Research
Macro partitioning
A 1-month VLCKD shifts substrate oxidation to favor fat and protein, resulting in a 62% fat mass loss and 38% lean soft tissue loss of total weight lost.
On a VLCKD, you will lose fat and muscle. In this study, 38% of the weight lost was lean tissue. To minimize this, ensure you are eating enough protein (1.2-1.5g/kg ideal body weight) and engaging in resistance exercise.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
At V3, FM loss accounted for 62% of the total weight loss, while LST reduction contributed to the remaining 38%... FatOx increased by 11% at V3.
Why this rating
Same study limitations as N1.
Source
Effects of 1-Month Very-Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet on 24-Hour Energy Metabolism and Body Composition in Women With Obesity
Alessio Basolo et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 2025
DOI 10.1210/clinem/dgaf196
cohort · n=39Cited 3×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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