2 weeks into Keto and finding it tough but for an unexpected reason. I don’t have any support from my partner.
She has said now I need to get a nutritionist to say it’s okay before she believes me…I think I might do that but bit of a waste of money particulrly if she has a problem with it! I’ll be letting my GP know when I see him next which should be in a week or two and I’ll be discussing with him stopping my statins medication (I no longer think LDL and high cholesterol is the best indicator of heart disease.
My question is, how’d everyone manage the support side? If you didn’t start Keto via advice from your doctor, how’d you convince anyone bacon and eggs is a great meal and adding butter to your coffee is a good option instead of breakfast??
It’s not the be all and end all of course, I’m stubborn so I can wing it solo (with this forum for help!)
P.s. She said my breath smelt yesterday. I didn’t tell her how happy that comment made me.
I did have a doctor tell me that keto is the best option for me. Luckily my husband is going along with me. Sure makes things easier and cheaper - even if I get a little tetchy when he lets me know he’s lost a lot more than I have.
I was lucky in that my wife did it right along with me. She was rather shocked when I first said I was going keto. And I don’t know if she believed I would stick with it. But we did it together.
One year later and the two of us have lost over 100 pounds combined. We’re in much better health in a whole bunch of ways. No doctor involved, no nutritionist involved, we just did it.
For me, I don’t think there was much anyone said to me directly when they started to realize that I was losing weight and getting around a lot easier. It’s kinda hard to argue with that. There have been a few backhanded remarks in my hearing about how horrible the keto diet is, but no one would engage me in direct conversation. (I tried a couple of times, it wasn’t worth the tension.)
Not sure quite where you’re coming from, what your goals are, how far away you might be from them, that kind of thing. Whatever the case, it would be great if you could get involved with a keto friendly doctor, maybe even see if those statins could go away.
I suspect my GP is open minded about it. He even was a bit of the fence on the statins (I’m about 3 months into that) but my heart specialist was adamant, higher chorlestrol = statins.
Same specialist has had my dad on them for decades and he still found two blockages this year and needed one stint and the other had an artery that built itself around it…apparently that can happen.
As far as why I’m trying Keto:
Weight loss - only 20kg but like everyone, nothing has worked over the last 10 years but the 20kg is manageable enough, I just don’t want to get worse which will happen if I don’t manage my weight. My brother and dad are both bigger than me and if I don’t sort it out, I can go that way.
WOE, is that what it’s called? I’m sick of counting calories or worrying what I’m eating. It sounds like once everyone has the hang of what has carbs etc. then it becomes a simpler game.
I listened to 2 Keto Dudes. Once again, I don’t have particular health problems apart from the cholesterol…which is the only thing Keto doesn’t fix it seems but reading everyone’s stories and hearing them speak about the change in health markets and I don’t think I want to wait for something to go wrong before I look at this. Mental health too seems to have benefits, with a few family members struggling with this, I don’t want to go blaming my genes.
“Way of Eating” as opposed to a “diet.” Dieting implies a short term change that you quit doing when you achieve a desired result. Which is, of course, why 90+% of people who lost weight on a diet gain it all back when they quit and go back to their old habits. So the emphasis on this being a “way of eating” is that it is a permanent lifestyle change.
Makes sense - your original lifestyle (eating habits, food choices, physical activity, stress factors) is what got you to where you are, so if you keep doing them (or go back to them) you would expect to end up in the same place.
Me personally - I do have high cholesterol and my Doctor is fine with the keto diet but wants me to take statins to help with the cholesterol. I used to take one (generic Lipitor) and it kept my cholesterol levels in the “good” ranges. I quit taking it in July (ran out, and my insurance had just changed and I just didn’t get around to getting a refill). Then I went to see the doctor last week for a full checkup, after 6 weeks on keto. My total and LDL cholesterol were too high, and my HDL was really low. Only thing that was good was triglycerides. I think it may be hereditary because even when I was much younger, thinner, and exercised more I had higher cholesterol levels.
So I’m back on the statin. It never bothered me before so I don’t mind taking it. If I get my weight down significantly I may experiment with stopping it again, but yeah, keto didn’t seem to help that out.
My wife isn’t concerned - she sees the weight coming off and the foods I am eating are quite healthy based on anyone’s diet, just without a particular regard for fat content.
Plus I am a full-grown adult and there is nobody in a position to tell me what to eat or what not to eat, other than me.
