Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino Low-Key Says He Might Have Started the Whole Keto Diet Trend

Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino dubbed himself "Keto Guido" last year after losing more than 50 pounds using the basic principles of the Ketogenic (or Keto) diet, which excludes sugar and grains and is high in fat, low in carbs and moderate in protein. As one of the lifestyle's celebrity evangelists, he's done a lot to spread the word about Keto in America.

When Us Weekly asked if he's responsible for kickstarting the trend, he said, "I don’t know if I am, I would love to be. Or it just literally happened at the same time. But either way, I think I definitely contribute to it."

He's gotten endless amounts of testimony from people who he has impacted, he said.

"Like, hundreds of people a week tell me, 'My mom’s on this diet because of Vinny from Jersey Shore,'" he said. "I was, like, a launching point for people, but then they go into the Keto-crazed world that exists out there." 

These days, Vinny's refrigerator is a far cry from the days when he traveled the country with his mother for a Cooking Channel show called Vinny & Ma Eat America, and he gained more than a little bit of weight. 

"I try to have organic vegetables," he told Women's Health as he gave the publication a tour of the meat and produce in his fridge. "I'm not going to lie; I'm kind of lazy, so I look for the organic frozen ones. You don't have to worry about some weird guy sneezing on it in the grocery store."

He's been able to maintain his weight and health on Keto by eating sensibly.

"No tiny piece of grilled chicken, steamed broccoli, with a tablespoon of brown rice low fat/ low calorie meal for me," he wrote in an Instagram post. "I prefer eating like humans were evolved to eat with a pile of delicious fatty meat and veggies that my body will convert into energy." 

Here's everything celebs have said about the highly controversial Keto diet: