Keto Diet vs Low Carb Diet for Weight Loss: What Works Best
See On YouTube: Keto vs Low Carb Diets For Fat Loss: Insights From Natural Bodybuilding Contest Prep
Transcript:
So in this video we’ll be talking about
zero carb and ketogenic diets, versus a low carb diets,
and I’m going to share with you my experience
and what I’ve seen, over the past several decades.
Working not just with my regular clients,
but also the very special group of athletes.
Insight that should help you make your decision
as to which one you should be using for your weight loss.
And most importantly, which one you should
be avoiding completely stay tuned.
So today we’re talking about ketogenic
or keto carb diets versus low carb diets.
And before I go any further,
I’d like to first thank every single person for tuning in,
do be sure to like, and subscribe,
the support for this channel so far has been tremendous.
And I really appreciate it.
I also if you subscribe, you’ll to be first in line
to get all the new content that’ll be coming out
on a very regular basis.
So, on to the topic.
One of the hardest things to be able to
measure when someone is on a low carb diet,
versus a zero carb diet,
is exactly what the body composition changes are.
First off, there aren’t that many instances
where you’re going to have two people more or less
on similar diets with similar goals
who are training the same way that you can use
as a controlled experiment to see which one works best.
Natural Bodybuilders Contest Prep with Keto vs Low Carb Diets
However, thankfully, because I have worked
with so many natural bodybuilding competitors,
I actually have a group of people
with whom it’s really easy to see the differences
in body composition.
Now you can look at the numbers all you want,
at the end of the day, nobody cares about the numbers.
You care about what you look like,
and you also care about how long you’re able
to maintain whatever progress, it is that you’ve made.
And from this population,
we can really see the changes in the body.
And really see which one was successful long-term
or longer-term, and which one was not successful
long term or longer term.
So, the big problem is when people talk about
their friends who are on a keto diet
and, they lost some weight, they look better.
It’s really hard to really know what’s going on
because first off, most people are in the 20 percentile
in terms of body fat.
So, the average person losing weight
is probably going to go from, let’s say, 22, 23% body fat
to maybe, 21 or 20% body fat
if they’re lost, let’s say 10, 15 pounds.
It’s really hard with that kind of composition
to see what’s going on muscle wise,
what’s going on fat wise,
what’s going on water retention wise.
It’s really difficult.
How Keto Diets Create Misleading Weight Loss Through Glycogen Depletion
And the problem is, the second you cut your carbs,
you are going to see the numbers on the scale drop.
The numbers on the scale are going to drop
because your body holds on to carbohydrates as fuel
in what’s called glycogen.
And glycogen is a combination of glucose,
sugar from the carbohydrates, plus water.
So you put your carbs over the course of even a day or two,
you’re going to see a drop in the scale,
because you’re basically retaining less water.
Now, the bigger you are, the more water you retain.
So the bigger you are when you initially start a low carb
or zero carb diet, let’s stick to zero carb diet,
you’re going to see a drop in the numbers,
and you’re going to be excited about how great that is.
But the good thing about working and looking
at how [Natural] bodybuilders respond,
is that at the end of the day,
they’re all going to be at a point, for a competition,
where they’ve done everything to get rid
of as much fluid as possible.
So, the fluid isn’t a problem.
It’s not something you need to take into consideration,
and because they’re going to be so lean,
10% or lower than 10% body fat for the men.
And somewhere between, I’d say 14 to 11, 12% for the women,
you can really see the differences
in terms of what they look like.
And here’s what I saw;
First off let’s explain how it came,
that people were eating differently
and doing different things.
Back in the days, I would coach a number of competitors
at the same time.
I’d trained them all at the same time,
I’d coached them all at the same time.
Some of them would want to do their own thing.
And this is a good thing for us because it gives us
an ability, and give me back then as a young coach coming up
[a Chance] to see what works and what didn’t work.
And everyone was on more or less the same diet,
but some in the name of expediency,
and because they thought that going on a zero carb diet
would help them lose body fat faster,
elected to go on zero carb diets while dieting.
So you had group A, who was zero carb.
Then you had group B who were following my recommendations,
where they were consuming some carbohydrates.
Somewhere around, I would say between 150 to 200 grams
of carbohydrates per day, which is not high.
Some of them as high as 250,
depending on their activity levels.
But they were getting enough carbohydrates to do exactly
what they needed.
And also very importantly, they were getting
enough carbohydrates that are going to
not make the dieting process as severe.
The other group however, had zero carbohydrates.
A completely keto diet as they elected to eat pretty much protein
with some vegetables in there, no fruits.
And at the end of the day,
over a period of about
four to three months,
here’s what I saw;
Weight Loss & Fat Loss Results In Natural Bodybuilders On Keto vs Low Carb Diets
The group that went zero carb, completely ketogenic diet,
lost slightly more weight
than the group that went
low carbohydrate.
Slight differences with people who weighed
more or less the same,
who were about four,
to five pounds difference.
Now that doesn’t sound like much,
but what was dramatic was the way they looked.
Increase Muscle Losses On The Keto Diet vs The Low Carb Diet
The ones on the zero carb diet,
even when they carbed back up to put some carbohydrates
back into your system, so you fill up with glycogen,
so you look harder and fuller,
this is a technique that bodybuilders use.
They were still significantly smaller
in terms of retained muscle mass than those who had elected
to keep some carbohydrates in their diets.
Now it was noticeable,
noticeable also in the placings.
The ones who went on the low carb diet,
all did better than those who went on the zero carb diet.
So from an aesthetic point of view,
if you’re trying to get that lean muscular look,
you kind of want to go low carb.
You do not want to take all the carbohydrate
out of your diet.
And I’m going to explain exactly why,
because there is some science behind that.
Increased Weight Gain And Uncontrollable Eating Post Contest From The Keto Diet
But also what was really troubling and really disturbing
was what happened after the competition.
Everyone in group A, who was on a zero carb diet
struggled to not put on large amounts of excess body fat
because their eating was,
as they described it “uncontrollable.”
Now in group B, there were some
who also experienced some difficulty
in terms of going back to some equilibrium with their diets.
And there were some who exhibited some issues
with eating uncontrollably as well,
but they didn’t put on as much body fat
as those in the other group.
And the numbers were really small in comparison.
Whereas everyone in group A all had problems eating
regularly after going on a zero carb diet.
Why Carbohydrates Are Important To Preserve Muscle Mass And Maintain Healthy Metabolism
Now the science of it. The science of it is,
that carbohydrates spares protein.
And what that means is,
from a biological perspective,
[is that] your body will always do whatever it takes
to make sure that your brain has the fuel it needs.
Without a certain amount of glucose,
which is the fuel that your brain uses
and the fuel that your muscles use, everything stops.
And your body gets glucose from different places.
Now, by going on a zero carb or ketogenic diet,
what you’re doing is you’re taking all the carbohydrates
out of the equation more or less.
So your body is taking in a diet of protein and fat
and through something called ketosis,
your body adapts and says,
“Well, we don’t have any carbohydrates coming in. So what
we’re going to do is start tapping into
fats as the way that we are going to fuel our body.”
So, your body takes the fats and convert the fats
into sugars, which helps fuel your brain,
fuel your muscles and everything else.
But there’s a problem there.
The problem is, your body from an evolutionary point of view
is designed to do everything possible,
to maintain fat stores.
It doesn’t want to go to a place where fat stores are zero.
It doesn’t want you to be completely ripped to shreds
if you’re not ripped to shreds.
It doesn’t want you to lose ridiculous amounts of body fat.
It does not want that at all.
It’s going to do everything possible to be as conservative
as possible.
And that’s very important! Our bodies are conservative.
And as such, what your body’s going to do,
it’s going to start tapping into other sources.
Now whenever someone talks about low carb, zero carb diets,
or ketosis, anything like that,
they tend to kind of omit the fact that you can’t have
someone in ketosis, who is taking in almost
no carbohydrates whatsoever,
who is not going to be experiencing
some decrease in muscle mass.
Because your body, just like I said,
doesn’t want to burn all the fat.
We all know this, we all know how hard it is
to get rid of body fat.
And we all know as well that the leaner you get
the harder it is to lose body fat
because your body wants to hold onto it.
So it taps into the other huge reservoir
of potential glucose
that it can convert, which is skeletal muscle.
Skeletal muscle is, first and foremost,
the most metabolically active tissue in your body.
