15.9 reading. Very worried and have lots of questions.

Faar23

Member
Messages
12
keto is great but for some people it’s just too much, too soon. Everything to lower carbs though is beneficial even if you take it step by step. Though for me personally I struggle with “just a little bit” and find all or nothing easier.

you don’t have to buy almond flour or any of the other “replacements”. They can be useful to keep you on track but really it’s about changing how you view what is normal to eat. You don’t have to have a “bread” on your plate. It might be more meat or veg for example. Or using cauliflower rice instead of the real thing. That all said almond and coconut flours are more expensive but you also use less by weight per recipe than normal flour. Online retails can be useful for bulk buying at better prices. ( ie use the real food source and amazon a lot) Again you don’t have to fill up on cheese or any one item unless you want to. Your dad is lucky. My numbers would be way too high on that diet. But we are all individual and that’s why we test to see what works for us. Again what are ok numbers in your book?

You mention oil for cooking . Processed seed and vegetable oils are terrible. Stick with natural fats. Ghee is great, butter, meat fats, olive oil Etc.

What is your husband’s attitude to these changes? It’s all very well him being put on this way of eating by you but he has to stay with it. It has to be sustainable and life long not a fad diet. All the problems will return if he goes back to eating the current way. If you have a history of diabetes in your family it is worth considering if it is beneficial for you to at least partly follow a lower carb way of eating as a preventative measure and for simplicity in the kitchen. My families carbs are on the side” a lot of the time, whereas not required or even missed anymore on my plate.

I am definitely going to start using another oil that's the first step I think. Yes keto does scare us both but I have asked him to at least try some of the things to try to go...lower carb then now and he has agreed to it. So hopefully he will like some of the things and then we can switch over to it completely in the next few months.

For now he wants to control his portion size. He is measuring the rice and stuff eats and really trying to reduce his portion size and calorie intake.

Also I was telling him about this thread and how people said that he shouldn't have any fruits except for berries and he mentioned that a while back (before corona virus) he met with a diabetic nurse in a group and she said that you can eat any fruit so long as it fits in the palm of your hand??? But people here have said to completely avoid everything except berries. So...what is right?

His attitude is that he really wants to lose weight and reduce carbs but is afraid of jumping into keto so we are going to gradually introduce keto dishes and see if he can eat them no problem while reducing portion size and lowering carb intake and eating salad.
 

Faar23

Member
Messages
12
Hi. The advice to reduce the carbs is the most important thing for your husband but it will be difficult to change the typical diet of his culture; he can only try. I would ask for the Metformin to be increased. The max is usually 2000mg/day which I was on for many years. It doesn't do a lot but is worth having. There are one or two other meds that may be possible but best to do the diet first. BTW a blood sugar finger prick test below 20 is not good but not dangerous in the short-term. If it goes regularly into the 20s then that isn't good and needs further GP help.

Yes I was telling him last night when it shot up that perhaps hsi medication needs to be changed but with the corona situation GP's are not seeing anyone unless emergency. Thankfully it has not shot up in the 20's. Last night was the max of 15.9
 

Faar23

Member
Messages
12
Disclaimer as I haven’t watched it but thought it might be relevant. Dr Malholtra is usually on point so sharing hoping he is this time too - he’s talking about the problems with the Indian diet.


Thanks for sharing, I will watch it tonight.
 

Faar23

Member
Messages
12
He doesn't need a calorie deficit. That's one of the reasons why you up the fats. With calorie deficiency he'd probably end up malnourished and hungry all the time. He doesn't have to eat less far as portion sizes go, just ditch the carbs. No toast, just an extra egg or something?

But then he wouldn't lose any weight though.
 

Hotpepper20000

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,065
For now he wants to control his portion size. He is measuring the rice and stuff eats and really trying to reduce his portion size and calorie intake.
Low carb is not about portion control or calorie deficits.
Low carb and low calorie in my opinion is not setting him up for success.
As I continued with low carb and at time Keto I found that I ate less often but my calorie intake stayed about the same. The only time I’m hungry now is close to meal time. No snacking is needed. I have a very active job and am very active when I’m not working as well.
I lost 60 pounds without going. hungry. Or going to the gym.
Perhaps your husband could join the forum too and read the success thread.
 

