Keto
I first came across the Ketogenic diet when Tim Ferriss author of The 4-Hour Body, entrepreneur, and startup investor mentioned it as a treatment for Lyme disease and then forgot about it until recently. I am on Keto for two weeks as of now. For those of you who are not familiar, it is fueling your body with fat instead of carbohydrates.
Sounds bizarre and counter-intuitive? What about all those products in shops that say low fat this and that? When fat is removed carbs and sugar in those products go up. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar. That triggers insulin that allows cells in our body to absorb blood sugar for energy or store it as fat for energy later.
Over time as we age our metabolism slows down. Maybe it is our lifestyles of moving around less, sitting jobs, sitting at the screens all day, and bad habits of overeating. This is how we store fat and it can lead to many health problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes etc.
How does Keto work? When carbohydrates and sugar are kept very low and proteins at moderate levels, we are consuming a lot more fat. Fat is turned into ketones in our liver. In the process ketones power the cells in our body instead of glucose. For those who are trying to lose weight, Keto is great in combination with fasting since the body is encouraged to use up the fat it has stored.
How does it look like on my plate? Instead of pasta, rice, potatoes, and other starchy, carbohydrate-rich foods, it is now Keto veggies, cheese, meat, fish and nuts. Keto veggies would be spinach, broccoli, zucchini, avocado, mushrooms, and asparagus. Cheese would be brie, Camembert, and mozzarella. Meat would be beef, chicken, turkey, and pork. Fish would be salmon. Nuts would be almonds, Brazil nuts, and walnuts.
Oh, and my favorite snacks are olives and crispy seaweed with sea salt! ^^ Oh, oh! And, coffee and caffeine are important too. For me black coffee or heh… I know I know you will shake your head here Monster. White one. Sometimes. Certainly not every day.
The first week on it I felt low on energy which is said to be normal. The body freaks out a bit where did all the carbs go? The second week I got a common cold for 3 days. Not sure if it had anything to do with Keto flu some people experience, but then last three days I feel super energetic, focused, awake. No fuzzy brain. I don’t even feel hungry most of the time just a tiny bit strange sometimes which also probably is my body adapting.
So… the awkward part. Peeing on sticks for science, lol. The cheapest way of testing if you are in ketosis and also the least reliable way is urinalysis test strips or Keto sticks. The best way probably would be blood testing if you are into pricking your fingers on a regular basis. It is to give you the idea if the range of foods you consume are doing the work required to produce ketones.
Why did I turn to Keto? Well, I and carbohydrates have never been friends or much compatible. Lately, I also suspect arthritis developing in my joints. Depression, fatigue, fuzzy mind and tiny hand tremors. All these should improve if I manage to do this right.
Some useful materials on Keto:
Dr. Sarah Hallberg’s TED talk on Reversing Type 2 diabetes
Dr. Peter Attia on Ketosis
Dr. Stephen Phinney on Nutritional Ketosis and Ketogenic diets video series
KetoSchool benefits of Keto
I am still learning and probably some things in this post are not accurate. In case some of you do Keto and have some corrections or advice, I would deeply appreciate it.
Sounds bizarre and counter-intuitive? What about all those products in shops that say low fat this and that? When fat is removed carbs and sugar in those products go up. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar. That triggers insulin that allows cells in our body to absorb blood sugar for energy or store it as fat for energy later.
Over time as we age our metabolism slows down. Maybe it is our lifestyles of moving around less, sitting jobs, sitting at the screens all day, and bad habits of overeating. This is how we store fat and it can lead to many health problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes etc.
How does Keto work? When carbohydrates and sugar are kept very low and proteins at moderate levels, we are consuming a lot more fat. Fat is turned into ketones in our liver. In the process ketones power the cells in our body instead of glucose. For those who are trying to lose weight, Keto is great in combination with fasting since the body is encouraged to use up the fat it has stored.
How does it look like on my plate? Instead of pasta, rice, potatoes, and other starchy, carbohydrate-rich foods, it is now Keto veggies, cheese, meat, fish and nuts. Keto veggies would be spinach, broccoli, zucchini, avocado, mushrooms, and asparagus. Cheese would be brie, Camembert, and mozzarella. Meat would be beef, chicken, turkey, and pork. Fish would be salmon. Nuts would be almonds, Brazil nuts, and walnuts.