It burns more calories, uses more energy to maintain
than anything else [tissue-wise].
But if you’re on a completely zero carb diet,
your body is going to start tapping into your muscle mass,
your skeletal muscle mass in a process called
gluconeogenesis, where it’s going to convert the protein
in your muscles into glucose.
It’s not only going to come from fat,
and from your fat stores.
It’s also going to come from your skeletal muscle.
Which is going to make you, number one, flabbier.
Number two, weaker. And number three, and really important,
it’s going to reduce your resting metabolic rate. [RMR]
The amount of calories your body burns,
doing nothing over the course of a day,
is going to plummet.
Because muscle takes a lot to maintain.
You start losing muscle, you get into a place where
you’re going to have difficulty,
as far as dropping your calories to a point,
where you’re going to continue losing weight
and continue losing body fat safely.
The other thing is, the rebound effect.
Remember your body is going to tap into skeletal muscle
because it’s there,
it’s readily available,
and it’s deprived.
But if you’re getting some carbohydrates all the time,
and when I say some, with my people and my clients,
I make sure they get just enough.
we go through individually, how much they need to take in,
and this allows them to maintain some sort of equilibrium
as far as their energy levels,
which is a very individual thing.
And we make sure it’s enough that it’s not going to be such
that they are constantly deprived of carbohydrates.
You don’t need that much carbohydrates at all
to maintain muscle mass.
When I teach survival classes,
I talk about the importance of getting some carbs
into your system at all times,
whenever energy levels are low.
Because even a small amount, can spare muscle mass.
A small amount coming in your body says,
“Oh, we have glycogen coming in,
we have carbohydrates coming in!
We’re good, we don’t need just tap into skeletal muscle.”
If you don’t have any, it becomes a problem.
You start losing that muscle mass.
The other thing is, the rebound effect.
If you haven’t consumed carbohydrates
for a really long period of time,
and you’ve dropped your calories,
at some point, because we are surrounded
by a super abundance of [hyperpalatable] carbohydrates,
you’re going to start back eating carbs.
And when you to do, you’re not going to be able
to contain yourself.
The people I’m talking about [Group A] are elite athletes,
people who are perhaps the most dedicated,
the most disciplined with their diet that you’ll ever meet.
We’re not talking about people who are, you know,
just kind of dabbling in it.
It’s their lives, it’s their careers,
and they’re really serious about it.
And they are uncontrollable after a period
of zero carb consumption when they return to eating
any amount of carbs.
It’s a problem because what happens is,
they put a lot of fat on afterwards
because number one, they lost a lot of muscle mass.
And number two, the eating [urges] they have
to go through [afterwards] is going to be hormone driven.
Which is going to make it uncontrollable.
Your body will need to keep on eating
because it perceives itself in a really bad state.
If you’re in a place where your body is in ketosis,
as far as your body is concerned,
if there’s an opportunity to get out of it,
because remember, it’s conservative,
it wants to maintain as much body fat as possible.
It’s going to do what it takes,
which is to make you eat more.
So number one, you’re going to lose muscle.
Number two, you’re not going to have that
really tight toned look.
And number three, you’re going to be more likely
to overeat afterwards.
Those are all pretty compelling arguments
against eating zero carb,
and some really good arguments for eating low carb.
Because as far as weight loss is concerned,
I would probably argue that all things considered
both teams,
both group lost more or less
the same amount of body fat,
but one maintained more muscle.
One had less aftereffects from the dieting.
And one group also was able to go back
to a better, more normalized way of eating after
the competition and maintain [some of] that [lean] look.
Whereas the other group who was
completely zero carb couldn’t.
This is an important thing that we need to talk about;
what happens next!
Lifestyle, long-term you need some carbs.
You also need fiber,
which we’re going to talk about in other videos.
Fiber is really, really, really important.
And going to zero carb makes it really difficult
to get the fiber that your body needs.
Just eating vegetables and salads isn’t enough.
You need a lot of fiber, a lot.
So, my recommendation to you is stick with some carbs,
as far as how much this should be for you?
It’s individual, you need to experiment to figure out
exactly how much.
You can go low carb, but do not go to zero carb.
I really and truly, you know,
am almost begging you, don’t go zero carb.
