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1 % Better Every Day

 With all of the information and misinformation out there about nutrition and wellness, we want to help wade through all of the bullshit and nonsense so we can all get 1% better every day through good food and getting our ass moving.  Becoming A Little Harder To Kill every day.

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We are not doctors or medical professionals and we are not offering any medical advice.  

 

Keto: The Normal Human Diet

What is KETO?

 The word KETO is blowing up like mad.  Keto was the #1 searched diet on Google in 2018.  “Keto” has been capitalized, marketed, stuck on labels and websites, tossed around in any way that someone can make money on it.   Keto has been called a “fad” diet.  I’ve even heard “extreme keto diet”.  I’ve heard it whispered at work for fear of ridicule (even though the dude whispering it has lost 50lbs in 6 months and appears to be having no trouble keeping it off).   I have even just said “no, thank you” at family functions to some gooey dessert concoction and hoped that someone didn’t press so I wouldn't have to hear all of the misguided concerns and questions.  I have heard things like, “that’s not keto” and “are you being keto?”.  What does that even mean??  Am I being keto?....  Actually, keto is literally just short for ketosis or ketogenic.  

Ketosis

Ketosis is a completely normal metabolic state in which your body is burning ketones or fat instead of sugar or glucose.  Ketosis is perfectly healthy.  When in Ketosis, your liver produces ketones for fuel for your body.  When carbohydrates are kept at normal levels or some would consider “low” levels your body will burn fat for fuel instead of glucose (sugar).  This is considered the state of ketosis.  Another way to achieve ketosis is Intermittent Fasting or IF.  I will cover IF a little later.  For the record,  burning fat for fuel is a good thing and not even a little bit “extreme” or “fad”.  Humans, in our current state, have been burning fat for fuel for millennia.   

Ketogenic

 Ketogenic describes the “diet”.  Ketogenic is eating in a way that gets you into ketosis and keeps you there.  Typically, a ketogenic diet is considered high fat, moderate protein and low carbohydrate.  I have a little issue with this description because “ketogenic” is actually healthy and therefore should be considered the normal way to eat.  I will get into that a little later. 

Summary

 Keto is short for ketosis or ketogenic.   Ketosis is allowing our body’s metabolism to be retrained to burn fat or ketones instead of sugar.  Ketosis significantly reduces  blood sugar and insulin, as well as, numerous other health benefits that I will cover later.  

Quick Food List

Healthy Whole Foods

Healthy whole foods are plentiful and delicious, but sometimes it helps to have a quick-reference guide to what you should and shouldn't eat. To get you started, here are some of the major food categories that will make up your healthy normal human diet.

  • Healthy oils and fats: Butter, olive oil, avocados, fish oil, coconut oil, and even lard and bacon fat. (see the fats list below)
  • Seafood and fish: Virtually anything in this category is good, just be careful of how it’s prepared (for example, breading is filled with carbs). Wild-caught seafood is the best! Keep your eyes peeled for tuna, tilapia, salmon, shrimp, cod, octopus, halibut, and sea bass, among others.
  • Meats: Any kind of meat is fine, including chicken, lamb, venison, pork, and beef. If you have the option, choose grass-fed meat whenever you can.
  • Vegetables: All the non-starchy vegetables are good healthy whole foods. Avoid potatoes, large tomatoes, and corn. Instead, focus on broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, yellow squash, mushrooms, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, spaghetti squash, zucchini, onions, and garlic. There are plenty of very low carb salsas out there that have only 2 carbs per 2 tbsp.
  • Eggs: I can't say enough good things about eggs.  Eat the entire egg. You are losing out on nutrients and good healthy fat if you just eat the whites.  Eggs are super cheap and versatile, as well.
  • Dairy (especially full-fat): Milk itself has sugar and should be avoided, especially skim or low fat.  For a lot of us milk is difficult to digest.  Most other forms of dairy are fine on a whole food health diet.  Various cheeses (especially hard ones), heavy cream, unsweetened full fat yogurt, and butter are fantastic for you.  Heavy cream contains no sugar.  Cheese has been broken down a bit from the enzymes. 
  • Nuts and seeds: Be careful not to overindulge, but walnuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, and macadamia nuts are tasty treats you shouldn’t hesitate to include in your diet!  Cashews and pistachios are heavier or carbs but are fine if you aren't crushing them.
  • Berries: Most fruit is heavy on sugar, but many kinds of berries are cool. You still need to limit the amounts, but strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are all good. On a related note, lemons and limes are decent too, so use those to add some tartness to your new way of eating!  Maybe put a wedge in your water.



