[dean5545]

Hello everyone!
I have been a silent reader of this thread and the many other fitness related threads on our forum. I too am following a low carb diet after doing Keto for a month. I am 170cm tall and weighed 70kg in January 2020 and I am 27 years old. My body fat % was 24% back then. I had good amount of free time during lockdown so decided to get ripped, a friend suggested to try Keto diet and I started following it. I started doing Keto diet along with working out at home in May by the time I was 67kg. I continued doing Keto for a month and my weight dropped to 63kg and my body fat % is around 12.5%. The reason for stopping Keto was that I was started noticing that I was losing muscle mass as well. So I switched to a low carb diet.

Coming to the present scenario I decided to carry out a random blood test to check if all my vitalities are normal, my mom always freaks out due to the amount of fats and proteins I consume. When the results came I got a shock as my LDL levels were high at 141. My doctor called me up saying that its not good and you need to have a tablet everyday!

A bit of a backstory:I was diagnosed with Hypertension last year as my blood pressure was 175/102 and would never come below 150/90 and my resting heart rate was high too. Seeing which I had been on blood pressure medicines since one year. Switching to low carb diet my blood pressure came down drastically. It seldom crosses 130 and heart rate too has stabilised. Due to which my Doctor advised me to stop taking Sartel 20. We were going to reduce the dose of the other tablet too next month.

I switched to a low carb lifestyle as I felt much more energetic, I wake up at 4:45, workout at the gym for an hour drive an hour in traffic to work and then again drive back home for 2 hours in traffic. All this wasn't possible without low carb diet last year. The other reason was to avoid having pills of any sort and maintain my body naturally as much as possible. Now the Doctor is telling me to start pills for Cholestrol, which I don't want to.

It feels weird when your overweight friends enjoying carbs, sweets and smokes don't have cholestrol but it's me who calls for mineral water instead of coke when at the hotel has high cholestrol :(

I have been lifting weights since 5 years now and would consider myself to be a little more fit than an average person.

So my question is what should I do now? I am now around 62kg and body fat 12.4%. I do have around 5-6 eggs in a day along with zucchini, bell peppers, broccoli and chicken. I also have a protein shake. Shall I too increase my carb intake? I shall watch the above video peacefully too.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by dean5545

It feels weird when your overweight friends enjoying carbs, sweets and smokes don't have cholestrol but it's me who calls for mineral water instead of coke when at the hotel has high cholestrol :(

I have been lifting weights since 5 years now and would consider myself to be a little more fit than an average person.

So my question is what should I do now? I am now around 62kg and body fat 12.4%. I do have around 5-6 eggs in a day along with zucchini, bell peppers, broccoli and chicken. I also have a protein shake. Shall I too increase my carb intake? I shall watch the above video peacefully too.

I don't know what is your carb in take now. My suggestion is to try adding a small amount of carbs to your diet and keep it about 150 grams a day. You could add a bowl of rice or a couple of potatoes. Do this for a few weeks and then do a test. This extra carbs will replenish your glycogen stores which will then be used as fuel for your workouts which should bring down the cholesterol levels.

Also, it is a myth that all the cholesterol in the blood is due to dietary fat. Dietary fat contributes to just about 20% of the cholesterol requirement. The rest is synthesized by the liver.

[warrioraks]

That’s a highly inspiring story graaja. Thank you for sharing.

I have just started on my wellness journey two months back after reading a motivating piece of literature. Though not as strict as you, this is what I try to follow:
1. Eliminate refined sugar intake
2. Eliminate processed and packaged food
3. Last meal of the day atleast 3-4 hours before sleeping (involuntarily leading to intermittent fasting for 12-14 hours)
4. Increase in fruit intake and meals which are freshly cooked (rather than stale food from fridge)

My physical activity is limited to 30 minutes of yoga + mediation and 10-15k walking steps per day.I don’t have a weighing machine because as you said in the first post, this is a journey and not a goal. But a reduced waistline, better sleep quality and feel-good thing tells me that this might be working.

Not sure if I would be able to focus as much on fitness as you do, so kudos to you and hats off on the transformation!

