KETO-Worth the hype?

I

Ivy

Cathlete
Keto seems to help everyone and anyone lose weight. Is anyone here currently doing the Keto diet or have you tried it? What was or is your experience? As a person who doesn’t go carb crazy, I do like my carbs so I don’t know how I would fair on the diet.
 
I'm not specifically doing the Keto diet. But, I have given up most carbs. On a rare occasion I will have something, but never wheat. Maybe a little quinoa (but I think it's a seed) I feel great, and I'm not thinking about food all the time.
 
I tried keto and intermediate fasting for a week and a half. I would suggest don't do it. The best thing to do is to stop eating from a box and eat real foods like veggies and fruit, nuts. The problem with Keto is your eating animal products and you can actually get gout, kidney stones and gallbladder stones. They say eat green leafy lettuce or kale to help flush out the fat. But, why would anyone want to be on a diet that causes these type of health problems. My suggestion is to switch to a vegan diet. I never heard people in a vegan diet having health problems like they do on keto. I would suggest is eat healthy vegan fat like nuts and olive oil. If you are eating nothing but fruit and kale all day your going to crave fat, which is completely normal. Make sure that your eating everything in balance. I wouldn't suggest the bread and pasta. Bread and pasta are manufactured products and it can cause belly fat. Also, don't eat pasta sauce or refined sugar. Yes sugar comes from a plant, but it is refined, so it will cause body fat. I think it is fine to eat brown rice. Asian people eat brown rice and they are slim. Yes, Brown rice does come from a bag, but it isn't manufactured like pasta and bread. Also, rinsed the rice before cooking. Also, be sure to eat healthy fats with rice. If you eat rice by its self for a long time it will stay in your colon. I should know, I ate brown rice for months and only a few other vegan items and it got stuck in my colon. It got out by a powerful laxative, but make sure you eat veggies too. About fruit, I would say if you are first beginning you could eat fruit because you are transitioning, but after the refined sugar is out of your body I think you should limit it, because it is still sugar despite the vitamins. But, eat lots of veggies. Healthy fats like almonds are great because it keeps you full, but don't go overboard. The best thing to know is balance. Once your on a vegan diet your sweat will start smelling better. Keto sweat is nasty because you sweat what you eat. So your sweating, cow, chicken or pig. That is my opinion. I am not an expert. But, I learned Keto to it is great for a week, but then you realize you just lost water weight and didn't lose fat at all. You are getting stressed out. I would never do that again!
 
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Thank you for your very honest experience. I haven’t really researched Keto as of yet and I wasn’t aware of so much animal fat.
 
I think that if you read Susan Kleiner's Power Eating, or perhaps any other well-credentialed nutritionist, you will see that KETO is completely a fad *except for certain medical conditions, including epilepsy and (*perhaps) extreme obesity. I am fortunate to have lived and travelled all over the world, and can state quite emphatically that it is not necessary to cut starchy carbs to be lean and healthy.
 
lwd69 said:
I am fortunate to have lived and travelled all over the world, and can state quite emphatically that it is not necessary to cut starchy carbs to be lean and healthy.
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I love you for saying this! Our bodies NEED carbs. Our brains NEED carbs in order to function. Any diet that tells you to completely eliminate entire food groups is a waste of time and will set you up for failure and a ensure never ending diet cycle.
 
It's actually not a fad when done properly with people for certain conditions such as diabetes. And people need to differentiate between carbs like rice and carbs like vegetables. It's not a "high fat" diet as in eating as much fat as you can. You can't seat their like John Candy in The Great Outdoors and eat a steak the size of a coffee table.

But alas, make your decision based on discussions with a Registered Dietician (NOT a nutritionist who does not actually have to have any credentials--My friend actually went to a nutritionist who had her "detox" by soaking her feet in some charcoal crap!).
 
jennifer319_2013 said:
I tried keto and intermediate fasting for a week and a half. I would suggest don't do it. The best thing to do is to stop eating from a box and eat real foods like veggies and fruit, nuts. The problem with Keto is your eating animal products and you can actually get gout, kidney stones and gallbladder stones. They say eat green leafy lettuce or kale to help flush out the fat. But, why would anyone want to be on a diet that causes these type of health problems. My suggestion is to switch to a vegan diet. I never heard people in a vegan diet having health problems like they do on keto. I would suggest is eat healthy vegan fat like nuts and olive oil. If you are eating nothing but fruit and kale all day your going to crave fat, which is completely normal. Make sure that your eating everything in balance. I wouldn't suggest the bread and pasta. Bread and pasta are manufactured products and it can cause belly fat. Also, don't eat pasta sauce or refined sugar. Yes sugar comes from a plant, but it is refined, so it will cause body fat. I think it is fine to eat brown rice. Asian people eat brown rice and they are slim. Yes, Brown rice does come from a bag, but it isn't manufactured like pasta and bread. Also, rinsed the rice before cooking. Also, be sure to eat healthy fats with rice. If you eat rice by its self for a long time it will stay in your colon. I should know, I ate brown rice for months and only a few other vegan items and it got stuck in my colon. It got out by a powerful laxative, but make sure you eat veggies too. About fruit, I would say if you are first beginning you could eat fruit because you are transitioning, but after the refined sugar is out of your body I think you should limit it, because it is still sugar despite the vitamins. But, eat lots of veggies. Healthy fats like almonds are great because it keeps you full, but don't go overboard. The best thing to know is balance. Once your on a vegan diet your sweat will start smelling better. Keto sweat is nasty because you sweat what you eat. So your sweating, cow, chicken or pig. That is my opinion. I am not an expert. But, I learned Keto to it is great for a week, but then you realize you just lost water weight and didn't lose fat at all. You are getting stressed out. I would never do that again!
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Would be good to understand causation versus correlation. Your analogies on sweat, rice and fat are entertaining.
 
Well there seems to be no shortage on how people feel about Keto. They tend to be strong one way or the other.
 
I am fortunate to have lived and travelled all over the world, and can state quite emphatically that it is not necessary to cut starchy carbs to be lean and healthy.
I love you for saying this! Our bodies NEED carbs. Our brains NEED carbs in order to function. Any diet that tells you to completely eliminate entire food groups is a waste of time and will set you up for failure and a ensure never ending diet cycle.
meliffy18 said:
I love you for saying this! Our bodies NEED carbs. Our brains NEED carbs in order to function. Any diet that tells you to completely eliminate entire food groups is a waste of time and will set you up for failure and a ensure never ending diet cycle.
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Hey! I should have clarified - I mentioned living and traveling all over the world because I have noticed, in my years in various countries, the eating patterns of the "locals." Lean folks tend to eat whole food, sit down at meals - formally - and eat carbs as a portion of their plate. I completely disagree that Keto is not a fad. :) But it doesn't really matter what one believes ... Losing fat is a combination of calories out and consistent exercise. Maintaining lean muscle helps. Other than the newest of newbies, losing fat while gaining muscle is nearly impossible.
 
I am following a Keto style diet as I have 1 copy of the APOE4 gene which is an indicator of Alzheimer's. Dr. Dale Bredesen has developed a protocol for the reversal of Alzheimer's through diet, exercise and supplementation.

My mother, aunt and grandmother all died of complications from Alzheimer's...needless to say I need to take all precautions with this disease. The basic premise is that Alzheimer's is exacerbated by Type 3 Diabetes (diabetes of the brain) among a number of other contributing factors.

The keto style diet is a reduction of carbs; I eat below 20 grams of net carbs per day, clean sources of fat (for brain health), vegetables (green leafy style) nuts and protein. I don't tolerate dairy products. The exercise portion is first thing in the am to clean TAO's out of the brain - my choice is Cathe of course! Intermittent fasting for at least 14 hours - again to clean TAO's. Coffee is allowed but no sugar or sweeteners.

Since Jan 2018 I have lost 50 lbs of body fat and increased my lean muscle by 20 lbs (DEXA scans) I am taking bio identical hormones as well. I started to experience intense insomnia and aphasia when I went through menopause, this has been eliminated throughout the past year because of the diet, exercise and supplementation. Interesting to note, I have a niece who was born with a genetic malformation of the brain which causes near constant seizuring with at least 1 Grand Mal per day. She is 35 years old and she has been put on a Keto style diet (less that 50 grams of carbs per day). This has helped her brain and overall health immensely by reducing the intensity of the seizures.

I think the future of lifestyle will be dependent on one's genetic makeup and will not be "one size fits all", FYI, my brain does not require carbs for functioning, it requires the correct type of fat...
 
attilla the honey said:
I am following a Keto style diet as I have 1 copy of the APOE4 gene which is an indicator of Alzheimer's. Dr. Dale Bredesen has developed a protocol for the reversal of Alzheimer's through diet, exercise and supplementation.

My mother, aunt and grandmother all died of complications from Alzheimer's...needless to say I need to take all precautions with this disease. The basic premise is that Alzheimer's is exacerbated by Type 3 Diabetes (diabetes of the brain) among a number of other contributing factors.

The keto style diet is a reduction of carbs; I eat below 20 grams of net carbs per day, clean sources of fat (for brain health), vegetables (green leafy style) nuts and protein. I don't tolerate dairy products. The exercise portion is first thing in the am to clean TAO's out of the brain - my choice is Cathe of course! Intermittent fasting for at least 14 hours - again to clean TAO's. Coffee is allowed but no sugar or sweeteners.

Since Jan 2018 I have lost 50 lbs of body fat and increased my lean muscle by 20 lbs (DEXA scans) I am taking bio identical hormones as well. I started to experience intense insomnia and aphasia when I went through menopause, this has been eliminated throughout the past year because of the diet, exercise and supplementation. Interesting to note, I have a niece who was born with a genetic malformation of the brain which causes near constant seizuring with at least 1 Grand Mal per day. She is 35 years old and she has been put on a Keto style diet (less that 50 grams of carbs per day). This has helped her brain and overall health immensely by reducing the intensity of the seizures.

I think the future of lifestyle will be dependent on one's genetic makeup and will not be "one size fits all", FYI, my brain does not require carbs for functioning, it requires the correct type of fat...
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Fantastic post! I have read his book and follow Dr. Dale Bredesen, I also have both copies of the Truth about Alzheimers, he was featured in both presentations. I'm sure you are aware of Dr. David Perlmutter, and Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum among others that are forefront on this disease. Perlmutter believes Alzheimers is Diabetes #3 of the brain and the first step in that direction is high glucose levels. Other thoughts on Alzheimers is it begins as inflammation...anywhere in the body and that eventually affects the brain. Its incredibly complex, and of course every *body* is different. What IS amazing is that a strict Keto diet has proven to abate seizures, especially in children and there are a few other very important aspects of Keto that I won't get into.

Regarding supplements, do some research on phosphatidylserine (PS100), mushrooms, curcumin, coconut oil, omega 3's, etc., that's just a tip of it, there are quite a few supplements for the brain, but one mustn't be opposed to fats. Hiit work is incredibly cleansing for the body in the form of sweat, currently I rigged up my old cedar sauna into a NIR sauna for additional sweating in the parasympathetic state. So many ways to look at overall brain health, including optimism and a reason to get up every morning. I would also like to add that turning off your WIFI at night, and watching how you interact with a cell phone, is very important and the FCC doesn't care about your brain. Radiation limits (RF) were established in 1996 (less then 16 percent of Americans at that time even had a cell phone). Its also interesting that the Telecom industries are exempt from being sued of any bodily harm (just like the vaccine manufacturers, which really are the government anyway because that's where the profits go). So you go over to Europe and their limits are 1,000 times less then ours. Yet we let our kids run around with cell phones, and cell phone potties, omg. I digress..sorry

My dad died of complications of mental decline. It was a culmination of a lifestyle of stress, a love of sugar, prescription drugs, rigid thinking, and listening to allopatic doctors. Alzheimers take 15-20 years to even begin to take hold of your brain and I saw it's beginning in him, especially his irrational anger at petty things. Bredesen says...you can reverse this, even in later stages. So to those who say the Ketogenic diet is a passing fad, that is one of his protocols and proven to work. His clinics are spreading and his success rate is astounding, the reason why one doesn't see the results is...follow the money...the pharmaceutical companies which are hand in hand with the FDA and govenment want a pill, but a pill will not fix the 36 holes in your roof (a quote from the book).

I wish you well, that is an impressive feat you have done! Its amazing to feel power and strength, isn't it? I probably have a copy of the APO gene, I look at my mom though and she is pretty damn strong/sharp, so maybe I got lucky and only have one. I should get tested. My philosophy is to live like you already have both copies though. One thing I cannot give up, a bowl of organic popcorn popped in a chunk of real butter with Himalayan salt and Braggs Nutritional Yeast.

Sorry for the long reply.
 
Thank you for the incredible post DirtDiva. I am taking a number of supplements including PS100, curcumin, reversatol...a list that is as long as my arm. I gave them up for about a week and the aphasia and insomnia came roaring back, it took 2 solid weeks of a very clean diet, hard HIIT, and supplements to calm it down.

