The Ketogenic Get Healthy Thread

[deoxy4]

Through changes in my lifestyle I've brought my blood pressure down as well as my resting heart rate. I certainly have room to loose a few dozen pounds. My main motivation is to do this with my wife. She was diagnosed with MS back in the 90's. It turns out that a paleo diet may be beneficial for folk who have any autoimmune disease.

We are following The Wahls protocol. An MS diet. Pretty darn strict but we are adapting.

Thinking on it there must have been maybe 15 meals we prepare on a regular basis. I'm working now on figuring out 15 or 20 go to meals. Have some. Need more.

Had this in my favorites list but haven't had a chance to look at it. Maybe you can find something useful.
Recipes

 

[Alacrity59]

Wonderful suggestion deoxy4. Thank you very much.

 

[deoxy4]

Wonderful suggestion deoxy4. Thank you very much.

I don't mean to take over the OP thread. I have an autoimmune disease. Dr. Wahl is great. Dr. Sarah Ballantyne is also great and made the Paleo autoimmune diet her area of focus. It is good to have options when medical professionals offer so little.

 

[dangerousdon]

Yesterday was day two and today is another day. I think I learned a good bit yesterday about myself. But first let's do the numbers. Just a recap...I am going along with the keto calculator of Keto Diet Buddy. I just liked the interface for some reason, but I checked other calculators and they are all in the same ball park. I am estimating body fat right now, but I go to the docs on Friday and I am going to ask her if she can measure my fat.... Any way the calculator tells me with a small calorie deficit of 16% I should be consuming: Fat - 191 grams, Carbs - 25 grams, and protein - 125 grams, for a total of 2318 calories.

Numbers for 1/9/17...

Fat - 184 grams = 1656 calories - 76%
Carbs - 15.5 grams = 62 calories - 3%
Protein - 113.5 grams = 454 calories - 21%
Total Calories = 2172

As you can see, my number are lower. I want to get to a point where I am under 2000 calories, but I am not nearly as focused on that and just want to get into ketosis. I also have a goal of drinking a gallon of water a day. So far I am exceeding that with no problem.

All in all yesterday was good. I decided to make an effort of eating withing in small windows instead of grazing all day, which I used to do...and found out with the types of foods I am eating, will make me ill if I continue to graze. I am trying to learn to eat until sated and then no more until I am ready to eat again. Yesterday I limited myself to eating withing 90 minute windows. For example...for breakfast I had my keto coffe while on my way to work...let's say around 7:30 AM. When I got to work I had two egg bites (my wife made these...they are similar to Starbucks egg bites and are keto friendly...I'll post them in the Mess Hall when I get a chance) around 8:15 AM. And then around 8:45 AM I had a cheese snack. Then I ate nothing until noon. I know this isn't ideal still...but I am working my way to just two meals a day (long term) with no snacks.

Yesterday wasn't that hard, but I did notice some hunger urges. I don't even want to say thay are hunger pangs because I think it's my body say, "Hey! Don! You usually eat now...what's up!" I was able, for the most part, resist these urges.

I got through the day and had a great dinner of baked salmon and riced cauliflower (with butter of course). I added a piece of cheese to it because I was looking for something more. I thought I was good for the day and then my wife pulled out the bread, toasted it, and then slathered in butter and honey. Yup...I started craving honey in a bad way...it just sat there on the bread...more golden than I ever remembered honey to be...seriously...no joke. I went and had a full glass of water, and the belly sloshing of water and food reminded me that I was full.

All in all, yesterday was a good day.

The first few weeks are the hardest, in breaking the carbohydrate addiction. When your body stops ringing the sugar addiction bell every few hours it is amazing how long you can go without hunger pangs and still function very well.

It hasn't been too bad yet, but I am preparing for the worst.

Costco is a great place to buy coconut oil, no salt butter, lamb, vegetables, sardines etc.

Picked up my tub of coconut oil and multiple boxes of sardines!

One of the first things that will reverse is your triglyceride levels.

I so hope so...my October set of labs had mine in the 160ish range.

I now eat 2 meals a day. No snacks. No problem.

Definitely working towards this.

Just another thing to consider. You may want to get your diet down before starting a vigorous workout routine if you have been sedentary. It is a big change in eating habits alone. Adding another big change, a vigorous workout routine, at the same time may be too much to handle.

I have debated this and I think you just confirmed. Thanks.

Keep at it man! I know many guys who have made keto work for them.

We are always here for a word of encouragement and can't wait to hear more good news about your progress.

