Keto Fake News

(Barbara) #1

I decided before I started Keto in earnest that I would NOT talk to friends, family, coworkers, etc about my plans or progress. Now that I’ve lost 30 pounds and it shows, people are asking how I’ve lost the weight and I just say Ketogenic eating and IF and leave it at that. The responses are: Oh, the Atkins Diet! The All Protein Diet, etc and some have sent me what I consider discouraging links like these: https://ediethealthshop.com/ok_sharktank_keto/?affId=1007&c1=310006&c2=609107407&c3=
and
https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2018-01-03/us-news-reveals-best-diets-rankings-for-2018

I had no idea this kind of garbage was out there because I hang out here, dietdoctor.com, follow the research, follow the many true experts on Youtube, podcasts and of course, 2 Keto Dudes!

I counter back with links to Dr. Eric Westman because he seems to have a good selection of low key, non-sciencey short videos targeted to beginners (he has great sciencey ones too!). I thought it might help because I’m in the South and everybody here respects Duke University if only for their sports!

How do you counter Keto Fake News without sounding defensive or turning people off with more science and facts than they can handle?

(Lonnie Hedley) #2

I don’t. I’m working on changing myself, not the world. Unless someone has an open mind, you’ll never convince them what you’re doing is beneficial for more than short term weight loss.

(Karen) #3

Like any testimony you speak about your experience. No one can argue a personal testimony, as you are not trying to convert, just describe your experience. You might end with , " It works well for most people, but who knows, it might not work for you. It’s very hard to get off sugar and starch. Most people can’t." Bit of a challenge there.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #4

When we hear things that contradict our knowledge we don’t believe it. This is normal, and for the most part good. It isn’t smart to believe everything you hear. So just give as much info as you judge reasonable. If reasonable is no info at that moment, fine. Thinking people will change their view when they have enough evidence even if they argue at first. Unthinking people will follow once it becomes “common knowledge”. KCKO

(Charlotte) #5

I basically just tell folks that I appreciate their concern, that it’s a complex issue and new science is coming out all the time, that my health is improving on all levels, and that I’ve done my research. If folks (this is my most common experience) go the whole “everything in moderation, you’re being too extreme” route, I will say to them: “I am a sugar addict. Would you tell an alcoholic to drink alcohol in moderation?” Sometimes re-framing it that way is enough to help someone take a step back and change their perspective a bit.If they are genuinely interested in learning about keto, I offer to send them some links, and if they’re not really interested but are just trying to “prove” me wrong, I kindly but firmly set a boundary: “noted, thanks. To each their own,” and decline to engage with them further on the topic. If they think you’re being defensive, who cares? That’s their problem, not yours.

People will try to debate you from a place of ignorance on keto for a range of reasons: the concept is intuitively unsettling to them based on a lifetime of low-fat indoctrination, they feel defensive about their own unhealthy diets and, consciously or subconsciously, feel the need to defend themselves, they worry that you’re doing something risky/extreme/faddish and believe it’s their duty to “set you straight”, etc. But none of that is yours to worry about–it’s all coming from their own issues, so let it go. And confirmation bias is strong, so if someone doesn’t want to concede that you might be right, you can send them thousands of pages of peer-reviewed hard science and it won’t do a thing to sway them. Don’t waste your energy. If folks see you getting healthier and staying that way, and they know you’re eating keto, they have all the information they need should they decide to open their minds to it, and that’s all you can really do for them until/unless their minds do eventually open.

For those who are genuinely interested/curious, I find this video to be a fantastic keto 101 for the average layperson with a short-ish attention span and a lack of inclination to read up on complex science. She presents keto as one good diet of many that “may or may not be right for you”, which I think makes it more appealing for those folks who are wary of being proselytized to by a hardcore keto “true believer”. And for what it’s worth, this was the video that first piqued my interest in keto and explained it in a way I could easily wrap my head around, knowing literally nothing about it beforehand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc6jUtHJoz0

(Randy) #6

This is great. I’ll be using it. :grinning:

(Alec) #7

I tell them that if they are genuinely interested to learn some truth, to go and listen to the first few podcasts of the 2 keto dudes. It’s then up to them.

Convincing other people to change their mind is hard work and often simply fails. Do you have the energy? I don’t. I am interested in discussing things with people who have open and questioning minds. I often pretty quickly decide (including on these forums) whether someone has an open and questioning mind.

#8

That’s why when they ask me the same thing, I just tell them I cut out some calories. I learned real quick.

(Barbara) #9

Me too!

