Tag: keto-vore

Latest from the American Heart Association

by Coach Terri - Health or Bust, posted in Carnivore, Fitness, Health, Keto, Keto-Vore, Uncategorized

It’s been a few weeks since I last blogged, so my apologies for that. I am hoping to fix that now that my schedule is starting to even out. I did want to make sure that I posted about this, however, as it is BIG NEWS. I first heard about it from Dr. Ken Berry and his YouTube channel. If you would like to see his video on it, you can click here. So, let’s start on going through the gist of this 38 page paper, shall we?

First, you can find the PDF article here: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epdf/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001040

Abstract of article

Starting with the abstract:

ABSTRACT: Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in patients with diabetes. Cardiovascular disease in diabetes is multifactorial, and control of the cardiovascular risk factors leads to substantial reductions in cardiovascular events. The 2015 American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association scientific statement, “Update on Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Light of Recent Evidence,” highlighted the importance of modifying various risk factors responsible for cardiovascular disease in diabetes. At the time, there was limited evidence to suggest that glucose-lowering medications reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. At present, several large randomized controlled trials with newer antihyperglycemic agents have been completed, demonstrating cardiovascular safety and reduction in cardiovascular outcomes, including cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. This AHA scientific statement update focuses on (1) the evidence and clinical utility of newer antihyperglycemic agents in improving glycemic control and reducing cardiovascular events in diabetes; (2) the impact of blood pressure control on cardiovascular events in diabetes; and (3) the role of newer lipid-lowering therapies in comprehensive cardiovascular risk management in adults with diabetes. This scientific statement addresses the continued importance of lifestyle interventions, pharmacological therapy, and surgical interventions to curb the epidemic of obesity and metabolic syndrome, important precursors of prediabetes, diabetes, and comorbid cardiovascular disease. Last, this scientific statement explores the critical importance of the social determinants of health and health equity in the continuum of care in diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epdf/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001040

Ok, that’s a lot, so let me break it down for you. Obviously, there is a concern regarding the link between Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease. The study looked at 3 things: the use of antihyperglycemic agents (aka prescriptions drugs for diabetes), Impact of blood pressure control on cardiovascular events, and the role of new lipid-lowering therapies. So the next question is, what were the findings?

T2D indicators

First, let’s go over some indicators. We know that T2Ds have a higher blood sugar level, but what causes that? Surprise: it’s not just eating too much sugar. According to the article:

progression to T2D includes metabolic syndrome and prediabetes with glucose dysregulation attributable to liver, skeletal muscle, and adipocyte insulin resistance, along with proinflammatory cytokines

This means that to get to T2D, you suffer from metabolic syndrome, inability to manage glucose (aka sugar), which can be attributed to liver, skeletal muscle, and adipocyte (cells that store fat) insulin resistance, and proinflammatory cytokines, aka small proteins that are crucial in controlling the growth and activity of other immune system cells and blood cells.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, metabolic syndrome is defined as having 3 or more of the following:

  • a waist circumference ≥35 inches for women or 40 inches for men
  • elevated triglycerides (≥150 mg/dL)
  • a high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) <40 mg/dL in men or <50 mg/dL in women
  • hypertension (≥130/85 mm Hg)
  • elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG; ≥100 mg/dL)

At one point in time, I suffered 4 of these 5.

The article then moves in to Lifestyle Management.

LIfe Management

In adults with T2D, greater adherence to an overall healthy lifestyle is associated with a substantially lower risk of incident CVD and CVD mortality (Table 1). The table is on page 4 of the study posted above. But what does that mean? In a nutshell, it advises that an overall healthy lifestyle will likely put you at a lower risk of CVD and CVD mortality.

What the study showed is through an intensive life management change (calorie goal of 1200 to 1800 kcal per day (with <30% from fat and >15% from protein)), the patients lost more weight then just calorie deficit and lowered their A1C faster. In addition,

intensive lifestyle intervention yielded improvements in other cardiovascular risk factors, sleep apnea, fitness, renal disease, peripheral neuropathy, and depressive symptoms.

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epdf/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001040

There was not enough research on this study to confirm that it definitively will remove cardiovascular disease, but it is definitely in the right direction.

You know that I am a proponent of movement. This study found that

Physical activity

Increased physical activity and exercise have been shown to improve glycemic control, lipids, BP, insulin sensitivity, and inflammatory biomarkers in T2D

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epdf/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001040

This indicates that physical exercise (minimum of 3 times a week) also helps to lessen cardiovascular disease.

