Some say that keto is superior for fat loss.

But guess what, it’s not.

Studies consistently show that when calorie intake is equated, fat loss is the same. What does that mean? Let’s look at it this way: Person A eats a 500 calorie a day deficit on Keto. They lose 5 lbs in their first week of Keto. Person B eats a 500 calorie a day deficit on a traditional diet. They lose 5 lbs in the first week of their diet. When the caloric deficit is equated, both people lose weight at the same rate.

It’s not the Keto. It’s the caloric deficit.

Keto diets can give the illusion that they work faster because people may lose a lot of weight in the first week or two. This is mostly water and muscle glycogen (1g of carbohydrate intake brings with it 3-4g of water when it is stored) and gut content losses (there’s less food in the gut because carbohydrate, especially fiber intake, is lower).

When a drastic change is made to a person’s intake, there’s typically an immediate body response. In the case of Keto, it’s a significant drop in weight, pretty immediately, and makes the dieter feel successful. Which is great! But that success doesn’t last very long AND the highly restrictive list of foods they can eat quickly becomes a frustration rather than a source of enjoyment.

It’s nearly impossible to maintain a 100% keto diet 365/24/7. At some point, most Keto dieters ‘fall off the wagon’ and go back to eating ‘normal’ foods like bread, rice, and potatoes. Partly because the restriction messes with their sanity and partly because the body knows what it needs and will eventually start telling you…in the way of low energy and high cravings.

With Keto, whenever people go off the diet (or any diet where carbs are drastically cut) they gain a large amount of weight back pretty immediately. It’s not always actual fat gain. They don’t realize this is mostly the water/glycogen regain. As fast as it dropped off, it can pile right back on too, if the diet isn’t maintained forever.

So, because of this pretty immediate regain, most people feel trapped and go back to a diet they may not love in order to get back those good results. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Especially if the metabolism has been damaged by lack of nutrients or too few calories for too long a period of time.

I’m here to tell you that a calorie deficit matters most for fat loss. It really doesn’t matter how the deficit is made, just that it’s made. Period. That means you can eat carbs and eat in a deficit. That means you don’t have to cut out entire food groups and you can still have a deficit. That means you can create a sustainable nutrition program, that actually works with your lifestyle, while eating in a deficit, and still lose weight.

One diet is not better than another if you cannot stick to it. The only diet that will work is the one that you can sustain forever. Fat loss requires a calorie deficit so whatever way of eating that you can find enjoyable or sustainable will ALWAYS be the way to go.