What kinds of positive effects have you experienced from being on keto?
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Keto is when I finally found my abs. I was fit in high school, thin (because I was destitute poor) in college and have worked out most of my life, but always had that little extra around the middle. The first time I saw definition in my abs was after keto at the age of 45. I maintained a 6 pack for a while, but now it is more of a 4 pack. But, now I am 48. I have to be a bit more strict than the lazy keto I do now if I want the 6 pack. Don't believe all the garbage about what exercises you need to get your abs ripped. It is all about removing the layer of fat over top them. For me, keto was the only WOE that worked.9
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Hi, I just started keto last Tuesday and I am honestly loving it so far, this diet has been so doable and I don't feel deprived at all! Since I am new though, I'm not sure what other positive effects I could possibly experience and would love to hear from others!
So far I've experienced my eczema clearing up a bit (although it still breaks out sometimes since I am currently under a bit of stress) and not needing to eat as much anymore. I also used to have a major sweet tooth, I tried 100% dark chocolate today and ACTUALLY liked it so my taste buds have already started to change. I still need to try out Lily's stevia sweetened dark chocolate though
What everybody else said, plus, my doctor has taken me off three meds!
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cstehansen wrote: »I feel great in a aspects but one. I still feel lethargic when running.
This is something that can take several months to normalize. It is also one where if you are in that borderline keto area - low carb, but possibly not consistently in ketosis - it can really drag on possibly indefinitely.
Once you are fully fat adapted, you shouldn't have a problem being low carb but not keto. This is something Zach Bitter does. He has periods of both keto and non-keto low carb. Given he holds the record for the 100 mile at an average pace of 7 minutes a mile, I think it is working for him.
I have decided to increase my running to 4.3 miles M-W-F and 2 miles Tues / Thurs with a Nautilus workout to see if I can get rid of the slow heavy leg feeling. I want to get back to running 30 miles a week and enjoying it....and ski season is almost here. I can't let my kids out ski me.2 -
I started keto 9 days ago, and I'm liking it. I'm certainly getting plenty of food to satisfy hunger. The first few days, I had to tell myself "no" when I passed my husband's carb-heavy snacks on the kitchen island, but I realize they're no longer tempting me. After reading about many of the benefits you posters are claiming, I'm really excited to reap some of those benefits myself. Even with cruciferous veggies and lots of eggs, I realize I'm not passing gas, which was becoming a problem before I started keto. Besides losing weight, I'm hoping to lower my blood pressure and get off cholesterol medication. I would love to get arthritis relief in my back/hips so I can stop taking my daily BC Powder before I exercise or do physical work. I'm glad this group is here.3
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What everyone else said, but it took me almost a year to start having any energy and almost a year and a half to have a good, deep night's sleep. I've been a light sleeper all my life so the change was/is awesome. When I first began keto I noticed that my hair was like silk and my skin got super soft. Some results come quickly, early on, but it's great to know that the longer you eat this way the more pluses you'll see. 1
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https://webmd.com/diet/news/20180709/ketos-fans-boost-controversial-diets-profile
"But when a co-worker mentioned he’d slimmed down by “going keto,” Sandoval -- a father of four who was pushing 300 pounds -- perked up."
"Sandoval, who read Mancinelli’s book three times, listened. Today, he has no doubt he’ll reach his goal weight of 190 pounds.
“People have a lot of misperceptions about it, thinking you have to just eat bacon and eggs, and that it’s not sustainable,” he says. “All I know is, it’s working for me.” "
This truck drivers story touched me. This Keto thing is not from top down but a grassroots movement. Folks we are talking about working middle class folks talking with coworkers and then hitting the books to learn the road to better health. If middle America is getting the message about using ketones as their major fuel source this movement is just starting and the controversy will be ending 20 years from now I expect.5 -
Thank you for all these comments. I started back to LC/Keto last Monday with some good friends. They are using a Carb Tracker...but think I am going to stay here. I have adjusted my %'s and have all of you for support!!4
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Never thought this would happen, certainly wasn't planning on any changes in my eye sight but...