Nutrition

Here is where it starts to get interesting. To quote the article (again):

The Mediterranean, Paleolithic, low-carbohydrate, high-protein, vegetarian, and nut-enriched diets have demonstrated benefits on glycemic control and weight loss in T2D, with the Mediterranean diet producing the greatest improvements in glycemic control and a 29% CVD reduction over 4.8 years.

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epdf/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001040

Keto is low-carbohydrate, high-protein. Obviously, this statement does not limit to only Keto, but this is the first study from AHA that includes Keto, so that is quite exciting.

Very low–carbohydrate versus moderate carbohydrate diets yield a greater decrease in A1c, more weight loss and use of fewer diabetes medications in individuals with diabetes. For those who are unable to adhere to a calorie-restricted diet, a low-carbohydrate diet reduces A1c and triglycerides. Very low-carbohydrate diets were effective in reducing A1c over shorter time periods (<6 months) with less differences in interventions ≥12 months

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epdf/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001040

The study showed that very low-carb decreases A1C more than a moderate carbohydrate, as well as more weight loss and less medications. It also showed to reduce triglycerides (which are well known for being higher on a diet of pasta and rice). Note that the very low-carb diet was more effective in reducing A1C over a shorter amount of time. THIS is very exciting.

Summary

So, this is the first study that the AHA has published where they are acknowledging the benefits of a Ketogenic way of life. Eating ‘Keto’ will reduce your A1C faster then the previous recommended diets and will improve overall health. So, let’s get started on your road to health with a Ketogenic, keto-vore, or carnivore way of life.

Food heals

by Coach Terri - Health or Bust, posted in Carnivore, Health, Keto

The Keto, Ketovore, and Carnivore diets are not just for weight loss. It will help heal your body. The weight loss is a nice side effect, but should not be your primary reason. How do I know it heals your body? Let’s discuss, shall we?

I started Keto as a desperate action because I woke up and could barely move my legs. I had heard about Keto from a friend, and something told me to give it a try. My poor husband, who was starting to prepare Christmas dinner with all the traditional sides. He had to suddenly make extra dishes for me. He did great and I will always appreciate that he has supported me from the beginning.

As I got further into Keto, I started noticing that I was losing some of my bloat, and some weight. Then I started to notice that I was able to walk more, and faster. I was able to get up from a chair with less pain. I wasn’t feeling sick all the time.

Now, here’s the kicker. I have not lost hardly any weight (maybe 5 lbs) in about 18 months. Do I have weight to lose? Yes, about 20 more lbs. Am I worried? No, I am not, and here is why. My body is still healing. I’m 52 years old tomorrow, so I have 50 years of doing damage to my body to reverse.

I know that my body is healing with the protein and nutrients that I’m giving it. I know this because if I have too many carbs in a day, or if I accidentally have soy, my body hurts. But when I eat clean, it feel good, I have more energy, I can move. These, for me, are a correlation. Consider as well, what is called a Non Scale Victory (NSV). When I started my journey with Keto, I was moving into a 3XL shirt and a Size 20. Today, I’m wearing a L and a size 12. This is the inflammation being healed, as I’ve only lost about 20 lbs.

But it’s not just me. My husband has started to eat more Keto and he is noticing improved health as well. His joints do not hurt as much, and he’s able to recover each day faster than he used to when he has overdone it. This, is also why I know that eating this way heals our body.

So, how will I know that my body has healed and I can change the way I eat? Well, I’ll know my body is healed, or close to healing, when two things happen. The not as important thing is losing that last bit of weight, as my body will finally whoosh that weight away. The other? When I am able to exercise and lift a normal amount of weight. I will get there, slowly but surely.

So, are you ready to heal? I’m ready to help you. Let’s do this together, shall we?

What is Keto?

Featured by Coach Terri - Health or Bust, posted in Uncategorized

There is a lot of confusion on what Keto is and if it is healthy or a fad diet, or? I hope to clear up some of the confusion surrounding Keto.

