To Keto or not to Keto...that is the question

#1

Hi everyone, I’ll try to make this as short as possible. I have a lot of autoimmune issues including many allergies (food and animals), Hashimotos, immune related (they think) acute pancreatitis and everything that goes along with them. Honestly tired of things going wrong, the latest is hives that had to be treated with prednisone (twice) after returning from India (possible allergic reaction to anti malarial drugs). There always seems to be something.
I, despite the issues above, am a very healthy 62 year old woman. I go to the gym six days a week, weights, cardio and yoga. I walk a lot, eat a low carb paleo diet with cheese (duh) diet, don’t drink, don’t smoke. I am not carrying an extra ounce of weight. I would actually like to gain more muscle (I work darn hard at this but have “that” body type).
So should I Keto? I would jump on the wagon now but worry about the hashimotos and T 3 (an issue with me as I don’t convert and take supplements). There is very little reliable info out there.
I want to reduce inflammation. I also worry about the fat and the fact I had severe acute pancreatitis that darn near killled me ten years ago. The high fat is an issue with a bad pancreas…

What would,you do?

#2

I can only share my own experience with you, but hope someone more knowledgeable will weigh in on this. I am 38yr old female, I have had severe pancreatitis 3 times in the last two years (it’s the absolute worst, so sorry you experienced it as well). I was put on Trulicity at one point and the pancreas events and bile duct pain became much more frequent - this was all before going Keto. I have only been doing Keto WOE for about 4 weeks now and so far have noted the only discomfort I have had was from Vitamin D supplements and Toasted Sesame Seed Oil - both oils with high fat content. My gallbladder was removed 11 yrs ago and a natural healthfood store owner recently told me I should never take large amounts of oil or highly concentrated oils (Vit D) even in small amounts without first taking a digestive enzyme. She said before your gallbladder would have helped process it but now the burden falls elsewhere and can cause pancreatitis. Oddly, I am fine with fatty meats, mayo, avocado, even butter…but Vitamin D (which I was crazy deficient in) and sesame oil I am being careful with and am still experimenting with enzymes to find the best one for me.

(Alec) #3

I have no specific experience of your conditions, so my advice is very general.

If you want to reduce inflammation, I would say giving keto a go would be worth it. We know that carbs are inflammatory, so fewer carbs = less inflammation. If you are already low carb you may already be somewhat fat adapted, which would help.

If you do decide to do it, I would recommend giving it at least 2-3 months to see what effects it has for you. Changing to this way of eating does take a while to get used to, but again if you are low carb already, you may find the transition really easy.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #4

Hi Bendgirl, so you say that you’re eating Paleo now. What does your daily food look like on that? Are you tracking nutritional data with an app? How much of what you’re eating now would you have to change? You can do Paleo/Keto if you choose. There’s quite a bit of crossover. Green leafy and cruciferous veggies, avocados, a little tomato or berries now and then. Nuts, meat, fish, eggs. If you don’t want dairy take it or leave it. We use only full fat dairy. So basically no root vegetables except radishes, no fruits other than avocados, and small servings of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and occasional small servings of berries. Use healthy non seed/vegetable oils. Animal fats, avocado oil, EVO, coconut oil are your best choices without eating butter.

I have seen people with all your conditions going with keto and finding improvment. Use the search function for Hashimoto’s and other auto immune disorders. I hope you find something helpful here and stick around. :cowboy_hat_face:

#5

I think everyone should keto. :grinning: or at least give up sugar, gluten, and grains. Everyone can benefit from that.

#6

No but really, I think you would definitely see some improvements if you give it a try. Do an experiment. :slight_smile: maybe a month and see how you feel! Good luck.

(MooBoom) #7

I think your question is best asked of a trusted LCHF/Keto health practitioner or dietician. It sounds like you have a lot of health considerations to be mindful of.

