nevin, a young girl, experienced a dramatic reduction in seizures after starting the keto diet. Before the diet, she was having 500 or more seizures per day. Within two days of starting the diet, her condition improved significantly. She became seizure-free six months into the diet and successfully weaned off two of her three epilepsy medications.
- Caden, a 14-month-old, had multiple types of seizures and was diagnosed with intractable epilepsy. Amazingly, his seizures stopped the 2nd day he was on the diet.
- Macie, who has a rare metabolic condition called GLUT1 Transporter Deficiency Syndrome, experienced significant relief and improvement in her symptoms with the ketogenic diet.
Blake was diagnosed with myoclonic absence epilepsy at age 2 and was having 5 to 20 seizures daily. Two weeks after discharging from the hospital, Blake was seizure free and began excelling in school.
These stories highlight the potential of keto to significantly improve the lives of individuals with epilepsy, reducing or even eliminating seizures.
A Lifestyle Change
For many, keto is not just a diet but a lifestyle change.
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- One person started Keto 2 years ago after becoming tired of being tired and wanting to keep up with their energetic daughter. They lost about 35 pounds in 6 months before becoming pregnant with their “keto baby” and gaining it all back, and then lost 67 lbs in just under a year and have so much more energy and focus.
- Another person has been living a keto lifestyle for a year and a half.
- One person started Keto when they weighed 307lbs 8 months ago and continue to do so till this very day.
- Another person started utilizing Keto and IF and was able to lose 25 pounds in the first 3 months!
Overcoming Challenges
The ketogenic diet can be restrictive and requires commitment.
- One person with Celiac Disease wasn’t interested in restricting their diet any more than they already did having to entirely avoid gluten already.
- Some celebs refreshingly admit to having the same troubles that everyone else experiences on the diet when starting out (commonly known as “the keto flu”), including irritability and headaches.
However, many find the benefits worth the effort. Nevin loves her ‘magic’ diet and even helps prepare the meals. Macie’s family considers the ketogenic diet a way of life for a very long time and will take the diet any day over helplessly watching their child lose so many moments of her life to seizures. Blake understands that it is the key to his seizure freedom and has learned that food is not the center of everything.
The Science Behind Keto
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet. Followers of a common version of the diet source around 75 percent of their daily calories from fat, up to 20 percent from protein, and just 5 percent from carbohydrates. It can take as little as a week or even a few days for your body to enter ketosis, where your body starts burning fat instead of carbs for energy.
"Typically, your body uses glucose for energy. But when you're carbs are cut drastically to five to 10 percent of your total caloric intake, your body uses ketone bodies (converted from fat). And that becomes your body's source of energy," explains nutritionist Toby Amidor, RD.
Potential Benefits
The keto diet has been shown to have many health benefits, most notably short-term weight loss. Low-calorie ketogenic diets may help people who are overweight or have obesity reduce their body mass index and decrease their waist circumference. Early research in rodents indicates that following a ketogenic diet may even help you live longer, according to research published in June 2022 in Cell Metabolism, although further research is needed to see if similar effects are observed in humans.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Important Considerations
Because it's so restrictive, this diet isn't really meant to be done long-term, according to Scott Keatley, RD, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. A safe rate of weight loss is between one to two pounds per week, according to the National Institutes of Health. The best way to determine if the keto diet is for you is to talk about it with your doctor.