LCHF success stories from type 1's

[paul-1976]

Plus, if I had total faith in the "professional advice" and not questioned it, I would probably be dead from undiagnosed T1.

EXACTLY! Trying to manage undiagnosed type 1.5 on oral meds and the DN's "starchy carbs with every meal-the sat fat will kill you..." diet almost topped me back in 2012!

 

[Patch13]

I've had success on LCHF. My HbA1c prior to it was about 7.8 (sorry I work in old money!) but I endured erratic blood sugar levels resulting in many highs and lows. Hence, I was miserable, grumpy and tired.

I've now been LCHF for about 1 yr 8 months (I started on medium fat and have gradually added in more and reduced the amount of protein I was eating).

Swinging blood sugar levels don't happen now and my HbA1c is now 5.2. Occasionally I will get a sugar level of 8, but this is very rare and usually indicates I'm getting sick. I'm also less tired and grumpy.

My weight hasn't really changed. I don't have a lot to lose but wouldn't object to a few squidgy bits disappearing! However, I'm not overly bothered as my good blood sugar results convince me that I should continue eating this way to ensure I'm in good health as I get older.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Ian DP]

My experience with low carb is that calories control my weight. I am T1.5 / LADA not on meds or insulin... I can still, just, produce sufficient insulin to support myself and I eat to my meter.

I have been low carbing for a year now, starting 150g now down to 30g per day.

6 months ago my weight hit an all time unhealthy low due to trying to keep my BG levels low, so to correct this I increased my calories, without increasing my carbs. My weight increased, but so did my BG levels.

I concluded that I was eating too much protein (10g protein = around 5g carbs), so I reduced my protein, kept carb levels the same and increased fat (an increase in fat corresponds to an increases in calories)

This has resulted in lower BG levels and maintained weight (which is what I was aiming for).

Net result is I am now LcHf (low carb high fat)..... Not what I intentionally set out to be, but by eating to my meter and bathroom scales, this is the net result.

My conclusion from my experience:-

* Low carb, low fat, low protein = weight loss and low BG levels

* Low carb, high protein, low fat = medium BG levels, maintain weight

* Low carb, med protein, high fat = low BG levels and maintain weight.

I am healthier, have more energy, much fitter, more active now on LcHf than before, and importantly can keep my BG levels stable and below NHS guidelines.

My dr says... Whatever you are doing, keep doing it, because it is working.

 

[forge]

My specialist advice and predictions have so far all come true, and make sense and he is part of a research hospital team. So I expect the advice is not "especially for me" and I am not "uniquely different".

He said he was going to get me off insulin and prescribed metformin tablets and no grain products, no potato and no sugar of any kind and limited fruit. I. was to make the difference up with other veg. (not extra protein nor HF) just extra veg as per the current adds on TV promoting a healthy balanced diet.

I was on total 130 units insulin per day 3 with meals and 1 for overnight

I was off insulin in a week (adjusted my doses) and on 4 metformin tablets.

6 months on I have lost 16 kg and I have not used insulin and my BS is stable.

He said that I have a carb tolerance and if I go above that tolerance my BS will go very high - I tested for it and it did

He said when my weight comes down my tolerance to carbs will increase and it has.

He said he wanted me to increase carbs when I could.

Everything he said came true I went back after 3 months and got the all clear to continue as I was doing (I had lost 10kg and all test results were in the good range)

I made an appointment for 4 months this time not 3 months and if that goes well he will send me back to my GP.

I am delighted with the process and the results, and it has been a great experience learning to cook great food and a great variety food with nut flours.

My conclusion is he knows what he is talking about and I do not think I am some weird special case otherwise his predictions would not come true.

 

[forge]

Prior to the above I went to a specialist about 3 times per year for more than 15 years ( and he prescribed mixed fast and slow insulin then Nova rapid and solar star slow acting) and weighed me but he had no suggestions on how to reduce my increasing weight without risking lows.

I have him to thank for getting me through to 71 yo without eye damage and kidney damage, I had some nerve damage in my feet before I went to him and that has got worse.

So thanks to him I am not blind and I am not dead.