My left eye has always only seen some light and motion. I was sitting talking to my husband yesterday and all of a sudden I realized I was seeing, SEEING!!!! the frame of my glasses near that eye. All the details of it. If I shut my right eye, I am able to make out some details like holding my hand up I can see the fingers on it, no movement needed. I know this sounds silly but it has really made me realize I will never eat any other way.6 -
retirehappy wrote: »Never thought this would happen, certainly wasn't planning on any changes in my eye sight but...
My left eye has always only seen some light and motion. I was sitting talking to my husband yesterday and all of a sudden I realized I was seeing, SEEING!!!! the frame of my glasses near that eye. All the details of it. If I shut my right eye, I am able to make out some details like holding my hand up I can see the fingers on it, no movement needed. I know this sounds silly but it has really made me realize I will never eat any other way.
That is sooooooo awesome!! I am so very, VERY happy and excited for you!! How long have you been LCHF? I love how the benefits just keep coming and coming and coming.... {{HUGS}}
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@retirehappy that is awesome. Ketones and their position side effects are so incredibly interesting..
My OD and I graduated from SCO in 1986 and about 7 years ago reminded me cataract surgery was going to be in my near future. Last December he said the cararact had not developed more. He said he expects it has something to do with changing my Way Of Eating a few years ago. Science talks about the connection between high blood glucose levels and cataract development.
Thanks for sharing your story.
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retirehappy wrote: »Never thought this would happen, certainly wasn't planning on any changes in my eye sight but...
My left eye has always only seen some light and motion. I was sitting talking to my husband yesterday and all of a sudden I realized I was seeing, SEEING!!!! the frame of my glasses near that eye. All the details of it. If I shut my right eye, I am able to make out some details like holding my hand up I can see the fingers on it, no movement needed. I know this sounds silly but it has really made me realize I will never eat any other way.
WOW!
Amazing! 2 -
Some other treads on this subject. I am glad I moved from being glucose fed to ketone fed 4 years ago.
https://ketogenicforums.com/t/i-freaked-out-my-eye-doctor-tonight/7775/29
https://ketogenicforums.com/t/improved-vision-on-keto/24392/5
https://focusclinics.com/blog/the-keto-diet-can-save-your-sight-and-make-you-healthier/
https://reddit.com/r/keto/comments/1hviv8/optometrist_talked_about_keto/ Note this is 5 years old.
https://gulfnews.com/news/offbeat/keto-diet-good-for-eyesight-study-1.22223391 -
RAC56, over two years now. I have a theory it is the autophagy from fasting that has done this.
GaleHawkins, my eye dr. just told me I have started to grow them, but they are tiny, by wearing sunglasses to block the UV he said they shouldn't bother me for 10 years or so, maybe with my current WOE they won't, I am now wearing very good sunglasses too when outside. He told me in our state 70% of those 70 and older have them and to the point they need to be removed. Lots of UV here in CO.1 -
@GaleHawkins Have you seen this Low Carb Breckenridge video? It's all on LCHF and keto, and how it affects pain, like that of RA, OA and AS.
https://youtu.be/RDT3CnN29zY
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@GaleHawkins Have you seen this Low Carb Breckenridge video? It's all on LCHF and keto, and how it affects pain, like that of RA, OA and AS.https://youtu.be/RDT3CnN29zY
This video is awesome. Thanks
Below is another about cancer that clicked with a lot of things I have read over the past several years about Keto in general.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JBGYRGSpQ441 -
GaleHawkins wrote: »@GaleHawkins Have you seen this Low Carb Breckenridge video? It's all on LCHF and keto, and how it affects pain, like that of RA, OA and AS.https://youtu.be/RDT3CnN29zY
This video is awesome. Thanks
Below is another about cancer that clicked with a lot of things I have read over the past several years about Keto in general.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JBGYRGSpQ44
Oh yes! Thanks! I've seen that one. It's hard to watch at points knowing what her family went through with her son.
