Keto haters - what to say to them?

(Katie Kelleher) #101

Hey folks, I just needed to vent a little after a really horrible family experience. I don’t know if I can call my brother and sister-in-law keto haters, but I’m really not sure what to do about them. I do think the answer realistically is nothing. Hopefully, this is the right place to post this.

So, I went to a Father’s Day event and it was my first event like this with my family and friends at someone else’s house. I had my keto breakfast before I left just in case. But this specific family friend usually has a lot of options that work, so I wasn’t too worried.

I did my best not to talk too much about keto, but several people were asking questions. My step-dad has started Atkins on his own and is doing quite well from what I understand. I gave him a gift card for Amazon to get some more books to check out and to my surprise he already had a few!

As I was answering the questions being asked, my brother and his wife continuously made comments such as, “We would have heard about that by now.” “That’s not true.” “That’s not a thing.” This was to everyone that was asking questions. They put me down in front of everyone. They know noting about keto. I spend around 2 hours a day catching up on the 2 Keto Dudes podcasts. (I’m in July of 2017 FYI because I wanted to listen in order). I have signed up to become a Primal Health Coach because I believe this knowledge needs to be spread and I want to learn more. I also want to help other people.

When I told my mom and dad about this, my dad, of all people, told me, “They would hear about it if they did the reading.” To have my dad, a doctor, on my side for a good portion of this is great. I just can’t believe that people find it necessary to be so rude. I suppose with the two of them I shouldn’t be since they are horrible to everyone, but this is beyond what I expected.

My mom said I should e-mail them the links to the science, but I honestly think that will just keep them fighting. They seem to thrive off of being jerks. Yay for family.

I just needed to get this out. I know ya’ll will feel my pain. Thank you for letting me vent.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #102

Even if they are family, who cares what ignorant jerks think? At least your parents are on your side, which is not the case for many people on this forum, so concentrate on what a blessing that is. When you and your dad show up at a gathering looking great, and all because of keto, your nasty brother and his nasty wife are going to turn green with envy. So keto on, and hold your head high!

(Katie Kelleher) #103

Thank you so much! That really helped! I appreciate your words greatly.

(back and doublin' down) #104

That is a WIN over whatever your brother might contest. Let the haters hate and enjoy the comradery with your dad!

Oh…and me too on listening to the 2Dudes in order. You’re way ahead of me. I’m still in 2016 :slight_smile:

(karen) #105

Yes. That if it’s in the book, it’s gospel, and if it’s Not in the book, it’s wrong. “That’s not how it works.” Well since we don’t know how “it” works, how do you know that’s not how? “Because it’s not in the book.” Well, how very circuitous of you.

(Sarah Bruhn) #106

:bacon:Your response is as perfect as your Monty Python reference. :bacon:

(Cathy) #107

There will always be keto doubters. Sorry that you had to endure 2 aggressive and loud ones in your own family. My feelings about behaviour like that is that they are coming from a place of an addiction and vehemently protecting their ‘drug’ as ‘good’. Not much point in debating with addicts.

Most people can’t or don’t care to learn how to read science reports and decide whether or not it is good science. These people stick to what they think they know and are stubborn in their believes like a religion. I personally pass on trying to have a conversation with them and change the subject fast.

(Jane) #108

I hear ya on family.

My Dad’s gf is vegan and it is definitely a religion to her. She also thinks she will go into shock and die if she has any wheat but I know for sure the corn tortillas she ate once at a local place has flour in them and she had no reaction.

She is one of the unhealthiest people I know. Bad skin, bad hair, edema in her legs, no energy…

Since my Dad retired 2 years ago his health has steadily declined because he is eating what she eats now full time. He only listens to her so nothing I can do about that.

She eats all kind of expensive, process crap and would be horrified at all the eggs, butter, meat and cheese I eat!! :rofl:

I don’t see them very often since they live so far away and my Dad isn’t well enough to travel to see me anymore.

