Probably the number one question we are asked is, “Is keto safe?” I get it, I really do. You are changing the way your body works. It’s going from burning glucose (i.e. sugars from carbs) to burning fat. This is not new in the fact that we did it before we had food at our disposal 24/7, but it is new for modern history. So, is it a safe way to live?
I have seen many articles over the past 2 years about the dangers of eating keto if you have your gallbladder out or if you have thyroid issues. I’ve suffered with both those conditions. I have hypo-thyroidism and I had my gallbladder out about 10 years ago. Those articles stayed in the back of my mind, even as I found success with eating a keto lifestyle.
Even the Doctor asked, “Is Keto Safe?”
One day, I went to my eye doctor. He told me he saw silver in my eyes, and that could possibly be evidence that my cholesterol was high. He asked me if I’d had cholesterol issues in the past. Surprisingly, that had never been a concern with me when I was overweight. Was this something that was happening because I was eating keto? Was my cholesterol high? I started questioning how I was feeling and if keto was still okay for me.
We started keto the year COVID hit. That meant I hadn’t been to a doctor for a check up for several years, as I didn’t have a family doctor and it was difficult to access medical professionals who were busy fighting COVID. I knew that I had lost weight (about 65 pounds). I knew I felt better than I had before I started keto. But, what if I was damaging my body? What if those articles had been right? I started second guessing myself and my lifestyle choices.
Luckily, my health benefits include access to an online doctor service. I told them what the eye doctor had said, and asked to have some blood work done. I had to wait three weeks to get an appointment, but I went and had it done. Guess what? Having blood work when you don’t have layers of fat on your arms makes it a much easier process! Anyway, I had the work done and then waited a few days for the results to come back. I accessed the online doctor service again and when they called me back, I tried to prepare myself for the worst.
Is Keto Safe When You Stop
What would happen if I had to go off keto? I like the way we live now. I like the way I look, and I like the way I feel. Bill can’t go back to eating carbs due to a health issue. Did that mean that we would have to eat two different meals every day? I was terrified I would slide back into eating junk and start feeling lethargic and tired all the time again. I held my breath while the doctor reviewed my results.
He asked how much weight I had lost, and I told him. He told me to stop worrying and keep doing what I was doing. My cholesterol numbers were right in the middle range of normal. My thyroid numbers were the same. Every number from the test results were right in the middle of the healthy range. I was fine, healthy, and good to stay on my keto journey.
Some Doctors Know The Truth
The doctor actually laughed when I told him my eye doctor had raised the concern. He noted that other health professionals tend to get “twerked out” when they hear the term “keto.” He congratulated me for the changes I made to improve my health and told me to keep going forward.
So, is keto safe? I’m not a doctor. Nor a keto researcher. I’m just a middle aged woman with hypo-thyroidism and no gallbladder who has been doing keto for 2 years. All my tests showed that keto is safe and working for me. It’s a good idea to get blood work done every year or two, just to keep advised of all your health concerns. But from all the evidence I have, I’m staying keto for life!
Wendy
