Type 2 I need advice with a low carb diet as I feel really low on it

[kazzers]

Hi, I haven't been back on this forum for ages, but I really need some advice and guidance. I am a type 2 diabetic and I take 2000mg Metformin daily.
I am really yo-yoing with my eating as I am trying to eat Low Carb but it makes me feel really awful. I must be doing something wrong as I've seen some really excellent results on here by eating LC . What I really miss most is my porridge in the mornings, When I was first diagnosed in 2009 I seemed to be really in control of my eating and at the time had porridge every morning or some other cereal. I was also eating a couple of pieces of fruit every day My weight was a stable 8st 7 .Then I began to binge on sweets cake etc , My Metformin has gradually increased and I am now on the highest dose. My doctor wanted to add another drug , but my diabetic nurse agreed to let me try to get my levels down by exercise and careful eating I have to go back in 8 weeks. I feel so much pressure and am struggling because the low carb eating leaves me with headaches and a craving for sweet food . Over the years my weight has slowly increased to 9st 7. I know for a fact that when I exercise (I used to run 3 times a week) and reduce my food intake , I lose weight . I am also testing my blood glucose a few times a day but I get readings of 8.7 before I've even eaten anything in the morning. I sometimes get even higher when I get back from a run and before I've had breakfast . I know that I have gone on but I really need someone to advise me as to whether it is common for low carb to cause headaches (or is that just me stressing over eating low carb) I also really miss being able to eat fruit .

 

[urbanracer]

Hi @kazzers ,

Can ask you where you are in relation to the 260g reference daily carb intake. How many carbs were you eating when you felt bad and did you cut down suddenly or reduce your carbs slowly?

 

[JazzyF]

Hi @kazzers Sorry you are going through such a hard time at the moment.
I'm really new to posting on here, joined today. But wanted to ask how long you have low carbed for in one go? When I first started I had blurred vision and horrendous headaches. This lasted for about two weeks for me. Once I managed to get through that time all of those symptoms left and eating low carb became easier. Eating LCHF certainly keeps me fuller for longer and I don't feel the need for snacks between meals. So, from my experience I would say the headaches were normal in the initial stages.
You can make some great changes in 8 weeks, even if they are small, gradual changes, it will all help to get your numbers down. Please try not to feel too stressed as this could also have an impact on your BG numbers.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Eating low-carb should not be making you feel ill other than possibly at the point you make a sudden change. There is no metabolic reason for it to make you feel ill unless you have a very unusual medical condtion. Is the Metformin making you feel ill? Are you taking Metformin SR (Slow Release)? This is much kinder than the standard version which can cause stomach/bowel upset

 

[kazzers]

Hi @kazzers ,

Can ask you where you are in relation to the 260g reference daily carb intake. How many carbs were you eating when you felt bad and did you cut down suddenly or reduce your carbs slowly?

I have to say that I haven't been counting but for example: Breakfast, Greek yoghurt and blueberries, Lunch Chicken salad and almonds, evening meal; tuna green beans tomato . My snacks are usually a small handful of nuts . But then I get such sugar cravings

 

[kazzers]

Hi @kazzers Sorry you are going through such a hard time at the moment.
I'm really new to posting on here, joined today. But wanted to ask how long you have low carbed for in one go? When I first started I had blurred vision and horrendous headaches. This lasted for about two weeks for me. Once I managed to get through that time all of those symptoms left and eating low carb became easier. Eating LCHF certainly keeps me fuller for longer and I don't feel the need for snacks between meals. So, from my experience I would say the headaches were normal in the initial stages.
You can make some great changes in 8 weeks, even if they are small, gradual changes, it will all help to get your numbers down. Please try not to feel too stressed as this could also have an impact on your BG numbers.

Thank you for your encouraging comments JazzyF I am wondering if I should be cutting down the carbs more gradually

 

[kazzers]

Hi. Eating low-carb should not be making you feel ill other than possibly at the point you make a sudden change. There is no metabolic reason for it to make you feel ill unless you have a very unusual medical condtion. Is the Metformin making you feel ill? Are you taking Metformin SR (Slow Release)? This is much kinder than the standard version which can cause stomach/bowel upset

No, I am not on slow release but no bad effects on my tummy, just a general feeling of almost depression but not quite that serious. I miss my fruit and am puzzled by how much I could eat initially but not now

 

[urbanracer]

I have to say that I haven't been counting but for example: Breakfast, Greek yoghurt and blueberries, Lunch Chicken salad and almonds, evening meal; tuna green beans tomato . My snacks are usually a small handful of nuts . But then I get such sugar cravings

Well that's great, sounds like you're doing really well on the carb' front. So it may simply be that you cut down too quickly?

 

[Brunneria]

Hi!

Can i ask how much fat and protein you are eating?
I find that eating fat is a sure fire way of cutting through carb cravings, while plenty of protein is very satisfying.

If I get them, i make sure i eat a good big meal of something like steak, salad, mayo or cream sauce. Or have a low carb hot chocolate, made with cream. Or a good wodge of cheese.

My carb cravings tend to be intense, and only happen if i eat more carbs than i should (my carb tolerance is very low ) . So i usually end up eating quite a lot of cream, cheese, steak, etc for the first few days. Then the carb cravings gradually fade away, and i can ease off on the craving busters too.

I know this may be a weird suggestion when you want to lose a bit of weight, but it is only for a few days, just til you get over the cravings.

 

[Robbity]

If you've been eating a high carb diet and cut down suddenly and drastically - your body may have withdrawal symptoms for a couple of weeks, as it gets adapted to less carbohydrates. But it passes. You need to up fluid intake and add some extra fat to your diet - you need to do this as the carbs you're no longer eating have to be replaced by fat (and protein) to keep up your energy levels, as @Brunneria has said. It's called a Low Carb High(er) Fat diet for a very good reason!

I cut down on carbs in two steps, the first (cutting out sweet sugary foods) before I heard of and started low carbing, and a bit later reduced my consumption of starchy foods - bread, cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes, so I was lucky to avoid what's know as "low carb flu" when I started eating a serious low carb diet.

You can eat some fruit, mainly berries, in small quantities and "buffer" them with cream or full fat (Greek) yoghurt, which can help prevent too high a rise in your glucose levels. Use your meter before and after meals, and maybe do a 1hour test as well as the usual 2 hour one. Check the nutritional values of fruit for carb content and avoid any that have more than 10grams per 100grams weight, and try smallish 50-75 gram weight portions.

If you keep up the good work, you should see some definite results by the end of your eight weeks "grace".

Robbity

 

[Indy51]

There can be electrolyte issues from cutting carbs as your body sheds fluid - most low carb experts recommend adding bone broth or bouillion to address this.

 

[Spiker]

As Indy and Robbity said, the likely cause of the headaches is not enough fluids, salt and other electrolytes in your diet. You need more of these on LCHF than you are probably used to.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

I agree with everything above. Just want to add that the max dose of metformin is 3g, not 2g... but I doubt you will need an increase in metformin when things are reconsidered in 8 weeks anyway. And the best approach with meds is usually to aim for the lowest effective dose. You may be able to have your metformin dose reduced eventually. It sounds like you will be able to get your BGs down without extra meds... which is good because I have been reading about the other meds lately and with their side effects and risks it would be best to avoid them if possible.

I think you are on the right track and with a bit of tweaking along the lines of what is said in the above posts, you will be doing much better soon. Good luck and keep us posted

 

[kazzers]

Well that's great, sounds like you're doing really well on the carb' front. So it may simply be that you cut down too quickly?

Thanks for your reply urbanracer. I also think that because I have been feeling rubbish , I was punctuating this eating by fulfilling my carb cravings and the having to 'start again'
There has been some brilliant advice and support on here I am really feeling that I can do it this time

 

[cyclist]

Go back to testing yourself before and after meals to see what effect the fruit has on you

Once you have identified what spikes you and what doesn't you'll be on your way to managing this again.

Have you considered other sports such as swimming or cycling to help with the weight maintenance?

 

[kazzers]

Hi!

Can i ask how much fat and protein you are eating?
I find that eating fat is a sure fire way of cutting through carb cravings, while plenty of protein is very satisfying.

If I get them, i make sure i eat a good big meal of something like steak, salad, mayo or cream sauce. Or have a low carb hot chocolate, made with cream. Or a good wodge of cheese.

My carb cravings tend to be intense, and only happen if i eat more carbs than i should (my carb tolerance is very low ) . So i usually end up eating quite a lot of cream, cheese, steak, etc for the first few days. Then the carb cravings gradually fade away, and i can ease off on the craving busters too.

I know this may be a weird suggestion when you want to lose a bit of weight, but it is only for a few days, just til you get over the cravings.

I think that one of my 'fails' is that I'm almost afraid to eat high(er) fat after having skimmed milk, low fat this and that (I know now that this is bad for you) I need to 'bite the bullet' and eat more mayo, and cream which I love I am also going to try planning my menus rather than eating whatever I can find , making sure that I have cream and mayo in the fridge. Can I ask where you get low carb' hot chocolate ?
Thanks for your advice ,

 

[Brunneria]

I totally understand about being conditioned into a kind of 'fat phobia'
It takes a while to get over it, but worth persevering.

Low Carb Hot Choc Recipe:

Boil kettle.
Add a heaped teasp of good quality cocoa powder to a big mug (I use Green and Blacks, but any pure cocoa powder will do. You just want cocoa in it, no powdered milk or sugar on the ingredient list)
Add 1.5 ish heaped teasp of sugar substitute to mug
Make the powders into a paste with a dribble of water (get rid of the lumps)
Add boiling water and stir until smooth
Top up with double cream (like putting milk in a cup of tea).
Add caramel, lemon, orange or mint essences, if desired
Enjoy

All quantities adjustable

 

[kazzers]

If you've been eating a high carb diet and cut down suddenly and drastically - your body may have withdrawal symptoms for a couple of weeks, as it gets adapted to less carbohydrates. But it passes. You need to up fluid intake and add some extra fat to your diet - you need to do this as the carbs you're no longer eating have to be replaced by fat (and protein) to keep up your energy levels, as @Brunneria has said. It's called a Low Carb High(er) Fat diet for a very good reason!

I cut down on carbs in two steps, the first (cutting out sweet sugary foods) before I heard of and started low carbing, and a bit later reduced my consumption of starchy foods - bread, cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes, so I was lucky to avoid what's know as "low carb flu" when I started eating a serious low carb diet.

You can eat some fruit, mainly berries, in small quantities and "buffer" them with cream or full fat (Greek) yoghurt, which can help prevent too high a rise in your glucose levels. Use your meter before and after meals, and maybe do a 1hour test as well as the usual 2 hour one. Check the nutritional values of fruit for carb content and avoid any that have more than 10grams per 100grams weight, and try smallish 50-75 gram weight portions.
eThanks for so much advice and support Robbity I will definitely test before and after (and 1 hour after for a while)
If you keep up the good work, you should see some definite results by the end of your eight weeks "grace".

Robbity

 

[kazzers]

There can be electrolyte issues from cutting carbs as your body sheds fluid - most low carb experts recommend adding bone broth or bouillion to address this.

Thankyou

 

[kazzers]

Go back to testing yourself before and after meals to see what effect the fruit has on you

Once you have identified what spikes you and what doesn't you'll be on your way to managing this again.

Have you considered other sports such as swimming or cycling to help with the weight maintenance?

Ok thanks I will try that , my meter is going to be busy with all this advice . I try to go to the gym but this has been very hit and miss lately. There is a pool there , so I may include this . I feel really inspired now