Perhaps a stupid question but it's floating in my head for a while so
there it goes.

Everyone who read about keto diet has at least a rough understanding that if there is not enough carbs are present the body breaks down our stored fat
into ketons, and uses that for energy instead of carbohydrates.

Now my question is, how exactly does weight loss work for those
who just restrict calories but no carbs?
How does the body convert the stored fat to energy? Is it a different process?

Thank you.

Hi there -

In the most respectful way you answered your own question, if cals are in a deficit to what energy (cals) are used then the body then turns to iits cals stored to burn including fat.

It is a totally different process though as ketones are not used for the burning of fat....unless of course you are so low in cals that your carb intake is ALSO effected to the point of being still under 20 a day or alike...

The only thing is, in doi ng it that way you also can loose muscle and nutrients from key areas of the body.

Thats why low carb/high protein is great for people like me who use weights alot too as it supports muscle.. not catabolises it.

Hope this helps?

Respect,

Stephen

It is.

Ketones are a source of energy, but they're not the intermediate step, necessarily, between your stored bodyfat and the cell.

Beyond that, you do produce ketones on a diet with carbs - any time you go long enough without eating, for instance, so it's normal to produce some while you sleep.

Thank you LowcSpike and Justin.

I always assumed it takes about three days of no carbs for the
body to start producing ketones.

Baal, research shows that it is about three days until ketones take over after glycogen stores are used. It can vary, and a lot depends on where one started. In other words, if you were fairly low carb for a period of time before attempting to go into ketosis, you'd move into it quickly (i.e., less than 3 days). Becoming what many refer to as "keto adapted" can take longer as your metabolism adjusts to getting its primary energy source from ketones (fat). Good reference for this is "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" by Phinney and Volek. One of the better guides on how to manage a keto lifestyle. Have fun with your journey!

I read that book, it is one of my favorite.

It seems I'm not explaining myself clearly here.
I would like to know how weight loss occurs
in a simply calorie deficit diet where no attention is paid where the calories come from.
How does the body use the fat if not trough ketosis?

No problemo :-) theres lots of people on here with load sof knowledge as well :-)

Here's the way I understand it:

Generally speaking cells in the body can use sugar or fat for energy.

It will use sugar first from within the cells (about 500grams stored as glucogen throughout the body). Then, when the pancreas alpha cells detect a drop in BS, it will send out a signal to the liver to release its 100grams of glucogen.

At the same time the beta cells really reign in the release of insulin thereby dropping it to a level that allows fat cells to release fat cell triglycerides into the blood stream. A triglycerides is a giant molecule with a glycerol backbone and 3 fatty acid molecules attached to it.

When the triglyceride molecule arrives inside the liver, it's broken apart and the 3 fatty acids are released back into the blood stream. The liver keeps the glycerol backbone for sentimental reasons.

At about the same time cells in the body have converted the last of their stores of sugar for energy production and begin shifting to fatty acids as a alternate energy source. Newly created fatty acids released into the blood stream travel around to find hungry cells. Since the fatty acids are now much smaller than the original triglycerides, they’re absorbed easily by cells.

The liver continues with the left over glycerol-backbones making glucose and shipping it off via the bloodstream to the brain. The brain likes glucose to keep it happy.
Since the insulin is shut down the body’s cells are “locked” from taking up glucose and any blood sugar. At the same time glucose cannot be converted back to fat until the insulin is allowed to rise again in the blood stream.

Since the body doesn’t have sugar to run on it goes to the next best thing: Fat. And the body seems to get along just fine in its newly altered state of consciousness.

That’s about all there is to it; that and a few million details.

A little known fact is that actual depleted muscle cells in ketosis look like little shriveled-up, featherless baby robins with mouths open. When the fatty acid molecule goes by it looks like a wiggling worm and gets snatched up by the little bird. Amazing but true.

The short verison: little birds eat the fat when you make worms.

Thank you very much, great explanation.