1 Major Reason Why I Stopped Eating Keto

Metabolic Syndrome

Last August I was advised to eat the ketogenic diet for weight loss by my Medical Herbalist as I was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. I wasn’t too happy about the change of diet, I was eating Pescatarian, which was basically vegan plus fish, so it was going to be quite an adjustment. I was by no means on a high carb diet, so after getting rid of quite a bit of my food so I could lower my carb intake, I was ready to give it my best shot.

Transitioning

It took some getting used to mentally, quite a transition once again about what is healthy fats, what are starchy vegetables, how to get myself into a state of ketosis, what I could eat to get myself below 20 grams of carbs a day.

I knew keto wasn’t going to be a long term eating plan, but for now it was perhaps the best way to lose weight and lower my weight gain that had been creeping up through the years.

And We’re Off

The first week wasn’t great, I was perhaps too eager and jumped too fast into my new way of eating and the high fat diet. I don’t eat alot of processed foods in general but I think starting to eat cheese was my downfall. Man that cauliflower cheese was yum. But it went right through me lol

I was miserable for the first month, I did a food diary to make sure I wasn’t going over my carb limit, I wasn’t able to exercise because I didn’t know when I would need to rush to the toilet. I studied the sugar free food ingredients and found that I had diarrhea if I ate sucralose or maltitol. So I was miffed that I wasn’t able to eat some desserts, not that I even ate desserts before eating keto lol

So eventually my Medical Herbalist realised I was dairy intolerant, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that because I haven’t eaten dairy for years. I think I was in denial because it was wishful thinking. I also had a reaction to the magnesium he was giving me too so it was a perfect storm.

Steady Progress

So over the next 5 months I was inching along with the fat loss, I loved this way of eating when I got into a groove, I didn’t even have to have a cheat meal because I loved it so much. I had got my head around why it was a healthy diet and why lowering my carbohydrate intake was working, and my overall health was improving.

My liver blood panel was in range, my blood pre-diabetes tests were looking good which would mean I wouldn’t be in insulin resistance, my cholesterol wasn’t so great but apparently it can elevate while on keto, and my blood pressure was in range. I am on blood pressure medication and it hasn’t been in the normal range in quite some time.

My eating habits were on a roll with the low carb foods, my blood ketone levels were good, my gut was good, I had no indigestion, no heartburn and very little gas. My food intake was less, I didn’t crave junk food, I didn’t crave much at all, and overall I had lost weight, 12kg (27 pounds) in fact. I tried a bit of intermittent fasting but I was a bit worried it would tax my adrenals so I stopped.

My activity level was average. I found it really hard to do my weekly PT session. But if this is what I had to do to lose weight, I would. It wasn’t hard work at all once I was on a roll.

But Then…

Slowly over time I noticed I was getting more anxiety. Feeling a bit jittery in my arms and legs, and I knew these symptoms all too well. So I went for a blood test and sure enough, I was showing the early stages of hyperthyroidism, which I had suffered from 5 years earlier.

A New Plan

So, my goal now was to work on my thyroid and not focus on losing weight. I did some research and decided to go on a low carb diet which hovers around 100 grams of carbs a day as opposed to 20 grams of carbs on keto.

I was lucky that my T3 and T4 levels were in range, and I had no thyroid antibodies to indicate Graves disease, so I only had to focus on raising my TSH levels, which can be an indicator of my adrenals more than my thyroid.

I was super hesitant to go on Keto for this very reason, as I knew that the thyroid needs carbs for good functioning, but I was hopeful that keto was going to work for me. I have now put on more weight, but losing weight isn’t my main goal at the moment.

I have just joined Carrie Vitt’s thyroid course to see what she says about how to lose weight while caring for your thyroid. She looks like she might focus around the paleo diet. She has helped a lot of people so I think it might be a good idea to get some help for this next part of the journey and might be my best bet in stabalising my endocrine system.

So, another way of eating lol

I’m learning alot about food on this endocrine journey.