History

History

From News Medical Life Sciences:

The ketogenic diet became popular as a therapy for epilepsy in the 1920s and 30s. It was developed to provide an alternative to non-mainstream fasting, which had demonstrated success as an epilepsy therapy. However, the diet was eventually largely abandoned due to the introduction of new anticonvulsant therapies. Although it emerged that most cases of epilepsy could be effectively controlled using these medications, they still failed to achieve epileptic control in around 20% to 30% of epileptics. For these individuals, and particularly children with epilepsy, the diet was re-introduced as a technique for managing the condition.

https://www.news-medical.net/health/History-of-the-Ketogenic-Diet.aspx

In summary, the ketogenic diet was created in the 1920s to help save those with epilepsy. So, this is not a fad diet, it’s a healthy way of eating for people with certain ailments. The benefits do not stop there though.

Other Benefits

Many doctors are finding that the ketogenic diet has other benefits as well. From Healthline.com:

  • It can lessen your appetite.
  • Faster weight-loss at the beginning
  • More of that fat loss comes from your abdomen
  • Triglycerides come down drastically
  • HDL Cholesterol (good cholesterol) goes up
  • Reduced blood sugar and insulin levels
  • May lower blood pressure
  • Effective against Metabolic Syndrome
  • Improved LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
  • Therapeutic for several brain disorders

These are all benefits that I, personally, have seen occur, or know someone that has benefited in these ways.

Negatives

So, what are the negatives? Personally, I have found none. But these three are the mmost common ones that people will say are negatives and why they can’t do it.

  • Cost – You can actually eat a ketogenic diet for as little as $5 a day. Is it clean keto? No. But you don’t have to eat grass-fed and finished meat for every meal. Eat what you can afford, specially at the beginning. You’ll quickly find that you suddenly have more money and can splurge on better quality ingredients.
  • “I have to have my (insert your favorite bread, pizza, pasta, sweet here) – If you HAVE to have that carb, you are suffering an addiction. You do not HAVE to have it. Now, with that in mind, there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of substitutions that you can use to get by. Want cheesecake? Have a keto one. This one is from keto-connect.net. Want pizza? There are many different pizza crusts you can make. My favorite is this one from 2krazyketos.com, which is a variation from one from keto-connect.net. There are also ways to make pasta.
  • “I need my sweets in the afternoon/evening.” – There are sweetener substitutes that you can use. Allulose, monk fruit, Swerve (one of the more popular brands). Yes, those can be a little more expensive then traditional refined sugar, but you’ll find that after a few months, you won’t be craving that sweetness any longer.
  • It causes Ketoacidosis – It actually does not. Ketosis and Ketoacidosis are two different things. It is very rare to get a ketone level so high that it causes ketoacidosis. It is more common for those with Type 1 diabetes, but again, it is a rare occurrence. More information? From the CDC website: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication of diabetes that can be life-threatening. DKA is most common among people with type 1 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes can also develop DKA.

    Causes of DKA – Very high blood sugar and low insulin levels lead to DKA. The two most common causes are:
  • Illness. When you get sick, you may not be able to eat or drink as much as usual, which can make blood sugar levels hard to manage.
  • Missing insulin shots, a clogged insulin pump, or the wrong insulin dose.

Other causes of DKA include:

  • Heart attack or stroke.
  • Physical injury, such as from a car accident.
  • Alcohol or drug use.
  • Certain medicines, such as some diuretics (water pills) and corticosteroids (used to treat inflammation in the body).

what is considered keto?

What is Keto? Keto is when your body goes into ketosis. To get there, keep your carbs under 20g a day. For some people, they can go up to 30g of total carbs. 50g of carbs a day or less is considered low carb. That is the jist of it. Depending on where you are on your journey will depend on where your fat intake and protein intake levels are. If you want to lose more weight, eat less fat and higher protein. If you don’t want to lose weight, you add more fat and make it closer to 1 to 1 fat to protein.

I can help you with that, including a quick menu, exercises you can do, and overall support. Click on one of the options on my homepage, to set up some coaching time. There are currently, as of January 2022, 2 options that are based on Maria Emmerich’s ketogenic coaching program. Maria is one of the most well respected, most popular, and well loved health coaches in the world. She has over 30 books on the subject.

Happy New Year

Featured by Coach Terri - Health or Bust, posted in BBBE, BBBE, Carnivore, Fitness, Health, Keto, Keto-Vore
happy birthday to you wall decor
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

Are you ready for a change? I can help you with that.

