Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions
- Thread starter Laura
- Start date
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
That is just in sugar, which I know is way too much.
Yes Carl I eat way too much dark chocolate. Sometimes over 6oz a day, I think I just need to go cold turkey because once I open a bar, I usually eat it in one sitting. I have had thoughts about it causing my mild diarrhea but ignored it because of my addiction. Also I have been having heart palpitations probably caused by all the caffeine and theobromine in it.
In the past week I have sabotaged my efforts by going on huge dairy ice cream binges and now am paying the price. I knew full well of the evils of dairy and sugar but decided not to care in the moment due to my mental problems. I will talk about it more in depth in my personal thread but I think I need to go see a therapist or something.
Thanks Redfox I try to look in to that. Right now I am just kind of losing it I feel like, went astray on the diet, continue to drink alcohol and I really don't do anything anymore after getting fired my job. Often times I am just stuck in my head fighting OCD, paranoia and anxiety.
I need to either stick to Paleo or just eat high carb because going back and forth is not healthy! I was doing pretty good for the past year or so but I dont know what has came over me in the last couple of weeks.
I am taking Iodine, taking it slowly with co factors.
Thanks once again for all your help. Need some time think.
curious_richard said:
That is just in sugar, which I know is way too much.
Carl said:
Yes Carl I eat way too much dark chocolate. Sometimes over 6oz a day, I think I just need to go cold turkey because once I open a bar, I usually eat it in one sitting. I have had thoughts about it causing my mild diarrhea but ignored it because of my addiction. Also I have been having heart palpitations probably caused by all the caffeine and theobromine in it.
In the past week I have sabotaged my efforts by going on huge dairy ice cream binges and now am paying the price. I knew full well of the evils of dairy and sugar but decided not to care in the moment due to my mental problems. I will talk about it more in depth in my personal thread but I think I need to go see a therapist or something.
RedFox said:
Thanks Redfox I try to look in to that. Right now I am just kind of losing it I feel like, went astray on the diet, continue to drink alcohol and I really don't do anything anymore after getting fired my job. Often times I am just stuck in my head fighting OCD, paranoia and anxiety.
I need to either stick to Paleo or just eat high carb because going back and forth is not healthy! I was doing pretty good for the past year or so but I dont know what has came over me in the last couple of weeks.
I am taking Iodine, taking it slowly with co factors.
Thanks once again for all your help. Need some time think.
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
I'm sorry to hear that AD.
Have a read of that thread I linked too, as it may help with the moods. Notice that exercise helps with things too.
Are you practicing pipe breathing and EE (best to do it without the Ba-Ha part I think)?
The following may also be helpful:
When the Body Says "no" - Gabor Mate
Are You Getting Enough Sleep? Sleeping properly?
Covert Depression
Want to improve your self awareness? Correct your posture
Life is work: How to lift yourself back up
The unexpected gifts of imperfection
Self-compassion, recognition of our common humanity
Making peace with our own worst enemy - ourselves
AD said:
I'm sorry to hear that AD.
Have a read of that thread I linked too, as it may help with the moods. Notice that exercise helps with things too.
Are you practicing pipe breathing and EE (best to do it without the Ba-Ha part I think)?
The following may also be helpful:
When the Body Says "no" - Gabor Mate
Are You Getting Enough Sleep? Sleeping properly?
Covert Depression
Want to improve your self awareness? Correct your posture
Life is work: How to lift yourself back up
The unexpected gifts of imperfection
Self-compassion, recognition of our common humanity
Making peace with our own worst enemy - ourselves
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
Hi RedFox,
I will order L-tyrosine even though I have a small pharmacy situation going on with supplements. I am going to try to get back to eating low carb and cut down on the chocolate but honestly I feel like giving up and going back to old habits. Last night I dumped my bottle of Hennessy down the drain, will try to get back on track.
I feel disappointed/frustrated with the lack of progress with all these changes so am thinking is it even worth it to keep doing this? Plus everybody around me is really concerned about my weight. I know if I go back to eating white rice, I will gain 10 pounds in like a month easily if not more.
