Hardcore Keto - Where’s the Line Between Strict and Practical?

Hardcore Keto - Where’s the Line Between Strict and Practical?

Who do you count on as the ultimate resource for the keto diet?

While everyone agrees on the fundamental principle of the keto diet - that training your body to burn ketones rather than glucose provides a host of valuable benefits - some keto experts disagree on other key points of the keto lifestyle. This begs questions like is the most strict keto expert always the best one to follow, and is it safe to trust others who abide by a more lenient form of the keto diet? Explore these questions and more as we seek to find the line between keto at its most hardcore and keto at it’s most fun and practical.

Mainstream Keto - Fun Recipes and One Simple Guideline


There’s no doubt that a lot of the appeal of the keto diet is the fact that numerous sites have tempting recipes available that make the diet seem manageable and fun. Many sites that people trust for keto knowledge tout delicious recipes that include cheese and nuts, and also state that coffee is okay on the keto diet. Sites like Ketogenic.com and Headbangers Kitchen are fan-favorites for their wide-range of keto sources and recipes.

A Hardcore Approach or the Purest Form of Keto?


If you’ve not seen the recent interview with Stephanie “Keto” Person, it was a real eye-opener for a lot of fans and followers of the keto diet. As a professional keto coach who has followed the keto diet for over a decade, Stephanie is one of the most credible sources out there for keto knowledge. But when she started bluntly explaining her keto principles, many of them came as a shock to both those who are new to the ketogenic diet and those who are experienced in the keto lifestyle.

Stephanie Person - Keto to the Core


Stephanie deserves tons of credibility for her vast knowledge of keto - she single-handedly used this knowledge to guide her mother back from a terminal brain tumor diagnoses. Not to mention the fact that her 6-pack abs are clearly visible in her videos and that she resembles a woman 20 years younger than her current age. Plus, you can’t ignore the fact that she’s been completely keto longer than anybody, having gone 10 years without a bite of bread. There is no doubt she has an extensive understanding of keto, which makes some of her advice a bitter pill to swallow for longtime followers of the diet.     

What’s Different About the Advice of Stephanie “Keto” Person


Among her controversial claims that differed from many of the mainstream keto sources out there were:

- Cheese causes inflammation, and shouldn’t be eaten on the keto diet

- Butter is the only form of dairy that should be eaten on the keto diet

- Coffee should not be consumed on the keto diet

- Your keto strip should be clear if you’re in ketosis - just like someone who’s not on keto

- To get truly keto adapted can take months

- Most of the keto recipes you see online are not actually keto

Examining this Strict Approach to the Ketogenic Diet


Who can dispute any of Stephanie’s claims about the keto diet? Without the science and years of experience to argue, for example, that cheese doesn’t jeopardize your ketosis, then how is this a winnable argument? Plus, no one can deny that her own results were extraordinary. Assuming all of these controversial claims are 100% true, one has to wonder why the mainstream would present a softer version of keto that allows cheese, coffee, and almonds into the meal plan.

Is Anything Lost When You Go Hardcore?


Assuming that Stephanie Person’s views on how truly strict keto should be are completely proven and accurate, is there anything lost in this ultra-strict version of keto? For example, if someone has had positive results by eliminating sugar from their diet, but they still enjoy multiple forms of dairy, are they following some lower form of keto? Even if it yielded superior results, would as many people follow this strict variation of the keto diet? For the answers, let us consider why anyone attempts the keto diet in the first place.

For True Keto, Follow the Results


The fundamental definition of the keto diet is to eat minimal carbs and to burn ketones instead of sugar. By following this core rule alone, numerous people have experienced weight loss results that exceeded their expectations. Even aside from levels of strictness, there are various types of ketogenic diet for those with different goals. Therefore, just like most things in life, the ketogenic diet offers multiple paths for reaching the same goal.

Many Paths to the Goal of Ketosis


Ultimately, if you’re in ketosis and are burning ketones for fuel, no one can deny that you’re on the ketogenic diet. If you’ve followed an especially strict path to get there by avoiding all but the most ketogenic-friendly foods, then perhaps your results are sharper and more significant than someone who ate cheese and almonds and enjoyed popular keto recipes on their journey. But alas, if both people are in ketosis and losing weight, then both approaches can only be known as the ketogenic diet.

Fun vs Results - How Hardcore is Your Approach to Keto?  


Many people enjoy positive results of the keto diet by following the advice they see on the vast majority of websites - the sites that show recipes with melted cheese and state that coffee is fine on keto. However, some take their keto experience to the next level, sacrificing these tempting foods for that extra mile of results, creating a physique that many could only dream of. Whichever path you decide to follow, best of luck using the keto diet to attain your fitness goals because however you get there, following the keto lifestyle is still your best bet for healthy weight control.