Adventures in Ketosis (long)

[audreyh1]

I thought I’d share some interesting ketosis readings from my blood ketones meter as they are quite a bit higher than expected. This is long - and probably only digestible by other low-carbers here. But there seem to be many here, so if you have some interest in ketone measurements, keep reading.

Background: I have been on a ketogenic diet about 2.5 months. One of my doctors strongly suggested it based on a recent lipid profile. My cholesterol numbers were a little higher - they’ve been creeping up since menopause. HDL was really good for me. But my doctor’s focus was on triglycerides which were under 150, but the doctor wanted them under 80 as he feels that drops CVD risk significantly. This doctor also occasionally measures fasting insulin, and mine was slightly elevated (8.6 when optimal is below 8) indicating slight insulin resistance. Triglycerides last fall (different doc) had shocked me being above 150, so I had already been thinking about low carb, and I was quite motivated to make a change. Higher triglycerides can also indicate insulin resistance.

I am not on a ketogenic diet because I am pre-diabetic or diabetic (I have a normal A1C), or because I need to lose a lot of weight (BMI was under 27), it’s all about reversing the insulin resistance and staying in ketosis to reach that goal.

I cut out starches and sugars immediately. Started counting carbs shortly thereafter (goal 20g net carb daily limit). I seemed to reach ketosis rather quickly - thirsty, peeing a lot, night leg cramps, hunger gone after 2 days, no acetone breath thank goodness. So I got some ketone urine strips as soon as I realized it was happening. Yep - those were measuring pretty high.

My understanding about urine ketones was that they would eventually disappear, so after a month I also got a blood ketones meter. My initial readings were at the very high end of “optimal nutritional ketosis” (optimal for weight loss) which is up to 3.0 mmol/L. But some readings were above 3. But still close enough to the “optimal nutritional ketosis” zone. So far so good.

A couple of weeks ago, I started getting blood ketone readings above 4!

DH and I recently added 3x week weight training sessions at the neighborhood gym - taking advantage of few residents using it in the summer. After a couple of weeks I took a blood ketone reading and was shocked to see 4.2 mmol/L. So, I thought - well, I did a pretty intense workout a few hours ago, so maybe I shouldn’t measure on a weight training day. A week later I took another reading during a rest day, and it was 4.3 mmol/L!

So I am now in what “Keto-Mojo” labels the “Optimal Therapeutic Ketosis” range which I hadn’t heard of until I saw that chart shown below. The common "nutritional ketosis" charts don't really spell out this range. I suppose it’s appropriate as long as I hopefully don’t exceed 5. Still - I’m rather surprised.

I can probably eat more carbs in the future and maintain ketosis. But until the 90 day blood test in two weeks I’m sticking to below 25g net carbs daily (moved it up from 20g limit). And then I’ll decide what to do after seeing what my doc says.

Oh - I have lost almost 10 lbs. My BMI is now 25.1. I’m not really interested in going below BMI 24. BP which had been good, has dropped even further. Last reading was 96/65. For while I had to be carefully in yoga due to light headedness but that seems to have normalized.

BTW - after a lot of reading I’m not worried about higher total cholesterol or LDL anymore especially as higher protects people over 60. My HDL had finally gotten higher than historical for me, and I’ll be happy if it stays the same or increases. I want my triglycerides under 80, and my fasting insulin under 7.5 at least.

The point of the monitoring so that I see that I am in ketosis, especially as I explore stages of moving to more maintenance type diet.

https://keto-mojo.com/pages/what-should-your-ketone-levels-be

Well, I hope that was interesting. Thanks for reading.

Audrey

 

[footenote]

Enjoyed reading your journey - thanks for sharing the details!

DH and I are LCHF because it reversed his pre-diabetes and I am genetically diabetic-prone. (Brother has poorly-managed T2 and has lost 3 toes to amputation. But I digress.)

We have found two years of LCHF fun and easy to maintain. I continue to try and enjoy new recipes. Neither of us miss sugar or carbs a bit.

Thanks again for a fun account of your process

 

[RAE]

Thanks, Audrey........your experience is interesting to me.

