Update - September 2022

 

Hey all!

Despite the silence on this blog for most of the year, I am, in fact, still alive. (Woohoo!) And I wanted to tell you about some cool stuff I have going on.

 

First: 

I’m starting up private consultations again! I’d gotten away from doing them for a while but I’m back in the saddle, so if you need personalized help customizing your low-carb or keto diet, I’m your gal! See here for details. 

 

Second: 

I just expanded what I offer on Patreon. If you appreciate what I do – Keto Without the Crazy™ -- an approach to keto diets where there’s no alarmism, no fearmongering about things like artificial sweeteners and canola oil, and there’s no shaming and judging for doing keto the way that works best for you, then please check it out. 

There are a few different subscription levels, but all of them include at least two LIVE video sessions with me every week. (And they’re recorded so you can watch the replay at your convenience if you can’t be there live.) They’re the perfect way to ask questions and get support for long-term keto success. Cheerleading, encouragement, tips & advice, and the occasional reality check or gentle kick in the rear when you need it – all for the purpose of helping you get the results you want. Additional perks include exclusive patron-only content, early access to my videos, and more. 

See here for details on Patreon. 

 

Third: 

Since it’s been almost A YEAR (holy cow!) since my last writing update, here are some articles that I’ve written since last September that might be of interest to you. All of these were written for the blog from a company called Biotics Research. There’s no byline, but I am the author. I’ve written about most of these topics here on my own blog in the past, but these are more succinct and might also include links to more recent research. They are intended for medical and nutrition professionals but I think they’re “plain English” enough for anyone to be able to understand and learn from. Scroll down or click "read more" to see them all. 

Meet Me in Person in February

Are you ready to attend an in-person event dedicated to low-carb and keto diets? Have you wanted to go to one of these things in the past but the time and expense required has been out of your reach? I have the perfect thing for you: the Adapt Your Life events happening in February! Come meet me in person – I’d love to see you!

Adapt events are a great alternative to the large, multi-day conferences that cost several hundred dollars just for registration, plus the cost of airfare, lodging, meals, and more. Yikes! The money and logistics make those bigger events impractical for many of us, not to mention they can be just plain overwhelming due to the sheer number of attendees and the amount of “stuff” going on. 

The Adapt events are just one day, but we pack a lot of learning and fun into that one day. Each event features keto-oriented medical and nutrition professionals from the local area, inspiring success stories (often tearjerking success stories as well!), plus an educational workshop from the one and only Dr. Eric Westman, my co-author on the book End Your Carb Confusion and creator of the famous “Page 4 Diet.” 

You can fly in from far away if you choose to, but our events are designed to connect neighbors with each other and to cultivate the local low-carb communities. We know some of you are the only ones in your household or friend and family groups eating low-carb, so it’s nice if you can meet some other people nearby who are doing it, too. People typically drive in from close by or just a few hours away and either arrive the morning of the event or choose to stay nearby the night before. (If you’re driving in from a few hours away, I recommend coming in the night before because things usually get started around 8:30 a.m. or so.) 

See here for more information: https://adaptyourlifeacademy.com/events/ 

We are having three events on consecutive weekends in February: 

• Winchester, VA: Saturday, February 5

• Raleigh, NC: Saturday, February 12

• Atlanta, GA: Saturday, February 19

 

I will not be at the event in Winchester, but I will be at both the Raleigh and Atlanta events, so if you would like to specifically meet me, come to Raleigh or Atlanta. (But those of you who live near Winchester, by all means, go there!) Click the links above to see who else besides Dr. Westman will be presenting at the events, but it’s a pretty dynamite lineup. If you’re a fan of Dr. Ken Berry and his wife, Neisha, they’ll both be at the Atlanta event, along with Jeff McDaniel, another keto-friendly doctor who has lost a great deal of weight and reversed chronic health problems using keto, himself, and now helps his patients do the same. If you watch my YouTube videos, you’ve probably heard me mention my friend Casey Durango, of “Go Keto With Casey” – she’ll be speaking in Raleigh, as will Kristie Sullivan, well-known for her great cookbooks and recipes. Dr. Wickham Simonds will also be presenting -- he is one of the few MDs I've found who truly understand how to help people with thyroid problems. (Hallelujah!)

