HFLC diet does it work for type 2

[Mairead15]

I have been on the HFLC diet for 10days. Have BS readings of 9-11 throughout the day since starting diet. Take 1500 metformin daily. Has anyone done this diet and how long does it take to stabilise BS levels. I am sticking strictly to the diet. I feel great with lots more energy. Last HbA1c in May was79 before starting diet. Many Thanks

 

[ButtterflyLady]

I have been on the HFLC diet for 10days. Have BS readings of 9-11 throughout the day since starting diet. Take 1500 metformin daily. Has anyone done this diet and how long does it take to stabilise BS levels. I am sticking strictly to the diet. I feel great with lots more energy. Last HbA1c in May was79 before starting diet. Many Thanks

Hi and welcome. @daisy1 has some info about diabetes that she posts for people new to the forum.

The time it takes varies between individuals as everyone is different. What sort of foods are you eating in a typical day?

 

[daisy1]

@Mairead15

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members which includes lots of information on carbs which should be helpful to you in your diet. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[4ratbags]

What were your BS levels like before you started, if they have started to reduce even slightly you can be sure that it is helping.

 

[Yorkie68]

Hi Mairead,

That is the question I asked myself at first and the answer is yes - at least it has for me but I have gone to the extreme route of less than 30g a day (nearer to 20 where I can). It took two weeks before I started to get lower readings and they are continuing to go down which is a huge motivation. My first test with my meter was 11.7 on 31/8/15. Today when I got home from work and tested before my tea I was 4.8 (lowest yet) and my 7 day average is 5.6 (I test maybe twice a day as I'm on a basic diet and not introducing new foods yet).

Keep going and give it a chance, I'm positive it can work for you but no cheating

 

[Anglo_dude]

Yeah it seems to be working for me. I spent 12 months trying the NHS healthy plate options and it didn't make any difference to the blood sugars, didn't lose any weight and had the doctors saying we need to add extra meds to bring down the blood sugar, read Dr Cavans book on how to reverse diabetes and started lchf (well medium fat really) diet.

I bought myself a meter and 300 strips as the doctor refused to prescribe them, then went on the diet on August bank holiday Monday.

Since then I've lost 11 pounds in weight, from 14st 2 to 13st 5. I'm 5:10". I was slightly overweight but I've got a broad frame from 15 years of gym work (but I don't go now) and genetics. I have electronic scales which recorded my BMI as 16% at the start of this process. It now reads 14.7 which is consistent.

This has included a weeks holiday in Sardinia (lost 1lb that week!) and two weeks working in Dubai (another 1lb gone!).

I've had to buy a new belt as I needed more notches and an still losing weight. My new target is a flat 13st, which I haven't been since I was in my early 20s (now 44). I never did this to lose weight, it's just a happy side effect.

I'm also now averaging around 7.4 MMoL from my testing which normally takes in 3-6 readings per day (I don't test at work).

I've also found that oats spike my blood massively (fasting test was 6.4 post test was 16.5!), so they are off the menu.

Other surprises, Fried chicken in batter is fine, pearl barley and root vegetables bad (change to the beef stews required now )

My exercise regime hasn't really changed, I walk to the train station and back during the week and average about 9-13,000 steps a day. The only difference now is that I try to walk at the weekend too and try to hit 10,000 on those days too.

The biggest issue I've had is breakfast during the week as I can't be bothered cooking at that time in the morning. I've now found full fat unsweetened yoghurt with brazil and hazlenuts with strawberries and blueberries work well along with psyllium husks to provide a no carb fibre to replace the wheat and keep everything in motion....

I'm now planning to go back for my Hba1c test at the end of November and am expecting it to be below 45, from a starting point of 80 before the start of this diet.

All in all it has worked for me so far, and I'm also expecting my cholesterol to be lower as I'm convinced its the carbs which have made that high, and so I'll be looking to drop the atorvastatin after the next set of tests and b*ll*x to what the doctors recommend.

The nurses and doctors at the surgery have been singularly unhelpful in this process, basically saying the usual stuff, you need to lose weight, follow the approved NHS diet, we'll keep prescribing drugs but not strips and not considering anything but the party line.

Switched alcohol from mainly beer to mostly red wine. I still have a couple of beers, but have really tried to remove it from my diet. Good reds actually seem to reduce my readings (1-3 glasses anyway), so that makes it a lot easier to manage

The next challenge is Christmas, I'll have to look into alternatives to the usual carb heaven consumption this year. Lots of red wine and winter walks may be the answer...

 

[Wilki.356]

Everyone is different. The main thing is read and do some research, take the information that you think is relevant to you. What works for one person may not work for you. As you can see people have a different approach to what works for them. And the same will apply to you, as you may eat differently and exercise less or more.
Never fear or worry about making changes, give them ago to see what works for you.

Stay open minded, try to keep a positive attitude and stay focused on your health. There are no overnight miracles you have to be in it for the long haul. You'll get there in the end.

 

[Robbity]

If high glucose levels are due to type 2 diabetics not being able to process carbohydrates properly, then it makes sense to avoid what's causing the problem. And if you seriously reduce your carbohydrates , then you need to replace then with something else for your energy supply. Fats are generally more or less carb free, and they can readily by used by your body for energy without impacting your glucose levels, so it also makes sense to add them to your diet to replace those missing carbs.

So yes - it works for me. However you have to be aware that we have many different diabetics and pre-diabetics on the forum, and no single one of us has the same "starting" glucose levels, nor the same ability to handle carbohydrates, so everyone has their own journey to make to reduce their personal levels. Some of us can manage with diet alone and some may need various different medications, or amounts of medication, to help them on their way.

Robbity

 

[Enclave]

When you say HFLC .. you do mean .. Low Carb High Fat ...... ?
It works for me

 

[Klangley]

I have been on the HFLC diet for 10days. Have BS readings of 9-11 throughout the day since starting diet. Take 1500 metformin daily. Has anyone done this diet and how long does it take to stabilise BS levels. I am sticking strictly to the diet. I feel great with lots more energy. Last HbA1c in May was79 before starting diet. Many Thanks

I have been on the LCHF diet for 6 weeks. In the first 2 weeks my readings were similar to yours, it is really only in the last 2 weeks (6kg weight loss later) that the figures have really come down significantly. I don't take Metformin.....yet but am considering it.

Just keep with the diet and crank up the exercise.....

 

[Annieok]

I've been on the LCHF seriously for about 6 weeks. I was diagnosed 9 weeks ago. My starting Hba1C was 93, then 87 two weeks later. I started testing about a month ago. I'm on 1000 mg Metformin daily. I've lost a stone in weight and my reading are now mostly below 10. But it's slow going. I seem to be getting fewer higher readings than I used to - but my fasting reading is still around 9 or 10. But today I had 5.8. My first time below 6 since testing! I try to avoid the spikes and keep the 2 hour reading after eating under a rise of 2. The most shocking moment was when I had a slice of brown spelt bread - my BS went up to 16! So testing, trying things out and sticking to the diet as much as possible and you'll begin to see patterns and what works for you. And as @Klangley said - crank up the exercise. It does make a difference.

 

[CollieBoy]

It works for me! gone from Basal/Bolus insulin to Gliclazide to Diet only!