On the positive side… I leaned about kale chips from her and now make them all the time when I have fresh kale from my garden. With siracha sauce. Yum.

(Edith) #109

Maybe we can rename this way of eating as
Keto Kans the Karbs.

(Gail P) #110

:joy:

(Aimee Moisa) #111

The DietDoctor shared an article in his newsletter today and all I have to say is “Wow, did the writer do any research at all about keto before writing the article?”

My guess is he doesn’t know what the HF stands for in the acronym LCHF.

I have this desperate urge to go jump up and down on his head. The unmitigated ignorance of the man is appalling.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #112

It seems like there are more and more of these stupid articles. The writers get maybe 20 percent of their facts straight, then spew off their opinions. Obviously never having researched the subject at all. And what makes it more ludicrous is that we have a healthier diet than probably 90 percent of people out there. I love it when they go so far as to say cutting out entire food groups is unsafe. So, do they want us to go back to eating fries, pizzas and pasta? Cause that’s where most people get their carbs from. I just can’t wrap my mind around the pro-carb argument.

(Cathy) #113

I have shared this story before so please ignore if you have read it. The Pro carb argument comes from a belief that the body requires carbs (glucose) for proper brain function along with a few other functions and that is absolutely true. what is NOT true is that necessary glucose has to come from diet. It does not. We have gluconeogenisis for that.

So I have a close relative who at the time, was just finishing her biology, human physiology university degree. She insisted the above bull crap and when i opposed that by explaining gluconeogenisis is sufficient. Nope - according to her, a person would have impaired function. At that point, I reminded her that I had been keto for literally years and if what she was saying were true, I should be dead or at least brain dead. The conversation ended.

A person who has invested a lot of time, effort and $ in their education is going to be the most resistant to hearing it - especially from someone who has no formal training like them.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #114

The author of the article in the OP is Christopher Snowdon. I checked out a few of his other articles on the Spectator site, and they all evince just as much ignorance of the state of nutrition science as this one does. Interestingly, a quick search around the Spectator site revealed no way to comment or reply to Mr. Snowdon—probably a wise move on their part, lol! :bacon:

(Empress of the Unexpected) #115

Don’t you hate that when you can’t contact or comment?

(E.O.) #116

Is there a place where people who frequent this forum have posted their process of going from SAD to Keto and firmly holding beliefs about what is/isn’t addition? If so, I missed it. In the lack of any evidence to the contrary, I’m thinking most people process this slowly, gradually changing from what they learn, over time going from one POV to another…so it is unlikely anyone’s pulled this all together with the research for anyone other than their own personal use?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #117

Not sure what you are actually asking, but I can say that there are a number of us on these forums who consider ourselves sugar/carb addicts, and we apply the same techniques for dealing with this addiction as we use for coping with other addictions we may have.

For an addict, recovery can happen quite suddenly, in the sense that once you hit bottom and realize how miserable you are, reaching out for help becomes a possibility, when it might not have been an hour before. After years of denying that I had an eating problem, during which I gained about eighty or ninety pounds, one night I suddenly admitted to myself that I was a sugar addict. (It was Dr. Lustig’s lecture, “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” that got through to me.)

Having gotten sober years before, I knew what to do, and I cut all sugar and sweets from my diet right then and there. Within a few weeks I also cut out grains and starches and went full keto, because I felt so good without sugar. So you might say that for me, the change was both sudden and gradual.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #118

I went cold turkey. As in getting up in the middle of the night to drink four or five glasses of milk and half a box of triscuits - and it stopped the next day. Didn’t miss the getting up in the middle of the night. I’ve been doing middle of the night carbs since I was 12 (who gets up at midnight to boil pasta when you’re 12?). Never looked back, and love the extra sleep.

(Linda) #119

I remember years ago detractors used to say that any weight loss doing Atkins was only water. And then you’d have a heart attack and die.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #120

That’s why this way of eating is unsustainable and will kill us, lol!