Hi, I have been struggling to lose the weight I’ve gained since being diagnosed with AF after my first AZ vaccine (2 stone). I’ve had really good results with the Michael Moseley fast keto diet but whenever I go into ketosis it triggers my AF. I always stop then and re introduce healthy carbs but then the weight loss stops. I’d really like to manage ketosis for just 3/4 weeks to give myself a good start. Has anyone else found this happens and if so do you continue with it and has the AF settled down? My cardiologist said it was ok but just wondering if this happens to anyone else. Many thanks, Katie
Afib and keto diet: Hi, I have been... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Afib and keto diet
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When you reintroduce the carbs do you readjust the portion size of the meals you are having? I think if you are finding you go into AF during ketosis it's probably better not to do that.
But you can reduce your portion sizes and only add a small portion of complex carbs, often people reduce carbs on extreme low carb diets much lower than they require for too long without taking into account the amount of activity they do. Most people bodies require more daily carbs than these diets suggest after the initial two weeks have been accomplished.
With certain chronic health conditions you require more carbohydrates than others to reduce your symptoms.
Hi, thank you very much for your reply. I tend to be all in or all out when I’m trying to lose weight (have always been around 8st so 10 feels very large to me) so should probably be looking at the bigger picture and not looking for quick fix. When I get the AF in ketosis (keeping carbs under 20g) I usually give up, get fed up (as the only thing that seems to work for me is very low carb) and eat a load of carbs!! I will try and do as you say….look at portion size and then just up the carbs enough to not have the trigger. The Micheal Moseley fast 800 keto meals I find very small anyway but it’s probably not a good idea to go so low on carbs….I’ll adjust it . Thank you for taking the time to reply 😊
I was writing you a really useful reply and my tablet decided to update itself. argh!I know how you feel before my pancreatic enzyme Insufficiency and B12 Deficiency was discovered I was painfully thin even on my medications. When my Tachycardia and POTs was not being managed even sitting up was my cardio and I burnt through calories like crazy.
At one point I was only 7st 5 and 5 foot 9.
I'm now in ideal weight but I don't feel like myself because I was very thin for so long, I prefer to be at the lower end of ideal but as my conditions are playing up at the moment I can't be as active as I would usually be.
It's hard to find the right balance , on medications you often healthily expect to put on a certain amount of weight ( between 3-9 lbs ) which you aren't likely to lose unless you no longer require medications. You can keep this at the lower end by eating a healthy vitamin rich version of a low complex carb diet and consider your calorie intake each day.
Calorie Deficit, at the end of the day , taking in less calories than you require for energy is how all diets work, including extreme low carb varieties. Basically it takes longer but the results last , as long as you work out a Diet for Life that doesn't have you running back to the sugar and too many carbs once you stop losing weight.
It's the yo-yoing from one extreme to another that makes weight management harder. Creating a healthy diet eating the amount of calories you require ( or a calorie deficit during weight loss) with the occasional small naughty treat that helps to keep you on the healthy food wagon and keep your weight in check long term.
People don't realise that a healthy low carb diet is considered to involve 100-130gms of carbs a day. And even a healthy version of a keto or extreme low carb diet shouldn't involve less than 45-65/85gms of carbs for women or 55-110g for men after an initial week or two on the introduction phase according to Dietitians. Less than this and it begins to cause it's own health issues as we require around 50gms of carbs to process vitamins and minerals and for cell function on average.
The Moseley Diet has good recipes and good options and is at the more healthy end of the diet options out there.
Another mistake people make on keto and very low carb diets is calculating the carbs so they eat less than they think they can when they choose healthy carbs but only eat 25gms in total.
You should be considering the net carbs at that level , so if you know the carbs in a food you eat you should deduct the grams of fibre and indigestible elements from the total carb.
It actually means your carbohydrate choices count and you can eat more of a carb that contains a lot of fibre than a bag of sweets or white bread.
Plus you need that fibre especially if you are eating more protein to help your digestion.
A reason that Keto and Carnivore diets can trigger aFib is because of the way your insulin levels change.
Yes, we all need to stop blood glucose swings which can trigger aFib itself but people don't realise that insulin plays a part in sodium balance in the body and in cells and kidney function.
When insulin is very low it promotes the body to push out sodium and water too which is why much of the weight loss is water in the ketosis phase and people feel less bloated.
But if you end up with very low sodium , kidney salt imbalance , or high salt levels because of internal dehydration this can be a common trigger for AF.
This is also why keto isn't suitable for people with kidney issues or Type1 Diabetes , as well as some people with cardiac, liver and neurological illnesses and some Type 2 Diabetes.
You need to replenish the salt loss from healthy options in food and drink enough water to prevent this and require carbohydrates in the end to improve kidney function but even then any level of ketosis can bring on arrhythmia as a hypersensitivity response of the body to " keto flu". Extreme diets or extreme "cures" for salt imbalance put Stress on the body and that body shock can trigger cardiac responses, cause aFib or make an episode worse.
Good luck with finding a Diet For Life that you love and loves you. Remember food should be a pleasure not pure torture. Take care , Bee
Thank you Bee for taking the time to send me such detailed information! I feel like I’ve just had a private consultation! 😊 I am definitely taking my carbs way too low so can afford to up them considerably without overdoing it. I put on my first stone as I stopped exercising when first diagnosed with AF and the second when I started beta blockers! My consultant has now let me stop the bb’s and I’m returning to my old heart tablet ( no weight gain issues). I’ll pay attention to everything you’ve written and hopefully with the lower carb eating (but not soooo low!) and exercise I’ll be heading in the right direction! Once again, many thanks for your time. Very kind of you, Katie 😊
Your blood sugar is probably dropping too low and this is what is triggering the afib. Get a glucose monitor to check on this. Stop concentrating on losing weight and concentrate on having a healthy diet that is consistent. If you are taking a beta blocker losing weight will be more difficult as they slow the metabolism.
I only know two good diets : ‘Eat food, mostly plants’ and ‘Eat whatever your normally do, but less of it’.
Absolutely! I will do my best! 😊🥦🍎👍🏻thanks 🐝
hi I totally agree with you I don't believe in diet just good food and healthy eating iv got a friend who's on a permanat diet after two years no lasting weight loss
I have never, EVER had a single cardiologist in the UK, or elsewhere in the world give me an answer when I asked them "why do I go into arrhythmia or have strong ectopics the moment I start reducing or eliminating carbs from my diet?".
The only way I was able to go into ketosis without AF was to take organic MCT oil. This oil is a LIFESAVER. It bypasses digestion and goes directly to the liver to be used as ketones for energy throughout the body. It is very healthy and has antimicrobial effects as well.
Without MCT oil, I don't think I would have lasted more than three days without carbs (that is the maximum I could be without eating any carbs over the last two decades, before I went into AF).
MCT stands for Medium Chain Triglycerides and can be found mostly in coconut fat (oil).
If you decide to give it a go, ensure you buy a brand that certifies it as being organic. A lot of MCT oil products out there use all sorts of chemicals that are not good for our bodies to extract the MCT part of coconut fat so going organic, while more expensive, is so much better for our health.
Hope this helps!
Hi, thank you very much for that information! I’ve heard of MCT oil but never knew what it was used for……I will now do some research! It really frustrates me that when I want to go low carb I go into AF and then have to knock ketosis on the head…..although I won’t go quite so low carb moving forward. I think the new diet jabs such as wegovy put people in some form of ketosis which is maybe why they have so many fast heart rates as a side effect. Thank you very much for that useful information…..much appreciated, Katie
I read some where that keto causes afib..can’t remember where ,
Just reduce your food intake and move more .that is the only scientific way to lose weight. Any of these ‘diets’ are basically reducing calories causing a calories deficit. Your body needs fats, proteins, fibre and carbs to function .
