Sunday, May 6, 2012

Initial Keto Thoughts

So I've been experimenting with a ketogenic diet. So far I have tried for 25 days and the results have been interesting. I've been keeping precise data for approximately 8 months in terms of my energy requirements. A keto diet is one in which your consumed carbohydrate are significantly low enough so that your body only uses adipose tissues for energy, which result in ketones as a by product (and which can be detected in a urine test you can buy at a drug store for very cheap). The theory of the popularized "Atkins" diet is that you can lose weight without decreasing how much you eat.

So far I've actually found that to be true, but I only have 25 samples and I need more data. The results of ketosis seem to be an increase in your maintenance metabolic rate, which is simply how many calories you have to consume to not gain or decrease weight.

My theory is that the reason your maintenance requirement increases is that using ketones and not the byproduct of carbohydrates for energy is a very inefficient process. Inefficient is good when it comes to weight loss because that means that it costs your body more energy to give you the same output. Sugars are absorbed very quickly and can be used for energy almost immediately, so they are a very efficient process. That's just my simple theory though.

Without further adieu, here is some of my data thus far:



2011-09-06 to 2011-11-11 (cut)
Days = 66
Change in Weight = -23.8 lbs
Calories / Pound = 3500 (assuming adipose) kCal / lbs
Caloric Deficit = 3500 * 23.8 = 83300 kCal
Average Calories Consumed = 1760 kCal / day
Maintenance Calories = 1760 + 83300 / 66 = 3022 kCal / day

2011-11-11 to 2012-02-01 (maintain)
Days = 83
Change in Weight = -4.6 lbs
Calories / Pound = 3500 (assuming adipose) kCal / lbs
Caloric Deficit = 3500 * 4.6 = 16100 kCal
Average Calories Consumed = 2250 kCal / day
Maintenance Calories = 2250 + 16100 / 83 = 2443 kCal / day

2012-02-01 to 2012-04-11 (bulk)
Days = 70
Change in Weight = +9.6 lbs
Calories / Pound = 3200 (assuming adipose + muscle) kCal / lbs
Caloric Deficit = 3500 * -9.6 = -30720 kCal
Average Calories Consumed = 2770 kCal / day
Maintenance Calories = 2770 - 30720 / 70 = 2331 kCal / day

2012-04-11 to 2012-05-06 (keto)

Days = 25
Change in Weight = -6.4 lbs
Calories / Pound = 3500 (assuming adipose) kCal / lbs
Caloric Deficit = 3500 * 6.4 = 22400 kCal
Average Calories Consumed = 2570 kCal / day
Maintenance Calories = 2570 + 22400 / 25 = 3466 kCal / day


This is a very high variance set of measurements, so the accuracy is in question. Also it is not a static system, in that as your weight fluctuates, so does your maintenance needs. It's very difficult to control for all the variables, and honestly I'm not here to write a paper about it, I'm just seeing how things work for me, so I am not being as scientific about this as I should be. But the trends are interesting, and it appears that my basic caloric needs can significantly increase just from ketosis. More data is needed.