I'm surprised that your triglycerides were so high initially. Do you have any idea what your daily carb consumption was before you went on the ketogenic plan? I eat way more net carbs daily than 25g (I'm probably around 100g), and my blood triglyceride level has been around 70-80 or so, for the last few years. I'm always trying to get it a bit lower if possible, but I'm fairly satisfied with where it is now. I could never go on a ketogenic diet, as I start to lose weight (quite rapidly) when my carb consumption gets too low. I can eat all the meat/fish/eggs/cheese/healthy fats, etc that I want, and I will still lose weight if I don't get adequate carbs. And my BMI is 21.4, so I definitely don't want to go any lower. I do some bodyweight exercises daily, to try to maintain what muscle mass I have, as I get older.

I need to get my fasting insulin tested one of these days (hopefully I can get my doc to order it), as I think that is an important test. I have had the A1C test done, and I'm at 5.0, so not too bad, but could be a little lower.

I agree with you that total cholesterol and LDL-C are pretty meaningless, especially for folks over 60 (in fact, higher LDL-C and TC can be protective, as you said). I focus a lot more on things like triglycerides, HDL, blood glucose, and insulin, as I think they are all pretty good indicators of not only cardiovascular health, but also overall metabolic health.

 

[audreyh1]

Why were you surprised that my triglycerides were high?

I was not eating a low carb diet. Probably more moderate carb - definitely above 100g I would think - easily double that maybe? I ate no gluten, so no bread or beer or baked desserts. I did eat rice, corn and some starchy vegetables as well as plenty of fruit and occasionally juice (which I used to never drink). Used sugar in my coffee/tea. No dairy, except cheese occasionally. But, no, I don’t know what my carb intake was.

My last year triglycerides was 174 which startled me. This year it was down to 142 which is fine by normal standards. So I don’t think that’s extremely high by traditional measures. The doc proposed 80 target was new to me.

My A1C was 5.2, same as the prior year. Maybe, knock on wood, it will drop into the 4s.

Walk-in Labs online was offering fasting insulin for $28, I think, either through Labcorp or Quest. DH is interested. His triglycerides are so low and HDL so high that I’d be surprised if he had elevated fasting insulin.

DH and I obviously have very different metabolisms. We used to eat similarly. Mostly at home, same meals. He would eat more carbs including fruit. I probably ate a bit more animal protein. But his panels would almost always be better than mine, in spite of being male and 4.5 years older.

 

[skipro33]

After seeing my doc after injuring a finger joint, she told me I was borderline obese at 5'11" and 206 pounds. A couple years ago she tried to get me on statons due to my cholesterol readings. I don't know or remember what those were. High I guess. I tried diet first; low calorie, low fat. 6 weeks later I lost weight but my cholesterol readings were even higher than before. I was very discouraged. I told her I ought to just go back to eating the foods I like if all this good healthy food got me was a higher reading and a lifetime of staton drugs. I didn't go back to see her since. Now my finger. This time I read something about Keto diet and got the jist of it and decided to give it a go while my wife was out of town for 2.5 weeks. I enjoyed the diet, what man wouldn't who has to cook for himself? Smoked pork ribs, rib eye steak, SPAM for christsakes! Eggs, bacon, sausage all I want. Cheese, antipasti. YUM! That was on June 8th. As of today I dropped from 206 down to 185 in under 7 weeks.
Symptoms during this diet have been a few days of feeling run down, which I attribute to sugar withdrawal. By the second week, my appetite really crashed. I find it very difficult to eat more than 1000 calories a day unless I pop a hand full of macadamia nuts or something. I'm very active and I'm not concerned that my calorie count is so low. I feel fine, plenty of energy, drink lots of fluids and over all am doing much better than before starting this diet.

I am concerned with one thing though; I read that kidney stones are possibly a symptom of this diet.

Care to comment about kidney stone risk while on a Keto diet?

BTW, my goal is to reach 170 by October. Then give myself a break and maintain through calorie counting but enjoy a carb meal and a sweet dessert once a week. You know; spaghetti, an apple fritter would be nice once in a while.... Ha!

