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1 Year on Keto/Low Carb the results are in...

unIowa

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Gold Member
Dec 30, 2008
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Just had my annual physical and after having been low carbing it for nearly a year now (11 months to be specific) so what have I ruined my health or improved it. Lets look at some of my health markers and I will let you decide.

Weight: Down 45 pounds

Result = Improved

Blood Pressure - Typical Measurements
Before: Entering High Category typically 130+/85+
Now: Normal Just under 120-/75-

Result = Improved

Cholesterol
Before
Total: 176
HDL: 62
LDL: 98
Triglycerides: 78
Total Cholesterol/HDL-C Ratio: 2.8
LDL/HDL Ratio: 1.6

Now
Total: 216
HDL: 76
LDL: 121
Triglycerides: 96
Total Cholesterol/HDL-C Ratio: 2.8
LDL/HDL Ratio: 1.6

Results = Push (HDL jumping matches LDL jump although I suspect that this is actually a benefit as my guess is I have changed my LDL profile from having many small LDL partials now mostly large LDL particles but since I have not had a partical density test performed I will keep it as a Push).

Note: I had 2 separate cholesterol measurements in between these. One was higher than it was now (that was during a huge weight loss sprint I was currently in) and one was lower. All along my ratios have stayed very close to what is shown as the before which shows cholesterol varies quite a bit but it appears your body is adept at regulating your ratios as needs within the body change. I have read that your body is responsible for 80%+ of your cholesterol production with the rest being dietary, so it makes sense that your body would make an adjustment on what it is producing based on what it is getting from diet.


Fasting Blood Sugars and A1C

Before
Fasting: 86 (morning appointment)
A1C: Not Tested

After
Fasting: 101 (morning appointment)
A1C: 4.9 (tested per my request)

Results = Slight Advantage

Why a slight Advantage? That fasting blood sugar level would throw up red flags for most but it is a result of what is called Physiological Induced Insulin Resistance. Healthline.com states: Low-carb diets reduce the harmful insulin resistance linked to metabolic disease, though they may induce a harmless type of insulin resistance that spares blood sugar for your brain.

What is happening here is the dawn effect of increased blood sugars is lasting longer as insulin levels are kept much lower thus blood sugars stay higher a bit longer bc of these overall lower insulin levels. The A1C number of 4.9 may not be considered excellent but then again maybe it is, anything 5.0 and under is shown to be very positive in terms of cardiovascular health. I honestly think my A1C would have been much higher before making this switch in my eating habits but obviously I have no proof. Less insulin running around also means less inflammation which is a very good thing for cardiovascular health.

Liver Function Tests = Push (no major changes, if lower numbers are better they have lowered a bit but were never high)
Thyroid Function Tests = Push (no major changes, if lower numbers are better they have lowered a bit but were never high)

Inflammation Markers = Advantage
No specific blood measurements for this but based on what we are seeing above; good glucose control, lower insulin levels, higher HDL, and generally felling 10 times better in my joints I can tell my body has lost a lot of inflammation it once held on to.

The Final Results: Outside of missing out on some awesome tasting foods (there are still a lot of awesome tasting foods you can still eat though) I don't see any negative consequences of eating a more clean diet that severely restricts carbohydrates/sugar intake and replacing much of those calories with higher quality and saturated fat foods. You will likely loose weight (my wife choose to eat the same way, didn't have a lot to lose like I did but went from 135-140 pounds before at 5'5" and now fluctuates between 120-125, not bad for 40+ years old) without a change in exercise habits. Your blood sugar control will likely improve, your insulin levels and thus your inflammation markers will get better and you will feel better as a result, your blood pressure will likely improve and with all of those things happening it is likely that your cardiovascular health will get better. Hell if you are a diabetic T2 you are likely to need less medication/insulin, you will likely be able to decrease/get off blood pressure meds, you will likely have to buy new smaller clothing, and finally you will likely get banged more often.

Only down side if if you want to get super pumped or are in a high impact/explosive sport you will want more carbs but post 40 I really don't GAF about that stuff anymore and frankly none of you guys here are elite athletes. Athletic sure but you all ain't competing in our next Olympics.

