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Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 17, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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High-protein keto vs high-fat keto?

I want to lose weight and maintain muscle. I've previously tried a high-protein keto diet (~100g protein, 50g fat, <30g carbs) but at the time wasn't even aware that that's not really what's meant by keto. It worked well for me, are there any long-term health issues I need to be aware of?

One bonus to fat is that it's a much better fuel for low-intensity aerobic exercise, which is great for both general metabolic health and sustainable weight loss. At walking or very light cycling intensity, the majority of energy comes from fat oxidation, allowing something like coffee with a dollop of butter and/or cream to provide sufficient fuel for a long walk in the morning. Personally, if I were trying to drop weight, I would figure out what was enough protein to minimize catabolic activity and fill the rest of my calories with mostly fats.

https://www.exfatloss.com/p/show-me-the-bcaa-studies

This whole substack would probably be interesting for you, but this article in particular argues pretty hard for high fat/low muscle protein (but maybe more gelatin/collagen than normal.)

I've done high protein keto the last couple of times and its been really inefficient compared to high fat keto. Weight loss just kind of fizzled out early and I felt like I was torturing myself for nothing. This is just a subjective anecdote.

The risk of high protein is that you are eating enough protein to convert it to sugar, screwing over your ketosis. I'd suggest using ketostix to track whether your ketones are behaving correctly on the high protein before you try it.

Personally I capped my protein around 66g a day for that reason, but people vary.

High protein just... isn't keto. Better to call it low carb.

Yeah. That diet did work for me though so I think I might just give up on keto and go for a low-fat, low-calorie diet.

Don't be too afraid of fat. What screws me over is high carbs and sugar, that packs the pounds on. I'm not saying shove your face into a bucket of fried chicken every day, but natural fats (yes, butter) aren't the worst, and if you're eating a lot of fat but not a lot of sugar (as in whipped cream which is the double whammy of high fat and high sugar), you'll soon find you don't eat as much fatty foods.

It's the combination of fat and sugar/carbs that is the killer. I could eat my way through a half panloaf of toast and butter no bother. Dry toast on its own? No way. That much butter on its own? Absolutely not. Combine the two? Bad news.

High fat with lots of fiber too, if only for cleansing your intestines and making bathroom trips better. I can't speak to the overall health benefits of one vs. the other though.