Cannot get fat adapted :(((

#21

Thanks, no I haven’t done insulin test, but prior to begin keto, while being on low carb - for me low-carb was having pasta once daily, no bread, no sweats, no sugar - just one table of pasta, no sauce, only pasta, chicken meat, some veggies. So while being on a low carb, I think that cortisol level was still huge - to the point where I am working and screaming and smashing things, kicking stuff, injure myself - the stress is that high. I could barely sleep for a last year.
After starting keto, so going even lower on carbs - I can now sleep every other night pretty well and another huge improvement is that I do not have those anger attacks, which I was having for a last year every day multiple times a day. So for me, it is a big deal.

#22

Your feelings are correct, I am a perfectionist.
When started keto - I’ve dropped 48h fasting - I needed this to lower body fat, because it was 30% at that time + all the stress = I began to have all possible health issues, so…
But stress thing is still there, it is still huge - its just with keto there is more protection against it. Yeah, well… Who knows. Maybe I’ll not be able to achieve proper fat adaptation until the stress goes away and this will not happen this year for me. For today, I am doing 30g net carbs and the difference is huge. Basically, I am feeling fine.

(Bob M) #23

Stress is very detrimental. In my 7.5 years of low carb/keto, I’ve only gained weight twice. Once was after shoulder surgery, where my sleep was terrible (rotated between 3 different locations, all of which propped my body up and away from the shoulder). I would have loved to take cortisol before and after that.

(The other gain was due to the Croissant Diet, but that wasn’t stressful.)

I find that eating low carb/keto helps mentally. But if there are other ways to de-stress, maybe try those too?

#24

I’m doing about 50 g carbs a day, support my liver and thyreod and refill a lot of vitamins and nutrients. Weight loss I get is so fast and massive I’m even frightened, so I sabotage this sometimes. But physically I never felt better, so I don’t think it’s necessary to cut carbs so dramatically. And it’s SO important to eat fibers: green vegetables, beets, carrots, but not potatoes

#25

About stress - I know that my nutritionist strongly recommends psychotherapy in such cases in order to lose weight

(Laurie) #26

Why don’t you eat meat every day? I think you should eat it every day.

You seem to be relying a lot on avocados, nuts, keto breads, etc. These are optional side dishes that should be eaten sparingly.

Keep the eggs, but please eat more meat as well. Most cuts of meat will give you about a 1:1 ratio of protein to fat grams. Aim to eat enough protein – and then supplement the fat (with avocados or whatever) if you feel you need more. Best wishes.

(Joey) #27

Thanks for your follow up.

I’ve searched through the (massive) nih.gov search function for anything that might speak to this but I come up blank.

Most forum members would be keenly interested in reading published research suggesting that some individuals cannot adapt to burn fat. Half the world’s population failing to do so for biological reasons would represent a remarkable turn of evolutionary events.

Anyhow, if you ever recall the particulars of such studies please do post links.

Thanks again.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #28

I doubt that this could ever be shown, given that the human race evolved to eat mostly meat, and the main energy source in meat is the fat (the protein being used, in most circumstances, for building tissue, rather than for energy). People who couldn’t metabolise fatty acids would have been weeded out of the gene pool fairly quickly, I would think.

Eating meat, in fact, is supposed to be one of the factors that allowed our brains to develop to such a large size, compared with our evolutionary cousins.

(Joey) #29

Agreed.

#30

I am trying to find it, but cannot. It was a paper about treating epilepsy in children - there are tons of those, I know, and there was a section where it has it, that in some cases keto was not effective because this fat burning mech wasn’t working.
If I’ll ever come across it - I’ll post the link here.

I think though it is possible from evolutionary perspective. Our DNA / genetics / biology adapts to the environment where we live and how we live, so for example - if we do not need big muscle mass - we do not have it. When people do work out - they gain muscle, cuz the organism is put into such environment, which requires it.
But if we would live in zero gravity for instance for generations - would we have any muscles or being able to build any at all? That would probably require generations as well :slight_smile:

Yeah, I am short on time with cooking - will fix that with time.

