Low carb/Keto diet on pump

[laffinjake_]

Hello
I want to know if it is safe for me to go on a low carb diet and get mild to moderate ketones whilst doing it.
I've been on the Aviva insight pump for 18 months . I started diet 10 days ago and I have decreased my basal rates considerably as I find I don't need as much insulin now I'm eating low carb
Thanks

 

[azure]

@laffinjake_ How many carbs a day are you eating? Do you need to bolus for,protein?

 

[laffinjake_]

I'm trying to keep below 50. I think average around 30g a day. I don't bolus for protein, should I ?

 

[noblehead]

Hello
I want to know if it is safe for me to go on a low carb diet and get mild to moderate ketones whilst doing it.
I've been on the Aviva insight pump for 18 months . I started diet 10 days ago and I have decreased my basal rates considerably as I find I don't need as much insulin now I'm eating low carb
Thanks

I don't follow a low-carb/keto diet but can't see why being on a pump would be a problem, if anything it should make things much easier when it comes to bolusing for fats/protein which raises bg levels much slower than carbs do.

 

[AndBreathe]

Hello
I want to know if it is safe for me to go on a low carb diet and get mild to moderate ketones whilst doing it.
I've been on the Aviva insight pump for 18 months . I started diet 10 days ago and I have decreased my basal rates considerably as I find I don't need as much insulin now I'm eating low carb
Thanks

There are various folks here doing LC/maybe Keto diets. I certainly know @tim2000s is certainly a pumper doing LC.

 

[catapillar]

I'm trying to keep below 50. I think average around 30g a day. I don't bolus for protein, should I ?

Best to just keep on testing after meals and see what not bolusing for protein does to your blood sugar. You might not need to.

 

[azure]

I'm trying to keep below 50. I think average around 30g a day. I don't bolus for protein, should I ?

Only if your blood sugar suggests you need it. Test frequently and make a judgement.

If you're eating extra fat you may also get a delayed rise, so will need to think about what bolus type would best deal with that eg a Extended Bolus.

 

[laffinjake_]

Thanks guys . I have been testing through the night and they were steady . At 8am it was 7.9 . At 10am it was 3.9 ! And haven't even had breakfast yet . Think I need to reduce my basal in the morning and see how that goes

 

[laffinjake_]

Just done a ketostix and its +++ (8mmol/L) . My BS is 11 . I'm a bit worried now, should I be ??!

 

[robert72]

Just done a ketostix and its +++ (8mmol/L) . My BS is 11 . I'm a bit worried now, should I be ??!

hi @laffinjake_ Ketostix are not very accurate and depend a lot on how hydrated you are. Do you have a BG meter that can test for ketones in blood? If I have ever tested 8 with Ketostix, it has always been considerably less when checking blood ketones. It would be worth drinking plenty of water and checking often. Bringing you sugar levels down to normal would help too as insulin clears ketones.

 

[laffinjake_]

Hi
They have come down a bit now, drank loads of water and done correction dose. I think I may have reduced my basal too much this morning . I don't have a blood ketone meter , I was going to ask my nurse next week about getting one . I read that if your BS is over 15 for a long time then that is a concern so I should be ok

 

[Kristin251]

I am vlc ( less than 20 per day) but I am on MDI I do bolus for half my protein. So if I eat 3 oz ( roughly 20 g) I bolus as if it were 10 g of carbs.
Some people don't need to bolus for protein but the lower the carbs you are the more likely you might have to. This is what Dr Bernstein recommends and I find it mostly accurate. Just something to consider.

 

[Heathero]

I have tried hard to cut our carbs but feel so hungry eating lot of Almonds but do love potatoes and bread. What do people replace filler food with?

 

[robert72]

I have tried hard to cut our carbs but feel so hungry eating lot of Almonds but do love potatoes and bread. What do people replace filler food with?

I double up on vegetables. Also, it seems unintuitive, but increasing fat will help you feel fuller. Probably best not to do that too quickly if you're not used to it

 

[Snapsy]

Also, it seems unintuitive, but increasing fat will help you feel fuller. Probably best not to do that too quickly if you're not used to it

What I'm about to say sounds gross, but bear with me - when I cook sausages I collect the fat and pop it into the fridge. I have been known to eat a heaped teaspoonful of the dripping before heading out for a run.... it fills me up and I'm not hungry for a couple of hours. This fat-eating sounds so mad, and a year ago I wouldn't even have considered it - as @robert72 says, it's counter intuitive - but oh boy it works for me.

Sorry if I've grossed you out. Oh, and there's some goosefat in a jar in the fridge for when there isn't any sausage dripping......



PS My BMI is 20-ish and my weight is very stable. That too is the total opposite of my initial expectations of LCHF.

 

[Heathero]

Yes I have heard about use of fat I purchased some coconut fat due to cold reviews but find fatty foods make me nauseous. I tried quinoe and another grain but found still reasonably high in carbs.
Using omnipod type one since 2014.