 

[nativenewenglander]

I started Keto diet in December 2017. I saw the benefits within a few weeks of weight coming off no more brain fog, achy joints also gone. I started off at 229 with a goal of being under 200 as that was my doctors request. His wife also a doctor doesn't like the keto diet, but for me results count. My doctor wanted me on statins, but I said forget it, never going to happen. I went in for a blood test in may all numbers were normal weight was 197. Currently I am at 185, with no desire to go lower. I do wish I could convince my wife to get on board with this diet, but she is not a buyer of it. I cook meals three days a week so it's keto those days. We are within 5 lbs of each other, I'm 6'1", she's 5' 4".

 

[braumeister]

Very interesting stuff, thanks for posting.

Optimal ketosis is generally considered between 1.5 and 3.0 millimolar, but I don't think I'd be much concerned about it being a little higher. Sounds like you're doing everything right.

 

[Golden sunsets]

Interesting Audrey. DH and I are also on the Keto diet. Our reasons are entirely related to weight loss, but I have had recent blood work done which I find interesting and supports the science on low carbs positively affecting LDL and trigs. We started the diet on 5-28. We both wanted to lose a moderate amount of weight. I was feeling stodgy and DH was not happy with his weight even though he works out daily on a treadmill. I am less active, although not in too bad shape. My goal is to drop 17 pounds. DH had the same rough goal. We've both lost about 10 pounds in 8 weeks. We also shoot for roughly 20 carbs per day. For the first couple of weeks, I fanatically counted carbs on the carbometer app, but that exercise was painful. After a couple of weeks I felt I had the hang of it and stopped counting. We haven't used either urine strips or the blood metering, but I'm sure we are in ketosis, as we consume literally no sugar, wheat, potatoes, starchy veggies, big fruit or rice. I have found it costly though. I'm constantly buying new products, like coconut flower, amino acids, mct oil, pork rinds, sugar replacements, almond flower, etc. I spend lots of time on numerous websites looking for keto recipes. But despite it all, we generally eat a salad with protein for lunch and a protein and veggies for dinner. We are never hungry. That to me is the key to why this diet works better than any other diet I've been on. I do miss good bread, pasta, big fruit and the occasional desert. But we love the butter, heavy cream, bacon and rib eye. We are off to Europe in a little over 4 weeks and my mini goal is to lose another 4 pounds before that date. We will pause the keto diet entirely for the duration of the trip, as the river cruise we have booked is a bit of a gourmet's paradise that we want to enjoy without restrictions.

My BMI is now 24. If I hit my final goal it will be 23. I'll be happy with that. It actually was only 25 when we started. I was always skinny as a rail and not until I hit menopause, did I have to think about limiting calories. We used an Atkins type diet successfully many years ago, and kept the weight off for a few years. Then we tried intermittent fasting and that worked as well. But maintenance on both diets was tough. I fear the same will be true on Keto. I haven't even researched yet, what maintenance would look like.

I have found it relatively mind blowing to change my thinking on what foods are actually good for you, vs. conventional thinking backed by the government over the past 40 years. I find that many of our family and friends are not really aware of the science supporting a HFLC diet.

So, coincidently I have recently gone through some lipids testing which further supports the keto thesis. If my experience is any indicator, Audrey you will be happy with your upcoming testing. In 2016 I started a statin. I had a stent placed in an artery after a blockage was detected. I had had symptoms and a catheterization pinpointed the blockage. Fortunately the rest of my artery system was that of a 16 year old, the cardiologist told me. Nevertheless, once a blockage has occurred, one is forever diagnosed as having CAD. So 40 mg of lipitor is my daily regimen. Fast forward 3 years and this past January my liver numbers were slightly elevated. I was retested at the end of April and the numbers were similar. After some other testing to rule out other possible causes, my lipitor was cut to 20mg, with the order for another blood panel at the end of June. That panel showed that the liver numbers had returned to normal, as expected, but the lipids, which one could have expected to increase, DECREASED. I didn't share my new diet with the Docs, but my conclusion is that the Keto diet was responsible for lowering, what should have been higher trigs and LDL to numbers lower than the previous levels. My trigs are now 59 and had been 78. My LDL drop was not as significant, now 65, when it had been 69.

Sorry for the long winded story.

 

[audreyh1]

This time I read something about Keto diet and got the jist of it and decided to give it a go while my wife was out of town for 2.5 weeks. I enjoyed the diet, what man wouldn't who has to cook for himself? Smoked pork ribs, rib eye steak, SPAM for christsakes! Eggs, bacon, sausage all I want. Cheese, antipasti. YUM! That was on June 8th. As of today I dropped from 206 down to 185 in under 7 weeks.

I'm very active and I'm not concerned that my calorie count is so low. I feel fine, plenty of energy, drink lots of fluids and over all am doing much better than before starting this diet.

I am concerned with one thing though; I read that kidney stones are possibly a symptom of this diet.

Care to comment about kidney stone risk while on a Keto diet?

So you are eating tons of meat and cheese? I’m not.

I am having a lot more eggs - around 10 a week, more cheese, but as for fish or meat, I’m usually eating only one medium to large serving a day, and occasionally a small serving with breakfast or dinner, which is what I was doing before. I rarely eat much dinner.

I’m only eating around 20% of cals from protein, and around 75% from fat. A ketogenic diet is not meant to be high protein unlike what a lot of non-Keto doctors and journalists assume.

My fats are coming from cheese, a little cream, some meat/fish, eggs, avocados, oils, olives, nuts. I’m also eating plenty of non-starchy vegetables, salads are unlimited, but cooked veggies are somewhat limited due to the daily carb limit. That is an area I plan to expand.

As for kidney stones - yeah drink a lot of water is generally the best advice.
https://www.businessinsider.com/keto-diet-kidney-stone-gout-risk-how-to-avoid-problems-2018-7

And some folks might find surprising, you are supposed to ingest a lot more salt, because your kidneys excrete a lot more sodium on a ketogenic diet. Dietary guidelines for salt are way too low anyway for healthy people.

I highly recommend this site: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/guides . There is a lot of free info. You can get a one month free trial to access a lot more in depth info and drop if you like. It’s subscriber funded only - no ads or corporate/organization sponsors. It’s a great source of carefully referenced medical info - interviews, presentations, articles. You can learn a great deal about the science behind ketogenic diets and even more about metabolic diseases and ketogenic therapy. Also tons of recipes. IMO if you are going to use the power of a ketogenic diet, it’s good to be very well informed about the science and medicine and learn what a “well-formed ketogenic diet” is (Dr. Phinney - The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living)

They have this to say about Keto and kidneys - https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/kidney-health . I’m not sure if that is subscriber material or not. An excerpt:

6. High protein intake. As noted above, a high protein diet does not interfere with kidney function in those with healthy kidneys. However, a high-protein diet may increase uric acid excretion, and this could potentially increase uric acid stone formation in some people, especially those with a pre-existing history of gout or a previous uric acid kidney stone. (Clinical Nutrition Research 2015: Nutritional management of kidney stones (nephrolithiasis) [overview article; ungraded]) However, somewhat controversial evidence suggests increased uric acid excretion may be associated with a lower risk of calcium oxalate stone formation. (Kidney International 2008: 24-h uric acid excretion and the risk of kidney stones [cross-sectional observational study; weak evidence]) And remember, a low-carb or keto diet is usually moderate, not high, in protein. Therefore, this concern may not apply to most people following a properly-formulated ketogenic diet.

Quite a weight loss you have going there!

 

[atmsmshr]

DW and I have been doing a modified eato since April with the ITG program. Lost 22 and 28lbs respectively. I had previously done the full on Keto diet with good results at a younger 10 years ago.

This time, the first 3 weeks were the hardest for me with 'Keto Brain fog', cravings, lowered energy. Now if I eating a piece of cake or pizza it makes me feel unwell. My blood pressure dropped down to normal range in 3 weeks. Lipids panel upcoming in September after which we will switch to a Mediterranean diet.

