Episode 49: Low Carb, Keto, and Obesity

Low Carb, Keto, and Obesity

With the rise of obesity, various diets have appeared in the 21st century, aiming to curb weight as well as improve physical performance. One of the popular approaches is the ketogenic diet – a diet high in fat and proteins and very low in carbohydrates. In today’s podcast, I’m joined by a very special guest who will discuss the rationale behind the keto diet, how it helps people with obesity manage their weight loss, several misconceptions about the keto diet, his experiences in his years of teaching and helping people with this nutritional approach, and his expert opinion on the various studies on the ketogenic diet.

Dr. Eric Westman is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University. He is both certified in Obesity Medicine and Internal Medicine and he founded the Duke Keto Medicine Clinic in 2006 after 8 years of clinical research regarding low carbohydrate ketogenic diets. He is past President and Master Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association and Fellow of the Obesity Society. He is an Editor of the textbook Obesity: Evaluation and Treatment Essentials, which I happen to read before my Obesity Medicine Boards and he is also the author of New York Times bestsellers The New Atkins for A New You, Cholesterol Clarity and Keto Clarity, and his latest new book, End your Carb Confusion

Key Takeaways:

Tune in to my conversation with Dr. Eric Westman and discover:

• The difference between a low-carb diet and a ketogenic diet
• How a low carb or ketogenic diet works in helping with the weight loss 
• The many misconceptions people have about a keto diet
• The recommended macronutrient composition of fats, protein, and carbs in keto
• Conflicting data regarding saturated fats
• Controversy about fiber in our diet
• Is the low-carb diet for everyone? Are there specific exceptions or some people who will not be able to do it? 
• Dr. Westman’s opinion on lean mass hyper responders, people having high lipid levels on the keto diet
• Should a keto diet be a medically supervised program?
• Exercising on a ketogenic diet
• How long does it take for people to get into ketosis? 
• Can vegetarians or vegans still incorporate a ketogenic diet?
• Combining intermittent fasting with an extremely low carb diet
• Keto flu and how to tackle it

Quotes:

Dr. Avishkar Sabharwal:

“Not everybody will like a ketogenic or a low carb diet and not everybody will like a whole-food, plant-based diet, so it really has to be individualized to the patient.”

Dr. Eric Westman:

“All the diets work have a commonality, in that we ask people not to have the junk foods.”

You have to understand the hunger goes away, and the cravings go away very fast, so it’s unlike just about every other diet that people have tried before, and we do call it a lifestyle.”

“I think the low-carb keto diet which emphasizes proteins over every other macronutrient, is really a healthy diet for anyone.”

“There’s wide variability in how long it takes to get into ketosis.”

“I think people can be healthy by having more carbs. Not everyone has to be keto, I think you can lower carbs in a healthy manner, which means getting rid of the refined sugar and refined flour as much as you can.”

Links:

Dr. Eric Westman:  Website, Facebook, Twitter

Book: End Your Carb Confusion

Digital Classes: Adapt Your Life Academy

Thank you for listening to another episode of Decoding Obesity!