I really appreciate it!

Through changes in my lifestyle I've brought my blood pressure down as well as my resting heart rate. I certainly have room to loose a few dozen pounds. My main motivation is to do this with my wife. She was diagnosed with MS back in the 90's. It turns out that a paleo diet may be beneficial for folk who have any autoimmune disease.

We are following The Wahls protocol. An MS diet. Pretty darn strict but we are adapting.

Thinking on it there must have been maybe 15 meals we prepare on a regular basis. I'm working now on figuring out 15 or 20 go to meals. Have some. Need more.

I really hope this works out for you and your wife. I am finding out that proper or specific nutrition cures or at least eases a lot of ailments.

You and me both. It will be a cold day in Miami before I ever go on a statin.

I was on Crestor for a brief period of time...shortly after I was having discomforts from a big fat liver. I immediately went off. She has me on something else now...but it's not a statin.

But back to Don: proud of you my friend. Have recently made a life decision myself, I will add you to my morning list...

Thanks buddy! I need all the help I can get!

I don't mean to take over the OP thread.

Feel free to jump off point whenever you want...especially if it has to do with nutrition and exercise.

Thank you all for being so kind to me...

Today brings another day of challenges and rewards.

 

[deoxy4]

Sounds like you are off to a good start!

One of the things that I incorporated when I started eating a Keto diet was supplementing electrolytes in my diet.
If you are drinking a gallon or more of water and on a keto diet you may be voiding electrolytes. There is no lack of information out there regarding this topic if you do a search. Here is one.

"Keto-flu" and Sufficient Intake of Electrolytes | The KetoDiet Blog

I get my potassium from avocados and greens and my sodium as well. It is hard to get enough magnesium from food so I supplement with magnesium glycinate powder. Most magnesium supplements aren't very bio-available but the glycinate form is.

I also recommend fish oil, vitamin D and vitamin K2.

 

[Alacrity59]

Today my body was resisting greens. Seriously. Was having a bit of kale this morning and my stomach gave an incredible heave. Caught it short of coming out. I guess my gut bacteria are not quite used to this yet. Had a nice dinner free range beef hamburgers, sauteed mushrooms, and steamed broccoli.

 

[FarmerTan]

Don, you brought tears to my eyes. An old friend years ago said he was born with a terrible birth defect: his kidneys are too close to his eyeballs! And the older I get, the further my kidneys travel north. Why else would my eyes leak.
But your statement about us being kind hit me hard. There is, for me, the strangest kind of brotherhood here on B and B. There are gentlemen on here I'd take a bullet for, and doing what I do for a living...lets just say I've met quite a few humans that have wanted to exercise their 2nd amendment right on me, lol.
And because you made my eyes leak, I'm gonna stick you on the evening list as well. You ARE a gentleman and a scholar, so remember that the next time the going gets tough.

 

[auk1124]

Don, what works for me is splitting my meals up into six small meals, spaced out every three hours through the day. I don't know much about keto but I don't know why you couldn't give that a try for a while. It is a pain but it keeps hunger pangs under control.

If you weigh 325 and you are staying around 2100-2300 cals, you are gonna lose weight, keto or not. Start walking a couple miles or more every day and you will melt.

 

[dangerousdon]

I had a pretty good day yesterday...still not in ketosis but just trudging along until it happened. Here were my numbers from yesterday:

Fat - 204 grams = 1836 calories - 78%
Carbs - 15 grams = 60 calories - 2% (Actually it's 2.5% but when rounding out my percentages it came to 101%...so I just stayed with 2%...makes me feel a little better )
Protein - 117 grams = 468 calories - 20%

Super stoked that I was well under my carb goal for the day...AGAIN! I do get some urges or cravings on the carbs...but they are nothing that I can't handle. And I noticed that they mostly come after I eat. If I do get an urge or a craving after I eat...I have been chugging a cup of water and then I realize that all that food and water is sloshing in my stomach and realize that I am actually quite full. Of course I have urges when Greg at the office brings that damn King Cake to work...oh yeah...we are gearing up for Mardi Gras here and there is pretty much a King Cake in the office everyday...

Anyway...back to the numbers. My Carbs and Proteins were in range (25 and 125 respectively). But I did go over in my Fats (191 grams). It wasn't by much and doing keto, I don't know how much of this is a big deal...but I need to watch it. So why did I go over in fat? My first test eating out.

