How did you discover keto and this forum?

(Marianne) #1

I’m curious to know how people here discovered the keto WOE and this forum.

I was at my lowest point emotionally - and highest weight physically. Several years before, our courier at work lost probably 70 lbs. He and his wife (she had lost 45) were doing HFLC and measuring ketones with pee sticks. I tried it and I lost a few pounds, but my pee sticks kept indicating that I wasn’t in ketosis, so I figured it was another gimmick and gave up. After I reached my highest weight, I prayed earnestly (something I didn’t do very often then), and I saw a random success story on yahoo news about how someone had lost like 100 lbs. on “keto.” Somehow that led me to discover dietdoctor.com, simplyketo and this forum. I really knew absolutely nothing about it, but I read a lot, lurked here for several weeks, asked a lot of questions and jumped in. People were so helpful and supportive! That was the beginning of my new life. I really haven’t looked back. For me, keto has been a way of eating that I can sustain because we can eat such satisfying and delicious food, without eating food I don’t like or ever feeling hungry. I don’t cheat because I don’t want to jeopardize this miracle I have experienced. It was my deliverance and I just have to follow the path.

(Geoffrey) #2

My son turned me on to carnivore after my heart put me in ICU for the fourth time in four years. He’s was worried about me having a shortened lifespan and showed me how nutrition can heal so many ailments. Now whether it can help with atrial fibrillation remains to be seen but my cardiologist is saying that reducing the inflammation in my chest is good for my heart.
The other benefits I’ve received have been so outstanding that I know I’m on the right track.
My son gave me many references to study so I could make an informed decision and that In turn started me down many rabbit holes seeking more information. A search eventually led me here. I found this place to be warm, friendly, knowledgeable and I immediately felt welcomed and comfortable.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

I was watching videos on mathematics, physics, and the intersection of science and religion, when for some reason, Peter Attia’s TED talk popped up in my YouTube recommendations. Then it was Sarah Hallberg’s TED talk, and then talks by Gary Taubes and Stephen Phinney at LCDU events. And then it was down re rabbit hole.

I don’t remember how I discovered the Ketogenic Foruims. I was already eating a keto diet, and I don’t know whether I discovered the Dudes first and then learned about the forums, or discovered the forums and then learned about the Dudes. In any case, I joined the Ketogenic Forums six years and a couple of days ago, and the rest is history.

(KM) #4

I remember having a discussion with a nurse at a party, at least 13 years ago now, who was absolutely Outraged at my insistence that carbs weren’t essential to life. I mean the woman nearly hit me. Large lady, me keto little. … I remember being about 10 and someone saying they were vegetarian, I said I was definitely a carnivore. Back then it was a joke, not a lifestyle, but it almost feels like I’ve always known what to eat … I just haven’t always followed my own mind about it. No idea how I found these forums. I was originally just Kib in 2018 when I joined but that was my second go at keto.

(Robin) #5

My ex husband. I still run things past him.

(David Cooke) #6

I came home from hospital in a mild panic and loads of meds that I had to pay for and couldn’t afford. I vaguely remembered something about diet and blood pressure, googled that and came up with Virta Health on YouTube. After going through the silly ‘cauliflower rice and Stevia’ phase I found out where to get the stuff I needed, switched to coconut oil, changed what I was growing in the garden and went through a dramatic transformation. Lost 12 Kg, lost lots of “normal at your age” stuff, and actually started running, even got a marathon done at age 74. Still zero meds.

(Allie) #7

Completely accidentally.
I was being lazy and just cooking meat to eat and realised the fat was dropping off me so researched and found it was a thing. Initially found a different forum which wasn’t great, but someone there mentioned this place (actually complaining as they hadn’t been told what they wanted to hear here) and I jumped ship.

#8

I honestly don’t remember the details… I do remember something from the time I went low-carb, I had enough of being fat for some reasons again (for the 2nd time in my life) and then I googled and whatnot and my health-conscious self got serious :smiley:

I probably heard about keto ages ago, for kids with epilepsy, horrible food due to extreme macro ratios, some time in the past… I learned some time later it is more than that and even tried it very early in my low-carb journey but I felt awful so obviously quit immediately, I was a healthy hedonist, after all…

Low-carb gave me benefits, even fat-loss happened but then it stopped. When I have been stalling since several years, I though I give keto a chance… It was almost smooth sailing then, I just missed my vegs. I missed fat since I went low-carb, it was an additional hardship but not all the time, just sometimes.

I used reddit (I still have cringy moments when I think back to certain comments from others but it’s mostly about fasting and carnivore, I don’t remember the keto section much) then nothing… At one point I missed being on a keto forum and googled and I have found this place and I never left since…

Keto wasn’t enough but it took a long time and hanging out with carnivores here to change my plants with meat. And it was about as spectacular (in some respect even more) than going low-carb. WAY bigger than going keto from low-carb.
I still have a long way to go but I am improving. One day I will even lose some fat with keto, I am sure of it. I have my method, I just need to stick to it a tad better :wink: My recent experiences are promising.