One other side benefit, is you will get loose on booze a bit quicker and with much less quantity, boozing is an area I just have not given up however I have moved from drinking mostly beers to now mostly red wine and bourbons...the red wine uptake also helps with getting banged by Mrs unIowa more frequently.

Come at me HROT medical chirpers.
 
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Only down side if if you want to get super pumped or are in a high impact/explosive sport you will want more carbs but post 40 I really don't GAF about that stuff anymore and frankly none of you guys here are elite athletes. Athletic sure but you all ain't competing in our next Olympics.
^^^ woah woah woah, speak for yourself. Congrats and fascinating, but I think you would surprised at how many posters here are elite athletes with 8 figure net worth and supermodel wives.
 
That's great. Pic of wife?

Just your run of the mill Target shopping in decent shape MILFy looking 40 year old who wears sunglasses that are slightly too large for her face.

She could use an upgrade on her small tots but whatever, I out kicked my coverage so I am not complaining...banging booty although a bit smaller now so not sure I like that more or not.
 
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I started a couple of months ago and have dropped 20 pounds. I’m not doing full on keto, but have really limited my carbs. I also added fish oil to try and get my cholesterol ratio back in check. Will be interested in my next appointment.
 
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What has been your main go to lunch?

Lunch is typically eggs (I don't eat breakfast often) or a spinach salad with feta, walnuts, olive oil, vinegar and sometimes a small amount of meat like salmon.

Lately I have been relying on nuts and cheeses too much to get through the day instead of eating well prepared/purchased meals. I need to get back to being better with meal prep, the weight loos will start back up there is my guess. I purposefully went out of weight loss mode at the start of the summer or at the very least I stopped worrying about it even though I have more to go. One reason is I lost a lot quickly so I thought slowing things down and allowing my body to adapt was a good idea before going on another weight loss sprint (which I will start up after the holidays) and in the summer I really like to booze out on the back deck which slows things down.
 
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You take eggs to work?
What do you buy for lunch when you don't bring something?
 
Just had my annual physical and after having been low carbing it for nearly a year now (11 months to be specific) so what have I ruined my health or improved it. Lets look at some of my health markers and I will let you decide.

Weight: Down 45 pounds

Result = Improved

Blood Pressure - Typical Measurements
Before: Entering High Category typically 130+/85+
Now: Normal Just under 120-/75-

Result = Improved

Cholesterol
Before
Total: 176
HDL: 62
LDL: 98
Triglycerides: 78
Total Cholesterol/HDL-C Ratio: 2.8
LDL/HDL Ratio: 1.6

Now
Total: 216
HDL: 76
LDL: 121
Triglycerides: 96
Total Cholesterol/HDL-C Ratio: 2.8
LDL/HDL Ratio: 1.6

Results = Push (HDL jumping matches LDL jump although I suspect that this is actually a benefit as my guess is I have changed my LDL profile from having many small LDL partials now mostly large LDL particles but since I have not had a partical density test performed I will keep it as a Push).

Note: I had 2 separate cholesterol measurements in between these. One was higher than it was now (that was during a huge weight loss sprint I was currently in) and one was lower. All along my ratios have stayed very close to what is shown as the before which shows cholesterol varies quite a bit but it appears your body is adept at regulating your ratios as needs within the body change. I have read that your body is responsible for 80%+ of your cholesterol production with the rest being dietary, so it makes sense that your body would make an adjustment on what it is producing based on what it is getting from diet.


Fasting Blood Sugars and A1C

Before
Fasting: 86 (morning appointment)
A1C: Not Tested

After
Fasting: 101 (morning appointment)
A1C: 4.9 (tested per my request)

Results = Slight Advantage

Why a slight Advantage? That fasting blood sugar level would throw up red flags for most but it is a result of what is called Physiological Induced Insulin Resistance. Healthline.com states: Low-carb diets reduce the harmful insulin resistance linked to metabolic disease, though they may induce a harmless type of insulin resistance that spares blood sugar for your brain.