I follow TeamRH. No nonsense..but beware of The owners potty mouth.i think he’s hilarious and gives us a kick up the bum. It’s cheap to do compared to other well know weekly meet up organisations.
Or just eat less and move more. You can lose weight eating mars bars all day as long as you don’t eat more than your body needs…don’t think your body would appreciate it for too long tho . Good luck
I think I read that too.
Have you tried Calorie Counting.I use an app called nutricheck and you can set it up to go low carb.you can get a free trial and it is £5.99 a month.I pay for it yearly 34.99 but they sometimes have special offers.
I personally would avoid Going in to AF.I have heard AF begets AF.
Good luck.
Nutricheck
Thanks for the information and replying 😊
My fitness pal is free…and gives you suffisent macro info
My cardiologist told me to use electrolytes (no sugar in them though) when fasting or eating low carb. Often magnesium and potassium and trace minerals can be depleted unless you be sure to get lots of greens every day, etc. Most people in usa are deficient in both of those. probably in the UK as well? I don’t know. Drink lots of water as well. Dehydration is an a-fib risk as well as low on certain electrolytes. I put a pinch of redmonds sea salt (pink, from mine in Utah) in each glass of water as well. Doctor recommended it.
I get my electrolytes checked via blood tests every 4 or so months. I can go to a lab and get them done if I don’t get it via a doctor.
My cardiologist only eats in an 8 hour window every single day and says too many carbs are a far bigger cause of heart disease/high BP than salt (for most patients). Majority are insulin-resistant and many are not even aware of that. Especially in the not so young people (guessing over 50?) but he sees kids now that have fatty liver disease and insulin resistance before they are teens.
last year, my blood pressure was elevated to the point that I was going to need medication. He got me on a low carb way of eating, and intermittent fasting. I kid you not, my blood pressure came down to low normal range in 7-10 days. He said most of his patients with high pressure is due to eating too many carbs and/or eating too often. (of course it’s not always the case but very often)
I’ll never forget the thriller, set in the USA, I read where the writer did the Enid Blyton thing and described the meals the detective and sidekick ate: doughnuts, takeaway burgers and pizza with fizzy drinks! I suspect those were the kind of carbs the cardiologist was referring to. My daughter was diagnosed coeliac and was told she should feel much healthier on her new diet but she didn’t, exhausted and losing weight rapidly until the clinic told her she wasn’t eating enough carbs because she’d cut out the bread, cakes, doughnuts, pizzas etc she used to eat and not replaced them with alternatives.
Hi, thanks for your reply. My cardiologist isn’t anti me doing keto. I feel my diet is so much better following keto and intermittent fasting …..and I feel so much better health wise. My diet would usually consist of eggs, fish, lean meat, many different veg/salad, nuts , healthy oils and lower carb starchy vegetables. Personally I think this is very healthy but I’m just so disappointed it gives me AF!! I probably don’t have enough salt as I don’t add it to anything….i did try an electrolyte drink for a few days but went into AF. Checked ingredients and it contained artificial sugar so may have been that. I’ll look at another brand! I’ll try the magnesium too…..will be interesting to see if the MCT oil plus the electrolyte drink makes a difference…..I’ll post again if I have any success!! Many thanks for your advice & info. Katie 😊
Hi Kbkk
Do you get your electrolytes checked when you try a ketogenic diet or take supplements? Dr AFib has an article on AF and ketogenic diets. He says ketosis can "affect your electrolyte imbalances, and many of you are aware about potassium and magnesium deficiencies, which can also contribute to episodes of atrial fibrillation." He also reports it can change the body's pH and have an effect in triggering episodes of AF that way - which is perhaps why a diet with more veg to counteract the protein is helpful to us. ( you can google it:- "Keto Diet and AFib: Is the Keto diet safe for AFib Patients?")