I have not done the EE in years, my mind is all over the place. My mental illness ( I think I have paranoid/schizo personalty disorder combined with other stuff like ocd etc) wont let me be. Barely functioning!
I really dont know right now but I am thinking maybe also that since I been taking low doses of Iodine maybe I've been feeding critters and making things worse? Will try to get back to eating right and increase the lugols and see how its goes.
RedFox said:AD said:
I'm sorry to hear that AD.
Have a read of that thread I linked too, as it may help with the moods. Notice that exercise helps with things too.
Are you practicing pipe breathing and EE (best to do it without the Ba-Ha part I think)?
The following may also be helpful:
When the Body Says "no" - Gabor Mate
Are You Getting Enough Sleep? Sleeping properly?
Covert Depression
Want to improve your self awareness? Correct your posture
Life is work: How to lift yourself back up
The unexpected gifts of imperfection
Self-compassion, recognition of our common humanity
Making peace with our own worst enemy - ourselves
Hi RedFox,
I will order L-tyrosine even though I have a small pharmacy situation going on with supplements. I am going to try to get back to eating low carb and cut down on the chocolate but honestly I feel like giving up and going back to old habits. Last night I dumped my bottle of Hennessy down the drain, will try to get back on track.
I feel disappointed/frustrated with the lack of progress with all these changes so am thinking is it even worth it to keep doing this? Plus everybody around me is really concerned about my weight. I know if I go back to eating white rice, I will gain 10 pounds in like a month easily if not more.
I have not done the EE in years, my mind is all over the place. My mental illness ( I think I have paranoid/schizo personalty disorder combined with other stuff like ocd etc) wont let me be. Barely functioning!
I really dont know right now but I am thinking maybe also that since I been taking low doses of Iodine maybe I've been feeding critters and making things worse? Will try to get back to eating right and increase the lugols and see how its goes.
Foxx
The Living Force
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
White rice (note: NOT brown rice) is basically just starch without really any of the other negative aspects that grains have so if you feel like eating more carbs would be helpful, then white rice is a decent choice. Potato flakes (instant potatoes, but make sure to look for any evil ingredients if you choose this route) are also a good choice as they've had basically everything evil about nightshades removed due to processing so again, pretty much only starch remains. Sweet potatoes are another good choice for carbs, as are other starchy root tubers in general (beets, carrots, etc).
For chocolate craving, supplementing with magnesium could be helpful. I'd suggest magnesium malate or glycinate as I think those are the best tolerated in general. Since you already have loose stools, make sure not to overdo it.
The weight loss, alcohol and sugar consumption, and mental illness makes me think of one or more pathogens, so your thinking with the iodine may be on the right track. If you're doing worse on low carb, then you might want to check out this post:
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,38053.msg589057.html#msg589057
as there's a possibility that that's making a fungal overgrowth worse in you (also linked to carb craving and alcohol consumption).
If I were you, I would focus on supporting the liver (alpha lipoic acid, NAC, possibly activated charcoal, milk thistle, etc), I'd try some good probiotics (since cheap ones are probably more or less a waste of money) and/or raw sauerkraut (might be the cheapest and best option) to hopefully improve the diarrhea and gas and normalize gut function (which can also help displace a fungal overgrowth), and keep working with the iodine to see if that can kill off any pathogens and/or fungus that you might have (though make sure not to overdo it). If eating safe carbs will help you to reduce your alcohol consumption and feel better in general, then that'd probably be a step in the right direction. If you feel like you don't have much self control, try to find something that will satisfy your desire while doing as little damage to yourself as possible and generally moving towards being a more functional person (so if you're really craving milk-based ice cream, get coconut ice cream or chocolate, eat a sweet potato with some butter or some fruit, or white rice, or something like that).
I think if you can do those things and stick with a more or less paleo diet that avoids the really evil foods (artificial food, wheat, dairy, soy, and beans) even if it's higher in carbs, then step by step that'll help you to improve your health and overall situation.
Getting back into EE would be helpful too and again, starting slow and making any kind of progress would be helpful. So, for example, you could set a goal of listening to the POTS portion at some point during the day, maybe at night before going to sleep. Then keep doing that and after you've done that for a while, you could try doing the pipe breathing portion as well, and keep building up from there.
Try setting a very reasonable and achievable short term aim (maybe it's not eating ice cream for the day, for example), then keep doing that while going towards a larger aim of becoming a more functional person. If you slip up, don't beat yourself up and just focus on doing better next time. Count your victories instead of your failures :)
Good luck!
AD said:
White rice (note: NOT brown rice) is basically just starch without really any of the other negative aspects that grains have so if you feel like eating more carbs would be helpful, then white rice is a decent choice. Potato flakes (instant potatoes, but make sure to look for any evil ingredients if you choose this route) are also a good choice as they've had basically everything evil about nightshades removed due to processing so again, pretty much only starch remains. Sweet potatoes are another good choice for carbs, as are other starchy root tubers in general (beets, carrots, etc).
For chocolate craving, supplementing with magnesium could be helpful. I'd suggest magnesium malate or glycinate as I think those are the best tolerated in general. Since you already have loose stools, make sure not to overdo it.
The weight loss, alcohol and sugar consumption, and mental illness makes me think of one or more pathogens, so your thinking with the iodine may be on the right track. If you're doing worse on low carb, then you might want to check out this post:
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,38053.msg589057.html#msg589057
as there's a possibility that that's making a fungal overgrowth worse in you (also linked to carb craving and alcohol consumption).
If I were you, I would focus on supporting the liver (alpha lipoic acid, NAC, possibly activated charcoal, milk thistle, etc), I'd try some good probiotics (since cheap ones are probably more or less a waste of money) and/or raw sauerkraut (might be the cheapest and best option) to hopefully improve the diarrhea and gas and normalize gut function (which can also help displace a fungal overgrowth), and keep working with the iodine to see if that can kill off any pathogens and/or fungus that you might have (though make sure not to overdo it). If eating safe carbs will help you to reduce your alcohol consumption and feel better in general, then that'd probably be a step in the right direction. If you feel like you don't have much self control, try to find something that will satisfy your desire while doing as little damage to yourself as possible and generally moving towards being a more functional person (so if you're really craving milk-based ice cream, get coconut ice cream or chocolate, eat a sweet potato with some butter or some fruit, or white rice, or something like that).
I think if you can do those things and stick with a more or less paleo diet that avoids the really evil foods (artificial food, wheat, dairy, soy, and beans) even if it's higher in carbs, then step by step that'll help you to improve your health and overall situation.
Getting back into EE would be helpful too and again, starting slow and making any kind of progress would be helpful. So, for example, you could set a goal of listening to the POTS portion at some point during the day, maybe at night before going to sleep. Then keep doing that and after you've done that for a while, you could try doing the pipe breathing portion as well, and keep building up from there.
Try setting a very reasonable and achievable short term aim (maybe it's not eating ice cream for the day, for example), then keep doing that while going towards a larger aim of becoming a more functional person. If you slip up, don't beat yourself up and just focus on doing better next time. Count your victories instead of your failures :)
Good luck!
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
Don't lose heart, you are probably doing better than you think you are :). If you want to increase the lugols dose then do it slowly, see what happens and keep us updated with any changes on the iodine thread. This, and slowly dealing with your food addiction, will be good steps on getting your psyche somewhat healed.
I spent about 2 years compulsively eating chocolate and making all kinds of "paleo" baked goods to satisfy that craving, but it is only through small life choices that I eventually got to a point where I don't "need" it anymore. I still have to stay away from chocolate because I could probably just sit and eat a kilo of it if the opportunity presented itself, but the addiction to stuff and things is becoming more manageable.
