Just left my doctor’s appointment. After I had my labs drawn following just over 4 months of the ketogenic diet, he said to make an appointment to discuss the results. Even though I thought I understood the fledgling science behind keto and the results on my body, mind, sleep, digestion, and mood are undeniable, I was sure I was in for a butt chewing.
It was exactly the opposite. He treated me like a celebrity - blown away by how low my A1C is, how my testosterone is through the roof (which explains why I’ve suddenly started standing while I pee and reading Car & Trader mag), and, for some reason, how good I look; specifically citing my defined sternocleidomastoid muscles lol!
Anyway, he talked a LOT about how the brain prefers ketones, how the heart doesn’t use glucose at all, how dangerous of a hormone insulin is, and how I need to keep doing what I’m doing. He discussed how disappointed he feels sometimes that people don’t want to put in the work and just want a pill. The funniest thing was how he discussed the fact that adipose tissue generates estrogen and that fat men are basically women, hormonally. We discussed my labs (literally everything was amazing) and how even though my LDL number was elevated, (a) it’s nowhere near dangerous levels, (b) it’s to be expected given that fat is my body’s fuel source now, © every cell in your body requires cholesterol, and (d) American labs don’t give the full picture on cholesterol since you actually have many kinds of HDLs and LDLs, not just the two categories pop science articles focus on. Additionally, we discussed the tenuous correlation between triglycerides and heart disease (there’s VERY little).
It was a truly motivating and inspiring doctor’s appointment, which I never thought I’d experience. We talked about his brother, who is also a doc, and also keto and fitness guru on the left coast. My doc had also started intermittent fasting around the same time I started keto and had lost about 50lbs since February (Intermittent fasting, “IF,” is another way of eating, like keto, that aims to control insulin).
I did confess that I cheat about once a week and he admonished me to not do that. He said to keep doing keto forever and I’ll never die. I’m sure I won’t be able to hold him to that if I ever do die, but it was fun. He admitted that keto is still in its infancy so it’s no wonder it’s not accepted generally and that it’s still considered a fad or a slightly altered version of Atkins (it’s not).
Just thought I’d share. It was such a motivating appointment!
