Short answer is sure it can work. The long answer is much more complicated. Keto is a diet that completely removes or reduces carbohydrates or carbs to very low levels. Macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein , and fats. Keto primarily focuses on fats. For example, instead of eating a sandwich you would eat it ‘bunless’. There isn’t a real focus on eating a lot of protein either.
If you’re cutting out carbs and lowering protein how does it work? For some people, and I stress some, Fat fills you up. Eating a lot of cheese and bacon may sound great at first. The reason it works for some short term is that it keeps you feeling full and significantly reduces calories. When people remove carbs they think cookies, cakes, and ice cream. Those foods all have fats as well..it’s just not marketed to you in that way. Removing cookies, cakes, and ice cream significantly reduces CALORIES.
You’ll lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume. As you might sense I don’t think Keto will work in the long term – let’s define long term as a year or greater. Why?
1. If you don’t prioritize protein you’ll lose muscle. Losing scale weight and losing fat are different. Protein is the building blocks for muscle. We lose muscle starting at age 30 and it rapidly becomes reduced after age 50. Although this article is about diet, strength training is a key component of anyone’s ability to live pain free long into life. Strength training plus adequate protein will ensure you are working towards keeping as much muscle as possible. The more muscle, the higher the metabolism..The higher the metabolism, the more calories burned. Since the thyroid acts as the thermostat for the body it regulates your metabolism. If your metabolism is already slower than average, reducing muscle through protein reduction and no exercise will slow it even more.
2. If you remove carbs then you’re removing foods that provide a TON of nutrients. Vitamins A, B1, B6, B12, C, Magnesium, and Zinc are all found in foods that are defined as carbs…Not cookies, cakes, and ice cream. Sweet Potatoes, Regular Potatoes, Fruit like apples, oranges/citrus, berries, and veggies like Broccoli, Asparagus, and Brussel sprouts. Carbs also contain fiber which is important to keep you feeling full and staying ‘regular’ with your daily bathroom schedule.
3. These vitamins and nutrients help support thyroid function. In addition to the aforementioned vitamins, Selenium, Zinc, and Iodine specifically generally help support thyroid function. Taking supplements may help (if your blood work specifically shows you need it) but supplementing with REAL FOOD will help so that supplements are only necessary occasionally. They shouldn’t be your primary source of vitamins. Foods high in selenium include whole grains (carb), brazil nuts, eggs, and muscle meats. Zinc rich foods include lean meat, fish, legumes(beans), seeds, eggs, nuts, dairy (whole fat organic), and whole grains. Iodine foods include seafood like tuna and shrimp, dairy like yogurt, iodized salt, and eggs.
4. Carbs provide your brain with fuel. Carbs are broken down into glucose which is used to fuel brain activity. Feeling stressed? Can’t sleep well? Brain fog? Eating some sweet potatoes or berries may help. Those of us with hypothyroidism typically have higher stress levels, our sleep isn’t always the best.
So what would be the better option? Get a customized and periodized plan! That means find out if you are ready to lose weight. What? Yes…If you’ve been dieting for a long time, trying new things, removing food groups, over stressed or over exercising you may not be ready for a weight loss phase. My ABC coaching program starts everyone in an Assessment phase to determine if you’re ready. Once you have built yourself up and are ready you’ll move into the fat loss phase or Balance phase. You’ll go into a slight calorie deficit that prioritizes protein. Carbs and fat will be personalized to your food likes and dislikes. Fat can also be used in some ways as energy so if that is your preference you’ll consume more fats than carbs….Although carbs will always be a part of the plan based on the reasons mentioned above. There SHOULD be a time period set for this phase. No human should be in a perpetual diet/weight loss/fat loss phase.
Once you have reached your time in this phase you’ll move on to the third phase in the process or Choice. This provides you the choice to slowly ramp up calories to the pre “Phase B” time or move immediately back into that phase. A lot will depend on your goals, lifestyle, and stress. Repeating these cycles or phases will keep your body healthy, your interest at a high level, and a long term and sustainable approach KEEPS the progress coming.
Remember, it’s not only about the fat loss but keeping the fat you lost gone forever.
I hope this helps!