My wife loves Waffle House for some reason. And she had a rough day at work again so I indulged her. Before we went...I looked up on line before hand and figured out what I could eat...I mean it's Waffle House right...I could always eat eggs and bacon. Anyway I settled on the Cheesesteak Omelet and a side of bacon. I did the math and everything was good. When I got back home and put everything in my food log...I made a mistake. According to the website I was using...a serving size is one slice of bacon. I had three. So that is where the extra fat grams came from. If anyone is interested...the Waffle House Cheesesteak Omelet has 44 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbs, and 21 grams of protein. Three slices of Waffle House bacon has 9 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein.

I decided to take a walk at lunch yesterday. Popped in my headphones and listed to a podcast (2 Keto Dudes if you are wondering) and took a stroll for about 45 minutes.

Day three done...heading into day four.

Sounds like you are off to a good start!

One of the things that I incorporated when I started eating a Keto diet was supplementing electrolytes in my diet.
If you are drinking a gallon or more of water and on a keto diet you may be voiding electrolytes. There is no lack of information out there regarding this topic if you do a search. Here is one.

"Keto-flu" and Sufficient Intake of Electrolytes | The KetoDiet Blog

I get my potassium from avocados and greens and my sodium as well. It is hard to get enough magnesium from food so I supplement with magnesium glycinate powder. Most magnesium supplements aren't very bio-available but the glycinate form is.

I also recommend fish oil, vitamin D and vitamin K2.

Thanks for the info. I am taking Magnesium, Potassium, and Fish Oil Supplements. I do understand that tablets or caplets are not always the best form. It's what I have for now, but I think I will look into Vitamin D and the powder. I do avocados (more on that below) and other potassium rich foods though.

Today my body was resisting greens. Seriously. Was having a bit of kale this morning and my stomach gave an incredible heave. Caught it short of coming out. I guess my gut bacteria are not quite used to this yet. Had a nice dinner free range beef hamburgers, sauteed mushrooms, and steamed broccoli.

I get that from avocados. I'm not sure why, because I like guacamole. I think it has to do with the salt and other spices...so I salt the crap out the avocados I eat.

Don, you brought tears to my eyes. An old friend years ago said he was born with a terrible birth defect: his kidneys are too close to his eyeballs! And the older I get, the further my kidneys travel north. Why else would my eyes leak.
But your statement about us being kind hit me hard. There is, for me, the strangest kind of brotherhood here on B and B. There are gentlemen on here I'd take a bullet for, and doing what I do for a living...lets just say I've met quite a few humans that have wanted to exercise their 2nd amendment right on me, lol.
And because you made my eyes leak, I'm gonna stick you on the evening list as well. You ARE a gentleman and a scholar, so remember that the next time the going gets tough.

Well, now you are just making me blush

Don, what works for me is splitting my meals up into six small meals, spaced out every three hours through the day. I don't know much about keto but I don't know why you couldn't give that a try for a while. It is a pain but it keeps hunger pangs under control.

If you weigh 325 and you are staying around 2100-2300 cals, you are gonna lose weight, keto or not. Start walking a couple miles or more every day and you will melt.

Because I am insulin resistant, I am trying my best to get the fewest insulin spikes I can. That means I am really trying to limit my food to within certain times of the day. I used to split foods up in six portions throughout the day on other diets. But unfortunately, that just became grazing all day long. I appreciate the suggestion though.

Thanks again gents...I love the comments and suggestions. Keep them coming...don't care what it is. Have a wonderful day today!

 

[Rusty Blade]

I imagine things will get easier once you replace your old not-so-good eating habits with new much-better-for-you eating habits. Eating is such a big part of our lives and for many of us a great source of comfort and pleasure. I am sure you will have days when you feel discouraged, but remember you have a great support team here on B&B eager to see you be a success. Soldier on!

 

[Doc4]

Don, what works for me is splitting my meals up into six small meals, spaced out every three hours through the day. I don't know much about keto but I don't know why you couldn't give that a try for a while.

I remember 10-20 years ago the "six small meals all through the day" thing was all the rage. Nowadays, I think the best research has moved on to intermittent fasting and the idea of specifically NOT eating all the time. Certainly, for a ketogenic diet, limiting the time during the day when one eats tends to be helpful.

That doesn't mean that this doesn't work for you. I think if someone does "something" in terms of a diet, it's going to have more results than doing nothing.

If I do get an urge or a craving after I eat...I have been chugging a cup of water and then I realize that all that food and water is sloshing in my stomach and realize that I am actually quite full.

Good plan!

Of course I have urges when Greg at the office brings that damn King Cake to work...oh yeah...we are gearing up for Mardi Gras here and there is pretty much a King Cake in the office everyday...

