to not stop my "doctor's orders" diet now I'm supposed to

[ErnesttheBavarian]

My doctor strongly recommended I follow a Ketogenic diet for 3 weeks every 3 months for health reasons (not weight loss). I have now done my 2nd 'session'. Even when not following this diet, the foods I can eat are pretty limited. Despite that, I am heavier than I would like to be and would like to lose 5 kilos.

Anyway, after 3 weeks on this diet, I have lost maybe 2 kilos. This morning my piss-on-a-keto-stick showed me I am more iin ketosis than I ever have been.

I know I should stop the diet now, as it's heavy work on the liver and I should only do it for 3 to 4 weeks, but now I am stressing that I will put back on all of the weight.

Like I said, the diet is for health, not weight reasons, but I am frustrated at my seeming inability to shed any pounds.

IABU to ignore the doctor's advice and just carry on with it? Has anyone done this diet before (for either health or weight reasons? Dunno if it is a good diet for weight loss or not?)

Yes YABU if you are following it for health reasons you may make yourself even more ill if you don't follow the instructions.

It depends, how much do you like your liver? And how do you rate your chances of keeping the weight off if your liver is buggered up permanently?

I really don't think ( and I hope they don't )
Anyone is going to come on here and say ignore your doctors advice

Could you ask him for advice on how to lose weight healthily ?

It's smashing for weight loss, there's a whole bunch of people on the Low Carb Bootcamp thread who know all about it. They call it Low Carb High Fat and it's a Way Of Eating (woe) and people stay on it for ages. There are lots of resources and web links there, a mnetter called BIWI runs it. This one's week 6 of 8 weeks but that doesn't matter, head over there, there's a spreadsheet with lots of recipes etc. too!

Oh oops maybe not if your liver is a problem, but here's a link to the mumsnet bootcamp page anyway.

Would it be possible to not completely come off it but to do a less extreme version for a bit?

You need to follow the medical advice.

But that doesn't mean you can't re-examine what you eat in the periods in between to keep your weight stable, or lose weight (without a ketogenic diet). There are lots of other ways to eat, other than ones which cause gain.

This has given you a great kick start (and you know you'll be doing it again in a while). Can you use the motivation to find a new, healthy way of eating that leads to stable weight or gradual loss?

My liver is fine, the doc was just being cautious. I guess it's just a rigorous Atkins tyoe thing and I think people do it anyway for longis periods which is why I'm asking.

when I'm not following this, I don't have such a bad diet anyway, no alcohol, no gluten, no cakes or pasta or bread or anything. So not too much I can do 'wrong' anyway, but still I cannot seem to shift my weight :(

I don't see how I can realistically do much more, which is why I feel almost anxious about stopping this diet. Another doctor told me to stick to only 2 meals a day if I wanted to lose weight. I put on about 5 kilos over the summer and I cannot shift it at all. It's getting me down.

I used to be a silly dieter and I was once told by the nurse that if the ketones were high that your body is basically eating itself (don't know if fact or she was trying to scare me) - she said it was living off the muscles and the muscle you don't want your body to live off is your heart. I joined weightwatchers online a while back and have lost steadily and eat loads .... try it, it's so easy to follow and you get an app for your phone and lots of recipes and online tools to help - you eat so much but also lose weight and have a healthy balance

Serial - that's a strange thing to say, ketones are produced when your body burns fat, not protein (muscles are protein). In fact, from what I understand, low calorie diets are way more likely to burn muscle than ketogenic diets (which have sufficient calories, but low carb)

ketogenic diet is burning fat not muscles. And the body doesn't burn away it's own heart. Due to my (natural ) dietry restrictions something like weightwatchers recipes would be no good for me as I can guarantee I won't be able to eat the vast majority of their suggestions anyway.

And my doctor told me to do the ketogenic diet. She just suggested it would be better to stick to regular short bursts. Neverthless her recommendation is a diet that forces my body into ketosis. That is my primary aim.

However, maybe she thought most people won't want to stick to such a strict diet. It doesn't bother me as my diet is naturally restrictive.

The best way of keeping weight off is exercise. Find something you can enjoy doing and fit into your life with minimum disruption to your usual routine - whether its walking or swimming (online yoga has been a total revelation for lots of people) and then STICK WITH IT. Can take a month or so (depending what you choose) to see/ feel the results, but when you do it'll be for real, not like a diet where it feels like it'll all go back on immediately if you mess up.

If you're not maintaining/losing weight at other times, then either there's something weird with your metabolism and, as you're already under doctors orders for diet, it might be worth seeing if you can ask for a referral to a nutritionist to tackle the 'in-between' times.

Or, you are simply eating too much. Do you actually track how much you eat? Even for a test period to see if you can spot what might be going on? Portion control can make a big difference, even if you're already eating a junk-free diet.

When you don't have much fat left the body will start using proteins for energy, and heart muscle will be used. So while that's not your situation yet it is a matter of fact, that's normally how anorexics die.

If you think you don't need your liver going forward then keep going.....😋 So that's a big YABU from me.

My scales say my bady fat % is 30% so I don't think my muscles are in a ny danger! I just ran a half marathon and go running or walking with my dog most days.

Portion control is a problem. I find the ketogenic diet is really helping my reduce my appetite.

I do have a haribo problem, so my fear is coming off the diet will make my sugar cravings return, and then I am like a junkie. really.

So I am frightened of stopping cos I think I will spiral into massive appetite and sugar cravings if I do stop, and right now everything feels kind of effortless. but still, in 3 weeks, only 2 kilos lost.

The best way of keeping weight off is exercise
No, it isn't, unless you are an athlete like Laura Trott or Jessica EH.

20% to weight loss is exercise, 80 food. It is important, it makes you feel good and tones you up, but it won't make the pounds drop off.

As for the OP - follow your doctor's advice.

Serial, what your nurse was probably trying to say is that if you follow a very restricted diet and have little body fat, your body will start breaking down muscle tissue. There is some truth in that and the reason why people with eating disorders are susceptible to organ failure and heart problems.

Earnest It is possible to lose weight simply by eating less than you would normally. It's difficult to advise if you have to avoid certain foods. Is that for Celiac or Chron's?
Try to reduce portion sizes. What works for me is to have a large breakfast and three very small meals throughout the day, eating nothing past 6pm.

When I was very unwell and in hospital unable to eat, the doctors and nurses were extremely concerned at the level of ketones in my urine. I don't know a vast amount about ketones but their concern suggested to me that it wasn't great (I was underweight by that point). That probably doesn't help your dilemma much, but perhaps bear in mind that it clearly has risks.

It's just low carb, right?
Just stay on it. Millions of people do and if it's suiting you, great.

Crossed with loads clearly concern about heart muscle then! I think there are still better ways that don't put so much strain on your body...

Your liver might be fine now. It won't be; if you maintain this.

The Haribo problem will always exist; so you need something else to stop that. Your desperation to lose weight is clear but this isn't the way.

Yers, I have coeliac disease and whole host of allergies, which seem to be increasing. Befor the dx I had nothing at all :(. Part of the reasons doc said to do ketogenic diet it it is supposed to be helpful in reducing inflammation and help with allergies.

OK, I'll stop next week, but I am really anxious about piling on the weight. My dh took me to a hotel over the summer which catered for people with coeliac discease and allergies. We were only half board, so I only ate 2 meals a day, breakfast was large and dinner was larger, and I put on about 5 kilos! ANd now I can't shift it. Trouble was I knew I was putting on weight but I couldn't stop myself. I'm really 'all or nothing' addict like which is why I'm scared of stopping, especially with Christmas coming!