Hello!

I'm new on this forum so thought I'd start out by saying that I've been following a low carb type diet since April 2015 and have lost about 30 pounds.

I'm currently reading ketogenics diet and keto clarity which is helping me to understand ketogenics better however I keep hearing about how staying in ketosis can mess up your hormones and permanent weight loss.
Keto clarity book doesn't agree with that and he recommends intermittent fasting. Is anyone doing the intermittent fasting? Is anyone having problems with hormone balance? I'm post menopausal so am hoping this diet will help minimize my hot flashes, brain fog, weight fluctuations, low energy etc. I mean for the long term. I'm willing to commit and feel that I have for the most part aside from understanding the carb/protein/fat ratios... I understand that everyone is different so it's a science to figure out. What have you done to figure out your ratios?

I have multiple reasons for doing this... I have 20 more lbs to lose. Was always thin and tone until my mid 40's and slowly over time I packed on the weight and became "fluffy". I have painful osteoarthritis in my hands, neck and back so would love to have relief of that. I'm tired, my brain is always foggy and racing, I have depression and anxiety issues since menopause hit. I want my life back!

Any helpful recommendations will be very appreciated.

Thank you!

Welcome

There are many of us who fast, or at least "eat only when hungry", which often happens when on VLC, One or two meals a day is common. More recently, some follow Dr. Fung's protocols. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=461563 Here are his answers about fasting and women.

https://intensivedietarymanagement....g-myths-part-5/
https://intensivedietarymanagement....asting-part-10/

I am also post-menopausal and have had no hormonal issues with keto or fasting. I don't "hear how ketosis can mess up hormones or weight loss", but then Dr. Westman is my doctor

Have you had no improvement in any of your symptoms since going LC in April? My arthritis, mood, etc improved rather quickly. Have you eliminated ALL Grains ? and sugars?

As for ratios, I just followed the diet, the ketone meter was expensive and I think unnecessary. Keep your total carbs under 20g, don't overeat protein, less than 80g, the rest is fat.

All the best,

I'm also post menopausal, but I opted to continue my HRT (my own decision and the only prescription drug I take.) This keeps me from having hot flashes and all the other attendant nasties that come along for the ride.

When I first came to this forum, I had been stalled for 6 years eating LCHF. Needless to say I was discouraged. I saw the Dr. Fung thread and started educating myself about his protocol, went to IF and lost about 10 lbs. That was great for me, but I then stopped losing.

I think for women it is a "hormone thing" and only you will be able to determine what is best for you. I personally only go to the doctor once a year to keep Medicare happy and won't allow them to put me on drugs. The one I WANT to use, they won't pay for because "once a woman reaches 65, she is more likely to have a heart attack or stroke."

Oh, and all my arthritis is better when I eat LCHF. It's not gone, but it's better. I'm right handed and I was once a professional chef, chopping vegetables for hours at a time. My right hand is my nemesis. I do mild yoga to keep my back flexible and I walk every morning, usually 2-3 miles.

This is my way of staying healthy. I believe that there is proof here on this forum that LC eating makes for greater health than eating SAD.

Jey, blue thank you for responding!

I should have said that I've been following my own version of low carb. I had heard of ketosis diets in the past but for me I was mostly working on figuring out what foods I am sensitive which ends up being anything made from the typical grains found in bread, any packaged foods etc. I had also read that sugars cause inflammation so I've eliminated that from my diet and use mostly liquid stevia in my coffee though I have to admit I go back and forth using the torani sugar free vanilla syrup and coffeemate in my coffee too. It's a texture thing. I love the super creaminess that coffeemate brings. I've been adding coconut oil or mct oil to my morning coffee. Not sure how much I should be drinking so limit it to one or two a day with coconut oil.
I also have a milk sensitivity and have found that hwc and soft cheeses aren't agreeing with me either. No corn, no wheat, no other grains not even rice though I think black rice is OK on occasion, no soft cheeses, hard cheeses are fine, no sugar, I try sticking to liquid stevia or birch xylitol, if I feel that I "need" a sweet I will make cookies with almond meal and use xylitol as the sweetener but that's not often.
After all of these changes I do feel better but it's not enough lol. My pain is still in the mid to mid high.
Then I stumbled on the two books that I mentioned earlier and have been reading them and trying to make the changes. My current weight is 144.6 and from what I can tell I should be at 20g or less of carbs... I'm only eating vegetables but am sure from time to time I will add berries. 82g protein, and 129g fat? I thought the fat grams were high but am trusting the formula to be correct.
Yesterday I ate to many calories but was only slightly over in protein and fats, I did not drink all of my water and was up almost a pound this morning. I was prepared for a gain knowing how my body was responding to not enough water. I did it to myself but I know it will come off in a day or two.

