Keto diets, what’s the hype?

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JustJoel

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I don’t need to lose weight. In fact exactly the opposite. So I rarely pay much attention to the current diet fad. It seems, though, that I can’t look at a recipe without it mentioning a keto substitution lately and the word pops up all over the place. I read a little bit about it, mostly just reviews that called it ineffective, inconvenient, and unhealthy.

So what’s the hype?

I saw another thread about keto a little further down the page, but it seemed aimed at folks already on the diet, so I started a new thread. My apologies for redundancy.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ

Reducing carbs and sugars can help turn diabetes type II around.
The keto diet doesn't just reduce them - it practically eliminates them. And it does eliminate entire food groups, which can be very difficult for many people to sustain over the long term. This diet also be unaffordable for many people, since it emphasizes lots of free-range, grass-fed, lovingly raised, etc., etc., proteins and fats. And it leaves people at risk for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, since fruits and many vegetables are off limits.

I think this registered dietician has done a great job of summarizing the benefits and drawbacks of the keto diet, incorporating recent research on cardiovascular disease and other health issues: https://www.abbeyskitchen.com/the-keto-diet-ketogenic/
 
I lost 35lbs in 8 months since the first of this year on a Low Carb diet. Haven't seen my blood numbers since doing it, I just wanted to lose weight and it worked.



Ketosis is basically training your body to burn fat instead of carbs for its energy. When it does this, it also burns a lot of fat off your body. But its also a high fat diet which confounds many who are still convinced that fatty foods cause high cholesterol...because doctors tend to follow AMA and government guidelines and "facts". Many people who switch to a low carb, high fat diet see better cholesterol numbers as well as very good blood sugar numbers.


I just came back here for the first time in a while after leaving due to some of the long time members here being less than friendly. I was hoping to find a Low Carb forum, but I see DC hasn't created one, the members are having to do it themselves with group threads apparently.


I have been discovering a lot of low carb cooking and most exciting is baked goods because bread is one of the hardest things to live without when going low carb. I'd like to have a friendly place to share and learn more. The low carb web site I'm on seems to be more of a support system for people rather than people excited about cooking.
 
I lost 35lbs in 8 months since the first of this year on a Low Carb diet. Haven't seen my blood numbers since doing it, I just wanted to lose weight and it worked.



Ketosis is basically training your body to burn fat instead of carbs for its energy. When it does this, it also burns a lot of fat off your body. But its also a high fat diet which confounds many who are still convinced that fatty foods cause high cholesterol...because doctors tend to follow AMA and government guidelines and "facts". Many people who switch to a low carb, high fat diet see better cholesterol numbers as well as very good blood sugar numbers.


I just came back here for the first time in a while after leaving due to some of the long time members here being less than friendly. I was hoping to find a Low Carb forum, but I see DC hasn't created one, the members are having to do it themselves with group threads apparently.


I have been discovering a lot of low carb cooking and most exciting is baked goods because bread is one of the hardest things to live without when going low carb. I'd like to have a friendly place to share and learn more. The low carb web site I'm on seems to be more of a support system for people rather than people excited about cooking.

It is great to see you back, but keep in mind this is a general cooking forum, not a low-carb, or low anything forum.

If you want a low-carb forum section, ask the Admins to let you start one, and take responsibility for moderating it. Don't expect DC to create it, take the initiative and create it. At the very least, you can start and nurture a low-carb thread.

Also, there are people on EVERY forum who are sometimes "less than friendly." If you want to see some serious rudeness, join a car forum. :ohmy: :LOL:

CD
 
I'm on the "Eat what you want and die happy" diet
That's a good diet! I love that one.


I'm currently (past 3 months) on the meatless atkins diet focusing on whole plants whether grain or vegetable with condiments of fish/eggs/cheese. I'm really liking that.
 
It is great to see you back, but keep in mind this is a general cooking forum, not a low-carb, or low anything forum.
CD
My mistake, I thought this thread was in the “Health, Nutrition and special diets” forum.
Also, there are people on EVERY forum who are sometimes "less than friendly." If you want to see some serious rudeness, join a car forum.
CD
You are right about that. Sports forums are probably worse!...people getting all fired up at each other over something completely meaningless.:bangin:
Thanks for the advice

I'm on the "Eat what you want and die happy" diet
That’s what I was doing for the last several years until I noticed I had blown up in to a fat man I didn’t want to be. The Atkins/low carb still allows, even requires a good amount of fat, so the good news is steak, bacon, cheese, etc. is all allowed…and one of my favorites of all…Buffalo Chicken wings!
[FONT=&quot]If I could eat whatever I want and not be a big bloated fat man:sick:…I would have never stopped. Everything has improved since losing the weight. My wife lost the same amount of weight along with me…and we are enjoying each other as much as we ever have ;) in over 20 years of our relationship :in_love: Me being in better shape and her having much improved self esteem is worth the trade off.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I admire people like you. I'll probably never go back to eating whatever I want, except for here and there as a splurge.
[/FONT]
 
Sure. Good points. I’ve been fortunate with a decent metabolism. Responsive to diet change makes it not so bad to stay fairly fit. Although, when I start feeling incomfortable, or my GERD starts acting up, that is a good indication that I should cut back on certain things like carbs, fried, spicey food. And, sadfully, my beloved beer.

So far, so good. I may just drop dead at any time but I feel pretty good now.
 
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I am told not to do KETO because it causes more brain fog for people chronic pain and fibro, so I am not going to try it. I have enough of brain fog as it is. Also I am healthy otherwise, I am just too stressed to lose weight and what causes the stress , well the pain.
 
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Sure. Good points. I’ve been fortunate with a decent metabolism. Responsive to diet change makes it not so bad to stay fairly fit. Although, when I start feeling incomfortable, or my GERD starts acting up, that is a good indication that I should cut back on certain things like carbs, fried, spicey food. And, sadfully, my beloved beer.

So far, so good. I may just drop dead at any time but I feel pretty good now.


Ha ha! My saying for many years has been "eat well, stay fit and get hit by a bus anyway"! We can all punch out at any time...


I miss good beer too. Never was a huge beer drinker but had been in to the micro-brews. We have a good lot of them in Virginia these days and some excellent wineries too. My wife and I loved to do a road trip here and there and do tastings. We'd buy some wine to stock at home and I'd get my growlers filled with fantastic beer. We'll drink a little wine here and there still, but gone are the days of really consuming much of either.I WILL enjoy a good craft beer on occasion if I ever reach my goal of 50lbs lost. I'm stalled right now mostly due to the fact that I've been on a drinking binge for about 3 months (not all day, just every day)...yep liquor (not sweetened stuff, just straight distilled spirits) is low carb! It is not, however, calorie free...and no matter what diet one is on, calories still count.



Something I've noticed, it just really occurred to me recently is, I have had almost zero heartburn. I used to take prescriptions and also prilosec all the time. I've been drinking liquor pretty heavily at night for 3 months like I said and even THAT is not giving me heartburn. I've had GERDS, the upper endoscopy, scar tissue, all of that...seem completely gone in my low carb life. That's something I've never heard reported from Atkins people. I'll have to jump over to the low carb site I'm on and see if others are experiencing this benefit. Not a lot of cooking conversations going on there though, thats why I popped back in here to see if people were discussion low carb.
 
The only time I have heartburn or a GERD relapse is when I consume carbs, especially late in the day. If I am going to have carbs, as a treat, I have them well before 5 pm.
 
I am told not to do KETO because it causes more brain fog for people chronic pain and fibro, so I am not going to try it. I have enough of brain fog as it is. Also I am healthy otherwise, I am just too stressed to lose weight and what causes the stress , well the pain.




Definitely. Atkins doesn't promote super low carb for a long period of time, but a lot of people for various reasons do that. I have also read that staying super low carb can cause the brain fog. I do have brain fog, but its probably more likely the booze I'm drinking too much of!


I have chronic pain, but I dont think I've noticed any change in that since going Keto/Atkins for the worse or better. Still in just as much pain as I was. Doing a food elimination diet may help that though. Some people have certain foods that cause a lot of their pain. Could be almost anything. My wife has nephropathy and red meat makes her feet hurt bad, gong low carb/sugar hasn't helped her at all with it...she refuses to give up beef here and there though...we eat a fairly balanced diet mixing up the proteins. My mom says tomatoes maker her "hurt". She loves them but they cause her pain somehow. I'll bet finding that food or foods would help my pain which is mostly joints, shoulder and hip.
 
The only time I have heartburn or a GERD relapse is when I consume carbs, especially late in the day. If I am going to have carbs, as a treat, I have them well before 5 pm.


Really!? That is cool to know. I never associated carbs with heartburn...learn something every day dont we?! I'm proof of it for sure.


Thanks for chiming in. Maybe I was just ignorant that carbs can cause heartburn...
 
The brain is dependent on glucose as a primary energy substrate but can live on ketones, it isnt the best but it works. If our brain couldnt do this, we would die as soon as we hit starvation.

So when you have chronic pain you brain uses up more glucose then a normal brain, it has lot of work with that pain and then using the brain at the same time for other stuff causes brain fog. So when I try to remember stuff and work of my memory and it isnt something I use daily, my brain goes NO , NO WAY, BLUE SCREEN and yeah that is my life.
 
Due to interest and a number of our members who are on LCHF/Ketogenic Diets, this sub-forum has been added under Health, Nutrition and Special Diets If you have a thread already started, report it for me and I can get it moved to the new sub-forum.


Thanks, JanetH for making this come about!
 
Awesome, thanks Princess!


I've been looking for a place to share some stuff and this site allows pics uploads I think. That was the original reason I came here but got frustrated with a few difficult members and left a couple years ago. The low carb site I'm on, you have to "third party" upload pics and not many people over there are very excited about cooking.


I'm going to invite a nice lady who has a good blog of low carb recipes to come and visit. It may be more good exposure for her and her associates.
 
The keto diet doesn't just reduce them - it practically eliminates them. And it does eliminate entire food groups, which can be very difficult for many people to sustain over the long term. This diet also be unaffordable for many people, since it emphasizes lots of free-range, grass-fed, lovingly raised, etc., etc., proteins and fats. And it leaves people at risk for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, since fruits and many vegetables are off limits.

I think this registered dietician has done a great job of summarizing the benefits and drawbacks of the keto diet, incorporating recent research on cardiovascular disease and other health issues: https://www.abbeyskitchen.com/the-keto-diet-ketogenic/

Baloney. I get so tired of having to fight this fight, but here we go again. :rolleyes:

Incidently, the grass-fed beef thing you claim is utter nonsense, although I do prefer the flavor myself. Eat whatever kind of beef or other animal-based protein you want, or can afford. True, one doesn't eat much fruit on a ketogenic diet (most fruit today is genetically bred to produce overly sweet varieties) but you get plenty of vitamins and minerals from plant based sources.

I really don't know why people claim it's an "extreme" diet or difficult to sustain. It isn't in the least. When you think about it, it's actually pretty simple: eat a little protein at every meal, along with plenty of non-starchy vegetables. Enjoy some fat, while you're at it. That's not so hard. Contrary to popular belief, you don't eat ZERO carbs. You just stay under 30 gms or so per day. You have to find a level that works best for your individual needs.

I think I've probably told my story no less than a dozen times here. In 2014 I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. My A1c was 12.5 ("normal" is roughly half of that), my fasting blood glucose level was 330. Blood pressure, triglyceride levels... through the roof. I was also taking a high prescription dose of omeprazole to treat GERD. My doctor wanted to put me on insulin. I said no, that I wanted to try and control it with diet.

That was 4 years ago. The ketogenic diet immediately lowered my blood glucose and kept it down. I also lost 98 pounds. GERD... gone. Blood pressure is normal. Cholesterol levels are normal. Triglycerides under 90 mg/dl. Within 3 months, my A1c was down to 5.8, which is a normal range. Yes, no more diabetes.

After two years of being very strict, I began slowly reintroducing a few more carbs. I now eat about 50 g,s per day. I've put about 30 pounds back on since hitting my lowest weight, but I feel immensely better than I did before I started. And the blood glucose is still normal.

I don't want to sound like an infomercial, but the keto diet been nothing short of life saving for me... literally. My doctor, who at first had some doubts, is also fully behind it now.
 
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I'm so proud of you Steve. What you've accomplished and what you share. I have loved reading your posts and seeing what you make every day. When you aren't picturing your food, I wonder where you've been.



I did the keto diet for years and it helped me so much. I'm not on it entirely now but most of what I learned has stayed with me and it has helped me. I overcame all my issues with sugar, white flour, white sugar, (almost potatoes), white rice and many things like soda (diet or regular), and I'm almost over all sweeteners now. It's an amazing transformation to a healthier lifestyle.


When my doctor started asking about me being pre-diabetic I was full on board. This forum isn't the whole picture of people that have benefited from low carb. I have friends in other places that also describe these benefits. It's not just weight loss, or getting out from under diabetes and high blood pressure, it's the nutrition.


You go. Good for you and people willing to learn how food is our best medicine.
 

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