This is perhaps one of the most seductive lies that I fell for in the early days of my low-carb/keto journey. I kept hearing the keto gurus say that I should simply ‘eat fat to satiety’. Apparently, fat was the most satiating macronutrient and the best thing I could choose to eat if I wanted …
Read moreKeto Lie #11: You should ‘eat fat to satiety’ to lose body fat
If there was anything I thought I knew for sure when I was an insulin-fearing keto zealot, it was that: the blood sugar roller coaster is bad, and stable blood sugars were good. According to the keto gurus that I was following, if you want to lose fat and optimise your metabolic health, the most …
Read moreKeto Lie #10: Stable blood sugars will lead to fat loss
Many find low carb or keto almost magical in the early days. As they move away from the most hyper-palatable fat+carb combo foods, they experience greater satiety, their blood sugars and insulin levels drop, and they feel great. High-fat foods can also feel satiating, but this may be simply because they give you a lot …
Over the past few years, people in the fasting/low-carb/keto communities have been told that: insulin toxicity is the root cause of the majority of our western diseases, insulin is public enemy number one, and reversing ‘insulin toxicity’ is the key to weight loss and health. Is fat really a ‘free food’ because of insulin? However, …
If you’ve read the previous chapters of Big Fat Keto Lies, it should not be surprising to learn that I also got into the fasting craze when it was booming in Ketoland. I was such a super fan that both Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore asked me to write a review of their book, The …
People in Ketoland like to point out that ‘there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate‘. However, while this is technically true, it’s irrelevant when you understand that the amount of essential dietary fats that you require is tiny (i.e. 1.6 g of omega-3 and 4.6 g of omega 6 PUFAs or less than …
Perhaps the biggest differentiator between keto and every successful version of a lower-carb diet (e.g. Atkins, Paleo, Bernstein, Banting, Carnivore, etc.) is the misguided fear of ‘excess protein’ to keep ketones high, insulin low and avoid gluconeogenesis. Ever since Jimmy Moore discovered that protein could convert to sugar via gluconeogenesis and therefore lower your blood …
Read moreKeto Lie #4: Protein should be avoided due to gluconeogenesis
One of the most common responses to any weight loss stall in many keto groups is that you should ‘eat more fat to get your ketones higher and burn more fat’. This lie is seductive because it is partly correct, as well as delicious! High-fat foods are highly palatable and provide a dopamine hit that …
Read moreKeto Lie #3: You should eat more fat to burn more body fat
Many people believe that they need to be ‘in ketosis’ to burn fat. Because ketones rise when someone is burning their body fat, they think that fat loss is due to the ketones, regardless of where they are coming from. Hence, they assume that more ketosis is better, especially if you have body fat to …
Read moreKeto Lie #2: You have to be ‘in ketosis’ to burn fat
If keto is about anything, it’s about ketones. One of the most confusing things about keto is the concept of ‘optimal ketosis’. Many people believe that a higher level of beta-hydroxybutyrate (also known as β-hydroxybutyrate, BHB, or ‘blood ketones’) is better. While this belief was based on the best information at the time, as more …