Keto or not
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I suffered from chronic migraines and am starting keto today! I have about 70 lbs. to lose.
I have also tried low calorie diets without success (eating 1,200 calories of nutritious foods, feel like crap, more migraines, and not lose weight.. no, thanks!) My Mom, I believe, has a similar metabolic profile.. she said she would try keto, too! It sucks to have a thrifty metabolism, but it’s worth our health to keep trying new avenues!
Thoughts regarding migraines:
- Is your abortive migraine medicine working for you? I was originally on sumatriptan, but it only worked about 70% of the time. I was so anxious about migraines and not being able to control them that it was a downward spiral! My neurologist had me try another abortive medicine that works 100% of the time for me, and I’ve found my anxiety levels and number of migraines have decreased by more than 50%. I don’t think I would feel comfortable making changes - like trying keto - if I didn’t have a good abortive plan in place!
- Perhaps you can speak with your neurologist or primary about a preventative migraine medicine (I take topiramate when I am suffering from days of migraines)? Knowing there is an end in sight can help me get through difficult days.
- I cut carbs on average by 50% the first week, another 50% the second, and am now aiming for <21g of carbs per day. I haven’t experienced any migraines yet, but will see the effects of very low carb.
Best of luck to you!
@voicicoco Good luck. Just don't forget the salt. Trust me. I did not believe I needed a lot of sodium when I first went LCHF. After a week of headaches I finally added more salt when the leg cramps started. Salt, salt, salt.
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i have been eating ketogenic for >7 years ketogenic and low carb are two different ways of eating. ketogenic is a high fat, mod protein, low carb. you need to get approx 65% (or higher) of your daily caloric intake in the form of fat to eat ketogenic. keep your salt intake up and that will really help you get past the keto flu which only last a week or so, depending upon your glucose stores. your migraines are likely not resulting in carb cutting...its likely electrolytes...esp since you will be flushing out a lot of water the first week or two...makes it even more imbalanced. you do not need to cut/count calories...but you do have to be mindful of them and you do need to calculate the fat intake per calories consumed to ensure you are getting the fat % required. this is very success woe long term. i am proof.9
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i have been eating ketogenic for >7 years ketogenic and low carb are two different ways of eating. ketogenic is a high fat, mod protein, low carb. you need to get approx 65% (or higher) of your daily caloric intake in the form of fat to eat ketogenic. keep your salt intake up and that will really help you get past the keto flu which only last a week or so, depending upon your glucose stores. your migraines are likely not resulting in carb cutting...its likely electrolytes...esp since you will be flushing out a lot of water the first week or two...makes it even more imbalanced. you do not need to cut/count calories...but you do have to be mindful of them and you do need to calculate the fat intake per calories consumed to ensure you are getting the fat % required. this is very success woe long term. i am proof.
you do need to cut calories in order to lose weight. you may not have to count them but you still have to eat less than you burn to lose weight no matter if you do keto or not. if you are losing on keto then you are in a deficit plain and simple. if you dont think thats true eat 5000 calories on keto and do that for awhile and see what happens.8 -
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rhonda7694 wrote: »rhonda7694 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »Depends if you have enough sick days to cover the increase in migraines or not.
True. But i also need to do something
What makes you believe ketosis is that "something" compared to creating a caloric deficit while ingesting carbs?Losing weight with ketosis still requires a caloric deficit, and if that deficit is the same as one on a diet that does include carbs, fat loss will be same. What advantages do you think ketosis will offer you that outweigh the detriments of increased migraines?
I tried the caloric decrease and didn’t lose a pound.
Even with keto you need a calorie deficit to lose weight. Many people have a hard time with the “number crunching” when they start (I did!) and aren’t as accurate with their calories in and calories out as they want and need to be and sometimes think a calorie deficit doesn’t work when in reality they didn’t actually have a calorie deficit.5 -
Reasons not to do keto:
-Because everyone else is doing it
-Better for losing weight (It has been proven that in the long run, it's not superior to any diet when it comes to fat loss)
Reasons to do keto:
-You're undisciplined when you eat carbs and not eating them at all is the only way for you to stick with a caloric deficit.
-You just enjoy a high fat diet and getting rid of carbs is not an issue for you
-You have health issues in which a doctor tells you not to eat carbs.
If you're losing weight, I always say that stick with a diet that will make your fat loss journey less miserable. If keto doesn't make you miserable and it's actually enjoyable for you, then do keto. If you're miserable, then your in luck, keto is not a requirement for weight loss, being in a caloric deficit is for 99% of the population.
Thanks for breaking down the pros and cons.
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rhonda7694 wrote: »rhonda7694 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »Depends if you have enough sick days to cover the increase in migraines or not.
True. But i also need to do something
What makes you believe ketosis is that "something" compared to creating a caloric deficit while ingesting carbs?Losing weight with ketosis still requires a caloric deficit, and if that deficit is the same as one on a diet that does include carbs, fat loss will be same. What advantages do you think ketosis will offer you that outweigh the detriments of increased migraines?
I tried the caloric decrease and didn’t lose a pound.
You can’t lose weight on keto without a calorie deficit.
If a “calorie decrease” doesn’t work, keto won’t work.
When I realized that, I asked myself “why am I making dieting twice as complicated- eating at a deficit AND cutting out so much food, when I can eat anything I want (my favorite foods I’ll certainly eat for life) and lose weight eating under my TDEE?”
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rhonda7694 wrote: »rhonda7694 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »Depends if you have enough sick days to cover the increase in migraines or not.
True. But i also need to do something
What makes you believe ketosis is that "something" compared to creating a caloric deficit while ingesting carbs?Losing weight with ketosis still requires a caloric deficit, and if that deficit is the same as one on a diet that does include carbs, fat loss will be same. What advantages do you think ketosis will offer you that outweigh the detriments of increased migraines?
I tried the caloric decrease and didn’t lose a pound.
You can’t lose weight on keto without a calorie deficit.
If a “calorie decrease” doesn’t work, keto won’t work.
When I realized that, I asked myself “why am I making dieting twice as complicated- eating at a deficit AND cutting out so much food, when I can eat anything I want (my favorite foods I’ll certainly eat for life) and lose weight eating under my TDEE?”
well the only way you will see a loss in keto where you may not in a regular diet is water loss. but thats about it. it still comes down to a deficit .so where a person who does keto loses say 5 lbs the first week may think oh this is working doesnt realize its mainly water and glycogen stores being depleted.0 -
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Please note I know nothing about keto. I am not a doctor. I DO understand desperation to try anything. But dear me, as plain as the nose on my face, I would not willingly trigger migraines to lose weight. Find another path. One that is balanced for YOU.1
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rhonda7694 wrote: »rhonda7694 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »Depends if you have enough sick days to cover the increase in migraines or not.
True. But i also need to do something
What makes you believe ketosis is that "something" compared to creating a caloric deficit while ingesting carbs?Losing weight with ketosis still requires a caloric deficit, and if that deficit is the same as one on a diet that does include carbs, fat loss will be same. What advantages do you think ketosis will offer you that outweigh the detriments of increased migraines?
I tried the caloric decrease and didn’t lose a pound.
ALL weight loss is caloric deficit, keto is no different. Keto is an elimination diet. When you eliminate most carbs you generally eat fewer calories. Some people can do this without tracking. Add to this the water weight loss in the beginning of low carbing (glycogen stores).....and people assume it's faster weight loss, it's not. Water weight loss is not the same thing as fat loss.
Calorie decrease as in "all foods in moderation" approach, takes careful tracking.1 -
rhonda7694 wrote: »rhonda7694 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »Depends if you have enough sick days to cover the increase in migraines or not.
True. But i also need to do something
What makes you believe ketosis is that "something" compared to creating a caloric deficit while ingesting carbs?Losing weight with ketosis still requires a caloric deficit, and if that deficit is the same as one on a diet that does include carbs, fat loss will be same. What advantages do you think ketosis will offer you that outweigh the detriments of increased migraines?
I tried the caloric decrease and didn’t lose a pound.
ALL weight loss is caloric deficit, keto is no different. Keto is an elimination diet. When you eliminate most carbs you generally eat fewer calories. Some people can do this without tracking. Add to this the water weight loss in the beginning of low carbing (glycogen stores).....and people assume it's faster weight loss, it's not. Water weight loss is not the same thing as fat loss.
Calorie decrease as in "all foods in moderation" approach, takes careful tracking.
And the water weight comes back when and if you transition out of keto.0 -
Reasons not to do keto:
-Because everyone else is doing it
-Better for losing weight (It has been proven that in the long run, it's not superior to any diet when it comes to fat loss)
Reasons to do keto:
-You're undisciplined when you eat carbs and not eating them at all is the only way for you to stick with a caloric deficit.
-You just enjoy a high fat diet and getting rid of carbs is not an issue for you
-You have health issues in which a doctor tells you not to eat carbs.
If you're losing weight, I always say that stick with a diet that will make your fat loss journey less miserable. If keto doesn't make you miserable and it's actually enjoyable for you, then do keto. If you're miserable, then your in luck, keto is not a requirement for weight loss, being in a caloric deficit is for 99% of the population.
Re: bolded above. I can always find a way to "stick to a diet" because that's a temporary thing. Maintaining a lower weight (the thing you do after the "diet") that's the hard part. Maintaining means eating fewer calories forever. Elimination diets always backfire on me.....I can only eliminate so long. Sooner or later, it still comes down to "discipline."2
Deserves to be it's own thread. 
This discussion has been closed.
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