I'm also really wanting to lose weight and in years gone by, a keto diet was the only way I could successfully do it. I've been low carb, and then very low carb more recently while including lots of the lowest carb veg and a few berries, which may be what's keeping me out of ketosis. (I'm staying out of AF too.) I take magnesium taurate for electrolytes and moderate salt intake, but like you I'm not losing weight! I'm struggling with an addiction to cheese at the moment, which isn't helping! I shall follow the answers you're getting, with interest and try Karikor's suggestion of MCT/cocnut oil to see if I can use that to help me wean off cheese!
When I tried Dr Eric Westman's keto programme a couple of years ago, I read a number of long term participants reporting they no longer got episodes of AF, though these were people who had managed to lose weight on the method. (I neither managed ketosis, nor lost weight!) Quite probably, anyone who had found it triggered AF wouldn't have stayed on the programme, and while his work and research show big improvements for a lot of people I don't think his research looks into people who drop out.
Good luck with finding the right way for you to lose weight.
Hi, many thanks for your reply. I have never had my electrolytes checked but it’s probably a good idea to do so. We do need carbs but when doing keto we can get a lot from the vegetables. I think a lot of people think of keto as being all sausage & bacon which I rarely eat. I think my diet is much better when I’m eating a ton of vegetables, lean protein, nuts , olive oil etc….a sort of Mediterranean diet without the pasta/bread etc! I actually feel so much healthier and free of aches & pains when on keto….loads more energy too so I’m always disappointed a week of keto triggers AF. I think the MCT oil or more cooking with coconut oil is interesting. I’m going to give that a go and if that works after a month add a little more carb to my diet in the way of sweet potatoes etc etc. Will see how it goes! Good luck to you too & thanks for replying. Interesting to see people’s views although what works for one doesn’t always for another. Thanks, Katie
I was going to go on the keto diet or get the keto tablets that dragons den rave about. However I looked it all up snd it said keto wasn’t good for the heart especially afib/tachycardia and advised against it
He mentioned oats and fruit raises blood sugars in many people and it is also the amount of carbs. It probably depends on if a per is actually insulin-resistant, to begin with.
Example, I ate a mango and it pushed my blood sugar through the roof, I was shocked at how high. Even a slice of bread didn’t do that high (bit I avoid bread mostly, I was conducting experiments in my body and how various foods/drinks affect me personally).
I use a continuous glucose monitor and for me (prediabetic and working on reversing it) most fruits raise my blood sugar to a large degree. I can eat a small amount of berries (after eating protein/fat or fibre) then that’s not too bad. Apples raise it too high. Everyone is different and that’s why I am using a continuous glucose monitor (in my arm) 24/7 (my cardiologist recommended it as well) to see what affects me personally. I have also found that I get best results if I eat 1-2 times a day and fast in between. I actually got myself out of prediabetes a while back but added fruits back and went back into prediabetes. Fortunately, I can see the results as I go, after every meal and It is eye-opening and quite scary in a way. I suspect I might be very insulin-resistant because I ate too many carbs as a child and adult (poor and then not realising the harm of too many and too frequently). I actually have more energy by intermittent fasting.
Hi, that’s interesting. I find if I eat a bowl of oats I feel really tired and lethargic and also really hungry an hour after eating them. My husband can go all day on a bowl so it shows how food affects us all in different ways. A glucose monitor would be really interesting to see which foods cause a spike! Thank you
Where did you get your continuous glucose monitor? I've been wondering whether to try one too, as I'm also very insulin resistant, and have to stay pretty low carb now. Like you, a high carb sugary childhood - with an added addictive relationship with sugar!
Sorry for only seeing/replying to your post now. I asked my doctor’s assistant to send a prescription to my pharmacy for me (electronically).
