LCHF without ketosis - Beneficial?

[Shas3]

Ketosis is a perfectly natural metabolic pathway. It’s just the flipside of glycolysis. Humans are designed to store unused energy and then access it later when needed. Accessing it later when needed is nutritional ketosis. Every human should be metabolically flexible enough to switch between both fuel sources automatically. Even while we sleep it shouldn’t be unusual to be in a mild state of ketosis. Everyone who has ever lost any weight has been burning ketone bodies.

The problem with modern humans is that most are awash with insulin 24/7 which limits or prevents ketosis. Insulin is what “kicks you out of ketosis” because it activates de novo lipogenesis - filling adipocytes with fat - which is the opposite of burning fat.

Thanks.., I understand and agree that nature designed out bodies to work in both states. I am less ‘scared’ now of ketosis. However i am just inclined to go LCHF first and not bother / obsess about getting into ketosis, as long as numbers work well and i feel healthy. If body gets into keto, so be it. If not, fine too. At least that is first milestone. Then reevaluate! Thanks

 

[Listlad]

Thanks.., I understand and agree that nature designed out bodies to work in both states. I am less ‘scared’ now of ketosis. However i am just inclined to go LCHF first and not bother / obsess about getting into ketosis, as long as numbers work well and i feel healthy. If body gets into keto, so be it. If not, fine too. At least that is first milestone. Then reevaluate! Thanks

I agree with your stance. I thought the same way. Once you achieve a halfway point or lower carb higher fat level it is then possible to hold it there and then evaluate. It is then easy to take the final step to ketosis if need be.

It isn’t a race to the bottom or who can achieve the lowest carbs in their diet. It is a question of what is best for the individual.

 

[Caeseji]

@Shas3 It's how I choose to look at it, I try to at least keep under 30g and as long as I am seeing results from that and my fasting regime? I don't worry about the details so much. It's about making it sustainable for yourself so you keep going not to push it to the point of burning out.

 

[Shas3]

It isn’t a race to the bottom or who can achieve the lowest carbs in their diet.

Well said!!!!

 

[Shas3]

@Shas3 It's how I choose to look at it, I try to at least keep under 30g and as long as I am seeing results from that and my fasting regime? I don't worry about the details so much. It's about making it sustainable for yourself so you keep going not to push it to the point of burning out.

Yes. Thanks so much. Am feeling much more clear, comfortable and confident of this. Thanks

 

[Member496333]

Thanks.., I understand and agree that nature designed out bodies to work in both states. I am less ‘scared’ now of ketosis. However i am just inclined to go LCHF first and not bother / obsess about getting into ketosis, as long as numbers work well and i feel healthy. If body gets into keto, so be it. If not, fine too. At least that is first milestone. Then reevaluate! Thanks

Yeah totally. All you really need to do is just eat real food. I’m not one for counting macros and the like myself. I do however have a blood ketone meter that I use once per week just to keep an eye on things. I already know I’m in deep in ketosis 24/7/365 so there’s nothing really to aim for in that regard.

 

[Gran25]

The other piece of the LCHF if you want consistent results is exercise. Not olympic marathon level, just old fashioned brisk walk once a day will do the trick.

 

[chris.k]

I eat around 10-20g of carbs per day and have done for around 3 weeks. Blood sugar are as good as it gets and no hunger or fatigue noticed. However for some reason I am not in Ketosis as I test myself to check and never above 0.3. It’s usually around 0.1. Don’t know why? Can any one help??

 

[bulkbiker]

I eat around 10-20g of carbs per day and have done for around 3 weeks. Blood sugar are as good as it gets and no hunger or fatigue noticed. However for some reason I am not in Ketosis as I test myself to check and never above 0.3. It’s usually around 0.1. Don’t know why? Can any one help??

To be honest if you are registering ketones then you are to an extent in ketosis so I wouldn't stress.. when are you measuring? Mine are usually higher mid afternoon whereas morning seems to be lower.. who knows why..

 

[chris.k]

To be honest if you are registering ketones then you are to an extent in ketosis so I wouldn't stress.. when are you measuring? Mine are usually higher mid afternoon whereas morning seems to be lower.. who knows why..

I measure in the mornings, the weird thing is I’ve actually put a few pounds on?! Don’t know why? Don’t think I’m over doing it on the fat but maybe??

 

[hankjam]

The other piece of the LCHF if you want consistent results is exercise. Not olympic marathon level, just old fashioned brisk walk once a day will do the trick.

