Hello,
Anyone here doing the Keto diet? My husband & I had lost weight a couple of years ago on the Keto diet, but only did it a couple of months. However, I've heard from different videos and reading that a healthy keto consisting mostly of eggs, fatty fish, olive oil,vegetables, etc does good at reversing fatty liver disease. Anyone else experiencing success eating like this?
Basically keto will take weight off and is much healthier than the standard American diet. The thing to be aware of is that full bore keto can be damaging for your colon. To be healthy you need to have a good population of organisms in your colon. That means you need to have a good supply of fiber in your diet because when the bacteria digest it they produce chemicals that you colon needs to be healthy. For that reason a keto diet long term is not a risk I want to take but we support a diet with plenty of non-starchy vegetable along with the description you list above. If you aren't battling liver disease it is less of an issue I suppose but we believe you have to care for all of the organs. Here is a link to a discussion about NASH diet from our perspective.
My Doctor said NO KETO I guess it's all the fats, I don't know but he said follow the basic 4. So if you have fatty liver or Nash I would stay away from it.
Just from my own experience @48 yo having T2D(6yrs), HBP(10yrs), NASH w/F2/F3(5 yrs-ish):
(I'll keep this short as possible)
Started making REAL lifestyle changes in January 2019. Walking, calisthenics 2-3x/wk for 30 min, fasting and started keto @245lbs. By March 2019, got down 220. Stopped keto because i wanted more vegetables in my diet and didn't feel sustainability in the diet. Switched to a LCHF/Mediterranean diet. By May 2019, 205lbs, doc pulled me off T2D/HBP meds. ALL my labs were great, most were the best in the last 15 yrs. August 2019, 195lbs.
Today, after a more laxed diet and the holidays, 205lbs. More importantly, my labs are still great. Still off meds. MRE of my liver resulted in 7.6% fat and still @F2/F3😒. Aside from a lil discomfort in the liver area every now and then, I feel great overall.
Note: my journey has full support from my pcp, gi and hepatologist. I was fortunate enuff to have a team that isnt too brainwashed by today's guidelines.
My 2 cents: I don't feel a ketogenic is sustainable for the rest of my days because i like to eat! But it definitely is a tool to aid in resolution of fatty liver. (Let alone other conditions) Diet is key with our conditions.
Now if only they would hurry up with that fibrosis healing drug!😉😂
Just put a solid plan together and stay the course. Support groups like this are good to have. Good luck on your journey!
-Mark
Thank you so much! Yes, my husband & I keep talking about going back on the keto, but I hate the restrictions. I think we will try to just eat as healthy as possible with very little carbs and fatty food. I just remember my husband dropping weight so fast on the keto, and he is a type 2, and the doctors were amazed at his A1C's. But after a couple of months we both got really burnt out on the same foods-i tried different recipes, but they all seem to consist of the same ingredients..lol. But, yes, I am just trying to put a solid plan in place like you say and stick to it. I want to try and find a good hepatologist as well. I saw a gastro doctor who ordered a fibro scan which I had and wants me back in 6 months, but feel like a liver specialist would offer me more support and information. Thanks again for your helpful post!!
I read a study on the NIH site with diet and exercise recommendations for those with NASH. I follow those guidelines. 45% complex carbs, 20% protein, 35 % healthy fats and a minimum of 20 grams fiber, half of which is soluble. For those needing to lose weight, the recommendation is anywhere between 500 and 1200 calories a day. A Mediterranean or DASH diet is recommended.
About a month or so ago, I started mixing things up. 500 calories 1 day a week, 800, 1000, and 1200 each twice a week.
20 to 60 minutes moderate cardio exercise per day is recommended, as well as resistance exercise 2 to 3 times a week and an additional 250 minutes walking and ither exercise a week.
Personally, I do 25 minutes on my exercise bike a day, and a 20 minute Leslie Sansone walking routine a day. 3 times a week, I add 10 minutes of HIIT on the bike. I do 15 minutes of resistance exercises 3 times a week (kettlebell swings, push ups, squats, and clean and press with 10 lb dumbbells. I take a 10 minute walk after each meal.
I only have 3 meals a day, no snacks. On my 1200 calorie days, I have a tuna sandwich or salmon. Those are the only animal products I eat. Soy milk, tofu, mung beans, and mung bean sprouts, as well as pea protein powder are my main protein sources.
I came up with a vegan shepherd's pie recipe that is awesome, and a great vegan nacho recipe using bean chips instead of corn chips, either of which I have on occasion for some variety.
I drink a lot of decaff tea and decaff coffee (both organic) and use only filtered water. I am off my diabetes medication and stopped taking one of my 2 blood pressure medications.
I have been losing weight steadily on this regimen. 2 pounds a week on average.
Keto was a disaster for me when I was on it. My A1C was 12.8. My doctor said it was because I work a third shift, which stresses the body a great deal. Combined with the extremely low carbs, which was also a stress, my cortisol was very high, which drove my sugar up.
All that to say, calorie counting with healthy food choices and plenty of exercise is doing wonders. I see my hepatologist on March 19th for blood work and a liver ultrasound.
Thanks for the tips-that's a lot of exercise-great job!! I try and walk a mile at least 3-5 times a week-and that's if I'm doing good-I know the exercise will really help along with a healthy diet. I hope all goes well with your upcoming appointment 
I live near a river and the mosquitos are fierce so I don't really enjoy walking outdoors. Leslie Sansone and Denise Austin indoor walking workouts are great. Both women are so perky and encouraging. They helped me get fit enough to do all the rest. I can't say I'll ever like working out but I like the sense of satisfaction I get when I am done. I hope you find a diet that works for you. Since being diagnosed and changing my lifestyle, my pancreas and spleen are no longer inflamed and my liver has reduced in size 4 cm and change. I am hoping the ultrasound next month shows it closer to normal sized. My liver enzymes have been great too.
That's great news! My ultrasound showed the fatty liver and when I was sent for a Fibroscan, I was told I had moderate to severe scarring..I guess that is NASH? My doctor just left me a message with my results to lose weight and come back in June...so not a lot of information. I'm considering finding a hepatologist who may help me more to understand my diagnosis and know what to do. I have the Leslie Sansone walking DVD too-its a good workout!
I reversed fatty liver by doing modified keto (without too much fat) i tjink its called the 'paleo' diet.
Just low carb, low sugar and a deficit of calories.
I also did intermittent fasting by only eating in a 5 hour window each day.
Yes, I like the keto, but a modified sounds much better-the regular keto was very restrictive to me & my husband, and we got burnt out. My problem is sugar-I know I have to give it up completely and I'm really struggling with that. I really like the IF and need to start that again-doesn't that really give the liver a nice break?
If you are looking to give up sugar, google THM or check it out for recipes on Pinterest. The overall diet is a modified Keto diet, you can have good carbs. Eating like this has really helped me kick sugar. I think eating excessive amounts of sugar and not eating enough protein really contributed to my NASH diagnosis. I started this when I read about other people healing their liver and losing weight.
Thank you-I sure will
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