What is happening here is the dawn effect of increased blood sugars is lasting longer as insulin levels are kept much lower thus blood sugars stay higher a bit longer bc of these overall lower insulin levels. The A1C number of 4.9 may not be considered excellent but then again maybe it is, anything 5.0 and under is shown to be very positive in terms of cardiovascular health. I honestly think my A1C would have been much higher before making this switch in my eating habits but obviously I have no proof. Less insulin running around also means less inflammation which is a very good thing for cardiovascular health.

Liver Function Tests = Push (no major changes, if lower numbers are better they have lowered a bit but were never high)
Thyroid Function Tests = Push (no major changes, if lower numbers are better they have lowered a bit but were never high)

Inflammation Markers = Advantage
No specific blood measurements for this but based on what we are seeing above; good glucose control, lower insulin levels, higher HDL, and generally felling 10 times better in my joints I can tell my body has lost a lot of inflammation it once held on to.

The Final Results: Outside of missing out on some awesome tasting foods (there are still a lot of awesome tasting foods you can still eat though) I don't see any negative consequences of eating a more clean diet that severely restricts carbohydrates/sugar intake and replacing much of those calories with higher quality and saturated fat foods. You will likely loose weight (my wife choose to eat the same way, didn't have a lot to lose like I did but went from 135-140 pounds before at 5'5" and now fluctuates between 120-125, not bad for 40+ years old) without a change in exercise habits. Your blood sugar control will likely improve, your insulin levels and thus your inflammation markers will get better and you will feel better as a result, your blood pressure will likely improve and with all of those things happening it is likely that your cardiovascular health will get better. Hell if you are a diabetic T2 you are likely to need less medication/insulin, you will likely be able to decrease/get off blood pressure meds, you will likely have to buy new smaller clothing, and finally you will likely get banged more often.

Only down side if if you want to get super pumped or are in a high impact/explosive sport you will want more carbs but post 40 I really don't GAF about that stuff anymore and frankly none of you guys here are elite athletes. Athletic sure but you all ain't competing in our next Olympics.

One other side benefit, is you will get lose on booze a bit quicker and with much less quantity, boozing is an area I just have not given up however I have moved from drinking mostly beers to now mostly red wine and bourbons...the red wine uptake also helps with getting banged by Mrs unIowa more frequently.

Come at me HROT medical chirpers.
Presumably your kidneys have not failed. Yet.
 
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I started a couple of months ago and have dropped 20 pounds. I’m not doing full on keto, but have really limited my carbs. I also added fish oil to try and get my cholesterol ratio back in check. Will be interested in my next appointment.

The funny thing is my in-laws think we are crazy and likely killing ourselves (outside of one of my wife's sister in CO who does something very similar, she has gone off all acid reflux scripts since going low carb so she is a big time believe and her son has bad ADHD bordering on being on the autistic spectrum IMO and their doc told them to take him low carb and it has really helped him out emotionally/neurologically as well).

So there, on the farm, I will fill up on eggs and bacon for breakfast bc that is one of the few times there is an option that isn't full of sugars and carbs, they are sure the bacon will kill us (we don't eat a lot of it at home but we are not scared of it either). MIL is a cardiac nurse nearing retirement so fats are 100% the enemy in her mind even though this is quickly becoming old thinking as we are seeing that sugar and refined carbs are likely the main culprit in our nations cardiovascular health challenges. 80% of what they eat is processed sugar and carbs, I just see diabetes on the table every time we go there yet me and my wife are the crazy ones...LOL.
 
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Just your run of the mill Target shopping in decent shape MILFy looking 40 year old who wears sunglasses that are slightly too large for her face.

She could use an upgrade on her small tots but whatever, I out kicked my coverage so I am not complaining...banging booty although a bit smaller now so not sure I like that more or not.
speaking of...
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934964d1438969958-1.jpg
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target-milf2.jpg
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998108d1447365301-fullsizerender-120-.jpg
 
^^^ woah woah woah, speak for yourself. Congrats and fascinating, but I think you would surprised at how many posters here are elite athletes with 8 figure net worth and supermodel wives.

