Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions

[Hesper]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Added: Oh yes -- I finally took ketone measurements. The first one was a few hours after my last meal of the day, after I had been down to near-zero for a coule of days, and it was 1.0 mmol. The second one was this morning with a more respectable 2.4 mmol., and with fasting glucose at 90. I am happy with those numbers for now.

Me too! I finally got my ketone test strips out of the box and used them. I was currently at 5.7 mmol, so I was relieved to see that number. It's nice to get real confirmation, but I can still get deeper in. I'm also on my 4th week of totally committed resistance training and, thanks to this diet, am acing a biology class that otherwise would have had me in deep water :P

Glad things are going well :) the mental effects can be profound indeed. I find sitting through an incredibly boring 2 hour lecture has become much easier.

I've also started running and sprinting again, really pushing myself. Today I had a quick weight training workout, followed by a 15 minute interval sprint. Combined with an ice cold bath afterwards, I've had superhuman energy levels all day, and a calm positive outlook on everything. Something about the cold really brings me to life on this diet.

Great to hear! I have to admit that it's much easier to take a cold shower either right after a workout or when it's still warm outside. I was able to take cold showers every day this summer but I wimped out once the weather got colder, so I've only done them sporadically.

 

[Turgon]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Great to hear! I have to admit that it's much easier to take a cold shower either right after a workout or when it's still warm outside. I was able to take cold showers every day this summer but I wimped out once the weather got colder, so I've only done them sporadically.

I've started bringing my laptop in the bathroom, put the volume on full blast and play the first hard rock song that comes to mind in order to pump me up for it and get me through the first few minutes. It's helping.

 

[Carl]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Great to hear! I have to admit that it's much easier to take a cold shower either right after a workout or when it's still warm outside. I was able to take cold showers every day this summer but I wimped out once the weather got colder, so I've only done them sporadically.

Oh yes, it's much more intense now that the water is totally freezing! I used to handle 20 minutes in the cold bath, now I can't take the shock for more than a few minutes, and from outside the bathroom it must sound like I am going through some pretty bad torture.

Living in the UK though, I think it's gonna be important to get used to the cold in the times ahead. Good suggestion Turgon, I will try that

 

[Goemon_]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I have finally try the cold shower a week ago and every morning since. It was not the best time to try it as the cold wheather came on the third day. Has I know if I don't percist I will not come back to it soon I have managed to continue. With 10°C in the house it is sometime very difficult but it is still possible.

 

[Turgon]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

For those who are having difficulty with the cold showers/bath's, I came across this post by Approaching Infinity in the Jack Kruse - Neurosurgeon thread of a Native American grandmother talking about cold water and what it meant to her people to bathe in it. What she say's makes a a lot of sense to me and how I go about looking at the cold showers. Mainly, I dread getting into the water and being cold but maybe a slight shift in perspective can help alleviate some of the hesitation and create an appreciation for 'cleansing' ourselves in cold water?

 

[lwu02eb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I'm starting slowly with the cold showers. I have a tepid shower for washing and then stand (more like jig manically) under the ice cold blast for slightly longer each day. It always seems awful beforehand and I have to fight a lot of resistance but once done, I always think "it's not that bad" and feel pretty rejuvenated. Being in the UK, I agree that it's harder when it's cold outside and the water is truly freezing

I'm also upping my resistance training to every day. I do a total session of 21 minutes, 1 minute per muscle group (7 separate exercises) and 2 minutes rest between each. I use weights for my arms and legs and then do sit ups, press ups and squats. I seem to be building up muscle mass and strength pretty rapidly. Combined with the IF, broth and cold showers, I'm very pleased with the positive effects :D

 

[Gaby]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

A direct pregnenolone supplement can be very helpful for some people, from what I have read. I worked with a doctor eight years ago to try to bring the level up using the OTC capsule supplement form, but it didn't help. There are other forms that might be better absorbed. The doctor I have now is more experienced than anyone else I have ever worked with, and when he looked at the test results (which, for my adrenal steroids are the same as they were 8 years ago--basically zip), we had a discussion about it and then he moved on to something that he knew could be treated -- the low T3/high rT3 thyroid pattern.

I always understood that if you are meant to normalize a low thyroid function, one must absolutely heal the adrenals first. Also progesterone creams are also used to support the adrenals.

What you say sounds like something that is called "Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome":

_http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/

The medical protocol presented on this website is being used by hundreds doctors and has given thousands of low body temperature patients their lives back. The protocol is Wilson’s T3 Protocol (WT3). [...]

Low thyroid symptoms don’t improve until temperatures improve.
Classically, Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is:

a persistent but reversible slowing of the metabolism
often brought on by the stress of illness, injury, or emotional trauma.
often worsened in stages with subsequent stress.
characterized by a low body temperature and classic low-thyroid-like symptoms.
often corrected with a special thyroid treatment even though thyroid blood tests are often normal.

