Weight loss v BG reduction on LCHF

[HR-Guy]

This thread seems to have turned into low fbg boasting. It must be very discouraging for people who have made a big effort to control their BG to suggest they have somehow failed if they have not got their fbg down to 4's or 5's. As for fasting, getting low BG by not eating is hardly surprising.

I think this is great, please keep it real. I joined to better myself and to help out others along the way. I love the ideas that are shared and reading about the "why" behind the numbers. If you can achieve 4-5's on an average that means I can as well.

 

[Mr_Pot]

If you can achieve 4-5's on an average that means I can as well.

Not necessarily, that was my point. We are all doing the best we can, with different conditions and circumstances. For some people a target FBG of 4-5 may not be achievable and possibly not even desirable. I am impressed by those who have got down to that level but I am sure there are those with a FBG of say 7-8 for whom it has been an even more difficult task and greater achievement.

 

[rab5]

I think this is great, please keep it real. I joined to better myself and to help out others along the way. I love the ideas that are shared and reading about the "why" behind the numbers. If you can achieve 4-5's on an average that means I can as well.

I think you have the right attitude. I came on here and read what people were doing. I thought I will have some of that. Trying is the key.

 

[smw99]

What is the pressure to get 5s @PenguinMum? 6s and 7s are healthy bgs.

I was only getting 4s and 5s on insulin therapy.
Only fasting gets 4s and 5s for we type2s. They don't last thou as we cannot constantly fast.... or shouldn't.

Is there any reason why you need 4s and 5s?

4s and 5s are healthy normal levels and that is what lots of us are aiming for. I achieve that with LCHF and the concessional missed meal.

 

[smw99]

No one on here gets steady 4s and 5s unless fasting or on insulin injections. Otherwise it's one offs. No consistency.
They get 6s and 7s without fasting or insulin assistance.
Ask any fbg posters.

That isnt the case for everyone. I'm not on any medication and I aim for those levels as much as possible as I want to avoid any complications.
I'm certainly not boasting and I agree everyone is different but you can't say no one gets these levels as they do.

 

[ickihun]

That isnt the case for everyone. I'm not on any medication and I aim for those levels as much as possible as I want to avoid any complications.
I'm certainly not boasting and I agree everyone is different but you can't say no one gets these levels as they do.

I'm delighted to be told this. Very reassuring.
Maybe after bariatric surgery I could find out for myself how easy no meds and 4s and 5s are. Without fasting or lowering aids.
My team won't be looking for 4s and 5s to deem bariatric surgery a diabetic remission. 5s and 6s yes.

Like everything we all have our own necessary levels, medically.
Pleasure or a challenging hobby is something completely different.

I cannot afford to become obsessive about my health. Never again.
Health anxiety is at its peak for me to obsess about 4s when I'm naturally in 20s and 30s.
Do all type2s raise to 30s when not managing their diabetes? I've always thought a diagnosed hba1c states how severe a person's diabetes is. So before treatment or low carb diet. E.g Whether Prediabetes or type2 levels.
I'm delighted with my active management improving from my hba1c of 117 to 48. Stressing myself to get 4s didn't feature in that improvement.
I wouldn't wish anyone additional stress of this target which would counteract 4s anyway.
I don't know any professional who would.

 

[rab5]

I dont get stressed by trying for the lowest Bgs I can get. I am impressed with those people who do strive each and every day for the lowest bg levels they can get. wether that is 3-4s or 6-7s...

 

[derry60]

I tried 3 months of 16/8 but it increased my HbA1c so I'm not doing that any more! I try to eat breakfast when I get up, I snack at 11am, have lunch at 1pm then dinner around 6 or 6:30. I don't anything after dinner. I may have an afternoon snack depending on how active I'm being.

