So my mom is one who tried Atkins in the 70s, I still remember the terrible day in my childhood when all the ice cream disappeared from the house lol. She understood carbs were problematic, and that sugar was addictive. And yet she didn’t stick with Atkins. I haven’t asked her why, probably because she’s a carb addict and she fell off the wagon. My whole life she was unhappy with her weight for aesthetic reasons and was always trying diets. Don’t get her started on her opinion of Weight Watchers lol! She is not a fan.
I went on Atkins in 2003 and she sort of followed me and cut her carbs down again. Realized she really couldn’t be halfway with it and she has done really well. She’s not obese, but now she’s 83 and has a number of health concerns that until I went on Keto and started explaining all the science to her, she didn’t think there was any hope of getting relief from.
She quit fruits and root veg, pretty much her last carbs. But the thing that really clicked with her was the meal timing. She eats three times a day, (I plugged her typical day into My Fitness Pal and her macros were lovely, and she’s getting enough to eat, which was one of my worries) but she stopped snacking. She had been grazing on low carb things like nuts and cheese whenever she was bored or felt anxious, using food for solace like we do.
When she understood eating constantly was keeping her insulin high even though she was eating low carb, she decided to try replacing the snacking times with other coping mechanisms; freewriting, breathing exercises, sketching, listening to music, knitting, writing letters.
So now, maybe a month in, she already has experienced so far: dramatic reduced edema in her legs and feet, a small return of feeling to her previously numb feet, improved sleep, moments of improved mood (she suffers lifelong anxiety and depression), more stamina.
This is so exciting! I’m so hopeful that as she continues she will benefit from less overall body aches, perhaps improvement in skin cancers, more lifting of her depression and anxiety, more reversal of neuropathy. She thinks she might be too old to get all the possible benefits, but I bet she isn’t.
And we talk all the time about how it’s possible we are saving her from a bunch of health disasters as she continues to age. My dad is 87 with congestive heart failure and I know Keto would improve his life but he won’t try it. I can see now how carbs got him to this point, he’s addicted to fruit juice. It breaks my heart. But if I can still help mom keep going that is the best I can do. I’m responsible for their care so it’s in my best interest to help them stay healthy, but also I love them and we get along (wasn’t always the case, mind you!!) so it’s in my heart’s best interest too.
So if you have a parent that’s gone keto, and/or one or both who won’t, I feel you on both these issues.
Anyone have elderly keto successes to share? I know there are some videos and podcasts, but I mean things you’ve witnessed yourselves.
