Country_Bumpkin

@TuitNutrition Another great Substack article by Amy Berger, as usual. Her observations are spot on. I'm almost getting to the point where I want to get off X altogether. The dueling algorithms in this space are just ridiculous sometimes 🙄 tuitnutrition.substack.com/p/keto-and-car… (edited)

I'm going on 69. It took an almost critical event to get my attention and moving in the right direction metabolically. It's easier for me in a certain sense. I'm semi-retired, financially set, no children at home, and am in a place in my life where the normal daily stessors that most people face are not as prevalent in my life. However, I empathize with the mother who can't always prioritize the time to focus on her self because of her little children clamoring for her attention, trying to hold down a job, keep the husband happy and on and on. I could give countless examples of WHY some people stay stuck and find it difficult to carve out time to focus on themselves. Internet influencers in this space who's living is derived from the same would do well to stay cognizant and sensitive to those who barely keeping their heads above water.

At some point, you have to decide whether you’re going to take control of your health, fitness, and quality of life…. or simply keep hoping it somehow works itself out. You can make that decision today. This isn’t a short-term fix. It’s the direction your life is heading. And if you don’t take ownership of it, something (or someone) else will. I’ve learned that in my own life, and I see it constantly working with people who are trying to change theirs. Here’s something worth thinking about. When there’s a pharmaceutical “solution,” the messaging is clear, direct, and urgent. Take this. Do it now. This matters. But when it comes to lifestyle? Eat a little better. Move a little more. Try to get more sleep. No urgency. No clarity. No real plan. Meanwhile, we’re surrounded by ultra-processed food, conflicting nutrition advice, and a system that largely manages symptoms instead of addressing root causes. And then we wonder why people struggle. Here’s the uncomfortable part. The fundamentals work. Not perfectly. Not instantly. But predictably. Move more and your body adapts. Lift weights and you get stronger. Eat in a way that controls appetite and gives your body what it needs, and body composition changes become possible. Sleep better and everything else gets easier. But none of this happens by accident… especially in this environment. At some point, you have to decide where this fits. Not as a side project, but as one of the few things you keep front of mind…right alongside the people and priorities that matter most. Because your health and fitness is what allows you to show up for those things. Ignore it, and everything else gets harder. You have to pay attention. There’s no single formula, but there are plenty that don’t work for a given individual. Doing something that isn’t working and calling it discipline isn’t a strategy. It’s avoidance. We don’t get a user manual for our body. So you either take ownership—observe, adjust, refine—or you default to whatever the environment hands you. And that environment is not designed to make you healthy. If that sounds harsh, my apologies. But that’s usually where things start to change.

When I started keto in July of last year my A1c was over 6. 3 months later it was 5.7 and another 3 months later it was 5.4. However, the real underlying markers were the fasting insulin and C-Peptide numbers. Even though my A1c was considered "normal" at 5.7, I had my fasting insulin tested at the 3 month mark of Keto. It was 18! My C-Peptide was 2.09. However, after 6 months of keto, I tested again. My fasting insulin dropped to 4! My C-Peptide dropped to 1.09. My triglycerides have dropped into the 70s and HDL has risen in the 50s. Not only that, I've lost 132lbs in 35 weeks. Keto works!

Is your hemoglobin A1c elevated on a low-carb, keto, or carnivore diet? 🩸 Is this automatically something you need to worry about? 😨 Maybe not! In my latest video, I walk you through the nuances and shortcomings of HbA1c that you need to know about. This measurement isn't quite as ironclad as you might think it is. 🤔 Being proactive about your health means *understanding what your blood tests mean* -- and how to interpret them in the proper context, such as a very low-carb diet. HbA1c isn't as straightforward as it's typically taken to be. What's "normal" for someone who gets 50%+ of their calories from carbs might NOT be normal for someone on a ketogenic or carnivore diet. Watch for a nuanced explanation and why this matters for you. 👇 youtu.be/AoUiPFkh7lc #keto #carnivore #diabetes #lchf #nsng #A1c

@BrianWiley_ My dinner tonight. I hope the broccoli won't kill me in my sleep tonight.