Yes, you’ll see numbers on the scale drop
but you’ll see a lot more drop in the long-term.
It’s something you’re going to pay for
and you’re not going to get that look you’re going for.
I really and truly hope this video helps you on your path.
And again, be sure to subscribe, like the video
and thanks so much for tuning in, Excelsior!
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My Budget Home Gym Setup Recommendations
Anyone following along knows that I have a pretty impressive home gym setup, but as nice as it is to have all this equipment, the fact is that you don't need very much in order to make progress if you are training at home.
Which is why my number one recommendation is a pair of dumbbells. Maybe a barbell as well, but that's really all you need.
I trained for about a year during the lockdowns with just a pair of dumbbells and a barbell and was able to make tremendous progress, and to this day I universally recommend and provide dumbbells to my online training clients and they have made some great gains as well.
So if you are thinking about training at home, start small and keep it simple. Thanks as always for watching and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#homegymsetup #dumbbells #trainathome #trainingathome #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuildingvideos #homegymlife #homegymequipment #homegymrat #homegymideas #homegym #personaltrainer
High Intensity Training- Negative Leg Extensions!
The negative, or eccentric, phase of any resistance movement creates the most micro trauma and thus stimulates the most growth and strength increases.
As such having someone pushing down in the lowering phase can REALLY up the intensity of your training.
This was my last set and my training partner and Naturally Intense Personal Training Senior Trainer @egcitrin is pushing down as I lower the weight and (and is it just me or is she pushing more and more as I go along?)
But I don't stop there.
On the 12th rep I execute an isometric hold for a count of 5 seconds with Erika actively pushing down before ending with nine punishing final reps!
I think I was sore for at least a full week after this but still training and hope you are too!
And as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #highintensitytraining #highintensitytrainingtips #hometraining #homeworkout #fitover40 #naturalbodybuildingvideos #naturalbodybuildingtraining #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #legextensions #legday #legworkout #powertec #legdayworkout
Avoiding Injury As A Natural Athlete- Just Do This!
As a natural athlete, whether your goal is bodybuilding or body transformation, everything happens slowly and over very long stretches of time.
To that end, it is of the utmost importance that you prioritize not getting injured, as an injury can slow if not completely curtail your ability to realize your goals.
That being said, most people, when something hurts, just power through it, as there is this misplaced belief that there are some exercises that you need to do.
Squats, deadlifts, barbell bench presses and the like may be excellent exercises, but if it hurts, don't do it.
Or better yet, do something else to build yourself up to a point where you can do them, but there are times when some of those mainstay movements simply might not be for you.
Now for some, saying everyone can't squat or deadlift is heresy punishable by ridicule, but they won't be with you at the physical therapy sessions, and they will still be training while you are out.
If it hurts, don't do it, even if your favorite influencer swears it's a necessity. There are hundreds of alternatives, and your job is to find what doesn't hurt while recruiting the most muscular activation and sticking with it.
Do that and you'll save yourself a lot of pain and you'll realize your goals much faster as well. Stay safe while training and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#naturalbodybuilding #bodytransformation #nodrugs #weighttraining #listentoyourbody #avoidinginjury #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuilder #fitness #fitnesstips #nosquats #injury #injuryprevention #trainsmart #sustainabletraining #nosteroids #naturalbodybuildingvideos #excelsior #highintensitytraining #fitover40 #personaltrainer #bodybuilding
Why Exercises Won't Get You A 6 Pack!
One of the most common questions I get asked is what exercises I do for my abs and my response of
"Absolutely none whatsoever" is often received with some sense of disbelief, but it's the honest truth.
I don't do any direct exercises for my abs and haven't since the mid to early 1990's because I already had a foundation from years of truly grueling ab work and having a six pack is directly proportional to what I eat, not what exercises I do.
My abs get plenty of work from the squats, rows, deadlifts and other compound movements that I do and I can prove, having not done crunches, leg raises, planks and any of that for the past 28 years or so that it's 100% diet.
If you want to have great abs, the exercise you need to master is walking away from the foods you shouldn't be eating.
My diet is and has been one of precision for a very long time, and it's what I eat and how I eat that allows me to always have a six pack, nothing else.