Faar23

Member
Messages
12
I lost 40lbs and went from incredibly high-cholesterol to normal cholesterol, and from diabetic blood levels to non-diabetic.
Later, I got lazy and started eating starch again- my weight, blood and cholesterol issues came back, albeit in a less severe way.

Did you diabetes also come back?
 

Faar23

Member
Messages
12
Low carb is not about portion control or calorie deficits.
Low carb and low calorie in my opinion is not setting him up for success.
As I continued with low carb and at time Keto I found that I ate less often but my calorie intake stayed about the same. The only time I’m hungry now is close to meal time. No snacking is needed. I have a very active job and am very active when I’m not working as well.
I lost 60 pounds without going. hungry. Or going to the gym.
Perhaps your husband could join the forum too and read the success thread.

Okay, so he can have the same amount of calories and still lose weight?
 

Geordie_P

Well-Known Member
Messages
849
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Okay...so you have pretty much taken out everything from our diet. He does not eat desserts etc. very rarely and in small quantity if he ever does. Also we don't drink fruit juices and such. Um I will do more research and see what can we eat. Is brown rice or bread or flour better or would the effect be the same?

Also this morning as a test I gave him a cheese omelette with tea but with only a little bit of milk and 1 piece of wholewheat toast and it was all made in butter and 3 hours later when he checked his sugar it was 9! which is a huge improvement from yesterday but still within the high range. I was really encouraging him to not eat the toast but...Guess I will try again tomorrow with eggs and sausages and tea and see if its any better. Baby steps you know.

Another thing I forgot to mention was that he has psoriasis as well and he has had that for 5 years now I think. It's a skin condition. So he is on acetretin, would such a diet have an effect on his skin?

Lastly, speaking to him about this he was saying would his cholesterol level go high if he eats such a high fat diet?

I am definitely going to start using another oil that's the first step I think. Yes keto does scare us both but I have asked him to at least try some of the things to try to go...lower carb then now and he has agreed to it. So hopefully he will like some of the things and then we can switch over to it completely in the next few months.

For now he wants to control his portion size. He is measuring the rice and stuff eats and really trying to reduce his portion size and calorie intake.

Also I was telling him about this thread and how people said that he shouldn't have any fruits except for berries and he mentioned that a while back (before corona virus) he met with a diabetic nurse in a group and she said that you can eat any fruit so long as it fits in the palm of your hand??? But people here have said to completely avoid everything except berries. So...what is right?

His attitude is that he really wants to lose weight and reduce carbs but is afraid of jumping into keto so we are going to gradually introduce keto dishes and see if he can eat them no problem while reducing portion size and lowering carb intake and eating salad.
I think that sounds like a good plan. If you start reducing carbs, you will see improvements, and it will allow you to work out a practical diet for your needs. I always had a lot of bread for breakfast, but found that boiling eggs the night then putting them in the fridge let me have a quick, suitable breakfast I could eat before work As far as fruit goes, I would just say that it generally has a lot of fructose and glucose in it, so while a small amount might be ok, it probably isn't ideal. Remember the main rule- diabetics can't handle glucose: if it has glucose in it, or (like grains) will be broken down into glucose in the body, it's not really ideal.
 

Geordie_P

Well-Known Member
Messages
849
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Did you diabetes also come back?
Not in the same way: I originally had some eyesight issues and severe neuropathy caused by uncontrolled sugars and hyperlipidemia- I reversed all that and it didn't come back even when my weight did and my bloods rose. However, diabetes never really goes away, and if I eat a high starch meal, my blood sugar will usually go high. What you can do though, is keep to low starch meals, and keep your bloods at a good average, and you can consistently get non-diabetic readings.
 