I was just having one meal a day for quite some time as I was never hungry, but what came with it was my hair was starting to get thinner. I would eat around 7 pm then have nothing until 7 pm the next evening. My nails were suffering also and getting very dry skin. Turns out I was not eating enough. When you only have one meal a day you must lack nutrition and going for days on end without eating to me cannot be a good thing. I also stalled with my weight loss which can happen when people only eat one meal a day. I was having one meal a day and two months I had not lost any more weight. I have been adviced to have two meals a day then the weight loss should start to happen again,and hopefully my hair should get thicker.

 

[Debandez]

No one on here gets steady 4s and 5s unless fasting or on insulin injections. Otherwise it's one offs. No consistency.
They get 6s and 7s without fasting or insulin assistance.
Ask any fbg posters.

I don't fast but regularly get 4s and 5s and even the odd 3 lately.

 

[Jez87]

I tried 3 months of 16/8 but it increased my HbA1c so I'm not doing that any more! I try to eat breakfast when I get up, I snack at 11am, have lunch at 1pm then dinner around 6 or 6:30. I don't anything after dinner. I may have an afternoon snack depending on how active I'm being.

If your hba1c went up it means average glucose went up so what you are eating may be at question . Condensing your eating window shouldn't increase your hba1c?

 

[moleman]

Some of my painkillers raise my bg. Sometimes it is a matter of compromise. Do I lower the dosage of painkillers to lower my bg (especially my fbg) or live with a higher pain level which would likely raise my bg anyway. I choose my slightly raised bg over a higher level of pain.

As to maintaining weight, I am just now trying to add more protein to my diet to see if that helps to stop my weight loss. It is too early to tell yet. As protein provokes much less of an insulin response this shouldn't show too high a rise in bg.
As we age (especially after menopause) our body's ability to metabolise protein diminishes so we need a little extra anyway.

Hi Guzzler,
Can you please tell me what pain killers for arthritis raise bg levels?
I too have arthritis (osteoarthritis) abd take lots of paracetamols and the odd tramadol.
Cheers
Neil

 

[Guzzler]

Hi Guzzler,
Can you please tell me what pain killers for arthritis raise bg levels?
I too have arthritis (osteoarthritis) abd take lots of paracetamols and the odd tramadol.
Cheers
Neil

The easiest way I have found to see if a drug raises blood glucose levels is to put the name of the drug followed by the word hyperglycamia into Google. Please remember that a drug that raises one person's bg may not raise another person's levels even if they are both on the same dosage. Good luck.

 

[PenguinMum]

Hi Guzzler,
Can you please tell me what pain killers for arthritis raise bg levels?
I too have arthritis (osteoarthritis) abd take lots of paracetamols and the odd tramadol.
Cheers
Neil

Hi Neil
I suffer from episodes of gout and being tested for osteoarthritis. I take Naproxen when I am bad and they defo have a big affect on my BG. They contain undisclosed amounts of maize starch, other starch and lactose. There is a warning on the leaflet about talking to your doctor if you have intolerance to sugars! When I put them in my mouth its like tasting a sugar lump. I would say they push me up by at least 1 mmol BUT they help with the pain better than over the counter stuff.

 

[Guzzler]

Hi Neil
I suffer from episodes of gout and being tested for osteoarthritis. I take Naproxen when I am bad and they defo have a big affect on my BG. They contain undisclosed amounts of maize starch, other starch and lactose. There is a warning on the leaflet about talking to your doctor if you have intolerance to sugars! When I put them in my mouth its like tasting a sugar lump. I would say they push me up by at least 1 mmol BUT they help with the pain better than over the counter stuff.

Naproxen raises my levels, too. I am about to tinker (again) with the dosage to see if I can lower it slightly. The first time I tried to lower the dosage saw an almost immediate rise in pain levels but as my bg management has improved I am hoping to succeed this time. Fingers crossed.