Oh, and my favorite snacks are olives and crispy seaweed with sea salt! ^^ Oh, oh! And, coffee and caffeine are important too. For me black coffee or heh… I know I know you will shake your head here Monster. White one. Sometimes. Certainly not every day.
The first week on it I felt low on energy which is said to be normal. The body freaks out a bit where did all the carbs go? The second week I got a common cold for 3 days. Not sure if it had anything to do with Keto flu some people experience, but then last three days I feel super energetic, focused, awake. No fuzzy brain. I don’t even feel hungry most of the time just a tiny bit strange sometimes which also probably is my body adapting.
So… the awkward part. Peeing on sticks for science, lol. The cheapest way of testing if you are in ketosis and also the least reliable way is urinalysis test strips or Keto sticks. The best way probably would be blood testing if you are into pricking your fingers on a regular basis. It is to give you the idea if the range of foods you consume are doing the work required to produce ketones.
Why did I turn to Keto? Well, I and carbohydrates have never been friends or much compatible. Lately, I also suspect arthritis developing in my joints. Depression, fatigue, fuzzy mind and tiny hand tremors. All these should improve if I manage to do this right.
Some useful materials on Keto:
Dr. Sarah Hallberg’s TED talk on Reversing Type 2 diabetes
Dr. Peter Attia on Ketosis
Dr. Stephen Phinney on Nutritional Ketosis and Ketogenic diets video series
KetoSchool benefits of Keto
I am still learning and probably some things in this post are not accurate. In case some of you do Keto and have some corrections or advice, I would deeply appreciate it.
Sources: Ketogenic diet; Ketosis; Carbohydrates and insulin
Song of the day: Grimes - We Appreciate Power
Aww! Lily the curious keto hedgehog looks lovely in her cute little hat, carrying delicious foods. Hello again, Lily ^_^
The roasted seaweed... yes! I love that stuff. I saw it and knew about it but I was so reluctant to try it for a while because... well... it's seaweed. But eventually I got curious enough and it really is delicious. Olives... eh. They're okay I guess. :P
It just makes sense, you know? All the most delicious foods in the world are the fatty ones anyway. I think we only eat as many carbs as we do because they are cheap, and I think maybe they are only kept as cheap as they are so that we will buy more of them and get fatter. I guess everyone could probably benefit from cutting out carbs. Good luck with your new healthy lifestyle!
This is how people are meant to eat. <---- Full stop
A friend did try the keto diet thing but she got out fast. Her complaint was it was too expensive to keep up. I think they gave certain products to buy to help her along.
I want to clarify something, the ketone diet stuff means eating only fatty foods? You don't have to eat any specially made food or substitute?
My friend wabts to reduce her weight and the size of her stomach too, so I don't know. Is this process good for getting rid of fat in the body?
It depends. It is eating very clean and actual food that is not processed or comes in a box if it makes sense. For example, increased amounts of vegetables, but not all vegetables are keto compatible. Maybe that can be a bit expensive some places.
But really it is quite simple and does not require any kind of supplements or special substitutes. It's meat, cheese, vegetables and nuts.
Maybe it is not always easiest for people to stick with, because carbs are delicious and there's also sugar with them. It is hard to let go of them. You need to discipline yourself.
Weight loss is one of the benefits of keto. Take a look at the "KetoSchool benefits of Keto" I linked in the post to see all the other good things keto does. I mean it really helps overall health and even nervous-system.
Oh thanks. I am pretty slim and actually need so flesh in certain places. I am not sure a keto based diet would be good for me.
You'll find that if you are under weight that it would bring you up in weight. It is good for establishing the best weight for your body without excessively adding more fat (in the form of triglycerides) to your body. This is because you are not eating carbohydrates that turn into directly into triglycerides, putting fat where you don't want it. i.e on your stomach and back. The main benefit of keto diets would be on your digestive systems and can solve a lot of ulcserative, heliobactor and acidity related issues.
I feel very good on it - not strictly keto, but very close to.
( I detoxed for 3 days when I started off - and went through carb flu - yuk - not very pleasant.)
Feel fantastic - sleep better, no hunger or 'feeling tired' during the day, and zero indigestion for two years now , I think. (I take organic apple cider vinegar every day)
...have a general 'well being' that I haven't felt for years...
