Low-carb diets support thread

daska

Thank you SHEILA54

I must admit I am struggling with the science. What I can say is that on very low carb diet, going by the info from diabetes.co.uk, my blood sugars are within normal range and the spike I got after eating a carb rich meal is also within normal range. If my blood sugars are a little low at night the body restores them to normal range by morning. Maybe having been vlc for most of the last 10 weeks has helped my body recover some sensitivity?

What concerns me though is, having finally got my GP to acknowledge that there is a serious problem with my feet, if the result from HbA1c is skewed she might discount the possibility that the damage might have been caused by my blood sugar being uncontrolled prior to my adopting a vlc diet. Bah!

Anyway, I have had the luxury of shopping at Lidl yesterday and had a lovely meal of curly kale with scrambled eggs (made with homemade butter and some of the buttermilk), and their smoked trout which is really rather nice. DS2 even ate the kale

I have however put on 3lb since the GP started me on Praxilene to try to help my poor feet. (Though some of that might have to do with the meal on sunday knocking me out of ketosis.)

(I should possibly point out that I've tried to get 3 GPs to accept that my feet are a problem for 2 years but they kept sending me away with canesten for athletes foot and an instruction to keep them warm to avoid chillblains - now apparently the purple is 'very worrying' and for the life of me I can't see what's changed since they last looked at them!)

Edwardia

Gloomendoom, please forget three ounces, that's probably water. Start being concerned when you put on more than 2lbs in a day and haven't been drinking water, tea etc.

daska, the higher BG in the morning is a natural thing which happens to everyone (with or without diabetes) known as the dawn phenomenon, when BG rises to start getting your supposedly rested body ready for the forthcoming day.

Yes, a lower carb intake does help to restore insulin sensitivity, as you're giving the wonderfully-named islets of langhorne in your pancreas, a bit of a break.

If you have diabetes and haven't visited a foot clinic ask GP to refer you. Don't let her fob you off as feet are important !

mazzers, unfortunately true ! Stress can be a contributory factor to the onset of diabetes.

daska

Edwardia wrote: »

daska, the higher BG in the morning is a natural thing which happens to everyone (with or without diabetes) known as the dawn phenomenon, when BG rises to start getting your supposedly rested body ready for the forthcoming day.

Yes, a lower carb intake does help to restore insulin sensitivity, as you're giving the wonderfully-named islets of langhorne in your pancreas, a bit of a break.

If you have diabetes and haven't visited a foot clinic ask GP to refer you. Don't let her fob you off as feet are important !

That's interesting, my diabetes nurse was very insistent that I check my bloods before bed and have a snack if they weren't high enough. I guess being insulin dependent needed managing differently.

I don't officially have diabetes - in fact what started this was that a pharmacist refused to sell me some lamisil on the basis of the state of my feet and told me to ask for a referral which the GP refused to do on the basis that I wasn't diabetic.

But... I was insulin dependent due to gestational diabetes and on what my nurse considered a very high dose (though I have no recollection of the dose and don't know in what context it was 'very high'). My bloods went back to normal after DS2 was born but I am disabled and therefore sedentary and also 5 stone overweight and I was struggling to reduce my weight on a 'healthy' diet - having been told very insistently by the diabetes nurse that, despite it making me feel better and being able to lose weight on it, low carb was 'dangerous' and that I mustn't go back to it or my risk of diabetes would be higher (let's just not go there shall we!?!). Hence being identified as very high risk. But the last few years have been very challenging on many fronts and it's only now I've got DS2 sorted out and his dad has finally started on his own road to recovery that I've had the time and energy to really consider what needs to happen for me.

Gloomendoom

Edwardia wrote: »

Gloomendoom, please forget three ounces, that's probably water. Start being concerned when you put on more than 2lbs in a day and haven't been drinking water, tea etc.

Yes, I know three ounces it well within my natural daily weight fluctuation. I'm not really bothered about such a small gain. I'm more concerned that this week's weight is virtually the same as last week's, whereas up to now the weekly weighed trend has been a steady downward slope.

I was expecting as much though, and I know why it happened, so I'm not about go into a deep depression over it.

SHEILA54

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Yes, I know three ounces it well with my natural daily weight fluctuation. I not really bothered about such a small gain. I'm more concerned that this week's weight is virtually the same as last week's, whereas up to now the weekly weighed trend has been a steady downward slope.

I was expecting as much though, and I know why it happened, so I'm not about go into a deep depression over it.

Don't be concerned about such a small gain as it is possible for weight to fluctuate for all sorts of reasons. I also find that the longer that you follow the plan the easier it is to reach a plateau and not lose. If it carries on then you need to change something. I ate more the week before last, put on 6lb, and then cut back drastically. From what I have read it may be necessary to repeat this several times before I get to where I want to be but the body adapts to a low carb lifestyle and you have to shock it sometimes. I lost the 6lb in 2 days and have lost 4lb this week :j
6 stone 1lb down and 2 stone 6 lb to go!! Should be a stone more but that is what I'll settle for.

Well done Mrs Gloomendoom for the exercise. 3 miles is really good!!

daska - Edwardia is right, your feet shouldn't be purple!!!

pelirocco - I just copied the information to help daska but, if it is wrong, then please feel free to correct it.

mazzers - exercise helps but needs willpower to keep it up. Trying to do the exercise bike daily but it is probably every 2 -3 days. I do walk though as I don't drive. Having quite a workout gardening as well at the moment though I can't move when I come in! Are you still doing IF?

Thanks for all of the advice that has been offered by everyone. I read up all that I can but, fortunately, don't have diabetes at the moment :T

pelirocco

SHEILA54 wrote: »

Don't be concerned about such a small gain as it is possible for weight to fluctuate for all sorts of reasons. I also find that the longer that you follow the plan the easier it is to reach a plateau and not lose. If it carries on then you need to change something. I ate more the week before last, put on 6lb, and then cut back drastically. I lost the 6lb in 2 days and have lost 4lb this week :j
6 stone 1lb down and 2 stone 6 lb to go!!

From what I have read it may be necessary to repeat this several times before I get to where I want to be but the body adapts to a low carb lifestyle and you have to shock it sometimes.

daska - Edwardia is right, your feet shouldn't be purple!!!

pelirocco - I just copied the information to help daska but, if it is wrong, then please feel free to correct it.

mazzers - exercise helps but needs willpower to keep it up. Trying to do the exercise bike daily but it is probably every 2 -3 days. I do walk though as I don't drive. Having quite a workout gardening as well at the moment though I can't move when I come in! Are you still doing IF?

Thanks for all of the advice that has been offered by everyone. I read up all that I can but, fortunately, don't have diabetes at the moment :T

There is so much info out there it makes my head spin lol , I may have read you wrong ..........I think lack of carbs is starving my brain of oxygen

sistercas

blimey , you have all blinded me with science :eek:
reading everything you have all written , it seems if you are insulin resistant you are stuffed no matter what eating regime you prefer

i have settled down to lcarbing again , I have started using 'fitday.com' where i can input my foods and it gives me a nutritional breakdown ( im on hols this week so i have the time) I am aiming to keep my carbs to below 75g a day and see what happens this week

hope you are all doing ok xx

mazzers

I did get my trainers on.. and went walking, it's a lovely route and includes a 17% steep cycle track, which is a killer but became quite easy last year when i built up to it.

Been a stressful day, and to top it off my bath has just developed a leak which has come through the kitchen ceiling
The good news is I recently changed my insurers for a better deal and was offered free home emergency cover for 3 months, initially I refused but thankfully changed my mind, and the best bit is I have 'gold' cover and it runs out end of March.. phew, just in the nick of time eh!
The plumber will be here within the next 2 hours.

sistercas

mazzers hope your leak is sorted, and well done on the walking :T

mazzers

After staying up til midnight, the plumber didn't arrive
Off to complain the the insurers now!!