No one wants to hear it


(Patrick L Anderson) #114

Actually, I kind of like the cauliflower pizza. :upside_down_face:


(Susan) #115

That is awesome, @Ida
I really like how you worded it, informative but not preachy at all, very effective. I hope that it brings some of your “friends” on fb over to the Keto side! I said “friends” like that because my kids have like over 1k “friends” on FB. I have like… just my kids and a few of their good friends, and only use it to check the stuff they post, sometimes to contact them, and was handy when two of my daughters were in Australia for a month (we Facetimed, etc often).


(Kathleen Newcombe) #116

YESSSS, me too.


#117

I think it is absolutely more economical to eat Keto. I’m the only one in the family doing it, and my primary food purchases are meat, butter, HWC, coffee, cheese, and an occasional Bai coconut drink. or broccoli head…there’s not a lot else I buy. And heck, we raise our own beef cattle- so I don’t even have to buy that! Compare it to the sandwich meats, breads, crackers, pasta, soups, pizzas, cereals, snack bars, Doritos, potatoe chips, nacho chips, yogurts, fries, potatoes, pastries, pop, cookies- and who knows what else…its ridiculous how much more eating the crap costs.

This morning, before work, I threw some short ribs in the slow cooker. Got home, grabbed a few, threw a slab of butter on it - and that was dinner for Captain Carnivore here. Everyone else is like short ribs, mashies, french bread, veggies… I’m like, ‘nah…if you want more stuff, cook it yourself or pretend’. Waaay more economical doing Keto.


#118

My husband and I spend about 1/4th of what we used to spend on food, simply because you cant eat processed foods and try that new flavor of ice cream they started selling and “look, we can try this and this for dinner…”
It only gets expensive once you start adding replacement foods, baked goods, etc, but those aren’t the part of a balanced keto diet and they should be an occasional treat…no need to spend money on that.


(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #119

@SecondBreakfast @Meerkatsandy I question whether or not keto costs less. I think it might cost less if you shop carefully and diligently and avoid all food wastage. My observation of food prices on the shelf is that carbs are very cheap which is partly why so many eat so much of them - they’re a cheap way to fill your belly. On the other hand, fat and protein are more expensive in that order.

An extreme example: I can buy 10 pounds of potatoes for the same price as a pound of steak. The steak will keep me feeling full for a day, the potatoes for a week. You could make the same and similar comparisons with many different mostly carb foods and mostly fat/protein foods.

I abandoned my first go round with keto several years ago after 2 1/2 years primarily because of food costs. I’m avoiding most of the mistakes I made then by now shopping smarter mostly by buying very little food that can go bad after a few days. None-the-less I am not spending less money on food, in fact I’m still spending more, but not as much as I did the first time.

Then again, due to misunderstanding or not, I think many people associate keto with high meat, high cost eating. Stuff like: bacon and eggs for breakfast and steak for lunch and supper every day. They can very easily see the prices of bacon, eggs and steaks and decide they could afford that for a week or two.


(Susan) #120

I tend to agree with @amwassil on this because I am spending more on certain foods to get my Keto stuff, and it is more money then the Carbage food the family wants to eat. I have been trying to budget it so it isn’t too obvious. My kids can eat Mr.Noodles that are like 30 cents and be happy for lunch at times, or Kraft Dinner, etc. (It should be noted that my kids are 18,21,23,25 and 28, but the ones at home are 18, 21 and temporarily the 25 year old, plus my 3 year old grand daughter, but I watch very carefully what she is eating). It is cheaper for groceries to eat Carbage in a lot of ways; but it is obviously better for us and more of a long term investment on our health, and the costs that will be incurred later in life.

On a long term basis, Keto is more economical, but I totally understand why Michael is saying that we spend more. Steaks, and all the other meats, and our additional things we buy, like the vitamins, supplements (I didn’t buy these pre-Keto), the special salt, and special ingredients, etc. all adds up. I am not complaining! I just agree that it can be a lot more; but we can do it in cheaper ways as well.

Regardless, Keto is awesome and way better for us, for our health, and our longevity! Long live Keto!! (sorry… just had to add that last bit).


#121

I totally understand your points regarding the price comparison between SAD foods and keto “friendly” foods and I do agree with you. But, in our household we’ve gone down, since we don’t buy 80% of the food we used to - pasta, lots of veggies, lots of fruit (here, fruit is pretty expensive and if you eat a lot, it really adds up), dairy products, meats, sweets, junk, etc. We don’t hoard in the fridge like we used to, we make a plan of what we’ll eat during the week and keep those ingredients in the fridge. Our diet is very simple - assorted meats, limited veggies (i’m histamine intolerant), butter, olive oil, eggs and some cheese+cold cuts when my husband wants to eat them.
We don’t have kids, either, so we don’t have to spend a lot on food - I see how much money my friends have to spend to feed the entire family.


#122

To start I just say that I’ve gone on an elimination diet. I don’t tell them that I eliminate pretty much all carbohydrate rich foods and industrial seed oils. I don’t give dietary ingredients. The person asking is after a story more than a “How to…” lecture.

