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Vanessa

Posted:

05/2025

Recovering from

Bipolar Disorder & Minor Depression

Started Journey

01/2024

"I feel consistently calm and peaceful, and I am able to take whatever necessary actions are required to deal with my situation daily."

My THINK + SMART Profile

Key Symptoms Addressed

Brain fog, lethargy & hopelessness.

My Top Three Strategies

Keto, intermittent fasting & walking.

T H

Therapeutic

Metabolic psychologist for support. Connecting my psychiatrist with my psychologist. More regular lithium tests.

I

Integration

I completed fasting glucose, cholesterol and kidney function tests prior to starting. These were done every 8 weeks. I tracked my ketones daily with a blood ketone monitor several times a day. I took MCT oil, creatine, magnesium.

N

Nutritional

I followed a mostly carnivore ketogenic diet. I stuck closely to a small range of recipes and foods I knew to be high protein and low carb. I fasted daily 18/6 with a 6-7 hour eating window. No snacking - 2 meals. I brought beef jerky with me when going to events to supplement protein in case the offered meals were too carb rich. My total carb target was 20-30g a day, but I have to admit I only tracked macros for 2 weeks and then stuck to those meals. I just aimed to focus on protein. A healthy meat source at the centre of each meal (or eggs for lunch) with a small amount of added fat and low carb vegetables. I occasionally had a small amount of berries and Greek yogurt.

K

Ketosis

I used both blood ketone meter and acetone breath meter. I aimed for 1.5 mmol/L, but I felt great even at 0.5 mmol/L.

S

Sleep

I set a reminder on my phone and Apple Watch 15 mins before bedtime. I aimed to go to bed from 9:30-10pm every day, and I tracked my sleep through the Apple Watch and wake up time. I walked an hour daily in sunlight. I kept my room around 24 degrees Celsius. I used melatonin occasionally during stressors in life, and I meditated before bed.

M

Move

Yoga, walking and strength training.

A

Avoid

I completely eliminated alcohol, quit vaping, limited caffeine to one in morning, and let go of two relationships that weren’t supportive.

R

Rebuild

Meditation, regular sharing with support friends, looking to how I would impact the mental health system in future, and attending bipolar support group dinners.

T

Track

I measured my sleep, steps, movement, resting heart rate, ketones, lean body muscle mass, fat percentage and more. I used an Apple Watch, a full body composition scale linked with my health app, and ketone monitor.