(Joey) #31

Fascinating - makes me wonder if, in certain cases where keto diet was ineffective in adequately reducing childhood epilepsy seizures, whether those children suffered from some inability to properly metabolize dietary fat. If so, perhaps this contributed to the brain’s susceptibility to seizure?

No sure how this might relate to the general population, but that’s a separate question.

Yes, if you come across it again please do share. Thanks again.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #32

I hardly cook at all not only because I don’t have time for it but don’t have the inclination or interest. My solution is roast beef. I get the deli to slice it into 3/8" thick slices and I just cut it up and eat whatever portion suits my macro for a specific meal. Quick easy peasy.

#33

What. Isn’t meat the easiest thing to cook, little effort, even possibly quick, depending on the meat? After eggs, maybe but I personally can’t just sit down and eat a 8-12-eggs scrambled eggs or something.
You toss a huge slab of meat to the oven, roast it and bam, enough meat for days (if the oven pan is big enough or if you don’t eat very much meat. I have a mini oven, I can squeeze into it enough meat for a week if I want).
Maybe you aren’t as simple as me if it’s about meat… I LOVE roasts. But we make big stews too.

I did vegetarian keto for years (on/off). Vegetable dishes, those often require a ton of time to make and I end up with a not satiating meal… Except legumes.

I spend so much less time with cooking now… Meat makes me a lazy cook :smiley: Maybe it’s good I can’t live on meat so I need to make some interesting egg dishes… Those are easy and even quick. Perfect.

Of course, one can eat raw meat or processed meat (I did that at a time)… Salmon is ready in minutes in the pan (well I prefer it raw but that requires trusted, super fresh stuff) vs the 1+ hours for my pork (more if I put my weekly meat into the oven but only because my oven is very small and I use big pieces. but if I just want a little, that’s quick in the pan)… But I don’t need to be there all the time…

(Ohio ) #34

I can’t bake bread to save my life. Meats tons easier.

#35

I have a suggestion for you. MCT oil. Preferably c8 MCT oil - you can order something like Dave Asprey’s Brain Octane oil on Amazon. It isn’t cheap but it gets metabolized differently. Enough so that even a carb eater can use it get ketones. Maybe it will help you get that good mental keto feeling while you work on adapting?

I would also suggest eating tons of food at first. Don’t even worry about it being clean food as long as it is keto. Once you get fat adapted you will find it easier to tweak things. Also try to keep your sodium up.

(Ohio ) #36

That’s what I was quietly thinking. Eat. Charge up. Do exercise.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #37

My go-to when I lived alone was a pork picnic (shoulder joint). It comes with a layer of fat, so it is self-basting. Put it in the oven and forget it till the timer goes off. I could get a week’s worth of meals out of one roast. Yum! :meat_on_bone:

(Butter Withaspoon) #38

I remembered Ben Bikman talking about some of the hereditary disorders that disrupt the ability to use fats, but couldn’t remember which podcast. I searched and found a description of a few of the possible genetic disorders. They look to be severe diseases appearing very early in childhood. An adult won’t have these without knowing I suspect, but I have only done a quick skim read. Posting here for completeness and curiosity.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #39

I guess I should have given some examples. Here’s sliced roast beef covered with red palm oil and sliced extra old cheddar. If I feel like having a spicy meal I’ll add medium Peri Peri sauce.

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Here’s some plain roast beef with Boursin Bouquet of Basil and a bottle of cola flavoured soda water with deep ocean minerals. This is one of my typical meals at work.

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When I do feel like cooking something it’s mostly this:

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or this:

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I will mention that I also have a sous vide cooker that I use occasionally when I feel like having a steak and a Ninja air fryer that I’m still experimenting with to determine what I can do with it. Both these devices are ‘set it and forget it’ until it’s ready to eat.

#40

:smiley:
Thank you for a suggestions! I’ll have to fix my diet towards meat, yes. I do have lots of ideas btw to implement in kitchen - but with current schedule it seems tough. Basically I did daily meat first 2 weeks of my keto - but now falling short on time, and cooking is a great deal for me cuz it takes mind off of a work - so additional stress helper :smiley: