Keto for Bipolar: Stories of Hope on

[@CashMoneyMoore]

Here's to millions of more stories like this!

[@dyaneharwood2023]

Yes! Thanks so much-your comments always uplift me; have a wonderful weekend!

[@떡볶이나리]

Yep! I'll be happy the day it's common knowledge, haha.

[@federicogarcia5317]

Yessssss🎉

[@jan_ellison_baszucki]

What an incredible testament to these five individuals for persevering, finding something that works, and sticking with it. I hope to this is the beginning of hundreds of more stories like this.

[@omarchoudhury458]

Hello Jan, I am currently dealing with a BP 1 diagnosis and not doing too well. I feel very alone in this battle and as you know it's a scary place to be. I've just started doing keto and hope that I can recover and get my life back. If it's not any trouble please can you put me in touch with a doctor or even somebody I could talk to? My email is [e-mail] should you reply to my request. Best wishes, Omar

[@HappilyCarnivore]

The only ketogenic diet that puts my bipolar disorder into remission is carnivore. Just putting this out there in case there's anyone else who has tried a traditional ketogenic diet with little success. I've been carnivore for over 2 1/2 years and the only time I have a return of symptoms is when I reintroduce vegetables or any other plant food. I can have a small amount of a low carb vegetables occasionally without too much issue, but if I try and eat it daily my symptoms will return. I'm not sure why this is, but I also feel my best physically when I'm carnivore, so I'll just continue to eat carnivore.

[@LifeIsWonderful675]

Thank you for sharing. I have been researching keto since June 2022 & have tried a few variations of the diet to stop seizures started in 2004 through a TBI started after a bashing about the head by my partner. I tried ketovore for 8 months of last year with no veg's. It did not stop the seizures but they were less severe & I was having less so I was told by friends. I started adding a few veg's back into my diet in Jan this year. I had not had a seizure for 3 months until 2wks ago. I had eaten numerous blocks of 95% dark chocolate daily the week before. I have stopped the chocolate & hope that will help. If all else fails I will try Carnivore.

[@lexamdelac28]

Did you have good therapeutic blood levels while on the keto diet, say 3 mmol and over? On Carnivore, do you even check your ketones?

[@HappilyCarnivore]

@@lexamdelac28 I checked my ketones on traditional keto and I check them on carnivore. I've never reached 3 or over, not even during an extended fast. On traditional keto I struggled to reach ketosis at all, even though I was tracking and definitely getting 80% of my calories from fat and keeping my total carbs at 20 or under. Often I would check them and they would be a flat 0.0, and very rarely did they go above 0.5. On carnivore my ketone levels are better. They're never under 0.5 and often over 1.0. I do still track my food (because I struggle to lose weight on even regular keto and carnivore) and I usually get between 75 to 80% of my calories from fat. My only carbs are the small bit that's in eggs, or some low carb dairy like cheddar cheese.

[@LifeIsWonderful675]

@@lexamdelac28 I have been doing urine tests & they can be less than 1. Sometimes 1 - 1-5 & at other times it can be as much as 4 or even up to 8. I need to get help about how to keep then at a steady reading. I have had 3 consultations with Lauren who works for Denise Potter. I had a diet I was using so it was not changed. It was only put together by the research I had been doing the last 20 months. I am hoping Lauren can help me with that. I looked into the blood monitors a while back but have not had a chance to look again. I saw 1 at a Chemist here but it did not look the best.

[@LifeIsWonderful675]

@@lexamdelac28 Yes my levels were around 3 - 4 a lot of the time but at times would drop to 0.5 - 1.5 . I do urine tests. I did look for a blood monitor in the chemist & have looked online.

[@JNonymous-er5sw]

I think the (gorgeous!) woman hit the nail on the head: ketogenic therapy is a CORNERSTONE that allows you to make better, healthier decisions, and pursue all of the "best practices". I would gently say keto is not exactly a panacea, but it makes managing severe mental illness dramatically easier and more effective. I also am a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and can do keto quite successfully. I have noticed that I feel best when my ketone level is 2.8 or higher, which I can accomplish by reducing my protein intake. Americans are so obsessed with protein, but too much on a ketogenic diet can keep you from getting into deeper ketosis. 💕

[@nanakrisdoggie7375]

Hello. If u eat less protein, does it mean relatively more fat to achieve a high ketone level?

[@MichaelBLive]

Hope all are well on this day! Cheers, Michael

[@dyaneharwood2023]

Having fun with my big girl still on Spring Break!

[@YakoobYasseen]

Ketogenic diet is the only way to go. From Johannesburg South Africa 🌄🇿🇦

[@vannahhall915]

Love this! So empowering to see people who are healing ❤

[@dyaneharwood2023]

thanks! :)))

[@yayitzln]

Thank you for this...still going thru the battle. And revisiting their stories is so encouraging. This is perfect to watch on tough days for a quick reminder of possible recovery. Thank you for your message of Hope. Metabolic Mind & Bipolar cast has grown so exponentially from even just a year or 2 ago. Great work to all involved. Hope to get better so I can join in the message of recovery too.

[@TemoteControl]

Let’s connect somehow. Always good to talk to likeminded folks on the same journey to heal.

[@dyaneharwood2023]

Thanks to Metabolic Mind and Dr. Bret Scher for including me in this group of amazing people including my friend and "Our Healing Journey with Metabolic Psychiatry" podcast co-host Michael Belanger. Doing a healthy vegan ketogenic diet for bipolar disorder has been one of the best, most empowering decisions of my life.