I paid for it myself, am in the USA. Got mine at my local Walmart pharmacy for $74.99 for two (each lasts for 14 days). I am petrified of needles and will avoid injections, etc. so I was very nervous to insert it, still am! I am on my 3rd or 4th one now and it didn’t hurt at all, super easy and fast to insert into upper arm. Youtube videos can help see how to do it as well as the instructions in the box.
My cardiologist also wrote a script (for first two) because he wears one as well and encourages patients to try it at least to learn how certain foods and drinks and frequently of eating/drinking anything (besides water) affects them.
Mine is called Libre 3.
There is a new CGM on the market in USA that doesn’t require a doctor’s prescription. Might be by Dexcom? It is something like $89.00 per 28 days, if one subscribes to receive them by mail. (can cancel at anytime). If no subscription, then I think around $99.90, if I recall correctly. May be available in Europe as well?
We were poor and lived on rice, potatoes, corn, bread, pasta, peas, pumpkin , etc. Fish, meat and poultry were exceptionally rare. (bread was the thing we ate mostly).
When I moved to USA, the US government promoted the very unhealthy food pyramid and that included many servings of carbs as well. I thought that I was eating heathy foods when eating these many grains and other carb, for years.
Let me know if you need any more information!
Wish you the best!!
In turn I've only just seen your reply! Thank you for such a full and helpful message. I'm sure that what we are fed as children can make us more susceptible. My family was neither poor nor rich, but thought you needed sugar for energy! We certainly had lots of biscuits, cakes and puddings as well as potatoes and bread!
I think the Libre is only available to diabetics here in the UK, and I'm not diabetic, just insulin resistant and glucose intolerant. I've followed a fairly low carb diet since a practice nurse told me years ago that I shouldn't get a glucose monitor - it would only depress me, as I would inevitably progress to diabetes, she said! I bought one anyway, and was determined that I wouldn't get worse! 12 years later I'm still managing, and would like to try a continuous meter to get more info on which are the best foods for me. I'll have a look for the Dexcom one. I do agree that the Standard American Diet is awful for diabetics - and much advice for diabetics here is not good either!
Thank you again for replying. All the best to you too.
Done keto a few years back ,and lost weight, felt better , had longest intervals between bouts of afib.
It definitely works! Makes me feel so much better…..just need to lose the AF! Could I just ask if you ate berries etc or high carb veg or did you keep your carbs under 50g? Thanks, Katie
I absolutely agree that low carbs trigger AFib, they did for me anyway. As do high sugar carbs.
My EP in Dublin recommended a program called bodyslims. It's run online by an Irish man. It is phenomenal. I'm just started my third program, each being ten weeks, and I'm 50lbs down since Jan. Healthily. The only exercise required is an hours walking. It's calorie controlled. And there are seminars online to deal with the way our brains work re food and addiction and habits. His next course would begin in Jan next year. You'll find it at bodyslims.com or have a look at HalfofCarla on Instagram or YouTube. She lost a load of weight with this program.
My EPs wife lost something like five or six stone with it and has kept it off. It's why he recommends it.
