Other than using the strips that you pee on how can you tell if you are in Ketosis? I believe I am when I've gone 12 hours or more without food or hunger pains but that's just a guess.

Thanks,

Jim

Unless I'm figuring this wrong, I have probably close to 100 lbs to lose to get to where I'm actually healthy. I'd love to say I don't know how I got here, but that'd be a lie. I cycle between gluttony and overkill diet plans, and even when I lose the weight, it comes back with friends...

I'm in my 4th day of trying to get back in the saddle, avoiding any carbs and eating fewer calories. I have fasted for up to 36 hours in the past with success, so I think I will start out doing the 8 hour window of eating (skip breakfast) and eventually try to work my way up to Level Arc, eating only at the evening meal.

I appreciate the spirit with which everyone in this thread has contributed, and hope to report back one day soon that it's working.

Take it slow slabsides, make a few changes you can live with long term. Then when those are habits, make a few more.

Play around with the fasting, super busy day? Go all the way to dinner, you won't notice. Lazy Sunday with the family? Have all three meals with them and enjoy it (just don't go crazy).

Don't be pedantic about it (the intermittent fasting), that is just re-creating the rigid misery of a traditional crash diet.

For me the beauty of intermittent fasting is that unlike difficult to follow diets, you can use this tool to actually save time and help your life and schedule. The easiest thing in the world to do is just skip a meal (esp. b-fast and/or lunch) and just keep working or whatever.

It doesn't mean you can eat like crap in your eating window though (which you know I'm sure). Still have to be focusing on eating whole foods and limiting the carbs.

quote:

Originally posted by Pal:
Other than using the strips that you pee on how can you tell if you are in Ketosis? I believe I am when I've gone 12 hours or more without food or hunger pains but that's just a guess.

Thanks,

Jim

Keto breath and urine that smells of acetone.

quote:

Originally posted by Pal:
Other than using the strips that you pee on how can you tell if you are in Ketosis? I believe I am when I've gone 12 hours or more without food or hunger pains but that's just a guess.

Thanks,

Jim

Let me clarify. I may have been in and out of actual ketosis, but, I never spiked my insulin or blood sugar enough to kick me completely out of it. Consistent ketone bodies in my wee wee.

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
Unless I'm figuring this wrong, I have probably close to 100 lbs to lose to get to where I'm actually healthy. I'd love to say I don't know how I got here, but that'd be a lie. I cycle between gluttony and overkill diet plans, and even when I lose the weight, it comes back with friends...

I'm in my 4th day of trying to get back in the saddle, avoiding any carbs and eating fewer calories. I have fasted for up to 36 hours in the past with success, so I think I will start out doing the 8 hour window of eating (skip breakfast) and eventually try to work my way up to Level Arc, eating only at the evening meal.

I appreciate the spirit with which everyone in this thread has contributed, and hope to report back one day soon that it's working.

I was very skeptical of Keto principles until my brother’s cancer diagnosis. I found that taking the time to become fat adapted before longer fasting has helped. I used to feel dizzy and weak if I went 4-6 hours without eating. Now, 14-16 hours is my norm without really making an effort.

I tried to punch holes in Keto (clean Keto). But there was nowhere I could find that said you had to have carbs. A dietitian will tell you that but they can’t tell you why. I have 2 doctors that have switched over to recommending ketogenic principles.

It takes a little study time to do it correctly, it I have yet to feel any real hunger.

Yes, our bodies don't need to consume "carbs" in and of themselves.

You can't have a truly healthy diet without them though because a truly healthy diet will include a lot of, and a wide variety of, veggies which have some carbs.

Just finished reading The Obesity Code. Eye opening, and he does a solid job of using existing studies on humans to back up his claims. We shall see if it works....

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
Yes, our bodies don't need to consume "carbs" in and of themselves.

You can't have a truly healthy diet without them though because a truly healthy diet will include a lot of, and a wide variety of, veggies which have some carbs.

I disagree. If you can source quality meats and you eat plenty of fat and organ meats you can get everything your body needs to be healthy. It's been done and it's being done.

I can't source that kind of quality with my lifestyle so I do incorporate veggies. If you are not over cooking veggies and/or you are eating them raw and you count NET carbs it is not problem to stay under 30 carbs a day. Especially with 1 or 2 meals. Just pick the right veggies. I even have berries a couple times a week, still no problem to stay low carb. It's a LOW carb diet not a NO carb diet. The key is training your body to burn and utilize fat for fuel not carbs.

I think the bigger picture on a low carb (KETO) diet is choosing your carbs wisely, eating clean, not snacking and making sure to do some strength training. This has been my philosophy for almost 2 years. Lost 30 pounds, got back into shape and now I hold around 170-175 weight and feel great. I know it's just one 50 year old guys opinion but it works for me.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:

quote:

Originally posted by Pal:
Other than using the strips that you pee on how can you tell if you are in Ketosis? I believe I am when I've gone 12 hours or more without food or hunger pains but that's just a guess.

Thanks,

Jim

Keto breath and urine that smells of acetone.

Blood is the only way to get an accurate test of ketones. Urine strips are less reliable and it is only telling you what your body is passing. I think in a lot of cases it's just a waste of money to test all the time. If you can intermittent fast without feeling miserable, if you are loosing weight and you clothes are fitting looser you are doing it right. If not and you really want to monitor your glucose and ketones I would get a combo blood tester.

