Ketogenic or Bariatric!
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DittoDan
Posts: 1,850 Member
September 3, 2014 10:00 PM
Its Ketogenic or Bariatric. I just started (314 lbs). This is my last attempt to lose weight, or under the knife I go with Bariatric surgery. I am reading, "The Art and Science of Low Carb Living", by Volek & Phinney. And, "The New Atkins Diet ~ The New You".
I am metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetic, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, asthma, insulin resistant, taking insulin. I have lost my mobility/strength, I am sedentary. Every time I try to walk, I get injured (twice with knee problems, once with hip/sciatic nerve damage.) As soon as I get some weight off, I plan to try to exercise again.
In the past, I have done all the usually diets, Ketogenic is my first lo carb/high fat. All the other diets left me extremely hungry, I would lose the weight, but regain it and then some. I had given up dieting all together. I signed up to get Bariatric Sleeve procedure. But I have to diet prior to getting the procedure. I found the above book from a Peter Attia TedTalk. As I started to read the book, it all made some sense. I hate being HUNGRY all the time. I am on a 1600 calorie a day (that may change as I read more of the two books.)
One thing that I have always loved my entire life is FAT and Salt. But at restaurants, all my friends would be cutting all the fat off of their steaks. I always wanted that FAT! LOL! I love BACON! I always bought whole milk. But I quit eating it because of the public/peer pressure to have a low fat diet. According to the above books, salt is good! That's another spot where peer pressure is greatest! I can't eat low sodium food! Too bland.
I just started the Keto diet last Friday, August 29th. Its been a little hard keeping the carbs under 100 grams/day. I haven't reached in the book, the proper levels of the macros yet. Or if there is someone on this list that is similar to me, chime in.
I just bought a BBQ grill tonight, I figure if I am going to eat meat, bacon, chicken, I want it to taste really good. (Yes, some fat drips off the food, but it adds a lot of flavor when it hits the hot steel and make a lot of smoke.)
I am not sure how the "friend" thing works on this board, I'll be your friend.
Dan
Rochester Hills, MI
Its Ketogenic or Bariatric. I just started (314 lbs). This is my last attempt to lose weight, or under the knife I go with Bariatric surgery. I am reading, "The Art and Science of Low Carb Living", by Volek & Phinney. And, "The New Atkins Diet ~ The New You".
I am metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetic, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, asthma, insulin resistant, taking insulin. I have lost my mobility/strength, I am sedentary. Every time I try to walk, I get injured (twice with knee problems, once with hip/sciatic nerve damage.) As soon as I get some weight off, I plan to try to exercise again.
In the past, I have done all the usually diets, Ketogenic is my first lo carb/high fat. All the other diets left me extremely hungry, I would lose the weight, but regain it and then some. I had given up dieting all together. I signed up to get Bariatric Sleeve procedure. But I have to diet prior to getting the procedure. I found the above book from a Peter Attia TedTalk. As I started to read the book, it all made some sense. I hate being HUNGRY all the time. I am on a 1600 calorie a day (that may change as I read more of the two books.)
One thing that I have always loved my entire life is FAT and Salt. But at restaurants, all my friends would be cutting all the fat off of their steaks. I always wanted that FAT! LOL! I love BACON! I always bought whole milk. But I quit eating it because of the public/peer pressure to have a low fat diet. According to the above books, salt is good! That's another spot where peer pressure is greatest! I can't eat low sodium food! Too bland.
I just started the Keto diet last Friday, August 29th. Its been a little hard keeping the carbs under 100 grams/day. I haven't reached in the book, the proper levels of the macros yet. Or if there is someone on this list that is similar to me, chime in.
I just bought a BBQ grill tonight, I figure if I am going to eat meat, bacon, chicken, I want it to taste really good. (Yes, some fat drips off the food, but it adds a lot of flavor when it hits the hot steel and make a lot of smoke.)
I am not sure how the "friend" thing works on this board, I'll be your friend.
Dan
Rochester Hills, MI
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Replies
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I am also a very insulin resistant type 2 diabetic and still in my thirties. I was on 4 to 5 injections of humalog and an injection of Lantus as well. I also used to take metformin. Thanks to a low carb high fat diet, I am on NO medication or insulin. My last hgba1c was 5.1. I have never felt better and have more energy than when I was a teenager. I went from fasting blood glucose readings around 200 and 2 hour postprandial reading in the 300s regularly. Now my fasting numbers are in the 70s and 2 hr are usually 80-90 range. I experienced all this before any weight loss. I believe by eating LCHF, my body no longer keeps cranking out insulin causing me to gain weight and not be able to lose it. I know people will not believe me when I say, I literally cannot eat very many Carbs. I will gain weight or not lose at all even eating 800 calories a day and an hour of cardio on a high carb diet. My blood sugar goes up from artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, which aren't supposed to affect you blood sugar, but they do mine. Once I got my insulin resistance under control, I was able to lose weight eating more calories than ever before. I feel normal again.0
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Also this may sound so strange but when I used to exercise when on a high carb diet, I didn't sweat even though I was heavier then. Once I changed my diet to LCHF, I sweat when I exercise.0
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I eat 1400 calories and I'm a 5 ft 2 inch female who weighs in the 150s. I lost 7.8 pounds last month. I think you can eat more than 1600 calories. Also 100 Carbs is a good start but you may find you need to go lower. I tried raising mine gradually but have found 20 to 35 is a good place for me. I tried to go up to 40-50 Carbs but my weight loss stalled so I got a little stricter. Everyone is different though. I currently aim for 70 percent fat. There's a lot of experienced Keto-ers on here that will give you great advice. Whatever you choose, I wish you the best.0
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I follow a keto diet as well, have also reduced my H1AC from 8.4 to 5.4, BP is no longer high and my cholesterol numbers are amazing now vs to my doctor wanting to put me on satins.
I would suggest this website. http://www.reddit.com/r/keto read the keto in a nutshell doc, and there is a newbie post that you can read and ask questions.
There is so much great information online. You can visit this website http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ to get an idea of your macros.
Best of luck!0 -
Also this may sound so strange but when I used to exercise when on a high carb diet, I didn't sweat even though I was heavier then. Once I changed my diet to LCHF, I sweat when I exercise.
Not strange at all! This same thing happened to me. Honestly thought it was that I was getting older
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Sending you a ton of Good luck!
I wanted to suggest you try water running or walking--you can use an aqua vest to hold you aloft or simply walk the laps in the pool.
It is great exercise with no pressure on the joints---and then when you lose some weight--you will be ready to walk on soft grass or a level track. Also gentle biking on a level surface or on a stationary bike can be a great way to get some exercise with little pressure on your joints.0 -
It's great to see you trying to avoid getting the bariatric surgery. I know several people that have done it, and it's really a semi-controlled, forced state of starvation, and nearly everyone I know that has had it done has gained a good chunk of the weight back. It's really a mixed bag, especially compared to lifestyle changes, even "drastic" ones like keto/LCHF.
I'm LCHF for similar reasons as the others who have posted on here -- insulin resistance. I have PCOS, an endocrine disorder that makes it very difficult to lose weight, because my insulin runs high almost by default. It's pretty much either eat 800 calories and do intense workouts every day, or eat LCHF. I'll take the LCHF route, thank you.
Since you're taking insulin, one thing to keep in mind is that you'll likely need to change your dose, so make sure to keep an even closer eye on your blood sugar levels to avoid going too low.
I do LCHF via a Primal/Paleo diet, which is another set of great resources to check out, both for general diet ideas and information, and for some great recipes.0 -
Like you pointed out, you would have to diet before the bariatric surgery anyways. It is VERY doable to lose the weight you need to without surgery and will help you get some of your health issues under control. If you like fat and salt, this diet will be a good lifestyle choice for you.
There are some great resources pinned in the "Low Carber Daily" Forum so you can check those out.
I agree that starting out at 100 g a day is good, but to really get the benefits you may need to go down which will take some time. I have dieted (or wanted to diet) most of my adult life. It was until I started eating low carb that it clicked and I was hungry or starving or constantly playing the games of "Ill eat ice cream now but I will have a salad with no dressing for dinner" and obviously not following through.
You can do this. There are people using low carb/keto to lose 20 pounds and those that are using it to lose 120 pounds.0 -
Hey, welcome! Good luck to you. I hope you will lose easily on this way of eating and avoid the surgery, which it sounds like you want to.0
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Good luck Dan, I have lost 30 pounds following this way of eating, hubby has lost forty pounds and his snoring
I still have a ways to go, have just tweaked to eat a bit more protein and a bit less fat, since the fat calories can easily come from my rump tee hee. I am finding this is helping me lose more and maintain my muscle mass.
