help please

[laura123]

Hi,

I have had type 1 diabetes for 18 years and am on 4 insulin injections a day. I have just joined this forum and am in agreement that a low carbohydrate diet is best. I have also completely lost all faith in the medical professionals who have consistently told me "I must be cheating" or that it's because i feel down when the only reason I feel down is because I can't control my diabetes after an endless amount of effort.

I have tried low carb diets twice before and have ended them both after about a week as I have felt extremely tired and suffered headaches which I normally never have.

I decided to give the low carb diet another try as I think it completely makes sense. I am again suffering from extreme tiredness, headaches and terrible thirst and was wondering if this is normal or if it will pass? Also I have only decreased my insulin doses by the smallest amount possible and am experiencing high blood sugars. Surely after dramatically decreasing my carb intake this should not happen?

I would be grateful for any help or advice as I am demented with this stupid diabetes and the lack of decent advice from doctors.

Laura.

 

[fergus]

Hi Laura,

I'm sorry to hear of your struggle to gain control. Be assure that many of us have been there with you and emerged stronger once we have mastered the low-carb way. You can do it too.
The level if ignorance amongst some health professionals still shocks me, as does the lack of support when you choose a better way.
It's not unusual for people to feel odd, perhaps lacking in energy, when they first switch to a low carb diet. This is partly because the body has become accustomed to surviving on glucose and needs time to adjust to burning fatty acids instead. A couple of weeks is usually enough to get past that stage, and then you should feel full of energy.
Your blood sugar levels will depend on what you have eaten of course, and carbs will push them up much higher than protein or fat. I think you are doing the right thing by reducing your doses slowly and by small amounts because everyone reacts differently to different foods.
Please persevere, because I'm sure it will work for you if you do.
Feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk in more detail.

All the best,

fergus

 

[hanadr]

After a lifettime of type 1 and disgraceful care from the specialist, i am getting my husband to where you are going. I'm sure it's the only way.I'm also sure you'll feel better when you adapt. perhaps you're having what the "Lovies" call a "detox"?
Read Richard Bernstein and feel good about yourself. it takes courage to swim upstream
Hana

 

[laura123]

Hi,
Thankyou for your responses, it is reassuring to know that there are people in the same boat as I do not know anyone else with diabetes. I am determined to stick to a low carb diet this time and it's good to know the tiredness and headaches will go away.

I am going to buy that book as it seems to be very popular amongst low carb followers and it is encouraging that he is diabetic too.

Thanks,
Laura

 

[Dennis]

Hi Laura,
Excellent advise, as always, from Fergus, but one other thing that springs to mind is that I have never heard of anyone experiencing tiredness, headaches and thirst as a result of a low-carb diet, but all these are very common symptoms of having high blood sugar levels. Once your sugar levels start to drop then these symptoms should also go. If you find your BS is not dropping then it could be that you have reduced your insulin by too much. Unfortunately as a type-2 I can't help you much on that front.

 

[kareeta]

Hi Laura

I am a newbie to low carbing - just eight days in. The first 5 days were hard, i woke up with a headache every day , i thought it was a migraine so i took migraine relief but when i woke up 3 days on a row with it i assumed it was because i was close to hypo each time -which my poor body wa not used to!!

I am pleased to say this has passed, yes i am still knackered and ready for bed by 6pm but i am hoping this soon passes also. Hoping to have the energy to exercise soon :mrgreen:

Please persevere, the people on here are fab with advice!

Hope this helps

Karen

 

[laura123]

Hi,

Thanks for your information, I will definately persevere with this.

Can anyone tell me what is a safe amount of grams of carbohydrate to take to prevent getting too much ketones? I am currently taking about 40g a day.

Laura

 

[fergus]

I can assure you, Laura, ketones have nothing to do with insufficient carohydrates in the diet.
Ketosis is a perfectly natural and completely harmless metabolic state. When you are in ketosis, you are burning fat for fuel, which is something most people could benefit from!
Many people (and I include some health professionals) get ketosis confused with DKA, or diabetic ketoacidosis, which is extremely harmful but is cased by a chronic lack of insulin, not a lack of carbohydrate.
40g carbohydrate per day isn't too little. Actually, it's more than I eat in a day!

All the best,

fergus

 

[DiabeticGeek]

I am currently taking about 40g a day.

Bernstein recommends that 40g per day be the maximum - and his system is quite safe. However, some people go a lot lower than this. For example Atkins involves a maximum of 20g per day for the first two weeks, after which you gradually increase it until you find the right level for you. I wouldn't recommend going as low as 20g per day permanently, but it is safe for short periods. Some people maintain a good BG control on a significantly higher daily intake than 40g. I reckon I am on about 60g, and that seems to be quite effective. Really, it is whatever works for you.

