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The science based vs internet keto (low-carb)

finsit

Well-Known Member
Messages
331
Location
UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I stumbled upon a great video by Dr. Eric Westman. I have been listening to almost all keto experts in the last few months and actually trying to follow and try on myself after being diagnosed with type-2, bought a whole lot of books from Protein Power (Michael Eads) to Carb Confusion (Dr. Eric Westman) and other in between publications.

This is my personal analysis based on my own experiences that Dr. Eric Westman is by far the best person to follow for low-carb advise, he is not into additional fats and all fat bombs etc, but the real thing. Thought i will just give my opinion if someone wants to follow him. I have no personal gains or affiliations with him.

This is the video which is by far the best video on Keto Diet.


I just bought his recent books "End Your Carb Confusion" which is again an excellent source, a bit of spin-off of Protein Power but more focused and in simple layman language.

I personally noticed when i am on a low-carb high fat diet, my sugar level is not as well controlled as when i am a low-carb without experimenting with extra fats, nut flours etc. Also, eating when hungry and variety of food is the best thing that has helped me during this journey.

Best of luck.
 
The main huge benefit I find when doing low carb (apart from weight loss and stable blood sugar - though I've only recently started monitoring blood sugar since the GP told me I was in the pre-diabetic range), is that I actually feel hungry when I need some food and not when I don't.

If I'm eating 'normally', it's really easy to graze all day, if there's something around to nibble on I'll do so. Not necessarily 'bad' foods, but fruit, or dried fruit, or maybe a slice of toast etc. Doing low carb I ... don't. I sometimes even have to remember I've not eaten for ages and decide to have something. As someone who's been fat since childhood this is an amazing feeling and revelation.
 
@Widgets absolutely. if you can differentiate between hunger and cravings, you are on the money. On low-carb, i can feel my stomach aching for real food, that emptiness feeling where you wish to eat something that you don't even like. When i was on high-carb diet, it was cravings mainly for sweets.
 
Yes, yes, yes. A non dogmatic Dr, who was open minded enough to clinically test the Atkins diet, under research conditions when his patients were getting results.

His cohorts tend to not add exercise, so the results are predominantly food based.

He was not prepared to even just accept anecdotes until he could prove efficacy. 20 plus years later he has many articles in the literature, case studies and RCT's. He has changed tens of thousands of lives and has a simple mantra of protein first and 20 grams of carbs maximum.

He has tried to extend the hand of friendship to other (in my view inferior) protocols. As others try to gamify low carb and keto with modern twists, he keeps it ancestrially simple to get what he calls prescription level results. When my wife helps her patients Dr Westman's page 4, forms the basis of the advice. LEGEND, whos method is correct and timeless.
 
haha about Page 4, he is known for it His findings coincide with Dr. Bernstein's and I always get back to Dr. Bernstein's "Diabetes Solution" for any doubts when it comes to T2 management, particularly the food.
 
If you are not doing regular exercise, you are not doing Atkins - quote from memory - from Dr A's New Diet Revolution.
So many claim to be doing Atkins, but when checked, few are even close.
 
Resurgam said:
If you are not doing regular exercise, you are not doing Atkins - quote from memory - from Dr A's New Diet Revolution.
So many claim to be doing Atkins, but when checked, few are even close.
Click to expand...

Isn't that the version by Volek and Phinney?
 
Just for clarity Dr Westman uses the initial phase of Atkins permanently.
 
I'm surprised that so many (presumably in the UK) pay more attention to US low carb doctors when we have one of the world leading ones in the UK who also has a psychologist wife for hep with cravings, carb addiction etc. Dr David Unwin (@lowcarbGP) and Dr Jen Unwin (@jen_unwin) who wrote the fabulous book 'A Fork in the Road'. They work with real NHS patients in their Southport GP practice and get great results from a real food low carb way of eating.

Yet still people wan to either rely on US 'keto' practitioners or Prof Taylor and his less successful 'Newcastle' calorie restricted short term and hence unsustainable diet!
 
For me it's not so much that I 'prefer' US based low carb advocates as that those are the ones that the YouTube algorithm shows to me. OK, one of them it's because he has a lovely southern US accent and I can listen to that all day (so long as they're not spouting arrant nonsense)

I've been around the low carb block before so I'm pretty solid on the basics (applying them long term has been a bit more hit and miss - I've posted about that elsewhere on the Forums), but I know the theory. I listen to/watch the stuff I do to keep it in the front of my brain.

That said, I will have a look for the UK types now that I know names to look for. I'm not convinced that there'll be much different in the messages though. Low carb is low carb is it not?
 
@ianf0ster thank you for sharing information about the local docs. I will definitely look up for their findings and advice. As widget said, its not about US/UK or Australia, its about what message reaches to us.
 
All US doctors have to make money by whatever they do, and lots of them want to make lots of money.
David Unwin is still an NHS gp. His wife is recently retired and is putting proceeds from her book to charity.
Those who want to make the most money make sure their voices/products are heard as far and wide as possible and have to be good at PR and marketing
 
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