Beyond Blood Sugar: How Keto Transformed My Life
My personal journey from burnout to complete recovery
When I first discovered ketogenic eating, I wasn't just dealing with diabetes management. At the time, I was on a longer sick leave due to stress and burnout, so my main interest was actually: what is good for my brain? I knew the constant blood sugar swings did nothing good for my brain, my energy, and mental capacity.
But there were other health issues piling up too. I had developed asthma and was getting medication for that. I had started to develop diabetes neuropathy in my feet - a diabetes complication which causes numbness and tingling sensations. It had also started to affect my balance. This, of course, increased my awareness and worry about other diabetes complications that might be coming my way in the future.
My stress had gotten my adrenaline/cortisol system stuck in constant fight-or-flight mode, which made it difficult to relax and sleep, and also did nothing good for my diabetes management. I had finally given in to the doctor's recommendation of trying some heavy psychiatric medication to address this issue.
Discovering the Power of Fasting
Through my research into metabolic health, I learned about the potential benefits of fasting on a number of illnesses. The science fascinated me - how fasting impacts autophagySorry this page is not ready yet. (the body's way of cleaning up damaged cells), increases BDNFSorry this page is not ready yet. (a brain-protective hormone), and can reset various metabolic processes.
As someone already comfortable with monitoring blood sugar and adjusting insulin, I decided to carefully experiment with fasting. I always monitored my blood sugar closely and would abort any fast if my levels got low. Through trial and error, I learned to reduce my basal insulin significantly the day before starting a fast, and discovered that my insulin sensitivity doubled during fasting, requiring extreme caution with any bolus corrections.
Once I had dialed in the approach, I managed to fast 2-4 days in a row with nothing but water, salt, black tea, and black coffee.
The Complete Transformation
The results were beyond anything I had hoped for. My brain started working again - the mental fog lifted completely. Over the following year I gradually got back to full-speed work. That was five years ago now, and these improvements have stayed. I can attest that the keto way of life is not only sustainable but fully worth it.
I was able to drop the heavy psychiatric medication for my PTSD-like symptoms. I became much calmer and could sleep properly again. I no longer needed my asthma medication. I lost all the excess fat and returned to the weight I was in my twenties, with more energy throughout the day than I'd had in years.
Most importantly for my long-term health, the numbness in my feet improved significantly, and the annoying tingling and tingling sensations disappeared. I got my balance back completely. My worry about future diabetes complications vanished.
Five Years Later
Today I'm not just back at full speed - I'm developing this website, building a CMS system to maintain it, and continuously developing the Glysimi AppSorry this page is not ready yet.. The transformation has been lasting and complete.