Tuck that tum into a keto speedo by next summer.   The ketogenic diet dishes up an anti-fat fad.   The keto diet burns flab by feeding the body fats, not carbs.  A paradox?  Well, your body nibbles fat for energy when starved of sugars.  And carbs break down into sugars.  So, starve the body of carbs to burn away blubber.

How can keto diets serve you?

First, ketogenic diets heap relief upon epileptics.  Doctors say marijuana does too.  My doctor tried pushing weed on me to treat anxiety.  I fired back, “No!”  After all, weed ushers in mental illness.  As if anxiety wasn’t enough.

Second, ketogenic diets treat acne, according to author Epic Rios.  A woman who served me supper had a face of pock marks.  Not a spot without a boil.  Rios would say that a ketogenic diet could have freed her flesh.

Third, ketogenic diets whittle away your waistline.  My friends on the keto diet lost 15 to 30 pounds fast.  Then they tapered off.

Fourth, ketogenic diets starve cancer cells of carbs, according to author Epic Rios.  Meaning that cancer cells can’t thrive ‘though healthy cells survive.

But the diet has a drawback.  The minute you cheat (by gorging carbs), you crash.  The crash cropped up with a friend of mine.  She suffered with side effects each time she munched muffins.  If a fad comes with side effects, it sounds crude to me.

According to books I’ve read, it’s rarely smart to cut out whole nutrition sources (such as carbs).  Thus, to my mind, the keto diet serves like a band-aid, not a vaccine. And of course, always talk to a doctor if you’re planning on making a significant change to your diet.

Despite drawbacks, the keto diet may work for you.  Author Epic Rios shows you what to eat on the ketogenic diet in the book Keto Fitness: The Ketogenic Diet, Bodybuilding and Strength Training:

• On the keto diet, munch heaps of fats and few carbs: “Eating plenty of healthy fats and low carbs is going to be one of the most important things you can concentrate on when it comes to the ketogenic diet” (location 788 of 5175, 15%).
• Chew gobs of fats: “It is recommended that you get somewhere between 70 to 75 percent of your daily calories from healthy fats” (location 801, 15%).
• Skip the grease-spoons. McDonald’s dishes up bad fats: “Going to the local fast food restaurant and eating a big burger with fries will not count because these are bad fats” (location 801, 15%).
• Instead, chew “healthy fats like olive oil, fats from dairy products, and fats that come in healthy protein sources” (location 801, 15%).
• And graze on teeny tads of protein: “You will need between 15 and 20 percent of your daily calories from protein” (location 801, 15%).
• But barely bite the carbs: “Keep … carb intake down to five percent or lower. If you are really into weightlifting, you can sometimes go up to ten percent” (location 801, 15%).
• Pick carbs from fruits and veggies: “When choosing carbs to eat stick with healthy options like fruits and vegetables that will help to keep you feeling full” (location 814, 16%).
• Avoid “bread and pasta … baked goods … process frozen foods … sodas … fast foods …deli meats” (location 875-906, 17%).

Keto diet or not, never skimp on your RDA of healthy fats.  After all, fats feed bushy-tailed brains.  So, eat fatty fish, nut butter, flaxseed, avocado, coconut oil, and yogurt.  By next summer, you’ll tuck that tum into a keto speedo.