 

[PenguinMum]

I would just like to clarify that as OP I am not worrying or stressing or obsessing about getting 4s or 5s at all. I couldnt be happier about the improvements I have made so far. After several months of careful eating it would just be nice to see more 5s. I just am competitive and want to be the best I can and well inside the safety net. I am thinking of reducing carbs to not more than 30g a day which I am not far off most days. If I can do that without going hungry great. If someone else is content to stay at 6/7s or whatever level they are at and content you wont get any criticism from me because not relevant to me. Great to share experiences and tips but then its each to their own.

 

[PenguinMum]

Naproxen raises my levels, too. I am about to tinker (again) with the dosage to see if I can lower it slightly. The first time I tried to lower the dosage saw an almost immediate rise in pain levels but as my bg management has improved I am hoping to succeed this time. Fingers crossed.

Its tricky if you need them constantly but they are a great painkiller. Hope you fond a happier medium Guzzler. Being in pain doesnt help BG either and makes me ratty!

 

[Guzzler]

Its tricky if you need them constantly but they are a great painkiller. Hope you fond a happier medium Guzzler. Being in pain doesnt help BG either and makes me ratty!

Constant maximum dose for me (not for gout) but if I can eventually give them up it means I won't have to take the Lanzoprazole to protect the stomach lining which means three less pills to take.

 

[moleman]

Constant maximum dose for me (not for gout) but if I can eventually give them up it means I won't have to take the Lanzoprazole to protect the stomach lining which means three less pills to take.

I take Allopurinol for gout, (am), Betahistine for meniéres disease (am and pm) Lansoprasole for digestive probs, am( miracle pills for me, allow me to drink beer or whisky without sickness) and Atorvastatin for hi cholesterol. Now Gliclazide with breakfast for diabetes.
Sounds like I'm competing in a "I take more than you" competition, but I'm not, honestly! I test my bloods about once or twice a week - - if I remember, or if I feel unwell.
My levels fluctuate between 5.8mm and 10ish. Usually 7ish. I don't have much work on and have lots of other stuff going on. I never feel like I have much time to worry about my condition. Am I not taking it seriously enough?
My knees are shot from Plumbing(osteoarthritis) and my cataract in my left eye is getting worse and needs doing. I swallow around 4-6 paracetamols and 1-2 tramadol a day. I should rattle now. Haven't time for anymore ailments!

 

[rab5]

I would just like to clarify that as OP I am not worrying or stressing or obsessing about getting 4s or 5s at all. I couldnt be happier about the improvements I have made so far. After several months of careful eating it would just be nice to see more 5s. I just am competitive and want to be the best I can and well inside the safety net. I am thinking of reducing carbs to not more than 30g a day which I am not far off most days. If I can do that without going hungry great. If someone else is content to stay at 6/7s or whatever level they are at and content you wont get any criticism from me because not relevant to me. Great to share experiences and tips but then its each to their own.

Have you tried a fast?

 

[rab5]

I was just having one meal a day for quite some time as I was never hungry, but what came with it was my hair was starting to get thinner. I would eat around 7 pm then have nothing until 7 pm the next evening. My nails were suffering also and getting very dry skin. Turns out I was not eating enough. When you only have one meal a day you must lack nutrition and going for days on end without eating to me cannot be a good thing. I also stalled with my weight loss which can happen when people only eat one meal a day. I was having one meal a day and two months I had not lost any more weight. I have been adviced to have two meals a day then the weight loss should start to happen again,and hopefully my hair should get thicker.

One meal a day does not even suggest you are not getting enough nutrition since it depends what you eat during that meal. If that one meal is of substandard nutritional value then the food or the OMAD is certainly not to blame. I think you should look at the actual nutritional value of each meal and make sure the bases are covered in relation to Fats, Protein and carbs...... I have found that I wont allow my body to get into a groove with eating the same way more than 4-5 days in a row. I change constantly and that seems to work for me. I do OMAD, FAsting and two meals a day. I always skip breakfast as Im never hungry in the mornings. Good luck and I hope you can sort the eating windows out that is advantageous to you. We are all different .