Medical medium
I had been eating the Medical Medium way for a few years now, and I considered myself a pescetarian, ate whole plant-based foods and did not eat dairy, meat, poultry, or eggs.
Diagnosis
6 weeks ago I decided to go see an herbal doctor, Richard Whelan, I had wanted to see him for years but I think I was not ready to face what he might say about my health. My goal was to manage my high blood pressure in an alternative way, and it wasn’t long since I was diagnosed with high cholesterol.
Well, I was a bit surprised, he did quite a few blood tests, pricking my finger, running it through machines and looking at it under the microscope. Listen to my heartbeat and take my blood pressure.
He said that as soon as he saw me he knew I had metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and keeping the weight around your mid-zone so stubborn that anything you try won’t move you. And I had tried so hard, besides exercising. Nothing changed those numbers.
He said it wasn’t about if I have diabetes, but when. I considered myself prediabetic.
I was speechless, I mumbled that I thought I was eating really good and healthy, that I liked refined sugar, but for the most part it was not out of control.
So he gave me some herbs for my liver and some other vitamins and herbs to take, magnesium acetate, chromium, vitamin B complex, St. Mary’s thistle, and hawthorn and reishi.
Keto
Then he said he wanted me to eat Keto.
I was like “Keto ?????” that ????
I was horrified, I said Keto is what my thyroid had thrown out 4 years ago, going down on carbs.
So he asked me what I was prepared to do, I told him I was prepared to investigate it. And I was happy about it.
Thyroid and keto
So I started doing some solid research for about a week. He suggested that I sign up for dietdoctor.com, which I did.
And I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why the ketogenic diet wouldn’t throw up my thyroid again like it had.
Then I started to find out why it happened.
He had been eating dirty keto. Which is basically eating all the fatty foods like hot dogs and bacon and meat and eggs, and none of the vegetables.
I spent quite a bit of time exploring vegan keto and decided it would be too difficult.
So I brought in some meat, eggs, and other foods, and I threw out most of the things in my cupboards that had more carbs. It was very difficult to throw away my old foods that I considered healthy.
What I found out, though, is that those foods are healthy for some people, just like keto doesn’t work for everyone.
Stomach ache
So it seemed like I was doing pretty good the first few weeks, I went into the keto flu stage as my body adjusted, then diarrhea struck.
I gave up all my vitamins and herbs. After 10 days I went back to my old way of eating to see if maybe it was fat, maybe I had changed my diet too quickly instead of adding food slowly.
I did a food tracker and was about to make an appointment with my doctor when I got well.
So I’m fine for a week and then last weekend it started again. I dissected what I had been eating and was finally able to figure out what was causing it, because it was going to suck if it was the fats.
It was sucralose. The sweetener that was in the powerade zero that I was using for electrolytes when I was feeling the keto flu. Which was a vicious cycle, because you would think you would have to replace electrolytes due to diarrhea and then drink more.
Going forward
I haven’t weighed myself in a few weeks, but I was starting to lose weight steadily, and this morning I measured my waist and I have lost 15.5 cm in a month.
I really like to eat keto. It is very satisfying. I have introduced some dairy, but not many. Mainly like chicken, some meat and eggs. But this time I am eating a lot more vegetables than last time.
I had a blood test a few weeks ago and my thyroid is in range and my liver results are also in range, something I have not seen in the 4 years I have had blood tests done.
I’ll give you updates on how I’m doing from time to time.
Postscript: 5 months after starting the ketogenic diet I started having anxiety and went for a blood test. Sure enough, what I was afraid would happen, I am hyperthyroid in the early stages, have increased my carbohydrates, and have an appointment to see Richard in early February 2021. I have lost 12 kg.