#8

Well, thank you all!
I have been grain free for eight years after discovering I had a wheat and gluten allergy…and bread was my favourite food group. I hated all the useless carbs in gluten free food and found I just did better with no grains, easy peasy.
I use whole fat dairy when I use dairy, which isn’t much. Went dairy free for eight months to see if it helped my breathing and I felt good but ate it again while travelling. I eat some fruit, don’t fall over dead…but I have a banana in the morning before I go to the gym. I have a bit of an egg allergy…if I eat a lot, so I don’t have many and never as a meal. Don’t do seafood either…
Normal food day for me:
One or two mini pumpkin protein muffins (home made, consist of pumpkin, almond flour, applesauce, one egg, heap of protein powder, coconut oil), one coffee with full fat cream, the nasty ( but sweet and yummy) carb filled banana, Brazil nuts
Lunch: protein shake or tuna (the only seafood I eat cause I can mask the taste with loads of pickled jalapeños)…basically protein with maybe an almond flour based bread product or gluten free crackers.
Supper: pile of veggies, usually roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower and some kind of protein. Different tonight as it’s homemade chicken soup, with a big handful of chicken at the bottom and sprinkled with fresh jalapeños.
I have a bad habit of dessert…always homemade, low sugar and topped with coconut whip cream (seriously yum). But this week it’s plain ol strawberries.

So, Keto would be easy for me…but messing with the T3 for thyroid is an issue…not having enough is nothing short of awful…more research.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #9

It sounds like you’re already keto if you cut the fruits and dessert out. It’s not that hard just cut back portions by half first, start skipping every other day and then just stop for a couple of months so you get into a good state of ketosis and will have had enough time to know if it’s helping. Use an app like Cronometer and a kitchen scale to learn the carb content of your day to help make good choices. Keep the carbs under 20 and eat enough protein and fats to be satisfied and never hungry. Drinking more than 2 quarts of water and use plenty of salt on your foods. If you start cramping get some more salt in. That easy, give it a shot, what do you have to lose other than some stubborn health issues. :cowboy_hat_face:

#10

Thanks Dave! I’ll mull this over for a bit but it’s tempting. I kind of worry I’ll pass out cold at the gym if I don’t feed myself with that banana…I have that tendency.
But I am also willing to try new things and maybe just the little muffins and some extra cream in the coffee…
I also use collagen, 2 Tbsp daily in my coffee

(Carl Keller) #11

I agree that replacing inflammatory foods, with single item, whole foods will improve anyone’s health but that your pancreatic issues will complicate matters. A keto friendly doctor would definitely be beneficial.

Two things stood out as I read your original post and both could complicate any weight loss desire. Prednisone is synthetic cortisol and has been clinicially proven to increase weight more often than not. Cortisol is the stress hormone and while it does offer some short term benefit, triggering the fight or flight response raises blood glucose and insulin levels. Keeping both of those as close to normal is crucial for weight loss.

Also, vigorous exercise can stress the body and lead to elevated cortisol levels. It’s often recommended to avoid stressing out our bodies in the first month or two of keto so that our body can adjust to switching from a carb burning state to a fat burning one.

#12

Thanks Carl…I did mention that I have zero intention of losing weight. At 5’7” and 120 lbs soaking wet there is not much to lose. I am well aware of the evils of prednisone…sadly when you are head to toe hives , including eyes swollen shut and lips that resemble injections gone very wrong, you do prednisone…H2 blockers and antihistamines don’t even touch them…sad thing is we cannot diagnose the cause of the hives, they are idiopathic and the most frustrating thing ever!
The hashimotos and the old pancreatic issues are a big concern and I think I’ll do more research. The pancreatitis was so severe that I had no food by mouth for two months and had to have a subsequent surgery to deal with an ever growing pancreatic pseudo cyst. I found out that the pancreas is kind of important…
Thanks to everyone once again. If ever there is someone who is doing Keto and has hashimotos or had acute pancreatitis please post your findings…
I find the science around Keto interesting but there is not much of it…

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #13

Once you are fat-adapted, you should have no need whatsoever of the banana. Fat-adaptation generally takes something like six to eight weeks after starting a ketogenic diet, and in the interim, it is a good idea to avoid stressing your body with too much exercise. You will probably note a decline in your performance; just ride it out, because it will return with fat-adaptation (in fact, restored performance is one of the signs of fat adaptation).

My sister has hypothyroidism and finds keto to be quite helpful. I somehow managed to avoid a diagnosis (amazing, given how much hypothyroidism runs in the family), and by a year or so after going keto, my thyroid levels had gone from borderline to normal. If our experience is anthing to go by, it is likely that you, too, will see some sort of improvement with your thyroid. Don’t expect a full-on cure, but you should feel at least some degree better.