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Comment by gexla | Hacker News Reader

When I was on a keto phase, one day I noticed that I was so clear headed and energetic that I thought something broke inside me. It was like a persistent coffee kick without the side-effects. I realized that the feeling was probably how "normal" should feel. It changed my views about a lot of things. I would walk down the road and realize how many business fronts were restaurants, of which I had no desire to enter. I never bothered with any checks for keto, I just ate loads of low carb veggies, a little bit of meat, and coconut oil for added fat. A note on the oil, I had to make sure that I took it with meat, or else I would get sick to my stomach.

My lifestyle changed once I got a live-in partner. I need to get back on it.

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I have a similar story. I made major lifestyle change. But the thing is, I have got back to eating carbs and retained all the benefits (i.e. clear headless and energy all day long). Bear in mind by carbs I mean whole grain. But still, I wonder if macros are really the culprit and if keto is not placebo on top of something else (at least for me). Maybe it has something to do with insulin and glucose metabolism.

I couldn't say it was a placebo for me, because it was so unexpected I was concerned something was wrong with me. Imagine feeling massively better and thinking something is wrong with you. I also feel like I retained some of that feel since reverting, but that in itself might be a placebo. I'll need to get back on it to see if there's a change. But even if it is a placebo, I'm all for it.

It's same for fasting, your body wants clarity for you to be able to hunt & provide food. After a meal you rest & digest. Take Lions after a meal, even though we are different it's a common pattern.

Also interesting, I was always just a little hungry. Maybe this was my body telling me that I legit needed to get more to eat (or just more carbs.) It wasn't the same sort of hunger people normally associate with the feeling though. It was a low-key feeling that would only crop up when I would get into a distracted state. Like, I was okay if I was just bored. But if I'm stressing out about something, then I think about everything else I might want other than putting focus on the work.

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