HSSS

Expert
Messages
7,465
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
For now he wants to control his portion size. He is measuring the rice and stuff eats and really trying to reduce his portion size and calorie intake.
. No need to measure weigh etc if it is the right food. The problem is his body can’t process carbs properly. It can protein and fat. A calorie of carbs does him a lot of damage. A calorie of protein or fat doesn’t. So calories don’t need to be cut. Carbs do. Sadly you both need to forget the traditional idea of how to lose weight. It doesn’t work for type 2.

he met with a diabetic nurse in a group and she said that you can eat any fruit so long as it fits in the palm of your hand
She’s wrong. Her education was wrong. It has been shown more recently that fruit can both be high in carbs in terms of glucose that directly effects blood sugar levels and fructose which doesn’t show on the meter but that make the problem in the background (insulin resistance) worse.

GP's are not seeing anyone unless emergency
They are doing a lot of phone and online consultations so it’s not emergencies only.

But then he wouldn't lose any weight though.
He will. I, and many others, lost weight whilst eating more food and more fats and more calories because our bodies can use and burn these fuels. The carbs fuel gets “stuck” and turns to body fat, triglycerides and high blood sugars whilst also leaving you hungry and tired.

so we are going to gradually introduce keto dishes and see if he can eat them no problem
Great idea.

There’s evidence of all I’ve said above so it’s not just my opinion. Let us know if that would help to show you.

definitely go to the link in the first post I sent you that talks about success stories.

edit. This one https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/success-stories-and-testimonials.43/
 

ziggy_w

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,019
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks for replying. I actually am following headbangerskitchen on instagram and so did look into that. I was also led to diet doctor yesterday and it seems nice too. Will keep looking around to see what works for him.

So I have a question, are you still taking any medication to control diabetes or are you off it now? Because you mentioned your levels got to the normal range.

Hi @Faar23,

Keeping my fingers crossed that you'll find some dishes which will work for you and your husband.

As to your question -- when I was first diagnosed, my GP put me on the maximum dosis of metformin, He also intimated that I would probably have to go on insulin with blood sugar levels as high as mine. After switching to low carb, blood sugars were normal after three months. After another three month and another HbA1c in the normal range, my GP halved the dosis of metformin and took me off this medication altogether after another six months.

Today, I have been off all medication for four years and still keep seeing normal blood sugars while being on low carb/keto. Plus there have been a number of other benefits such as lower blood pressure, weight loss and better cholesterol numbers.

Honestly, I don't think there is any reason to expect that your husband shouldn't be similarly successful if he changes his way of eating.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Okay, so he can have the same amount of calories and still lose weight?
Don't think Calories at all as they are irrelevant. Think Carbs and keeping them down. Have enough fats and proteins to keep you feeling full. The societal obsession with Calorie rather than Carb control is one of the causes of the high level of obesity. The body processes each food group in very different ways so measuring their calorie content is only relevant for energy output not input.
 

Mike d

Expert
Messages
7,997
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
idiots who will not learn
@Faar23 .... I believe I mentioned quite clearly the advice he needs (and you) is here, not with the likes of some ignorant nurse who thinks eating fruits is OK. Please bear that in mind. :)

The HBA1C is a blood work that he's had done (at least twice) so get the records from the doctor. There are NO shortcuts around this condition.
 
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Dark Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,840
Okay, so he can have the same amount of calories and still lose weight?
No. It's not normally necessary to count calories on a low carb diet but because it is generally very satiating, people inadvertently reduce their calorie intake.
 

resander

Well-Known Member
Messages
122
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
For those wishing to reduce insulin resistance (The problem behind type 2) adding the snacks to the meals and not grazing would be even better. Allows the insulin to fall between meals better.
Thanks, good point about insulin resistance - had forgotten about that and snacking...

I am having the Snacks to increase fat intake for keto and gain a bit of weight. Will reach target 71kg next week. Cream Coffee with 3 tbs (45ml) double cream has around 0.8g carb which is very low. I don't know to what extent it will affect insulin resistance.