Customer Reviews

The Ketogenic Diet: A Complete Guide for the Dieter and Practitioner

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have been looking for a diet book like this for years. Since I've been involved in weight lifting I have tried to read as much as possible about various diet methods. When low-carb diets became popular I was skeptical, but wanted to learn more. I read through the material I could find online and just finished "The Greenwich Diet". In all cases I found myself totally unsatisfied with everything I read. Every book pitched it's particular take on the low carb diet as a miracle cure and didn't provide much information about what was really happening to your body. I decided to give "The Ketogenic Diet" a try and was stunned -- it is the most complete diet book I have come across. I finally understand how many types of diets work (not just low carb diets).

McDonald begins with a history of ketogenic diets and then goes into a detailed explanation of how various nutrients (both macro and micro) affect your body. After this explanation he presents three versions of the ketogenic diet, with two of the diets aimed at athletic individuals who are looking to maintain their exercise performance while on one of these programs. Each diet is accompanied by detail information about how to implement the diet.

As I have said, the material in this book is incredibly detailed and completed, but what really makes this book worth 5 stars is that the information is presented in a non-biased way. According to the introduction, McDonald wrote this book to clear confusion about ketogenic diets, not to champion them. Much of the material is accompanied by research references and McDonald clearly states where research is lacking or where he is offering his own opinion.

Overall, "The Ketogenic Diet" will make an excellent addition to any dieter's collection of reading. Also, if you are considering a ketogenic diet this will gives you an unbiased view of how they really work.

This book is a breath of fresh air in the dank world of dieting. Many individuals have followed the ketogenic diet and found it to be both healthy and effective for fat loss. Nonetheless, various "experts" and others consistently tell dieters that it is neither. Those who use it have frequently had to keep their heads down in the "fat free" world ("You eat WHAT for dinner?"). To our great relief, Lyle McDonald has done the legwork and presents a factual, research-based, and balanced account of the effects of ketogenic dieting in one volume and in an eminently readable fashion. This book should appeal to readers at all levels, from academician/researcher to practitioner to dieter. Its value as a review of the literature on ketogenic dieting, as well as a practical guide for the application of the ketogenic diet to various situations, far outweighs its price. The compilation of these references in one place is well worth the price of the book, but it doesn't end there...it also provides easy to understand and follow practical applications. This is a book that all dieters, ketogenic or not, would do well to read.

I've been low carbing for a year now. I found Protein Power to be the very best introduction to the low carb lifestyle, though like most diet books it makes it seem a whole lot easier than it really is. I found Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution to be the best introduction to how to use low carbing for people with Diabetes. But this book gave me a much deeper understanding of what really is happening in our body's while we low carb.

This is not an easy reader. Lyle writes like a scientist. But he does explain a host of physiological processes that go on when we shift our metabolisms to a fat-based rather than glucose based fuel burning mode.

If you want to move away from diet-meister hype and overblown promises to serious understanding of how our bodies work, based on a rock solid analysis of scientific research, this is the book for you!

This is, without any doubt, the best researched and well written book that I have read since leaving University.

A bodybuilder for some years I have always struggled (as do most) with my bodyfat levels.

I started this diet at 20% body fat and have, over the last 12 weeks, reduced that level to 11.5%. A loss of 23lbs. I am thinking of competing in September and should reach my goal of 5/6% well before.

It's been a while since my abdominals have been seen, but by this diet method they are back, and all without having to put myself through the usual hell that bodybuilders have to in order to drop bodyfat percentages.

I have found that I have lost next to no muscle just fat.

Thanks Lyle McDonald! Your book is the best thing since sliced bread. (Although I've forgotten what it tastes like.)

People that opted for a low-carb lifestyle are actually making a life-or-death decision on their own lives. It does not help that there are a lot of misinformation around it, specially suggesting that you will have all sort of health complications because of it.

This is a very complete book on the subject. It explains the physiology around a ketogenic diet. It's well researched and full of references. It leans toward athletes but anyone could learn a lot from it.

This book does not tell you how to follow a Ketogenic diet. For that purpose I would recommend "Protein Power".

I've read literally tens of books on low-carb diets. This one is the only one that really explains what happens in your body. I highly recommend this book for anyone that want to know more on how a low-carb diet works.

Lyle McDonald's book is the best low carbohydrate (ketogenic) book I have ever read. I have lost over 50 pounds of fat and am able to stop injecting insulin (am now diet controlled) to control my type II diabetes following a ketogenic diet. (Lyle McDonald does not tell anyone to stop taking any medication without their physician's approval)

While being technically accurate he is able to translate these ideas for the average person (like me) to understand. If you plan to use a low carbohydrate diet to lose weight/fat and intend to do any form of exercise this book is a "must read".

This is the only book that gives specific detailed easy-to-follow instructions for ketogenic dieting. Atkin's was good, this book is 10x better.

Investing in this book is sure to help you achieve your fat loss goals in the fastest safest manner possible. The book has helped me, it can help you too.

The amount of misinformation circulating about ketogenic diets is dumbfounding. This book is the most thorough investigation of all medical research regarding ketogenic diets that has ever been assembled. The references are impressive, to say the least.

Although quite technical, I had no problems understanding any of it. Lyle presents a clear, no-nonsense/no-hype explanation of what a body goes through in ketosis. A must-read for anyone on a ketogenic diet or considering one. Everyone should bring an extra copy to their physician to stave off the "misinformed speech" problem.

While I think Lyle is abrasive to the point of abuse in many of his frequent posts to the misc.fitness.weights USENET newsgroup this book is an excellent reference for anyone considering doing a cyclical ketogenic diet. You should also read www.c-k-d.com, particularly the forums. This diet works, no question about it, and is very effective for atheletes who don't want to catabolize muscle while cutting fat. If you understand the principles outlined in the book, a non-bodybuilder can also make great progress on a modified and slighly less strict version of this diet. I know as I've done it myself by going from 23 to 15% bodyfat in four months while at the same time improving my squat and deadlift personal bests.

The goofballs who've given this book 1 stars are likely either harboring a grudge against Lyle personally for his above-mentioned behavior or are just too dense to appreciate what is in this book.

The Ketogenic Diet contains lots of technical information and yet is immensely, even compulsively, readable. Lyle McDonald presents everything you want to know about low-carb diets: how they work, how to design a diet based on your individual activity level, how to incorporate aerobic and resistance training while dieting. The style of the book is scientific, in the best sense of that word: McDonald backs up his assertions by siting studies, but he is willing (and eager) to acknowledge that individual response is variable. Perhaps the most valuable thing about the book is that it teaches the reader to assess their individual response to the ketogenic diet, offering the opportunity to optimize sports performance and fat loss in an intelligent, results-oriented manner.

The book provides a thorough understanding what to do in order to successfully combine the ketogenic diet with exercise. Almost as important, it also tells you *why* you need to do it that way. Understanding "why" really helped me to make the behavior changes I was striving for. His advice saved me from many costly mistakes I would have made otherwise. If you don't think that changing your body is possible, try implementing the guidelines in this book.