 

[audreyh1]

I started Keto diet in December 2017. I saw the benefits within a few weeks of weight coming off no more brain fog, achy joints also gone. I started off at 229 with a goal of being under 200 as that was my doctors request. His wife also a doctor doesn't like the keto diet, but for me results count. My doctor wanted me on statins, but I said forget it, never going to happen. I went in for a blood test in may all numbers were normal weight was 197. Currently I am at 185, with no desire to go lower. I do wish I could convince my wife to get on board with this diet, but she is not a buyer of it. I cook meals three days a week so it's keto those days. We are within 5 lbs of each other, I'm 6'1", she's 5' 4".

Yeah - mental clarity huge! Even better than testosterone. Also stamina - mental and physical. It’s wonderful to be able to go long periods without food and not run out of energy, courtesy of a fat-burning metabolism.

Congrats on your great results!

 

[audreyh1]

Very interesting stuff, thanks for posting.

Optimal ketosis is generally considered between 1.5 and 3.0 millimolar, but I don't think I'd be much concerned about it being a little higher. Sounds like you're doing everything right.

Yeah, I was just having difficulty finding any info online about the higher ketones I am experiencing. I had learned that there was no additional benefit above 3 for weight loss. But apparently there is benefit at a higher range for addressing metabolic issues which is what I am doing anyway.

I was very surprised at how quickly my body switched to into ketosis and that my ketones have gone even higher. I’ve been feeling great, though.

I did order a copy of Dr. Stephen Phinney’s book.

If anyone knows of references for blood ketones above 3 (but below 8), I’d appreciate it.

 

[RAE]

Why were you surprised that my triglycerides were high?

I was not eating a low carb diet. Probably more moderate carb - definitely above 100g I would think - easily double that maybe?

My last year triglycerides was 174 which startled me. This year it was down to 142 which is fine by normal standards. So I don’t think that’s extremely high by traditional measures. The doc proposed 80 target was new to me.

OK, yeah, if you were eating 200g of carbs daily or more for a long time, I can see how your triglycerides would have been much higher. I guess I assumed you had eaten somewhat low-carb for a while before you tried the keto experiment, as I know you are very health-conscious in general. Based on what I have read about triglycerides, you want to be at 100 or below for optimum health. I don't think this is new information. Sure, a lot of docs will tell you that anything below 150 is good, but I don't think the research on triglycerides and CVD supports that belief. I don't put much faith in the traditional "reference ranges" most docs use for blood tests like triglycerides, as that info. is based on data from patients who were not necessarily that healthy (although they may not be symptomatic at the time their blood test was done). I always try to research what the optimum level is, for good health, and have that as a goal.

My metabolism is very different than yours, and probably more like your husband's. I would waste away on 25g of carbs per day, but on about 100g per day I can maintain a stable weight and keep my blood test numbers about where they should be.

I'm guessing my fasting insulin is okay, but I'd really like to find out what it is, so if my doc won't order the test when I see him next, I'll probably just go to one of the labs and pay the $30 for the test myself, as you suggest.

 

[audreyh1]

Here is a terrific video series on nutritional ketosis in general by Dr. Phinney: https://blog.virtahealth.com/dr-stephen-phinney-ketosis-ketogenic-diets/

It’s well worth watching for anyone using a ketogenic diet for health reasons IMO.

 

[audreyh1]

OK, yeah, if you were eating 200g of carbs daily or more for a long time, I can see how your triglycerides would have been much higher. I guess I assumed you had eaten somewhat low-carb for a while before you tried the keto experiment, as I know you are very health-conscious in general. Based on what I have read about triglycerides, you want to be at 100 or below for optimum health. I don't think this is new information. Sure, a lot of docs will tell you that anything below 150 is good, but I don't think the research on triglycerides and CVD supports that belief. I don't put much faith in the traditional "reference ranges" most docs use for blood tests like triglycerides, as that info. is based on data from patients who were not necessarily that healthy (although they may not be symptomatic at the time their blood test was done). I always try to research what the optimum level is, for good health, and have that as a goal.