Struggling with diet and exercise? It’s rarely about lacking discipline or willpower. More often, it’s simply a lack of awareness and preparation.

@BiggestComeback I usually aim for 7 hrs a night. So, last night was a bonus for me.

@BiggestComeback That's hilarious! Check out my sleep total from last night 😉

This doesn’t happen every day, at least for me. Feeling ready to paint my living room (& maybe hit a PR in OHP & run a few miles). Check out my body battery💪🏼

@BrianWiley_ I use it every night with my dinner.

This is my favorite Hot Sauce right now.

@reallyoptimized @TyBealPhD @LancetGH LOL

@TyBealPhD @LancetGH Obviously these people need more Lucky Charms with soy milk and a side of oxalates.

🚨 More than half the world does not consume enough vitamins and minerals. Out today in @LancetGH.

@TuitNutrition Another great Substack article by Amy Berger, as usual. Her observations are spot on. I'm almost getting to the point where I want to get off X altogether. The dueling algorithms in this space are just ridiculous sometimes 🙄 tuitnutrition.substack.com/p/keto-and-car… (edited)

Or this Substack post, if you prefer reading rather than watching videos. "Keto & Carnivore Have a Toxic Influencer Problem." open.substack.com/pub/tuitnutrit…

The ONE hack you need!! 1️⃣ NEVER eat these 4 foods! 😱 The 5 TOXIC things hiding in your cupboard! ☠️ 3 things "THEY" don't want you to know!! ✅ Anyone else disheartened, discouraged, and disgusted by these kinds of headlines & thumbnails? (No? Just me? Okay, then. But seriously. Every time you click on this sh*t 💩, your reinforce and train the algorithm that this is what you WANT to see. Do you not have enough to worry about already? Do you honestly need *more* to be scared of? Every time you click on this kind of thing, you give the algorithm (and therefore, the people whose livelihoods depend on feeding it) this message: "Yes! Please terrify me further! I feel too at peace with my life and what I put in my mouth and on my skin. I need to replace that peace with level 10 anxiety, so thank you in advance for convincing me that everything I do is the worst thing ever." 😩😩🙄🙄😩

@TyBealPhD Very nice graphic!

Most people would benefit from choosing foods to the right of the dotted line (NVS ≥ 50).

I thought might get a kick out of this. I asked Gemini to create an image of my progress so far on a ketogenic diet. The guy on the left is pretty accurate, the new me on the right is a little exaggerated though LOL and I also see that AI skipped out on showing spinach as part of my food routine.

@JeffHertzog1961 As always, this is not advice. I’m probably going to get back to my homemade chaffles😃

any links for the low carb rye bread?

@BrianWiley_ We use Daisy products and a regional dairy brand from Tillamook Dairy. Their plain full fat Greek Yogurt is excellent.

A big rumor in the keto community: “You should avoid low fat yogurt and cottage cheese because they’re full of fillers and sugar.” But if you take the time to check. Milk. Cultures. Salt. That’s it.

@lowcarbGP @DoctorTro @drchatterjeeuk @rcgp @mgtmccartney @KenDBerryMD @lowcarb_aus @drjasonfung @PHCukorg @DrDavidCavan That's impressive, but not surprising to me at all. The question is why don't more doctors prescribe a low carb diet instead of metformin then?

LOW CARB BEATS DRUGS FOR T2D!! As a young doctor I always thought lifestyle was a lightweight approach, we needed drugs to do the heavy lifting BUT NO LOOK AT THIS Low carb can improve blood sugar better than metformin our first line medication And in the UK NHSfor years 🥳 @BritSocLM @DoctorChrisVT @bigfatsurprise I’m so proud of this!

@BrianWiley_ My former favs were the red Zingers on the bottom left.

You can pick up your medication for diabetes… and grab Pop-Tarts on the way out. One stop shop.

