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Can confirm, keto diets burn weight like a motherfucker. They're also reasonably easy to maintain, since it's pretty easy to order a cheeseburger without a bun

by exelius 11y ago

Can confirm, keto diets burn weight like a motherfucker. They're also reasonably easy to maintain, since it's pretty easy to order a cheeseburger without a bun and eat it with a knife and fork. Also, bacon and avocado are a delicious combination, and keto says they are ok. I dropped 40 lbs in under 6 months on a keto diet, and built muscle while doing it. But I had to stop the keto diet because it makes me stupid when I'm on it. I'm not talking the "keto fog" that you experience for a few days when your body is adjusting; operating in extended ketosis for me correlated with a marked decline in mental capacity. I went from being a rockstar knowledge worker to someone who couldn't do simple arithmetic. And my mental faculties would return within an hour if I ate a bagel. Ketones (what your body burns for energy when there are no sugars available) don't penetrate to the brain, so your body produces sugars from protein through gluconeogenesis, but it wasn't really enough to keep me functioning at 100%. Also, you don't want to be frequently transitioning in/out of ketosis; it gives you horrible headaches.

MCRed 11y ago
Did you try taking a multi-vitamin? I've seen advice to get magnesium and potassium into your system, so I started using lite-salt. In the early days of my diet I was always tired (slept for 24 hours) and started having a constant headache-- this is after getting into ketosis and being there for a couple weeks. But the lite salt cured it within a day. (I wasn't able to get the right form of magnesium yet, but have been also taking multi-vitamins.)
- exelius 11y ago
  Yeah, I did the lite salt thing, I was taking vitamins, etc. I physically felt fine; but I was noticeably dumber. Also, the relief after eating something really carb-heavy was pretty immediate.
kafkaesque 11y ago
I had the same experience. I cut off all noodles/pastas and breads, and ate no pastries/sweets/chocolates. I went from lifting a few times a week for three months to once a week and my brain could not have a rational thought. I felt like my sugar levels were down all the time some how, so even after eating meats, eggs, vegetables, and dressings, my body would feel light and I couldn't get full. I couldn't work on my computer a lot and basically was on autopilot. It was kind of bizarre because I was eating 4-6 eggs a day and my body started feeling really weird. I think all the protein was messing with my body when it was trying to break it down.
hrehhf 11y ago
> Ketones (what your body burns for energy when there are no sugars available) don't penetrate to the brain [0] says that this is false. Ketones do go into the brain and the brain does use them for fuel. [0]http://proteinpower.com/drmike/2007/05/22/metabolism-and-ketosis/ http://proteinpower.com/drmike/2007/05/22/metabolism-and-ket...
- exelius 11y ago
  I believe you -- most of what I know about keto I found on reddit so I treat it with a grain of salt. But I also know how it made me feel, and I can't do the diet and hold down the job I currently have.
  - stevebmark 11y ago
    Ketosis takes at minimum two weeks to adapt to. For some, up to two months. It specifically takes this long because your brain has to switch to using the BOHB for its main fuel source (up to 66% of energy, perhaps higher). The remaining 33% is still glucose (other bodily functions still need glucose to perform, such as the creation of tears), and can usually be supplied by gluconeogenesis from the liver. I understand the urge is great to talk about science exploration, but if your only source is reddit, you can easily accidentally propagate misinformation. Likely someone walked away from your post thinking that the brain will fail on ketosis because it doesn't have glucose (which is actually a common myth heard from physicians). They will never read this reply. I would highly encourage you to read a complete book before even attempting ketosis, otherwise you won't have the motivation and understanding of the changes in your body to make it worth your time. If you want something light, read Keto Clarity. If you want a dense but approachable medical perspective, read The Art And Science of Low Carbohydrate Living. I've been in nutritional ketosis approaching a year, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't done their research on it.

by exelius 11y ago

MCRed 11y ago

Did you try taking a multi-vitamin? I've seen advice to get magnesium and potassium into your system, so I started using lite-salt. In the early days of my diet I was always tired (slept for 24 hours) and started having a constant headache-- this is after getting into ketosis and being there for a couple weeks. But the lite salt cured it within a day. (I wasn't able to get the right form of magnesium yet, but have been also taking multi-vitamins.)

exelius 11y ago
Yeah, I did the lite salt thing, I was taking vitamins, etc. I physically felt fine; but I was noticeably dumber. Also, the relief after eating something really carb-heavy was pretty immediate.

kafkaesque 11y ago

I had the same experience. I cut off all noodles/pastas and breads, and ate no pastries/sweets/chocolates. I went from lifting a few times a week for three months to once a week and my brain could not have a rational thought. I felt like my sugar levels were down all the time some how, so even after eating meats, eggs, vegetables, and dressings, my body would feel light and I couldn't get full. I couldn't work on my computer a lot and basically was on autopilot. It was kind of bizarre because I was eating 4-6 eggs a day and my body started feeling really weird. I think all the protein was messing with my body when it was trying to break it down.

hrehhf 11y ago

> Ketones (what your body burns for energy when there are no sugars available) don't penetrate to the brain [0] says that this is false. Ketones do go into the brain and the brain does use them for fuel. [0]http://proteinpower.com/drmike/2007/05/22/metabolism-and-ketosis/ http://proteinpower.com/drmike/2007/05/22/metabolism-and-ket...

exelius 11y ago
I believe you -- most of what I know about keto I found on reddit so I treat it with a grain of salt. But I also know how it made me feel, and I can't do the diet and hold down the job I currently have.
- stevebmark 11y ago
  Ketosis takes at minimum two weeks to adapt to. For some, up to two months. It specifically takes this long because your brain has to switch to using the BOHB for its main fuel source (up to 66% of energy, perhaps higher). The remaining 33% is still glucose (other bodily functions still need glucose to perform, such as the creation of tears), and can usually be supplied by gluconeogenesis from the liver. I understand the urge is great to talk about science exploration, but if your only source is reddit, you can easily accidentally propagate misinformation. Likely someone walked away from your post thinking that the brain will fail on ketosis because it doesn't have glucose (which is actually a common myth heard from physicians). They will never read this reply. I would highly encourage you to read a complete book before even attempting ketosis, otherwise you won't have the motivation and understanding of the changes in your body to make it worth your time. If you want something light, read Keto Clarity. If you want a dense but approachable medical perspective, read The Art And Science of Low Carbohydrate Living. I've been in nutritional ketosis approaching a year, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't done their research on it.