Well, so much for keto! (vegetables, supplement, mayo, patients)
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I started my keto diet at the beginning of February. I did it (almost) consistently for about 3 months, had some cheat weekends, but would jump right back on it. I lost 10 lbs in about a month, which is a lot for my size, and I kept it off with keto.
Friday night I experienced a pain I never had before, and got scared so I went to the ER. Found out that it's a kidney stone. I don't think it has passed yet since I still feel some pain, but the pain is not as bad as Friday.
I never had kidney stones before, but I read that eating a lot of protein, not drinking a lot water can cause stones. I'm not sure if it's in the genes as well since my mom has experienced a lot of stones.
This is a bummer because I was doing so well on keto. I wasn't hungry and got to eat a lot of my favorite foods while still losing weight. It wasn't even that hard to start either since I had cut a lot of grains out of my diet before I started. I think keto even cleared up my skin even more as I noticed less breakouts.
I guess it was too good to be true. Now I just have to go back to the old way - balanced diet, less calories, exercise more. I was planning on doing the latter again, but only a way to maintain once keto helped me get to my goal weight.
I started my keto diet at the beginning of February. I did it (almost) consistently for about 3 months, had some cheat weekends, but would jump right back on it. I lost 10 lbs in about a month, which is a lot for my size, and I kept it off with keto.
Friday night I experienced a pain I never had before, and got scared so I went to the ER. Found out that it's a kidney stone. I don't think it has passed yet since I still feel some pain, but the pain is not as bad as Friday.
I never had kidney stones before, but I read that eating a lot of protein, not drinking a lot water can cause stones. I'm not sure if it's in the genes as well since my mom has experienced a lot of stones.
This is a bummer because I was doing so well on keto. I wasn't hungry and got to eat a lot of my favorite foods while still losing weight. It wasn't even that hard to start either since I had cut a lot of grains out of my diet before I started. I think keto even cleared up my skin even more as I noticed less breakouts.
I guess it was too good to be true. Now I just have to go back to the old way - balanced diet, less calories, exercise more. I was planning on doing the latter again, but only a way to maintain once keto helped me get to my goal weight.
There can be unfortunate outcomes with this type of eating.
Last edited by Luckyd609; 05-08-2017 at 11:36 AM..
Sorry, 3 months of keto will not cause kidney stones. Kidney stones are caused by years of buildup. If that was the case there would be thousands of people that follow keto developing kidney stones. Uric acid stones are the ones that the OP describe but they take years to form, just like gout does which also comes from excess uric acid. Uric acid buildup is easy to prevent, just drink lemon juice on a regular basis. If you get to see the stone you can determine the makeup of it and that will tell you what caused it.
Sorry, 3 months of keto will not cause kidney stones. Kidney stones are caused by years of buildup. If that was the case there would be thousands of people that follow keto developing kidney stones. Uric acid stones are the ones that the OP describe but they take years to form, just like gout does which also comes from excess uric acid. Uric acid buildup is easy to prevent, just drink lemon juice on a regular basis. If you get to see the stone you can determine the makeup of it and that will tell you what caused it.
"I believe we know several things with confidence:
1) High animal protein intake increases urinary calcium loss
2) High animal protein intake decrease urinary pH (more acidic)
3) High animal protein intake decrease urinary citrate levels
4) High animal protein intake increases urinary urate
On the other hand, reduced carbohydrates reduces urinary calcium. Weight loss exerts multiple beneficial effects that decrease likelihood of urinary stone formation.
To my knowledge, there have only been studies looking at serum and urinary measures (e.g., oxalate, calcium, pH, etc.) that may be associated with stone formation, but there has not been a prospective study in humans that applies a low-carbohydrate diet versus conventional diet and observes the occurrence of stones.
So the bulk of observations on urine composition on low-carb diets suggests increased potential for urinary stone formation.
That said, it is also important to know that, as you know, “low-carb” comes in many flavors and can vary with regards to green vegetable composition, oxalate content, acid-base effects, etc. There are other factors that can also influence the tendency towards stone formation, such as vitamin D status, urinary magnesium excretion, hydration status (very important), dietary potassium content, etc.
All in all, low-carb likely increases likelihood of stone formation in those susceptible to the effect. However, there are a number of strategies to consider to mitigate the risk, such as vigorous hydration, balancing protein intake with generous green vegetable intake, magnesium and potassium supplementation, vit B6 supplementation. I advise some patients to monitor urinary pH and try to trend towards maintaining an alkaline pH (i.e., greater than 7.0).
