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Ketogenic Diet?

I have been reading a bit about this lately and am considering giving this a go. Like anything I do related to extreme dietary changes, I will (and have to some extent) discuss this with my doctor. But I want to hear what the wise members of the B&B Mess Hall have to say also.

Like a growing number of Americans these days I suffer from what is called Metabolic Syndrome. I call it being fat and unhealthy. I am on several medications for hypertension, high triglycerides, insulin resistance, and seasonal allergies (that seem to last year long). I want to get off of these if possible. The insulin resistance is the big one. Because it makes it very difficult to lose weight...which seems to be the key to solving many of these issues.

My doctor is wonderful...she is really helpful with attacking these issues. All my numbers have been going in the right directions (except the triglycerides...we are starting to think that might be a hereditary issue).

But to the issue of the post. It seems that the standard burn more calories than you put in approach is an over-simplification of how weight loss really works...at least in me. Because of my insulin resistance, fewer calories and more exercise doesn't cut it...and yes I have tried...with the watchful eye of my doctor. Carbohydrates (sugar and wheat) has just about killed the western culture altogether (we just haven't actually died yet). And I am not the exception. Carbs...just about any of them...no matter if they are complex or not...seem to pack on the pounds. When I go to a strict low carb diet I seem to do better...but it's more of a maintenance thing at that point. I just don't lose the weight. And I get frustrated and then start loading up on eating whatever I want.

Anyway...I have been reading a lot about the Ketogenic Diet. If you don't know what this is...in a nutshell it is a High Healthy Fat - Moderate Protein - and Low Carbohydrate diet. "The keto diet generally shuns sugar, processed foods, low-fat foods, grains and gluten, high-carb fruit, and vegetable oils. Instead, followers are encouraged to eat plenty of non-starchy vegetables, lean meats and fish, full-fat dairy, and nuts and seeds."

Some of the illnesses that a keto diet claims to help prevent are: Epilepsy, Type 2 Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Chronic Inflammation, High Blood Sugar Levels, Obesity, Heart Disease, Polycystic Ovary, Syndrome, Fatty Liver Disease, Cancer, Migraines.

Some other things a keto diet claims to improve are: Better brain function, A decrease in inflammation, An increase in energy, Improved body composition.

There is a lot of legitimate research out there on this type of diet. But like anything...nothing is definite.

Anyway...if you have read through this extremely long post and have anything to offer...I would gladly appreciate your thoughts.
 
Ketogenic diet is sustainable, but as you suggest, it is extreme. It's wise to discuss this with your doctor. Best of luck, Don. :001_smile
 

DoctorShavegood

"A Boy Named Sue"
Don, I have been on keto for nearly nine months. I've lost 37 pounds. That's equivalent to 3 bowling balls. I'm short so 37 pounds is quite the feat. For me the Keto diet is not extreme at all. But I had to give up one thing to be on the diet....drinking. I haven't touched it in three months. I've never had the initial flu like symptoms associated with this diet so that's good. One bit of observation is; when I eat more food spread throughout the day versus less food in a hit and miss fashion I have better results not to mention feel better. From reading about this diet your carbs should be below 50g per day, which seems high to me. I cruise around 30g if that. I threw out all oils except the very best ones; olive oil, virgin organic coconut oil, avocado oil and flax oil. I've made the low carb breads and they are not too bad but need experimentation. One thing to note, I use cheat meals that I call "keep sane" meals to let me enjoy food that's not at all keto. I do walk everyday for at least an hour...normally 30 in the morning and 30 in the evening.

My blood pressure has plummeted, so now I only take a very low dosage water pill once per day. Digestion never bothers me anymore. Sleep comes very easy and I stay asleep and feel rested the next day.
 
Ketogenic diet is sustainable, but as you suggest, it is extreme. It's wise to discuss this with your doctor. Best of luck, Don. :001_smile
Thanks Bruce! I appreciate the comment. Yup...at this stage in the game I ask my doc about almost everything diet and health related. Just trying to get the most mileage out of this not too old but aging vehicle. Your comments mean a lot coming from you!
 
Well i lost 50 lbs last year and what helped is knowing what your eating contains. So basically , gave up beer / drinking, i walked 5-6 days a week starting a 20 mins to 45 mins, cut out most carbs and sugar. How i did it was using map my fitness app, put in your weight and goal weight and how soon you want to get there.
Add everything you eat, the data base has almost everything.
Once you know what your eating it becomes clearer. Calories do count so its advised to keep track, i lost 50 from march of last year to october, dropped some of my meds and t 2 diab is better. After the holidays ill start up again to keep going.
Good luck.