Regarding weight loss, this may stop if you take around 2 weeks with no cheating and get properly keto-adapted (i.e. not having 60g of sugar a day ;)), and also the iodine will help you start getting hormones into balance. But at the same time, carbs are not such a big sin for those who really struggle on low carb. Sweet potatoes and white rice are generally okay, but your mileage may vary.
AD said:
Don't lose heart, you are probably doing better than you think you are :). If you want to increase the lugols dose then do it slowly, see what happens and keep us updated with any changes on the iodine thread. This, and slowly dealing with your food addiction, will be good steps on getting your psyche somewhat healed.
I spent about 2 years compulsively eating chocolate and making all kinds of "paleo" baked goods to satisfy that craving, but it is only through small life choices that I eventually got to a point where I don't "need" it anymore. I still have to stay away from chocolate because I could probably just sit and eat a kilo of it if the opportunity presented itself, but the addiction to stuff and things is becoming more manageable.
Regarding weight loss, this may stop if you take around 2 weeks with no cheating and get properly keto-adapted (i.e. not having 60g of sugar a day ;)), and also the iodine will help you start getting hormones into balance. But at the same time, carbs are not such a big sin for those who really struggle on low carb. Sweet potatoes and white rice are generally okay, but your mileage may vary.
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
I think that's a good idea. Perhaps even try just eating more of everything?
Liver support is vitally important, and digestive support would probably help too.
If you are depressed, super skinny and craving carbs the most obvious answer is you're hungry (and/or starving). Been there, got the t-shirt.
Acetyl L-Carnitine may help (as it's needed to burn ketones), as well as doing exercise (heavy lifting for 20mins max).
Probably best to not start the exercise until you are able to eat more and not have diarrhea.
Foxx said:
I think that's a good idea. Perhaps even try just eating more of everything?
Liver support is vitally important, and digestive support would probably help too.
If you are depressed, super skinny and craving carbs the most obvious answer is you're hungry (and/or starving). Been there, got the t-shirt.
Acetyl L-Carnitine may help (as it's needed to burn ketones), as well as doing exercise (heavy lifting for 20mins max).
Probably best to not start the exercise until you are able to eat more and not have diarrhea.
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
Hi Foxx, Carl and RedFox,
I have decided to go back to eating high carb and see how I do. Will stay away from the major evils like wheat, dairy, corn, soy, beans, GMO, etc. I eliminated all the grains(ate wild rice), dairy, etc back in Sep 2014 but still ate high carb for a year and then in the past 3 and half months I did the LCHF paleo diet. Tried to make sure I did it right, stay on top of electrolytes, take digestive enzymes,make fat bomb, weight lifting, keep carbs below 100g. Seen some improvements but with the wet flatulence(seems like the fat is going right through me), worsening of mental health, low weight, lack of energy, cravings for carbs. Believe maybe my body is just too damaged to make the transition or maybe I just didn't do a good enough job?
Anyhow, I think its best for me to go back to high carb. At least for a while and see how I do. Plus in a couple of weeks time, I will be traveling to India and Europe to visit family so I think it'll be kind of hard to main paleo for that reason also.
Before I eliminated white rice in Sep 2014 I weight 130lbs and then I dropped all the way down to 118-120 and been there ever since, mind you that I am a 5'10 / 25 year old male. According to my BMI, I am anorexic
. Will certainly eliminated the alcohol, cut down on the chocolate and try to live a more healthy lifestyle.
Thank you for help
Hi Foxx, Carl and RedFox,
I have decided to go back to eating high carb and see how I do. Will stay away from the major evils like wheat, dairy, corn, soy, beans, GMO, etc. I eliminated all the grains(ate wild rice), dairy, etc back in Sep 2014 but still ate high carb for a year and then in the past 3 and half months I did the LCHF paleo diet. Tried to make sure I did it right, stay on top of electrolytes, take digestive enzymes,make fat bomb, weight lifting, keep carbs below 100g. Seen some improvements but with the wet flatulence(seems like the fat is going right through me), worsening of mental health, low weight, lack of energy, cravings for carbs. Believe maybe my body is just too damaged to make the transition or maybe I just didn't do a good enough job?