Have you read the Metabolic Approach to Cancer? Or Tripping Over the Truth? Really interesting... not that I'm at all LCHF biased at all.
https://www.amazon.com/Metabolic-Approach-Cancer-Integrating-Bio-Individualized/dp/1603586865
Or Outside the Box Cancer Therapies?
Lately there seems to be a surge of research on treating diseases and chronic problems with diet, and not just with low carb although it seems to be getting the most press. I really like seeing this because I believe that many of our diseases are caused by, or worsened by, the foods we eat - and not just by how much we eat. That was a real minority way of thinking for many years but it seems to be slowly shifting. 3 -
This is my second time in ketosis, the last time was 5 years ago. I did it for a few months but hit a plateau. I can't remember how long for but it may have been the PISS. My weight stayed at 99-100 constantly but in hindsight, I was cycling a lot and was probably swapping fat for muscle.
I have decided to commit again, and so far have lost 7kg in 4 weeks but I am ready for the PISS and will carry on. I am through the worst side effects I think; I am feeling mentally clearer, sleeping well and feeling like I have a lot of energy and I don't feel hungry all the time. I am in this for the long run now; it's a WOE that suits me although I do miss some things.
I would like to drop another 8-10kg - I started at 1.08, am at 101 now and would like to get below 95kg by the end of the year. I have a solid build (44" waist, 26" thighs - thanks, cycling) so the recommended 82kg for my height would make me look gaunt.
TL;DR - Lost weight, feel better about myself, feeling mentally clearer, sleeping well. I feel like I have a lot of energy and I don't feel hungry all the time. Keto works!4 -
Post Induction Stalling Syndrome
I have totally never seen that one before, new thing for today learned!2 -
Sorry TC, I should have explained that. Every day's a school day.2
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Thanks guys.... I was thinkin' What the heck?? PISS???? Now I know.2
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I think I mentioned this somewhere but here it goes again about my AS fused joints unfusing.
https://umms.org/ummc/health-services/orthopedics/services/spine/patient-guides/ankylosing-spondylitis
"This disease causes stiffness, aching, and pain around the spine and pelvis. The disease can eventually lead to a total fusion of the spine. This occurs when the vertebrae (spinal bones) actually grow together fusing the spine due to calcification of the ligaments and discs between each vertebrae. If the vertebrae fuse together, the spine is robbed of mobility, leaving the vertebrae brittle and vulnerable to fractures."
Today was my triple therapy day of each week. Like few others I am doing an n=1 to see if removing calcium deposits in the coronary arteries is possible as a few MDs claim.
May 2019 will be 2 years since my first Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring test and I plan to retest by then if not before. My score May 2017 was awesome at 9.8 so at least I have a baseline on that number so I will know if my n=1 study is positive or negative for that score.
The MD was concerned about my Vitamin D level of >155 ng in 2017 but not two months ago when it was again >155 ng again because my Magnesium and Calcium labs were normal as the rest of my lab reports as was the case in 2017.
Ultrasound therapy on the back have shown in research studies to increase range of motion in AS patients when exercising so I do that weekly.
https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26923690
Of course I do Magnesium and Vitamin K2 both MK-4 and MK7 due to elevated D3 levels to try to insure calcium is going into the bones and teeth and out of the wrong places.
What got me started thinking about this n=1 was what I mentioned above about MD claims for lowering coronary artery calcium scores. If calcium can be removed from arteries where it does not belong then why not from other areas where it does not belong.
I had the question would my spine crumb if I 'could' remove the external calcium?
Then I remember a fall that I took in 2013 that was one year prior to going Keto in Oct 2014. I was down in the pasture moving a temporary corral for the the daughter's mini horses by pulling backwards on it when it moved faster than I expected and I fell backwards when the heel of one shoe caught in the tall grass.
I landed on my tail first and then went over backwards in slow motion it seemed because I was holding on to the cattle panels as I pulled them over. I could hear a cracking sound as each vertebral moved for the first time in many years then my head hit with a thud. I screamed in pain for about a long time but finally decided I had to get myself up and try to get to the house since I had left my cell phone at the house.
It was weeks before I could even get on the chiropractors table because of the pain on movement. My general health was in a very poor state prior to this fall.