 

[forge]

Prior to the above I went to my GP who joined me up in the subsidy scheme for free needles and peppercorn priced strips and recommended I join DAQ who could offer members free advice. He prescribed diet and exercise low GI diet and not gym exercise but do something interesting otherwise I will not keep it up.

When it got worse he prescribed 1/2 tablet per day (the steps of getting worse occurred after overseas trips where my diet and meal timing was bad) then it went to 1 tablet per day ( I can't remember what the tablets were)

When I got out of good BS control range again, he declared that I needed insulin and he could not prescribe insulin and he referred me to a specialist.

 

[forge]

I have always taken the advice from my carers and each of them, in turn has worked out fine for me, except I have nerve damage in my feet .

But for a 71 years old with diagnosed T2 for over 20 years I have done well and I am still active and can continue to drive any vehicle without insulin dependent restrictions. I can ride my cruiser motor bike without fear of lows and drive the car long distances and ride my 2 pedal bikes and play sport bowls and do home maintenance and workshop (Men's Shed).

I now have a pacemaker and a cardiologist who also has diet requirements and I also get gout and I can comply diet/wise with all 3.
No major carbs
Not too much greasies, cheese, processed meat or booze
Not too much purines - pork offal or seafood other than fish.

I probably should do a bit more exercise I play bowls 2 or 3 days per week and Men's shed 2 days which can be quite physical depending what we are doing. So I will start riding my bikes more regularly.

I am about 7 kg short of my target weight and slow loss is better so another 3 kg by Xmas would make me happy.

I have a new interesting and rewarding hobby and that is learning to cook with nut flours and Xanthan Gum. I also do a bit of art and writing. so thanks to all my carers I am physically able and not blind or dead.at 71.

I hope that helps someone.

There is nothing in these above posts that is not true, so anyone who wants to "take me down" and prove some kind of point don't bother.

Anyone who wants some more info and I can help I am happy to help where I can.

 

[forge]

And yes I do know this is a T1 thread and it should probably be in T2. But **** happens.

 

[Spiker]

My specialist advice and predictions have so far all come true, and make sense and he is part of a research hospital team. So I expect the advice is not "especially for me" and I am not "uniquely different".

[Forge's story]

My conclusion is he knows what he is talking about and I do not think I am some weird special case otherwise his predictions would not come true.

Your story is great and I am glad for you and your success.

Your conclusion is utterly, utterly without foundation and utterly devoid of any shred of logic.

It worked for you and as you ARE a very special case you have absolutely no, nil, zero grounds to believe it applies to anyone else. You are a single lone data point in a population of 1.

 

[Spiker]

And yes I do know this is a T1 thread and it should probably be in T2. But **** happens.

@forge, you are persistently derailing. You are here to attack the premise of the thread. You are repeatedly making derogatory remarks about the choices of the other posters. You are cross-tagging from other threads. You are way out of order on multiple violations of DCUK policy. Get off this thread and make your own. See if anybody comes.

 

[jack412]

LOL, I read your post spike and thought that was a bit harsh to Ian, then I realised there was a Show Ignored Content on my screen
I would get myself banned with some people

 

[Spiker]

% variation in BG control does not matter. Absolute variation matters because the harm thresholds are absolute, not relative. Hypoglycemia occurs at an absolute level (~4). Renal dumping starts at an absolute level (~10). Beyond these thresholds the damage is increases relatively, but by then you are way beyond LCHF and the major harm has already been done by crossing these absolute thresholds.

To use your fuel tank control analogy, there is a low threshold when the fuel to the plant shuts down and there is hell to pay. There is a high threshold where fuel starts spilling from the top of the tank causing a hazardous situation, wastage and serious risk. Relative % variations in the tank level are unimportant.

These are the control problems that every T1 grapples with every day, as do very many T2s who strive for good blood glucose. Maybe you can ignore these absolute limits, but we can not.

This is why it is the *absolute* quantity of insulin(1) that matters and the *absolute* quantity of carbs(2) that matter, because it is *only* these factors that can push us across these *absolute* harm thresholds. And the absolute level of insulin is entirely and only driven by the absolute level of carbs it needs to clear from the blood.

Relative errors and relative variations are irrelevant.