Anyhow, I think its best for me to go back to high carb. At least for a while and see how I do. Plus in a couple of weeks time, I will be traveling to India and Europe to visit family so I think it'll be kind of hard to main paleo for that reason also.
Before I eliminated white rice in Sep 2014 I weight 130lbs and then I dropped all the way down to 118-120 and been there ever since, mind you that I am a 5'10 / 25 year old male. According to my BMI, I am anorexic
. Will certainly eliminated the alcohol, cut down on the chocolate and try to live a more healthy lifestyle. Thank you for help
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
Yeah, maybe this will be good for you. 120lbs on a 5'10 male is extremely low weight. If you do not have a serious fibromyalgia problems I would recommend getting back in the gym, eating a lot and sleeping well. Hope you manage to find decent food in India :).
AD said:Hi Foxx, Carl and RedFox,
I have decided to go back to eating high carb and see how I do. Will stay away from the major evils like wheat, dairy, corn, soy, beans, GMO, etc. I eliminated all the grains(ate wild rice), dairy, etc back in Sep 2014 but still ate high carb for a year and then in the past 3 and half months I did the LCHF paleo diet. Tried to make sure I did it right, stay on top of electrolytes, take digestive enzymes,make fat bomb, weight lifting, keep carbs below 100g. Seen some improvements but with the wet flatulence(seems like the fat is going right through me), worsening of mental health, low weight, lack of energy, cravings for carbs. Believe maybe my body is just too damaged to make the transition or maybe I just didn't do a good enough job?
Anyhow, I think its best for me to go back to high carb. At least for a while and see how I do. Plus in a couple of weeks time, I will be traveling to India and Europe to visit family so I think it'll be kind of hard to main paleo for that reason also.
Before I eliminated white rice in Sep 2014 I weight 130lbs and then I dropped all the way down to 118-120 and been there ever since, mind you that I am a 5'10 / 25 year old male. According to my BMI, I am anorexic
Thank you for help
Yeah, maybe this will be good for you. 120lbs on a 5'10 male is extremely low weight. If you do not have a serious fibromyalgia problems I would recommend getting back in the gym, eating a lot and sleeping well. Hope you manage to find decent food in India :).
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
I had a great experience yesterday and it's prompted me to share my journey on the path to keto-adaptation.
I started changing my diet in March by eliminating all problem causing, unhealthy foods. At this point I was mainly eating sweet potato, belly pork, sausages, eggs and buckwheat pancakes.
Once I started reading the LWB and Keto threads, over the spring, summer and autumn, I reduced my carbs to between 20-50g per day. I started making bone broth. I worked away from home every weekend so made pemmican to take with me. I supplemented my fat intake with butter-tea (which I adored). I got ketostix and began producing ketones quickly and easily.
The main issues I had were leg cramps through the night (l-carnitine, salt and potassium helped), big weight loss (I went from around 80kg to plateau at 68kg) and the worst was fatigue (especially having to perform in a band on stage - my legs would get heavy and tired within the first few songs).
I experimented with different amounts of protein and carbs, but it seems like for me, it's the fewer the better of both. I've used intermittent fasting and have returned to it now: I feel so good doing alternate day fasts.
Another problem for me was brain fog. Between March and say, May, my mind was so clear, but from May to Aug/Sept, my thinking just seemed a lot more dull. I eventually realised it was the butter. This was a bit of a blow for me because I ate and drank a hell of a lot of it, and I love the stuff. Anyway, after I eliminated it, my head cleared, and I haven't had any for the last few months.
So I never got an energy-boost from the diet. And in fact, I believe it's taken me 8 months to actually become fully and properly keto-adapted (frustrating when papers and researchers often give a figure of just a few weeks.) I've been able to eat unlimited amounts of fat for a good few months now with no digestive issues or side effects or anything; I just think I've been getting all the benefits of the diet except for the final piece being able to use fat for fuel in a totally efficient way.
I've used glutamine and colostrum to help heal my gut and the liver cleanse too, which helped produce the bile I needed. I had history of foods and drinks that aren't good for the gut and liver, so that's why I chose to do this and I'm still staking colostrum and glutamine to this day, as well as the broth - I alternate between knuckle bones, pig trotters, ox tails and lamb necks.
Having thought I didn't have food sensitivities, it seems I have problems with coconut, which makes my throat sting and burn and together with chocolate and macadamia nuts, brings me out in coldsores.
I've always had back and hip aches, but these have gotten better since being on the diet. It seems that one of my biggest reacting indicators is emotional/psychological, though - I can become panicky, paranoid, depressed, stressed, defeatist etc. In the past I wouldn't have put these things down to foods, but the fact is, when I stay to a good strict diet of fat and meat, I hardly ever have these kinds of issues.
The fatbomb really helped me to put weight back on. Believe it or not, after about 10 days of starting to make them, I put on 7kg. I think I was just getting enough fat for maintenance before.
Despite butter giving me brain fog, I think it probably did come in handy while having to work away, and also being a MCT I guess it helped fuel me during transition. I try to work out about twice a week, doing a 30min resistance set. I feel generally sluggish if I don't.
I did a lot of walking this year, while I was away and so I must have been burning fat for fuel, but as I said, when it came to performing on stage, I'd get tired. Walking up a flight of stairs would do it too.
The main reason I changed my diet in the first place was because my immune system was shot. I would pick up maybe 6 colds per year, and they'd always be bad ones and hit me hard, and then they'd go down onto my chest and I'd have that infection for about a month. Also I had developed eczema between the knuckles on the backs of my hands. I knew I couldn't be ill this year due to work, and I knew the diet would take care of these things.
Well, apart from the mild cold and low level chest infection I've picked up this last week (which I'm using bigger doses of iodine to treat and keep at bay) my immune system is now incredible. I have been around and in close proximity to many, many people with really bad colds and not picked anything up myself - or if I have, it's been so mild and has lasted only a couple of days.
(Oh, that reminds me, I've been having cold showers everyday for what must be the last six months: I love them and hate them
But I woke up with a slight cold one morning, I think in May, and I got in the cold shower and it got rid of my symptoms straight away! They came back towards the early evening, but another cold shower the day after and I think the cold was gone. Increase of white blood cells?)
So I've gone from catching everything going, to hardly picking up anything at all. That has been immense for me, having been so prone to colds for so long.
The eczema disappeared within about a month! Just gone, hasn't come back. Then there are other things I had, which I didn't really think about. I've always had a very spotty back/tops and back of shoulders: now clear! I used to suffer regularly with boils: they don't happen any more! I had developed a ganglion on the inside of my left wrist after a driving holiday. Well, I don't know if the diet had anything to do with it, but it had been there for 8 months and disappeared very quickly after starting the diet.
So, yesterday I did a full day at work and then went straight to a gig where I drummed for the first time this year. I was a bit worried how my drumming stamina would be, as in the past, when I've had a break from it, it has taken a while to build the stamina back up. But, all I had to eat yesterday was 100g of Lardo for lunch. I had all the energy I needed all day, drumming was easy and I didn't even break sweat. Didn't feel hungry at all, either.
So, I may have been properly adapted for longer than I know, but yesterday was confirmation that for me that my body can totally run off its own fat reserves now. Due to the low energy for such a long period, I think it really has taken me many months to get to optimal adaptation, but it was just great to have that experience yesterday as a solid confirmation that I'm keto-adapted.
Thanks for all the info, sharing of experiences etc. of the LWB thread and this one. I love knowing that the way I eat has my body in repair mode. I love how healthy I am. I love how little food I usually need.