[drrajasaravanan]

Originally Posted by dean5545

Hello everyone!
I am 170cm tall and weighed 70kg in January 2020 and I am 27 years old. My body fat % was 24% back then. The reason for stopping Keto was that I was started noticing that I was losing muscle mass as well. So I switched to a low carb diet.
When the results came I got a shock as my LDL levels were high at 141. My doctor called me up saying that its not good and you need to have a tablet everyday!
I was diagnosed with Hypertension last year as my blood pressure was 175/102 and would never come below 150/90 and my resting heart rate was high too.
I switched to a low carb lifestyle as I felt much more energetic, Now the Doctor is telling me to start pills for Cholestrol, which I don't want to.
So my question is what should I do now? I am now around 62kg and body fat 12.4%. I do have around 5-6 eggs in a day along with zucchini, bell peppers, broccoli and chicken. I also have a protein shake. Shall I too increase my carb intake? I shall watch the above video peacefully too.

Hi
There are a few concerns regarding your post.
1. Keto diet is good especially when you are over weight or obese. Nothing wrong in starting keto when you are actually optimal weight and target is to cut down your fat. When you are in this spectrum how much calorie were you taking. I think you were dieting with inadequate calorie which would mean loss of muscle mass especially if you are lifting weights. At 170cms your ideal weight should be around 68 to 72kgs.
2. LDL increasing on keto is reversible and not alarming at all. If your doctor is telling you to take a pill you need to change the doctor. No one who is 27yrs with 15% body fat percentage should ever be on Antilipids pill except if he or she has got famillial hypercholesterolemia, which again is unlikely in your case.
3. 27y with that BP your doctor should be looking for secondary causes and not jump to treat the BP. Did he order a USG abdomen and any blood and urine test before he started you on anti hypertensive
4. LCHF is a good alternative and much more easily sustainable with IF. Ensure you have adequate calories. Calcuate your total calroie intake and macro split appropriately within window.
5. Forget about your friends they will learn when they cross 40 the hard way. Do not start any antilipid drugs so easily. The fall out after discontinuing those drugs are not good and it should not be so casually prescribed. Get an alternative opinion.
6. Devil is in the detail of your diet. 80% diet and 20% is your workout.
All this is reversible. At 12.5% body fat its ideal and you just have to min max your diet. Consult a proper nutritionist and you will be set.
Good luck and cheers.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Graaja, Your IF formula has worked well for me. My weight has remained steady within a +/- 1 kg band since c.2000 so 20-years and counting and none of my sporadic half hearted attempts at dieting made any difference worth talking of. I was just grateful the bloody weight remained stable. Today I completed 33 days of IF and the weight loss measured scrupulously has been 3.8 kgs so about 100+ gms a day. I have done nothing else unusual. My exercise is moderate - yoga for an hour 4 days a week as has been for years. I would swim if the pools were open but beyond that I don't do much of any consequence. My IF was a 15-hour fast typically from 9:00PM to 12 Noon. At lunch, tea and dinner I eat as usual including dessert if available. After the first three days the IF became quite manageable. I am encouraged to extend this effort by another month.

Graaja, you are a rock star my friend. I started on IF for the first time ever in 60 years on 22-Nov-20. And today exactly 66 days later I am 6.8 kgs minus or roughly a little over 100 gms per day. So the effort gets extended to end of Feb'21.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Graaja, you are a rock star my friend. I started on IF for the first time ever in 60 years on 22-Nov-20. And today exactly 66 days later I am 6.8 kgs minus or roughly a little over 100 gms per day. So the effort gets extended to end of Feb'21.

This is wonderful Narayan Sir! A small correction. I am not the rock star here. You are!

I am sure you will keep extending this lifestyle every month for life

Originally Posted by warrioraks

I have just started on my wellness journey two months back after reading a motivating piece of literature. Though not as strict as you, this is what I try to follow:
1. Eliminate refined sugar intake
2. Eliminate processed and packaged food
3. Last meal of the day atleast 3-4 hours before sleeping (involuntarily leading to intermittent fasting for 12-14 hours)
4. Increase in fruit intake and meals which are freshly cooked (rather than stale food from fridge)

My physical activity is limited to 30 minutes of yoga + mediation and 10-15k walking steps per day.I don’t have a weighing machine because as you said in the first post, this is a journey and not a goal. But a reduced waistline, better sleep quality and feel-good thing tells me that this might be working.

Not sure if I would be able to focus as much on fitness as you do, so kudos to you and hats off on the transformation!

You are on the perfectly right track to health.

30 minutes of yoga + meditation and 10-15k steps per day is perfectly fine. Yoga alone can keep your mobility and flexibility. Please make this a lifestyle and I guarantee you a healthy disease free life

[LoneRidder]

Originally Posted by graaja

No need to cut out fat. Just add a little carbs (a cup of rice, a couple of chapatis or a couple of medium sized potatoes etc.). I think you should be able to add this small portion of carbs to your existing diet without cutting anything else..