There is the pee smell, thats a fact.

this got me on track. I lost 50 pounds and have kept it off. I avoided diabetes you can too.
"Who puts the food in your mouth? Who goes to the bathroom for ya? You do. You came on this earth alone and you are going to leave alone. Think about it. If anything happens to Jack La Lanne good or bad, I made it happen. If anything happens to you good or bad, you made it happen -- right?"
JACK LALANNE, interview, Alive Magazine, March 2007

My biggest problem the last couple months is I've started cooking again (enjoying cooking), which isn't a good match for losing weight. I'm eating way too much. I'm eating healthy, low carb (some times just low-er), no sugar.. but still way too much. My Instant Pot has gotten me eating vegetables like crazy, I swear I've eaten more vegetables in the last four months than I have in the last four years. It's the cooking and the veggie's that cause me to break my longer fasts. "The mushrooms are turning dark" or "the zucchini is getting mushy, I have to cook them!" I guess it's a nice problem to have.

I'd like to do some longer fasts but it hasn't worked out for me. I've done 4+ days without any trouble... but both times went past that I started to get "fuzzy", not real sharp mentally and it started to effect me at work. It may have passed, but I couldn't afford to find out. Otherwise I have no psychical side effects from fasting. It's all psychological, I keep thinking I should be eating, even though I don't need to. The very first time I fasted I did get headaches, but a little salt took care of that. Hasn't bothered me since.

My worry while fasting is... I have sort of a compulsive thing. I start to think 'I wonder how long I could go without eating? A week? Weeks? A month? And I don't need to do that. lmao So what I do is pick a day and what meal I'll break, and try to stick with that. Both times I "gave up" I was only one meal early, so it wasn't a big deal. And I think for me mentally it's better if I don't push myself. But I never have hunger pains or anything. Which made me realize and wonder... when's the last time I was actually truly hungry? 30-35 years ago?

Wife and I started our Keto journey the day after Christmas. The diet, plus exercise at least six days a week, half an hour or more. We usually average an hour of exercise.

My wife is down 22 pounds, and I am down 41 pounds. By far this is the best diet we have both been on. We don’t feel that we are wanting for anything. If anything, we can’t believe what we can eat and still melt the pounds away. We are both thrilled.

My lab work after a month and a half has been superb. My total cholesterol is 154, triglycerides is 74 and HDL is 50. A1C has been 5.3 for several years now. BP is solid. Overall my doctor likes what he sees.

Regarding low carb dieting. This is going on in Denver as we speak. Loads of resources at the link.

https://denversdietdoctor.com/...ow-carb-denver-2019/

There’s a Keto specific conference coming up in Austin, TX

https://www.ketocon.org

Just finished my first 24 hr. Fast. Easy peasy til about 22 hours. Got a bit foggy, not weak or hungry.

I do 16-8 pretty regularly. I think I’m going to try to do this once a week. My blood sugar was 90 20hours in. It usually 102 1 and 2 hours after I eat. Almost no fluctuation. I’m assuming that’s decent.

24 hours shouldn't count as "fasting."

Growing children aside, the rest of us can do 24 hours no problem.

Why? Because evolution is slow, and man has only bern eating three meals a day for a blip of the time we've been riding this blue marble.

3 meals is a societal construct, not a biological necessity.

What I cook for the fam, is mostly meat and veg, sometimes a pasta or pizza, but mostly a meat and veg.

I'm getting a lot of mileage out of frozen veg stir-fries, you still want to pay attention to what is in them, but they are versatile.

Keilbasa.

Your Daily Dr. Ken Berry courtesy of Ivor Cummins

Dr. Berry gets it. His patients have dramatic recoveries from metabolic syndromes. He has his own statistical date to tell the skeptics to pound sand.

quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:
I'm actually starting several smaller meals throughout the day instead of my usual 2 meals a day (work hours suck).

That may not produce the results you want.

The hypothesis behind multiple small meals, instead of two or three full meals, was digesting food kept your metabolism up. Problem is: It also gives your body a ready supply of energy, so it never has to tap its fat reserves.

It turns out intermittent fasting has a lot of benefits: 5 Science-Backed Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

One benefit not noted in that article is a recent study found intermittent fasting can also improve your sleep cycle.

I started intermittent fasting once or twice a week. I simply eat nothing between dinner and lunch the next day. About 18 hours. I've not found it challenging.

quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:
I did the protein diet last time but it wasn't good for my gout.

I am not a believer in diets that exclude entirely an otherwise healthy component of nutrition. I'll just leave it at that.

quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:
I've cut out all alcohol as well so that should help as well.

That can be a big one. I've struggled to lose fat since November. The beginning of last month I said "That's it! No more sugar. No more alcohol." I cheated, here and there. Wasn't coming off as fast as I wanted. So, beginning of March I told my wife "This is war. Bake no desserts, unless you're going to eat them. I'll eat no desserts or anything sugary at all. No alcohol at all."

Now the fat's finally starting to come off.

Yes. The no alcohol has been helping. I’m still doing the intermittent fasting since I’m used to it.