Though I've lost 30lbs I've stalled at the 144-146 range so I'm just trying to figure out my sweet spot regarding the ratios to lose the rest of this weight etc.

Blue I've considered the hrt but because of a history of endometriosis my doctor does not recommend it for me. My worst symptoms have been hot flashes, anxiety and depression though all have improved. I do have some bad days here and there so I'm hoping this diet... Er lifestyle will help even more.

Jey thank you for the links, I will definitely check them out!

Hi Lovin2lose
Bravo to you for eating fresh veggies. I am an a complete believer in their benefit.
I've been reading Dr. Wm. Davis's book Wheat Belly and really learning a lot.
Here is a post I made about it just a few days ago which you might enjoy reading
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=471182

The ratios in grams you listed are perfect to start. Since you found so many food sensitivities, suggest that it may be even more important that you eliminate all grains, sugar and dairy for a while to see if your weight loss resumes with that tweak. Can also add IF.
what is the other book you use in addition to KetoClarity? There are so many with Keto in the title now...Lyle McDonnell? Or Dr Westman's clinic Diet?

Hi Jey, the other book is called ketogenic diet by Vanessa Olson.

I'm not eating sugar or grains but I do use a little bit of sugar free torani vanilla in my coffee (1tsp). I'm switching back to decaf coffee and will eventually try to come off of coffee altogether. I do eat some hard cheeses and butter but no hwc or soft cheeses but it's worth giving those up just to test it out. Thanks for the suggestion!

Amazon is a wonderful place except when any cat loving, recycler can cobble together an ebook on a popular subject to make a few bucks..the Paleo cookbook category is even worse you don't seem to need a truly ketogenic plan for athletic performance or medical therapy, so consider sticking with carbs and protein as you worked out and focusing more finding food sensitivities.

Sadly, all dairy is often cross-reactive with gluten grains, so a one month elimination diet and carefully adding back one food at a time may be a good idea. Recommend the Whole 30 http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/ Or Chris Kresser's The Paleo Code. As Micki suggested, Dr William Davis's Original Wheat Belly and his Total Health are good books that cover inflammation throughout the body..they helped me see the problems that arise from processed foods. http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/...-quick-dirty-2/ You may also consider sticking with stevia and xylitol, but ditching sucralose and coffeemate. (But not the coffee...don't go crazy ) Focus more on finding relief from pain, increasing energy, etc than going wild calculating Keto ratios or testing ketones.

Edit ....And....have you tried eliminating all processed seed oils? Corn, soybean, cottonseed oils? Commercial mayo is often soybean...stick with butter, coconut, olive, lard etc. http://www.nofructose.com/introduction/fat-and-oil/
And had your Vitamin D level tested? (I manage mine between 50-80) requires supplementation even in the south...we absorb less from the sun with age.