I’m an off-the-charts introvert, but even I’m ready to get back into the world and reconnect with people at events like this. It would be great to see you there.

As of this writing, we have the green-light from all three venues. If that should change due to COVID restrictions, I will post again to let everyone know, but if you purchase tickets, Adapt Your Life will send updates if any are needed. I am told that we will be requiring masks and the venues may have distancing protocols in place, so please be aware that unless anything changes prior to those dates in February, you will be expected to wear a mask. (And wear it properly, as in, actually over your nose and mouth.)  

I hope to see you there!

 

Writing Update!

 

She lives! 

Indeed, despite the desert this blog has become with respect to new posts that reflect my penchant for encyclopedic deep-dives into various topics, I am alive and well, and still writing. It’s just that most of my writing is for other people at the moment. I assume that some of you follow me on social media and subscribe to my YouTube channel, but I figured it was time to give everyone an update on where to find me and also provide some links to articles I’ve written that might be of interest. 

First, my main social media presence is on Twitter. You can find me here: @TuitNutrition. 

I also have a YouTube channel, which is where most of my new content is now that I (sadly) am hardly ever blogging. (I do intend to get back to writing for my own site, even just once in a while, but past experience has shown me that I should not guarantee you that.) Check out my videos here: Tuit Nutrition on YouTube. I try to post a new video at least once a week, and occasionally twice a week. 

If you’re new around here, be sure to sign up for my mailing list so that you don’t miss announcements of upcoming speaking engagements, new projects I have coming up, plus product recommendations, book reviews, and more. (Hint, hint: if you wish someone would help you make sense of cholesterol and lipids on keto, I’ll have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT coming about that later this fall.)

  

Writing!

Most of my outside writing is now done for Biotics (a professional line of supplements) and Keto Chow (producer of keto-friendly meal replacement shakes that I actually endorse and think are the real deal). Keto Chow gives me a byline (crediting me as the author) but Biotics does not. Take my word for it – if I’m posting a link here, I wrote the article. The articles for Biotics are intended mostly for medical and nutrition professionals, BUT, I know my blog audience is very savvy and you will have no trouble understanding any of them. In fact, if you like the educational nature of my blog posts (back when I was actually posting some), you will probably especially like the Biotics articles because they are fully referenced with links to supporting scientific literature that you might want to dive into if you are so inclined. The Keto Chow articles are also fully referenced, but they’re written more for the general public/laypeople and are a bit more casual in tone. I feel fortunate that I get to do both kinds of writing and “keep the lights on,” as they say. Woohoo!   

Here’s a selection of the articles I’ve written that might be of interest to my readers.

 

Articles for Biotics: 

• Keto Diet Myths – Part 1

• Keto Diet Myths – Part 2

• The Gout & Insulin Connection (I also did a video about gout, chronic hyperinsulinemia, and metabolic syndrome. You can watch it here.)  

• BPH (benign prostate hypertrophy) and Insulin – yes! Did you know that chronically high insulin can cause enlarged prostate gland? Find out why/how in the article.

• Ketogenic Diets and Lipedema – never heard of lipedema? No idea what it is? I can almost guarantee you know someone who has it, even if you don’t know they have it. (They might not even know!) If you have no idea what lipedema is, watch this video where I covered the basics, and why keto might be helpful for it.

  

Articles for Keto Chow:

• Can a Keto Diet Cause Ketoacidosis? Oh man – what a topic! Even medical professionals – who should know better! – get confused between safe, beneficial nutritional ketosis and dangerous ketoacidosis. This misunderstanding leads them to scare people away from a diet that, in some cases, is nothing short of lifechanging. Don’t let this be you! (But if you really want to see me get fired up about people fearmongering about keto, saying it’s a “fad,” or that it’s “unsustainable,” watch this video. It’s EPIC.)   

• Is a keto diet safe for people with high blood pressure? Think you have to live on fruits & vegetables if you have high blood pressure? Think you need to stop eating red meat and salty bacon or some such? LOL...Nope. Read the article to find out why it's not about the salt. (Or watch this video in which I went into detail about the many things that cause hypertension completely unrelated to sodium in your diet.) 

• How Keto Affects the Brain. (Having written a book on keto for Alzheimer’s disease, it was a no-brainer that Keto Chow would ask me to do something on this – no pun intended!)

• Keto and Intermittent Fasting: A Beginner’s Guide. Do you have to fast on keto? NO! But if you want to, here's how to approach it and how to get started without making yourself neurotic. 

• Can Keto Make You Tired? Energy flagging on keto? Feeling sluggish or just plain “blah?” This article has some helpful pointers for how to get out of that and feel better.

• 8 Things to Know Before Starting Keto. A good refresher even if you’ve already been doing keto for a while – it never hurts to be reminded of the basics, especially because there’s so much confusing and conflicting information out there now!  

• 5 Practical Tips for Starting Keto. (See the note above – the same applies here.)

 

And, finally, apart from the big news I’ll have in a few weeks about cholesterol in a few weeks, my next main project is something on THYROID! Long overdue! I’m going to step outside of keto and write a booklet—not a full book, just a booklet—intended as a patient’s plain English guide to proper thyroid testing and treatment. (Not that I treat anyone, of course – but the booklet will be full of information to help people become informed, proactive advocates for themselves, and empower them to have a mutually respectful and productive discussion with their doctor to forge a path ahead that will have them actually feeling BETTER.) 

If you want to know more about thyroid in the meantime, read this article and then watch these videos:   

1. Keto and Thyroid
2. Critical Info on Thyroid

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Amy Berger, MS, CNS, is not a physician and Tuit Nutrition, LLC, is not a medical practice. The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition and is not to be used as a substitute for the care and guidance of a physician. Links in this post and all others may direct you to amazon.com, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through my affiliate links.

Announcing The Stall Slayer Masterclass

Fat loss stalled on keto? About ready to give up? I have just the thing for you!

I get it. You're counting macros. You're weighing and measuring your food. You're intermittent fasting. You're watching every video, reading every blog post, and listening to every podcast you can get your hands on about keto – but you're more confused than ever. You have information coming at you from all sides, and you're still not getting the results you want!  

Are you tired of this? Tired of all the tracking, the apps and spreadsheets, watching the clock, testing your ketones, and sucking all the joy out of eating?!

If I've just described you, and you want to get back to basics—to simplify your keto diet but actually have it work the way you want it to, then The Stall Slayer Masterclass is for YOU!

The course is based on my book, The Stall Slayer, but dives a little deeper into all the factors I wrote about. Plus, in addition to 12 video lessons in which I personally walk you through everything, the course provides 3 weeks of dedicated support in a private, student-only Facebook group where I'll be available to answer questions, encourage and cheerlead, and help troubleshoot when needed. On top of all that, there will be one LIVE video Q&A session with me for each of those 3 weeks. So if you already have the book and want to interact a little more with me and hear the information presented in a different way, this class is a great way to do that. And if you haven't read the book yet, guess what? Your student resources include the entire 198-page e-book! That’s right – if you sign up for the class, the pdf version of the book itself is included.

If you don’t use Facebook, no problem! Facebook isn’t required for the course. All the course content—the video lessons, pdf resources, transcripts, etc.—is contained in a password-protected student portal website that you can access anytime, even for a few months after you’ve finished the course. (So you can watch the videos as many times as you want.) The live video sessions will be done through FB but they will also be sent out via email the following day so you will NOT miss any of those sessions if you don’t use FB. The extra benefit of being in the private group is that you can interact with others who are doing the course, to get ideas, encouragement, and tips from each other. You can also ask me questions there, but if you don’t use FB, I will also be available by email to answer your questions and my team will be there to help with any tech troubleshooting. 

Get on the wait list NOW, because you'll want to be notified as soon as sales open up. Plus, by signing up ASAP, you'll get my email series with some tips and strategies for breaking fat loss stalls even before the course starts. You are under absolutely NO OBLIGATION to buy the course if you join the wait list, so you have ZERO financial commitment here. There will be a limited period of time during which you can purchase the course (last week of March), but once you purchase, you can start the course and it’s entirely self-paced so you can do it in your own time.