I know you are joking, but his comment is beyond moronic.
 
Presumably your kidneys have not failed. Yet.

Did a urinalysis as well this round, and proteins in urine came up as negative so all is well. In reality my protein consumption isn't much higher than it used to be before making this switch so I think you are falling for an old scare tactic on low carb eating being bad for your kidneys. In reality, low carb eating forces you eat way way more clean.

Creatine in the blood shows in a healthy range as well. GFR score which I clearly don't know how to read shows I am where I am supposed to be.
 
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My statements are correct.

I typed comment, not comments...regarding (and conflating) elite level athletes and Olympic hopefuls with (the only) people that could/would benefit from higher carb intake.

not correct.
 
I typed comment, not comments...regarding (and conflating) elite level athletes and Olympic hopefuls with (the only) people that could/would benefit from higher carb intake.

not correct.

I also stated if you want to get swole which anyone would interpret as beefing up your muscles. Higher (not high) carb intake does benefit explosive athletic movements but and I will stand by my statement that most on HROT are not in or anywhere near that category.

Being fat adapted has been shown to be beneficial or a non hindrance in your low impact endurance type training/athletic events.
 
^^^ woah woah woah, speak for yourself. Congrats and fascinating, but I think you would surprised at how many posters here are elite athletes with 8 figure net worth and supermodel wives.
I thought you mentioned me. You're right. I don't have a wife though. I have a rolodex of czech supermodels. Rest is correct.
 
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I started a couple of months ago and have dropped 20 pounds. I’m not doing full on keto, but have really limited my carbs. I also added fish oil to try and get my cholesterol ratio back in check. Will be interested in my next appointment.
Fish oil won't help with cholesterol. It will help with triglycerides.
 
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I also stated if you want to get swole which anyone would interpret as beefing up your muscles. Higher (not high) carb intake does benefit explosive athletic movements but and I will stand by my statement that most on HROT are not in or anywhere near that category.

Being fat adapted has been shown to be beneficial or a non hindrance in your low impact endurance type training/athletic events.

Let’s get some things straight:

What is your definition of low impact, endurance training? What defines an elite athlete?

I race crits, but will not be attending Tokyo in 2020. Would I benefit from elevating my carb intake?

I compete in multistage and/or multi day race events (cycling, running, xc, and swimming). Same question.
 
Just had my annual physical and after having been low carbing it for nearly a year now (11 months to be specific) so what have I ruined my health or improved it. Lets look at some of my health markers and I will let you decide.

Weight: Down 45 pounds

Result = Improved

Blood Pressure - Typical Measurements
Before: Entering High Category typically 130+/85+
Now: Normal Just under 120-/75-

Result = Improved

Cholesterol
Before
Total: 176
HDL: 62
LDL: 98
Triglycerides: 78
Total Cholesterol/HDL-C Ratio: 2.8
LDL/HDL Ratio: 1.6

Now
Total: 216
HDL: 76
LDL: 121
Triglycerides: 96
Total Cholesterol/HDL-C Ratio: 2.8
LDL/HDL Ratio: 1.6

Results = Push (HDL jumping matches LDL jump although I suspect that this is actually a benefit as my guess is I have changed my LDL profile from having many small LDL partials now mostly large LDL particles but since I have not had a partical density test performed I will keep it as a Push).

Note: I had 2 separate cholesterol measurements in between these. One was higher than it was now (that was during a huge weight loss sprint I was currently in) and one was lower. All along my ratios have stayed very close to what is shown as the before which shows cholesterol varies quite a bit but it appears your body is adept at regulating your ratios as needs within the body change. I have read that your body is responsible for 80%+ of your cholesterol production with the rest being dietary, so it makes sense that your body would make an adjustment on what it is producing based on what it is getting from diet.


Fasting Blood Sugars and A1C

Before
Fasting: 86 (morning appointment)
A1C: Not Tested

After
Fasting: 101 (morning appointment)
A1C: 4.9 (tested per my request)

Results = Slight Advantage

Why a slight Advantage? That fasting blood sugar level would throw up red flags for most but it is a result of what is called Physiological Induced Insulin Resistance. Healthline.com states: Low-carb diets reduce the harmful insulin resistance linked to metabolic disease, though they may induce a harmless type of insulin resistance that spares blood sugar for your brain.