Hi, thank you! I have just been looking at it online, looks interesting! Just missed the Sept start date but may well look at doing in January! I checked out HalfofCarla too (she did very well! ) but unfortunately the volume wasn’t working on the video……are the foods lists a bit like the other weight loss programmes where you just pick foods from a list? If I’m not going to succeed with keto ( which I would if it weren’t for the AF trigger) then I’d like to follow something a little more structured/healthy whilst trying to lose weight. Congratulations on your weight loss…..excellent result! Thanks for the information. Katie
Hi Katie, no food lists really. No alcohol. No bread (wheat) at all. No simple Carbs. No processed foods. Preferably no pasta as it's processed. Rice, ok, but high in calories. Potato is fine. Fruit and veg is fine. You can eat a large bar of chocolate and use all your calories if you like but then you'd be starving for the day. He has a three for two menu plan online that you'll find if you Google it. It's only about 1000 calories and it would want to be a huge banana for 150 calories, going on that menu. Then up the calories according to what you weigh. Minimum calories is 1200 at 170lbs or less, at 189lbs or less you use 1300, at 190 or above its 1400 . These are for a woman. Walk for one hour a day, keep heart rate at moderate. No other exercise until a person gets within a stone of their ideal weight. It really is about eating food as grown, be it meat or veg or anything else. Natural food as we were intended to eat. Mary
Thank you so much Mary. That’s brilliant….definitely sounds like something I’d be interested in…..I’d never heard of it before so I’ll look into it. Sounds a little bit like if you can pick it or kill it then it’s ok…. nothing processed. Wish I didn’t have to wait till January 😃Thank you 🙏🏼
It took me a full twelve months after my EP told me about the program to sign up. In the meantime went through a relationship breakup and put on lbs. They're now gone along with a lot more. There was five spots left on this course when I booked ten days ago. He really has phenomenal results. He's very direct, no BS, tells it like it is and comes at it from an addiction point of view. The last course finished on 3rd July and when I weighed in last week for this round I was 2lb up. That could be hormones, fluid, anything. I'm very impressed tbh. And btws I do not work for them or anything, I'm just a very happy customer. If you find their page on Instagram, there is great inspiration there. If you're on beta blockers they slow your heart rate thereby slow your metabolism therefore you put on lbs. Very hard when doctors are telling me to lose weight but the meds are fighting against it. That wasn't the EP who recommended bodyslims btws. It was his predecessor who just wouldn't do an ablation for me.
Thanks. I’m going to do it….. I put on a stone in the first 6 months of starting beta blockers with no change in diet….I feel it’s definitely down to the meds slowing my metabolism even though my GP said wasn’t the case. My EP took me off them last week so I’m hoping things speed up again! Sorry to hear you’ve had such a difficult time but good you’ve done so well….thanks again for the information. Katie x
Hi Katie!
A very interesting post! A lot comes to mind.
1. I've had Afib triggered by every single vaccination (for anything, every Covid brand too!). I just accept it's no pain no gain etc.
2. I've had a lifelong problem with being in caloric deficit and then being much more likely to be in a trigger state for Afib.
3. To the positive - I'm 100lbs lighter than a decade ago and, Afib episodes aside, am fit and strong and am confident that by the end of 2024 I'll have lost and kept off another 28lbs this year.
4. I simply couldn't go carb free or keto. I came eventually to understand it was to do with sugar / insulin swings and electrolyte imbalances in a way I'd never truly understand as the body is not exactly the same / exposed to the same circumstances (sleep quality, for example, being critical) each day. So I had to compromise and just go for healthy eating with obvious no-nos cut out.
5. I also had to accept that keeping my heart happy was No 1 priority and weight loss was (while of course highly linked!) the next priority. Not the other way around.
6. I track calories. I do not eat certain things ever (refined seed oils, preserved meats, etc) and eat a lot of fish, vegetables and yoghurt. I'm Scottish so can't live without porridge! I limit other carbs (one brown bread slice most days) and keep them complex. I barely touch alcohol but drink 0.5% beer which is fine. A very occasional whisky to calm me is fine. Wine is bottled Afib sadly!
7. I am a large guy, fairly active, get exercise but limit it as there's no question that for me (and many) there's a limit beyond which exercise is a quite nasty trigger. I don't need high doses of meds to keep Afib burden low (frequently none in a month). I take Flec for a bit of rhythm protection, and Bisoprolol (1.25 only) to guard against any Flec pro-arrhythmia (which I've had).
So I guess it's all about balance. I know you said "all or nothing" and, in that one statement, might be the answer to a few issues! 😉
Be kind to yourself. Afib is a pain in the ass for sure and needs responds very directly to how we deal with it. Listening to your body daily and adapting to circumstances (sleep quality, stress, etc) and being a little flexible really helps. Look at total intake over a week and stats over a month.
Best of luck!!
Thank you for your very interesting post! And you’re absolutely right…..all or nothing is most definitely not the way to go!! I don’t practice what I preach!! 😊 I was active and a healthy weight before AF and however much I try to reduce calories or do SW/WW ‘s etc I don’t seem to get anywhere….which is why I end up doing keto and I’m ’all in’. You’re absolutely right that the most important thing is being good to one’s heart . I will try! Thank you , all the best, Katie
Hello Katie, it seems to me that weight loss even though I never thought I was particularly overweight has been a major part of my remission from longstanding lone paroxysmal AF.
AF in the absence of clinically diagnosed thyroid, kidney, or structural issues does not mean that these do not play a role. And I would particularly highlight scope for issues like Gilbert's, latent hypothyroidism (if your cholesterol is elevated it may betoken a latent thyroid issue), poor T3 conversion (possibly genetic), and high cortisol (prolonged stress and poor adrenal function), as well as acute inflammation perhaps occasioned by vaccination, as being part of any tacit lone AF 'substrate'.
Obviously, there are a lot of joined up variables and men and women have a different tolerance for ketosis.
I observe (not especially strictly) a low-carb, keto diet, with meals confined to about a 10-hour window and seldom within 3 hours of bedtime. I am also on the anticoagulant Dabigatran which I think may have been instrumental in reducing cardiac inflammation.
I am quite sure that inflammation will have been instrumental in initiating my AF and that alleviating inflammation has been essential to recovery from it for the time being, and under circumstances that would ordinarily have almost guaranteed I would be in AF full time by now (fractious divorce after long partnership).
Nonetheless, Research has shown that low-carbohydrate diets are associated with an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation (see for example: andprecision.com/low-carb-d..., guysandstthomasspecialistca..., pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/310..., acc.org/about-acc/press-rel....
Several factors, largely already remarked in the comments, may contribute to this increased AF risk with low-carb diets, including dehydration, which is a known trigger for AF, electrolyte Imbalances, which may affect heart rhythm, ketone body effects, because elevated levels of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB) are significantly higher in heart tissues of patients with AF, and inflammation itself, as low-carb diets often reduce intake of fruits, vegetables, and grains, which are known to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Moreover, prolonged exposure to ketogenic diets has been shown to induce cardiac fibrosis in animal studies and decrease mitochondrial biogenesis and reduce cell respiration in heart tissue. These factors could potentially contribute to an increased susceptibility to AF episodes.
Nevertheless, I think the name of the game is not to abandon the quest for weight loss or your constructive transition to an arguably more natural and less volatile fuel-supply, but simply to curb some of these potentially complicating factors, which will predispose anyone to AF episodes, by avoiding inflammatory triggers and being kind to your mitochondria, both through diet and active supplementation.
Yes, it happened to me when I was on the Adkins Diet decades ago, as it would trigger a-fib. When I see a few lbs. creeping up now, I up my intake of protein and take my carbs in veggies and fruit -- but no bread, pastries or the like.
It helps! I think my problem is that although I eat huge portions of spinach, broccoli and salads along with lean protein the carb content is still just too low for me. I’m going to try with higher carb veg and just cut out carbs from pasta, bread etc and see if that stops the AF. I’ve had 14 episodes of AF in three years and I think 10 have been whilst I’ve been trying to do keto. I’m not eating in an unhealthy way but I’m clearly un-balancing everything…..electrolytes etc etc. I think if I was replying to someone else I’d tell them they had their answer….just stop doing keto!! But I’ll try just cutting out the bread and rubbish and see what happens! Thanks, Katie
Sounds like a plan! -- and a good one too. No bread!
