Keto Basics for 2019: How I Came to Keto, the 80-Gram Protein Rule and Why Grams Beat Percentages

2019-01-06

My comeback broadcast for the Keto Basic group on 6 January 2019, after a long gap. It's not on YouTube. The nearest YouTube video is the 2018 basics upload, which gives the same protein rule in a shorter form (video UygKGoP_BtA). A good share of this live is about a paid coaching program I was launching that week. I've left that out and kept the keto.

In this recording

[2:06] A tough year for me personally, but I felt better than I had in years. I'd lost more than 40 pounds (live IEGQ4170).
[4:02] If you do only one thing, track your food. That alone tends to improve weight and health.
[5:54] I'm not a doctor and have no license. Treat me like a guy at a bus stop and work with your doctors.
[11:07] Another start: learn where your carbs come from and drop noodles, rice, bread and starchy sides. Eat lots of green and leafy vegetables.
[14:13] How I came to keto: I tested my blood sugar with a glucose meter before a martial-arts competition and found impaired fasting glucose. I went to PubMed, and the research pointed to low-carb and very-low-carb ketogenic diets (live IEGQ4170).
[16:55] My tiers: very-low-carb ketogenic around 20 net, very-low-carb around 50, low carb starting near 100.
[19:29] The mechanism, simplified: high insulin holds back lipase, the enzyme that releases stored fat.
[24:51] Glycogen and water: about 2 g of water per gram of glycogen, so for a man my size about 5 pounds of scale weight.
[39:00] Half a pound a week is fine. Fast loss risks muscle and hair thinning, and nobody's full-time job is eating.
[44:52] What I care about most is protein, not fat.
[52:06] Lean protein and fiber are the two things most tied to feeling full.
[56:38] Don't let perfect be the enemy of good: trace maltodextrin, soy or cheap butter aren't keto issues.
[59:18] Why: if a study's methods don't say they required it, the participants didn't do it.
[1:10:46] Eating half the food means the same nutrient needs in half the food, so I recommend a general multivitamin.
[1:17:28] Get vitamin and blood levels checked by your doctor, and include your doctor.
[1:23:54] The numbers: 50 total carbs, 20 net, protein 80 g plus 20 for male, plus 20 for tall, plus 20 for active; fat 77 to 177 g depending on whether you're losing or maintaining.
[1:30:04] Psyllium with meals, but not with your medication or vitamins.
[1:34:20] If you break the diet, go high calorie or high carb, not both.
[1:38:54] Why the group uses grams, not percentages.

The claim worth unpacking: the 80-gram rule

The rule is simple: start at 80 g of protein, add 20 for being male, 20 for being tall, 20 for being active, and keep that number for weight loss and maintenance alike. I said that's "you forever". How does it compare?

The adult RDA is 0.80 g per kg of body weight a day (IOM, 2005). For a woman weighing 75 kg (about 165 lb), that's 60 g, so 80 g clears it comfortably.
One review linked about 1.2–1.6 g/kg, with 25–30 g per meal, to better appetite and weight management (Leidy et al., 2015). For that same 75 kg woman, that's 90–120 g. My base of 80 sits under it, and the "+20 active" step brings it into range.
In 24 trials (1,063 people), energy-restricted high-protein diets gave modestly more weight and fat loss and less loss of lean mass (Wycherley et al., 2012).
Over 65, the PROT-AGE group recommends 1.0–1.2 g/kg, or more with illness (Bauer et al., 2013).

So the rule is a sensible floor and easy to remember. It's built on height and sex, not weight. That's why it's simple, and also why a heavier or older woman may want the higher steps. If you have kidney disease, your protein number comes from your doctor.

The grams-over-percentages point at [1:38:54] holds up best. If carbs and protein are fixed and fat swings from 77 to 177 g, the "70% fat" pie chart describes maintenance, not weight loss. Nutrients are doses.

Then vs now

Protein: the same +20 steps are in the 2018 basics (video UygKGoP_BtA). In the Men's Health video posted the following week, I gave about 80–120 g for women and about 140 g for myself (video 1JbK1_ClDmY). Consistent.
Carbs: here it's 50 total and 20 net, with the 30 g gap as fiber. In 2018 I'd said 50 total, not net (video UygKGoP_BtA).
Fiber: here I said fiber is great for health but "not going to help you lose weight", while also ranking it with protein for fullness at [52:06]. By 2020, fiber was my first answer to hunger (live GUQX2721). The 2020 version is the one I'd keep.
How I started: the glucose-meter story matches my first update in 2017, when I said high fasting blood sugar was the reason (video 9Hk0jRb_9Es).

The multivitamin

At [1:10:46] I recommended a general multivitamin as cheap insurance during a deficit. The evidence pages are mixed on what that buys. The 2022 evidence review for the US Preventive Services Task Force found a small reduction in cancer incidence and no clear effect on heart disease or mortality (O'Connor et al., 2022). The Dietary Guidelines say needs should be met mainly from food, with supplements where that's hard. A multivitamin won't hurt most people, but it doesn't replace vegetables.

Who should check with a doctor first

Medications: take fiber supplements apart from medication, as I said at [1:30:04]. Ask your pharmacist about timing.
Diabetes or blood-pressure medication: your doses may need to change as carbs drop. Talk to your doctor before you start.
Kidney disease or pregnancy: protein targets and diet changes go through your doctor.
Eating-disorder history: "half a pound a week is fine" is the right spirit. Bring your therapist and doctor in.

Key points

Track your food first, then cut the obvious carb sources. That's enough to start.
Protein: 80 g, plus 20 each for male, tall and active. It's a reasonable floor that sits above the RDA for most women.
Fat is the variable: lower while losing, higher in maintenance. Use grams, not percentages.
Trace ingredients, brands and "pure keto" rules don't matter. Carb restriction is what the studies tested.
Aim for slow, steady loss and keep your doctor involved, especially on medication.

Guide: how much protein · protein and fullness · older adults · how many carbs · how much fat · vitamins · moving to maintenance · reading studies
Blog: body weight vs lean mass · do multivitamins work? · blood tests before keto · realistic goals · what happens if you cheat · grass-fed butter
Videos: keto basics for beginners · the Men's Health rebuttal · keto update 1 · fiber before fat · week six