What is happening here is the dawn effect of increased blood sugars is lasting longer as insulin levels are kept much lower thus blood sugars stay higher a bit longer bc of these overall lower insulin levels. The A1C number of 4.9 may not be considered excellent but then again maybe it is, anything 5.0 and under is shown to be very positive in terms of cardiovascular health. I honestly think my A1C would have been much higher before making this switch in my eating habits but obviously I have no proof. Less insulin running around also means less inflammation which is a very good thing for cardiovascular health.

Liver Function Tests = Push (no major changes, if lower numbers are better they have lowered a bit but were never high)
Thyroid Function Tests = Push (no major changes, if lower numbers are better they have lowered a bit but were never high)

Inflammation Markers = Advantage
No specific blood measurements for this but based on what we are seeing above; good glucose control, lower insulin levels, higher HDL, and generally felling 10 times better in my joints I can tell my body has lost a lot of inflammation it once held on to.

The Final Results: Outside of missing out on some awesome tasting foods (there are still a lot of awesome tasting foods you can still eat though) I don't see any negative consequences of eating a more clean diet that severely restricts carbohydrates/sugar intake and replacing much of those calories with higher quality and saturated fat foods. You will likely loose weight (my wife choose to eat the same way, didn't have a lot to lose like I did but went from 135-140 pounds before at 5'5" and now fluctuates between 120-125, not bad for 40+ years old) without a change in exercise habits. Your blood sugar control will likely improve, your insulin levels and thus your inflammation markers will get better and you will feel better as a result, your blood pressure will likely improve and with all of those things happening it is likely that your cardiovascular health will get better. Hell if you are a diabetic T2 you are likely to need less medication/insulin, you will likely be able to decrease/get off blood pressure meds, you will likely have to buy new smaller clothing, and finally you will likely get banged more often.

Only down side if if you want to get super pumped or are in a high impact/explosive sport you will want more carbs but post 40 I really don't GAF about that stuff anymore and frankly none of you guys here are elite athletes. Athletic sure but you all ain't competing in our next Olympics.

One other side benefit, is you will get loose on booze a bit quicker and with much less quantity, boozing is an area I just have not given up however I have moved from drinking mostly beers to now mostly red wine and bourbons...the red wine uptake also helps with getting banged by Mrs unIowa more frequently.

Come at me HROT medical chirpers.


Well done!!! Congrats. :)
 
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Cholesterol
Before
Total: 176
HDL: 62
LDL: 98
Triglycerides: 78
Total Cholesterol/HDL-C Ratio: 2.8
LDL/HDL Ratio: 1.6

Now
Total: 216
HDL: 76
LDL: 121
Triglycerides: 96
Total Cholesterol/HDL-C Ratio: 2.8
LDL/HDL Ratio: 1.6

Just because your LDL/HDL ratio didn't change doesn't alter the fact your LDLs went way up.

You want BOTH metrics to be within recommended ranges, not one or the other.
High LDLs can double your risk of heart attacks.

I wouldn't call a jump of >20 in LDLs and >40 in total something to be proud of.
>130 on LDLs is a big risk factor for heart disease, so you might wanna cut back on the Keto if that keeps going up.
 
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Your BP probably would have gone down just because you lost the weight anyways.

And in that regard I lost around 55 to 58 pounds (depending on the morning I measure it, the last few pounds have been stubborn) in less time (7 months) by just eating less calories.

Oh and I don't know what my BP would have been since it had been years since I had taken a reading without being on meds for it but before I got the meds I was in the 140/90 range and now I'm more like 122/72 without them.

Don't get me wrong if Keto works for you great, but I would say the Keto caused you to lose weight which lowered your BP and is only indirectly related to it.
 
