Burning Fat - But What Kind?

Now that ketogenic diets have become “#keto,” the biggest diet trend of the year, I want to look a little more closely at this thing that has people all atwitter.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, a ketogenic diet is one that generates ketones; that is, the body burns fat and produces these chemicals as a  by-product.  

Doctors are exploring ketogenic diets to treat epilepsy and other brain disorders because those ketones are terrific fuel for the brain, and do a great job at providing the brain steady, lasting energy.

Other folks use ketogenic diets as a weight-loss strategy.  This is where all the commodification and fad-ification and hashtag-ification has come in.  Instagram photos of suddenly skinny people with piles of bacon.  Keto bars, shakes, powders and potions.  But looking past all that: does it work?

Here’s the thing: there are two types of fat. (Actually, there are lots of different types, including some that you need to live, but never mind all that now.)  For my purposes, think of two types: the fat in in the food you eat, and the fat hanging on your belly. Either of these can be burned by your body for energy, which means that there are two ways to achieve ketosis:

1. Cut out carbohydrates, and go hog-wild with fats.  Butter your bacon.  Bacon up your sausage.  Eat hot dogs, ribeyes, and cheese by the truckload.  If you measure your ketones after a few days of this, you will likely find that you’ve achieved ketosis.  This is because, in the absence of carbohydrates, you are burning all the fat you eat.

2. Cut way down on carbs, increase your fat intake, moderate your protein intake, and eat less overall.  In other words, eat some of the foods above, but don’t go hog-wild.  This will also put you in ketosis, but now you’ll be burning the fat you eat, plus the fat on your body.  

When I first started eating this way, I definitely fell into the first category.  “You mean I can eat bacon?  You mean, like… BACON!!!???”  Finding the low-fat gate suddenly unlatched, I busted loose — panting, tail wagging, tongue hanging out — in a fury of pent-up appetite.  It was pure carnage.

And that’s what I’ve learned over the past 9 months.  I haven’t seen miraculous results on this diet, besides sticking to it pretty well.  I’ve spent the time repeatedly gaining and losing the same 10 pounds.  Maybe that’s because I’ve replaced, rather than repaired, some of my bad food habits.  

Arriving home from work, I used to chow down on “healthy” multigrain chips and hummus (489 calories, 30 g carbs) for an afternoon snack.  After I made the switch, I satisfied that same craving with salami and cheese (434 calories, 3 g carbs).  Sitting on the couch after dinner, I’ve exchanged dark chocolate (440 cal, 25 g carbs) for macadamia nuts (406 cal, 3 g carbs).  Will these switches keep me in ketosis?  Sure.  Will they lead to weight loss?  Doubtful.

The bottom line is, your body’s going to get the energy it needs from somewhere.  If you feed it carbohydrates, it will get the energy from carbohydrates.  If you feed it fats, it will get the energy from fats.  If it’s not getting the energy from food, it will get the energy from stored body fat.  This is where our old friend calories come into play.  And though some of my low-carb friends will probably skewer me for saying this, changing what you eat doesn’t mean that you can completely forget about how much you eat.  

Ketosis isn’t magic.  It isn’t a “hall pass” for weary dieters.  It’s simply a way to ease the transition from burning food to burning body fat by getting your body in the habit of burning fat (rather than carbohydrates) as fuel.  The big advantage is that fatty foods are more satisfying than carby foods, so you don’t find yourself getting hungry several times a day.  But if you tend to eat out of habit rather than hunger (me), then you might not see the losses you’re hoping for.

So as I round the bend into the final stretch of my one-year experiment, my resolution is to track my intake, and not just my ketones.  9 months seizure-free has been awesome.  But if I can, I’d like to engineer two wins out of this thing.  

Note: The ramblings published on this blog are the opinions of the author alone and shared for entertainment purposes only.  The author is an English major with no medical or scientific background; thus, his words should never be taken as medical advice.  Consult with your doctor or medical professional before undertaking any diet or exercise program.