No bread 🙁…..👍🏻
Hi TeaFree, thanks for your very informative post. I’m sure there is something contributing to my AF but I really don’t know where to start trying to find out what it is. Doctor has done blood tests and I’m told everything is normal….and that’s as far as it goes. I just find when I’m in ketosis I feel so much better…..and when I eat carbs (even healthy carbs) I’m lethargic etc but I will look at more foods to reduce inflammation. I think that plays a big role. Thanks so much, Katie
Keto diet for sure helps one loose weight. I follow Dr. William Davis of the Wheat Belly books. He says everyone needs their carbs below 15 per meal. He also says once you cut your carbs it still can take up to 4 to 6 weeks for your body to start burning its fat.
so many of us are metabolically inflexible we don't switch from burning carbs to burning fat and that could be what is happening to you.
Personally I don't think consuming too low of carbs is a good idea right off the bat until your body can recover from the medications etc. It takes time. I am really also not sure we need to go into Ketosis to loose weight. Again only my opinion but I think, not having blood sugar swings is the goal and by not eating the harmful carbs is key to that.
If we stay away from the sugars, grains, which turn to sugar the weight will start coming off. it is a process the same as the process that added the weight.
I went the opposite direction, though it was primarily because my kidneys were starting to fail. I've struggled with overweight most of my life, so you might have a different body type. Anyway, giving up sugar and animal protein and going plant-based was what worked for me, basically a Mediterranean type diet. I only get afib now in extreme situations, like when I had to take prednisone for a serious rash recently. I also lost about 6 stone (80 pounds), over a year, and it has stayed off these last years.
I've also come to feel virtuous about not eating animals, when I read that animal agriculture, including cow farts plus so much land worldwide devoted to growing animal feed, is a major contributor to climate change. Not to mention the industry's indifference to the inner lives of livestock. Don't know what to make of laboratory grown "meat".
Thanks for your reply. I was pescatarian for 15 years ( due to animal cruelty rather than anything else) but unfortunately started eating meat again on medical advice. I am planning on being more plant based moving forward for many reasons! Not sure what I think about lab meat but I can’t help thinking at some point in the future they’ll be amazed we ate animals! All the best, Katie
Hi, Katie!
I've been fortunate that after my cardioäblation, I was able to lose 30 lbs / 13.5 kg / 2 st without triggering any AFib so I don't have any direct experience with your situation.
That said, you (and other folk) might want to check out an exhaustive, high quality researched book written by Dr Michael Greger titled How Not to Diet. You can also do a Google/Duckduckgo search on the that title and find a number of 1-hour talks that Dr Greger gave in support of his book tour for his book. In that book, he gave me a bunch of scientifically backed tricks and techniques that helped me breakthrough that frustrating plateau that I'd be stuck on for years.
Dr Greger also runs a not-for-profit website, NutritionFacts(dot)org where he's published five 5-min videos/blogs a week for nearly 15 years. It has a terrific search engine in which I would encourage you to look up "keto diet". People love the keto-diets because weight comes off so quickly. What they don't realize is that not only is a lot of that weight loss water, the diet also leads to significant muscle loss along with the fat that is lost.
I wish you only well
Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes, muscle loss is a problem but I try to keep my protein levels up…..although I’d really like to stop eating meat and be more plant based. Was pescatarian for 15yrs and stopped on medical advice that was given back in the day….big mistake! I’m looking at all advice given on here…many thanks!
Dr Greger talks directly to the issue of protein loss... it seems contradictory, but increased protein ingestion doesn't help with protein loss. Consider that 800 lb gorillas are pure fruit and vegetable eaters for life.
Current science says that healthy protein level is 0.8-0.9 g of protein / kg of healthy body mass. Excessive protein consumption leads to stress on the kidneys as the body can't store protein and has to process and excrete the unnecessary protein. I would recommend Dr Greger's video "The Great Protein Fiasco" on NutritionFacts(dot)org.
Cheers
Thanks for replying and the information….I’ll have a look at it. Sounds interesting. Many thanks, Katie
you will lose weight on a low carb diet without fasting. Eat regularly but stick to about 100 g carbs per day to maintain blood sugar - AF can be triggered by low blood sugar. 100g isn’t that much - one pear is 27g of carbs.
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