Question about the Keto diet. Is it healthy or a fad?

Posted by sailor1750 @sailor1750, Jan 19, 2020

Keto diet....No fruit,no veggies from below ground: beef,pork,fish and fat....Is it healthy or a fad?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Healthy Living Support Group.

@imallears

@sailor1750

From what I understand the dirty keto diet has a high fat intake. The clean keto diet is more whole food and non starchy veggies and no processed foods. I don’t know if many people can sustain the clean keto diet for a long time but it does make you drop the weight initially. My friend, who is still on the dirty keto plan, has not lost any more weight but is happy where she is. She could do with shedding more pounds. I read somewhere that someone on a dirty keto diet will eat a bacon cheeseburger without the bun and someone on the clean keto diet will grill a grass fed burger with veggies.

If you are still very active at your age and feel good and your weight is commensurate with your build then you are doing great. At least you know what you should eat . Routine blood panels will keep you in line. Us oldies are goldies.

FL Mary

Jump to this post

If someone asked me the unlikely question, "how can I raise my cholesterol numbers?." I couldn't do much better than urge them to eat a bacon cheeseburger with or without a bun. Don

REPLY

I keep hearing of people who do well on keto and find the notion of it tempting but I've asked three doctors about it (PCP, endocrinologist and cardiologist) and they've all seen patients do OK 'at first' but not over the long-term. And two had patients end up with health issues they think were related to lack of nutrients and first-time elevated triglycerides and cholesterol.

I've also seen people go on and off "clean" keto and just wonder if it's not detrimental to force the metabolic system into such an extreme reversal of fueling the body. (The people I've seen go off keto seem to gain weight at a much-faster rate than people going off a calorie-restricted diet. I'm not a biochemists but it almost 'looks' as if the body lost some ability to deal with the formerly-restricted foods when they weren't being consumed. I would have been more tempted to try keto if I'd not seen that happen a few times. )

I'm 'improving' my daily eating, kind of step by step in respect of sensitive GI tract that doesn't like big changes. Have added a lot of fresh vegetables and like the suggestion of cutting out bread, as an experiment, which I don't love anyway.

I gained some appreciation of food-as-medicine when we saved a pet's life by experimenting with changing its diet by trial-and-error. Had I not witnessed that reversal of health, I might have continued half-dismissing the notion but I don't think animals are susceptible to the placebo effect and the only variable was a change in diet, meaning a change in nutrition.

REPLY

I had been treating my type II diabetes with Actos and Metformin for nearly 30 years. Well controlled. Then I moved and got a new Doctor Who took me off of both and put me on a single medicine and told me to go on a keto diet. My morning glucose numbers got slightly better but after about a month of bunless cheeseburgers I found it just impossible to continue. My hemoglobin A-1 C went from about 7 to 9 in a brief period of time subsequent to my leaving that diet. I’ve never gotten back to where I was, although I’m headed that way slowly but surely. And it has been for years. So it may work for you but I just did not have the discipline. And now of course with the CKD on top of the type II, I find that I must eat not only bunless cheeseburgers, but bunless , cheeseless and burgerless cheeseburgers!

REPLY
@cekkk

I had been treating my type II diabetes with Actos and Metformin for nearly 30 years. Well controlled. Then I moved and got a new Doctor Who took me off of both and put me on a single medicine and told me to go on a keto diet. My morning glucose numbers got slightly better but after about a month of bunless cheeseburgers I found it just impossible to continue. My hemoglobin A-1 C went from about 7 to 9 in a brief period of time subsequent to my leaving that diet. I’ve never gotten back to where I was, although I’m headed that way slowly but surely. And it has been for years. So it may work for you but I just did not have the discipline. And now of course with the CKD on top of the type II, I find that I must eat not only bunless cheeseburgers, but bunless , cheeseless and burgerless cheeseburgers!

Jump to this post

I would get a second opinion. For one thing, you were doing well on the previous meds for 30 years. So why did he change the meds? Secondly, for what it's worth, I've asked several doctors about the trendy keto diet, including an endocrinologist, and they are unanimous in thinking it too extreme. And my cardiologist has patients who tried it and caused other issues including hypercholesterolemia.

There are other eating plans that focus on limiting breads, processed foods, high sugar, high fat that nonetheless offer a wide array of things to eat. Including lots of vegetables. Surely they can be modified to fit diabetics' needs?

REPLY
@cekkk

I had been treating my type II diabetes with Actos and Metformin for nearly 30 years. Well controlled. Then I moved and got a new Doctor Who took me off of both and put me on a single medicine and told me to go on a keto diet. My morning glucose numbers got slightly better but after about a month of bunless cheeseburgers I found it just impossible to continue. My hemoglobin A-1 C went from about 7 to 9 in a brief period of time subsequent to my leaving that diet. I’ve never gotten back to where I was, although I’m headed that way slowly but surely. And it has been for years. So it may work for you but I just did not have the discipline. And now of course with the CKD on top of the type II, I find that I must eat not only bunless cheeseburgers, but bunless , cheeseless and burgerless cheeseburgers!