And on that topic, all the stuff about this diet being unpalatable?! Jeez - if it wasn't so satiating, I'd be eating fat all day long lol :)
I had a great experience yesterday and it's prompted me to share my journey on the path to keto-adaptation.
I started changing my diet in March by eliminating all problem causing, unhealthy foods. At this point I was mainly eating sweet potato, belly pork, sausages, eggs and buckwheat pancakes.
Once I started reading the LWB and Keto threads, over the spring, summer and autumn, I reduced my carbs to between 20-50g per day. I started making bone broth. I worked away from home every weekend so made pemmican to take with me. I supplemented my fat intake with butter-tea (which I adored). I got ketostix and began producing ketones quickly and easily.
The main issues I had were leg cramps through the night (l-carnitine, salt and potassium helped), big weight loss (I went from around 80kg to plateau at 68kg) and the worst was fatigue (especially having to perform in a band on stage - my legs would get heavy and tired within the first few songs).
I experimented with different amounts of protein and carbs, but it seems like for me, it's the fewer the better of both. I've used intermittent fasting and have returned to it now: I feel so good doing alternate day fasts.
Another problem for me was brain fog. Between March and say, May, my mind was so clear, but from May to Aug/Sept, my thinking just seemed a lot more dull. I eventually realised it was the butter. This was a bit of a blow for me because I ate and drank a hell of a lot of it, and I love the stuff. Anyway, after I eliminated it, my head cleared, and I haven't had any for the last few months.
So I never got an energy-boost from the diet. And in fact, I believe it's taken me 8 months to actually become fully and properly keto-adapted (frustrating when papers and researchers often give a figure of just a few weeks.) I've been able to eat unlimited amounts of fat for a good few months now with no digestive issues or side effects or anything; I just think I've been getting all the benefits of the diet except for the final piece being able to use fat for fuel in a totally efficient way.
I've used glutamine and colostrum to help heal my gut and the liver cleanse too, which helped produce the bile I needed. I had history of foods and drinks that aren't good for the gut and liver, so that's why I chose to do this and I'm still staking colostrum and glutamine to this day, as well as the broth - I alternate between knuckle bones, pig trotters, ox tails and lamb necks.
Having thought I didn't have food sensitivities, it seems I have problems with coconut, which makes my throat sting and burn and together with chocolate and macadamia nuts, brings me out in coldsores.
I've always had back and hip aches, but these have gotten better since being on the diet. It seems that one of my biggest reacting indicators is emotional/psychological, though - I can become panicky, paranoid, depressed, stressed, defeatist etc. In the past I wouldn't have put these things down to foods, but the fact is, when I stay to a good strict diet of fat and meat, I hardly ever have these kinds of issues.
The fatbomb really helped me to put weight back on. Believe it or not, after about 10 days of starting to make them, I put on 7kg. I think I was just getting enough fat for maintenance before.
Despite butter giving me brain fog, I think it probably did come in handy while having to work away, and also being a MCT I guess it helped fuel me during transition. I try to work out about twice a week, doing a 30min resistance set. I feel generally sluggish if I don't.
I did a lot of walking this year, while I was away and so I must have been burning fat for fuel, but as I said, when it came to performing on stage, I'd get tired. Walking up a flight of stairs would do it too.
The main reason I changed my diet in the first place was because my immune system was shot. I would pick up maybe 6 colds per year, and they'd always be bad ones and hit me hard, and then they'd go down onto my chest and I'd have that infection for about a month. Also I had developed eczema between the knuckles on the backs of my hands. I knew I couldn't be ill this year due to work, and I knew the diet would take care of these things.
Well, apart from the mild cold and low level chest infection I've picked up this last week (which I'm using bigger doses of iodine to treat and keep at bay) my immune system is now incredible. I have been around and in close proximity to many, many people with really bad colds and not picked anything up myself - or if I have, it's been so mild and has lasted only a couple of days.
(Oh, that reminds me, I've been having cold showers everyday for what must be the last six months: I love them and hate them
But I woke up with a slight cold one morning, I think in May, and I got in the cold shower and it got rid of my symptoms straight away! They came back towards the early evening, but another cold shower the day after and I think the cold was gone. Increase of white blood cells?)So I've gone from catching everything going, to hardly picking up anything at all. That has been immense for me, having been so prone to colds for so long.
The eczema disappeared within about a month! Just gone, hasn't come back. Then there are other things I had, which I didn't really think about. I've always had a very spotty back/tops and back of shoulders: now clear! I used to suffer regularly with boils: they don't happen any more! I had developed a ganglion on the inside of my left wrist after a driving holiday. Well, I don't know if the diet had anything to do with it, but it had been there for 8 months and disappeared very quickly after starting the diet.
So, yesterday I did a full day at work and then went straight to a gig where I drummed for the first time this year. I was a bit worried how my drumming stamina would be, as in the past, when I've had a break from it, it has taken a while to build the stamina back up. But, all I had to eat yesterday was 100g of Lardo for lunch. I had all the energy I needed all day, drumming was easy and I didn't even break sweat. Didn't feel hungry at all, either.
So, I may have been properly adapted for longer than I know, but yesterday was confirmation that for me that my body can totally run off its own fat reserves now. Due to the low energy for such a long period, I think it really has taken me many months to get to optimal adaptation, but it was just great to have that experience yesterday as a solid confirmation that I'm keto-adapted.
Thanks for all the info, sharing of experiences etc. of the LWB thread and this one. I love knowing that the way I eat has my body in repair mode. I love how healthy I am. I love how little food I usually need.
And on that topic, all the stuff about this diet being unpalatable?! Jeez - if it wasn't so satiating, I'd be eating fat all day long lol :)
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
Yeah, thanks for sharing your journey. Should help others when they hit difficult patches.
Gaby said:T.C. said:
Thank you for sharing! That was inspiring.
Yeah, thanks for sharing your journey. Should help others when they hit difficult patches.
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
Absolutely!! I was really struggling recently with cravings for nuts and certain carbs, so to see someone with such a success story is heartening. I also think I need to cut out butter, coconut milk, and possibly egg whites too. So the butter and coconut milk goes today, and the egg whites soon.
SeekinTruth said:Gaby said:T.C. said:
Thank you for sharing! That was inspiring.
Yeah, thanks for sharing your journey. Should help others when they hit difficult patches.
Absolutely!! I was really struggling recently with cravings for nuts and certain carbs, so to see someone with such a success story is heartening. I also think I need to cut out butter, coconut milk, and possibly egg whites too. So the butter and coconut milk goes today, and the egg whites soon.
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
Thanks for sharing TC, it seems the ketogenic diet really suits you! Well done for sticking at it through the hard parts.SeekinTruth said:Gaby said:T.C. said:
Thank you for sharing! That was inspiring.
Yeah, thanks for sharing your journey. Should help others when they hit difficult patches.
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
Cutting out coconut milk and egg whites is a good idea. Many have problems with coconut milk, so you could eliminate it for a few weeks and try lots after that to see if you get a reaction. Egg whites should probably be avoided across the board. Butter you can eliminate and try again in a few weeks - eating a lot - to see if you get any reactions. If so, you can always make or buy ghee.
Meechel17 said:SeekinTruth said:Gaby said:T.C. said:
Thank you for sharing! That was inspiring.
Yeah, thanks for sharing your journey. Should help others when they hit difficult patches.
Absolutely!! I was really struggling recently with cravings for nuts and certain carbs, so to see someone with such a success story is heartening. I also think I need to cut out butter, coconut milk, and possibly egg whites too. So the butter and coconut milk goes today, and the egg whites soon.
Cutting out coconut milk and egg whites is a good idea. Many have problems with coconut milk, so you could eliminate it for a few weeks and try lots after that to see if you get a reaction. Egg whites should probably be avoided across the board. Butter you can eliminate and try again in a few weeks - eating a lot - to see if you get any reactions. If so, you can always make or buy ghee.