The good news is that everyone already has a six pack, you just have to get rid of the fat deposits above it for them to show, and if you put your mind to it, stay disciplined and avoid processed foods entirely, it can certainly happen.
So watch what you eat and focus on your diet if you really want that six pack and Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#sixpack #sixpackabs #6pack #6packabs #absmadeinthekitchen #everyonehasa6pack #abs #noabworkout #naturalbodybuilding #personaltrainer #drugfreebodybuilding #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #muscularity #naturalbodybuilder #timededicationsacrifice #excelsior #focusontheprocess #dothework #diet #abs
I Only Train Three Days a Week.
That's right.
Just three days a week with short high intensity training based workouts and it allowed me to compete successfully as a natural bodybuilder, and it's how I have trained and how my personal training clients have trained for the past 30 years.
The biggest problem in training is a lack of dedicated experimenting.
Everyone goes along with the training programs espoused by the most popular, without questioning the fact that the top figures in the fitness industry are all on steroids, and as such their methods may not always be best for natural athletes.
There are many reasons to consider low volume training but most importantly is that it allows for training sustainability.
Three days a week is far more doable long term than 4, 5, 6 or 7 days a week.
And I can tell you for a fact that it has been tested time and time again, and it works if you work it.
So give training less some consideration and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#train3xaweek #highintensityworkouts #naturalbodybuilder #trainlessexcelmore #trainsmart #sustainabletraining #competeatthehighestlevels #nosteroids #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuildingvideos #naturalbodybuildingtips #excelsior #highintensitytraining
Lever Arm Presses 595 for 28 Reps!
High Intensity Home Training.
The (Titan Fitness) @betitanfit Lever Arm setup on my @roguefitness Monster Lite Rack and my @powertecfitness Utility Bench is a godsend in terms of adding variety to my home training.
It feels very much like a Hammer Strength Machine Press and the best part is that you can not only angle it to get the most out of the pectoral contraction, but that you can put the weight up at a point where it really feels heavy all to but the end of the movement.
For this movement I pyramided up to the most weight I could put on and decided just to go. No plan in terms of reps, just get to that point where it really starts to scorch and then keep going!
I don't think I ever got this many reps in before but I felt strong at the start and what I do know is that I was unnaturally sore for at least a full week afterwards!!!
Still training, hope you are too and Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #highintensitytraining #highintensitytrainingtips #roguefitness #betitanfit #UnleashYourTitan #ryourogue #hometraining #homeworkout #roguerack #fitover40 #naturalbodybuildingvideos #naturalbodybuildingtraining #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #leverarms #chestday #chestworkout #powertec
New Video: Why I Stopped Training In Public Gyms!
Click on my bio link to find out why!
In March 2020 after 31 years of training in gyms, I began training at home and have been training here ever since. Which is surprising for someone like me given how much I benefited from training in a gym environment, but over the years things have changed and not necessarily for the best.
Commercial gyms are a far cry from what they used to be and I began to feel over time that training in a public gym was starting to be detrimental to my overall progress.
Yes, it's more convenient to train at home.
Yes, there's no commute involved.
And yes, I can collapse on the floor after a workout and not have to move (which is really nice, by the way!!!)
But that's not the main reason why I stopped going to gyms and I can honestly say that I may never set foot in a commercial gym again.
Click on my bio link to see the full video and find out why!
Thanks as always for taking the time to look at my work and Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#gymlife #homeworkouts #fitness #trainathome #gymalternative #nomoregyms #gainsathome #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuildingtips #fitover40 #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #homegym #hometraining #homegymlife #homegymsetup
How Long Does It Take To Look Like A Natural Bodybuilder?
The journey to get that muscular physique you see on an impressive looking natural bodybuilders isn't easy and it doesn't happen overnight.
It takes years of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice even with good genetics.
It took me well over 12 years to do it myself, but the best part is that YOU CAN DO IT!
You don't need drugs, you don't need supplements, you just need dedication and consistency.
But you have to keep in mind the fact that it won't happen overnight.
So, as I always say focus on the process. do the work and Excelsior! #naturallyintense
#naturalbodybuilding #personal trainer #drugfreebodybuilding #natura;lbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #muscularity #naturalbodybuilder #timededicationsacrifice #excelsior #focusontheprocess #dothework #tenyears