I always saw thought of the above as adrenal fatigue, which is why many can be helped with a teensy dose of hydrocortisone. But who knows, there might be more to it.

Anyway, let us know how it goes.

 

[WIN 52]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

All this cold adaptation therapy seems normal to a Manitoban. We have to cold adapt in winter and heat/humidity adapt in summer. It only takes a few days to adapt to sub zero C temperatures and even less to loose those adaptations, it seems. Once you are adapted to cold, it is easily possible to be outdoors with an open coat and ears uncovered in sub zero for short periods of time. We just see this as life in Manitoba.

The summer heat/humidity is another kettle of fish. Though some like it, most run and hide in an air conditioned room/building. It is much more difficult to adapt to the heat/humidity, but one eventually does this also providing the body is working normally.

The resistance thing..... I wonder if this is more of a mental state of being than a physical thing?

Let me explain, while studying martial arts we would do the normal exercise and stretching routines. Then the instructor would have us lay on our backs while elevating our heels and heads to 6-8 inches off the floor and hold that position as long as possible. It wouldn't take very long till all the heels were on the floor. You would get to a place where you were focused with all your might to keep your heels up. You would think this is impossible and give up, but one day I said no to that urge and forced myself with all my concentration on keeping my heels up. Just when the pains and heavy heels were seemingly unbearable and dropping them was the only option, I once again dug deep saying NO! It was a literal battle of mind over urge.

That is when my mind seemed to open up to a new level of being. The pains went away, holding my heels up became easy and I continued for another half of an hour without any problem, till the instructor told me to stop. There were two of us left out of 30 students. The instructor seemed pleased at this and he was curious as to how we both felt. Both of us said we could continue for as long as he wanted us to. The entire class never got to that level and each time did not necessarily get more easy, but knowing you can get there made it more achievable and that wall seemed to get a bit further away. However at some point you need to go through the wall to get to that mental state of being.

It was a mental block I had put there that was my biggest problem, it seemed.(Or was put there by some type of programming.)

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...I always understood that if you are meant to normalize a low thyroid function, one must absolutely heal the adrenals first. Also progesterone creams are also used to support the adrenals.

I don't know if healing my adrenals is an option. As far as I can see, my adrenal steroids have always been low. For me, it's "normal." That is what I need to research further. The website does mention the possibility of the problem starting so early in life that it appears normal.

Chris Kresser recently made an interesting comment about progesterone creams. He said that using a cream you can potentially expose others to the hormone, especially if you sleep with someone.

What you say sounds like something that is called "Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome":

_http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/

The medical protocol presented on this website is being used by hundreds doctors and has given thousands of low body temperature patients their lives back. The protocol is Wilson’s T3 Protocol (WT3). [...]
...

[/quote]

Thank you! I glanced at the website and it is interesting, although my blood tests are definitely not normal. I believe I have seen this website before -- Wilson's was mentioned in one of our "recommended reading" books. I will go through it later today. The doctor is having me record my body temperature daily upon awakening, before getting out of bed, and we will review the results at the end of the month.

My waking temperature for the first two days of recording was 97.1, not an unusual reading for me, at least in colder weather. It drops into the 96 range after I get up. There was a disturbance this morning and I couldn't take a "waking" reading, but just before I got up it was 96.9.

I always saw thought of the above as adrenal fatigue, which is why many can be helped with a teensy dose of hydrocortisone. But who knows, there might be more to it.

Anyway, let us know how it goes.

I am willing to try just about anything for which the risk seems reasonable and the result can be measured, although I try to keep it down to one change a time. The main thing I am doing right now apart from taking the T3 (Liothyronine, 7 micrograms x3) and iodine/iodide is letting my gut settle. I am still having a bit of chard with breakfast (I am still at "nearly zero" carbs) while waiting to see if the symptoms go down. So far I am still cycling between constipation and normal (or hypernormal), but doing better overall than before. I am including a little L-glutamine in the morning too, and I am wondering if the ALA, NAC, and L-glutamine have to do with why it is better at this very low carb intake level.

 

[Darek]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I'm also upping my resistance training to every day. I do a total session of 21 minutes, 1 minute per muscle group (7 separate exercises) and 2 minutes rest between each. I use weights for my arms and legs and then do sit ups, press ups and squats.

http://www.sott.net/article/249378-Resistance-Training-Why-You-Should-Lift-and-Lower-Heavy-Things

"How long your muscles take to recover is a great way to tell if you are exercising your type 2b muscle fibers. If you are able to lower heavy things on Monday and then lower the same heavy thing a day or two later, then your first workout didn't work your type 2b fibers. If it did, those fibers will not be ready to go again one, two, three, four, or even five days later. Research reveals that type 2b muscle fibers need at least six days to recover."



mod note: fixed link to activate SOTT article

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...
What you say sounds like something that is called "Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome":

_http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/

The medical protocol presented on this website is being used by hundreds doctors and has given thousands of low body temperature patients their lives back. The protocol is Wilson’s T3 Protocol (WT3). [...]
...

