Has anyone gone low carb or Keto and found it’s ‘cured’ their health issues?

[JustlookingNotbuying]

I don’t need to lose weight so am not interested in doing this way of eating for that but I have terrible gut issues (IBS), anxiety, depression and tiredness (no doubt all connected).
My diet is carefully thought about, I am on the low fodmap diet for my IBS and really have to watch what I eat but even so it’s not helping me at all.
I find the idea of eating a seriously low carb diet very daunting (especially as I can not eat diary or eggs!) but I have a friend who went Keto 4 years ago. She lost 5 stone and has kept it off but says as a side effect all of her health issues, including IBS disappeared.
I have since read lots of accounts of people going Keto/low carb and feeling fantastic on it.
I don’t know if it’s because their diet was awful before with too much sugar etc but can this way of eating really have huge impacts on your health other than your weight?
Have you seen health improvements beyond weight loss?

I’ve followed Michael Mosley’s The Fast800 and a good effect is finding that my IBS has almost disappeared (very obvious now if if I eat bread/rice/pasta etc - it goes straight through me within 1-2 hours). I also have more energy and my leg pains a a general aches all have disappeared too.

You could have a look at his recipe books for ideas and meal plans, but you don’t need to calorie count.

Have you considered proper treatment for your anxiety/depression? These and digestive problems and low energy can be symptoms of trauma which can keep your body in flight/fight instead of rest/digest, so whatever diet you try might help but might also have limited results.

If you get your body into rest/digest it will help your body heal itself.

Look into Irene Lyon, Besel Van der Kolk, Peter Levine, Sarah Baldwin (Sarahbcoaching on Instagram), and Gabor Maté etc for information on trauma and effects on the nervous system and physical health.

super low carb really helped with my asthma weirdly. Haven’t hardly needed an inhaler since.

plus lost a load of weight. Now eat pasta, rice and potatoes but kept most the weight off. But only home cooked, once a day max.

I have had lots of counselling over the years, endless CBT sessions, EMDR, seen a psychologist and had various hypnotherapy sessions. Sadly, nothing has helped long term.
Thank you for those suggestions though, I will definitely check them out.

@JustlookingNotbuying I highly recommend you have a look in the Low Carb Bootcamp section on MN. @BIWI (who answered your OP above) runs a Bootcamp a few times a year and it’s a brilliant way to get used to and learn about low carbing, with a very positive and friendly bunch of people and some true experts who can guide you. There’ll be a Bootcamp soonish, I think, and there’s always a between-Bootcamp-chat-thread running.

Low carb (and I don't mean eating loads of eggs, meat and cheese.. that makes me feel horrific)
But cutting out bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and junk food, and eating lots of fruit, veg, chicken, fish etc.. makes me feel amazing. It stops any issues I have and it truly feels how the human body wants to run, my human body anyway 😆 It feels like it operates efficiently.

How do we join the boot camp?

You just jump on the latest thread and ask to be added to the spreadsheet!

Here's the current Bootcamp chat thread

Tried it for Long Covid. Getting to ketosis was fine. Ultimately I found that I was always on edge. It didn’t improve my symptoms in the long run. None of them.

And I got fed up of no carbs. And oily food… bleurgh

I had far less body pain and my gallbladder settled right down in spite of the higher fat intake.

I tried it for chronic pain. Did nothing but make me feel miserable.

Haven't changed diet as much as I would like but I have started free weight lifting to music in an organised session and ovarian and period pain has vanished, mood improved, feel much better. Worth you trying?

My friend did something similar. He was much 'brighter' and seemed to have more energy.

What is Keto bread? Are all breads equally bad if they are wheat, or is whole meal granary better? Like: are some carbs better than others?

I eat oatcakes a lot and oats for breakfast. If I eat a lot of fruit I get headcold type reactions. I don’t eat meat or dairy.. if I gave up bread, pasta, rice, potatoes….radical diet rethink!
im used to ‘beans on toast’ and ‘sardines on toast’ and ‘ poached egg on toast’…….if wheat is inflammatory, which is what this thread is saying? ….we need wheat free bread…please share your recipes?

Carb free rice and pasta is a good alternative but can be pricey. Cauliflower mash is very similar in consistency as is cauliflower rice. Celeriac is good for chips and mash also

Yes.

Every time I did keto, I felt wonderful.

If I ever stopped, I felt like shit again.

I was diagnosed with celiac disease last year. Keto = no wheat, barley or gluten so it made so much sense just how much better I felt on it (and made me want to scream at all the people who said I was “damaging” myself not eating bread and pasta).

It works for me. Lots of meat, fish and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and kale. Full fat greek yogurt, nuts, full fat animal fats only, no seed oils. But people still tell me that’s unhealthy and I will die if I don’t eat potatoes or bread.

I drastically reduced carbs when I had a pre diabetes warning. It was life changing. I had so much energy, no sugar dips, and I had the energy to exercise. I've fallen off the wagon recently, but I'm determined to get back on it.

There is a lot of evidence now that high carb and processed food deists actually cause a lot of everyday issues such as IBS, fatigue, low-mood, heartburn etc.

Since I went low carb I’ve had no issues with IBS or heartburn; both of which I’ve suffered with for years. I’ve also lost over 30 pounds.

Just a tip, think about what you will replace the carbs with, you shouldn’t be hungry so need to add protein.

Give it a go, what have you got to lose? Good luck

I definitely think I can reduce my carbs but don’t think I’d fare well on Keto as I can’t eat dairy or eggs. Cauliflower and red meat is a big no for me too.
This would make Keto quite difficult for me but I think I need to try cutting out bread and white potatoes (I don’t eat rice or pasta).

I went low carb due to T2D but discovered it helped with my IBS.

I have heard so many times that low carb/kept causes terrible breath. Can anyone who's done it say if that's true or not?? I've had years of problems and would love to give it a go but that really worries me (I know it sounds silly).

In the very short term, it can cause bad breath. A bit like pear drops. But that passes after a few days. It's very different from halitosis, which can be caused by different dental/bacterial problems.

Thanks!! That's very helpful to know

I just carry mouthwash everywhere with me and have it next to every sink 😆