Rethinking the Ketogenic Diet Principles
I was pretty sold on the principles behind ketones and using them for fuel. It all seemed to make sense and was wrapped up in a nice bundle … and was presented in a way that I could understand and work with: low/no carbs, lots of fat, body begins producing ketones, body begins to burn ketones for fuel = all is well with the world. Except it was hard for me. Yes I loved fat, and it was VERY satiating for me, and I felt OK from about week 2 till about week 6 at which point I began to feel dragged out again. Why? What was I missing? I thought back to Paleo days, and I realized that I was missing a piece of watermelon, and honey and the crunch of an apple. Not all the time and certainly not in ‘stuff my face’ amounts, but mildly missing them just the same.
So I went back to a couple of the bloggers that had got me on the path to the Keto Diet to see what they were currently doing and saying. (I tend to read and take all I can from what people write and then move on … maybe I should have stuck with following some of these guys = hindsight is 20/20.) Specifically I went back to Jimmy Moore (Twitter @livinlowcarbman), AKA: Mr Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb man. The 1st post on his blog several days ago was: I Will No Longer… . I was shocked to read the excuses and the giving up and all the other feeling-sorry-for-myself nonsense in that post. Basically he was saying, ‘this is THE way to eat to be healthy … just don’t criticize me because it’s not working for me.’ This was the guy who was ‘advising’ me about the Keto Diet?!? And then today he posted this horroriffic picture on Instagram. ‘Houston, we have a problem.’ ‘Dammit Jim!’ ‘What the tarnation?’ (and any other movie exclamations one can think of.) This was what I was trying to look like?? I looked like that once … a LONG time ago and I’m not interested in looking like that again! Now, before all the haters come out, I’m sure Jimmy is a nice guy. He certainly plays one on the interwebs. I think he is honest, or at the very least still believes in what he is doing. But F ME …. it’s not working buddy! When you gain weight on a Keto diet (and you honestly have been eating true to the Keto diet,) then we all need to rethink this thing. So I’m rethinking this …
Richard Nikoley over at FreeTheAnimal.com has apparently been moving in a different direction as well. I don’t think he ever really got into the Keto crowd, but he certainly was an avid Paleo guy back in the day when I was trying to figure out how to change my life. His recent posts including A Rare Picture of Richard really pointed out that he was no longer following Paleo principles either especially since he is eating grains again. It’s hard to figure out what exactly the direction is that he has gone, but it all seems to stem around moderation and enjoying food again. And THAT strikes a chord with me! I just want to enjoy good food again! I do want that piece of watermelon (but not the whole melon!) and I do want a spoonful of honey now and then to enjoy melting in my mouth (but not the whole container at one time) and I want to pull an apple from one of my apple trees and crunch into it (but not 10 at a time) … you get the point.
Anyway. Not sure where this is all going to take me. I still need to lose between 40 and 50 lbs and I still need to get my BP under better control … and who knows what my lipid profile looks like, but I also want to live a little again. All this seems to be bringing me back to real food and Paleo (I don’t think I’ll ever really get comfortable with grains again.) I’m really looking forward to my huge garden again this year, and if the snow ever disappears from this frozen wasteland, I’ll be getting out there preparing the soil. In the mean time, I have some thinking and reading to do …
3 Comments
Richard Nikoley
Keep thinking, questioning, and sharing, man.
You’ve got to enjoy life. Rule number one.
Melchior Meijer
I see Jimmy as a journalist/entrepreneur who creates a platform for several very cool scientists whom I might not have heard about if he had not interviewed them. Charles Mobbs, Thomas Seyfried, Helen Vlassara, the list is quite long. I applaud him for that work, even if he is biased. Obviously his diet is not working for him, which is sad for him. But he doesn’t deserve the constant bashing which is going on right now. It becomes rather tiresome, just as the endless paleo bashing that is in vogue. Not saying that you do that, btw.
Recently came across a study that found that fatty acids do play a role in angiogenesis. Previously it was thought that this was a purely glycolytic process. New capillary blood vessels are necessary for adipose tissue to form and expand. My guess is that Jimmy’s genetic make up allows for massive angiogenesis (and thus adipogenesis) when Free Fatty Acids are high. If so, he would be much better off on a ‘normal’, Lindeberg style Paleo diet. Like most people would be ;-).
axehaft
Ya. I guess I am ‘bashing’ him a little. I’m just disappointed that the mouthpiece of Keto looks like he does. While I don’t necessarily understand all the underlying functions that cause us to store fat (I’m not sure that any ‘experts’ really understand that …), I think that if he was going to be totally honest with us, he would pull back from the public and fix himself 1st. The whole ‘doctor, heal thyself’ idea. Just announcing ‘I don’t care’ when the very fact that he’s written that post means he does care is somewhat disingenuous.
I’ve never been one to read too many studies … I’ve just gone with what has worked for me. Keto worked for a while but I found it hard to stay in Ketosis – I felt like I was missing something. Even as I write this my Ketostix this morning tell me I’m still in ketosis with ‘trace’ showing and that is with a more relaxed attitude toward carbs. I still need to get a better control of my health but I also need to live a ‘normal’ life with my family too. Thinking I need more balance I guess.