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Keto the best way forward?

amcfad

amcfad

Member
Messages
23
Location
GLASGOW
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi folks, had blood tests initially to check for coeliac on instructions from a nutritionist while trying to settle my gut. This led to the Hba1c test which as of yesterday came back high. I now have a telephone consultation with my GP scheduled for Monday.

I'm thinking the best way forward is Keto, but realise I need to do more research and also wait to hear the GP's advice.

Thanks

Andy
 
amcfad said:
Hi folks, had blood tests initially to check for coeliac on instructions from a nutritionist while trying to settle my gut. This led to the Hba1c test which as of yesterday came back high. I now have a telephone consultation with my GP scheduled for Monday.

I'm thinking the best way forward is Keto, but realise I need to do more research and also wait to hear the GP's advice.

Thanks

Andy
Click to expand...
Keto and restricted eating windows are what helped me most to get blood sugars down at the start of my journey.
Will probably help with gut problems too.
 
bulkbiker said:
Keto and restricted eating windows are what helped me most to get blood sugars down at the start of my journey.
Will probably help with gut problems too.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, in my mind it seems to be the way I'm heading.
 
When do you get the coeliac test result back?

my experience is that keto and gluten free are very compatible ways of eating. Gluten is found in grains, so if you are cutting those out when you go keto, it is two birds, one stone...

the possible pitfall is that if you go gluten free and eat all the processed substitute foods (bread, crackers, pasta, etc.) that are sold as GF then they are very often higher in carbs than the original gluteny foods were.

good luck with it all. For me, cutting out gluten had just as good a benefit as going low carb did. :)
 
Welcome @amcfad
Thought it was worth mentioning that dr's seem reluctant to give out actual numbers when discussing results and use vague terms like, low, high, normal. What will they say for your next set of results, a bit higher, a little lower perhaps. At your phone consultation ask for the actual numbers and make a note of them or better still ask them to send a print out of your results.
Another vote for keto from me, I started by just cutting out a few carbs here and there. Then encouraged by the results I cut a few more, now I'm down to around 20gm of carbs a day.
 
Hi there, once you get the results back you will hopefully (eventually) find out whether you are diabetic and what type and then you can adapt your diet/lifestyle to whatever is best for you and any condition. Please keep us posted. x
 
Brunneria said:
When do you get the coeliac test result back?

my experience is that keto and gluten free are very compatible ways of eating. Gluten is found in grains, so if you are cutting those out when you go keto, it is two birds, one stone...

the possible pitfall is that if you go gluten free and eat all the processed substitute foods (bread, crackers, pasta, etc.) that are sold as GF then they are very often higher in carbs than the original gluteny foods were.

good luck with it all. For me, cutting out gluten had just as good a benefit as going low carb did. :)
Click to expand...

Hi Brunneria, I'm not sure whether the coeliac came back clear as all conversations since have been regarding diabetes, i will find out tomorrow and update. But your post makes a lot of sense to me, as it's going to be a considerable change in diet I might as well go all in.
 
catinahat said:
Welcome @amcfad
Thought it was worth mentioning that dr's seem reluctant to give out actual numbers when discussing results and use vague terms like, low, high, normal. What will they say for your next set of results, a bit higher, a little lower perhaps. At your phone consultation ask for the actual numbers and make a note of them or better still ask them to send a print out of your results.
Another vote for keto from me, I started by just cutting out a few carbs here and there. Then encouraged by the results I cut a few more, now I'm down to around 20gm of carbs a day.
Click to expand...


Thanks for this, I wouldn't have even thought of asking for numbers, I've been toying with the idea of keto for quite a few years. It does seem to have many benefits.
 
amcfad said:
Hi Brunneria, I'm not sure whether the coeliac came back clear as all conversations since have been regarding diabetes, i will find out tomorrow and update. But your post makes a lot of sense to me, as it's going to be a considerable change in diet I might as well go all in.
Click to expand...

i have never been tested for coeliac or non-coeliac gluten intolerance, but I have one or the other.

having done my own 3 month gluten elimination, several things improved dramatically; psoriasis, joint pain, major gut issues and much more stable blood glucose are just some of them.

I’ll not be going back! :D
 
amcfad said:
Hi Brunneria, I'm not sure whether the coeliac came back clear as all conversations since have been regarding diabetes, i will find out tomorrow and update. But your post makes a lot of sense to me, as it's going to be a considerable change in diet I might as well go all in.
Click to expand...

Your Coeliac test tests for antibodies, as per the snip below. The numbers in the right hand column are the lab's assay range for non-coeliac. In all cases with tests, it is worthwhile knowing your own actual numbers. Sometimes it's good to know how close you might be to a diagnostic threshold.