You may find this FB group helpful, lots of science from Phinney and Volk, also a great chart in there to work out how much protein and carbs you need to eat for your height and weight
https://www.facebook.com/groups/OKL4Vitality/0 -
Thanks everyone! This is a great place to be...0
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MrsSteffy,
Thank you, I just went to the FB and joined it.0 -
DittoDan - I wish you well with this way of eating as an alternative to surgery. I was in a similar situation a few years ago. I was type 2 diabetic, morbidly obese, shooting insulin 3 times per day, taking metformin, actos and other insulin and my sugars were still out of control. I was told I needed a gastric bypass and I was so afraid of that, that I started yet again another diet. I remembered that Atkins had worked the best for me in the past so I did that and stayed primarily in the induction phase for most of the time which resembles the ketogenic diet. Within a week, I had to stop insulin and all the other medications because my sugars were dipping into the 20s and 30s. Within 2 months, I was told I was no longer diabetic. I lost about 9 lbs a month and only have issues with high sugar if I have a prolonged period of eating carbohydrates. My beginning exercise was the eliiptical machine but I second the recommendation for water exercises if you have access to a pool.
I was eating high protein/low carb but recently found out my kidneys are failing. I caution you to stay hydrated and get your blood tested regularly. My nutritionist recommended keto last month, but I only started LCHF last week when I found out about my kidneys.
I am shooting for 80/10/10 and at least 1000 calories. I know I need to eat more and that is something that I have to work on. I also am not eating enough carbs.
I hope you have discovered fat bombs. You can search for them on MFP or on the web. Excellent ideas.0 -
My doctor has been recommending i get surgery for years and also has said it is only a matter of time before i become diabetic. I have PCOS which i think includes insulin resistance as standard in many people with it. I have some classic skin discolouration "Acanthosis nigricans" that apparently is a sign of insulin resistance. It has actually improved a lot over the years and was much worse as a teenager.
I started ketogenic eating nearly 7 weeks ago at 320lb after hitting 322lb a few days prior to that. I was totally miserable and having very dark thoughts about my future. I have treatment resistant bipolar disorder and was searching for alternative solutions for that when i came across a recommendation for Ketogenic eating. I was immediately very interested and spent days reading everything i could find about it online and watching lots of videos about it on you tube. I made my mind up and switched to it over night. I had some hot sweats the first week but other than that no real discomfort from transition. I am now 284lb. I call that a pleasing result !!
It has not been a steady rate of loss piles fell off me in first week and a half (that was mostly loads of fluid retention) then i stayed the same a couple of weeks then loads fell off again.
I have not had any cravings or been hungry between meals. That is highly unusual for me and has never been achieved on any other food plan. I no longer have any plans to further consider gastric surgery. I do not need it. I can live with Ketogenic eating without feeling any sort of deprivation. I wish i had known about it 25 years ago. I have found it very interesting continuing to read and lean more about it and the crazy way modern day civilisation is set up to eat. I feel in control of my relationship with food for the first time in my life.0 -
Great post persistentsoul. I hope I follow your steps. I hate being fat. I hate being hungry all the time. I think its all from the carbs. I'm going to give it a good try, but if I can't do it, to the knife I go...
Thanks for your inspirational post...
Dan0 -
You can do this Dan! I did and got off my meds after 12 years of them :bigsmile:0
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Best of luck, Dan!!! This is a great group of folks! Definitely go to this forum: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/ and read read read. Another book I highly recommend is Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore.
Also, it's pretty easy keeping carbs around 20 grams if you are only eating protein, fats and some veggies. Let us know if you need any help with ideas, etc. And definitely stay away from milk, it's very high in carbs. Drink only heavy cream in your coffee.
I will also send you a friend request. The more support the better for all!!0 -
Congrats on starting this journey! First of all, why are you only eating 1600 calories? I'm a 5'4" girl and even when I started at 282 and set my goal at 1.5#s loss a week with a sedentary lifestyle my calories are over 1700! So definitely relook at that. Heck I'm now 264.8 and same variable it's 1720.... Though admittedly most days I don't eat that much, others I eat more lol. On a side note, this is the fastest I've ever lost weight and the easiest. It took me over 3 months on WW to loose the same amount and it was hard!
Also 100g is probably the higher end of what you should get, but there are those eating 2500+ calories that can eat that much. My first goal was about 75g then I just tried to find how low I could go. Some days I get to 20s, but my sweet spot is the 30s (total carbs, not net). This is the best lifestyle ever and I really think that if you stick with it you'll find surgery is not needed. I've had lots of friends have surgery only to regret it because they can't eat anything. So if you think lchf is restrictive, surgery is way more so.0
