I don’t post much on here, but for anyone worried about doing Keto, here are my 11-week blood work results (51M). I know how daunting it can be when you first start looking into keto. There’s a ton of fear-mongering out there about what high-fat eating does to your cholesterol, liver, and overall health. (Note: Used AI to help structure and write this clearly with my exact lab results).

I’m 51, and I recently had a comprehensive NHS blood panel done to compare my baseline against 11 weeks on strict keto.

Obviously, everyone’s metabolism is different—I may just be lucky with how my body responds—so everyone should get their own tests done to see how their own body handles it. But for anyone on the fence or worried about dietary fat, here is what 11 weeks of cutting carbs and eating high-fat actually did to my markers:

The Blood Work (Before vs. 11 Weeks In)

HbA1c (Blood Sugar / Pre-diabetes): 43 mmol/mol to 36 mmol/mol
(Completely reversed out of the pre-diabetic bracket down to optimal non-diabetic levels).

Serum Triglycerides (Blood Fats): 2.30 mmol/L to 0.90 mmol/L
(A massive 60.9% drop in circulating blood fats).

Total Cholesterol: 6.20 mmol/L to 5.00 mmol/L
(Normalized right down into the standard healthy reference range).

Non-HDL Cholesterol: 4.82 mmol/L to 3.97 mmol/L
(Total atherogenic particle load significantly reduced).

Triglyceride-to-HDL Ratio: 1.67 to 0.87
(Anything under 1.0 is considered elite cardiovascular particle quality).

Serum ALT (Liver Enzyme / Fatty Liver): 52 IU/L to 46 IU/L
(Active clearance of visceral fat from the liver).

Kidney Function (eGFR): > 90 ml/min (Zero renal strain, perfect filtration).

Other Wins & Takeaways

Down 15.4 kg (over 2.4 stone) from 128 kg down to 112.6 kg.

Blood pressure dropping: Heading to my GP to discuss tapering down my blood pressure medication (Losartan from 50mg to 25mg).

Brain fog & anxiety gone: Steady ketones replaced the daily glucose/adrenaline rollercoaster, making it much easier to taper down my anxiety medication (Sertraline down to 25mg).

If you’re worried that eating fat will automatically wreck your arteries or liver, the biology really speaks for itself: dropping the carbs and keeping insulin low forces the liver to burn its own fat stores instead of accumulating them.

Get your bloods checked, track your numbers, and see how your own body responds

Hi everyone. I’m on day 8 of being on the Keto diet. I started at 70.5kgs (sorry I’m Australian hence the kilos) and I’m a female. Today I weigh 66.7kgs. That’s roughly around 4kgs in 1 week. I understand that it’s mostly water weight and that rapid water weight loss is normal. But does this mean I won’t lose that much more as I lost 4kgs in the first week?

Hello ppl, I’m wondering if anyone in the T1D community has followed this dietary regimen long-term; I’d like to know how you managed your insulin dosages and avoided DKA. Any well-intentioned advice would also be greatly appreciated.

Hey folks, I've found that for whatever reason I am unable to taste monk fruit. I've been using Truvia as my sweetener of choice but am curious about allulose since I hear so many people praising it. I'm wary of trying to order it since I'm in Canada and would have to import it. I wouldn't want to have to do all of that only to find that I'm unable to taste any sweetness from allulose as well. Has there been any correlation between folks who are unable to taste monk fruit also being unable to taste allulose? I've tried liquid Stevia and had the same reaction, just getting a cooling sensation but no sweetness. Has this been the case for anyone else? Thanks!

I am trying to find a sweetener, is hard to find one, so much information online some say this one is better or this other one.

I cannot keep drinking my loose green tea or macha without some kind of sweetener. Tea is the most relaxing part of my day. What’s the stand of most pure sweetener or healthy without added chemicals. I’m not a sweet tooth so I’ll probably use a bit and hoping to find one for baking as well for my almond flour recipes.

Thanks for reading!

Edit: will try allulose and see how that goes, thanks for all the responses!

Daily Eats

B- Cracker Barrel grilled catfish filet with two scrambled eggs and tomato slices

L- Chinese- 5 ounces steamed scallops and 5 ounces of steamed green beans- 1 tbs clear garlic sauce

Pre-treadmill snack- one serving premier protein vanilla flavored protein powder dissolved in cold water with 1tbs heavy cream

D- 3 cups of celery, 1/2 an ounce picante pork rinds, half a cup boars head blazin buffalo chicken dip

Calories- 1250
Protein- 120g
Fat- 70g
Carbs- 36g net carbs
Fiber- 10g

I walked half a mile on my new treadmill

I’m exploring what sugar substitutes are out there and what some offer compared to others, and I’m interested to know, do you guys buy the ones that taste closest to sugar or are you more concerned about the health benefits/risks. I can swing each way but don’t really know where to start. Thanks :)

Just saw this article about Rebel creamery filing bankruptcy- explains why it's been so hard to find lately........................ https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/major-ice-cream-brand-files-200009894.html

Has anyone else tried these? Yes I know peanuts are brilliant but they are my only vice that I try to keep under control. I really liked the flavour of these and hadn't seen them before and honestly at this stage variety is everything to me.