The biggest downside, is when doing exercise.
When I'm swimming (or on the bike) - you definitely don't have that final 'push' - the 'power surge ' just isn't there..
( a couple of slices of bread 40 minutes before working out does the trick though!)
( I fall off the wagon with bread quite regularly. Pesky carb addiction....grrr)
Thank you for sharing your experience @lucylin!
This will be my third week on it and I also feel overall better than before for sure.
They say with keto and slow carb lifting is better workout. Some runners do keto, but when they need that extra nudge, they switch to carbs.
I have been off and on the ketogenic diet for about 2-3 years and it has been the easiest to sustain and has had great benefits for me. While the transitions as the body gets accustomed to it take a bit of will power, it has been well worth it for me. I have also gone through bouts of intermittent fasting which has helped accelerate the benefits in body composition as well. Now, I am just focusing on maintenance and improving my fitness.
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It has been really easy so far and even eating out causes no trouble as it is easy to adjust everything.
I used to be a vegetarian for a while. It trained me well for this. I simply tell myself this is not food or this is not for me.
So excited to see where this rabbit hole leads :)
Very interesting all that you explain here, my diet in recent months has been a lot of carbohydrates and I know that that is very bad, for example I am losing my hair :(
The cauliflower is very rich and is very good for memory and bones.
How are you doing in your new job?
Now that I think of the amounts of carbs and sugar I consumed 2 weeks ago it is really freaky. I also sometimes sit and observe people having lunch now (that somehow sounds creepy, but yea people watching) and their eating habits. Quite interesting. Uuuu you really shouldn't grab that can of soda for breakfast or yumm all those carbs.
I am really sorry about your hair situation. Hope it improves somehow.
Job is fine. I go, get it done and then forget about it :)
Im slowly heading towards starting a keto diet, just been eating up the last of the carbs in my house at the moment. It seems like a pretty good diet for me lots of fatty foods!
Do you find it hard to come up with new and interesting meal ideas? This is something I would be concerned with...
I have been low sugar for about a week now and that has been hard - I love Coca cola and also sweets, but found after a few days the cravings have gone away :)
Have you heard of bulletproof coffee? Basically coffee with butter/coconut oil or other fats. Sounds gross but is actually pretty good and a good way to get in extra calories.
I still have carb left-overs in house, but hopefully they will get eaten by those who can. Ahaha!
I like boring meals xD I mean, sure carb foods can make things fun, but the way I think about it is I don't have half plate of pasta or rice anymore, instead I have more keto veggies there, cheese and meat or fish and I am sure there are many fun recipes on the internet if that gets too boring.
I gave up cola long time ago with the rule Tim Ferriss had in his slow-carb diet - don't drink calories and sugar. Sure sometimes or on cheat days, but not on regular basis.
I found it helps a lot to look at something and label it not food or not for me.
I've heard of it, but have never had it so far. Might look into it and try it ^^
Hehe, good luck with your journey and maybe share some on steem too. Pretty interesting to learn about these things :)
Look for the fatty steaks she said and my cholesterol went through the roof. I know there was a fad diet a few years back called the Atkins diet where they wanted you to eat all the fat and dodge the carbs. Sounds similar to that.
Are you sure it is all that bad? Hehe
I was kidding m31. I have had cholesterol in the past and have been warned to stay away from fatty products, that is all. Any diet is bad in my book as I just love all types of food.
I love this hedgehog with a pointy nose. Did you draw it yourself?
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Hi @organduo! Yes, I did and I am really glad you love my little Lily the curious hedgehog :) Thank you for stopping by!
In this case Pinky the piglet and Spiky the hedgehog sends their greetings to Lily...
Aww hello Spiky and Pinky! ^^ So cute! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Yes, I hope to keep this silliness going...
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Absolutely! You should :)
Flagged“carbed” in the honor of @apsu🥔🍠🥐🥯🍞🥖🥨🥞🥪🌭🍔🍟🍕🥙🌮🌯🍝🍜🥟🍙🍚🍘🥠🥧🍰🍪🍩 man they have a lot of carb emojis now
I realized it's time to get back to Steem when I'm starting to see posts like this, people wanting to live without me!