I watch several YouTube channels, and one of them, 2KrazyKetos, released their January challenge today and Rachel was rather adamant that it is not New Year, New You, but New Year, New Do. I understand her thoughts on this. So, I am going to go with it.

the challenge

Now, before I go further, my husband had decided to participate in the BBBE (Beef, Butter, Bacon, Eggs) challenge, a challenge put out there by Dr. Ken Berry, before we knew that the 2KrazyKetos were going to do this challenge again. They did the challenge for 46 days this past fall. So, two days ago, we went and had our labs done, and a DEXA scan. We will have the same done after 3 months of just eating BBBE. This is not a requirement for anyone and I would never tell you that you have to do this, so please don’t think that I am. This is strictly for my husband and I to see what happens. He will go back to Keto and I to Ketovore at the end of the 3 months.

motivational simple inscription against doubts
Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

Why are we doing this?

We are doing this as a reset, to retrain our thinking on food. Beef and butter happen to be excellent ways to heal your body, so why not give it a try. Dr. Berry promises that our body fat will not go up and our blood work should improve. Please note that I didn’t say our overall cholesterol will go down. For some, it will. I do not expect that for us, as for most, it will go up. I will do a blog about why that does not bother me, in the near future. We are hoping that this will remove some of the inflammation that has built up in my body by unknowingly eating soy. As I type this, my arthritis in my fingers is truly flaring, and we believe it to be the pork and chicken I’ve been eating. Hence, the challenge.

What is BBBE?

Dr. Berry and the 2KrazyKetos go over this, so I’ll make it brief.

  • Beef – Any beef or ruminant animal. This includes Bison, Elk, Sheep, etc. If you can incorporate liver and heart in some way, even better, as they have a ton of nutrients
  • Butter – Butter, or Ghee. The 2KrazyKetos are incorporating tallow, which I would classify under Beef.
  • Bacon – Bacon, or pork belly. There is debate over whether Dr. Berry means all pork or just bacon or pork belly. We are looking at it as, what is the fat content and is it high enough.
  • Eggs – Eggs are one of the more perfect foods. 1-to-1 ratio of protein to fat. This part is actually going to be a challenge for me, as I do not like eggs. So, my egg intake will be lower than most during this time.

New ‘Do’

Therefore, taking the phrase from Rachel at 2KrazyKetos, a new ‘Do’ is in order. Are you ready to start a new ‘Do’ for your life? Let me help you with that. As a certified Keto and Carnivore Health Coach, I can and will help you with that. Coach Bronson (affiliate link) would say: Get after it. 2022, here we come. We can do this, together.

Closing out 2021: Focus on Health in 2022

by Coach Terri - Health or Bust, posted in Health, Keto, Keto-Vore, What's your why?

My apologies that it has been must longer since my last post then I intended. December has been quite a busy month for me. That being said, let’s talk about the future.

Just the other day, I received my official certification badges as a Keto and Carnivore coach. I intend, once I save some money, to take the supplement course and receive my certification in supplements as well. With the official certification, I will now be working on coaching people officially. The new year is perfect for that, yes?

Help me, help you

So, with that, what do you want to see in a Health Coach? I intend to customize my program as much as possible to meet the individuals needs. Why am I doing that? It’s actually rather simple. I have weird allergies (some not so weird) and quirks. For example, I’m allergic to soy and all soy derivatives, allergic to tomatoes, intolerant to gluten, and I cannot handle shakes/meal replacements. So, my weight-loss is extremely slow, while by body heals, first. And that is my goal as a coach, is to help you heal first. The weight-loss is a nice side benefit.

How this all started for me

In case you haven’t read my about me, let me talk about why I need to heal. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when things started going downhill for me, but I’ll start when I was a Senior in High School. Suddenly, my chest and lungs hurt a lot and I was coughing a lot. My mom took me to the doctor and he said that it was just my chest muscles from having to carry such a heavy backpack. We tried to explain to him that I didn’t carry a backpack, but he didn’t understand that.

Asthma

Fast forward 10 years and the pain in my chest was really bad. I went to the doctor and his back up (my doctor was on vacation) ordered x-rays. I received a call that I had Pleurisy. So, I went back into the doctor’s office and as he opened the door to my exam room, I coughed. He asked me “How long have you had Asthma?” I told him I didn’t. He told me I did, as that cough was a classic asthma honk. Hmmm, this was new.