I have also found stress hurts my brain...logic errors and plain exhaustion. My job requires a tremendous amount of brain power and when it is not healthy, it is difficult to perform well. I never put my cell phone at my ear - my kids think my tinfoil hat needs adjusting.

I am now 58, I think my mother and her sister both retired at 58 because they were showing signs of Alzheimer's. My mom's disease accelerated when her last dog was put down and she stopped walking 6 or 7 miles a day; within a year she was in a care facility. I also have the MTHFR methylation which can contribute to hallucinations during Alzheimer's which all my relatives experienced.

Some other reference materials:
Dr. Ben Lynch - Dirty Genes

https://www.foundmyfitness.com/
 
Thanks for the link...digging into that now.

Insomnia, that is an awful thing. My dad could only sleep 5 hours max. Deep REM sleep and its six stages is vital for brain detox. Here's a link from Dr. Breus, saw him in tandem with Bredesen. The amino acid Glycine (Vital Nutients has a good powder form) helps me enormously combined with Melotonin 3 mg (Pure Encapsulations). Apparently Melatonin is not only for serotonin but for brain detox at night. If you can remember your dreams, its working.
 
attilla the honey said:
I am following a Keto style diet as I have 1 copy of the APOE4 gene which is an indicator of Alzheimer's. Dr. Dale Bredesen has developed a protocol for the reversal of Alzheimer's through diet, exercise and supplementation.

My mother, aunt and grandmother all died of complications from Alzheimer's...needless to say I need to take all precautions with this disease. The basic premise is that Alzheimer's is exacerbated by Type 3 Diabetes (diabetes of the brain) among a number of other contributing factors.

The keto style diet is a reduction of carbs; I eat below 20 grams of net carbs per day, clean sources of fat (for brain health), vegetables (green leafy style) nuts and protein. I don't tolerate dairy products. The exercise portion is first thing in the am to clean TAO's out of the brain - my choice is Cathe of course! Intermittent fasting for at least 14 hours - again to clean TAO's. Coffee is allowed but no sugar or sweeteners.

Since Jan 2018 I have lost 50 lbs of body fat and increased my lean muscle by 20 lbs (DEXA scans) I am taking bio identical hormones as well. I started to experience intense insomnia and aphasia when I went through menopause, this has been eliminated throughout the past year because of the diet, exercise and supplementation. Interesting to note, I have a niece who was born with a genetic malformation of the brain which causes near constant seizuring with at least 1 Grand Mal per day. She is 35 years old and she has been put on a Keto style diet (less that 50 grams of carbs per day). This has helped her brain and overall health immensely by reducing the intensity of the seizures.

I think the future of lifestyle will be dependent on one's genetic makeup and will not be "one size fits all", FYI, my brain does not require carbs for functioning, it requires the correct type of fat...
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Oh this is a good post. I wish you continued success in your health journey. I started a Keto lifestyle almost 3 years ago. I was so intrigued by several articles about our brains and how they need good fats. Alzheimer's has taken 2 members of my family. I had nothing to loose to try this way of eating and you know what? It is the best decision I have ever made. My brain LOVES keto and so does my body. I am 61 years old and without needing to embellish the truth I NEVER have brain fog or need power naps ever! But I did prior to Keto. My mental clarity has changed. When I used to get brain tired as I call it I could not think properly or continue in longer conversations. But that has all changed. I am alert and very aware. When its time to sleep I sleep beautifully. A deep sleep. You cannot put a price on that. My need for 3 meals a day is over. I do amazing on 2 meals daily. If I snack its very rare. Simply because I am satisfied and full. Keto is not for everyone but for you and me it has been a God send indeed!
 
Ivy said:
Keto seems to help everyone and anyone lose weight. Is anyone here currently doing the Keto diet or have you tried it? What was or is your experience? As a person who doesn’t go carb crazy, I do like my carbs so I don’t know how I would fair on the diet.
Click to expand...
I'm not technically Keto, but I am low carb, I get all my carbs from non-starchy vegetables. If you want REAL information and REAL science, I suggest you look at the website Diet Doctor Tons of solid information, myths debunked and questions answered, great visual guides, links to lots of great websites and articles. You won't be HANGRY, and sugar cravings go away!
I follow Keifer's Carb Nite Solution and gave up most of Cathe's cardio workouts.
 
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