Ah, the dreaded "office carb-o-holic". For me, it was the bakery around the corner that people would often get doughnuts and other goodies from ... and "I'll have one" would turn into that and the half-doughnut left after Janice from Accounting only wanted a little bit ... and then nobody else was interested so we can't let this stuff go stale so ...

Yeah.

Funny thing, though ... after a while on keto, I'd walk by the dreaded "bakery box" and not even be interested in lifting up the lid to see what was there.

...I mean it's Waffle House right...I could always eat eggs and bacon.

Because I am insulin resistant, I am trying my best to get the fewest insulin spikes I can. That means I am really trying to limit my food to within certain times of the day.

I may have already shared the first of these, but probably not the second.

 

[dangerousdon]

@Doc4 Thanks! It seems as if I'm on the right track. I'll have to check out the videos above.

 

[Chango]

Ah, the dreaded "office carb-o-holic". For me, it was the bakery around the corner that people would often get doughnuts and other goodies from ... and "I'll have one" would turn into that and the half-doughnut left after Janice from Accounting only wanted a little bit ... and then nobody else was interested so we can't let this stuff go stale so ...

Wanna compare carb-o-holics?

This is the kitchen table in the fire station:

 

[auk1124]

I remember 10-20 years ago the "six small meals all through the day" thing was all the rage. Nowadays, I think the best research has moved on to intermittent fasting and the idea of specifically NOT eating all the time. Certainly, for a ketogenic diet, limiting the time during the day when one eats tends to be helpful.

That doesn't mean that this doesn't work for you. I think if someone does "something" in terms of a diet, it's going to have more results than doing

I guess it depends on your goals and what type of diet you are following then. On a high protein plan, two big meals a day may not necessarily be the best way to go because you are pounding down big time protein amounts each meal.

As for what is best and what isn't, well, I've lost over 250 pounds in the past year and a half, so, yeah, six meals a day certainly works for me.

 

[deoxy4]

Your pretty well educated. Impressed. Your off to a good start.

If you decide to research Vitamin D, it is actually a hormone and is involved in hundreds of metabolic pathways. In the summer the body manufactures plenty of vitamin D from half an hour of direct sun exposure. Most of the rest of the year we need to supplement. If you decide to research vitamin D3 evaluate its use with vitamin K2. Used together it is reported to be effective in minimizing calcification of the arteries. (Rhotterdam Study)

A pretty good place to get supplements is Vitacost. Vitamin K2 is pretty inexpensive there. Vitamin K2, 100mcg, MK-7, 200 softgels. They often have buy 1 and get one at 50% off. Costco has Kirkland Vitamin D3, 2000 IU, 600 softgels. As inexpensive as I have found.

If your having your blood drawn at a doctors appointment, you may ask your doctor to have a vitamin D test done. I have seen reports that 70 % of the population is vitamin D deficient in spring, fall, and winter.

Keep up the good work and carry on!

 

[deoxy4]

It seems like you gentlemen haven't bought into the dogma.

"Healthy whole grains...blah , blah...eight servings a day!"

"Avoid artery clogging saturated fats at all costs!"

 

[deoxy4]

"My wife loves waffle house for some reason."

Reasons You are Addicted to Carbohydrates… And Why You Should Reduce Your Carb Intake

 

[dangerousdon]

Not a big long post today guys...I have to jump into the shower and run to see the Doc. We are going to discuss my blood work again. But this is also where I am telling her that I am on keto. I honestly don't know what her reaction will be. And to tell you the truth...I'm not really looking forward to it. But I am determined to get off these meds and get my insulin, sugar, and cholesterol levels in order. I just want to be healthy so that I can live a full and healthy life.

Anyway...here is what I did yesterday...

Fat - 187.5 grams = 1687.5 calories - 79%
Carbs - 16.5 grams = 66 calories - 3%
Protein - 94 grams = 376 calories - 18%
Total Calories - 2129.5 Calories

This is my lowest calorie count this week. It just happens that way. Once again, I am excited I can keep my grams in carbs well below my limit. Anyway, like I said...off to the Doc today. I'll have more later.

Wanna compare carb-o-holics?

I used to work at Louisiana State Police and our break room looked a lot like that also...but no, I don't want to compare carboholics.

As for what is best and what isn't, well, I've lost over 250 pounds in the past year and a half, so, yeah, six meals a day certainly works for me.

Definitely have to do what works best for you.