(1) injected and/or natural insulin
(2) including any protein-derived carbs

 

[forge]

Thanks for your encouraging words @Spiker I started another post and you are welcome to participate

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/posts/630979/

It is not for wimps it is BOOTS AND ALL so robust critisizm is welcome in fact it is encouraged.



BTW,
None of us learn anything if we just agree and tell each other how wonderful we are. Learning takes much more effort than that.

 

[oldgreymare]

My specialist advice and predictions have so far all come true, and make sense and he is part of a research hospital team. So I expect the advice is not "especially for me" and I am not "uniquely different".

He said he was going to get me off insulin and prescribed metformin tablets and no grain products, no potato and no sugar of any kind and limited fruit. I. was to make the difference up with other veg. (not extra protein nor HF) just extra veg as per the current adds on TV promoting a healthy balanced diet.

I was on total 130 units insulin per day 3 with meals and 1 for overnight

I was off insulin in a week (adjusted my doses) and on 4 metformin tablets.

6 months on I have lost 16 kg and I have not used insulin and my BS is stable.

He said that I have a carb tolerance and if I go above that tolerance my BS will go very high - I tested for it and it did

He said when my weight comes down my tolerance to carbs will increase and it has.

He said he wanted me to increase carbs when I could.

Everything he said came true I went back after 3 months and got the all clear to continue as I was doing (I had lost 10kg and all test results were in the good range)

I made an appointment for 4 months this time not 3 months and if that goes well he will send me back to my GP.

I am delighted with the process and the results, and it has been a great experience learning to cook great food and a great variety food with nut flours.

My conclusion is he knows what he is talking about and I do not think I am some weird special case otherwise his predictions would not come true.

@forge Firstly congratulations on your diabetic journey to date and maintaining your health and lifestyle. I totally agree that you have had great advice from your current specialist to treat what appears to be classical symptoms of insulin resistance (which is sensitive to weight, diet, exercise) and this appears to have worked very successfully for you. The tragedy is that your previous healthcare professionals did not bother to determine whether your underlying condition was due to insulin resistance (Type 2) or autoimmunity (Type 1) and just threw you onto insulin to compensate...

 

[LucySW]

Please can we revert to the OP's original subject - whether Type 1s have found LCHF beneficial in coping with Type 1?

Please can people with an axe to grind go elsewhere?

 

[jddukes]

As i came on here to actually share a success story, here are some results I graphed up when I changed from a traditional diet to LCHF. This was about 2 years ago and shows the effects of low carb on my BG levels

Should be fairly self-explanatory.

 

[SamJB]

That's a great graph! Says it all. Although I've not done a comprehensive analysis like you have, my results are very similar. No mad swings, a few >10s per month, rather than nearly every day. Much reduced hypo frequencies and much milder ones; I've been in the 2s twice in two years of low carbing, used to be a regular occurrence when I was on carbs.

 

[CarolWoods]

@forge I started it for weight loss which is when I discovered the other great benefits to which people are referring. I find it interesting that as a Type 2 you dispute it, as it is commonly recommended by the nhs for T2s and can even reverse it?

This thread is for T1s and you're not really helping if I'm being honest.

Advice by healthcare professionals changes a lot, and who's to say in a year they won't update their advice based on current research and evidence of success?

Plus, if I had total faith in the "professional advice" and not questioned it, I would probably be dead from undiagnosed T1.

Thank you Emmotha!

I have been reading through this thread trying to get useful information from those with RELEVANT experience which it seems is everybody but one person.

 

[Teeny75]

Just stumbled upon this thread. My daughter is 6 and was diagnosed earlier this year. We have been doing LCHF for the last 3 months with not so good results. I know it works but need help getting it right.

I don't know if it's basal or bolus issues but all her meals are based on Dr B's 6-12-12. Talking to our peadiatric team is a no go as the are not supporting what we are doing. Anyone willing to share their wisdom?

 

[Spiker]

6-12-12 is for adults. The numbers would need adjusting for a 6 year old. Have you checked Dr B's books and sites for a specific recommendation for children? If not then you should be careful. It is a shame the pediatric team won't support you on LCHF.

There are pediatric ketogenic diets for epilepsy, maybe you could look at those?