Jenna Jameson has been one of the biggest advocates of the keto diet. The 45-year-old self-proclaimed “keto queen” first started the diet nearly two years ago, meticulously detailing her drastic transformation on social media. However, in recent months her Instagram account has been relatively keto-free.
On Thursday, she revealed to fans why: Because she is back on the carb wagon—and she’s gained 20 pounds. She also confessed that she isn’t sure if she will return to the restrictive diet, because it is too hard to maintain.
“Confession. I’ve gained 20 pounds. Ugh. I decided to take a break from #keto and live my best carby life,” Jameson said in her Instagram caption.
“The weight came back fast and furious,” she admitted. “I know a lot of people are quitting keto because it’s hard to maintain and after a year and a half I concur. Not sure if I’m going to go back full force or just calorie count. What are your thoughts?”
Since starting keto after giving birth to daughter Batel Lu in March 2018, Jameson has shed around 80 pounds. In addition to frequent before-and-after photos showcasing her progress, she has also filled her feed with lots of keto recipes, tips, and exercises that helped her get back into shape.
Jameson wasn't the only celebrity who has endorsed the keto diet. Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, and Vanessa Hudgens are among the many famous faces who claim keto did their body good. But while many claim the restrictive way of eating has helped them shed tons of weight, many health experts have spoken out against it—including Jillian Michaels.
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“Your cells, your macro molecules, are literally made up of protein, fat, carbohydrates, nucleic acids. When you do not eat one of the three macro nutrients — those three things I just mentioned — you’re starving yourselves,” she previously fumed. “Those macro nutrients serve a very important purpose for your overall health and wellbeing. Each and every one of them.”
Instead, Michaels maintains eating a balanced, healthy, and sustainable diet is the key to long-term weight loss. “You don’t eat processed sugar, you don’t eat processed grains, and to make a very long story short: avoid the keto diet,” she said. “Common sense. Balanced diet is key.”
Others like Health contributing nutrition editor Cynthia Sass, RD, aren’t totally opposed to keto, but point out that it isn’t realistic for most people.
RELATED: This Couple Has Been on the Keto Diet for 6 Years. Here’s How They Stick to It
“Intermittent fasting and keto are both big commitments that will impact your social life, and for many people are not sustainable long term,” Sass previously said. “If a method of losing weight feels like a struggle and does not make you feel well both physically and emotionally, it's not right for you, no matter how popular it is.”
In January 2019, U.S. News and World Report released their annual rankings of the best overall diets along with the best diets for specific goals or criteria. While the Mediterranean Diet, followed by the DASH Diet and the Flexitarian Diet, were found to be the best diets, keto was ranked one of the worst, again, pointing to its lack of sustainability.
“We have basically no evidence that this diet is consistent with human health over time,” panelist David Katz, MD, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center said at the time. “All of the evidence we have points toward a plant-predominant diet with an emphasis on vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds—all of the very things that the ketogenic diet avoids.”
So could Jameson ditching the keto diet be the beginning of the end for the keto craze? Only time will tell, but props to her for listening to her body and doing what she feels is best for it.
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