Which diet?

[Sixpence]

Hello everyone, once am again I'm at my wits end trying to manage my T2 diabetes by diet.

In 2017 I LCHF on around 50g carb a day. I lost almost 2 stones of weight and my HbA1c came back down to normal levels - success!!! However I felt dreadful on it. My hair fell out, I had no energy, brain fog was constant and the constipation awful As my fasting BG was creeping up I started eating more carb on a dietician's advice. Almost two years later I've put on 12 pounds and my fasting BG is in prediabetic levels

My problem is simple. I feel **** on 50g carb a day and function much better on 100 - 150g but I'm putting on weight There's a huge amount of help and information out there but a lot of it seems contradictory. Count calories and watch fat intake. Don't count calories and eat fat instead of carbs but if you're putting on weight cut back on nuts and dairy. If eating nuts and cheese makes me put on weight do I eat more meat/fish protein instead? That's supposed to be bad for the kidneys. Veggie proteins seem to come alongside carbs eg pulses. Eat fat with carbs to slow a sugar spike but eating fat causes insulin resistance! Who do I believe?

From what I've read it looks like there are two food camps. the first says eat protein and fat eg LCHF and the other says eat protein and carbs eg wholefood plantbased no oil. Is it just protein + fat + carbs = bad for blood sugar?

I know it's a process of finding what works for me, but I'm sick and tired of waking up wondering which diet should I try today. How did you all find the diet that suits you best?

I know other diabetics have a much worse time than me but I'm doing my best to stay healthy here.

Sorry for the moan but thanks for your help,
Sixpence

 

[bulkbiker]

In 2017 I LCHF on around 50g carb a day. I lost almost 2 stones of weight and my HbA1c came back down to normal levels - success!!!

Maybe you need to try cutting carbs a bit more? Sounds like you were teetering on the edge of getting the full benefits of a keto diet but were not quite there.. extended keto flu because you were topping up the carbs every day?
Do you have a favourite almost zero carb food type? Maybe try that for a week and see how you get on?

 

[Guzzler]

Protein will do absolutely no harm to the kidneys. Some people need to go higher protein to fat and some people do better on higher fat to protein. Sorry, that's not much help but it is a case of trial and error. Good Luck.

 

[jpscloud]

I am going to keep trying to go keto, but I'm a serial lapser and binge eater, so I keep undoing a lot of the good a better diet would do for me.

I'm not sure if you've thought about fasting but I found that helps to slow or even reverse weight gain. It also seems to have a longer term effect for me of better general health.

If you're interested there are some great posts on here from successful fasters, and for a really good book you can have a look at I'd highly reccommend The Complete Guide To Fasting co-authored by Jason Fung (his other books were also life-changing for me - The Obesity Code is one I'd most highly reccommend if weight loss is important to you).

 

[Sixpence]

Maybe you need to try cutting carbs a bit more? Sounds like you were teetering on the edge of getting the full benefits of a keto diet but were not quite there.. extended keto flu because you were topping up the carbs every day?
Do you have a favourite almost zero carb food type? Maybe try that for a week and see how you get on?

Hi @bulkbiker, thanks for your reply. You could be right about the extended keto flu because I never felt I was getting the benefits from LCHF that other people reported. I eat meat, fish, poultry, nuts and dairy but I get bored with it. I know if boredom is the worst of my problems I should be grateful! But that's when I start craving carbs for variety. Perhaps I just need to try keto and aim for more variety in the low-carb veg I eat. Sort of a Mediterranean diet minus the carbs?

 

[Sixpence]

Protein will do absolutely no harm to the kidneys. Some people need to go higher protein to fat and some people do better on higher fat to protein. Sorry, that's not much help but it is a case of trial and error. Good Luck.

Hi @Guzzler, thanks for your reply. I suspect I do better on higher protein and lower fat. Perhaps I need to snack less on cheese and nuts and keep chicken thighs etc in the fridge for snacks instead.