(Barbara) #10

Love your PUNCH-line right to the soft belly!

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #11

I thank people for their concern and let my results speak for themselves. It’s not just the weight loss. It’s the vitality. The general well being. Folks who see what I’m doing note the recovery of youth, the smiling, the optimism. The weight is nice. But the other things speak to this being a program of restoration and improvement, not deprivation.

The other thing is I NEVER tell people I am keto or Atkins. I am adjacent to those things, but I am really just focusing on nutrient dense, Real Food ™ and limiting sugar and starches. No one blinks twice at that. And it’s 100% honest, in my case, with the exception of some dark chocolate and some equal.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #12

Why are you eating fake chocolate? :grinning::grin:

(Laurie) #13

I’m beginning to be very selective about who I tell. Talking about it is usually pointless and could be harmful to my health. Occasionally I do tell the wrong person and they start bashing; I say “Everyone is different.”

Here are a couple of sample conversations:

  1. Come over for dinner?
    No thanks, there are too many things I can’t eat.
    Are you gluten free/vegan/do you have allergies?
    I don’t like to discuss it.

  2. What, you’re not having any rice/dessert/whatever?
    I’m fine.
    Here, have some dessert. You only live once/it’s Christmas/whatever.
    No thanks, I’m fine. Really.

If someone came to me with a health/weight concern and actually wanted information, I’d tell them what I do and leave the rest up to them. That’s way different from opening the door to unsolicited comments about what I shouldn’t be doing.

(Barbara) #14

I am finding it best to keep a low profile about keto & weight loss. In some circles, it makes others feel uncomfortable and even angry. One person who inspired me the most was a former colleague I hadn’t seen in years. I couldn’t believe how much weight she had lost and had to ask her how she did it. Her simple answer " I became a diabetic 5 years ago, lost 65 pounds on low carb (under 30 grams) and never eat things like sugar, bread or potatoes". She is one of the 2 people I know who is 40+ years old, was obese for 10+ years, lost considerable weight and has kept it off for years.

(Brian) #15

Laurie, I can really relate to your post.

I’m a part of a church group that tends to want to be sociable about inviting people for a meal. A few, we do just fine with. Most are a bit of a challenge, though, as they tend to be low-fat vegetarians that are in love with soy (which my wife cannot eat without having a severe reaction) and despite wanting to tell how healthy they are, pile on the starches and usually sugars quite heavily. Some are the dearest and sweetest people you’d ever want to meet, too, so hurting their feelings isn’t something we like doing.

If part of a larger group, I can often hide behind a big plate of salad for quite a long time. But when it’s more intimate, maybe only 4 of us total, it can be pretty obvious.

I am very thankful for a couple who are having us over for dinner tomorrow night. Same church group, but they’re trying to go low-carb / keto. We’ve been sharing recipes. Don’t know if this lady will have it perfect or not but I’m excited that she’s making a real effort! (Plus, I know her well enough to know that if there are 4 for dinner, there’s enough food for 8. LOL!! She’s a lovely lady and her husband is a very good guy.) I think they’ve both lost a few pounds since starting keto, her most noticeably, so maybe a new ally. :slight_smile:

(Kern) #16

Unfortunately, the General Public is so dependent upon doctors telling them what to do about diabetes, weight loss, that they cannot think themselves out of the box. Ketogenic diet (lifestyle) with LOW carbohydrates and LOW sugars will start to reverse diabetes, create weight loss, and be beneficial to cancer patients. The Fake News is often put out there by the Pharmaceutical firms deliberately as if too many people catch on to the facts of carbohydrates, and what they do to the body’s metabolism, then they will start losing revenue. Also, Big Pharma has been buying up independent health food businesses to lessen the competition. Abbot bought out EAS. Beware of for example the protein shakes that now have nutra sweet (amino-sweet) and other artificial sweeteners in them. Track down what your favorite tea company is, and you will find in many cases it has been bought out by a larger conglomerate. Big Pharma is attempting to curtail vitamins and minerals usage by influencing the FDA. Please go to ANH Alliance of Natural Health for their updates. You will see newspaper articles that vitamins are dangerous. That Fish Oil does nothing. Interestingly, the WRONG form of the vitamin is used or the results are slanted. The Fish Oil had the wrong ingredients. Magnesium IV which can be used when having a heart attack was deliberately used in the WRONG concentration and actually CAUSED harm instead of helping the heart attack. When heart attack, the heart dumps magnesium in an effort to clear up the spasm. That is why and how the magnesium works.
Thanks for the rant
Pharmacist in North Carolina.