VI’ve been strictly on keto diet since mid-November except for two times. My meter shows I’ve been in ketosis for 6-7 weeks. My scale shows I’ve lost 25 pounds.
I have one pair of jeans I had been able to wear especially if I hadn’t planned on breathing…but they would button and zip.
I’d been wanting to try them on since my weight began to drop but hesitated because for some reason I didn’t feel a loss.
I tried them on today and the now are 3-4” from buttoning.
So far this diet has increased my cholesterol by 10 points, my triglycerides up 5 and I can’t wear anything but leggings.
What’s up. I’m not going to damage my health and get no where. I worked too hard to get my cholesterol down from 230 to 170 by eliminating fat and taking statins…now this. I’m a heart patient…15 years ago I had a 95% blocked LAD…the widow maker. I have had two stints and angioplasty and had the arteries in both legs opened.
Ok. I have one scoop of protein powder in my coffee every morning with one packet of sweetener, two teaspoons of psyllium husk powder and about 1/2 cup heavy cream.
I have no appetite the rest of the day…gone.
Yesterday I had a four egg omelet and cup and a half of cheese for dinner. Nothing else.
Bonnie please do some more research. Keto will NOT damage your health. Cholesterol is NOT the bad guy anymore. In fact, it’s been removed from the dietary guidelines as something to limit, but the FDA did that quietly because it’s easier to simply remove that guideline than to say “We were wrong.”
There’s also serious debate as to whether or not women should take statins. Doctors are quick to prescribe them so that they’re protected (look, we did something!), but that doesn’t mean they work or are without side effects.
Also, if you’re coming from a mindset/eating pattern of no fat, then it’s going to take longer for you to adjust to a ketogenic way of eating. As for what you’ve been eating…I’d suggest dropping the highly processed protein powder and reduce the amount of cream in your coffee. Yes, it might be keeping you full for the day, but it’s better to eat real food. Also, 1.5 cups of cheese is quite a bit of cheese. Both cream and most shredded cheese have carbs, but because it’s <1 gram per serving, they can list it as 0. But if you’re having 1/2 c cream and 1.5 c of cheese, you ARE getting carbs there. Not to say that it’s too many, but it’s something to watch.
I eat unbreaded cod or salmon fillets, organic ground beef patty…4 to the pound, baked unbreaded chicken legs with skin, a few large shrimp, ground turkey, ground beef 91%, ground turkey sausage, tuna for now in water I’ll get in oil when I shop, sardines, shredded cheese of several varieties but I have backed off cheese. I don’t eat much bacon…never have…but now for fat I use a little…1/2 pound a month.Usually frozen broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, zucchini and yellow squash. I cook with butter, quite a bit, and use olive oil. A small amount of red wine vinegar sometimes. Canned foods I eat spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans or turnip greens. Fresh avocados…one every other day or if I’m not sure I’ve had enough fat.
The thing I crave and over do is heavy cream. Besides morning coffee I’m known to drink sips out of the carton…I crave it!
I do not drink much. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup diet caffeine free cola when taking meds twice a day. Once a month a really large diet fountain coke…I’d hate to give up the fountain thing. IDK why.
I’ve had no bread, pasta, fruit or sugar since November and I honestly don’t miss it. Well, maybe pasta. I’ve got Miracle Noodles if I bothered to make a cream sauce to put on it.
I do have other medical issues that prevent me from being thirsty or sweating…no doc has given me an answer or that one…oh well.
I won’t be absolutely sure on the weight until tomorrow when I weigh at the cardiologist. I have very bad balance and the “truck scale “ there accounts for that. The only question I have on the weight loss is 5 pounds because I tried to use my scale.
I do no exercise. I have limited mobility because of peripheral neuropathy…not caused by diabetes…actually my A1c is 5.5. I’ve had physical therapy but I don’t practice it and I never learned any cardio exercise I can do.
No…I’ve pushed past the idea of no fat. I did change some kinds of fat…I reduced cheese to about once a week. When I do use it I probably over do. I increased avocados to regular use, sardines, olive oil and butter.
I did go off statins for about a year and a half and I developed large cholesterol fat pads above my eyelids. They went away within a year of returning to statins. I’ve known about the cholesterol buildup over eyes for 50 years…long before statins because of family history and early cardiac deaths. My first serious incident was only weeks after turning 50.