(Brian) #9

Born and raised SDA and was being a faithful vegan. Bad accident, very badly broken leg, both bones. 4 months, no weight. Wouldn’t heal. Started questioning everything I’d been taught, primarily the “health message” of vegan being the ultimate diet.

Went keto, leg healed, lost 100 pounds, and gained back a lot of health I hadn’t had for decades. About the time I went keto I was leaving SDA and found this site. It’s been quite the journey.

That’s the very short version. LOL! It’s been close to 7 years, I think. Had a lot more keto “junk food” at the start. Have gotten a lot cleaner since. Still not carnivore but a lot closer to it.

(Joey) #10

Stumbled across Nina Teicholz’s “Big Fat Surprise” and was blown away.

Gifted copies to family & friends (who remain polite but resistant) and down the rabbit hole I fell… finding the Dudes’ podcast along with this forum.

My health/weight were not much concern, but going low carb held hope my wife would follow along - as she had more serious health issues of concern.

It worked for both of us.

Although she isn’t overly diligent, she’s off all prior meds and lost unwanted lbs. OTOH, I’m consistently low carb and have never felt better in my adult life. :vulcan_salute:

(Brian) #11

I hear ya on that.

I love my wife dearly, and she’s with me for much of this way of eating. But she’s much more likely to want to buy that tub of ice cream or that loaf of bread or make that sweet treat. Most of my “cheating” if you wanna call it that is giving in to that. I don’t always but I could easily eat those carbs again and enjoy them thoroughly. I also know that the scale doesn’t like me when I do that too often. I’m fortunate in that a once off is a non-event. But old habits would just love to reestablish themselves. I know better. I can not let that happen. So there is still more struggle than I wish there were.

Were I all alone, I’d probably be much more carnivore than I am now. But I do NOT wanna be without her. So there is a bit of tension there sometimes.

Just being honest.

(Joey) #12

Right back at ya.

If I ever tried to control what my wonderful wife eats, we wouldn’t have the kind of relationship either of us would cherish.

Go with the flow and focus on controlling yourself instead.

#13

Did Atkins for years, and knew about Keto, but didn’t look too deep into it, was in the process of my weekly banning from the lowcarbforums and somebody mentioned a Keto FB group (now this place) and realized right away the difference when all the members are sane.

(Shannon) #14

I had been doing off and on low carb for many years, starting with Atkins, then Dukan, then I ended up signing up for a beta trial with Dr. Mark Hyman that he called Eat Fat, Get Thin. That was my first time doing what I think most people consider Keto. I also listened to a podcast with Gary Taubes as the guest and appreciated his background as a science journalist.

Anyway, for some reason my mind could not understand that this wasn’t a temporary diet that you could go off of and magically still stay at your goal weight. After years of yo-yo’ing and getting to my heaviest weight ever, I decided to try keto one more time to get the pounds off, then use IF to keep it off. Strangely, it was researching IF that led me to this forum. And, it was this forum that helped me understand the term WOE. What a concept.

(Marianne) #15

Wow, sounds like your son was bucking the curve of popular opinion. Lucky you! Can I ask how old is he?

(Marianne) #16

Do you watch those kinds of videos in your leisure? :hugs: Dam, my props!!!

Wow; talk about Providence!

(Marianne) #17

Wow, all so interesting!!! I love it!

Wish I could comment on every one, but I’m at my limit for consecutive comments. I really love these stories. So interesting, people’s journeys.

(Geoffrey) #18

He will turn 40 in October. We raised him and his sister to be individuals, think for themselves and not follow the crowd. My son is very intelligent and wise. I’m very proud of him.

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #19

Diagnosed T2 at the start of the year I realised a life style change was needed, but what change?
I Stumbled across Dr David Unwin and started Keto that day.
Not knowing anyone else doing low carb I needed more, this place is perfect for those with a great understanding of the science and works well for me too :joy:

(Edith) #20

I hit my early 50s and was slowly gaining weight no matter how much I was watching what I ate, counted my calories, and exercised. I even told my husband I was getting resigned to becoming a chubby old lady like the rest of the women in my family.

I decided to give Atkins a try. I had tried it many years earlier and had some success, but it never entered my mind that I would stick to it after losing the weight. I also didn’t understand “way of eating/life” where food was concerned.

Well, with Atkins, the weight started to drop off, but I got the keto flu pretty bad: headache, dizzy, pounding/palpitating heart. I had no idea what was going on and it really scared me. I stayed up many hours researching on the web and learned about the keto flu and found this forum.

That was a little of six years ago, and I’ve been here ever since. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts::heart_eyes: