Man sheds HALF his body fat thanks to the keto diet and cutting out the booze
WEIGHT loss is all about healthy eating, right?
That's what we're always being told by wellness gurus who advise just eating whole foods and drinking lots of water if you want to get in shape.
But for one dieter, that wasn't enough.
Marc, AKA liqfitness, has been showing off his incredible 8.6st weight loss - which he claims only really kicked off once he went keto.
At his heaviest, he weighed in at 24st and had 56 per cent body fat. Men are classed as obese if they have over 25 per cent.
Having always struggled with his weight, he found himself ballooning after a series of serious injuries playing football in high school.
His weight piled on after a series of injuries
"I've always struggled with weight loss but that surgery and recovery made me gain a lot of weight," he said on his Instagram.
"I became so unhealthy that I couldn’t keep up with my football team’s workouts and I was very depressed."
He says that he started off just eating healthier last January.
“So I started off by just eating healthier around January 2018," he told followers in the "Progresspics" thread.
Eating healthier wasn't enough
“Cut out alcohol and focused on eating lean foods and veggies."
But he said that he "didn’t see much progress", because he wasn't keeping a track of how many calories he was consuming.
It was only when he started on a keto diet following a method devised by company Ideal Protein that things started to change.
"On Ideal Protein, I eat around 1100-1400 calories a day," he explained.
Cutting the calories and going keto was key
“It doesn’t seem like much, but once you get used to it, you realise how insane anything more than 3000 calories seems.”
The Ideal Protein Protocol is split into four phases: weight loss (followed until 100 per cent of your weight loss goal is achieved), a 14-day phase, a "pre-stabilisation" phase and a 12-month maintenance stage.
The company says that "chronologically, the body will first draw on its carbohydrate reserve before turning to protein and fat.
"During the weight loss phases of the Protocol, we limit carbohydrate intake to encourage the body to turn to its fat and muscle components for energy.
"By eating protein foods, the Protocol helps to support muscle mass and teaches you how to develop smarter eating habits and lifestyle choices, to help maintain your weight after weight loss is achieved."
Keto works by forcing the body to burn its own fat reserves for fuel, rather than carbs.
His doctor monitored him every week
While 1,400 might seem incredibly low for a man, Marc said that he was following a weight loss protocol as set out by his doctor who regularly checked in on him.
"He monitored me every week to make sure I stayed healthy and got the nutrients I needed. It was very hard to eat such little amounts, but it paid off,” he said.
“If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to cut that down to like 2,000 calories.
“My BMR (basal metabolic rate - how much you burn at rest) is 2,400 calories, so that’s how many calories I burn in a day without working out. It’s all a science.
"Eat fewer calories than you burn"
Despite getting down to a lean 20 per cent body fat, it's taking a little more time for all of Marc's body to change.
He says that he still has man boobs and had no idea that they'd still be there after so much fat loss.
"Fat loss is unique to everyone. That's why I always tell people not to compare themselves to others.
"You might lose weight in some areas faster than I lose it and vice versa. It's a process and one that I'm riding out!"
His weight loss journey hasn't just been about shedding body fat
"Overall, weight loss isn’t just about the weight. It’s a lifestyle change.
"You’d be surprised how many aspects of your life change when you make those sacrifices. I’ll never go back.";
Lots of people swear by keto for fat burning but more and more research has suggested that carbs are actually essential from a health perspective.
While no one is suggesting you start mainlining chips, scientists are convinced that having a moderate amount of foods like potatoes, bread and pasta might extend your life by up to four years.
The key is to make sure that you're getting your fill of fresh veg every day and concentrating on avoiding processed grub.
MORE ON WEIGHT LOSS
Nutritionist Sarah Flower previously told The Sun: "A processed low-carb diet is not good, but a real food low-carb diet can be.
"Low carb/keto done correctly should be full of good gut boosting foods, including fibre from the vegetables.
"Most people think of Atkins or just a diet of meat and fat when they hear low-carb or keto but it is more Mediterranean style, real food, vegetables, nuts, seeds, good healthy fats, oily fish, meat, dairy — nothing more than a real food diet cutting out grains, sugars and all processed foods."
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