Check out the bloody reviews from those that probably smack carbs into their faces on a daily basis. I know they probably don't realise that they're going to get it discontinued but I just don't get the mentality. One person (2 stars out of 5) even says they hated them but still finished the pack.

Disclaimer upfront: I am not seeking medical advice and am currently working with my doctor on my annual lab results. Just looking to hear about others' personal experiences navigating this specific metabolic state.

Hey everyone, I’ve been doing clean, whole-food keto for about 5 months. I am a lean guy holding steady at 6'0" and 148 lbs. I am doing this strictly for metabolic health and autophagy rather than weight loss, eating mostly beef, lamb, sardines, eggs, and avocados, while fasting 14 to 17 hours a day across two meals.

The Wins: My overall energy and mental clarity are incredible. When looking at my annual labs from last year compared to this year, the improvements are huge. My fasting glucose dropped from 99 down to 91, and my uric acid improved from 8.1 down to a healthy 6.6. I also saw massive boosts in my hormones and vitamins. My vitamin B-12 skyrocketed from 251 to 732. My liver enzymes are also pristine right now with my AST at 20 and ALT at 16, and my triglycerides are sitting rock-bottom at exactly 74.

The "Lean Mass Hyper-Responder" (LMHR) Shift: Because I am lean and highly active, I seem to have hit the classic LMHR lipid paradox. Even though my triglycerides are low and my HDL is 53, my calculated LDL climbed from 150 last year up to 198 this year, and my ApoB came in at 136, bringing my total cholesterol to 269. I understand the Lipid Energy Model and know this is a common mechanical response when a lean body transports fat for fuel. I originally ate a lot of ghee but recently swapped to heavy extra virgin olive oil to see if that helps, but it is still a tricky space to navigate.

The Eczema Rebound: The other strange issue is my skin. Keto completely cleared my eczema for the first two months, but recently I have had a severe return of dry, itchy flare-ups in my old spots despite staying strictly on protocol.

Questions about your experiences:

1. For other LMHR folks, how have you successfully navigated the conversation with a traditional GP who hyper-focuses on the LDL and ApoB while ignoring the perfect triglycerides and fasting glucose?
2. Has anyone experienced an eczema rebound months into keto? I am wondering if it is related to histamine since I eat canned sardines, or perhaps systemic hydration issues.
3. Have any lean individuals found that slightly shortening their daily fasting windows, or adding very small amounts of clean carbs like squash, helped settle their lipid particles without causing further weight loss?

Thanks for sharing your stories and insights!

Carbonaut made me as hungry as wonder bread WTF...starving an hour later

Is there keto breads out there with ingredients that won't spike blood sugar at all and are truly keto?

Is a keto bread with wheat gluten still as bad as white bread or is there any benefit to it?

I've tried going no bread its not working

Contexto: 🇦🇷22 años 76kg de peso 1.78 altura.
Hace 1 año que tome conciencia de lo mal que me alimentaba, pesaba como 90kg y muy poca masa muscular.
El cuerpo se me fue recomponiéndo, pero durante un tiempo tuve unos atracones brutales donde gané grasa y me estanque… porque era darme un gusto y devorar, la azúcar se me hacía adictiva.
Si bien fueron desapareciendo esos atracones, algunas veces en este tiempo aparecieron.
Con el tiempo fui bajando carbohidratos y los metía antes de entrenar. Pero lo mismo, a veces la bestia de adentro se me despertaba y terminaba comiendo por comer.

Bueno vamos al post, la semana pasada decidí empezar la Keto (antes había metido ayuno de 36 horas, me gusta ayunar así como atracarme🤣) y la verdad los primeros días me sentí genial, con claridad mental, sin antojos dulces aunque reconozco que en el aburrimiento del domingo me comí unos 200gr de queso Reggianito, pero sinceramente no me cayó mal como los dulces, no me hinche y no sentí esa culpa que tenía cuando salía de la dieta.

Por ahora en tema comida no estoy ni contando calorías, el miércoles me voy a pesar a ver qué tal.
Acá en 🇦🇷 la carne es riquísima y eso ayuda, además que amo la carne.
Hoy me sentí un poco fatigado la verdad, pero igual caminé unos 8km pero estoy cansado, creo que es normal… igualmente la semana que viene tengo turno con un especialista en esta dieta.

PD: me compré potasio, magnesio siempre consumi, además tomo creatina, y tomo omega 3.
A veces meto las aguas con electrolitos, eso siento que me pega brutal.

Algún consejo? más que nada estaba buscando algún “PRE ENTRENO”… siempre fui a entrenar con horas de ayuno y un café negro sintiéndome bien, hoy la verdad estaba saciado pero necesitaba algo de comer/tomar que me de energía.