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kelbro

Alfred Spatchcock
I had good luck with it for weight loss but odd things started occurring. Fingernails started breaking easily. Bumps started appearing on my neck and they wouldn't heal or go away. Gums started aching a little and popcorn hulls got stuck in my gums a lot easier. Often had phlegm which I never had before.

All of that tells me that I needed some sort of supplement but I never figured out exactly what that supplement should be. I migrated back to just a very low-carb, very low-sugar diet with a reasonable amount of protein and fat. Those odd symptoms went away.
 
Well i lost 50 lbs last year and what helped is knowing what your eating contains. So basically , gave up beer / drinking, i walked 5-6 days a week starting a 20 mins to 45 mins, cut out most carbs and sugar. How i did it was using map my fitness app, put in your weight and goal weight and how soon you want to get there.
Add everything you eat, the data base has almost everything.
Once you know what your eating it becomes clearer. Calories do count so its advised to keep track, i lost 50 from march of last year to october, dropped some of my meds and t 2 diab is better. After the holidays ill start up again to keep going.
Good luck.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for the comment. I do understand that knowing what you eat is important and keeping at exercising is just as important. Plan on still doing these. 50 Pounds in less than a year is quite the feat.

I had good luck with it for weight loss but odd things started occurring. Fingernails started breaking easily. Bumps started appearing on my neck and they wouldn't heal or go away. Gums started aching a little and popcorn hulls got stuck in my gums a lot easier. Often had phlegm which I never had before.

All of that tells me that I needed some sort of supplement but I never figured out exactly what that supplement should be. I migrated back to just a very low-carb, very low-sugar diet with a reasonable amount of protein and fat. Those odd symptoms went away.

Like anything...nothing is perfect. One of the reasons that I am inclined to jump on the keto diet bandwagon is the benefits of brain function. There are some studies that suggest that because of the amount of healthy fats you consume in this diet, it may help prevent certain brain diseases or illnesses like dementia or Alzheimer's. Not sure why I am even thinking about this, but I am. I have no reason to believe I will ever end up with one of these...but I'm concerned. I am more likely to end up having a heart attack or stroke with the amount of belly fat i have as well as other things.
 
Have been on it for about 8 months now. Went on it as the Doc was going to put me on some blood pressure meds. I called BS on that and said: "Give me 90 days." My blood pressure is now 118/72, routinely. I literally CANNOT get my diastolic out of the 70's.

I have plenty of energy; work out doing HIIT at noon and don't eat from 2000hrs at night until afternoon the next day so I am also doing intermittent fasting. I'm 56 and have about 12-13% body fat. Feel good and don't get hungry. Sleep great.

The key is to moderate protein as well since that is broken down and burned as sugar. You'll need to supplement with good quality oil. I literally drink avocado oil from a bottle next to my work desk. Folks at work think I'm nuts but about four or five have quietly jumped on the bandwagon when they see me working out and working in the office without getting tired.

I'd recommend it. Try it for 30 days. You can always go back to eating like crap.
 
I'm all for it. I'm not always strict keto but I've lost 25lbs so far. Once the holidays are over, I'll renew my strict regimen. It works for me.
 
This sounds a lot like Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar diet.

https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Gotts-Flour-Sugar-Diet/dp/0446177903

He recommends avoiding anything with refined flour and sugar in your diet, but you can eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats, dairy, etc. that you ate previously, but stop using any type of sugar based sweetener or products made from flour like breads, cakes, cookies, etc. Thus, you read the list of ingredients and if it lists any type of flour or any type of sugar, corn syrup, honey, etc. you avoid it.
 
I did it for 4 months and dropped 70 pounds. I had my reasons and knew I was going very extreme. Before this I was basically living off caffeine and carbohydrates so those flu like symptoms lasted and lasted. It was a miserable time until the last month. Things clicked and I felt a lot better. I got my yearly blood work and the doc gave a huge lecture about hereditary cholesterol issues. If your doc says go for it just keep up with the blood work. I will not be continuing the extreme steps I have taken but will be moving to more cholesterol friendly diet as soon as the holidays are over. Too much going on right now to do much more than read.