 

[lyndsay joy]

trouble with low carb & excerise

sadly every time I try to change diet (low carb) & then add even a small amount of exercise (a small walk etc) I have hypo's, to the point of twice having a ambulance called for me. I have been a diabetic for 20 years, I'm over weight (my charming doctor told a medical student "this is a good example of obesity). Type 2 on 4 novarapid injections a day. My levels just drop too low & to add to the problem my warning signs of a hypo disappeared too. My GP just said go back to eating carbs & made me an appointment with diabetic nurse.

I find I have learnt more through this forum than anywhere. Thanks for that. I have dropped my insulin intake 10 units over the past few weeks (Doc said "rather be high than low") but I really want to lose weight.

I am a bit lost as to how to proceed.

 

[fergus]

Hi lyndsay joy,

If you have reduced your insulin by 10 units in only a few weeks, you've made a great start! Some health professionals have a somewhat warped understanding of the problems facing us diabetics.
You're on insulin to lower your bs, but it falls too low at times. The solution is either more food (weight gain included) or less insulin (and weight loss). Tough call! :wink:
You've made exactly the right choice and should continue to reduce your doses if hypo's are a regular occurance. Be careful not to go too far, of course, because high blood sugars are no better.
To lose weight, you must lower your insulin levels since insulin is the main anabolic fat building hormone. The best way to lower your need for insulin is to restrict or eliminate the foods with the biggest demand for it - starches and sugars.
You should find that as you use less insulin, your blood sugar levels will become more stable and both hypos and hypers become less frequent. I lost my hypo awareness too, the only solution being to test regularly. But stable blood sugar levels are your greatest ally here.
Take a look at some of the 'carbs' threads to see the success many members are having with this.

All the best,

fergus

 

[Katharine]

I think that gradually reducing your insulin and carb intake is the safest way to proceed when you are on insulin.

There is a suggested programme about how to do this at http://www.dsolve.com The second last module has the instructions.

The idea is that you go through a process of :

learning about your diabetes, insulin regime and what effect fats, carbs and proteins have on your blood sugars/insulin requirements.
Eliminate any hypos.
Get your insulin acting predictably.
Stablise your basal insulin.
Reduce carbs at breakfast then lunch then dinner to 30g each meal and 15g at bedtime.
Fine tune your diet to what you want to eat long term (lowering or raising the carbs/fat/protein as desired).
Fine tune your insulin regime.

 

[DiabeticGeek]

I am fairly sure that the hypos will be the result of trying to do things too quickly. It can take a while for the body to adjust to major physiological changes, such as a new balance between insulin and carb levels. You should probably try to reduce your carbs and insulin doses by very small amounts over a number of weeks. Don't think "right, I am low carbing now" and just go for it. You should also increase your exercise regime very gradually. If walking is causing hypos then initially try some very simple indoors exercises and gradually increase the intensity of these. If you take everything slowly enough then you should be OK, and if the hypos start again then you are probably trying to make the changes too fast.

 

[laura123]

Hi,
I was wondering if when I take a hypo and need to take sugar, does this alter my metabolism back into carb/glucose burning? Will it take me days to readjust to fat burning every time I take a hypo?

Laura.

 

[fergus]

That's a great question, Laura. You learn fast!
Provided you keep your insulin levels pretty low, fat burning is something that will kick in a matter of hours after your last meal. The problem with continually elevated insulin levels is that your body rarely gets to that stage.
If your bs drops too low, you have to take some glucose. No question. That in itself will deactivate some of the insulin in your system, lowering the levels so that fat burning can begin again.

All the best,

fergus

 

[laura123]

Thanks, can you tell me if this is too much insulin to be on for effective fat burning. I am on 22 units of humalog and 22 units of lantus. I think this is a bit high for a low carb diet but if I take any less my blood sugars will go high. I am taking 40g carbs daily.
I have stuck to eating low carb for 5 days now and am very pleased with the results, I have dropped 6lb, my blood sugars are much more controlled and I no longer have the tiredness and headaches that I had at the start.

Laura.

 

[fergus]

Hi Laura,

I'm really pleased you are enjoying some success already. I think you pretty much answered your own question. You lost 6 lbs very quickly, so I wouldn't become too obsessed by hitting a 'magical' insulin dose. Your blood sugar levels are better and so your dose sounds about right for the food you are eating.
What sort of figures are you getting on your meter with the low carb diet?

All the best,

fergus

 

[laura123]

Hi fergus,

Thanks, I am having readings between 4mmol and 10mmol which hopefully will become much tighter. I know they should be between 4mmol and 6mmol. It is much better than what I am used to which is my blood sugar being between 2mmol and 20mmol. My blood sugars used to swing between these ranges all the time.

Laura.

 

[fergus]

Hi Laura,

Wow, that's real progress. I think you're right and your contol will tighten up signifcantly as you become more accustomed to low carb. You're amongst friends here, so keep us posted, OK?

All the best,

fergus

 

[laura123]

Thanks for all your advice, I will definately keep you posted and will regularly be on this forum. It is the most help I have had since being diagnosed 18 years ago. Thankyou.

Laura.