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The funny thing is my in-laws think we are crazy and likely killing ourselves (outside of one of my wife's sister in CO who does something very similar, she has gone off all acid reflux scripts since going low carb so she is a big time believe and her son has bad ADHD bordering on being on the autistic spectrum IMO and their doc told them to take him low carb and it has really helped him out emotionally/neurologically as well).

So there, on the farm, I will fill up on eggs and bacon for breakfast bc that is one of the few times there is an option that isn't full of sugars and carbs, they are sure the bacon will kill us (we don't eat a lot of it at home but we are not scared of it either). MIL is a cardiac nurse nearing retirement so fats are 100% the enemy in her mind even though this is quickly becoming old thinking as we are seeing that sugar and refined carbs are likely the main culprit in our nations cardiovascular health challenges. 80% of what they eat is processed sugar and carbs, I just see diabetes on the table every time we go there yet me and my wife are the crazy ones...LOL.

Speaking of which one of the benefits to having lost a lot of weight is not having to listen to my in-laws (who are just as overweight as I was) sell me on their diet du jour. (They seem to change diets every few months). They visited last weekend and I think it's the first time in years they havn't tried to sell me on the latest diet they are on.
 
Your BP probably would have gone down just because you lost the weight anyways.

And in that regard I lost around 55 to 58 pounds (depending on the morning I measure it, the last few pounds have been stubborn) in less time (7 months) by just eating less calories.

Oh and I don't know what my BP would have been since it had been years since I had taken a reading without being on meds for it but before I got the meds I was in the 140/90 range and now I'm more like 122/72 without them.

Don't get me wrong if Keto works for you great, but I would say the Keto caused you to lose weight which lowered your BP and is only indirectly related to it.
I started keto 12 days ago and have lost 16 lbs. I’m sure it will slow down soon, but it has been very successful for me. And it has not been much of a sacrifice. I’ve gone to Pizza Ranch and pancheros several times. I just don’t eat the carbs. Reading labels is the key.
 
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I went from 230 to 190 in two months doing keto

Pretty much lived on:
Breakfast - Eggs and Bacon
Lunch - Salad
Dinner - Steak/Pork Chop + Green Beans/Broccolli + Cottage Cheese
Snacks - Cheese Sticks/Almonds
Drink - Captain/Diet
 
Just because your LDL/HDL ratio didn't change doesn't alter the fact your LDLs went way up.

You want BOTH metrics to be within recommended ranges, not one or the other.
High LDLs can double your risk of heart attacks.

I wouldn't call a jump of >20 in LDLs and >40 in total something to be proud of.
>130 on LDLs is a big risk factor for heart disease, so you might wanna cut back on the Keto if that keeps going up.

Sure but LDL-c (which is what is measured in a standard lipid panel) doesn't really tell you much about your risk of CVD. LDL-c is just measuring the total amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood but what it doesn't tell you is your overall LDL partial count. It is suggested that it is the number of LDL particles that are the real risk factor associated with LDL cholesterol, the higher the LDL-p count relates to worse outcomes. So while my LDL might be outside the normal range it may be that my LDL-p is considered quite healthy.

Now lets take this statement from Medical News Today:
Another interesting fact is that low-carb diets tend to reduce ApoB/LDL-p, indicating that even though they may mildly raise LDL-c (which usually doesn't even happen, on average), they should lead to a reduced risk of heart disease (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

If we look at LDL-p or ApoB instead of LDL-c, then the picture of diet and heart disease risk changes dramatically.

If we take these markers into account, then heart disease is driven primarily by sugar and refined carbs, while a low-carb diet should directly reduce the risk.

When not focusing on total cholesterol and/or LDL-c it appears everything is moving in the proper beneficial direction. Most notably in regards to LDL-p (which I don't have a measurement on for me) it has been shown that when ones triglycerides are in a good range LDL-p is typically higher, meaning the LDL make-up is mostly of the large fluffy variety, menaing less LDL-p and better cardiovascular health. So blood pressure down, weight down, well maintained blood sugars, banging more often, HDL up but LDL up as well although we don't know in this case if that is a bad thing, it could be but it also might not be but we do know a low carb diet tends to lower LDL-p even when LDL-c rises in a majority of people.