For some folks it is not an issue and I liked what I was making to eat once I got the hang of it. Lots of pluses just some of us are cholesterol bombs waiting to go off. If you live in a more urban area things will be a lot easier as you will have more choices.

Good luck. Dropping that weight made me feel amazing. Now I have to do what is best for my personal situation. A situation I did not know much about.
 
Thank you all for the great comments. I actually thought that this was more of a fringe, maybe bordering on a not accepted diet. But the more people I talk to...the more I find people are doing it or something similar! Going to see the doc in a couple of weeks so I will ask her then. But even if I don't jump on the Ketogenic diet completely...I think some kind of variation is doable.
 
But even if I don't jump on the Ketogenic diet completely...I think some kind of variation is doable.

Based on your description, I've been doing some kind of variation for a few months now. I've only dropped ~15 lbs, but I've been doing high protein, higher fat, watch my carbs like a hawk, and no processed food thing without any other change in lifestyle. Planning and scheduling the carbs (I have a slice of toast each morning, homemade pizza for dinner once a week, and pasta for dinner once every couple weeks) has really been the catalyst for the reverse in course after 3-4 years of a rapidly growing waistline.
 
Just reading about nutrition and historical evaluations of diets, it is amazing how grains have really put mankind in the position they are in over the past 2000 years.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Oddly, I was listening to this podcast in the background when I was browsing B&B and saw this thread.


Give it a listen; I highly recommend it. Great info.

I went on the ketogenic diet just under a year ago, and have lost about 25 lbs. The results are fantastic. What got me started, oddly enough, was a really bad cold, that knocked me off my feet for about 5 days and I ate almost nothing, lay on the couch watching tv and being miserable, and lost about 10 pounds ... wow, thought I, how can I keep these gains from going away? I looked around and found the keto diet and started on it, and haven't looked back!

Not only have I not had a cold, flu, or other illness since, I haven't had a migraine either. Normally, I would get migraines about 3-5 times a year, and each one would basically knock me out for half a day (or more if I didn't take migraine advil right when the symptoms started).

I'm sold.

The best part of "it's not a 'diet' diet" is not being hungry most of the time. And you don't have energy crashes a couple hours after eating. A couple of things though ...
  • the biggest downside is being constantly on the look-out for hidden carbs. Sure, "no bread, no pop" is easy, but the you start looking at "net carbs" and you find that carbs are everywhere, and you get paranoid about how they put sugar and flour in everything. Fortunately, the no/low carb foods are mostly pretty darn tasty: yes, you CAN rub some bacon on it!!
  • be sure to get fibre in your diet. Low-net-carb fibre, of course. (Subtract "fibre carbs" from total carbs ... whatever is left over is "net carbs" and count toward your "kick you out of ketosis if you eat too many carbs" total.)
  • Be sure to get enough vegetable nutrients. Leafy greens are a good bet, and "greens" supplements help a lot too.

It's wise to discuss this with your doctor.

"Yes, but ..."

I suspect most family doctors are going to be "but ... that's not what the food pyramid or whatever we are using now recommends" and give you the cautious "CYA answer" about going with a less "extreme" diet more in the mainstream and more "accepted" by those who have never really tried or investigated the ketogenic diet.

One thing to note, I use cheat meals that I call "keep sane" meals to let me enjoy food that's not at all keto.

I find I have lost the desire to eat many of the high carb/sugar foods that people would assume are on the "cheat meal list". There's a couple of foods that I still like to eat occasionally, but they are the exception, and I don't find the "need" to have them or the desire, but if the opportunity presents itself I'll occasionally partake.

There are some studies that suggest that because of the amount of healthy fats you consume in this diet, it may help prevent certain brain diseases or illnesses like dementia or Alzheimer's. Not sure why I am even thinking about this, but I am. I have no reason to believe I will ever end up with one of these...but I'm concerned.

Well ... when I read you saying this ...

Like a growing number of Americans these days I suffer from what is called Metabolic Syndrome. I call it being fat and unhealthy. I am on several medications for hypertension, high triglycerides, insulin resistance, and seasonal allergies (that seem to last year long).

... I think you do have reason to believe that you are at risk.

the Doc was going to put me on some blood pressure meds. I called BS on that and said: "Give me 90 days."

Kudos! That's the way to do it.

I'd recommend it. Try it for 30 days. You can always go back to eating like crap.

