Just read Keto Diet Exposed by Jay Thompson- now confused

(Mark Rhodes) #21

So there I was last year lying in the ICU from a Pulmonary Embolism and the topic of blood thinners comes up by my cardiologist… if you use warfin you’ll have to…hmm, you would just go carnivore wouldn’t you?

Later the nurses call him concerned I won’t eat. I told them all that by fasting I raise my ketones and that a heart in failure can only fuel on ketones. That since I had provoked tachycardia and arrhythmia by the PE I was making sure that I had the fuel I needed. Again my cardiologist told the nurses “Leave Mr. Rhodes alone, he knows what he is doing”

I did break after my third day by having my wife bring in a ribeye and 4 eggs. Later that day from the hospital cafeteria I made sure the patty’s were 100% beef and had 6 with 6 poached eggs. I asked for a stick of butter but didn’t get it.

(Marianne) #22

Very powerful sentiment. I’m sure he does feel this way. Another book for my reading list.

I think about poor Dr. Atkins; I really do. Many in the medical community and nutrition field owe him a huge apology. I remember seeing him on 60 Minutes. They spun that story like he was a crazy snake oil salesman and dismissed his entire life’s work in one fell swoop.

(Marianne) #23

Wow, you found a unicorn! Good for you!

Haha! I bet that really fried their circuits!

P.S. You look shredded!

(Mark Rhodes) #24

I do alright. At 58 years old I am under 19% bodyfat per dexascan…

I didn’t “luck” out. i interviewed cardiologists. The first criteria was they worked for me. I was the boss and they were hired as consultants to help me understand things I didn’t understand. That we would both learn a great many things.

Number 2 was I am fortunate to be friends with many in the ketosphere including Dr. Ali. He allowed me to give his cell number to my potential cardiologists so that they could converse. If they did n’t get along I didn’t hire them. My primary care physician has also seen my changes over the ten years I have been with him. He tried keto but couldn’t kick the beer…so I asked for his recommendation and we found the guy I currently use.

The first guy I got stuck with and fired almost screamed at me telling my LDL would kill me and I need to be on a statin immediately. I literally laughed in face and said “i’m an engineer and if I used the evidence you use 1 in 5 planes would fall from the sky and you would be okay with that” Its hard to say who fired who.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #25

:+1: In fact, it really should be YMIGV (Your Mileage Is Guaranteed to Vary).

Random thought: Since this is an international forum, shouldn’t it really “kilometrage” instead of “mileage”? :rofl::rofl::rofl:

#26

What does that mean with regards to Metformin

There is your answer. I would ask for a refund if you paid for the book

(BuckRimfire) #27

Deschutes Lagunitas Daytime Ale claims something like four grams carbs per can. It’s not bad. Michelob Ultra claims two and a half grams per. It’s OK if you like mass market American pilseners. Just sayin’.

edit: Misnamed the brewery above on the first try. Deschutes makes a couple of low-carb beers, too, but I don’t like them as much as Daytime.

#28

Corona makes one too, Premier and there was some other well known brand sold at Sam’s Club recently although I do not remember the name

(Bob M) #29

You go, Mark!

(Kirk Wolak) #30

Okay, Metformin helps hold back glucose creation (gluconeogenesis).
Helping to keep your glucose lower.

Mine was in the mid 90s even on carnivore. But it was demand driven. My brain was using all of my glucose, and my muscles were sparing it for the brain.

Taking Metformin the first time actually led to night time tachycardia! As my glucose dropped, my brain then sees the drop as an emergency and pushes a fight or flight response, and it works, my glucose comes up…

The side effect was that during the day, my brain had to learn to work on a lower glucose. And over a week or two, I was now programming with an 85 Glucose, as my brain was becoming less glucose dependent (using ketones more).

My Doc guessed this might be happening. Because my ketones were sky high (4.6) after a weekend fast, and my glucose was 78. The best description I could give you is that I had the “wrong” energy. I felt physically able to do anything… But measuring my time to do Sudoku, etc. And they were horrible. Thinking was just “hard”. (I could vegetate in front of a video/audio, but writing software was basically impossible)

Those pathways in my brain for programming, were ALWAYS amped up by glucose (full sugared soda) and caffeine. For 40 years! (Laughing at the damage I was doing without realizing it).

Anyways, since I am mostly carnivore, all this glucose was symptomatic of demand/stress. And it has a real downside in that I could have plenty of ketones, but I get hit by the HANGRY version of mental fog… A couple of hours of programming starts feeling like a couple of hours under duress… Especially when I am on Metformin. So, I have opted to cycle on it for a week or two, and cycle off for about a month (I hate being on ANY Rx drug).

I have the rest of my life to figure this out… Now, I CANNOT prove a word I wrote. It was a theory my Doc came up with, and it matched my symptoms pretty well. His thought process is that every organ can independently be at a different level of keto adapted… And despite the literature saying “your brain prefers ketones”, he explained that is a “generalized” statement.
In your case, programming while bathing your brain in glucose may have trained those pathways.

I know how I feel, and how I felt. And I now that my lower glucose has NOT been preventing me from programming. Although a lack of caffeine seems to hold me back… That’s probably just because I’ve basically self-medicated my ADHD with caffeine my whole life so I could function…

(Bob M) #31

Interesting. I’ve heard of a theory that – for people with migraines – they can’t use glucose (kinda like IR in the brain), and ketones help. You seem to be the opposite.

If that’s the case, though, why not concentrate on higher protein, lower fat, and let your body get as much glucose as it wants?

(Kirk Wolak) #32

There was $ Billions at risk…
If we’ve learned anything in the last few years…

The Media… And the Medical Establishment are NOT LOOKING OUT FOR US!
They are looking out for the industries they protect.

Dr. Atkins was NOT the first victim of this, and sadly, he is clearly not the last.
Just look at the good doctors saving lives “The wrong way” (LOL), and now have lost their jobs!

It’s just gotten worse, not better!

These are the people that should be put in charge of fixing it!

(Kirk Wolak) #33

I see people stepping out of the medical system.
Dropping insurance, finding alternative people to follow or listen to.

I am sooo happy your doctor is on board…

I have to ask if this might be “Spike Protein Damage”?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #34

So, you drink your ten cans a day, and then have no vegetables with your meat? :grin:

(Robin) #35

Awesome! It reminds me of when @FrankoBear handled his episode of AFib at home.
Ya’ll certainly know what you’re doing, but are also brave. It’s gotta be hard to take a strong stand and deny treatment in those circumstances.
I hope I never have to find out if I have the mettle to do that.

(Mark Rhodes) #36

@robintemplin or incredibly egotistical. :sunglasses:

Ok, long-ish story if you’re bored

My story is simple. I recovered from alcoholism in 1989. got fit, began to run marathons, etc then began to have weight gain and health issues mid 2005. This led to huge opiate addiction. In 2013 I got off Oxycontin for spinal issues after a few years of hardcore addiction As an engineer I went back to basics and anatomy. I used inversion therapy, TENS, electromagnetic pulses and worked with a yogi to create a routine to help my intercoastals. I had osteoporosis at -T1.9. My worst spinal protrusion was 10 x 10 x 12 mm into my L5-S1 sciatic nerve. I was pronounced permanently disabled.

My wife came to me in mid 2016 and asked about this Keto diet. She had read Taubes. Its ■■■■■■■■ I said. I mean I had also studied exercise physiology at UW Whitewater. She insisted it could help her mental health as she was suicidal. Sugar is like crack she said. I laughed …nah, crack is like crack. Still we made no progress until I read Phinney and Volek Eventually I literally said " I have to throw out everything I think I know about nutrition and start over" It was only after I threw away my cognitive dissonance did we make progress.

Why do you need my help and she said something that makes me love this woman more every day. “You don’t fail” How could I let her down?

So we started. And things changed. She was no longer suicidal and I reversed my osteoporosis to a +1.7. My spinal herniation faded I believe due to extended fasting of 5 days a month. This is all confirmed by MRI. Then her bi polar got manageable. Then I got diagnosed with Wide Array Sinus and Branched Bundle Block. OKEE Dokee back to problem solving. @tdseest was a huge influence and turned into a wonderful friend. I listened to these yokels Carl and Richard. I went to every conference I could afford and much like AA carried the message of therapeutic carbohydrate reduction as the means to good health to anyone that asked. I give away freely what was given to me. That is why I do not coach but do run a good six or more FB groups dedicated to specific illnesses.

