Longest term keto?

(Todd Allen) #1

Anyone been following an Atkins/keto diet for decades? I’m curious to hear who has been doing this a very long time. Anyone know how long people like Phinney, Volek, Westman, D’Agostino, etc. have been eating keto?

#2

I’ve been keto for over a decade and low carb/keto most of my other years.

(Liz ) #3

I went Atkins low carb 1/1/2003, have never added grains back in, stayed low carb since. I did move toward Paleo the last 5 years or so but it turns out I don’t do well with even small amounts of fruits/honey/root veg (weight crept up, experienced cravings, hormonal disorders) so I went Keto March 2017 & that’s what I’ll stick to from now on.

(Todd Allen) #4

Turbeville, I neglected to ask in my original post what motivated people to start and stick with the diet and what if any challenges have been encountered?

One issue mentioned in papers on people who have been on keto long term for epilepsy is a loss of bone density and fractures. That issue appears manageable with attention to vitamins D & K2 and the minerals calcium, potassium and magnesium. I adopted this diet to manage a genetic medical condition so even if I make my weight loss goal I will likely continue eating this way for life.

#5

I recall from a debate Dr. Westman had years ago on high protein vs low protein diets (maybe 2011 or earlier?) that he claimed to have been on a ketogenic diet for about 12 years at that point, so by now he’s probably in the 15-20 year range.

Phinney I think had made similar claims 4-5 years ago, so probably in a similar range. I haven’t really heard much from Volek. The ‘famous’ Zero Carber Owsley Stanley seems to have eaten zero carbs for around 50 years (from his early 20s until he died in a car accident in his 70s).

The note about bone density loss is interesting, as some of the keto advisors I follow actually switched to a nutritional ketogenic lifestyle from a mostly vegan diet after their very young daughter started getting very easily chipped teeth and showing other signs of deficiencies. The two already had backgrounds in nutrition, so I guess the further research into what was going on lead them to keto.

From what I’ve seen, you are probably right about the D, K2, calcium, magnesium and potassium factors. I actually get the impression that even for those not on a ketogenic diet should pay more attention to those specifically for several health reasons (bones being one, but others as well).

#6

I’m probably not a great person to ask as the reason I’ve been eating this way so long is because it’s very natural for me. As a kid, I left the starchy carbs on my plate and my parents didn’t force them since I ate the meat and veggies so haven’t had many challenges (one which I’ll elaborate on). So I didn’t really start out of motivation. I transitioned to full keto about 14 years ago when a few lifting friends were trying it out. I was already low carb and mostly eating higher carb things like oatmeal, rice and potatoes because I thought I “needed” something but didn’t really ever enjoy those foods so it was simple enough to cut them out and see how I felt. The one challenge I have encountered is activity level and hormones. I’m incredibly active and my hormones can get a little wonky when I’m keto and so active vs before when I ate more carbs both before strict keto and testing out CKD. The challenge that accompanies and likely contributes to the hormone issue is getting adequate calories. I have very little hunger drive so have to actively eat more.

The nutrient deficiencies you read about in papers about keto for people with epilepsy are somewhat unique to that population because 1) they have to maintain a certain ketone level which often means eliminating some nutrient dense foods 2) they are often still on medications particularly ones known to increase nutrient deficiency risk 3) many have comorbid conditions which adds to the risk. That being said, I do feel that food quality is of utmost importance and eat a paleo/primal keto diet with dairy. Bacon is great, but the bacon, pepperoni, fat bomb approach can be an issue in terms of health and nutrients. I do supplement vitamin d because I live at a latitude that I’m not supposed to live at (ancestors from the equator) and even with hours of sun I can’t get enough (though there’s debate about variation in “normal” levels for populations at diffeeent latitudes).

#7

I knew Westman in 2003 and he was coaching me long distance to do Atkins and trying to educate my Dr who were freaked… so assume he’s done it since then but not sure.

(Todd Allen) #8

I read Owsley Stanley’s wikipedia page. An interesting guy. Tragic to have died from a car accident at 76, would have loved to see how far he would have made it fueled on meat and whatever else he was taking/doing.