I tried Silicon Valley's favorite diet using a meal-replacing keto shake — here's the verdict

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For years, Silicon Valley has tried to engineer methods for living better, longer, and easier, with mixed results.

Some have even opted out of real food altogether, instead relying on products like Soylent, a bland but nutrient-rich liquid.

But for those looking to not just simplify their eating, but lose weight and curb their appetite, the ketogenic diet ("keto," for those in the know) has become something of a cult-favorite eating plan, even attracting the likes of Kim Kardashian and LeBron James.

People credit the fat-fueled-diet craze with helping them lose weight and stay full, because it turns on the same metabolism mode, called ketosis, triggered by starvation. It moves the body into a fat-store-burning state, instead of relying on carbohydrates for energy.

But as I recently discovered, the keto diet is not easy to follow.

It's true that by sticking to a low-carb, high-fat routine you're allowed to eat some traditional diet no-no's, like bacon, eggs, butter, and plenty of creamy salad dressing. However, keto dieters are limited in what else they can eat — not too many carrots, watch the berry intake, and forget about quinoa.

Ketolent (not the same brand as Soylent) theoretically takes all the work out of the keto diet, providing a ready-to-mix shake. When I found out about the product, I thought it was worth a try.

I had no idea what kind of wild ride I was about to endure.

The recipe for Ketolent was developed by Ted Tieken, a 35-year-old who's been on the keto eating plan since 2014. Tieken says the high-fat diet has turned around his chronic pain, left him more energized, and helped him lose 35 pounds.

"When I first started making the shakes, I loved that I didn't have to worry about what to eat for lunch and I could focus on everything else going on in my life," Tieken told Business Insider in an email.

He started selling Ketolent in December 2014 and now says he averages one shake a day (sometimes two) and recommends other keto fans with a busy schedule do the same.

"I usually either have one for breakfast and skip lunch, or skip breakfast and have one for lunch," he said. "Too many calories is a real problem in the modern food system, and we've engineered our product to give our customers as much satiety as we can so we can give them control over their calories."

Tieken's company, Sated, says the insta-blend isn't just designed for time-pressed techies — it's for anyone who wants to avoid the difficult work of figuring out what to eat on the keto meal plan.

A 30-serving supply costs $90, meaning a single keto shake comes out to $3.

The shake consists of Sated-branded powder mixed with water, plus a fatty oil blend. It includes olive, flax, and coconut oils and packs a whopping 280 calories per scoop, providing the heft of my 400-calorie breakfast shake.

People on the keto diet usually get at least 60% of their calories from fat — nearly double the recommended daily dose.

When prepared as a 12-ounce shake, Ketolent packs 35 grams of fat into my breakfast, providing nearly half of my recommended total fat for the day (45%) and 60% of my daily saturated fat.

It's not even 10 a.m. They weren't kidding about this "eat more fat" business.

The keto diet is focused on healthy fats. But when I'm not slurping shakes, it can be a confusing eating plan, because some healthy foods like carrots and beans are banned.

I freaked out on Day One of my new experiment when I realized that I'd inadvertently added half-and-half into my coffee.

A couple of teaspoons added to mellow out my morning cup amounts to more than one additional gram of carbohydrates a day, which is a lot when you're trying to stay under the rigid "20 grams of carbs a day" version of the keto plan.

And I have to completely ban carbohydrate-rich foods that are staples of a cheap, healthy diet, like beans, quinoa, and whole grains.

It all makes me glad I don't have to worry about what keto-approved food to eat for breakfast, before my brain (and caffeine) kicks in — instead, I just mix up a Ketolent shake.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider