i would mainly guess the media and a number of other things play into people targeting people over diet, people can be very flock bound. most the people now days grew up having it drilled in their heads that the food chart and all was basically the only way to be healthy. people are told its normal to feel hunger, get gassy, have pains, ect. people just have to unlearn things they get from the 'general' medical information out there and start talking to other people and connecting with people getting improvements to get a little insight. I personally love ketosis given its rather flexible and even with a flexible diet i still can have the health benefits of using ketones over glucose. But most people are just closed minded or think they have the full piece to the health puzzle by demonizing foods. A simple fact is different people work best on different diet patterns, they have different food reactions, different tastes, different levels of needs when it comes to fats, proteins, carbs. they just got to work on that insecurity to accept that maybe they only got part of the equation and not the full thing. for me i know carbs aren't evil but they have their place, weight gain and spiking insulin with the cost of a bad migraine but a easy way to put on fat needed for a fast.

give it time though, they will start piecing things together if they branch out. But food is not the only thing that helps with health its also working out, eating times, ect. So much stuff when you think about it but that is what makes it interesting. main diets like keto, vegetarian, primal, all fruit, ect most of these are the easiest templates because they remove certain food groups. each of them can have dangerous flaws too. But people seem to think we are all wired the same way and seem to think someone who does keto should be able to do full vegan just because they have maybe a few years in that food cycle. But for the most part yes we feel ya, For the most part we all get attacked on the forums over keto or eating lower than the recommendations at times. We get judged because they just don't understand so don't take them too seriously and go off what your body needs and what it tells you. Sometimes you might find you need very little one day and the next day you just need a good calorie/macro bump and should not stress over either. Not going to kill a person to get a little more than they need every so often just stick to what is working for you 90% the time.
sorry to hear of the harassment but good luck! let actions speak not words.

ssunshine1021 wrote: »

I'm interested in the keto diet but not sure how to get started. I think going low carb is what it's all about? Any help is appreciated

Yes, it is very low carb. Basic "Low Carb" worked well for me for weight loss (60+ pounds). I was sort of accidental that it happened because my intent was to lose weight by not eating the things I tended to over eat (sweets mostly) and when I cut them out, it sort of placed me in the low carb arena (~128 grams average).

Mid stream in maintenance I decided to trial keto (<20 grams per day) for a reason other than weight management (neurological movement disorder) and weight maintenance suddenly became fairly simple because fat is suppressing to my hunger. I was really challenged my 1st 18 months or so to maintain my weight on what was higher carbs and considerably lower fat.

Fat is where it's at for me. While I no longer strive for ketosis I have to thank my keto trial (and the reading that I did) to move me in the direction of not fearing fat and finally not struggling to maintain.

I know there are a lot of arm chair nutritionists and people who just love to argue about anything and everything but aside from them the majority of people I see that have issues with changes in a person's way of eating (WOE) whether it be keto, vegan, or just low carb don't want to even think about change in their own life. Change is difficult for a lot of people and they will resist it as much as possible and in doing so they can get quite nasty about your WOE to keep themselves from facing change. There is a culture around food and changing one's WOE brings on a lot of "what ifs" and a lot of people can't cope with them especially with everything else going on in their lives, even if a change in what you eat can alleviate the stress of the "what ifs". I hear a lot of "I could never give up X" or "That WOE is limiting, what you do you eat just X and X at every meal" or "My family won't support my WOE" or "That is just too hard I can't do X". It's really not about what you eat its about their fear of change in their own lives and they may need to re-evaluate everything they hold dear about food, especially if they use food to cope with stress.

I've made significant life changes in the past few years and a lot of my friends have taken notice. I tell them what I do and how I cope with stress and the work I put in daily but I can't force them act and embrace change in their lives, even if everything I do would help them immensely. They always throw up some defense mechanism like "I don't have time for X" blah blah blah. I just lead by example and if and when they decide to make a change in their lives I will be there to support their choices.

Also don't ever underestimate addiction and food addiction is just as powerful as drugs or alcohol and people will defend that *kitten* like their life depended on it.

A lot of folks feel threatened, too, even if they don't realize it. They don't want to have to give up their favorite indulgence, or think, "I couldn't live without pizza/pasta/soda/chocolate/dessert/potatoes..." or whatever their secret addiction is. They feel judged for their choice to indulge when someone else chooses NOT TO INDULGE...not because they are actually being judged...but rather because SOCIETY HAS TAUGHT THEM THAT BEING DIFFERENT IS WRONG, AND THAT IF YOU DON'T DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD, YOU'RE WRONG, PERIOD, END OF DISCUSSION.

To me, it's crazy.

P.S. I think I had a doctor tell me that if people give me trouble about my food choices, I should just tell them I'm focusing on a whole foods based approach while limiting the "whites." Even though that's WAY oversimplifying things, it generally prevents the knee-jerk reaction of, "OMG, ALL THE FATS...you're going to die!!!"

anglyn1 wrote: »

I'm always confused by why someone cares so much what others are eating. I don't berate vegans about their B12 levels and tell them they are unhealthy and can't sustain that. I just let them figure out for themselves if it agrees with them. I feel you can't say keto without a disclaimer that this works for me and I'm not suggesting you try it! Also I'm celiac and you can't respond to a question about a gluten free diet without providing a signed affidavit from a physician showing you've had the full medical work up. Despite thousands of posts saying these multitudes of awful things happen to you when you eat gluten 1500 people have to chime in to say less than 1% of people need to be gluten free. Gluten isn't unhealthy blah blah blah. I am diagnosed but even if I wasn't I'm an adult I know when something repeatedly makes me sick not to eat it even if the internet says it's ok or just my imagination! lol

So true. We seem to have to put in the disclaimer that keto may or may not be a good fit for everyone, but those who espouse moderation as the best way to go don't need to do the same, even though that way of dieting is no more effective, and it may or may not ( ) be better for their health. There are a few who add that disclaimer for moderation, but not many.

Hi I'm just a little worried that this discussion may end up as something that we will have a problem about. As I understand it, the ground rules here are that we make no negative comment about the sometimes negative comments on the main MFP forums. That may not seem fair but it stems from a whole lot of issues in the past and I'm sure if I'm wrong then one of the Moderators of this forum will correct me. Sorry to sound like a pain in the posterior or even worse a Miss Goody Two Shoes!

It is very hard for people to accept low-carb. There was a time when I, myself, was anti-Atkins and low-carb. I was convinced it was dangerous and baloney. Now, I am at the far, far extreme fringe of low-carb and Atkins looks like a carb-binge.

It is tough, but we need to accept that people are on their own journey and they may be on different parts of the path from the point we have reached. Maybe they will find their way here, maybe not. We need to be comfortable with our own choices and confident in them.

I no longer bother to argue or discuss diet with anyone. Just in the last week, I had someone tell me that if I didn't eat carbs my pancreas would get permanent damage and I would develop diabetes. I just smiled and nodded. There's no need to argue.