Keep Complexity Low: The Keto Basic Rule, From a 2018 Live
To be upfront: this 25-minute live from September 2018 is mostly not about keto. I'd just got back from work and went live, shirtless, to explain a paid coaching program I was setting up for 2019 and to answer messages about it. That program isn't offered here, so this post skips the details. What's worth keeping is about five minutes in the middle, where I explained why the group was called Keto Basic and what I deliberately left out of it, plus a recap near the end of the accountability homework I'd given the group.
In this recording
- [0:00] Back from work, not letting perfect be the enemy of good. I'm answering questions about coaching before a call.
- [0:32] to [6:05] The coaching announcement: why I was doing it, how it would work, and a promise that the group, the lives, the YouTube channel and the page would stay free, with nothing behind a paywall.
- [6:05] The group is called Keto Basic, and my approach is simplicity: the basics, not letting perfect become the enemy of good. There are a lot of valid topics I know about and don't cover in the group.
- [6:42] One example: carb loading for a competing fighter who's fat adapted, and exogenous ketones for some performance athletes. Fine one-to-one, not for the group.
- [8:16] Supplements and vitamins are oversold because they make money. People who ate fast food for years weren't worried about magnesium or omega-3s. Making them hit every nutritional marker the moment they start dieting just makes them quit. The secret is reducing carbs.
- [8:56] Not even ketosis: just controlling insulin by being low carb is better than being keto. Ketosis makes a calorie deficit more comfortable and keeps your energy up, but the deficit is what causes weight loss. You can gain weight in ketosis.
- [9:32] Would omega-3s help? Yes. Do you have to? No. The basic part of Keto Basic is keeping adherence high by keeping complexity and obligation low.
- [10:44] to [19:09] Back to coaching: accountability, deadlines, and the logistics.
- [19:47] The accountability homework recap: take your measurements, set realistic goals, plan your meal prep, name your pitfalls (emotional, celebratory or convenience eating), pick a "get back on track" meal (a rotisserie chicken counts), a 20-to-30-minute activity to break stress, a mantra or two, and three songs.
- [21:37] to the end: I'd put my effort into people who did the homework, and asked for likes and comments to get the video out to more members.
The part that holds up
"Keeping adherence high by keeping complexity and obligation low" is the clearest statement of my approach I've found in any recording. It explains why my 2018 beginner rules were short (video UygKGoP_BtA) and why, a year later, I said the five foods to cut matter before anyone talks about fat types or protein targets (live FPMJ7326).
On supplements, I was more careful here than I sounded: I said omega-3s would help, just that they weren't a requirement. The evidence pages are on the cautious side too. The US Preventive Services Task Force says the evidence is insufficient to weigh the benefits and harms of multivitamins for preventing heart disease and cancer (USPSTF 2022). By the end of 2019 I'd moved toward recommending a multivitamin to everyone losing weight (live FPMJ7326), so read this live as the earlier position.
The parts I'd leave out now are at the end: the tough-love line about not having time for people who didn't do the homework, and the request for likes and comments. That second one is exactly the kind of engagement chasing I don't want in the community.
Key points
- Mostly a 2018 coaching announcement; the program isn't offered here.
- Keto Basic's rule: keep complexity and obligation low so people stick with it.
- Low carb matters more than strict ketosis. The calorie deficit is what causes weight loss.
- Extra nutrition goals are worth it for people who want them, not a requirement for everyone.