Dear @graaja, Thanks for your inputs.

This week I was little hesitant to take fat 'liberally'. I have cut down some fat. Not sure if this is a perceived feeler, during few strong workouts, I get a feeling that I am short of energy. I am yet to load carb, but have increased my vegi load.

By the way, my last Saturday's run was longest on IF. Though I did not push it hard, because of increased LDL report, after the run I could notice that most part of the run was in zone 4 and 5.

Originally Posted by drrajasaravanan

IMO, if i am on keto diet with elevated lipid profile i would cut down on fats for next 3 to 6months till it resets. If there is any clear evidence to support not to cut down fats i will post in this forum.

Dear @drrajasaravanan, Thanks for sharing. Will go for one test after a month and share the report.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by LoneRidder

This week I was little hesitant to take fat 'liberally'. I have cut down some fat. Not sure if this is a perceived feeler, during few strong workouts, I get a feeling that I am short of energy. I am yet to load carb, but have increased my vegi load.

Lack of energy could be perception as well. Observe this for a few more days and see if this persists.

As I had mentioned before, only about 20% of the cholesterol requirement comes from diet. The rest 80% is synthesized by the liver. So, even if you cut down the fat in diet, as long as you are not fixing the carbs portion, liver would still be making more cholesterol to keep the energy requirement.

Add carbs in small blocks and observe how your energy is during the runs. Personally, when I was doing Keto and when I increased my workout intensity, I was not able to sustain the intensity. When I added some carbs to the diet, I was able to sustain the intensity.

There is a dedicated research going on about how to use fat for endurance athletes. In this, they mention that for endurance athletes, once they get fat adapted (for which they need to do strict keto for a few months), 130g to 150g of carbs a day is a sweet spot, which lets them still use fat as primary fuel and at the same time provide the needed glycogen for the high intensity parts of the workout. This is being adapted by many professional ironman athletes and is being proven right.

So, I am very sure that if you bring your carb in take to this sweet spot, you will be able to sustain your energy levels in workouts and at the same time keep your LDL and cholesterol levels in check.

[drrajasaravanan]

Originally Posted by graaja

for endurance athletes, once they get fat adapted (for which they need to do strict keto for a few months), 130g to 150g of carbs a day is a sweet spot, which lets them still use fat as primary fuel and at the same time provide the needed glycogen for the high intensity parts of the workout. This is being adapted by many professional ironman athletes and is being proven right.

Hi
Wanted to know whether you have tried carb loading during high intensity training. I have seen professional endurance athlete who stay off carbs for most of the day but do their carb load pre and intra workout. Logically it would be efficient if we stick to the fasting interval and plan the high intensity activity during eating window and take the carb load prior to workout.
Cheers

[graaja]

Originally Posted by drrajasaravanan

Hi
Wanted to know whether you have tried carb loading during high intensity training. I have seen professional endurance athlete who stay off carbs for most of the day but do their carb load pre and intra workout. Logically it would be efficient if we stick to the fasting interval and plan the high intensity activity during eating window and take the carb load prior to workout.
Cheers

Hi, yes. I have tried carb loading during high intensity training and this has worked well for me. Though I still workout during my fasted state.

PS: Have not been able to stick to proper carb limits the past couple of months. But I am compensating this with a switch to 18:6 (which mostly extends to 19 or 20 hours)

[dean5545]

Originally Posted by graaja

I don't know what is your carb in take now. My suggestion is to try adding a small amount of carbs to your diet and keep it about 150 grams a day. You could add a bowl of rice or a couple of potatoes. Do this for a few weeks and then do a test. This extra carbs will replenish your glycogen stores which will then be used as fuel for your workouts which should bring down the cholesterol levels.

Also, it is a myth that all the cholesterol in the blood is due to dietary fat. Dietary fat contributes to just about 20% of the cholesterol requirement. The rest is synthesized by the liver.

Hi !
Thanks for the suggestion. I had already started increasing my Carb content as I wasn't able to increase my muscle mass. Regarding the dietary contribution to cholestrol, even my doctor said the same and hence wanted me to start tablets.

Originally Posted by drrajasaravanan

Hi

The reason I started Keto was to remove the stubborn belly fat, as I wanted to develop 6 pack abs. I did loose belly fat and developed sort of a 4 pack but lost a lot of weight overall too.