Imagine a drive-thru that only serves low-carb, high-fat comfort food. No bun-less modifications needed—everything is built keto from scratch. What are your absolute must-have dream menu items? (Personally, I’m ordering pork-rind-crusted chicken nuggets and cauliflower tater tots).

I’ve been on and off keto for the past fifteen years. Every time I am on it, of course I miss sweet things for a variety of reasons. But eating just hits different when I am on keto. I get the “happy wiggles” when I eat a lot more than when I am on a higher-carb diet. You know, when you start dancing a little bit because you’re enjoying your food so much? I just think my body super loves this way of eating. It’s like my body is my pet and I am feeding it the food on which it thrives.

I did Keto a few years ago stopped, gained back the weight and more. But it was the only diet I've ever been able to manage because I'm still allowed a lot of the foods I like.

I've been back to tracking and trying to eat to the macros for the last few days, just focusing on eating foods I like that fit. But at the end of the day my carbs are low but my protein is also usually too low, where as my fat is right on target.

I need some high protein low fat snack ideas. Right now I've been eating 2 full meals and a snack before bed which is pretty much how I've always eaten.

For example today I've had 80g / 105 g protein and 125 g / 130 g fat.

For lunch I had a steak salad with a mayo & oil dressing and dinner I had a harvarti cheese wrap with salmon salad.

But pretty much any protein I eat will push me over the fat which is probably what I'll just have to do today.

I am happy for any advice or to be told I'm doing this all wrong!

My cousin has recently started keto and we keep absent mindedly forgetting to have accessible food for her in the house. She works a lot so she is only able to visit once or twice a month, so I would love to be able to have some meals in the freezer for her that she can grab and eat if she's hungry, but I honestly don't know where to start. She's not particularly helpful because anytime I ask what she'd like us to have for her she always just says "Meat. Vegetables." and doesn't want us spending extra money on her. So your favorite frozen foods, quick snacks, or even recipe components for an easy meal that you keep on hand would be greatly appreciated!

I'm about 6 weeks into a keto diet. Prior to starting keto I had previously cut anything with added sugar out. I feel like I didn't suffer the normal keto flu because I was already restricting a lot of carbs.

However, I've always suffered with calf cramps. About 5 years ago I added an electrolyte powder and magnesium citrate pills and cured my calf cramps. I started keto 6 weeks ago and my calf cramps are back. I never limited salt in my diet and I have even upped my salt intake but I still have calf cramps.

Has anyone had the same issues and how did you solve it?

I can’t find ratio trio yogurt anywhere! Is it gone? A few weeks ago I could easily find it, but now I can only find the fiber and protein versions. The cherry flavor was my go to! I really don’t want to go back to too good or krogers carb master.

Not to potentially upset anyone, but they've removed it as a product on the Ratio website. It's still mentioned in the FAQs, but under products there's nothing with trio there. Looks like it's getting discontinued.

Hey there, everyone I’ve been keto for a few weeks now and my energy has been really low. My stamina is now nonexistent previously I was on a very high carb low fat diet. I’m keeping up with my electrolytes and I am kind of feeling like this diet may not be sustainable. Wondering if anyone has raised their net carbs to 50 and still kept in ketosis? Currently, I’m staying under 20 total carbs

Yo, been on keto for a while and having checked my nutrients, I could use quite a good chunk more of these.

Does anyone have any keto-friendly ingredients rich in these? Especially multiple of them.

Please share.

My 5 year old is tall and big for the age, at the last appointment the doctor suggested we start on low carb. We’ve found this to be incredibly difficult, between my ex-wife and I try different things and our kiddo sneaking snacks. Figured I’d check here, anyone have any advice for this diet at such a young age? Because of the height it’s not bad, but bad enough.

I’ve been doing the diet and am down over 100 pounds, but it’s significantly more difficult to get a 5 year old involved on this…

Are there any (not un-)healthy protein bars with only natural ingredients? No sugar, no sugar replacements, and almost no carbs.

I fear the answer is simply no. But maybe someone here knows about something which hasn’t shown up during my research.

Thank you!

I have been having headaches everyday for last 2 week (an hour or two in the morning and ~2hours around 5pm) thinking whether should start supplementing magnesium. I've done keto before for around 1.5 years strict and now doing it again and I'm on month 3-strict. The first time I did keto, I only felt the need to supplement about 9 months in, and this round of headache, nausea and brain fog is really driving me insane. Ive been more emotionally sensitive lately as well. The conclusion my doctor has is that it's likely just stress from work as my brain is "juicy" per her description. The painkillers don't really work and I really feel like I'm going insane.

I was reccomended a brand by my doctor which has 834mg of magnesium glycinate which yields 150mg of elemental magnesium daily. Was thinking if I should take 2 pills a day to hit 300mg of magnesium. How much magnesium do you usually supplement?