KETOGENIC DIET-A NEW LIFESTYLE CHANGE!

eeejer

mmmpork wrote: »

I was on Keto for 3 years and went off because it caused IBS and nutrient malabsorption. I am neither pre-diabetic or insulin resistant but on Keto I became insulin resistant. I also suffered hypothyroid symptoms including low body temperature and other hormone problems. I couldn't digest raw vegetables or any significant amount of fiber. I couldn't exercise because my body cramped and I had no energy or ability to concentrate. I was a hot mess!!

To be clear I did the diet "right". I ate grass fed organ meats, I drank Kombucha, I ate my lard and coconut oil. I ate the zucchini pasta and the turnip risotto. I believed all the hype and thought this was the miracle diet that would allow me to magically manage my weight. Boy was I wrong!

There is very little research on adults on the long term affects of this diet. Keto literature will cite Masai and Inuit populations as examples of traditional cultures who practiced Keto. Modern members of these groups do not practice these diets and the only records we have of the traditional diets are anecdotal at best. Unless you're planning to subsist solely on your own cow herd or hunt seals, it probably doesn't apply to modern diets anyways.

Keto/Paleo/whatever, it's a cult, not a diet. If the person is telling you that the USDA is the devil and science is wrong but "my" science is right oh and by the way you should buy my supplement, I hate to break it to you, but it's a fad diet.

Keto changes your metabolism significantly. You need to work with a health care professional if you want to try this diet. I'd argue it's pretty dangerous in the long term because of the lack of data out there and the potential gut impact it has. It's kind of like Vegan because you're adopting a diet that nobody has ever naturally evolved to. You're cutting out entire food groups that provide unique sources of nutrition that are difficult to get elsewhere.

I finally admitted to myself, the science is right, the charlatans are wrong. Unless you have some disorder that affects your metabolism, you need to create a calorie deficit to lose weight and avoid a calorie surplus to gain weight. Carbs and wheat aren't the devil. There's no such thing as a "cleanse" or "detox" (take 5 mg of liquid magnesium, that'll cleanse ya!). That said, if you're getting most of your calories from carbs you're probably going to have a harder time staying at or under your daily calorie target. One thing I learned from Keto is saturated fats aren't bad and you should get the bulk of your calories from nutrient dense sources.

If you want to lose weight, work with a health care professional to establish a realistic calorie deficit. You really can eat whatever you want and be perfectly healthy as long as you stay within your energy requirements. Don't believe the snake oil diet hype!!!

You are confusing personal experience with science. There is plenty of research into ketogenic diets, and human bodies work fine with ketones for energy rather than carbohydrates. Keto has nothing to do with paleo. I think maybe you got sucked into scam diet sellers, and did not "do it right" at all. If you think Kombucha is important to a keto diet then right away I'd say you were misled.

Here, read a phd nutritionist writing at Scientific American explain it if you think it is snake oil. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/the-fat-fueled-brain-unnatural-or-advantageous/

Want even more science including long-term studies? http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01828.x/full

Keto caused your IBS and other problems? I assume a doctor diagnosed this and explained how it managed to do that?

You are spreading FUD. Keto as a short-term diet strategy works for many people. Not all. You should check with a doctor prior to starting it, as with any major change to your lifestyle.

eeejer

oh and you say yourself you believed it was magic, and now we are supposed to accept your negative review of it. I guess it isn't magic. That much is true. You need to do science more.

geoblewis

I'm doing keto. I like it. Currently not doing it to lose weight. I want to control my blood sugar levels. Once I have that balanced, I intend to cut back how much fat I'm eating.

bournehavoc

I've been on a ketogenic diet/lifestyle for over a year now, and absolutely love it. I was able to lose the weight I wanted to (still tweaking things) and I'm in better shape/fitter than I have been in over 10 years. Dropping carbs/sugar out of my diet and replacing it with high fat and moderate protein keeps me from getting hungry. Of course you can't just eat all you want of everything. There's nothing magical about keto. But eating satisfying food rather than hunger-inducing food (carbs) is a massive help. As others have said, check out reddit.com/r/keto. There's a massive amount of misinformation about diets/food lifestyles on MFP...do your research - actual research regarding the science of your diet, and then make a choice. I love it, and I don't plan to go back. One poster said essentially "all the people I knew who were on it gained their weight back once the stopped." Yep...if you go back to carbs and your old lifestyle, you'll put it right back on. :-)

macchiatto

I'm on a ketogenic diet. Ditto pp's that the low carbers group and keto group would be good resources for you to learn more about it. LCHF is recommended for people with PCOS. I have both that and MS, and the Wahls Protocol for MS is a keto-type diet that shows promise for those of us with MS. (It's in clinical trials.)
@mmmpork I'm sorry you had such a negative experience on it.
For me, so far I've had a lot of unexpected health benefits (joint inflammation, acid reflux and other GI issues have all cleared up) beyond weight loss. In a month or so I plan to experiment with adding certain foods back in to try to narrow down what I personally am sensitive to.

PearBlossom9

Whut. I need carbs in my life because I won't get the nutrients elsewhere? No, I don't need pasta, bread/flour, or sugar. There is absolutely nothing in those items that I need to have.

Bunch of nonsense.

nvmomketo

I am another ketofile. I started it to manage blood glucose and lose weight but am enjoying it for how it cuts my appetite and cravings, and for the autoimmune and brain benefits it provides. There is a bit of magic in it for some spoke like me. I have eaten this way for about 7 months and foresee no need to stop.

Best wishes.

djackel93

I love this diet! I was on a glucose craving roller coaster for years. Now on keto diet and eating tons of veggies, moderate fruit, moderate protein, and good fats.

Prior to this lifestyle, I was craving sugar in between meals, feeling sugar lows, and I was eating "healthy." I was eating the standard American diet that is recommended: plenty of healthy grains and fruits and vegetables, lower on far, etc. walking, etc. Yet, could not lose weight even when pushing up the exercise level. On blood pressure meds, mediocre cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, glucose resistant.

My BP is now low! I'm losing fat around my waist and can see muscle definition in my legs and arms. I feel good. No more cravings. Even when I am too busy to eat I don't have the sugar crashes o used to get. I've lost 7 pounds by scale but with more muscle and less fat, it looks as if I've gained muscle and therefore lost more than 7 pounds in fat.

Do some research on this diet and see what you think. The theory is that our bodies do a much better job of being on a diet that gets more calories from burning fats than on burning carbs from grains.