I’ve been in very strict ketosis since the Low-Carb Cruise, including giving up my beloved cream and cheese and all sweeteners, and I’m seeing great results. My FBG is averaging 70-100 each morning, and that’s a Type 2 Diabetic on no medications with my doctor’s blessing for four years. Also, I’ve dropped significant weight since the cruise!

I tore the lateral meniscus in my right knee and was given a steroid injection in my knee for it. The orthopedic physician said to expect higher blood sugars due to the steroid. Indeed I have already noticed that. Yesterday I saw readings of 140 and 158 and this morning my FBG was 130—much higher than I’ve seen since the cruise. My knee definitely feels better from the steroid, but from what I’ve read online, I can expect to see higher blood sugar readings for several more weeks after taking it.

What I don’t want to do is be kicked out of ketosis because of this nor do I want to gain any of this hard earned weight loss. Is this asking too much? FYI, I don’t even use medications anymore for my diabetes because I’ve managed it so well by eating a LCHF diet for about 5 years. If need be, I could call my doctor and get a temporary prescription for something to deal with these higher numbers….or, is a temporary raise in blood sugar readings not something to be concerned about?

Thanks in advance, and thanks for your podcasts, I’ve listened to all of them and will go back soon and listen again. I love your sense of humor with each other and the info you share is so positive and effective!

Sincerely,

I have been keto for five months and my blood ketones range from 2.0 to 3.5. I am a 49 year old female on hormone replacement for menopause. I have not had one cheat and I eat around 1100-1300 calories a day. I keep my protein around 50-60g a day and total carbs at 20g or less. But I am slowly gaining weight and feel soft. My body measurements are slightly increasing as well. I walk 10,000 steps a day, but my sleep sucks with me waking up all through the night. But my ketones remain good. I have tried upping my calories, lowering my calories, and changing my sweetener. My thyroid is fine and I’m at a loss. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Thank you for getting the word out to all of us.  You guys are so easy to listen to!

Podcast junkie here. I’ve been listening to Jimmy’s podcasts and combing through old episodes for over two years now. You guys are knocking it out of the park with this new podcast.

I recall that Doc Nally was a long distance runner for some time.  I am looking to get back into long distance running (half marathons, possibly a full marathon in the future) and am puzzled about the best approach for long run fueling for the keto-adapted runner. I really enjoy the sense of community in those events and am a sucker for a fancy finisher’s medal.

Specifically, for long runs leading up to a half marathon, would simple electrolyte replenishing be sufficient?  Or is some sort of slow release starch such as UCANN SuperStarch appropriate for those distances (or maybe for training over a half marathon)? I want to stay away from Gatorade and gels going forward and welcome your thoughts.

Thank you both for a wonderful, informative podcast!

First, thanks for putting together the Clarity Saga (Cholesterol & Keto) and keep up the good work. Cutting to the chase, I have a question for you:

On social media, there’s a lot of people who proudly hold up their sky high ketones numbers as trophies. I don’t want to say any bad thing about anyone specific as many of these people are inspirational to those of us doing keto. But sometimes all I see from them are posts with blood ketone readings over 4 mmol/l. Are these people getting those numbers because they’re measuring after meals? I’m simply asking this because, on a good day, I get readings below 1mmol/l (fasted, first thing in the morning) and can end up my day reaching 3 mmol/l (before dinner, by 9pm). My glucose is typically around 80 mg/dl. That said, what is the best time to take my blood ketone readings?

Regards from Brazil,

I happened to be talking to a couple of friends who are recovering from sports injuries, particularly connective tissue injuries (one with knee ligaments and cartilage damage, the other with a torn bicep tendon). Keto has lots of benefits, but I’m not sure I’ve heard anyone mention injury recovery.  I doubt keto would play a significant role, positive or negative, but maybe it does. Great podcast.  Keep up the great work.

Thanks!

I’ve been doing the keto thing for almost two months now and have lost some weight (I was 208 for powerlifting and now I’m 195). I don’t have to eat 8 meals a day anymore, and have great energy. But I don’t feel as though I’m getting as lean as I could. Think about the muscle and fitness guys. I know they are all on anabolics, but is it possible to get that look or close to it on keto if I train hard and eat right? I’m not a normal person or an overweight person, I’m an athlete and I would love your advice on how athletes should run their keto lifestyle.

sample eating plan:

black coffee
tablespoon of coconut oil
tablespoon of butter

4 eggs
3 slices of bacon
spinach and onions
28g of shredded cheese
hot sauce

5 ounces of ground beef (83/17)
veggies
28g of shredded cheese

Steak or Fish cooked in olive oil and/or butter
Salad or veggies
Feta cheese or sour creme
whole avocado (150g’s)

Maybe a scoop of whey and almond milk – totally dependent on training

30g Carbs
125g Protein
225g – 300g Fat

THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS!! KEEP UP THE AWESOME WORK! Mike Peltz from Revolution Training is my coach and I know he works with Dr. Nally.