I’m going to talk serious conversation with my cardiologist…so far I have one doc who is ok with keto but said we’d watch bloodwork every three months. Another docs entire clinic staff is keto but he’s a GI doc.
I can’t say I miss pasta either, my wife made it every second night …
Looks like you’re doing everything right.
You have lost a decent amount of weight, burned your own fat but it seems there is bloating going on and body shape isn’t up to scratch.
Not sure about the Diet Coke. My brother drinks that stuff and he’s body shape is ballooning. Very puffy. I know many people can handle it (in moderation I suppose) but I would seriously examine it.
You said you dont’ want to give it up, sorry but that’s often a tell tail sign of a minor addiction? Often the thing that hurts us the most is the thing we crave. (I’m starring down the barrel of avoiding diary, so I know it isn’t fun, I love coffee with cream. Also cheese … but … )
Could you possibly “park” the coke for a couple of weeks and see how it all goes?
“Meds twice a day”
Please do not stop or start any medication based on anything we say … but any medication whatsoever can affect the keto situation. This includes bloating, inflammation, allergies, weight gain …
“I do have other medical issues that prevent me from being thirsty or sweating…no doc has given me an answer or that one…oh well.”
Hmm, meds plus diet coke maybe?
Keto (/Atkins) aware doctors?
Ordinary doctors will have a pill for everything, whether it helps or not …
Are you near North Carolina maybe try to visit Dr Eric Westman at Duke University.
I think Dr Ted Neiman was in Seattle … or
Virta Health in CA.
Meantime check out vids by Dr David Diamond or Ivor Commins. Cholesterol is certainly not the only player in CVD.
Ok. I’ll park the diet brown. I’m going to have to keep a bottle of water near me.
The big change in my diet that could cause bloating is the broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. After all…I was wearing the jeans before…now I can’t. If bloating is the reason then I’ll be buried in leggings because I’m sticking to keto.
Nope…two of my docs are ketogenic…not Atkins. Moderate meats.
Most of my docs are from university of Mississippi. Eight miles from me.
The main reason I tried keto is my serious drops in blood sugar …down to 40s. The drastic reduction in carbs fixed that…so I’m sticking with it. I’ve seen enough paramedics. One even wondered if I could live alone after me calling 911 once a week for a time. Yes, glucose would have brought it up on my own. But I’ve had no drops in sugar since keto.
I did read somewhere that there are a few people whose cholesterol unexpectedly goes up on keto. It is rare, but happens. These individuals will often see improvement by cutting down on the saturated fat. For some, it is enough to stop adding mct oil to their morning coffee. For you, it might be an idea to stop drinking heavy cream, and see if that makes any difference. Getting more omega 3 might also make a difference. Higher blood cholesterole might also be a side effect of rapid weight loss, and it could go down again as your weight stabilizes. Do check with your doctor, though, as I’m hardly an expert for having read a single article.
I have no idea what condition could make you not thirsty, though I too have an issue with not feeling thirst. What helps me most is using more chilli. Spicy food somehow reminds my body that it needs fluids to function.
I am now watching the saturated fats…but the heavy cream is nectar to me. Guess it’s got to go and replace the fat with something better.
I have read sometimes cholesterol can initially go up. Will have another blood test in 6 weeks.
I went back on the prescription Omega 3 as well as increasing it in foods. The prescription Omega 3 is supposed to help control triglycerides…I stopped taking it after being told it’s useless. Have to see. I wasn’t told it was harmful but when has big pharma told us anything?
IHow long had it been since you tried on the pants before? You went from mid November til now to try them on but is it possible that your weight went up between starting keto and wearing them the last time? If it had been awhile since you wore them, it’s possible that your weight was higher when you started and they wouldn’t have fit then either. I put on 7 pounds between a doctors appt in November and one in December. I know it wasn’t all bloating because I ate huge amounts of halloweeen candy during that time because I was reacting poorly to a major life issue, so this could be a real possibility.
Sounds like not enough fat to me. Have you checked your macros? You should be eating animal fats rather than liquid fats. You’re probably not eating enough fat to be sated, causing overeating. Buy fattier cuts of meat and eat more Bacon and Eggs.