Soy

Fast forward another 15 or so years, I was having a hard time eating. I was feeling sick every time I ate. It got to a point that I couldn’t eat, as I started vomiting up blood. They started taking tons of tests, everything came out negative. The final test was swallowing a small camera to follow my digestive track. Results? Everything was working fine. Because of this, the doctor suggested I try an elimination diet. First three days, I could only have 6 saltine crackers a day. She advised us to look at all the ingredients and note when I reacted. My husband realized quickly that everything had soy in it. We confirmed my sensitivity to soy when I had my first cracker. It had soy flour, and I reacted. I immediately started making all my own food. Baking my own bread, making my own peanut butter, and my own chocolate even.

Why I went Keto

Fast forward to the last 4 years. My joints and whole body have just been getting worse and worse and more and more pained. Still struggled with eat, psoriasis and eczema were getting worse. I was at a loss on what to do. Then, Dec. 24, 2019, I woke up and could not move my legs. I was able to finally get them moved enough to get up and to the restroom. I had heard about Keto from a friend and had been looking into it for months. That morning, that was it, I made the decision to give it a try. Initially, I was only going to do Keto for 6 months, until I healed my body. I quickly realized that I have a long way to go to heal my body. I’m still healing. I can feel the inflammation, though it is not as bad as it was, and my stomach will tell me when the animal that I’m eating has been fed soy. So, I have to be extremely careful.

That brings us to today. After seeing the improvement that Keto and Ketovore has provided me, I want to be able to help others achieve that goal. I want to help you heal.

So, how can I coach you?

The importance of movement

by Coach Terri - Health or Bust, posted in Fitness

Why is movement important? Well, we can speak to the obvious, movement keeps your muscles and joints strong. This is logical, right? By keeping your body moving through daily exercise (even just walking), you keep your muscles from weakening, and helps your joints stay strong.

So, what else does it do. Well, according to the CDC, improving your brain health, weight management, reducing disease, and strengthening your bones. Let’s look at why, shall we?

Brain health: Studies show:

Some of the benefits of physical activity on brain health occur immediately after a session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (acute effect), such as reduced feelings of state anxiety (short-term anxiety), improved sleep, and improved aspects of cognitive function. With regular physical activity (habitual effect), improvements are seen in trait anxiety (long-term anxiety), deep sleep, and components of executive function (including the ability to plan and organize; monitor, inhibit, or facilitate behaviors; initiate tasks; and control emotions).

https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf#page=32

So, this leads to improved cognition, quality of life, anxiety and depression, and sleep. When you exercise, even a little, you help improve these things. When you exercise a little more, the improvement is greater.

Weight Management: This is another obvious result, but does bear worth stating. Obviously, when you exercise, you have a better chance of maintaining your weight, and even losing some weight. More importantly, you are able to change your body shape. Remember that muscle does weigh more than fat, so you will gain muscle and lose fat, which allows for a change to your body definition.

Reducing disease: Studies show that exercising helps reduce the risks of certain cancers, including Bladder, Breast, Colon, Endometrium, Esophagus (adenocarcinoma), Kidney, Lung, and Stomach. Please note that exercise will not prevent or cure cancer, the studies show that they help reduce the risks of certain cancers.

Strengthening bone: According to NIH,

bone is living tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger. Young women and men who exercise regularly generally achieve greater peak bone mass (maximum bone density and strength) than those who do not. For most people, bone mass peaks during the third decade of life. After that time, we can begin to lose bone. Women and men older than age 20 can help prevent bone loss with regular exercise. Exercising can also help us maintain muscle strength, coordination, and balance, which in turn helps to prevent falls and related fractures. This is especially important for older adults and people who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.

https://www.bones.nih.gov/health-info/bone/bone-health/exercise/exercise-your-bone-health

All these are excellent reasons to keep your body moving and to exercise. Not sure where to begin? If you have not exercised in awhile, start by walking. Just a walk around the block can do so much good. Then, when you are ready, join a gym or a fitness program.

I’ve mentioned before that my favorite is APEX Health & Fitness. I am an affiliate with APEX because I have seen what wonderful things Bronson has done for myself and others. And if you want some inspiration, you should see his mom, Claire. She is my inspiration when I do my workouts. If you are interested, here are the links to his beginner and Functional Fitness programs (affiliate links):

At Home Beginner Program

At Home Functional Fitness Program

You will not be disappointed if you keep moving, even just a little bit. Because the more consistent you are, the stronger you’ll become.