Jump to this post

I am assuming that the new doctor did complete bloodwork? The current protocol is to discontinue & replace Metformin if kidney functions begin to decline, which is quite typical in people who have had diabetes for a long time, especially if they are older.
Other health conditions that lead to discontinuing it include impaired liver function and heart disease.
Sometimes, when you see the same doc for a long time, a certain complacency occurs and if things seem to be going well, adjustments don't get made. A new doctor, who doesn't know you so well, is more likely to rely on test numbers in establishing treatment.
My husband had this happen recently when his kidney function declined (was discovered by his primary.) It has taken several months to get things back in balance, but his A1C is now back below 7.0.

As to the Keto diet, I always remember my Dad, who was not formally educated, but was extremely well read and wise. His mantra in life was "all things in moderation." It is my first reaction whenever people talk about extreme diets or workout plans.
Did your doctor explain the reason for stopping metformin?

REPLY

I didn't particularly like the Keto diet as it was a little extreme. I've found that the low carb healthy fat along with intermittent fasting or limited eating "windows" helps me control my weight and is much better for my overall health. I think it's also good for those with diabetes or prediabetic. There is a discussion here:

-- Low-carb healthy fat living. Intermittent fasting. What’s your why?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/low-carb-healthy-fat-living-intermittent-fasting-whats-your-why/

REPLY
@callalloo

I would get a second opinion. For one thing, you were doing well on the previous meds for 30 years. So why did he change the meds? Secondly, for what it's worth, I've asked several doctors about the trendy keto diet, including an endocrinologist, and they are unanimous in thinking it too extreme. And my cardiologist has patients who tried it and caused other issues including hypercholesterolemia.

There are other eating plans that focus on limiting breads, processed foods, high sugar, high fat that nonetheless offer a wide array of things to eat. Including lots of vegetables. Surely they can be modified to fit diabetics' needs?

Jump to this post

I did not mention that after I got that first terrible HA1c that I went to an endocrinologist. He said that medicine she put me on has not been prescribed for diabetics for some time. He added Jardiance and Trulicity. So overtime I’ve gone from two meds to Several. And now with CKD and hypotension I’ve quit lisinopril, which was for kidneys, obviously not blood pressure, and the Jardiance . I have another three or four weeks to my next appointment to see what the kidneys numbers look like. And the hypotension ended within 24 hours of my stopping the lisinopril. I’ve always had low blood pressure, such that I could not handle 5 mg and I’ve been taking 2 1/2 for quite a while. I have no idea why I suddenly started having blood pressure readings of 80/50. I imagine being a few months away from 80 years of age is a major factor.

REPLY
@cekkk

I did not mention that after I got that first terrible HA1c that I went to an endocrinologist. He said that medicine she put me on has not been prescribed for diabetics for some time. He added Jardiance and Trulicity. So overtime I’ve gone from two meds to Several. And now with CKD and hypotension I’ve quit lisinopril, which was for kidneys, obviously not blood pressure, and the Jardiance . I have another three or four weeks to my next appointment to see what the kidneys numbers look like. And the hypotension ended within 24 hours of my stopping the lisinopril. I’ve always had low blood pressure, such that I could not handle 5 mg and I’ve been taking 2 1/2 for quite a while. I have no idea why I suddenly started having blood pressure readings of 80/50. I imagine being a few months away from 80 years of age is a major factor.

Jump to this post

Maybe the doctor is still adjusting drugs to get the right balance and will further tweak the dosage(s) at your next visit. Every body is different and that can take a little time.

REPLY
@thumperguy

If someone asked me the unlikely question, "how can I raise my cholesterol numbers?." I couldn't do much better than urge them to eat a bacon cheeseburger with or without a bun. Don

Jump to this post

I’ve always eaten what any dietitian would say, poorly. Never had cholesterol problems. From my readings over the years I’ve come to believe that high cholesterol comes from one’s choosing poor parents. Fortunately, that was not my problem.

REPLY
@sueinmn

I am assuming that the new doctor did complete bloodwork? The current protocol is to discontinue & replace Metformin if kidney functions begin to decline, which is quite typical in people who have had diabetes for a long time, especially if they are older.
Other health conditions that lead to discontinuing it include impaired liver function and heart disease.
Sometimes, when you see the same doc for a long time, a certain complacency occurs and if things seem to be going well, adjustments don't get made. A new doctor, who doesn't know you so well, is more likely to rely on test numbers in establishing treatment.
My husband had this happen recently when his kidney function declined (was discovered by his primary.) It has taken several months to get things back in balance, but his A1C is now back below 7.0.

As to the Keto diet, I always remember my Dad, who was not formally educated, but was extremely well read and wise. His mantra in life was "all things in moderation." It is my first reaction whenever people talk about extreme diets or workout plans.
Did your doctor explain the reason for stopping metformin?

Jump to this post

May I ask what replaced the metformin?

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.