 

[Sixpence]

I am going to keep trying to go keto, but I'm a serial lapser and binge eater, so I keep undoing a lot of the good a better diet would do for me.

I'm not sure if you've thought about fasting but I found that helps to slow or even reverse weight gain. It also seems to have a longer term effect for me of better general health.

If you're interested there are some great posts on here from successful fasters, and for a really good book you can have a look at I'd highly reccommend The Complete Guide To Fasting co-authored by Jason Fung (his other books were also life-changing for me - The Obesity Code is one I'd most highly reccommend if weight loss is important to you).

Hi @jpscloud, thanks for your reply. I used to try to limit my eating to a 16:8 pattern, not eating before 12.00 and eating dinner before 20.00 I don't know if it helped me or not because I was trying to LCHF at the same time. I still stick to this pattern pretty much because I'm not really hungry in the mornings and I have dinner around 19.30 If I leave my lunch too late though I'm just hungry all afternoon no matter what I eat. I've never done an extended fast, perhaps I should try it.

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi @bulkbiker, thanks for your reply. You could be right about the extended keto flu because I never felt I was getting the benefits from LCHF that other people reported. I eat meat, fish, poultry, nuts and dairy but I get bored with it. I know if boredom is the worst of my problems I should be grateful! But that's when I start craving carbs for variety. Perhaps I just need to try keto and aim for more variety in the low-carb veg I eat. Sort of a Mediterranean diet minus the carbs?

Could be.. maybe even try ultra low carb for a month then see what happens when you re-introduce a few more?
Green veg are pretty ok if you like that sort of thing so have those but watch the nuts.. easy to overindulge on the carb front.

 

[angustia]

Hi @bulkbiker, I eat meat, fish, poultry, nuts and dairy but I get bored with it. I know if boredom is the worst of my problems I should be grateful! But that's when I start craving carbs for variety. Perhaps I just need to try keto and aim for more variety in the low-carb veg I eat. Sort of a Mediterranean diet minus the carbs?

Do you eat your meat and fish just plain? Mediterranean would be good.
Try to find the limit of how much carbs you can take without gaining weight.
Do you exercise?

 

[jpscloud]

Hi @jpscloud, thanks for your reply. I used to try to limit my eating to a 16:8 pattern, not eating before 12.00 and eating dinner before 20.00 I don't know if it helped me or not because I was trying to LCHF at the same time. I still stick to this pattern pretty much because I'm not really hungry in the mornings and I have dinner around 19.30 If I leave my lunch too late though I'm just hungry all afternoon no matter what I eat. I've never done an extended fast, perhaps I should try it.

Yes I think an extended fast every so often would be a good thing to try if intermittent fasting doesn't work or is not suiting you.

There is the big disclaimer that you need to be careful on medication, if you take it. Best to consult a dr if you are on anything that can cause hypos, or any BP meds, for example.

By the way, I don't believe dietary fat causes insulin resistance --the opposite is true, fat creates the least insulin response of any food.

 

[Guzzler]

Hi @Guzzler, thanks for your reply. I suspect I do better on higher protein and lower fat. Perhaps I need to snack less on cheese and nuts and keep chicken thighs etc in the fridge for snacks instead.

You can only try. The tweaking phase is sometimes the hardest bit to get right. Eggs are a great idea, full of protein, quick and easy as a meal or a snack.

 

[DCUKMod]

@Sixpence - I see the other have talked a bit about diet, but have you had your thyroid checked out? The symptoms you list completely describe some of the most common symptoms of someone whose thyroid is struggling.

If you haven't had that tested, I'd suggest it could be a decent idea to tick that box as well as have a look at your way of eating.

 

[Sixpence]

Thanks everyone for your replies, your wisdom and experience, and your support. I'm thinking @bulkbiker could be right in that I've just not gone low enough on my carb intake and have had a long period of keto flu as a result. I'm going to try eating a wider range of foods to stop boredom creeping in and aim for 20g carb a day. Perhaps once I've lost the extra weight again I can gradually raise my carbs until I stop losing weight.