It sounds exactly like it, and the treatment I am receiving is consistent with that described on the website. The T3 I am taking is in sustained release form (from a compounding pharmacy). The website recommends an alternate method for measuring temperature that I think I will try in addition to what the doctor asked for, so that I can get a clearer idea of what is going on.

I remember now reading about this a few years ago, but I didn't have a doctor I could go to for it. The one I have now I came across "accidentally" after I decided to part ways with the HMO. Funny how that works. Thanks again!

Other people here with thyroid-like symptoms might want to look at the website. It's awfully wordy, but the essential part about how to measure your temperature can be found here:
_http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/how-are-body-temperatures-measured

 

[lwu02eb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks Darek, interestingly enough, yesterday was day 3 of daily resistance training and I decided it was too much. Would someone be kind enough to clarify my thinking here though, in light of that article. I had picked up from this thread that most people agree that 2 or 3 days per week of RT is about right. That is what I had been doing and am planning to go back to. Have I missed anything? This article clearly suggests that anything more than once a week is too much. Thanks.

 

[Gaby]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks Darek, interestingly enough, yesterday was day 3 of daily resistance training and I decided it was too much. Would someone be kind enough to clarify my thinking here though, in light of that article. I had picked up from this thread that most people agree that 2 or 3 days per week of RT is about right. That is what I had been doing and am planning to go back to. Have I missed anything? This article clearly suggests that anything more than once a week is too much. Thanks.

That article is a post from Mark's Daily Apple blog. A lot of them do hard core stuff, even though Mark himself suggests something more gentle in his book. If I remember correctly, Mark suggests a once a week RT, but for the other days there are other exercise suggestions including walking, sprinting and so forth.

I think that the general consensus is what you already described. Exercise no more than 20 minutes and focus on brief bouts of significant anaerobic exertion, interspersed with brief periods of recovery at a slower pace that will allow you to return to resting heart rate. It can be done using kettle-bells, weights, or elastic bands and so forth. Following these brief bouts of significant anaerobic exertion, critical building and rebuilding mechanisms takes place over the next day or two. So after 20 minutes of brief sprouts of exertion plus recovery time in between, allow at least 2 days of down time to recover and build-up your strength and muscles. Drink your bone broth within an hour before or after exercising, as it will help you preserve muscle mass.

RT activates proliferation of new cells in the muscle as a consequence of fiber injury, and the level of mutations in mtDNA in these new cells is lower than the one of already present muscle fiber cells. Hence, when there is fusion between the new and the old, there is a shift towards the new low level in mutation in mtDNA and mitophaghy of the old dysfunctional ones. This leads to mitochondrial healing. According to the papers we've read, typically 12 to 14 weeks are needed to see these results even though some have noticed positive results with the first few sessions. Others have noticed results in their muscle mass with the ketogenic diet alone.

Speaking of RT, I've fell back on my routine. It's about time I get serious on it again!

 

[Darek]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

This article clearly suggests that anything more than once a week is too much. Thanks.

Not exactly. Only when you train all your muscles at once but I think it's impossilble when you have only 20 minutes. You should not do resistance exercises for the same muscle groups on consecutive days.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks Darek, interestingly enough, yesterday was day 3 of daily resistance training and I decided it was too much. Would someone be kind enough to clarify my thinking here though, in light of that article. I had picked up from this thread that most people agree that 2 or 3 days per week of RT is about right. That is what I had been doing and am planning to go back to. Have I missed anything? This article clearly suggests that anything more than once a week is too much. Thanks.

I am taking an approach described by Fred Hahn and Michael & Mary Eades, which is designed for 30 minutes once a week, either at home or in a gym (I am following the at-home version). The information is similar to that found in the MDA article (on SOTT). There are a number of similar programs out there, and Hahn fields general questions about the subject in this podcast:
_http://www.askthelowcarbexperts.com/2012/09/24-all-things-slow-lifting-slow-burn-101-fred-hahn

I am not fully up to doing this program yet (I run out of O2 very quickly), but I do what I can and then take a week to recover. This kind of timing has worked well for me in the past, even when I was feeling stronger, and it seems to be working again. The website for this program is _http://slowburnfitness.com .

I should mention that when I was growing up I received a lot of information about exercise that was wrong. The thinking was biased toward frequent anaerobic exercise, which I can't even do. Part of the task now is to break away from all that programmed "physical education" nonsense.