Q:  Is there any study out there that looks at the relationship between regaining body fat from specific diets? I’m on a ketogenic diet and everyone says I’m setting myself up for a massive weight gain if I ever eat normally again. I don’t want to risk packing on fat with this sort of diet if I don’t eat perfectly in the future.

A: There are non-scientific studies that exist on that subject, but most science would focus on the effects while in a ketogenic state, not what happens after. I will tell you that you definitely run the risk of regaining weight rapidly after ceasing a ketogenic diet, but that’s only if you totally suspend the diet and go back to old ways of eating abruptly. I have very successfully transitioned - via phases - from a total zero carb diet phase (at the beginning of a ketogenic program of weight loss) and come back to a certain amount of carbohydrates in the diet with little problem and with great success in maintenance. That’s due to many factors - the main being a “careful and slow” transition back to carbs, and including only carbs that don’t bother my body. Could I have reincorporated pasta or white rice back into my diet on a regular basis? Nope. There is just a certain amount of trade-off that occurs with staying fairly lean on a regular basis. Phases do work, I can attest, so you have to be cognizant of mapping things out and being religious in a careful transition. I recommend going zero carb for at least 6 to 8 weeks (vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce, spinach, and green beans are considered zero carb), and then adding in maybe some starchy vegetables every other day after that, until you can resume weight loss and lose more. Then, add a starch (baked potato or yam) or low starch carb, such as oatmeal, in every 3-4 days. This is how I did it and how it worked best. Just be committed to avoiding sugars.

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