Fat for Fuel below).
When carb intake is very low, ketones-products of fat breakdown in the liver-must fuel the body.
Short-term weight loss will occur naturally, mostly because of water weight you lose.
While many people lose weight quickly, it’s water weight, not true weight loss.
In most cases, the weight will return when the dietary pattern again includes a larger percentage of carbohydrates.
For that reason, the ketogenic diet probably won’t help with long-term weight loss.
Carbohydrates vs. Carbohydrates are our body’s primary energy source.
It’s why marathon runners take in food and calories over the course of the marathon.
When your body doesn’t have access to carbohydrates, it will turn to alternate sources-fat or protein.
When fat is broken down, ketones are formed and used as an alternate fuel source.
The same process is seen during fasting or starvation, but neither is very pleasant nor sustainable long-term.
Sustainability is important to consider, though.
The ketogenic diet, by principle, doesn’t follow this pattern.
Bottom Line
The ketogenic diet is extremely difficult to follow and very restrictive.