This, if you can manage it, is really it. If, for what ever reason, I don't get out for walks my sense of wellbeing and numbers really fall down.

 

[Shas3]

The other piece of the LCHF if you want consistent results is exercise. Not olympic marathon level, just old fashioned brisk walk once a day will do the trick.

Indeed. I was quite active at the gym till about a month ago when in a freak accident i broke a bone in my foot snd am in a leg cast now. It will probably be a month before i can get active. I guess some upper body exercises till then. Thanks

 

[lucylocket61]

I agree with exercise if you can. However, I have ME/CFS so exercise is a no-no ever. But I have still kept my blood sugars good for 7 years now doing LC with medium fat.

 

[Shas3]

And after 1 day of experimental / unplanned/ spontaneous LCHF i woke up this morning to a FBG of 6.2, much lower than recent days (especially since getting off Forxiga). I think LCHF is the way. Thanks

 

[Robbity]

I've eaten a low carb full fat diet for over five years. For me "high fat" simply means normal full fat food rather than the reduced/low/lite stuff, and it's only "high" in relation to the low proportion of carbs in my diet.

I;ve lost weight when cutting carbs right down to 20-25g a day and have otherwise maintained it for most of that time on no more (generally) than 50g carbs.
I believe by balancing fat consumption you can manage weight - simply put: if you eat more than you need your body will store it, if you eat just enough for your energy needs, you mantain weight, and if you eat too little you will then burn off stored fat and lose weight.

And I'm a firm believer that ketosis is quite normal and natural, and I go in and out of ketosis all the time depending on how much "fuel" I've eaten and the amount of carbs or fats my body's using at any one tine.

Robbity
ETA I'm ancient and decrepit now and no longer very active, so not much exercise other than a bit of normal activity.

 

[Shas3]

I've eaten a low carb full fat diet for over five years. For me "high fat" simply means normal full fat food.

Thanks Robbity. I get what you are saying about weight. And just curious, other than weight, i guess you are also happy with the impact on your blood sugar levels?

 

[Robbity]

.

Thanks Robbity. I get what you are saying about weight. And just curious, other than weight, i guess you are also happy with the impact on your blood sugar levels?

In general, yes - I've maintained a low pre-diabetic/normal level HbA1c since a couple of months after discovering low carbing (40-43), with a few slightly higher blips (45) due to health issues, so e.g.:

Health, pain, medications, stress can all have an impact on glucose levels and are not always under our control, so it's not simply managing our diet.

Robbity

 

[Member496333]

I will also add that for many, the benefits of dumping grass seed (grains) from their diet stretch far beyond simply lowering the glucose burden. In fact there are so many positives that if I reel them all off here it’ll look like a shopping list. Put simply, for me, the benefits of no sugar no grains (NSNG - Vinnie Tortorich) are so profound that I will never go back to “normal” eating irrespective of anything to do with diabetes.

Disclaimer for the over sensitive - eat whatever you like

 

[Brunneria]

I eat around 10-20g of carbs per day and have done for around 3 weeks. Blood sugar are as good as it gets and no hunger or fatigue noticed. However for some reason I am not in Ketosis as I test myself to check and never above 0.3. It’s usually around 0.1. Don’t know why? Can any one help??

Hi,

There are a couple of speculative ideas i can float, but without knowing your individual eating habits and blood glucose/insulin levels, they are exactly that - speculation.

- you may have a dawn phenomenon that pushes both glucose and insulin levels high enough that your ketones drop at that time of day
- you may have very high insulin levels and insulin resistance which makes it a challenge to ‘dive’ into ketosis. Very frustrating this. I have it too. If so, you can still ‘flirt’ with ketosis and get significent benefits, but you won’t be able to play the ‘my ketosis is deeper than your ketosis’ game. But that is OK. Experts like Volleck and Phinney and Berger all agree that is a very silly game
- if your way of eating is high protein, then your body may (this varies from person to person) be using some of that protein for energy, called gluconeogenesis.

Hope that helps

 

[Shas3]

I will also add that for many, the benefits of dumping grass seed (grains) from their diet stretch far beyond simply lowering the glucose burden. In fact there are so many positives that if I reel them all off here it’ll look like a shopping list. Put simply, for me, the benefits of no sugar no grains (NSNG - Vinnie Tortorich) are so profound that I will never go back to “normal” eating irrespective of anything to do with diabetes.

Disclaimer for the over sensitive - eat whatever you like

I would be interested to look into that shopping list!!!