If your having your blood drawn at a doctors appointment, you may ask your doctor to have a vitamin D test done. I have seen reports that 70 % of the population is vitamin D deficient in spring, fall, and winter.

I'll talk to her about it for next time. We did the blood draw a week and a half ago.

It seems like you gentlemen haven't bought into the dogma.

"Healthy whole grains...blah , blah...eight servings a day!"

"Avoid artery clogging saturated fats at all costs!"

I know for a fact that just about any grains goes straight to my mid section. I used to eat a bowl of oatmeal four times a week and I thought I was doing my cholesterol a favor.

"My wife loves waffle house for some reason."

Reasons You are Addicted to Carbohydrates… And Why You Should Reduce Your Carb Intake

Yup...that's pretty much it.

You guys have a great day! I'll tell you later how the doctor visit went.

 

[martym]

From the experience of a type 1 Diabetic

If I eat low carb/high fat and do an hour of brisk walking a day my insulin usage drops to almost nothing and my blood sugar is never over 100.

If I decide to eat high carbs and reduce exercise my insulin usage goes sky high, blood sugar is way up and I have difficulty keeping it under 150. Additionally, I start feeling lousy. My body aches, I have huge mood swings. I become a bigger pain according to my wife. I dont want to do anything.
In conclusion: it’s an easy choice for me!

I wish you the best
I will be watching!


FYI

We are all different and you must find what’s works for you both mentally and physically.
I cannot eat oatmeal but I can eat all the fresh fruit I want. I can even eat watermelon and not have to give myself insulin.

 

[dangerousdon]

Okay guys...just got back a little while ago from the Doc. All in all I think it was VERY positive. We went over my blood work and really...it's not all that great...but I was expecting that. But like I said, this was before I started keto because I wanted a baseline before I began. I'll go over some of my numbers in a minute.

I discussed doing keto with her and I was bracing for some serious push back. I was really surprised that she was completely on board with it. She said that some Cardiologists she knows prescribe the ketogenic diet for their patients before they undergo surgery. She ended up telling me off the top of her head that the heart actually runs about 25% more efficiently off of ketones. I can't cite any works...so take it for what it is worth. Needless to say, I am overjoyed and excited that my doc is actually encouraging of my new lifestyle change.

So what did the numbers say today? I won't go into everything, but I will share with you all some of the highlights.

A1c - 5.8 Last July it was 5.9. My Doc says this is okay, but everything I have read this number still needs to be lower. The fact that it went down (even a little) is encouraging considering we just came out of November and December.

Fasting Insulin - I am actually a little disappointed here because she didn't put in to have this measured. She told me that every three months is a little hard to show difference in results and that she typically doesn't do the insulin test but every six months. So next time I go in I will get this done. I did ask that even if I have to pay more, I would like this done for each visit. While I don't know what it was this time around, in October it was 18.8 ulU/mL. This is WAY too high...I understand this. But I want to say in July of 2017 my Metformin dose was increased. I am telling you this because in my July blood work had my fasting insulin as 41.2ulU/mL...huge improvement! I am anxious to see if I can get it to normal range on keto and possible start lower doses of Metformin.

Glucose - This isn't a good measurement to base health off of...from what I understand the A1c is better at that. But here are the numbers anyway: October - 70; January - 93. It went up but evidently is still in a normal range.

Lipid Panel - I'm not going too much into this, because evidently there is some argument on cholesterol. I do know the numbers for me are still not good.

HDL - October - 32; January - 31
LDL - October - 107; January - 132
Triglycerides - October - 248; January - 189
Total Cholesterol - October - 174; January - 198

I don't really know what to think of these as they are all over the place. My doc was not impressed with my Triglycerides and told me to stop taking the Fenofibrate that I am on. When I talked with her about my diet, I also chatted with her about getting off all my meds. So I asked I can just stay off the cholesterol stuff. Well short story is that she convinced me to get on something until my numbers improved. Her suggestion is to take this stuff called Vascepa. Evidently this stuff is what is called Icosapent Ethyl that is found in fish oil. My doc described it is taking about 50 capsules of fish oil a day. While I won't call this stuff natural...I decided to give it a try. She gave me about two weeks of samples and I checked my insurance to see if this stuff is covered. It turns out it is, though it's a little on the pricey side. However, it looks like the manufacturer has a rebate of some sort so that it's only $9.00. Not sure for who long...but I decided I will do this for three months and see if we can get things in order.

Sorry for the long post here...but I wanted to share this info. Like I said at the beginning of this thread...it's about accountability.