Because I had recovered so much already I knew one thing. I might not be right but I am not wrong. This and my wife’s continued unwavering support helps me to be willing to be wrong. I take frequent labs. I take a CAC every eight months. I train. I do work with my cardiologist as he is as interested in what I am doing as a doctor can be. He is very excited by my results and even asked me for my spreadsheet on lab costs to make it affordable for his other patients. He is also free to share my information with others. My experience delayed his plant based book he was working on. He too cannot unsee what he has seen with me.

I do not believe its bravery nor buffoonery. I have an honest desire to help others unravel their metabolic dysfunction.

But I do really appreciate the compliment Robin.

#37

Very interesting, Thank you for the explanation. I think I am probably the opposite. Even during a fast my breath ketones barely register (use a couple of those cheap breathalyzers). When I first went keto in 2017 they did register well, after a few months they would barely register but after a couple of days my glucose would be below 70 in the morning. My problem would be I would be cold and my sleep quality and duration declines but I am less tired and much more alert in the mornings than normal. One other thing, if I have an important meeting I will interrupt a fast because I can become a little more outspoken in a non productive way. I do not see a difference in mental clarity although I have had to do projects during fasts and it has been fine but I do not suddenly become Aristotle! I have not fasted for more than 36 hours recently and while my sleep quantity declines even then, nothing much else changes and I do not measure BG usually. I do need to drink coffee every day and get a headache otherwise but while I will always love sugar, sugared beverages have not been part of my habit for many years. Even on Keto eating rather than fasting my BG when I do measure it is in the 90s as well. And I do not lose weight well which makes me wonder what I can do better. A friend who is similar is discussing with her MD whether she should take Metformin and we have talked about it which is why I was interested in Metformin cycling.

It is interesting that you mention mental fog. A friend’s 17 year old daughter thinks she is having some eating issues. At one point she stopped eating for a week other than small pieces of cheese. It was an accident of sorts, she is not trying keto. She said she did not eat because she was just not hungry until forced to at a dinner with friends. However the kid claimed that she both could not sleep despite having nothing else to do and being mentally foggy instead of clear. I suspect Keto flu. She is not addicted to caffeine and while she will have the occasional coke, her parents do not keep sugared soda or orange juice in the house

Curious if your doctor is an MD and where he is located? I have never heard of MDs being so flexible about meds

#38

Wow great story, Thank you for sharing

I tried looking this up. Is this a form of Tachycardia or Afib? Do they know why you developed this? Does it have any connection to Keto?

(Mark Rhodes) #39

No. I believe it was myocarditis. Just prior to the diagnosis which was accidental- my arms both went numb and they thought I had a stroke. I didn’t and waited two days. Turns out I had sudden onset carpal tunnel…anyway…just prior two of my teeth split. Now i don’t take great care of my teeth but OTOH I rarely get cavities or had major issues. So when two teeth actually crack I thought well ■■■■■ Something is going on here.

Later HEART MRI showed what? yep myocarditis. I have years of EKG readings and did not have an issue prior to this event. In 2018 my Agatston Score was 76 in 2019 375. Did I panic? Did I blame keto? NO. I did not.

Oh, its just soft plaques calcifying. This should reverse. Guess what. It has so far.

image
image.png908×657 91.8 KB
The AHA says the Agatston score can only increase 12-20% annually. But here I am first effectively stopping it, then creating a reversal.

So if I am going to blame keto for anything it is reversing the issue, not creating it.

(Kirk Wolak) #40

The MDs are not usually this flexible. And I won’t give out the details so I don’t out them.
In todays world, helping someone ACTUALLY get better could be grounds for a lynching…
If not now, then maybe in 3 months, LOL. It’s sad…

Michelle Hurn wrote a book (The Dietitians Dilemma), and was on Ken Berry podcast twice!
She has a lot of details since she overcame Anorexia and is pretty much a carnivore now.
She talks about how bad “normal” food made her stomach hurt.

==
As for tracking my Glucose, I wear a CGM when I am debugging things.
Currently, I have cycled out of pure carnivore. OMG I feel like crap, based on what I eat.
LOL. Good reminder WHY I need to be carnivore.
I hit “carnivore fatigue” (like fasting fatigue). Too much stuff going on.
And it’s been 3 years… I don’t think cycling on this end is great…
But mentally I was no longer in the right place. I have 60hr work weeks right now.
Way too much stress, not enough movement. Getting to the point that I will start
turning down work, and taking care of myself regardless!

And, TBH, that’s the place I need to be at!