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

by Lyle McDonald

Very low-carbohydrate (aka ketogenic) diets such as The Atkins Diet, Protein Power and The South Beach Diet have come and gone repeatedly over the years and there is currently great research and real-world interest in their effects. Unfortunately, altogether too much misinformation exists regarding them.

Folks who are pro-low-carbohydrate diets tend to present them as the quick and easy solution to everything including obesity. Easy weight loss without hunger or calorie counting is promised but never seems to pan out as well as we might hope.

At the other extreme are the anti-low-carbohydrate folks who tend to present low-carbohydrate diets as nothing short of a nutritional disaster being perpetrated by a bunch of con men.

The truth, of course lies somewhere in the middle. While low-carbohydrate diets aren’t for everyone and have their pros and cons, the research is clear: they have major benefits under certain circumstances and can be as healthy (and sometimes healthier) than ‘standard’ carbohydrate based dieting.

The Ketogenic Diet is the first and only book to objectively examine in-depth the scientific evidence regarding low-carbohydrate/ketogenic diets. It is meant to be a reference manual for low-carbohydrate diets; it is unlike any other book on low-carbohydrate diets that you have ever read or seen.

Covering every topic in extreme detail, The Ketogenic Diet addresses everything from the basic physiology of how the body adapts to a low-carbohydrate intake, the details of human fuel utilization, the impact of low-carbohydrate diets on body composition and many, many more.

Of course, none of the above is useful without practical application guidelines. Details on how to optimize low-carbohydrate diets for different goals (such as fat loss, bodybuilding and endurance performance) are discussed along with three distinct types of low-carbohydrate diets. In addition, the book includes a complete discussion of resistance, aerobic and anaerobic exercise physiology along with specific training programs for different goals and different levels of trainee

At 325 pages and containing over 600 scientific references, this will be your complete reference for ketogenic diets.

Please note: this book does not include information on the ketogenic diet for adolescent epilepsy (the topic is discussed briefly). I highly suggest The Ketogenic Diet: A Treatment for Epilepsy, 3rd Edition (Paperback) by Freeman, Freeman and Kelly (link will take you to Amazon.com page).

Table of contents

Section I: Introduction

1. Introduction to the ketogenic diet
2. History of the ketogenic diet

Section II: The physiology of ketosis

3. Fuel utilization
4. Basic ketone body physiology
5. Adaptations to ketosis
6. Changes in body composition
7. Other effects of the ketogenic diet

Section III: The diets

8. Setting calorie levels
9. The standard ketogenic diet (SKD)
10. Carbs and the ketogenic diet
11. The targeted ketogenic diet (TKD)
12. The cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD)

Section IV: Other topics for the ketogenic diet

13. Breaking fat loss plateaus
14. Ending a ketogenic diet
15. Tools for the ketogenic diet
16. Final considerations

Section V: Exercise physiology
17. Muscular physiology and energy production

18. Aerobic exercise
19. Interval training
20. Weight training
21. The effect of exercise on ketosis
22. Exercise and fat loss

Section VI: Exercise guidelines

23. General exercise guidelines
24. Aerobic exercise
25. Interval training
26. Weight training

Section VII: Exercise programs

27. Beginner programs
28. Intermediate programs
29. The advanced CKD workout
30. Fat loss for pre-competition bodybuilders

Section VIII: Supplements

31. Supplements

Index

Genres: Nutrition, Health, Fitness, Nonfiction, Science, Food, Self Help

323 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Misty Rios · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ketogenic Diet was an interesting read for the most part. It really does go into great detail and technicalities about body mechanisms and how precisely ketosis works so it may be a little overwhelming for the beginner.
It did help me learn a lot about different body processes although it was basically a more in depth review of everything I already knew. I must admit though that everything in this book is very well researched and there are hundreds of references cited.
I ended up skimming through some parts because they were more related to body builders rather than the average dieter. In fact, it seemed like that was supposed to be the main audience for the book.
If you are into body building or want to learn more about how the body processes different foods then this is the book for you. However, if you are looking to begin a ketogenic diet for the first time this book may end up frustrating you more than helping.

[Samuel Kordik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The comprehensive book on ketogenic dieting for weight loss or athletic performance. Exhaustively researched, thoroughly footnoted, and detailed on every sphere of training, nutrition, and supplementation.

The only weakness this book has is it is focused heavily on the bodybuilding/weightlifting realm and is very light on other types of athletic endeavors. This makes sense given the author's own background, but the book would be stronger if it included more on endurance and other sports. Triathletes and ultra-long distance runners have both demonstrated substantial results with the ketogenic diet in the past few decades and this is a glaring omission in a text like this.

Nonetheless, it is hard to imagine a more useful or thorough work on this approach to nutrition.

Edit on 1/21/2018: In light of more recent publications, this work is in dire need of an update. The content is still really solid and this is really comprehensive. However, many points should be updated; things like home ketone monitoring have dramatically changed and research into fasting and the effects of ketosis on cancer are different as well. At this point, I would not recommend this to any but the most serious practitioner looking for a more thorough, comprehensive work.

[Bo Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and relatively easy read. He dispels the myths about the "keto" diet and goes in detail about the various types of Keto. He correctly puts the "Atkins diet" in it's place. It is also very well documented with supporting scientific research. You can read a google books version here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=JtCZ...

[Nate Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book. So much information. I learnt a lot from this. Not only about a ketogenic diet, but also nutrition and understanding.

[Steven Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite being a bit outdated (published ~20 years ago), I find that the information in this book is still highly relevant today. Lyle talks about the ketogenic diet - the what, the how, the why - including the benefits and challenges. His explanations are largely supported by peer-reviewed articles, along with his anecdotal experiences. I appreciate that he outlines areas where evidence not conclusive, and is careful not to make strong recommendations. If you have questions or concerns about the keto diet, I recommend reading this book.

[Arnab Sarkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated but a good overview of body biochemistry with a good degree of scientific depth - proving the point that Ketogenic diets can be healthy and countering myths and wrong notions about the body in ketosis.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really dense and well documented book! Targeting more bodybuilders but also gives useful tips for the general public.
The main down-side is its age. It would be good to do some extra reading to include more recent studies.

[Hasim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has a comprehensive literature detail. Gives valuable info about ketogenic diet.

[Soragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skim read this book, at times reading particular chapters that peaked my interest. This seems more of a book for the advanced body builder/body hacker, not for the intermediates or beginners. It's very detailed and forces you to work out (no pun intended) the diet/exercise for you. It also seems to contradict with what other books have said, in particular Taubes'.

I think this is for a very narrow audience. All I got from reading were 2 summarised pages that I might have found through other means online.

[Alex Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great. It contains everything one could want to know about ketosis and exercising. It is full of knowledge supported by science and sound research. I would recommend this book to anyone interested not just ketosis, but in health and fitness in general. The only issue is that there is not as much research on ketosis. Therefore, some information are based on smaller sample of tests or relative. Still, you should read this book. You will not regret it. This is the best book on ketosis I've read so far.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

For weirdos like me, this is a great book. A bit daunting in size and scope it offers a full overview of the Standard Ketogenic,the Targeted and Cyclic Ketogenic diets as well as very detailed explanations, sample workouts, etc, etc.

Not available in hardcover that I could find, I got a copy in pdf format for those interested.

[Rainer Salahub]

Very informative and a great place to start if you have any interest in ketogenic diets. I would have liked to read more details about putting the diet into practice step by step. Since I workout I will be reading another book (BodyOpus) by Dan Duchaine to implement the ketogenic diet for a bodybuilder.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great in-depth explanation of Ketosis and how it can used effectively in conjunction with exercise and body building.

[Mikey Sklar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great research, but maybe you could dumb it down a bit.

[Alexandru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must-read book for any fitness&nutrition enthusiast / practitioner.