Elimination diet is a medical term after all. This is where mentioning a doctor and appealing to the listener’s authority bias, can be an actual useful achievement for a doctor. Some people know about elimination diets in terms of diagnosing food allergies, especially in children or pets.

If they want to know more, I say, that I spoke to my doctor about getting healthier. Now the doctor and SCIENCE become the authority for any advice in the story, not me, the story teller. Then using some tests we started from a base diet of foods that I liked, and foods I thought I liked, but limited too much variation, and eliminated the foods that caused any abnormal or concerning blood test results. Then over time, foods were reintroduced to find out if they had bad effects on my health, good effects, or did not affect any change. All measured with comparing tests (data collection; n=1).

The main ingredient to the diet? Curiosity followed by motivation for self-care.

If they push, they do want a quick fix after all, I say it all starts with a doctor visit and getting some baseline data blood and urine tests from which to work (I know most people do not start keto this way. Most hurdle the doctor, dodge around any blood tests and scary needles, and strike out alone). The listener who is often phenotypically (looks like) insulin resistant, will find they are pre-diabetic or have metabolic syndrome, or insulin resistance. They may even find they are diabetic.

For me, those tests also led to getting a heart check (Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) score. Score was 0 in 2015, and follow up last week score is 1). I also mentioned that I got a blood glucose (under my slightly fruity breath “and ketone”) monitor for home tests even though I am not diabetic. They ask why? And I say the main ingredient to my diet is curiosity… and motivation for self care… and the tests indicated I may have been heading toward a health catastrophe, if I didn’t get on to things right away.

Thus, starting from a base of measurable criteria (blood test results). Dietary intervention and exploration can start. Some will take the vegan path to circle back to keto. Others will go the LCHF way. It will all start with dietary inputs they are sure they can’t live without. But the key is to jump in.

They might ask directly (as I spelunk some double cream into my black coffee), “But what do you eat?” I tell them that what I eat is what I need to eat. It’s what I eat. There is no use me telling them the specifics because what I eat is very personalised. “What works for me likely won’t work for you” (malicious use of the ‘appeal to snow flake’ individuality logic trap and just a sprinkle of reverse psychology here).

I try to feed their curiosity.

If they want to know what I eat and drink, they have to take me out for a meal and a chat (to watch what I eat). I won’t tell them.

Yes, one of my jobs is as a teacher. :wink:


(Susan) #123

If I lived by myself, I would only be buying Keto foods, so therefore I would be spending a lot less. However, I have to still buy all the SAD foods too, because my husband, and 18 year old, 21 year old and our 25 year old daughter all live here (she is moving out soon, she was living in another city with her bf and will be living with him again, he is at his parents and she is here until they find a place for Aug or Sept), and my 3 year old grand daughter. I have had to buy all the same foods basically for them, and my Keto foods on top of that (although, of course some things, like the meat and vegetables are for all of us). I have greatly reduced my husband’s snacks, stopped buying chips the past few weeks (he is a bit grouchy about it but he agreed he needs to cut back on junk food). I see this as an encouraging start at least!

Yes, so we are spending less then when I had all 5 of the kids at home, we used to buy half a cow once a year from our friends that are Beef farmers (grain fed animals) and they do other farming of cash crops as well Sometimes we bought a pig too. We spent a lot of money on food for sure.


(Susan) #124

What an ingenious way to get a really nice dinner out! I like this strategy, hehe.


#125

I completely understand how much money it takes to feed a family, especially one as large as yours. I can, however, estimate how much my husband and I spent on SAD and how much we spend now on keto, and we do spend less.
I take advantage of sales, we buy meats in bulk, we are in no way “living large.” :slight_smile:


(Susan) #126

If I could get my hubby on board with Keto, then we would spend a lot less too, and I think it would improve his 2 neurological diseases as well! (Hydrocephalus and Parksinson’s) but he is stubborn, but so am I. I am hopeful. I have made an effort to try and make more healthier choices for my grand daughter now then I did with my kids (because I didn’t know what I know now nutritionally). I am happy for the couples that are doing it together though, that is really awesome.

Regardless of how much money in groceries all of us spends, we are still buying better groceries, and working on improving our lives, our health, vitality and longevity!


#127

Definitely, I sometimes cringe when I remember what I used to eat. My husband is a weird animal, he likes to cheat and he believes that cheats are what his soul needs…I have days when I yell at him, other times I pretend I don’t see and tell myself that he is an adult that can do whatever he likes :joy: His beginnings were difficult, as well: “but I need my bread,” "I will have that pizza, I don’t care, etc. but now he sees how off he feels after he “cheats,” so he’s finally learning to make better decisions on his own :slight_smile: Sometimes they just need more time, but I’m sure your hubby will come around eventually, especially when he sees how wonderfully you’re doing long-term.