My metabolism is very different than yours, and probably more like your husband's. I would waste away on 25g of carbs per day, but on about 100g per day I can maintain a stable weight and keep my blood test numbers about where they should be.

I'm guessing my fasting insulin is okay, but I'd really like to find out what it is, so if my doc won't order the test when I see him next, I'll probably just go to one of the labs and pay the $30 for the test myself, as you suggest.

I was pretty much on a moderate carb, moderate fat diet. The lowest I had ever done was South Beach about 15 years ago, and that’s pretty much moderate carb. Menopause seemed to make a big difference - lipids seemed to gradually worsen afterwards. I expect that’s true for a lot of women.

But, no, I actually did not know about keeping triglycerides below 100.

I’m also very interested in how to manage the transition to higher carbs. Not too much written about that. I do have my trusty Keto meter . I suspect I can do 50g net carbs and easily maintain ketosis.

Here is a link to the Walk In Lab site to order tests https://www.walkinlab.com/. You generally have to go through an online site (or your doctor) to order labs because the lab companies usually require a doctor’s order. Something the online sites provide.

 

[audreyh1]

So, coincidently I have recently gone through some lipids testing which further supports the keto thesis. If my experience is any indicator, Audrey you will be happy with your upcoming testing. In 2016 I started a statin. I had a stent placed in an artery after a blockage was detected. I had had symptoms and a catheterization pinpointed the blockage. Fortunately the rest of my artery system was that of a 16 year old, the cardiologist told me. Nevertheless, once a blockage has occurred, one is forever diagnosed as having CAD. So 40 mg of lipitor is my daily regimen. Fast forward 3 years and this past January my liver numbers were slightly elevated. I was retested at the end of April and the numbers were similar. After some other testing to rule out other possible causes, my lipitor was cut to 20mg, with the order for another blood panel at the end of June. That panel showed that the liver numbers had returned to normal, as expected, but the lipids, which one could have expected to increase, DECREASED. I didn't share my new diet with the Docs, but my conclusion is that the Keto diet was responsible for lowering, what should have been higher trigs and LDL to numbers lower than the previous levels. My trigs are now 59 and had been 78. My LDL drop was not as significant, now 65, when it had been 69.

Sorry for the long winded story.

Thanks for sharing the long version! Great results!

I’m actually expecting my LDL and Total Cholesterol to go up a bit, which is apparently not unusual on this diet, but my HDL should go up even more, improving the overall lipid ratios. In the meantime I am expecting my triglycerides to drop like a rock.

I am very interested in seeing the new numbers. I will share the changes here.

I’m interested that you prefer not to share your diet with your Docs. Are you concerned about weeping and gnashing of teeth or warnings of impending death? If you can stand it, it seems like it would be useful for your doctors to know that your results are due at to your dietary changes, otherwise they will assume it’s their great drugs, even though you halved the dose.

I am also going on a long European trip in a couple of months. I plan to stick to the ketogenic diet by continuing to avoid grains, starchy veggies, sugar/sweets and to strictly limit fruit. Fortunately Spain and France have lots of low-carb high-fat regional goodies (we’ll be traveling in French duck country). I’m taking my meter and strips. The strips are so easy, the meter as backup if the strips indicate big drops.

Thank God my ketogenic diet does not forbid wine. Although I have been drinking in very small amounts with meals and only a couple of times a week. I think that will increase in Europe . Fortunately, sparkling wine and dry red and white wines are very low carb, cognac is zero carb. Not going to go overboard.

 

[audreyh1]

DW and I have been doing a modified eato since April with the ITG program. Lost 22 and 28lbs respectively. I had previously done the full on Keto diet with good results at a younger 10 years ago.

This time, the first 3 weeks were the hardest for me with 'Keto Brain fog', cravings, lowered energy. Now if I eating a piece of cake or pizza it makes me feel unwell. My blood pressure dropped down to normal range in 3 weeks. Lipids panel upcoming in September after which we will switch to a Mediterranean diet.