Urinary stone formation is a complex topic with vigorous debate on just how important dietary content really is."
The potential is there for kidney stones. I think the key is getting the right balance of vegetables and water might help.
I started my keto diet at the beginning of February. I did it (almost) consistently for about 3 months, had some cheat weekends, but would jump right back on it. I lost 10 lbs in about a month, which is a lot for my size, and I kept it off with keto.
Friday night I experienced a pain I never had before, and got scared so I went to the ER. Found out that it's a kidney stone. I don't think it has passed yet since I still feel some pain, but the pain is not as bad as Friday.
I never had kidney stones before, but I read that eating a lot of protein, not drinking a lot water can cause stones. I'm not sure if it's in the genes as well since my mom has experienced a lot of stones.
This is a bummer because I was doing so well on keto. I wasn't hungry and got to eat a lot of my favorite foods while still losing weight. It wasn't even that hard to start either since I had cut a lot of grains out of my diet before I started. I think keto even cleared up my skin even more as I noticed less breakouts.
I guess it was too good to be true. Now I just have to go back to the old way - balanced diet, less calories, exercise more. I was planning on doing the latter again, but only a way to maintain once keto helped me get to my goal weight.
Lyle McDonald's book The Ketogenic Diet (which is, without question, the best resource written on this topic to date) has a subsection discussing the kidney stone issue. Here is the long and short of it.
Quote:
The few short term studies of adults suggest no alteration in kidney function (by
measuring the levels of various kidney enzymes) or increased incidence of kidney stones, either
while on the diet or for periods up to six months after the diet is stopped (26). Once again, the lack
of any long term data prevents conclusions about potential long-term effects of ketosis on kidney
function.
The same subsection notes that studies showed an increase in small kidney stone formation in epileptic children who were on keto diets, but that those children were also kept in a dehydrated state.
Given that, it seems to me your issue had more to do with poor hydration than the diet itself.
I started my keto diet at the beginning of February. I did it (almost) consistently for about 3 months, had some cheat weekends, but would jump right back on it. I lost 10 lbs in about a month, which is a lot for my size, and I kept it off with keto.
Friday night I experienced a pain I never had before, and got scared so I went to the ER. Found out that it's a kidney stone. I don't think it has passed yet since I still feel some pain, but the pain is not as bad as Friday.
I never had kidney stones before, but I read that eating a lot of protein, not drinking a lot water can cause stones. I'm not sure if it's in the genes as well since my mom has experienced a lot of stones.
This is a bummer because I was doing so well on keto. I wasn't hungry and got to eat a lot of my favorite foods while still losing weight. It wasn't even that hard to start either since I had cut a lot of grains out of my diet before I started. I think keto even cleared up my skin even more as I noticed less breakouts.
I guess it was too good to be true. Now I just have to go back to the old way - balanced diet, less calories, exercise more. I was planning on doing the latter again, but only a way to maintain once keto helped me get to my goal weight.
Try a modified paleo, gluten-free, and keto approach mixed together. Just think of it as focusing on single ingredient foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meats, starches, and plenty of water/fluids. I have been on that mixed approach for many years with great success, and very satisfied with a higher protein and low carbohydrate diet.
The potential is there for kidney stones. I think the key is getting the right balance of vegetables and water might help.
Sure, the potential is there BUT as I stated it takes a little longer than 3 months. She/He's using the keto as a scapegoat for what could be years of eating too much meat AND it's not not known what kind of stones they are. I think it's a bit premature to judge.
Well first, I'm sorry about the stones. I've seen people go thru that and it seems painful as all ****!
Next though, I'm kind of a fan of "the old way". There's nothing off limits - I just have to rejigger portions and change to the way "normal" people eat. For me, dinner can't be a huge bowl of pasta - but I can have a small serving as a side to a lean protein and a huge salad. I can't eat a tub of ice cream - but I can have a serving.
It's a different kind of planning. I'm guessing this because I've never done keto. I just think of the "old fashioned way" as a normal daily intake but scaled back by about 15%. For me, that isn't always about less food - just different combinations of it. Finding different ways to prepare food has been fun and I've come to love things that I never cared for that much before. (Hello beets! Hello brussel sprouts!)
I do hope you're feeling much better soon and that you find a food plan that works for your body!
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