(Ellenor Bjornsdottir) #128

“I liked potatoes too, and still do to be honest, but I made a decision one and half years ago that my kidneys were more important, so I started feeding myself foods that would help keep my kidneys working and rebuild them (proteins and micronutrients from animal sources, but not in such excess that you’d get azotemia if you had kidney problems), instead of mowing them down as the glucose from potato starch does.”


#129

Fantastic quote and couldn’t be more fitting!


#130

@amwassil Yep! Meat is definitely expensive - and I don’t think that changes based on where might live. A steak is a steak. I got off easy there- since we’ve been raising grass-fed beef cattle for around 17-18 years now. Store prices are insane!!!
The thing I neglected to mention about the economics of Keto, was that the rest of the family - hubby and three kids still at home - was how many times a day they eat, versus how many times I eat. Most days, I’m OMAD - chunk of meat + salt+ a few nobs of butter and I’m good for 20+ hours The family, on the other carb-loaded hand, eats 3-5 times a day. Cereal is expensive- (unless you catch a Walgreen’s sale when its $1.88/box). The lactose free milk is freakin’ expensive. Bread is $2-5 a loaf here. (One of the kids can down a whole loaf in a day.) Fruits (and some veg) is unbelievably expensive up here. So, while a lot of the carby stuff is less expensive, I’m looking at how many times a day they have to eat in order to stay satiated - not just the cost of the items.
Yesterday, my husband had 4 meals - versus my 1 meal.
I guess its quality versus quantity. Initially, we might eat more expensively on Keto, but, as we become fat adapted, for me anyways, the amount I eat is way tapered off.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #131

My experience is somewhat different. On carbohydrates, I could fill my belly practically to bursting (literally, not figuratively) and still be hungry. On keto, I am mostly not hungry. The ingredients are costlier, but I eat less, and eat less often, so it’s largely a wash. Of course, factoring in the lack of medical expenses, and the income not lost from having to visit the doctor, makes the deal even sweeter. The Noakes Foundation has found this to be particularly true among the poor in South Africa—the health gains end up making the diet cheap in comparison to the costs of having to take a day off from work, take the bus to a neighboring city, purchase an expensive prescription, etc.

There is also the added benefit of not having to sacrifice limbs to diabetes. I’m attached to my fingers and toes, and keto is helping me stay that way.


(Katie) #132

I got really tired of being treated like I have two heads when someone learns I am on Keto. Just don’t talk about it. If someone brings up how good I look,I just accept the compliment and move on.

But, for sure I could never get seriously involved with a man that wasn’t doing Keto for life… as cold as it sounds, I don’t want to put myself in the position of having a sick demented man , old before his time.


(Bob M) #133

Well, I didn’t have the guts or the time to do this. My cardiologist has so few minutes with me, that I can’t tell them the issues I’m having let alone talk to them about keto.

I have idiopathic (we have no idea what caused this) dilated (your heart is getting bigger) cardiomyopathy (something’s wrong with your heart). I have been experiencing low blood pressure (<100 systolic, which is low for me), dizziness at times, and what I perceive to be slow heart rate. So, those took priority for the 10 minutes I was in the office.

I used the Dave Feldman cholesterol drop protocol and got my LDL down to 106. The cardiologist was happy about that, but then pulled up an old (5 years?) reading where my LDL was 152. I had to tell him that was because that was after 4.5 days fasting, which was true. Fasting that long causes “bad” things to happen for me, TC, LDL, trigs all go up, HDL goes down. I did not know this at the time (way before Dave Feldman), so to prove what happened, I did another test after 12 hours then after 4.5 days of fasting, and saw dramatic differences (again, before Feldman helped to explain this). The cardiologist does not have this data, though. He thought I was crazy for fasting that long.

I didn’t have the heart to then say, “Ha! You think that’s crazy, I fasted 4.5 days, then ate as much saturated fat as I could for three days, then took the blood test that caused LDL to be 101. Oh, by the way, I’ve been on a low carb/keto diet since 1/1/14. Oh, and I didn’t eat at all Monday, worked out Tuesday morning without eating, ate two meals Tuesday, ate one meal yesterday…”

He is convinced that the drugs I’m taking have helped repair my heart. I’m less convinced. There is a high correlation between insulin resistance and what I have. There is also a benefit to adding ketones for heart failure. I think my reversal of insulin resistance via diet and fasting is at least as important and perhaps more important than drugs.

This is the cardiologist who refused to authorize a CAC scan for me. He told me this is because my LDL is low, thus a CAC isn’t useful, apparently believing that high LDL = high values on a CAC scan, which I think is unsupported by scientific evidence. Unfortunately, I’m not the person to be the black swan for this, as my LDL is (assuming I don’t fast a lot) “low”.

I found a place that did not require a doctor’s prescription and got a CAC scan anyway. Score was zero. (And, I have very high Lp(a) and likely have had this my entire life, though I only knew about it when I began paying for fancier blood tests myself.) I’ll get another scan sometime in the future, to track what’s happening.

The good news is that I’m officially just “overweight” based on BMI. And based on my pants and the way I look and feel, I’ve gained muscle mass too, so I’m probably much better than the scale shows. I’ll know during my next DEXA scan.