Around May 5th of this year i decided I needed to be serious about my health. Diets really don't work for most people because for most of them to be successful you must count calories and for the average person, you are constantly hungry.
My niece and nephew had started the Ketogenic Lifestyle around the first of the year and he had lost around 50 pounds. So, I decided to look into that and see if that might be something I could do and help me lose weight.
For those who don't know, the Keto plan cuts out all sugar and drastically reduces your carb intake to around 20 net carbs a day. You look at that and you say, well, that shouldn't be to difficult but it is a drastic change from the typical American diet. It also, to a large degree, goes against conventional wisdom and health advice to have a diet where 65-75% of your calories need to come from fat. Generally speaking, the normal Keto plan is like this: 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbs.
It really is not calorie restrictive but that can come into play as you go along on this diet. But the science behind this is, in a nutshell, your body will no longer burn insulin as energy but will tap into your fat and use out to burn energy, once you become fat adapted. There are plenty of web sites and apps that will help you determine what your plan (called macros) will need to be to achieve your goals.
Some general issues with my health. Gout (high Uric Acid), lots of inflammation *general joint and body stiffness and pain), psoriasis, lots of constant gas (Gas X was my best friend), and way overweight, 280 pounds.
After just one day of doing this, I felt horrible. Not the typical Keto flu symptoms many experience but gassy and so bloated I could not sleep. That passed on day three. Within the first week, I felt so much better than before. I was more alert and I simply just felt better. I also incorporated into my diet, MCT Oil and other supplements such as Turmeric with Curcumin, and a multi vitamin.
After two weeks, learning more about the Keto lifestyle (YouTube is full of information and videos) I had lost 10 pounds. I continued to improve my diet, learn more about Keto, fine tuning what I ate, and within 2-3 weeks the psoriasis in my rib cage area disappeared. I was able to move around easier, such as, getting in and out of bed, out of my recliner, etc. I then incorporated intermittent fasting and reduced my self to two meals a day within a 6 hour window. I basically now eat around 11:30 and again around 5 with no more eating after that and no snacks after each meal.
So, on July 13th I weighed myself and I have lost over 40 pounds. My psoriasis is about 75% gone (I still use medication but the improvement is much better now), I get around much easier of course, and I am able to function even better with improved focus and energy. I have had a couple of cheat meals (red beans and rice this past Sunday) but I do not crave snacks, sweets, carbs, like I used to. Of course, there are substitutes for most everything, especially sweets, but without the cravings, my will power is much improved.
Had my labs and my physical at the end of June and with the exception of my Uric Acid and PSA, the numbers were very good and improved all across the board. A1C dropped to 5.5, glucose to 85, Cholesterol to 180, HDL climbed up to 38, and my risk score dropped to within normal range. Even though Uric acid was up, I have not had any gout symptoms or flare ups. It is also pretty well established that Keto will raise those levels at first. I have not taken a Gas X since the first week of May.
PSA, well, I already knew I had prostate cancer and even though my scored jumped up from a 5 to a 7.3, my urologist did an exam and stated everything "FELT" fine and we would continue our active monitoring and recheck my PSA in about 6 months. In other words, no changes from my previous exam.
So, there is a little history and the reason I started this thread to see if anyone does this Keto diet and to share ideas, recipes, etc. If there is interest, great, if not, then I guess this thread will die.
My niece and nephew had started the Ketogenic Lifestyle around the first of the year and he had lost around 50 pounds. So, I decided to look into that and see if that might be something I could do and help me lose weight.
For those who don't know, the Keto plan cuts out all sugar and drastically reduces your carb intake to around 20 net carbs a day. You look at that and you say, well, that shouldn't be to difficult but it is a drastic change from the typical American diet. It also, to a large degree, goes against conventional wisdom and health advice to have a diet where 65-75% of your calories need to come from fat. Generally speaking, the normal Keto plan is like this: 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbs.
It really is not calorie restrictive but that can come into play as you go along on this diet. But the science behind this is, in a nutshell, your body will no longer burn insulin as energy but will tap into your fat and use out to burn energy, once you become fat adapted. There are plenty of web sites and apps that will help you determine what your plan (called macros) will need to be to achieve your goals.
Some general issues with my health. Gout (high Uric Acid), lots of inflammation *general joint and body stiffness and pain), psoriasis, lots of constant gas (Gas X was my best friend), and way overweight, 280 pounds.
After just one day of doing this, I felt horrible. Not the typical Keto flu symptoms many experience but gassy and so bloated I could not sleep. That passed on day three. Within the first week, I felt so much better than before. I was more alert and I simply just felt better. I also incorporated into my diet, MCT Oil and other supplements such as Turmeric with Curcumin, and a multi vitamin.
After two weeks, learning more about the Keto lifestyle (YouTube is full of information and videos) I had lost 10 pounds. I continued to improve my diet, learn more about Keto, fine tuning what I ate, and within 2-3 weeks the psoriasis in my rib cage area disappeared. I was able to move around easier, such as, getting in and out of bed, out of my recliner, etc. I then incorporated intermittent fasting and reduced my self to two meals a day within a 6 hour window. I basically now eat around 11:30 and again around 5 with no more eating after that and no snacks after each meal.
So, on July 13th I weighed myself and I have lost over 40 pounds. My psoriasis is about 75% gone (I still use medication but the improvement is much better now), I get around much easier of course, and I am able to function even better with improved focus and energy. I have had a couple of cheat meals (red beans and rice this past Sunday) but I do not crave snacks, sweets, carbs, like I used to. Of course, there are substitutes for most everything, especially sweets, but without the cravings, my will power is much improved.
Had my labs and my physical at the end of June and with the exception of my Uric Acid and PSA, the numbers were very good and improved all across the board. A1C dropped to 5.5, glucose to 85, Cholesterol to 180, HDL climbed up to 38, and my risk score dropped to within normal range. Even though Uric acid was up, I have not had any gout symptoms or flare ups. It is also pretty well established that Keto will raise those levels at first. I have not taken a Gas X since the first week of May.
PSA, well, I already knew I had prostate cancer and even though my scored jumped up from a 5 to a 7.3, my urologist did an exam and stated everything "FELT" fine and we would continue our active monitoring and recheck my PSA in about 6 months. In other words, no changes from my previous exam.
So, there is a little history and the reason I started this thread to see if anyone does this Keto diet and to share ideas, recipes, etc. If there is interest, great, if not, then I guess this thread will die.
