New to Keto Diet

[PaulL]

I bet someone on here knows about the elevated glucose phenomenon and can describe it!

There is a phenomenon known variously as “glucose-sparing” or “physioligical insulin resistance” (a farily silly name, because it’s no such thing). You can tell if this is happening, because your glucose level rises, but your HbA_1c does not. What it means is that your muscles are too happy burning fatty acids and ketone bodies to need any glucose as well, so they leave it for those cells in the body that must have glucose (certain neurons in the brain, red blood cells, certain others). This higher serum glucose level is not a problem because it isn’t raising your insulin and it isn’t glycating your hemoglobin, and it’s nowhere near high enough to be toxic.

[Baytowvin]

so they leave it for those cells in the body that must have glucose (certain neurons in the brain

So that could be interpreted as meaning: elevated glucose could be a sign of one’s brain not using its available energy because it’s not being used?

Wait…don’t answer that…my glucose is still elevated

[hedleylo]

I eat the same thing every day. I forgot my 6 hard boiled eggs at home or forgot to make them. So when I got home from work I was starving. Nothing to do with feeling good enough to skip lunch.

[DvlDwnInGA]

As Gary Taubes points out, in order to keep our weight stable by matching our caloric intake to our caloric expenditure according to the calories-in-calories-out model, we would need to guess our expenditure to 99.992% accuracy. I don’t know how to do that, do you? As much as 20 calories over, and we will gain weight, 20 calories under, and we will lose

If you really believe 20 calories is anymore than a drop in a bucket that would actually sway a pound of weight gain or loss you are mistaken. You do NOT have to be 99. anything percent accurate to lose weight using calorie restriction.

Whoever sold you that is either wrong or you have greatly misunderstood what they are saying. Or you haven’t actually followed calorie restriction for long enough to realize that your calorie needs and intake can fluctuate from day to day and that some days you do go over them and it will have very little impact on the scale the following day.

I intentionally restrict calories. I also eat when I am hungry and that even means at times I am over my calories that I am supposed to eat for the day.

Guess what, I still lose weight at a steady state. I also have a VERY good understanding of my nutrition as well as how adjustments impact my goal at the time.

Things that are not measured are hard to improve/adjust on the fly when they stop working.

[DvlDwnInGA]

“Metabolic healing.” Talk about making things difficult to understand for newbies. How is this measured?

When are the newbies “healed” so the weight loss and all the good things start happening?

[Talia]

your muscles are too happy burning fatty acids and ketone bodies to need any glucose as well, so they leave it for those cells in the body that must have glucose (certain neurons in the brain, red blood cells, certain others).

Yes, this is what I was thinking of. I don’t remember where I read it. It doesn’t apply to me, that’s for sure - still a lot of BG fluctuations here.

[PaulL]

Metabolic healing is measured by your blood work, in particular the percentage of glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1c), your fasting glucose and insulin, and your ratio of triglycerides to HDL-C. Your blood pressure generally comes down, as well as your pulse rate. A Dexa scan will also show that visceral fat has been eliminated (fat in your abdominal organs, which is the most dangerous place to have it, is apparently also the first to be metabolized when you start healing).

Of course, weight loss and/or body recomposition are the most visible and most easily-measured signs.

Improvements can start almost immediately, the return to metabolic health is an ongoing process.

[DvlDwnInGA]

difference, because the longer we can keep our insulin level low, the more likely we are to achieve metabolic healing and lose excess fat.

This is what you said in regards to me saying that he would have a hard time proving that fasting and not caloric restriction would be to blame for the weight loss.

Fasting is great, however, it shows no additional weight loss over a period of time over someone doing calorie restriction when calories consumed remain the same. If you can show me a study that proves that, go ahead.

[DvlDwnInGA]

Matt and Megha are not scientist, they do however bring up some great points in this video.

One of which is something we are arguing in here. For the girl who started this thread, it is worth the watch.

Keeping it simple, including tracking of calories, takes the guess work and “magic” out of this. Let the people who are romanticizing about keto keep their ideologies. Science proves that caloric restriction is to blame for weight loss. Keto helps make it easy.

[Baytowvin]

Again…

NO ONE HERE IS SAYING CALORIES DONT MATTER.

And a caloric deficit IS needed for weight loss. But that happens naturally through a ketogenic/fat adapted way of eating. No counting/tracking required.

[DvlDwnInGA]

Why? Stop counting calories and your only fat goal should be to satiety. Stick to the basics:

You said this to her immediately.

For me, and apparently for the OP, counting cals is the BASICS.

Stop running around and telling people to stop doing what works!

[Baytowvin]

I said stop counting. I never said calories don’t matter. In fact I said quite the opposite.

Of course calories matter, you can’t live without them.

Oxygen matters also. But I don’t monitor what I take in

[DvlDwnInGA]

. But I don’t monitor what I take in

So what about all the posters in here that are constantly confused about why they are not losing weight. Weeks and for some months at a time with no weight loss.

What is wrong with their satiation or hunger signals?

[Baytowvin]

They aren’t necessarily doing anything wrong. Despite your previous claim, weight loss is not linear.

In addition, the primary effect of the ketogenic way of eating is the body healing itself. Weight-loss is a side effect of the metabolism beginning to work correctly.

Since so many people lose several pounds within the first couple weeks, it has unfortunately been misunderstood as a quick fix weight-loss diet. It’s not, it’s a lifestyle.

[DvlDwnInGA]

Its not perfectly linear, but it should definitely trend in the direction you are hoping it should go. Whether that be eating in excess to add muscle, or in a deficit for weight loss.

Your assumption is that everyone should be able to “feel” and have no need for self control for weight loss and satiation should control all of this.

I don’t believe that. I especially don’t believe you can say that about everyone.

Caloric restriction will cause weight loss and if you are losing weight it IS part of the process. That is true for everyone.

[Ashlea_Terry]

I quit the diet because there is too much arguing on the comments! I got mixed signals and it didn’t help me at all! I hated to even read the comments on my post because I knew it was people arguing! I think that it would be beneficial for people to help new people, not scare them away with competing views! I just wish that this would have been more helpful for me!

[Baytowvin]

You seem to assign a lot of thoughts and/or statements to me that I never said. I don’t know if you’re just not paying attention, or if you fee the need to put words in my mouth to try to defend your narrative.

Your assumption is that everyone should be able to “feel” and have no need for self control for weight loss and satiation should control all of this.

I never said that…

There are a few people that eating to satiety won’t work for

The point is to keep it simple and adjust as needed.

[Baytowvin]

I’m sorry you decided not to stick it out. If you want to learn more about it, I’d encourage you to check out the 2ketodudes podcast.

[Jacymac]

Please don’t let a couple of people getting carried away put you off a whole way of eating.
It is best to keep it simple at the beginning. Check out the dietdoctor website and the 2ketodudes podcasts for clear information on how to start out. Later you might even find yourself getting passionate enough about this way of eating to have a heated discussion about it!

[OldDoug]

I quit the diet because there is too much arguing on the comments!

I hope you reconsider, Ashlea. The science behind very low-carbohydrate eating is very solid. For those of us who have gained weight over the years, who have metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, pre-diabetes or diabetes, it’s almost always the best thing. “Less than 20 grams of carbs” - that’s a huge part of it that you got right away.