Wow - that’s a long Keto flu! Mine seemed to be much shorter - a few days - and relatively mild. I drank lots of fluids, ate more salt, and found some magnesium supplements. I just had a few days of tiredness and mild crankiness at night, minor brain fog. The thirst and extra peeing lasted a bit longer than a week. Issues with sleeping - still fighting that battle a bit.

My understanding is that when your body switches to burning ketones, you will have a larger blood sugar spike from a sudden high carb food as your body is no longer adapted to burning more carbs. So either eat a smaller amount, or shift gradually to a higher carb diet, giving your body time to adapt. Otherwise a “cheat” may make you feel unwell.

 

[athena53]

Here is a link to the Walk In Lab site to order tests https://www.walkinlab.com/. You generally have to go through an online site (or your doctor) to order labs because the lab companies usually require a doctor’s order. Something the online sites provide.

A bit OT, but thanks for this! I've used RequestaTest and they've been great, but it's good to have an alternative with different test "packages".

 

[skipro33]

So you are eating tons of meat and cheese? I’m not.

No, but I am enjoying eating meats that I otherwise would have limited myself to on the typical weight lose diets.

I am having a lot more eggs - around 10 a week, more cheese, but as for fish or meat, I’m usually eating only one medium to large serving a day, and occasionally a small serving with breakfast or dinner, which is what I was doing before. I rarely eat much dinner.

Ditto, except I rarely eat much lunch. I'm outdoors a lot and unless it's extremely hot, don't really bother to come in to eat lunch. Maybe a slice of deli turkey with cream cheese artichoke or guacamole inside, a couple cherry tomatoes and a parmesan crisp or two. Somewhere around 200-300 calories maybe? But not every day.

I’m only eating around 20% of cals from protein, and around 75% from fat. A ketogenic diet is not meant to be high protein

I use www.myfitnesspal.com to track my food intake. I'm somewhere around 50/40 fat/protein. I find it very hard to find foods that have that much fat in them to make up a 75/20 ratio.

My fats are coming from cheese, a little cream, some meat/fish, eggs, avocados, oils, olives, nuts. I’m also eating plenty of non-starchy vegetables, salads are unlimited, but cooked veggies are somewhat limited due to the daily carb limit. That is an area I plan to expand.

Ditto, but my ratios on my food log site mentioned indicates that I'm not at the ratio you are.

I highly recommend this site: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/guides
Quite a weight loss you have going there!

I'll check out the link.

I am liking the weight loss, but not amazed as when I put my mind to it in the past, I am able to loose weight relatively quickly. I'm amazed that I am no longer hungry, craving food. I am the sort of guy who, once opening a bag of chips, can't put it down til it's gone. Cheetos especially, but lots of tortilla chips too. I'd have rice or potato at least once a day, lots of bread, sweet desserts every evening. Just cutting those out with the understanding I can eat without starving myself on a keto diet has me very upbeat motivated. I am also liking that I no longer crave those foods; carbs and sugar. Don't really miss them and for once, never cheat on this diet.

 

[braumeister]

A bit OT, but thanks for this! I've used RequestaTest and they've been great, but it's good to have an alternative with different test "packages".

Yes, and I see that the fasting insulin test is much cheaper here than at Requestatest. Didn't look at others, but it's certainly nice to have a good alternative.

 

[braumeister]

I find it very hard to find foods that have that much fat in them to make up a 75/20 ratio.

When I'm home, I frequently grab a spoonful of coconut oil as an instant snack. It's a great way to get some healthy fat in you. DW will do this too on occasion, but she prefers a piece of Kerrygold butter (I love that too). Important to remember that if your protein consumption gets too high your body will simply convert it to carbs.

 

[eytonxav]

Audrey, Did you experience any cravings for other foods when you went on this diet? I am T2 with insulin resistance, but have major difficulties weaning myself away from carb snacks. I have not counted carbs, but would guess I am over 200g daily. I really need to give this diet a try to lower my A1C and fasting glucose. My triglycerides (69) and LDL (52) is already quite low due to statin and exercise. Maybe that could lower my statin dose which is 20Mg.

 

[audreyh1]

No, but I am enjoying eating meats that I otherwise would have limited myself to on the typical weight lose diets.