Jey thank you for sharing your suggestions. I do feel like I'm going at this blindly so to be guided by someone who lives it is very appreciated.
I agree with you about the coffeemate and sucrolose .... I've known for a long time that I need to give them up but finding and alternative had been hard. I just can't drink black coffee. I like the creamy texture in my coffee. I can't do hwc because of my dairy sensitivities. I get a stomach ache, migraine, and running to the bathroom. Boooooooo!
I do have the wheat belly book so will pull it back out to read again. I bought it way back when I was suspicious of a wheat allergy. Yep, I am. I'm not certain that I'm gluten intolerant though.
I strictly use olive oil, coconut oil, butter and sunflower oil. Not much of the sunflower oil though. I've been considering trying the lard. My husband would like that.
I've made mct oil mayo and that is good, I just don't use a lot of mayo.
I am finding that I have a lot of food sensitivities. I can tell not only by how my body reacts but also from a 2+ pound weight gain the next day. Inflammation flares up and hangs onto water. I'll look puffy too. Sometimes physical symptoms aren't clear enough for me to determine what's going on so I use the scale for that by weighing daily and using myfitnesspal to record my foods.

Thanks again for the links. I will check them out.

Have you tried coconut cream in your coffee? Canned, a bit thicker than coconut milk, Trader Joe's has it.
TJ also has a "Coconut Creamer" in their dairy section...that has a few more ingredients than just coconut, inc. cane syrup, but can't be much as only 4 cal a Tbsp.

Hi Lovin2loose, That was me who recently bought and began reading Dr. Davis's book.
The version that I picked up is called "Loose the Wheat, Loose the Weight" which is the exact same book as Wheat Belly but released one year apart with a different cover.

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/...-quick-dirty-2/

A very important of his book to me is in the paragraph below.

Enjoy unlimited:
Vegetables-except potatoes; fresh or frozen, never canned
Raw nuts and seeds-raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamians; dry-roasted peanuts (not roasted in oil); pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and chia seeds
Healthy oils (preferably unheated, whenever possible)-olive, flaxseed, coconut, avocado, walnut
Meats-red meats, pork, fish, chicken, turkey, eggs. (Consider free-range, grass-fed and/or organic sources.) Eat the fat!
Ground flaxseed, chia seeds
Teas, coffee, water, unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk or coconut water
Cheeses—real cultured cheeses only (not Velveeta or single-slice processed cheese)
Avocado or guacamole; hummus; unsweetened condiments, e.g., mayonnaise, mustard, oil-based salad dressings; ketchup without high-fructose corn syrup; pesto, tapenades; olives

My thought on his plan is that we did not get fat from eating fresh veggies but from all the Wheat and carbs that he lists and the nutrients are something that many of us have been lacking for some time so the improvement in our health with the added nutrients is what nourishes our body back to good health along with eliminating the bad carbs.

Before I went low carb (over 10 years ago) I drank my coffee with 2 creams and 1 sugar. I loved it that way but because I wanted to do this by the book I gave up both the cream and the sugar. Giving up the cream was because I was going Paleo and I have since discovered that I am sensitive to dairy so giving it up was a good thing. I now drink coffee black and I enjoy it that way, maybe not as much as when I drank it with cream and sugar, but I do like it and won't go without. It took a while but I had made a conscious decision to follow things to the letter so black coffee it was.

I looked up coffee mate on the internet but their site does not list ingredients, never a good sign. Other sites say that it contains sodium caseinate which is a milk protein. It may not contain lactose but if you're dairy sensitivity is to casein coffeemate would not be a good choice. It also contains other nasty ingredients. In short you will be better off to either find a substitute like coconut milk (I use it sometimes) or learn to like black.

Sorry for the bad news. Call it tough love.

Jean

Milk is such a different bird than heavy cream and I found this out after starting LC several years ago.
I could not tolerate milk whatsoever but cream has no effect on me.

I recently.....finally....tried a cup of bulletproof coffee. Using my immersion blender, I blended 1/2 T butter and 1/2 T coconut oil into a cup of coffee. It was creamy, delicious, filling, satisfying. It's not the kind of coffee you can sip all day long, but if you can tolerate butter, it may be an alternative for you.

Hmmm. I hadn't thought about bulletproof coffee as a way to keep the fats high during my induction. This sounds simple enough. I even own an immersion blender! I think I'll try it.