Dr. Amy Berger’s sage KISS advice to neophytes and old-timers, alike

kiss
kcko
(less is more, more or less) #1

I am guilty as charged. She and Dr. Westman are excellent anchors on the KISS principle. I’ve been adding fats to better game my macro balance, but, really, I don’t need to do this. My keto strips have rarely, if ever, registered any appreciable change, and yet, I remain at my lowest sustained weight in 4 decades. Ketosis should be an artifact, not the goal.

We swamp newbies with too much information. Yes, we’re science-based, and yet, we’re people. Too much complexity makes an easy diet hard to achieve, if not dispiriting.

(Brian Chandler) #2

Exactly. Debates on fine details and ketone focus irritate me to no end. I love data, but many tweaks have done very little overall. Not saying the tweaks weren’t important to my needs, but they have been situational. I do VLHCF near all of the time, but not for a ketones level. I’ve never taken a ketone reading. For me, being in a likely deeper state of ketosis means I’m maintaining a decreased insulin need. It allows me to try and undo my T2 without feeling as hungry and getting the benefit of a calming affect and clarity to my thinking. If I had been tracking, I suspect I would near always be in ketosis, but that it would fluctuate from deep to shallow. If I were not diabetic, I would likely switch more towards LC and VLC based on the seasons, so winter I’d aim for deep ketosis. Other seasons a mix depending on what is probably closest to nature for us.

(Bob M) #3

Brian, like your idea of eating with the seasons. As for fluctuating ketosis from deep to shallow, I’ve taken over 1,300 blood sugar/ketone samples. I still don’t understand the relationship between ketones in its various types (breath, blood, urine, though I gave up on the latter years ago), blood sugar, insulin, etc. Obviously, if you eat carbs, ketones go down, but sometimes I seem to be able to get away with more carbs than typical, and at other times not. Exercise basically kicks me out of ketosis, but only sometimes. Sometimes ketones (blood and breath) are stable for exercise, Right now, I’m getting higher (for me) BOHB, near 1.0, but lower breath ketones, and I have no idea why.

The only consistent thing is if I eat more fat (relatively speaking), ketones (both breath and blood) go up, and fasting causes the same.

But personally, I like to see what’s going on, even if I don’t have any “goals” for ketones.

(Brian Chandler) #4

Thanks. I also completely agree on seeing what’s going on. If cost were not an issue for me then I would be tracking blood and breath as well. At this point it’s still prohibitive, but I felt my situation was a decent example where a ketone number would be less important. Thanks for sharing what’s been consistent for you on those measures. If I use how I feel and think as an indicator of my ketone level then I would say it matches up similar. Early on, not so much with the fat part, but after well adapted true for me. For “feel”, I’m basing it on how long I can do somewhat strenuous exercise without mental grogginess (like hours of yard work which I could never do before without feeling spacey, sick, or zapped). For “think”, I’m basing it on a deep, clear, thinking sensation that I experience, though it’s less noticeable now (probably just used to it).