Keto Newbie

Retrofit55
Retrofit55 Posts: 68 Member
edited November 2024 in Introduce Yourself
Greetings All, I am a 62 y.o. female, 230 lbs and 5'5" tall. Multiple medical problems including metabolic syndrome and a complex polypain syndrome, all of which worsened last year when I had a devastating, prolonged (and still recovering) neuromuscular adverse reaction to a statin drug prescribed for high cholesterol, Crestor (rosuvastatin). I put on 30# during this adverse reaction, which only made the polypain syndrome worse, of course. In desperation, I began a keto diet 17 days ago and, although I have not lost a single pound on the scales, I am now convinced this nutrition is EXACTLY what I have been needing for decades. Between the obesity and constant severe pain issues, depression and anxiety are daily problems and this may be where I have seen the greatest improvement. Once the keto flu resolved (about 1 wk in), I noticed that my anxiety was decreasing and depression lifting with every single day I continued to eat keto. The neuromuscular pain itself is the same but with keto I get the sense that both my physical and mental health are improving so much that eventually even a portion of the pain will have to disappear too as my fitness improves (particularly when actual weight loss kicks in). And I am even more encouraged by the reports that a keto diet can help improve mitochondrial function (which took a major blow thanks to Crestor). So I am thrilled and hopeful. I have never been on a diet where the scales truly did not matter to me and I am flatly amazed that I have not been discouraged to the point of quitting by the failure to lose pounds on the scale. But I cannot be discouraged: I just feel too good in general now that I've switched to a LCHF diet.

Since starting keto, I have realized that all of my life I have been simply mistaken about what COMFORT FOOD is. Comfort food is supposed to taste good, comfort us, make us happy, make us feel better about ourselves, more complete and intact, make us feel healthier and give us confidence that we are better equipped to deal with, and dispose of, whatever is causing us DIScomfort. I now know that sugar and wheat just doesn't do that for me. But to my surprise, eating keto does. I am happier now, far fewer emotional ups and downs. I have virtually no food cravings between meals. When I am hungry, I am really hungry, but with keto I can eat as much delicious, nutrient rich food as I want and experience true, lasting satiety (also a first). And I am having a blast learning about the keto foods/menus/recipes available for me to enjoy. KETO IS MY COMFORT indulgence now!

I'm sure I haven't lost weight yet because (among other reasons) my calorie count is high. I am not restricting calories during this introductory phase, just monitoring them as this experiment plays out. My goal is a gentle lifestyle change and I am okay with doing it the easiest way and losing slowly, just shooting for 25g carbs (5%), 175g fat (80%) and 74g protein (15%) with a gallon of H20 daily.

I expect I'll have to tighten up the calories eventually, but would love to hear about someone else's weight loss experience with a high calorie LCHF diet.

Also, is anyone aware of any LCHF support groups in the Knoxville TN area? So far, I've been pursuing this keto diet solo while learning about it from the internet, but it would be so nice to partner with some others in my area (or elsewhere) with common goals.




Replies

This discussion has been closed.

Categories