I suffer from PCOS and had a total thyrodectamy about a year ago, so things are not that great.
Keto is the only diet that helps me shed weight and this is my second try. It’s my fourth month on it.
And now my Uric Acid has gone high (7.5 mg/dl). I haven’t done any other blood work yet, but last time the same thing happened and my AST and ALT were high too.
My fasting blood sugar is still hovering around 100 mg/dl and total cholesterol 200 mg/dl (I’m checking these at home).
Admittedly, my water consumption is not that good. I try to drink at least 1.5L but I do know I need to up it to 3L.
I would like any tips for increasing water consumption. It’s really hard for me.
Also, do my blood work numbers mean anything about my pancreas? I’m a bit freaked out about that.
I eat fairly clean keto. Chicken, salmon, cauliflower, eggs, spinach and various cheeses and coffee with heavy cream is my most go to foods. I don’t eat red meats. All made with olive oil.
Feeling dejected 😔
It sounds like you’ve made some good progress already, so hang in there! It’s so tough for us ladies when hormones are working against us in ways that a lot of the advice online just doesn’t take into account. Are you practicing intermittent fasting? Even if I’m eating the best foods on my list, if I’m snacking the scale will not budge. The PCOS Plan could be a helpful reference for you if you haven’t read it already. And The Fasting Method podcast has been super valuable for me as a trouble shooting guide too. They have several episodes specifically about PCOS and thyroid issues.
Seriously though PCOS sucks big time!!! I don’t remember a time in my life where I didn’t have a belly hanging out 😭
Since starting keto I rarely snack (only around my period time) and even then I try to snack on keto items.
I’m going to look up on the podcast and the PCOS plan 💕 I hate how I can’t have a freaking break for once in my life. (Sorry, rant over, thank you much for your kind words).
Perrier unflavored sparkling water and your favorite Mio water adhancer couple sprits of that will turn the water into a soda basically lol and it's way healthier and you get electrolytes. I only do this when I wanted a soda works well with regular water too.
If you choose to increase water, consider adding more electrolytes, too.
Have you considered soups and broths? You can add salt etc. and they are often low carb and can be high collagen. From what I've read soups and broths can help with weight loss
Good luck!
Thank you! I was considering bone broths but it seems like collagen increases Uric Acid so that plan is on hold along with my collagen supplements.
I really need to get a control on water intake
How much protein are you getting? What are your stats? Protein metabolism is paired with uric acid production. Water intake is only half the equation.
On the cusp of prediabetes. Not a big deal if you stick to keto -- it'll reverse the condition.
Wouldn't worry about this if you're losing weight. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it in general -- high LDL isn't the boogeyman it's been made out to be.
Tbh I don’t think I’m eating enough protein. I’d say approximately about one chicken breast a day + 2 eggs most of the time. Or one fillet of salmon.
Well, it's paired the other way too. See the "uricosuric effect".
Any weight loss can trigger high uric acid, regardless of the diet. So keep an eye on it and if necessary ask your physician for an allopurinol prescription while you lose weight (and DONT have active gout symptoms).
I did that and managed to remove both high UA and allopurinol once I reached my goal weight and continued eating a ketogenic diet at maintenance calories.
Keep calm, keto on
I didn’t know that weight loss triggers this! Thank you for telling me. My weight loss is fairly steady and not extreme (more or less like 1kg every ten days or so).
I don’t have gout symptoms yet so I guess I’ll go to the doctor asap. Gosh I hate taking meds. I’m already on too many 🥲
well I only mentioned the prescription route because here it’s a no brainer… it costs like $4/month (public health system) and it’s regarded as very safe and better than dealing with actual gout 😃
It might be different where you live, but I guess it’s worth knowing.
best of luck!
Also, you can visit xxketo subreddit 💜 for female specific points of view and response.
The water thing is rough. I keep a huge water bottle at my desk and just sip mindlessly during meetings.. still barely hit 2L most days. Have you tried adding electrolytes? Sometimes that makes it easier to drink more.
Your numbers don't sound pancreas-related to me (not a doctor though). High uric acid on keto is pretty common - happened to me too. My doc said it's usually temporary while your body adjusts. The thyroid situation probably makes everything harder though.
PCOS plus no thyroid plus keto sounds like playing health on hard mode. I track everything with Welling now because my bloodwork was getting weird too and i needed to see patterns. I tell it any issues that I have to help myself as a reminder. But yeah, feeling dejected when your body fights you at every turn? I get it. Some days it feels like nothing works right.
The older I get the more I appreciate how incredibly precious good health is.