Energy balance
Higher baseline body weight and BMI strongly predict greater absolute weight loss and fat mass reduction on a very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD), with men losing significantly more weight than women.
If you have a higher starting weight, you are likely to lose more absolute weight on a VLCKD than someone with a lower starting weight. Men also tend to lose more weight than women on this specific protocol. Use your baseline weight as a predictor of success rather than comparing yourself to others with different starting points.
Statistical and machine learning analyses revealed that male gender (−9.2 kg vs. −5.9 kg) and higher initial body weight (−8.9 kg vs. −4.0 kg) strongly predict greater weight loss on a VLCKD, while age has a lesser impact.
Why this rating
Large sample size (n=7413) and prospective design, but it is a single-arm observational study of a commercial program, lacking a control group.
Source
Phenotype-Driven Variability in Longitudinal Body Composition Changes After a Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Intervention: A Machine Learning Cluster Approach
Víctor de la O et al. · Journal of Personalized Medicine · 2025
DOI 10.3390/jpm15060251
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