another dopey question

[numan43]

please forgive my daft questions.

I've just had a thought that i am still unsure what my aims are on LCHF, do i aim to get off all diabetic meds before introducing more carbs to keep my weight steady or do i include the carbs before I'm off the meds?

sorry for my dumbness

 

[tim2000s]

Erm, from what I gather, you don't aim to reintroduce carbs much at all.

If you are aiming to get off your meds, you need to get your glucose levels to a normal level and maintain them there. The quickest way to stop that happening is to reintroduce carbs. It is also the quickest way to go from no meds back on to meds.

Each person is different, but once you are diagnosed with Type 2, while you may reverse it, you will have to keep an eye on what you eat for life because it can easily take you back into a diabetic state.

 

[numan43]

Erm, from what I gather, you don't aim to reintroduce carbs much at all.

If you are aiming to get off your meds, you need to get your glucose levels to a normal level and maintain them there. The quickest way to stop that happening is to reintroduce carbs. It is also the quickest way to go from no meds back on to meds.

Each person is different, but once you are diagnosed with Type 2, while you may reverse it, you will have to keep an eye on what you eat for life because it can easily take you back into a diabetic state.

yes tim thanks..... its just that i dont want to lose weight, what i've read is that you slowly add carbs back to keep the same weight and sugar levels

 

[JTL]

For now the main thing is getting your bloods under good control.
Not for a couple of weeks but a good few months.
I'm not sure about the weight thing as I've lost and managed to stay steady without really trying or even really knowing what I'm doing to attain that because my sole aim has been to bring my sugars to acceptable healthy levels and keep them there .... so far so good.
Achieving that has also had a good affect on cholesterol and blood pressure.
I've started reintroducing carbs when my meter reading says I can.
Today for lunch I had bacon cheese and ham omelette and .... baked beans!
Started at 4.8 and two hours later 5.6 so I was pleased with that .... the beans hadn't spiked me and .... I hadn't washed the sugary sauce off them.
If I notice my weight going back up then I'll have to have another rethink and ..... ask the good people on here what to do next!

 

[numan43]

For now the main thing is getting your bloods under good control.
Not for a couple of weeks but a good few months.
I'm not sure about the weight thing as I've lost and managed to stay steady without really trying or even really knowing what I'm doing to attain that because my sole aim has been to bring my sugars to acceptable healthy levels and keep them there .... so far so good.
Achieving that has also had a good affect on cholesterol and blood pressure.
I've started reintroducing carbs when my meter reading says I can.
Today for lunch I had bacon cheese and ham omelette and .... baked beans!
Started at 4.8 and two hours later 5.6 so I was pleased with that .... the beans hadn't spiked me and .... I hadn't washed the sugary sauce off them.
If I notice my weight going back up then I'll have to have another rethink and ..... ask the good people on here what to do next!

thanks jack.... so you reckon that if i keep sugars under control then the weight will take care of itself

 

[Winnie53]

numan43, great question. I'm new to this too. On Sunday, I begin week 8 on the LCHF diet. I agree with Tim2000s.

I'm between jobs right now so have made my health my full time job by listening to lectures online and doing a lot of reading both online and from my growing reference library.

There is a strategy in addition to losing weight, if needed, getting your blood glucose into the normal range, layering off the medication as you go as possible, giving it some time, and continuing to monitor your blood glucose.

If your blood glucose remains low and stable, then you can begin upping your carbs by 5 carbs a day for a week, and see what happens.

From there you can, increase another 5 carb a day for the next week, make no change, or decrease your carb intake, all the while checking your blood glucose daily, both fasting and 2 hours after each meal. The goal is to move in small steps and to continue monitoring.

Another question is how would you choose to increase you daily carb intake? My first choice would be adding small amounts of berries each day because I'm not able to eat fruit or berries at this time, though I have replaced my dark chocolate with 6 blueberries, once or twice a day.

I'm trying to remember who suggested the "increase daily carbs by 5 a week" strategy. Memory is not what it used to be.

The other thing to keep in mind is whether or not you want to maintain ketosis or not. Everyone likely has a different carb ceiling for that.

These are questions I'm asking for myself - (some I'm still learning about, some I've answered, some not)...

How's my health status?

In addition to regular checks of the kidneys, liver, cholesterol and blood lipids, when was the last time your eyes were dialated and checked? I was told this needs to be done annually by my ophthalmologist, but I don't yet know the cost and whether or not I can afford that frequency.

"Fatty liver" contributes to "fatty pancreas" which interfers with the beta cells production of insulin. How is that addressed and monitored? I don't fully understand yet.

Also, how do I know the status of my inflammation, arterial plaque, and gastrointestinal health? I'm learning about this too. Not sure what tests are needed and if they're affordable. Nor how this is addressed but from what I've learned so far, the LCHF diet is a good place to start.

How's the LCHF diet going for you so far? Not sure what I miss most, though I'd put crunchy, crispy foods on that list. I also am not sure if I'm eating enough fat. Need to figure that out.

 

[Winnie53]

JacktheLad, I think your suggestions are good too. I think the key is to monitor, and monitor often, learning and making adjustments as we go. We're all so individual.

Forgot about monitoring blood pressure. Thanks for mentioning it. That's really important too, particularly for eye and kidney health.

 

[numan43]

numan43, great question. I'm new to this too. On Sunday, I begin week 8 on the LCHF diet. I agree with Tim2000s.

I'm between jobs right now so have made my health my full time job by listening to lectures online and doing a lot of reading both online and from my growing reference library.

There is a strategy in addition to losing weight, if needed, getting your blood glucose into the normal range, layering off the medication as you go as possible, giving it some time, and continuing to monitor your blood glucose.

If your blood glucose remains low and stable, then you can begin upping your carbs by 5 carbs a day for a week, and see what happens.

From there you can, increase another 5 carb a day for the next week, make no change, or decrease your carb intake, all the while checking your blood glucose daily, both fasting and 2 hours after each meal. The goal is to move in small steps and to continue monitoring.

Another question is how would you choose to increase you daily carb intake? My first choice would be adding small amounts of berries each day because I'm not able to eat fruit or berries at this time, though I have replaced my dark chocolate with 6 blueberries, once or twice a day.

I'm trying to remember who suggested the "increase daily carbs by 5 a week" strategy. Memory is not what it used to be.

The other thing to keep in mind is whether or not you want to maintain ketosis or not. Everyone likely has a different carb ceiling for that.

These are questions I'm asking for myself - (some I'm still learning about, some I've answered, some not)...

How's my health status?

In addition to regular checks of the kidneys, liver, cholesterol and blood lipids, when was the last time your eyes were dialated and checked? I was told this needs to be done annually by my ophthalmologist, but I don't yet know the cost and whether or not I can afford that frequency.

"Fatty liver" contributes to "fatty pancreas" which interfers with the beta cells production of insulin. How is that addressed and monitored? I don't fully understand yet.

Also, how do I know the status of my inflammation, arterial plaque, and gastrointestinal health? I'm learning about this too. Not sure what tests are needed and if they're affordable. Nor how this is addressed but from what I've learned so far, the LCHF diet is a good place to start.

How's the LCHF diet going for you so far? Not sure what I miss most, though I'd put crunchy, crispy foods on that list. I also am not sure if I'm eating enough fat. Need to figure that out.

thank you for your reply Winnie53

and yes crunchy is what i miss most

 

[JTL]

Not wishing to derail this thread nor cast any dispersion on you're great advice @JACKTHELAD

Did you test past the 2 Hour mark? Just that the amount of fat in the bacon and cheese would have effectively slowed the release of the carbs so that you spiked later? You may have not done but, I'd suggest repeating that meal with a 3 hour and possibly even a 4 & 5 hour post prandial reading.

No but I do if I feel a bit odd.
Felt really good so didn't bother.
I know what you mean though.

 

[JTL]

please forgive my daft questions.

I've just had a thought that i am still unsure what my aims are on LCHF, do i aim to get off all diabetic meds before introducing more carbs to keep my weight steady or do i include the carbs before I'm off the meds?

sorry for my dumbness

Your questions are not dopey Numan.
Saying .... I don't know .... is often the most intelligent thing to say.
Only intelligent people ask questions.
Dopey people remain dopes because they don't.