The Cyclical Ketogenic Diet: A Healthier, Easier Way to Burn Fat with Intermittent Ketosis Paperback – February 19, 2019

I'm not usually into diet books or anything that seems like popular science because it irks my science-minded brain when terms are misused and concepts misappropriated. This book does none of those things. I just finished a very technical course in biochemistry which, of course, covered ketogenesis as part of metabolism. This book does a remarkable job of explaining metabolic concepts with scientific accuracy in easy, everyday language. I was floored. I also really enjoy this author's colloquial, non-judgmental writing style. Right from the introduction, I appreciated his sense of humor, understanding that diet needs are vary individually and that there's a vast network that we exist in which makes healthy habits difficult to maintain. It's an admirable book, with great recipes and excellent introductory science. It's not another a step by step highly detailed diet that claims 100% success blah blah blah. Rather, this book is an intelligent, thoughtful consideration of the metabolic process of ketosis and how it could be utilized intentionally to bring about healthy weight loss. Definitely would recommend.

Wow! I can’t count the number of Keto books I’ve read for either the science behind ketogenics or recipes. And absent a few exceptions, they all were simplistic clones of each other promoting keto rapid weight loss and products versus a sustainable keto lifestyle. Having been on a keto diet for two years, I’ve been searching for the lifestyle balance not weight loss, marketing sales, or food gimmicks, and tricks. I’ve suspected a variation of carb cycling was the secret but within a keto framework not a traditional carb cycling model (which, though low carb, cycles one out of ketosis). And everything I found considered intermittent fasting as keto cycling - and fasting does not address diet sustainability. FINALLY, I found the book!!! Robert Santos-Prowse has done it! He simply and coherently explains nutrition and the science, and then walks one through the diet in 2 phases, the first for weight loss and/or entry to ketosis and the second for sustainability with cycling (both fasting AND carb cycling). While I haven’t yet tried the recipes, I’m delighted to see the focus on whole foods and the absence of multiple ingredients that don’t commonly exist in one’s kitchen. They look really good - and “doable”. And at the end if the book, he deftly marries all this with exercise, wellness, and mindfulness. Perfect! I’m sharing this book with all my friends looking for a keto lifestyle!

I have been on a deep dive of nutrition and diet research since I lost my mother this past year to pancreatic cancer. Through my experience I’ve found that much of the writing of the nutrition and diet variety can be dense and difficult to absorb. Furthermore, many diets touting to have maximum benefits for long term health are often prohibitively difficult to stick to…which is what I thought about the keto diet before encountering this book. I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the experience of reading through the text and have taken away many new understandings not only about nutrition and the keto diet but also in regards to overall health and well-being.This book tackles the keto diet from a holistic approach, successfully and clearly outlining ways to maximize the benefits of ketosis long term. Santos-Prowse does a wonderful job of using analogies and humor to help the reader understand the foundation of the Keto diet and best practices for a healthy lifestyle. The clever illustrations throughout the book provide a fun visual enhancement to the concepts outlined in the text and help the information stick with you. I very much appreciated the “lifestyle considerations” section and felt particularly enlightened by the evidence presented on fasting and sleep cycles. The specified diet phases were clear and outlined in a practical way as well, making the idea of maintaining the diet far less intimidating through the plan’s flexibility.The recipes are delightful, varied, and not overcomplicated. The idea of making my own keto bread and cheese from scratch would have scared me off before, but now I’ve seen the light. The Cheddar Jalapeno “Corn” Bread (pg 123) is WOW. Also, can we talk about how cool the Coconut Avocado Fiesta Pops (pg 180) are!? They have tequila in them and of course taste great. Ginger Bourbon Glazed Salmon? Yes please! You can’t go wrong with any of these recipes and each one has the per-serving nutrition clearly laid out so you can keep track of your macro calculations easily.Overall, if you are interested in the ketogenic diet and want a great place to start your journey this is an easily accessible text. Furthermore, for those steeped in the keto existence you’ll definitely benefit from reading this in order to determine the best way to maintain the diet long term (or just for the recipes alone). The resources section at the end of the book is also brilliant and provides suggested tools and tips for staying on track. Reading this has changed my mind about the keto diet and is a valuable text for anyone interested in benefiting from ketosis in a manageable way.

This is not a light book, as far as I'm used to reading about diets. There are a lot of science breakdowns of the who what where why, so if you're a scientifically minded person you are going to be very pleased to have every question you may have answered. If you're not, and you just want someone to tell you what to do, you are less lucky as this author RIGHTFULLY, I believe, admits that everyone is different, to go at your own pace, to have realistic expectations of yourself and your goals. This is what is usually missing in the other diet books for me, the realism. Nothing is a miracle, and good results tend to be hard won at times. The main thing I'm hesitant to try, although I will try it, is having a fat heavy diet. I've never been a fan of eating low fat foods and I'm not anxious about butter and cheese use, but I don't get a full fat latte if I can help it. And my male friends who want to gain weight have gotten full heavy cream lattes!! They are delicious but omg. The author makes the great point that you don't add the fat JUST TO ADD IT. You use it to keep full for longer, to make food delicious. But don't go nuts with it. I appreciate that. Now... to avoid all the carbs... I don't know just yet. I am starting off with a prepared meal delivery to transition slowly. This is a great starter book, detailed.