KETO or LCHF (Low Carb Healthy Fat)

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Lifestyle

A KETO diet reduces carbohydrates.  Primarily carbs that you would find in sugar, bread, pasta and soda.  The carbs are replaced with whole foods such as meat, real fat and vegetables.  


There are loads of studies indicating that low carbohydrate diets are great for weight loss and improve measurable health markers.  Low carb diets have been around for decades and are used/recommended by lots of doctors.  Best thing about a low carbohydrate diet is that you really don't have to count calories and no need for special products.  You just eat whole real foods that make a nutritious and filling diet.  Super easy.

Fats and Oils

Avoid These Oils


  • Soybean oil
  • Canola oil
  • Corn oil
  • Cottonseed oil
  • Sunflower oil
  • Safflower oil
  • Peanut oil



These are the oils that we have been taught to refer as "vegetable oils."  They are highly processed and may be pretty bad for you.  These are also the oils that "trans" fats like margarine are made from.  FAKE FAT.

Awesome to Cook With and Eat



  • Butter
  • Ghee (clarified butter) 
  • Coconut oil
  • Lard (pork fat)
  • Tallow (beef fat)
  • Olive oil
  • Avocado oil
  • Macadamia oil
  • MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride) from coconut oil 


21 Day Keto Challenge

Goal

Our goal is to introduce the ketogenic lifestyle through exercise, low carbohydrate intake and intermittent fasting.    

Basic Guidelines

  • Significantly reduce carb intake
  • No more than 3 meals a day
  • No need to count calories (eat until you are full)
  • Week 1 - 3 meals a day all 7 days
  • Week 2 - M-F fast until lunch, 3 meals on Saturday and Sunday
  • Week 3 - reduce feeding window to four hours M-F, 3 meals on Saturday and Sunday
  • No alcohol for duration of trial
  • Eat good whole foods
  • No restrictions on fat
  • Eat until you are full
  • That's it!

Results

We had 9 participants with ages ranging from mid 20's to mid 50's.  The idea was to eat a more reasonable diet of closer to the appropriate amount of carbohydrates rather than the extreme carbohydrate recommendations from the AHA, ADA and the SAD diet.  Everyone achieved ketosis in ranges from 1.2 mmol to 4.5 mmol.




Some of the highlights:

  • 68.2 pounds (31kg) lost collectively
    • Top 3 weight losers:
      • 17 lbs (7.7kg)
      • 11.2 lbs (5.1kg)
      • 8 lbs (3.6kg)
  • Overall BP reduced including...
    • Top weight loser landing well within normal range of BP(without meds)
    • Top 6 of 7 weight losers dropped their BP (2 chose not to be tested, they did lose weight)
    • Systolic dropped an average of 15 points for the group
    • Best systolic reduction was 33 points
    • Top 3 Systolic BP drops

  1. 33 points
  2. 30 points
  3. 22 points




I will post 1 month, 3 month and 6month follow up to show sustainability.

Initial Take Away

Based on our results, I say the best way to  eat for our bodies is low carbohydrate, high fat and moderate protein and we all became A Little Harder to Kill.  More to come...

One month update - Still killing it!!

  • Most everyone is still losing weight.  
  • A couple of folks took a little longer to become fat adapted but are now losing weight.  One report is "down 9 pounds and two pants sizes".
  • Our most successful stud has lost 26 pounds since the start out our ketogenic journey and over 90 for the year.
  • One of our participants is concerned about having to buy new clothes because hers are too big now.  Oh, and she is getting stronger.  A lot stronger.
  • Keep in mind, this group was already working out 3-4 days a week and simply applied the proper human diet.
  • I believe we have changed some lifestyles for the better.