I have been on lock down at my senior's residence for ONE MONTH! Governor's orders. No going out and only staff - wearing masks - coming in. No visitors no matter what. All deliveries left at front desk. Residents are limited to the compound.

I too take my D3 and Vit C as well as a multivitamin

It's spring here with warmer weather and sunshine - and the starlings are nesting

Grateful that the community has home deliveries on groceries.

I am under a stay at home order, but I live in Florida (The Sunshine State), on a dead end street and if I walk end to end 20 times I get 4 miles in and plenty of Vitamin D.

Most viruses like cool and dry air, and I don't run my AC unit which is a bonus defense.

Since I read about the Gamma T cells being suppressed when you not in ketosis, and activated when you are in ketosis, I've been very careful not to exceed 20 carbs per day. Most days fewer than 10. Zero cheating.

Bob

Dr Robert Lustig's newest blog post is on Dr Malhotra's article, CoVid-19 Risk Factors.

https://robertlustig.com/2020/04/covid-19-risk-factors/

His Previous blog post 3/31 was a simple short article: Real Food is your best defense against dying from coronavirus

https://robertlustig.com/2020/03/real-food-coronavirus/

I admit I HATE seeing these articles about obesity being a serious risk for Covid complications since, despite 14 years of low carbing I’m still seriously obese. And since I’ve been stalled for 11 years now despite trying just about every tweak in the LCHF book, I certainly can’t see myself miraculously losing weight now in the face of Covid.

My latest tweak has been a primarily carnivore diet. After losing 10 recently gained pounds initially I’m not not really moving again. Bouncing around the 263-267 range for the last 5-6 weeks. I’d love to just get into the 250s so that my BMI would make be merely obese rather than morbidly obese. But so far I’m having the usual non-luck I’ve had the past 11 years.

Being obese is not the same as IR. Several sources have promoted keto to turn around the IR and decrease inflammation to create a healthy body inspite of the extra lardage some of us carry.

One doctor, Dr Aseem Malhotra, says on his program the IR is under control in 21 days ......so it seems if we keep to keto we have a fighting chance.

Hang in there! I too have had to go to carnivore to try to lose. I admire your patience. It did help me lose a couple of pounds but then I bounced back up. Since I was already carnivore and IF - where else could I go?

This morning was a break in the boredom of seeing the same number day after day - down 1 1/2. Why? Have no idea. Hopefully, my body has been converting fat to muscle - my Levis aren't so tight - but then they loosen up anyway if you wear them more than one day between washing.

I know it doesn't help much to have someone commiserate with you, but it's all I can offer just now.

Just being able to increase metabolic health is a major step in viral defense. Simply following a low carb, keto WOE increases metabolic health by initially reducing blood glucose is a major start. Recent research has shown the achievement of metabolic health without accompanying weight loss being a major factor. In other words, restoring healthy blood sugars and insulin levels is extremely beneficial and occurs quickly prior to any measurable weight loss. While I strongly believe in low carb, keto, the benefits of a carnivore WOE, and other dietary protocols resulting in normalizing health, the advantages of achieving a reasonable defense against viruses by reducing BG and insulin release occurs early on before any of the other symptoms are reduced or under control. This dynamic should be a huge incentive to start or stay the course, since recent findings demonstrate that many who have contracted the virus and have underlying health challenges are at a disadvantage. This knowledge should be enough for many to take that first step or continue the journey on the path to blood glucose control.

I have been thinking a lot about the importance of doing everything we can to optimize our metabolic health. I frequently see people say here and on other sites how "life happened" and they got off track in their eating and erased a lot if not all of the advantages they obtained by eating a low carb/keto diet. While I understand that this happens I want to also say that what can happen when you allow yourself to accept this as a valid reason to stop eating in a metabolically health way, is that death can happen and it does. I do not say this to judge anyone. I have slipped up myself. My path has not been a straight line of absolute compliance but, as a kind of tough love, I say examine your priorities and concentrate on the fact that death can happen too if you allow a small short term slip up to become a long term descent into unhealthy metabolically damaging eating.

I come from a 300 lb or more family. What I do may or may not work for others, and it took me a long time trying different things to finally find out what works for me.

1) Fewer than 20 carbs per day (most days under 5)
2) Fewer than 1600 calories per day
3) Walk 3 to 4 miles a day

Bob

This is especially important in a situation where we are used to giving ourselves permission to use food as a coping strategy. Now, with stress levels so high, it can be tough to remember that.

My solution is to find low carb treats which won't sabotage me. There's lots of great recipes in the Sweet Treats forum.

https://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=41

My keto cheesecake only feels like cheating. It's really high fat fermented dairy, and fruit, and almond flour crust. I get along with all of that

Not completely on topic but I'm going to put my foot in my mouth or somewhere near it. Piling on to what cotonpal and werebear said - I'm of the opinion that it takes a complete paradigm shift accept this way of taking care of your mind and body with low carb food(s). For me it was light a light switch, or moving from one room to another in a house. You can't be in both at the same time, however, you can linger at the threshold.

I've mentioned before about my past alcohol abuse - there was an "ah ha" moment - it came to me on it's own and in it's own time. I wish there was a way to put that in a pill or clever phrase that I could make money with but, no. It seems to come when you let go of old, tired dreams - let slip grand plans and fears of the future and just - sort of - WAKE UP.

I certainly hope , "...ketosis protect us from corona virus" as the title suggests. Even if it doesn't do a damn thing it is possible to fill the holes in your floundering ship, raise a measly sail and start making your way toward a possible future without abusing yourself with food. I hope to do so myself - I'm on my way I think

I've often said something like this myself--especially the part about wishing I could put it in a bottle and sell it! This "moment" has come to me a number of times in my long weight-management lifetime. I'm grateful. But I still don't know how to "make it happen."

My most recent experience was going Keto last December. I was hopeful when about ten pounds dropped off right away that I had unlocked the key to getting back to a more desired weight. Guess what? Didn't happen. Those initial ten pounds were the beginning and the end. I've been absolutely stable since then.

I try to remember that in my lifetime, "stable" is a highly desirable condition, especially since I'm not counting anything. I am still in ketosis, by the crude measure of ketostix. I feel like my body is "changing" towards leaner, but that's hard to measure, too. I feel healthy--all systems functioning well.

So I can't complain about anything, Even the stay-at-home (with lovely walks in the springtime neighborhood) has been blessedly carefree. May it be so for everyone in good time.

Thanks to a few recent studies, and Dr Malhotra's article in European Scientist, there are more articles about the importance of a Real Food diet. From NZ, "Coronavirus: Eating well, avoiding processed food could help you survive COVID-19, experts say" https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/life...xperts-say.html

This is so insightful! The dreams in our mind are grandiose... and missing all those messy details that involve actually doing what it takes

Besides, as I tell people from my time peer counseling: it's not like it's only ONE dream per customer. There's plenty out there! Pick a new one!

My father died of an obesity related disease, them my mother died of a different obesity related disease. That was my "a-ha" moment.

I looked at that and told myself this was my probable future if I don't do something. I tried a few other things before I found Atkins. It worked for me. I tried going off induction to maintenance, and I found for me maintenance was the same as induction. Fewer than 20 carbs per day.

Bob