After I got on Keto full time Oct 2014 I had a lot of clicking in my back when doing my quarter mile daily walk and then a joint here and there would move at the chiropractor's office visits weekly. Then when my Vitamin D level worked up from 22 ng in 2013 to >155 ng starting in 2017 more and more movement started especially after I added the ultrasound treatments.
Since in 2013 my spine did move from bottom to top in that fall it hit me my spine was not actually fused solid like I had thought. Without question today the calcified ligaments were a factor in my spine not wanting to move.
Time will tell but my team of healthcare professionals are amazed with the new spinal movement over the past 6-12 months yet have their own concerns like I do. Being an OD this monkey is on my back because I knew the medical risks of before before heading down this road but it happened so slowly no one thought about it much at first. Now that I am standing more upright and having some upper body rotation ability people who have not seen me in a few years are coming up to me and commenting about me walking faster and more upright which still catches me by surprise.
Keto is very special in my mind. No IBS in 3.5 years, little pain for the past 4 years, A1C of 5.1 and fasting BG well below 100 for the first time I can remember but it had never went over about 115 and I could go on and on but now I stop.
Oh did I say Keto was special to me.
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I started keto (ish) and do feel a bit better, seen lower BG levels. Still trying to figure it all out, but so far I like it3
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I did Keto two years ago for only 6 weeks but in that short period of time I noticed:
-improved mood
-serious boost in energy
-my arthritis pains all went away
-mental clarity
-lost 20 pounds
-no gas/bloating
-no cravings
-ended up eating way fewer calories than before
-a much cleaner house (due to the energy boost I guess! lol)
I'm starting Keto again today and committing to 6 weeks and then we'll see. I want to eat this way forever but I've failed at subsequent attempts so my goal for now is 6 weeks. Maybe at that time I'll decide to go for another 6 weeks and keep going until it's a way of life. I know it's the best thing I can do for my mental and physical health.4 -
One more benefit I remembered from the last time I did Keto: No more heartburn! Can't wait for that!1
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^^My comment up there should say 44" chest, not waist...
Another bonus is my flatulence has diminished to about 1/10 of what it is if I eat processed carbs.4 -
I was in ketosis for about 2.5 years and what was most important to me that I noticed after only a short time was : little to no migraines, more energy, WAY better sleep, never actually had a lethargic time of day, and weight loss. Have diabetes running down the entire side of my moms family and I was fairly overweight and increasing my chances of becoming a diabetic. Keto has now stabilized my blood levels and made me feel great throughout almost my entire ketosis, but have since taken myself out of ketosis. Partly because I was curious how my body would react and partly because I wanted my carbs back! It's only been a few months, but am already back on my way to ketosis! The carb life is not for me anymore4
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I'm at 5 1/2 weeks eating keto, and I noticed much less arthritis pain in my back/hip and shoulder after the first 2 weeks. I was taking at least one B/C Powder daily after being on my feet for an extended time, but I haven't needed one for pain in several weeks. I was told to take a large aspirin daily for the occasional TIAs I suffered up until 1999. I'll have to ask my doctor if I still need to take a daily aspirin. Tubby mentioned flatulence, and before keto, I was beginning to have that problem and attributed it to old age. It's no longer an issue, so I suspect carbs were the real instigator. My mother had a flatulence problem as she aged, maybe due to eating lots of fruit every day. I like not being hungry, too.4
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@FarmerCarla arthritis pain relief started in a few weeks in my case as well so four years later I am still full time Keto. The proof it works for me is in the keto pudding so to speak.
Best of continued success.3 -
What everyone else said, but it took me almost a year to start having any energy and almost a year and a half to have a good, deep night's sleep. I've been a light sleeper all my life so the change was/is awesome. When I first began keto I noticed that my hair was like silk and my skin got super soft. Some results come quickly, early on, but it's great to know that the longer you eat this way the more pluses you'll see.
OMG if I still might be able to look forward to having energy and feeling rested in the morning, I am pretty excited! That would be so amazing.3
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