If you're ready to make keto simple—the way it's supposed to be, this course is for you. If you're ready to enjoy your food and eat without turning every meal into a complex math assignment, this course is for you. If you want straight-talk about this way of eating, in plain English with no scientific gobbledygook that you need a dictionary to make sense of, this course is for you. (Did I mention this course is for YOU?!)

More info here: The Stall Slayer Masterclass.

Still not sure if the course is right for you? Watch this video for a closer look at what it's all about. 

Use this link to sign up for the list, and you’ll get access to my FREE pdf, 8 Reasons Not to Trust the Scale. (Remember, signing up for the list does not obligate you to buy the course. But if you're on the list, you'll be the first to be notified when sales open up.)

Also: I will be LIVE on YouTube TONIGHT (Monday, March 8, 2021 at 7:30pm US Eastern time) and also going LIVE for the next few Mondays at the same time, to discuss different topics related to fat loss on keto. You can tune in from several different places -- the same broadcast will be shown in all of them so use whichever you like best :

• My YouTube channel
• The Adapt Your Life YouTube channel
• The Adapt Your Life Facebook page
• Dr. Eric Westman's Facebook page

If you're unable to tune in live, no worries . All my live videos are recorded and will appear on YouTube afterward so you can watch a replay anytime. 

Have questions about The Stall Slayer Masterclass that weren’t answered in the video? Feel free to email me directly.

   

Disclaimer: Amy Berger, MS, CNS, is not a physician and Tuit Nutrition, LLC, is not a medical practice. The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition and is not to be used as a substitute for the care and guidance of a physician. Links in this post and all others may direct you to amazon.com, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through my affiliate links.

Why is Blood Sugar Sometimes Higher Than Expected on Keto?

We have a numbers problem in the keto community. 

We place too much stock in numbers without a good understanding of what they mean. 

We measure the level of every little molecule without an appreciation for the myriad feedback mechanisms and overlapping biochemical pathways that govern the systemic regulation that determines those levels. We assign way too much meaning to single measurements taken at single points in time rather than looking at longer term trends and patterns. It’s like seeing one frame of a movie—one isolated, frozen frame—and making wild guesses as to what the movie is about. It’s ridiculous. 

Allow me to tell you a story. Sometime in the early 1980s, when I was a little girl, my family took a trip to Disney World in Florida one winter. We lived in New York, so Florida was a way for me and my sister to see Disney World and for us to spend a few days away from the freezing cold and bask in the warmth of the Sunshine State. Well, a freak cold front happened while we were there. Yes, a freak, unexpected cold snap in Florida. Sea World was closed because some of the water was frozen. We had to buy winter coats down there, because who packs winter coats to go on vacation in Florida? 

Imagine if we knew nothing about Florida and based our assessment of Florida’s climate on the short-term weather of those few days. We would have assumed Florida was a bitterly cold place, rather than the hot, steamy swamp it usually is. The lesson here is, don’t mistake an acute occurrence for a general pattern, trend, or tendency. 

What does this have to do with blood glucose? 

(If you’re pressed for time and you want an abbreviated version of my take on this topic, watch this video. If you have a minute or two to read, the first part of this post will give you a brief synopsis of the most salient points. But if you have some extra time to spare and you want the juicy details, cozy up, settle in, and happy reading.) 

7 Reasons to Stay Off the Scale

 

My previous post walked you through 14 non-weight-loss ways to gauge how a ketogenic or low-carb diet is working for you. But what if you do want to lose weight? Sure, lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, remission of migraines, disappearance of hypoglycemia and brain fog, and total resolution of acid reflux are all pretty great, but what if one of your goals is to see the number on that dastardly scale go down?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to change the size and shape of your body. But a scale is a terrible way to assess whether you’re accomplishing that. Here are seven reasons not to depend solely on the scale when you’re using keto to change your physique. (Some of these are excerpts from my book, The Stall Slayer. Lots more info in there about using keto/low-carb for fat loss. I also recommend checking out this video I did on reasons to stay off the scale.)