Knowing all of those things I feel fairly comfortable with that LDL-c number. I could be wrong but with all of the other positives the increase that one single marker COULD bring about is more than accounted for with the improvements of the other areas....and that is only IF the higher LDL-c is an issue, in my case we don't know but statistics would lead us to believe it is most likely not an issue.
 
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Your BP probably would have gone down just because you lost the weight anyways.

And in that regard I lost around 55 to 58 pounds (depending on the morning I measure it, the last few pounds have been stubborn) in less time (7 months) by just eating less calories.

Oh and I don't know what my BP would have been since it had been years since I had taken a reading without being on meds for it but before I got the meds I was in the 140/90 range and now I'm more like 122/72 without them.

Don't get me wrong if Keto works for you great, but I would say the Keto caused you to lose weight which lowered your BP and is only indirectly related to it.

Never would have been able to manage a calorie deficit without changing the food I was eating. I flat on LOVE eating carbs, when I eat them my body craves more of them to the point that it damn near feels like an addiction.

I can drink booze every night for months straight or decide to start smoking cigs for months and I would have no problem just walking away from that stuff without a care in the world. Line up a couple slices of bread and butter for me and I would just want more, my body just physically craves that stuff SO I decided the best approach was to just move away from it all together. So yes you could say indirectly keto/low carb is helping me improve these markers but frankly it wouldn't happen without it so to me it feels like a very direct link. Even using definition definition I think there is a direct link from the standpoint that keto allows you to tank your insulin levels which in turns allows you to better tap your fat storage...a high carb low calorie eating strategy wouldn't have provided me this added benefit.
 
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If we take these markers into account, then heart disease is driven primarily by sugar and refined carbs, while a low-carb diet should directly reduce the risk.
Just lower the amounts of these things - mostly junk food/snacks. Keto or not.

I'd recommend steel cut oats/whole grain to tackle the cholesterol. I dropped mine 30 points (~170 to 140) without even trying simply by eating steel cut oats a few times a week. HDLs did drop, but my LDLs, which peaked about 10 yrs ago at 114, are now below 80.

We just started eating the steel cut oats because I found a fantastic Instant Pot recipe for them, and it's easy to make up a big batch for the week. Because they are whole-grain, they are 'good carbs'. I toss a bowl down with some frozen berries - easy and quick. Avoid the Quick Oats like the plague - those have a much higher glycemic index.

Anything w/ refined white flour (nearly anything you buy in the prepackaged sections of the store) is 'bad carbs'.

Whatever helps you lose the weight IMO is a "win"; just keep an eye on the other metrics so they don't increase other risk factors. But losing weight and modest, daily exercise is literally the "best medicine" available.
 
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Just lower the amounts of these things - mostly junk food/snacks. Keto or not.

I'd recommend steel cut oats/whole grain to tackle the cholesterol. I dropped mine 30 points (~170 to 140) without even trying simply by eating steel cut oats a few times a week. HDLs did drop, but my LDLs, which peaked about 10 yrs ago at 114, are now below 80.

We just started eating the steel cut oats because I found a fantastic Instant Pot recipe for them, and it's easy to make up a big batch for the week. Because they are whole-grain, they are 'good carbs'. I toss a bowl down with some frozen berries - easy and quick. Avoid the Quick Oats like the plague - those have a much higher glycemic index.

Anything w/ refined white flour (nearly anything you buy in the prepackaged sections of the store) is 'bad carbs'.

Whatever helps you lose the weight IMO is a "win"; just keep an eye on the other metrics so they don't increase other risk factors. But losing weight and modest, daily exercise is literally the "best medicine" available.

For sure but dude, I love carbs like an alcoholic loves booze and I love booze/being tipsy but I can stop drinking at any time, can’t stop eating delicious carby foods and sweets if I start up.
 
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For sure but dude, I love carbs like an alcoholic loves booze and I love booze/being tipsy but I can stop drinking at any time, can’t stop eating delicious carby foods and sweets if I start up.

Friggin dopamine rush from bad carbs is by design; gets you addicted to 'em.
 
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