Coelic Screen.JPG

If you don't have antibodies it doesn't totally rule out coeliac disease. Only a colonoscopy can do that, so if being symptomatic was the reason for the tests being run, you may or may not be offered a colonoscopy.

If you are going to have a colonoscopy it is important not to change your diet radically beforehand, as that can impact any test results.

I have been gluten-free for a couple of years now. However, it is important you understand that being keto does not necessarily mean you are eating a gluten-free diet. Gluten finds its way into some very sneaky things like soy sauce and cola drinks, so if that is where you need to go it can be a steep learning curve.

Good luck with your diagnosis.

Edited to add the image. Obviously having a bad case of air brain today.
 
Last edited:
Brunneria said:
i have never been tested for coeliac or non-coeliac gluten intolerance, but I have one or the other.

having done my own 3 month gluten elimination, several things improved dramatically; psoriasis, joint pain, major gut issues and much more stable blood glucose are just some of them.

I’ll not be going back! :D
Click to expand...

Now this has grabbed my attention, i have had psoriasis for the last 20 years, looks like this could be helpful for more than diabetes.

The blood results came back type 2 with a count of 71, coeliac test and inflammation came back negative. So I'm going to get everything in place to start keto.
 
DCUKMod said:
Your Coeliac test tests for antibodies, as per the snip below. The numbers in the right hand column are the lab's assay range for non-coeliac. In all cases with tests, it is worthwhile knowing your own actual numbers. Sometimes it's good to know how close you might be to a diagnostic threshold.

View attachment 42631

If you don't have antibodies it doesn't totally rule out coeliac disease. Only a colonoscopy can do that, so if being symptomatic was the reason for the tests being run, you may or may not be offered a colonoscopy.

If you are going to have a colonoscopy it is important not to change your diet radically beforehand, as that can impact any test results.

I have been gluten-free for a couple of years now. However, it is important you understand that being keto does not necessarily mean you are eating a gluten-free diet. Gluten finds its way into some very sneaky things like soy sauce and cola drinks, so if that is where you need to go it can be a steep learning curve.

Good luck with your diagnosis.

Edited to add the image. Obviously having a bad case of air brain today.
Click to expand...


Thanks for this, there is a fair bit to learn at the moment, since it is now confirmed I'm type 2 I'm going to get everything required for starting keto and work my way into it.
 
amcfad said:
Now this has grabbed my attention, i have had psoriasis for the last 20 years, looks like this could be helpful for more than diabetes.

The blood results came back type 2 with a count of 71, coeliac test and inflammation came back negative. So I'm going to get everything in place to start keto.
Click to expand...

this was the video that started me on a two week gluten exclusion diet.
6 weeks later, I was utterly convinced, but tested it by trying some bread for a few days - and it all came back like a ton of bricks.
Haven’t strayed on purpose since. :D
No need to have an official test. I would need to eat gluten for weeks, and be utterly miserable for weeks.
Why bother when I know the outcome?
 
Keto is a good baseline dietary protocol, where if required elimination of different foods may settle your gut issue. I believe a good Keto diet is animal wholefoods based.
 
amcfad said:
Thanks for this, there is a fair bit to learn at the moment, since it is now confirmed I'm type 2 I'm going to get everything required for starting keto and work my way into it.
Click to expand...
https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html is a bit of a quick-start guide, because there's so much information out there it tends to get a little overwhelming and you might want to get stuck in asap. Keto'll certainly help getting your blood sugars down and yeah... Carbs are inflammatory, so cutting them out will in all likelihood make a difference in all manner of things. Look at it this way: It can only get better from here on in!
Jo
 
You have all been amazing, now I have all sorts of questions being a type 2 newbie so it looks like I will venture out of this first post into the main forum.

Thank you
 
Hi all.i'm hoping that one (or more even) of the kind people who replied to me when I first joined would be able to help. After much to-ing and fro-ing, with my nutritionist and nurse, the nutritionist has been kicked into touch with her low calorie 100g carbs a day diet.
The nurse has been excellent, she can only say so much, but has been leading me to keto and no meds, citing the current official recommendation for treating Type2 as old thinking. Way to go nursey !

Anyway here is my new dilemma, I have been searching and reading as much as I can about keto and have started pretty well I would say keeping between 20-30g of carbs on most days, but had a couple of slips (**** you naan bread).

Now here is the thing, the more I read the more confused I'm getting as there seem' to be different types of keto and I've been ready to join up to sites that promise a month of keto recipes etc. But then I see people disagreeing about dirty keto, clean keto etc. I even seen some guy on social media declare that he does not want "butter chuggers"? to join his group.

Is there a defined way that will help me most ? @Brunneria mentioned she had psoriasis at one point, as I have, and also a gluten-free way to go which seems to be the most sensible way for me I think.

Is there a specific type of keto I should be searching for that will encompass that? Any help will be gratefully received.

Andy
 
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