@DoctorTro Gym bros. in action lol

Omg exactly how I feel

@BiggestComeback I apologize for my poor grammar structure. I was in the middle of something while trying to compose my thoughts regarding these online food and exercise controversies ;-)

I never even thought much about any of these food and diet controversies until I decided to try the recommended ADA's TCR diet approach for my personal situation last in July of last year. Then I got on X and other social media feeds and quickly discovered how wrong I am about having lost 132 lbs so far in 34 weeks, reversed my IR, regained control over my food and sugar addiction, gotten off ALL medications, etc. I never knew that eating spinach and not eating potatoes (my choice) was so controversial with certain people 🤣

I’ve noticed something interesting… People get very emotionally attached to their beliefs about diet, fitness, and health. To the point where they get angry if you suggest there might be another way. And honestly… it makes me laugh a little. Because here’s how I see it: If your approach is working— if you’re lean, healthy, strong, energetic, and doing things most people aren’t doing… That’s evidence. Evidence that matters. Is it the best possible way? Is it fully optimized? Maybe… maybe not. But in a world where the majority of people are struggling with obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and chronic disease… If your N=1 experiment has you winning? That speaks volumes. I share what I’m doing for one reason: To create dialogue that keeps me engaged and moving forward, and to help others in the process. Not to claim I’ve solved everything. Not to tell you there’s only one way. Take resistance training… I’ve tried a lot of different approaches. Many of them work. What matters most to me now? Is it sustainable? Do I enjoy it enough to keep doing it? Am I getting results I’m happy with? At 61… If I’m getting top 5–10% outcomes for my age group? I’ll take that all day. Same with running. I ran my first marathon at 58. Finished in just under 4:39. Nothing special to anyone in the running community. But crossing that finish line with my wife after what we had been through? One of the best days of my life. Now at 61… I think I could do better. Not because I found “the perfect system”—but because I’ve learned, adjusted, experimented. That’s the game. Test. Observe. Learn. Refine. Keep asking one simple question: Are my results moving me in the direction I want to go? If yes—keep going. If not—change something. We don’t need more arguments. We need more people running honest experiments… and being willing to share what’s actually working (for them). I’ve always said “you can’t argue with success…” But inevitably someone comes along and proves me wrong.😂

I was talking to a guy while doing my pool walking regimen the other day. We were discussing this very thing. He told me his brother is a sales rep for a large pharmaceutical company and has confessed to him that he feels like he's a drug dealer, which of course he is. He said that the company gives him a $3,500 a month allotment that he's required to use taking out doctors and health administrators of one type or the other for lunch or dinner.

I wonder how much of medicine is driven by drugs. For example, why did they decide that LDL cholesterol is the main marker for heart disease, rather than triglycerides or insulin? After all, triglycerides and insulin are better markers of heart disease risk. The reason? Probably because LDL cholesterol is "targetable"--there's a drug (statins) that will lower it. So it matters less that LDL is a good marker, and more that it's a number we can change with a drug. And of course, make money in the process. If there were a drug that lowered triglycerides really well, I suspect mainstream medicine would focus more on triglycerides. (Incidentally, the best way to lower triglycerides and insulin is to control consumption of refined carbohydrates.)

@BrianWiley_ I have discovered that the key to mitigating those thoughts, habits and old patterns is to keep my insulin spikes quieted via a low carbs diet. Oftentimes, it's the physiological part as much as the mental and environmental.

Nobody talks about this… The hardest part of changing your diet isn’t the food. It’s the thoughts, habits, and environment that pull you back to your old patterns.

@BrianWiley_ Nice haul! Any of those foods good for ED?

My grocery haul today. No bars. No shakes. No “low-cal” snacks. Just real food. Funny how the simplest approach is the one people question the most.

@SomerwilTara @BenBikmanPhD Don't exaggerate.

If you have high blood pressure, it’s very likely insulin resistance is the primary driver. Via at least four distinct mechanisms, insulin resistance disrupts normal blood vessel function and hemodynamics. This is why resolving insulin resistance enables so many people to reduce or eliminate blood pressure medications.