Does Keto work if you don't lift weights?

[motivatedd]

I don't own any weights, and I don't have the time to go to a gym. I do plan to do resistance workouts like pushups/pullups and HIIT, though.

Will Keto work with this regimen or not? If not, what would be the best option?

[LastSet]

Absolutely. Try to get in some cardio though to maximize the benefits.

[weber25]

yep you do just fine concentrate on the nutrition and the movements will only benefit

[Ransom17]

No.

The Ketogenic Diet is meant for people who are exerting themselves in ways that put their body in a need for repair (ie heavy lifting, or sports training), and who need to replenish muscle glycogen periodically to continue intense training. The Atkins diet would be the best diet for someone who does not lift weights. The two are essentially the same but the Atkins diet does not include any carb load period, or pre/post workout nutrition. I will repeat this: The Ketogenic diet is an athlete based diet...and no cardio is not enough as it is aerobic and does not "damage" the body like resistance training does.

I can only recommend that anyone doing a ketogenic diet should actually understand what they are doing to their body first, and only then decide to try it. Don't get sucked into the "you can eat any fatty piece of garbage and lose weight!" mindset. The Keto diet is effective over other diets in it's own ways, but it's by no means a "take it easy" diet.

[Ransom17]

I don't own any weights, and I don't have the time to go to a gym. I do plan to do resistance workouts like pushups/pullups and HIIT, though.

Will Keto work with this regimen or not? If not, what would be the best option?

Ah, I actually forgot that you mentioned resistance work... In my honest opinion pushups/pullups alone probably won't be enough, but you can construct body weight routines that are deadly with just some simple research of body weight exercises. I'm actually currently using some olympic rings and only basic equipment at home and the stuff you can do is killer...look up olymic ring training or bodyweight exercise...

check out gymnasticbodies.com

Coach Sommers is a stand out guy.

[Shambazzle]

No.

The Ketogenic Diet is meant for people who are exerting themselves in ways that put their body in a need for repair (ie heavy lifting, or sports training), and who need to replenish muscle glycogen periodically to continue intense training. The Atkins diet would be the best diet for someone who does not lift weights. The two are essentially the same but the Atkins diet does not include any carb load period, or pre/post workout nutrition. I will repeat this: The Ketogenic diet is an athlete based diet...and no cardio is not enough as it is aerobic and does not "damage" the body like resistance training does.

I can only recommend that anyone doing a ketogenic diet should actually understand what they are doing to their body first, and only then decide to try it. Don't get sucked into the "you can eat any fatty piece of garbage and lose weight!" mindset. The Keto diet is effective over other diets in it's own ways, but it's by no means a "take it easy" diet.

Before you say No, there are a number of considerations to be made here.

First of all, Ketogenesis is a shift in how your body prioritizes energy use/sources. It is PERFECTLY reasonable that someone who doesn't lift 'heavy' or engage in 'sports training' can experience significant progress on a ketogenic diet.

I agree with you that a lot of people screw up on this diet by eating "any fatty piece of garbage" they want but the OP said nothing about that.

He said he didn't have time to get to the gym. You need nothing but your own body to burn calories and that is the important part when you are trying to cut on Keto. Run/walk, jump rope, lunges, stairs. Do anything you can to get active and moving.

OP: make sure you know what your macronutrient goals are, stay active in whatever way you can possibly manage and understand completely what you are doing and you'll be fine.

Check out this thread by MarkVI for a quick overview and some great tips/info:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=113919281

Good luck.

[IrishPilot]

Lets keep things simple:

1. A caloric deficit will make you lose "weight".
2. Keto is a method of caloric deficit, with an emphasis on fat utilization and hunger suppression among other things.
3. The intention of lifting weights during a caloric deficit is to maintain muscle mass, i.e. to help you lose "fat" not just weight.

Will keto work if you dont lift weights? As long as you maintain a caloric deficit through diet and exercise, yes it will. Yes, you will lose "weight."

[IrishPilot]

If not, what would be the best option?

I would focus on using something like fitday.com to track your calories. Hit the scale maybe once a week to track your progress. Keep your diet simple: focus on healthy, natural foods. Eat fruits, veggies, lean meats, rice, oats... Find out how many calories a day you need to eat to maintain your weight, then starting eating somewhere (preferrably ~500 calories or less) below that number.

This is one of many options...but a simple and solid one.

[jecristragedy]

No.

The Ketogenic Diet is meant for people who are exerting themselves in ways that put their body in a need for repair (ie heavy lifting, or sports training), and who need to replenish muscle glycogen periodically to continue intense training. The Atkins diet would be the best diet for someone who does not lift weights. The two are essentially the same but the Atkins diet does not include any carb load period, or pre/post workout nutrition. I will repeat this: The Ketogenic diet is an athlete based diet...and no cardio is not enough as it is aerobic and does not "damage" the body like resistance training does.

I can only recommend that anyone doing a ketogenic diet should actually understand what they are doing to their body first, and only then decide to try it. Don't get sucked into the "you can eat any fatty piece of garbage and lose weight!" mindset. The Keto diet is effective over other diets in it's own ways, but it's by no means a "take it easy" diet.

what? a keto diet doesn't automatically mean CKD.

and if he's only doing exercises that dont require weights, he can still get a decent workout. and he never said he was planning on eating garbage.

[Eileen]

Yes, there is now a trend to use keto diets for obese patients who are bedbound, because it is muscle sparing and reduces hunger. Keto will work, but don't do carb-ups. Basically, you are looking at the Atkins form of keto. The stricter you keep it, the better it will work.

Carb-ups should only come if you are doing intense exercise, preferably lifting weights. If you are doing moderate exercise and you are feeling really sluggish, you could try ONE carb meal, not a carb-up day.

[Ransom17]

Yes, there is now a trend to use keto diets for obese patients who are bedbound, because it is muscle sparing and reduces hunger. Keto will work, but don't do carb-ups. Basically, you are looking at the Atkins form of keto. The stricter you keep it, the better it will work.

Carb-ups should only come if you are doing intense exercise, preferably lifting weights. If you are doing moderate exercise and you are feeling really sluggish, you could try ONE carb meal, not a carb-up day.

Eileen said more or less what I was saying about the Keto Diet. I assume the Keto diet that we all talk about on here (which I would imagine is what the OP is asking about) is either CKD or TKD. If he isn't doing "damage" to his body - enough to put it in a state of significant repair - than he shouldn't do the Keto Diet - that is to say he shouldn't do the Keto/Carb load cycle that he would read about here, but should look at the Atkins diet, which is essentially the same without the carb up.

Carb ups are what separate the Keto diet from the other low carb diets based around a seditary lifestyle. In order to require the carb up you need to be doing exercise that would require significant glycogen depletion/muscle repair. I don't think running is quite enough to do that.