2. LDL increasing on keto is reversible and not alarming at all. If your doctor is telling you to take a pill you need to change the doctor. No one who is 27yrs with 15% body fat percentage should ever be on Antilipids pill except if he or she has got famillial hypercholesterolemia, which again is unlikely in your case.

I did mention about the diet, but he dismissed it saying that diet wouldn't cause the increase in LDL levels. Does famillial Hypercholesterolemia mean hereditary disease? If yes my father does take cholestrol tablets but that was prescribed to him post his angioplasty. My mom's LDL levels went high only this time and she is 62 years old.

3. 27y with that BP your doctor should be looking for secondary causes and not jump to treat the BP. Did he order a USG abdomen and any blood and urine test before he started you on anti hypertensive

We did a blood test and 2D Echo as well, but the results were fine. I had an appointment at a leading Cardiac Centre for April but then Covid happened. Need to get it checked. The main concern for my Dr was the elevated heart rate. Shall take an appointment again.

4. LCHF is a good alternative and much more easily sustainable with IF. Ensure you have adequate calories. Calcuate your total calroie intake and macro split appropriately within window.

You are right, I never do calorie counting, need to check my calorie count.

5. Forget about your friends they will learn when they cross 40 the hard way. Do not start any antilipid drugs so easily. The fall out after discontinuing those drugs are not good and it should not be so casually prescribed. Get an alternative opinion.

Thank you so much Doctor for your advice, shall keep in mind

6. Devil is in the detail of your diet. 80% diet and 20% is your workout.
All this is reversible. At 12.5% body fat its ideal and you just have to min max your diet. Consult a proper nutritionist and you will be set.
Good luck and cheers.

I agree with you regarding the importance of diet. People give way more importance to working out at the gym than to working in the kitchen.

[drrajasaravanan]

Hi graaja,
I started focusing on diet and health after a disaster of 8 months around middle of November and after seeing your post switched to IF with LCHF for the past 2 months. My wife started the same schedule seeing the response in January. In 2.5 month's I have lost 13kgs and in 1 month my wife has lost 4 kgs. This by far is the easiest diet pattern for us to follow. Both of us have planned to continue this for another couple of months as her working commitment is going to increase and I will be resuming my job very shortly. We are planning to continue IF with LCHF targeting a weight loss of 2kg per month for now and take a rain check on keto at a later date. Thanks a lot for your push in the right direction at the right time.
Cheers

[graaja]

Originally Posted by drrajasaravanan

Hi graaja,
I started focusing on diet and health after a disaster of 8 months around middle of November and after seeing your post switched to IF with LCHF for the past 2 months. My wife started the same schedule seeing the response in January. In 2.5 month's I have lost 13kgs and in 1 month my wife has lost 4 kgs. This by far is the easiest diet pattern for us to follow. Both of us have planned to continue this for another couple of months as her working commitment is going to increase and I will be resuming my job very shortly. We are planning to continue IF with LCHF targeting a weight loss of 2kg per month for now and take a rain check on keto at a later date. Thanks a lot for your push in the right direction at the right time.
Cheers

This is great progress Dr. I am really glad that your wife also has started following IF and LCHF. I am sure with IF+LCHF lifestyle, you will lead decades of healthy life

And I would like to thank you so much for all the inputs you have been providing in the thread as a qualified medical professional. When the lifestyle is backed by a Doctor, it carries much more weight and this is what we need a lot in the society. Please keep inspiring everyone

[Teesh@BHP]

Hi graaja,

Thank you for being such an inspiration to all of us!

I started on the IF journey ever since your thread went live and I have lost exactly 10Kg as of a couple of days back! I am in my late twenties and in the last 7-8 years, my weight has been fairly consistent within the range of 81-85Kg (181cms in height). Today I stand at 73.6Kg. I try to follow LCHF diet(although not strictly) by keeping rice/bread to the minimal, but the fasting/eating window has been consistent at 17:7.

I still cannot comprehend the fact that I have lost so much weight. A number of my friends and family members have followed suit and I predict that the number will keep growing.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Teesh@BHP

...last 7-8 years, my weight has been fairly consistent within the range of 81-85Kg (181cms in height). Today I stand at 73.6Kg. I try to follow LCHF diet(although not strictly) by keeping rice/bread to the minimal, but the fasting/eating window has been consistent at 17:7.

I still cannot comprehend the fact that I have lost so much weight. A number of my friends and family members have followed suit and I predict that the number will keep growing.

That is a fantastic transformation!

I am very glad that you caught this lifestyle in your early age. Add some strength training to the routine and you will see still greater results and convert more of your friends and family

Keep inspiring!