Thread: Keto issues

Hey all,

I have been doing keto for about a year now for weight loss but shortly in to the diet found that it has a good effect on my moods. Anyway I recently saw my doctor in regards to being on keto and the fact it had worked wonders for me and that I had managed to come off medication that I had previously relied on for 6years. After explaining the diet to my doctor she suggested I get my cholesterol and various other things checked. The results came in -

Total cholesterol - 8.9 (meant to be under 6)
HDL - .99
LDL - 7.4
LDHDL - 7.5
Glucose - 6.7

She said I need to come off the diet immdiately and get bloods done in a couple of months to make sure things return to normal. I asked why my glucose was so high when I have no sugar in my diet and she couldnt explain it?

Now the problem is the diet has worked wonders for me and I really dont want to come off it nor go back on meds but I dont want to do myself any serious harm either. So I am wondering what people think I should do? I am thinking maybe remaining on a low carb diet but eating less fats and more low GI foods?

Thanks in advance,

Jinx

Personally i think you should listen to your doctor and if you dont like what your hearing you can always go and get a second opinion on the issues you are having.

Did the doctor suggest a different diet than what your currently on?

Nope just to eat healthy and keep close watch on my mental health.

What were your bloods previous to the keto results? Whats not to say your cholesterol whilst now at 8.9 was higher previously and keto has maybe improved it?

Bit of a stretch I know but there is nothing to compare it to is my point.

What are your fat sources for keto? How are your Liver Function tests? Again - looking at blood results in isolation I dont believe helps anything.

Before I was on keto I was in bad shape 137kg with high blood pressure and high cholesterol (not sure what level it was at though) Fat sources are things like eggs, olive oil, low fat cottage cheese, goat cheese, chicken breast, lean red meat, tuna and fish oil. I try to keep it clean like that and then maybe once a fortnight(if that) I will have some bacon. LFT is fine.

Maybe adding oats and dropping eggs in the mornings would be a good place to start as ive heard oats are meant to be good at helping lower cholesterol?

The glucose variable is interesting. What time of day were the bloods taken? Keto diets are supposed to keep glucose levels fairly consistent but perhaps if it was taken just after breakfast blood glucose production was elevated in response to the lack of glucose over night. Alternatively, a glucose reading of 6.7 is low anyway right, I mean is blood glucose closely proportional to carb intake or is it more complicated than that. Let's get the experts weighing in...

The bloods were taken at 9am and I hadn't had breakfast yet. However, I may or may not have had a stick of gum (cant remember tbh) which may explain the high glucose reading? Thats the only reasonable explanation I can come up with.

Just a stab in the dark - could the high glucose be something to do with insulin issues?

I would seek out advice from a Doctor that has some experience in this area - My doctor tells me to not eat as much meat and eat more fruit each day, because this is what an average person should do - but I dont want to be average.

Have you checked to see if you are in Ketosis - i know this sounds silly, but nobody has asked the question. Also, are you removing all visible fat from your meat? You mention a possible solution of adding oats to your diet, this would render the Keto diet pretty much redundant IMO - if you were going to do this, you would have to revise your whole eating plan.

Thanks for all the help already guys, i really appreciate it.

I will go in to a little bit better detail because I was a bit vague in my initial post as I try to avoid talking about my illness as much as possible. I was diagnosed bipolar about 7years ago now and have been on various mood stabilizers and before that anti-depressants. They worked ok but they never made me feel 100%, I would still get depressed when I woke in the morning and every few months have episodes. The other big side effect was the massive weight gain. I went from 92kg and super fit to 137kg and unable to stop the weight packing on in the space of twelve months.

Then when I discovered the keto diet, I found that it had a positive effect on not only my weight but also my moods and so decided to start researching it. What I found and what many of you probably already know is that the ketogenic diet is used to control severe seizures in people with epilepsy that doesnt respond to medication. This got me thinking because bipolar and epilepsy are believed to be closely related, so I started trying to find studies that had been done on treating bipolar with the ketogenic diet. Unfortunately all I found was info that stanford university tried to do a study but it never ran due to lack of participants and suggestion that the keto diet had mood stabilizing properties.

So for the last 12months I have actually been better than when I was on meds. I no longer get depressed in the mornings, have manic episodes or any other symptoms. So now you can see why I am keen to find a way to stay on the diet and avoid going back on medications that aren't as effective and have harsh side effects.

Problem is I don't want to cause myself a heart attack or stroke from high cholesterol.

sorry if tl;dr!

Excellent news Jinx,

I have heard the exact same thing that a keto diet CAN (but not always) assist in control of seizures in people with epilepsy.

As stated previously i would recommend you seeing a doctor who specialises in this area and mybe someone who like to treat epilepsy with diet as opposed to meds, they should be able to point you in the right direction, the other thing is you could always see about getting meds to control you cholesterol and stay on the keto diet, if this is what is causing your high cholesterol in the first place.

but i do agree with CMinOZ that you should see if you are in fact in ketosis AND if so, by including oats in you diet will almost certainly put you out of ketosis and could trigger other side effects of bipolar.

I think its great Jinx you have been able to find such great results out of the keto diet. Good for you.

Medical advice certainly shouldnt be ignored. I guess your doctor knows your entire situation with previous medication and medical history - and understands why you want to stay on keto?

Only other suggestion I could make is to perhaps revert to a 'normal' type diet and see how you feel and how your bloods return after doing so. Maybe give it I dont know - 2-3 months as a 'deal' with your GP to give it a shot.

But as someone has mentioned - its not as easy as just oats for breakfast and same meals/macros for the rest of the time.

Good luck whichever way you go and keep us up to date.

When was your blood test taken in relation to your re-feed?

I'm sure Hogan or Iron alliance can help here...

My bloods were taken at 6 days after my previous refeed. I think I will try find a doctor or dietitian that has an understanding of keto diet and its use for treating people with epilepsy and see if they cant help me continue on the diet while lowering my cholesterol. Just having trouble finding any info on someone in Melbourne that might be able to help. Was thinking about these guys: nutrition melbourne | Home

I am in constant ketosis, except after a carb up which is every 2weeks. I use to check with ketostix but now I can just 'feel' when I am in keto. When I carb up I notice a drop in my moods with depression in the morning before getting back in to ketosis over the next 2days or so.

Also for anyone interested I came across this article a while ago that suggests that even though it may temporarily raise cholesterol keto is in fact safe long term... High-fat ketogenic diet to control seizures is safe over long term, study suggests

One other note that someone has suggested is that maybe my cholesterol is high because of all the weight my body has been losing? Not sure of any truth to that theory though...

40kg increase in 2 months? something is seriously wrong with your body!