Excellent point.
 
Oddly, I was listening to this podcast in the background when I was browsing B&B and saw this thread.


Give it a listen; I highly recommend it. Great info.

I went on the ketogenic diet just under a year ago, and have lost about 25 lbs. The results are fantastic. What got me started, oddly enough, was a really bad cold, that knocked me off my feet for about 5 days and I ate almost nothing, lay on the couch watching tv and being miserable, and lost about 10 pounds ... wow, thought I, how can I keep these gains from going away? I looked around and found the keto diet and started on it, and haven't looked back!

Not only have I not had a cold, flu, or other illness since, I haven't had a migraine either. Normally, I would get migraines about 3-5 times a year, and each one would basically knock me out for half a day (or more if I didn't take migraine advil right when the symptoms started).

I'm sold.

The best part of "it's not a 'diet' diet" is not being hungry most of the time. And you don't have energy crashes a couple hours after eating. A couple of things though ...
  • the biggest downside is being constantly on the look-out for hidden carbs. Sure, "no bread, no pop" is easy, but the you start looking at "net carbs" and you find that carbs are everywhere, and you get paranoid about how they put sugar and flour in everything. Fortunately, the no/low carb foods are mostly pretty darn tasty: yes, you CAN rub some bacon on it!!
  • be sure to get fibre in your diet. Low-net-carb fibre, of course. (Subtract "fibre carbs" from total carbs ... whatever is left over is "net carbs" and count toward your "kick you out of ketosis if you eat too many carbs" total.)
  • Be sure to get enough vegetable nutrients. Leafy greens are a good bet, and "greens" supplements help a lot too.



"Yes, but ..."

I suspect most family doctors are going to be "but ... that's not what the food pyramid or whatever we are using now recommends" and give you the cautious "CYA answer" about going with a less "extreme" diet more in the mainstream and more "accepted" by those who have never really tried or investigated the ketogenic diet.



I find I have lost the desire to eat many of the high carb/sugar foods that people would assume are on the "cheat meal list". There's a couple of foods that I still like to eat occasionally, but they are the exception, and I don't find the "need" to have them or the desire, but if the opportunity presents itself I'll occasionally partake.



Well ... when I read you saying this ...



... I think you do have reason to believe that you are at risk.



Kudos! That's the way to do it.



Excellent point.

Thanks! You have a lot of good points. I'll still discuss this with my doctor...but I think I will start it up anyway. I go to the doc once every three months to do blood work because while I am able to regulate most of my stuff with medication...but my triglycerides are real tricky for me. Anyway...I want to get my blood work done and then see if they improve or not the next time I go.

I appreciate all the great comments all!
 
Your cholesterol will jump at first. I have a good doc and was discussing this with him. he told me that eating keto will take about 6 months or so for your cholesterol to level off. Makes sense to me.

I also echo the opine above that most medical docs will warn you off this as not being what they are taught in med school. If they start in with the "food pyramid" crap tell them thank you and have a nice day. Chances are, they and their staff are overweight. I usually eschew fat people talking to me about diet and nutrition.

I just had bloodwork done yesterday and am awaiting the results. Will be interesting to see what's up.
 
@dangerousdon I've been on keto for 8 weeks now and dropped exactly 33 lbs. I weigh and photo myself every Monday morning. I feel great! And I have abs again for the first time since college.

My motivation to start was prediabetes. I was also fat and sluggish and starting to be the slow guy on our crew. Plus DM runs in my family. And my 12 hr fasting BGL was hovering around 120. In my line of work I have a lot of experience with the disease. Enough to make me realize that if you are diagnosed with diabetes you definitely want to do everything in your power to not have diabetes.

I was reluctant at first because I have a very physically demanding job and I didn't want to bottom out or even pass out at an incident. So I timed the initial transition to be on my day off. It was 4 days of feeling like crap. Then one morning waking up feeling awesome!

Luckily the diet is consistent with my palate so I don't have strong cravings for things like donuts and chips etc. I do miss pizza though. But you find ways to substitute it. It's also a pain to have to make my own meals separate from the family.

Check out videos by Thomas DeLauer. I like his nutrition break downs. Everyone is different so you'll have to find what foods/vitamins/minerals you need to focus on. Like digestive issues. There are also lots of good keto recipes online to keep you from getting bored of eating grilled chicken and cheese everyday all day.
 
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