Cheers,
Sixpence

 

[Resurgam]

You just described the concept of the Atkins diet - which is where I started from, though I had worked out low carb for myself with a bit of a nudge from a fellow working on weightloss options for very overweight people. Dr Howard's regime became the Cambridge diet.
If you find your food boring try adding herbs or spices -try a curry sauce using your favourite spice mix - though I always advise trying garam masala if you have not used it before, and serve it over cauliflower rather than rice. Add a sprinkle of a herb in the bottom of your salad bowl and add a little oil then leave it for perhaps an hour before actually making it. Have both green leafy salads and red ones, beetroot, red sweet pepper, radish - just for a change.
I knew from years of low carbing that I needed to eat below 50gm of carbs a day to lower weight and it proved to be the same way of eating I needed to get down to normal blood glucose levels.

 

[Sixpence]

You just described the concept of the Atkins diet - which is where I started from, though I had worked out low carb for myself with a bit of a nudge from a fellow working on weightloss options for very overweight people. Dr Howard's regime became the Cambridge diet.
If you find your food boring try adding herbs or spices -try a curry sauce using your favourite spice mix - though I always advise trying garam masala if you have not used it before, and serve it over cauliflower rather than rice. Add a sprinkle of a herb in the bottom of your salad bowl and add a little oil then leave it for perhaps an hour before actually making it. Have both green leafy salads and red ones, beetroot, red sweet pepper, radish - just for a change.
I knew from years of low carbing that I needed to eat below 50gm of carbs a day to lower weight and it proved to be the same way of eating I needed to get down to normal blood glucose levels.

Thanks @Resurgam for your reply. I think I got stuck in the routine of having eggs/tuna/cheese at lunchtime, nuts and cheese in the afternoon for snacks and then meat/ fish/ poultry + bagged salad for dinner. Everyday felt the same. I definitely need more variety in my diet.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi Sixpence,
I'm dong well on LCHF (20 to 50gms of carbs per day), so into keto and occasionally out again for short periods.

I increased my Salt intake to help avoid the dreaded 'Keto flu'. I'm currently using a lower Sodium salt replacement which is 66% Potassium Chloride and 34% Sodium Chloride because when we cut back hard on carbs we lose fluid and electrolytes along with that fluid. I have not needed to supplement for the loss of Magnesium, but do so for the loss of Sodium and Potassium (I used to eat Bananas for potassium but they are so high carb - so off limits to me now).

It is always tricky finding a good balance of food which is right for you. Nobody else can tell us what will work best since we are all unique in our tastes, health, metabolism , gut biome etc.

I hope you can persevere in looking until you find something that works well for you.

 

[Resurgam]

Thanks @Resurgam for your reply. I think I got stuck in the routine of having eggs/tuna/cheese at lunchtime, nuts and cheese in the afternoon for snacks and then meat/ fish/ poultry + bagged salad for dinner. Everyday felt the same. I definitely need more variety in my diet.

Oh - absolutely - I used to have two shopping lists and used them alternately to add in variety - even these days I tend to buy either tomatoes or mushrooms rarely both at the same time. It is surprising how small things can help with large changes.

 

[Listlad]

Hi @bulkbiker, thanks for your reply. You could be right about the extended keto flu because I never felt I was getting the benefits from LCHF that other people reported. I eat meat, fish, poultry, nuts and dairy but I get bored with it. I know if boredom is the worst of my problems I should be grateful! But that's when I start craving carbs for variety. Perhaps I just need to try keto and aim for more variety in the low-carb veg I eat. Sort of a Mediterranean diet minus the carbs?

Boredom. That’s one (of several) reason why I don’t go rock bottom zero carb, because having some carbs in the mix gives me a bit more wriggle room and reduces the chances of boredom.