[@LifeIsWonderful675]

Glad to hear keto with a vegetarian diet is working for you. I was vegetarian probably 80% of my life. I was hypoglycaemic in most of my blood work too. My father was vegetarian for close around 40yrs before he went into a Care Home. I did not like eating animals & did not like eating any fat or butter. In 2012 I stopped any occasional meats I was eating as I was diagnosed with bowel cancer & thought there was a link to eating meat. I started meat in 2022 when starting keto & must say I am feeling better. Even though I am not sure what is happening with keto stopping seizures it has helped inflammation in my knee & arthritis in my finger. I can think clearer & am not as tired as I have been for may years.

[@chrisbrown2211]

Although you can do keto on a vegan diet it's not recommended because you will be deficient in many key nutrients like vitamin B12, zinc, iron, protein(amino acids), carnitine, choline, vitamin D, cholesterol, saturated fat.

[@thrivingwithbipolar]

Wow! Wow! Wow! I am so touched and inspired. Thank you so much to everyone who made this video. You guys are an inspiration❤

[@AndreasFroehlich1985]

Thank you Guys for sharing❤🎉.

[@jamesg2382]

Thank you. I’m 1 1/2 months in to the Keto diet. Finding it hard to get my Ketones above 0.5 despite sticking strictly to the diet. A few tests at 1.5. Doing everything I can to follow the diet. Hopefully some relief will come soon. Up and down like a Yo Yo. The testimonials are helpful

[@jan_ellison_baszucki]

Just a thought: have you checked carnitine levels?

[@jamesg2382]

@@jan_ellison_baszucki Thank you. I’ll have a look into that.

[@inharmsway1965]

Increase butter fat.

[@FreeGirl9608]

Maybe Try carnivore for 30 days and see if anything changes. Also, when you’re long term keto/carnivore you’re going to see lower ketone levels because your body is fat adapted, but the good effects of ketosis still continue with lower numbers.

[@biodivers5294]

Respect 🫡

[@lexamdelac28]

So empowering to hear stories of overcoming a severe disorder! Wonderful successes. I'm also curious to hear stories of people who reduced their medicine but didn't come off completely while doing keto. What are their reasons? Did symptoms come back with reductions or what makes them not stop completely? And why would keto not be sufficient for them?

[@dyaneharwood2023]

Hi! Thanks so much for your kind comment. I did not stop taking my two bipolar meds & I still take them along with doing vegan keto. My reason to remain on my meds is that I'm doing well, and I don't want to taper until I work with an experienced metabolic psychiatrist who has helped people taper. I'm on the waitlist for a psychiatrist with this kind of experience. (Hope that makes sense!)

[@lexamdelac28]

Hi Dyane. Nice to hear from you! Thank you so much for sharing your reason for staying on meds. Makes perfect sense and I hope you get off the waitlist soon.@@dyaneharwood2023

[@dyaneharwood2023]

@@lexamdelac28 I'm happy to share about it; thanks for the nice reply! :) I've been on meds a long time (since 2007) and I tried tapering twice in extremely small increments over a period of time with a scientific scale and the help of my husband, who's a scientist. Each time I became manic, and I had to go to the hospital. I had two small children, so it wasn't just me who was affected. Anyway, on a much brighter note, I wish you the absolute best. I also invite you to watch a new podcast I'm co-hosting with Michael (he's in this video too) called "Our Healing Journey with Metabolic Psychiatry" - we're doing one show every 4-6 weeks, and on each episode we'll feature an amazing Metabollic Psychiatry visionary. I hope you'll take a look.

[@VeraNiehaves]

Thank you from germany. Im bipolar 1 and i will try the ketogenic diet. But there is no book from Dr. Chris Palmer in German.

[@metabolicmind]

Thank you for your comment. Brain Energy by Dr. Chris Palmer is available on Amazon in German. Here's a link in case you are interested: www.amazon.de/Psychische-Erkrankungen-verstehen-Mitochondrien-Schl%C3%BCsselrolle/dp/3867312745

[@LifeIsWonderful675]

where is the best place to get help & to share my full story? I linked to a site called Reddit linked to Bipolar that could be a start. I would like a consultation with Dr Ede she would be a great help if it were possible

[@dyaneharwood2023]

I messaged you on Reddit in the bipolarketo group with the specific contact info. - hope you got it!

[@LifeIsWonderful675]

@@dyaneharwood2023 Yes I think I did it was on this Metabolic Mind site?

[@nickcaption308]

❤❤❤

[@Terrierized]

Carbs sugar seed oils fing with our minds Eat more Aussie Beef

[@vickimartin7601]

😃

[@chrisbrown2211]

Although you can do keto on a vegan diet it's not recommended because you will be deficient in many key nutrients like vitamin B12, zinc, iron, protein(amino acids), carnitine, choline, vitamin D, cholesterol, saturated fat.

[@dyaneharwood2023]

Vegan keto can be healthy, safe, and effective! Watch my “Our Healing Journey with Metabolic Psychiatry” podcast interview with Dr. Georgia Ede. Please read my vegan keto articles published by The International Bipolar Foundation and Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance as well as vegan keto info at Virta Health.

[@chrisbrown2211]

@@dyaneharwood2023 vegan is and will never be healthy

[@kristateufel124]

I want to PLEASE put this out there… anyone who has/ had suffered from disordered eating, DO NOT do this diet. I’m bipolar 2. I’ve also had a severe eating disorder/ anorexia. Please take it from me, I tried the keto diet… and I started to SPIRAL with my eating disorder. So please keep that in mind and put THAT as your trigger warning. I’m still struggling and putting the pieces back together recovering from my bout of severe restricted eating.