In a time where celebrities and fitness influencers alike are discussing their diets and workout routines to lose weight and look amazing, normal people can often fall down a rabbit hole of fad diets and products. Many may seem like a quick fix to lose a few pounds or build more muscle, but some can do more harm than good. 

 The Keto diet produces fast results with little sustainability long term. Many have become avid followers of the ketogenic or keto diet for its ability to allow people to shed pounds fast but this diet is not sustainable or healthy in the long run. It is true that this diet will help someone drop pounds quickly, but doctors and fans agree it should not be followed for more than a couple of months. 

According to Maria Petzel, a senior clinical dietitian at MD Anderson, weight loss from the keto diet is similar to any other diet. What you first lose is water weight which explains why people can rapidly drop pounds in a short amount of time. After that water weight is lost, Petzel states that it is fat loss like any other diet that restricts the amount of calories that you are consuming, regardless of where those calories are coming from. Petzel states, “Because of the loss of water weight, when they return to a regular diet, people find that they quickly gain back some of the weight they lost during a low-carb diet. If they don’t continue to avoid excess calorie intake they can ultimately gain all of the weight back.” 

There seems to be a yo-yo effect that frequently occurs with followers of the keto diet. They will lose weight rapidly and then gain it all back, and then try to lose it once again. This cycle repeats itself over and over. This type of unsustainable diet makes it difficult for people to maintain their results and make lifelong changes to their diet and lifestyle.

 Even with these temporary results, many are still firm believers that this is the ticket to better health, when in reality there is no shortcut or magic diet that will completely change their life. This type of diet will produce temporary results at the cost of someone’s overall health. An interview by Insider from dietitian Cathy Posey stated that a low carb and high fat diet can lead to vitamin deficiencies because of the low intake of fresh fruits, legumes, vegetables and other unprocessed whole foods. Meat and dairy has also been proven to increase inflammation and cause cancerous tumors to grow. 

Posey also stated that because many people who follow the keto diet aren’t aware of the bad types of fats that they are consuming, like saturated and trans fat, this diet may actually increase the risk of cardiovascular problems or cause high cholesterol. 

Petzel also talked about the “Keto Flu.” Many people have flu-like symptoms after starting the keto diet which can include nausea, fatigue, and gastrointestinal discomfort. This is happening because the body is starving for nutrients from a high fat diet of bacon and butter. Many are trying to manipulate how the body turns food into fuel and burns fat in the quest of a slim figure but we already know the recipe for a better life.

Study after study has shown that those who have a balanced plant based diet of carbs, protein, and fat will live a healthier lifestyle and are able to stay healthy over a long period of time. We have seen people fall victim to unrealistic diets and the keto diet is no different. Don’t blindly follow and drink the keto kool aid, do research and talk to a doctor or dietician to see what type of diet is right for you and your lifestyle.