Ditto, except I rarely eat much lunch. I'm outdoors a lot and unless it's extremely hot, don't really bother to come in to eat lunch. Maybe a slice of deli turkey with cream cheese artichoke or guacamole inside, a couple cherry tomatoes and a parmesan crisp or two. Somewhere around 200-300 calories maybe? But not every day.

I use www.myfitnesspal.com to track my food intake. I'm somewhere around 50/40 fat/protein. I find it very hard to find foods that have that much fat in them to make up a 75/20 ratio.

Ditto, but my ratios on my food log site mentioned indicates that I'm not at the ratio you are.

I'll check out the link.

I am liking the weight loss, but not amazed as when I put my mind to it in the past, I am able to loose weight relatively quickly. I'm amazed that I am no longer hungry, craving food. I am the sort of guy who, once opening a bag of chips, can't put it down til it's gone. Cheetos especially, but lots of tortilla chips too. I'd have rice or potato at least once a day, lots of bread, sweet desserts every evening. Just cutting those out with the understanding I can eat without starving myself on a keto diet has me very upbeat motivated. I am also liking that I no longer crave those foods; carbs and sugar. Don't really miss them and for once, never cheat on this diet.

I’m using the CarbManager app to track all my foods daily. It’s very comprehensive. I find it easy to raise my daily fat intake via oils - even just drizzling EVOO over veggies, butter, cheese, lots of mayonnaise (homemade), nuts, avocado and olives. I also tend to eat fattier meats and fish and use plenty of oils in my cooking. Macadamia nuts are an easy way to raise fat intake. I tend to eat a lot of nuts, but I’ve cut back a bit since the Keto diet as some favorites like almonds, the carbs can add up quickly. DH is very good at roasting nuts.

Sounds like you are doing great. Enjoying what you are eating and losing weight!

My doc said to target at least 70% fat, so that’s what I have done. The issue with protein is that it also triggers insulin, although nearly as much as carbs, and thus can interfere with ketosis. So if you are trying to limit your blood insulin, then avoiding high protein is recommended. But as you said, you are obviously in ketosis, so probably doesn’t matter for you.

 

[mpeirce]

cooked veggies are somewhat limited due to the daily carb limit

You may want to look into cauliflower. It's become sorta trendy, and because of this, it's available frozen in a variety of forms like riced and pureed. My DW prefers to make these herself but sometimes buys them and both are pretty good.

They are especially useful for accompanying main dishes that are naturally low carb, but are "usually" eat with rice or mashed potatoes. E.g. no-bread meat loaf with pureed cauliflower on the side.

Regular cauliflower and broccoli are basically our main "regular cooked vegetables" in our house now. They are especially tasty with butter or cheese...

 

[audreyh1]

Audrey, Did you experience any cravings for other foods when you went on this diet? I am T2 with insulin resistance, but have major difficulties weaning myself away from carb snacks. I have not counted carbs, but would guess I am over 200g daily. I really need to give this diet a try to lower my A1C and fasting glucose. My triglycerides (69) and LDL (52) is already quite low due to statin and exercise. Maybe that could lower my statin dose which is 20Mg.

Honestly, after 2 days, I just lost any cravings/strong hunger. Just turned off like a switch. Maybe takes longer for others. I currently use nuts or cheese as a snack - no more than an ounce at any given time. If I’m hungrier than that, well it’s time for a real meal!

If you are taking any medications to treat blood sugar, then you need to work with your doctor to reduce the dose ahead of time and monitor.

Shouldn’t matter for statins AFAIK.

I would highly recommend watching presentations by Dr. Fung and from Virta Health to learn more about ketogenic diets and treating diabetes. These folks are getting amazing results with their patients.

Virta Health focuses more on ketogenic diet and type 2 diabetes. https://blog.virtahealth.com/reversing-diabetes-101-truth-about-carbs-and-blood-sugar/

Now Dr. Fung is a strong advocate of intermediate fasting for treatment, but that’s within the context of a low carb or even ketogenic diet. This is just one video and probably not the best. There are whole courses available free online by him. He does a great job of explaining T2 diabetes.