Hey Sam, if you haven’t already, I have a feeling you might enjoy Dr. Ken Berry. He has quite a few short videos on YouTube. I like the guy quite a lot. He’s a real practicing GP just outside of Nashville, TN and a great advocate for keto. Check him out if you haven’t already. Lots of good basic no-nonsense kind of practical stuff.
Dr. Berry is the best. And now that I am at maintenance weight, my husband is less on-board with me being on keto. He is afraid that more rampant weight loss will continue.
Frankly, I get most of my support on these forums. My sister is sympathetic and tries to eat keto, and the the rest of the family enjoys my cooking, which is all keto dishes. If any one else cooks, I just eat what I can, and if we order in pizza, I eat the toppings and leave the crust, that sort of thing. Fortunately, I enjoy cooking when it’s not just for myself. But mostly they don’t want to talk about keto and are happy with what they eat. If they are not enthusiastic supporters of my way of eating, at least they don’t try to discourage me, either.
You know, Paul, I have tried different online forums in the past. I even have a Facebook account, but i may spend one day month there. But the ketogenic forums, I can’t stay away!
I’m always telling my wife this or that happened on the keto forums today. I was telling my sister-in-law (who’s recently started keto) about the forum and said, “it’s basically taken over my life.”
I have NEVER been this involved in another forum. I sincerely feel like I’ve found my community.
Ruina
(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!)
#12
Dr Boz on YouTube is good too. If Dr Berry’s manner isn’t your partner’s cup of tea, Dr Boz might be easier. I like them both so far.
Lack of family support can be a tough hurdle to overcome. Not necessarily because they want you to fail, but simply because they are ignorant of the process. I know, this ketogenic lifestyle sounds crazy, especially since we have been told all of our lives that cholesterol is a killer, and that we need to decrease our fat intake in order to control our weight and or diabetes.
When someone comes along and professes to have an idea or theory that flies in the face of everything we have been taught our whole lives, our natural instinct is to put up a defensive barrier and say “no way Jose!” I don’t believe you. Change is not easy, and many times we have to be dragged into changing our ways kicking and screaming.
Keep in mind, that your partner thinks they are looking out for your best interest. I was lucky, as a former chef, who does the majority of cooking at home, I told my wife, hey I am going keto. “Resistance is futile, you have very little choice but to join me!!!” No, I am just kidding, she was actually 100% supportive in my efforts and I am lucky to have such a partner. Embracing this lifestyle can be challenging when your family does not understand your reasoning for adopting this lifestyle. Especially if you are not the one doing the cooking.
My advice for what it is worth. Sit down and talk with her, write down her questions and concerns regarding this way of eating. Then go out and find the information you can regarding these questions and concerns and try and have an interactive dialogue with her. Don’t bombard her with hundreds of studies and research, but explain to her why this is important to you, and the health benefits that others have received when they started on their ketogenic journey.
Good luck, Sammy, I wish you continued success on your journey.
I have just started as well. My husband was very against it the first couple of days maybe a week. Then I had him watch Dr Lusig ‘s sugar video on YouTube (an hour and a half long) but he was engrossed. After watching that video, and then me sharing off of the success thread here on the forum, both the pics and the health thread. He decided to join me. We are currently reading/listening actually on audible the Obesity Code.
We have both been ethical pescatarian/vegetarians for ten years or so, so it was a huge leap for him to make. Some times we need to spend the time educating our partners, their concern is coming from a place of love.
elastoplastic
("Don't call it calories, call it food")
#18
Some ideas…
Read through the before/after thread that is on here with your partner.
Watch The Magic Pill together (on Netflix)
To be honest, I wouldn’t go see a nutritionist. There is no point. I don’t know how I would approach that with my partner.
I have zero support from my partner. I never do with any “diet” I’ve ever done. If it inconveniences him in any way, or makes me “too skinny” he’s not supportive.
I’m about 9 weeks in and what I chose to do was just not talk about it much the first few weeks. There were even a couple times in those weeks that I ate pizza, just to avoid a fight. Now that I’m fat adapted and I feel so much better, he can literally say anything he wants and it doesn’t bother me. I can just smile and nod my head and pick the pizza toppings off the top of the pizza. Or just tell him I already ate and fast through that meal. The anxiety that I used to get so badly at his deterrences is gone.
I would love so much if he (and my children) joined me on this WOE, but I’ve accepted that it isn’t going to happen, so I KCKO and know that I have this awesome support group if I need it!
I second this love love Dr Berry !
I was telling my sister-in-law (who’s recently started keto) about the forum and said, “it’s basically taken over my life.”