Studying keto! Inspired by Richard

(Suzi Jenkins) #1

Hey keto peeps!

I am still a relative newbie here and have been binge listening to the podcasts for the last couple of months. I am just up to where Richard took a break and Carrie joined, so no spoilers please.

Long story cut super short - I am trying a little lifestyle directional management. Which means I am looking at slowly surrendering my current job to move into a different way of working, which incorporates my beliefs in various topics, including a keto lifestyle.

I can’t be Carl and Richard and do this unpaid (thank you thank you and thank you for all you have done guys), but I am interested in finding a way of creating true value that has real worth. And in order to do that ethically and morally, I need me (another) education! I have an undergraduate degree and a post graduate degree in entirely unrelated subjects and am now searching how I can study this stuff.

So that presents me with two problems.

a). I cannot quit my job to undertake fulltime education.
b). The two dudes have made me HUGELY sceptical of all the stuff that is out there to be studied (Richard’s comments about having to learn stuff on his degree course that he knows is wrong, I find terrifying).

So I have enrolled in a lightweight free course, just to get the ball rolling. I was fully prepared to be shouting “show me the science” at the screen, when, just minutes into the online course, I saw " The medical advice is that eating a diet high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in the blood. However, further research (Press Association, 2015) suggests there may not be such a clear link."

Also mentioned:

“For adults, the reference nutrient intake (RNI) is 0.75 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For an average man weighing 83kg, his protein needs are 62g per day. For an average woman weighing 70kg, her protein needs are 53g. However, an average western diet contains much more protein than that.”

Which again is good (bearing in mind that here they talk about total body weight and not lean mass which Richard and Carl do) - but hey, it’s suggesting we eat too much protein, which is probably a real factor for many of us.

It does then go on to talk about good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, fat should never exceed 25% of daily intake blah blah blah.

Anyway, I was “uplifted” as it is a step in the right direction.

If anyone has any great study resources for this subject I would be grateful. I cannot undertake fulltime education (timewise and financially) right now, but am hungry for good info and especially courses that might give me a little accreditation.

Have a lovely day everyone

#2

I am in a similar position, having studied in the humanities and worked in a totally unrelated field and now feeling a pull toward health-related work. I have begun taking some courses and I feel it’s essential to understanding science. Statistics for sure. Freshman-level science courses for science majors (the courses distilled for other majors do not come close).

If I were you I would take one class at a time at your local community college.

I know it’s tempting to forego traditional education because of how much you will have to ignore as you disagree with it, but your understanding of basic bodily processes will benefit greatly, and you can leave behind the conventional wisdom when you are done.

(Polly) #3

Where in the world are you Suzi?

One of my heroes, Zoe Harcombe, studied for a PhD because she wanted a qualification in nutrition and found that nothing on offer was based on good science. She has become a total legend in the analysis of data and discovery that so many of the conclusions drawn after studies actually cannot be founded on the evidence.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #4

Community colleges in the U.S. are generally inexpensive, but the courses can be very helpful. They can also provide a foundation for schooling at a more rigorously academic school, if your circumstances should change. In any case, if you call round to the colleges in your area, you are sure to find someone who can help you refine your goals and focus on a plan of action.

(Kristen Ann) #5

For what it’s worth, my dad and I both quit our careers and went back to college for a completely different career path and it worked in both our favors.

My Dad was 40 and supporting a family. He quit his career, we sold our house and moved into one much smaller that was more affordable, and he bagged groceries while he worked through his new degree. Money was extremely tight for us growing up but it changed our family for the better because not only was my dad around more often, but he was a much happier person. He quickly became very successful in his new career.

When I was 24, I quit my job and went back for a second bachelors. I served tables and bartended at night to pay for it. I now have a federal job doing what I LOVE and they’re helping me get my master’s.

Sometimes gambles pay off :wink:

(Suzi Jenkins) #6

Great reply. Thank you! I do not live in the states, so no such luxury as community college. But I feel you are right, that in probably to be able to responsibly dispute traditional learning, I need to know traditional learning.

(Suzi Jenkins) #7

I am in awe! Of you both!

I can’t take that gamble right now as I have too many dependents and outgoings. I also LOVE what I do now, and have the awesome possibility to shift it sideways a little to get closer to this field that I am so enthusiastic about BUT I feel like I need some better qualifications in the area to be an authority.

But I do agree with you (and you have proved it) - gambles can often pay off!

(Suzi Jenkins) #8

I am in Florence, Italy. Not a bad place to be all things considered, (especially if you are into pasta, pizza, bread and vino!!!).

But not huge on adult education.

I am following the “lightweight” courses, which are free, from the Open University based in the UK.

I feel a bit like Zoe, in that I have not found anything that inspires me (payable or free). I will never become a legend, but I am very wary of “learning” science that is rubbish!