I absolutely love your show.  I previously tried keto and failed several times, but you have motivated me greatly this time and I am now officially keto-adapted.  I don’t miss carbage anymore and love not being hungry all the time. I used to eat 200g of protein per day on the SAD diet and of course 40% carbs.

I found out I have high creatinine levels of 142. I switched to keto three months ago and checked my creatinine again and now it’s 154. I take 2g (HCL) of creatine in my workout, 5g (blend from BPI) in post workout. I am hoping by removing creatine from my diet and eating less meat that my kidneys will begin to function properly. I was discouraged that only changing to keto has seemingly made my kidneys worse, but it could have been what I ate the night before.

I historically eat a lot of red grass fed beef but obviously that has been reduced via keto. I weigh 200 pounds at 9% body fat and aim for about 80g of protein.  I’m cutting out creatine and checking my cholesterol and CRP and kidney functions in a couple months. Can you share any tips to maintain healthy kidneys on the ketogenic lifestyle. I understand that you lose a lot of salt on keto that needs to be replenished. I drink a gallon of water per day and then coffee on top of that.  I also take essential amino energy for my workouts.  Keep up the great work…love listening to you and the Doc!

I absolutely love the show guys!  After growing up being a busy, athletic young man, I was hit pretty hard at 18 years old with severe sciatic pain when I went away to West Point. Not being able to run or exercise due to the pain, I ended up being medically discharged and sent back home. Because of its insidious nature, it was a full 15 years before I knew the pain’s cause: Ankylosing Spondylitis. In the meantime, as my pain levels continued to increase, my activity levels dropped as well. Unfortunately, my diet remained unchanged: unadulterated junk. Exacerbating the problem further, I was eventually put on pain management, which knocked my testosterone in the dirt and took away any motivation I would have otherwise had to do something about my ever-worsening situation. To add insult to injury, my primary care doctor, with the best of intentions, put me on exogenous testosterone, but failed to monitor or manage my estradiol. This put me on a carb-fueled, estrogen-enhanced high-speed railway to morbid obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and the parade of horrible things that were to follow. It all looked bleak until I discovered the ketogenic diet (and kicked the meds and found a good endocrinologist who has helped me reverse some of the hormone issues).

I went fully keto in March this year and combined it with an intermittent fasting/Bulletproof Coffee protocol (skipping breakfast and lunch M-F) with ketogenic meals for dinner and on the weekends. I’ve already lost a lot of weight and things are moving in the right direction. But here’s my question: Volek and Phinney say that keto-adaptation can take between 4-8 weeks to happen depending on the person. But what about the converse of that? Once you are keto-adapted, how long would it take for you to get out of being keto-adapted? I understand a cheat meal will kick you out of ketosis, but how quickly would your body revert to burning glucose as the primary fuel source over ketones? And if you eat high-carb dinners on a cruise, for example, and continue to intermittent fast with MCT oil during the daytime, would that preserve the keto-adaptation in the short term of 7-10 days?

I have no intention of going back to my old ways of eating. But my wife would like to take a cruise, and thinking ahead, I’m curious as to how far I can stray off course without sacrificing keto-adaptation.  If it’s too risky, then I’ll just stay the course.

Keep up the awesome work!

I am a long-time listener to Keto Talk and the Livin’ Lavida Low Carb shows.  I have read Keto Clarity, Cholesterol Clarity, and have purchased the Ketogenic Cookbook and I have enjoyed all three.  Recently, I began reading Barry Sears’ The Anti-Inflammation Zone. Sears writes, “Eating the wrong kind of fat will increase your levels of AA (arachidonic acid), which will generate silent inflammation . . . egg yolks and fatty cuts of meat contain high levels of AA.  So eating foods rich in AA is like adding kerosene to a fire.” Please give me your take on this.  I am a diabetic (currently with normal blood sugars due to low carb eating), I have managed to lose 100+ pounds, but I also have Atrial Fibrillation, intermittent gout, and high blood pressure.  I tested for high sensitivity C-reactive Protein about a year ago, and it was extremely high (above 10).  Therefore, I am very interested in lowering my inflammation levels.

Keep up the good work with Keto Talk.  It is one of my very favorite podcasts!

Thanks,

I just listened to Keto Talk and your discussion on diet soda. I’m eating about 2,500 to 2,700 calories a day and it’s broken down to

I appreciate you guys very much!  Thank you!

I LOVE your podcast and listening to you two chew the fat! I found this show the other day and have listened to all of them already.  Can’t wait until next Thursday for a new one. I am almost 1 year post op from a vertical sleeve gastrectomy and I would love to go keto. I am not sure how to modify this to suit my eating requirements. I can only eat 2-3 ounces of food at a time and already steer clear of carbs, but I can’t seem to get into ketosis.  I was wondering if there is something out there that could help me with the macros.  Thank you and keep on keeping on.

Thank you!

I love your show but I have a question: From my understanding when I eat carbs those are broken down into glucose which trigger insulin production and that opens muscle and fat cells. But can eating fats that are converted into ketones trigger insulin as well?