Low carb not working for Type 2?

[VashtiB]

I agree with @Brunneria - I consider that I am intolerant to carbs and that won't change. It is one of the reasons I still test regularly even though my levels are into the normal range. I do not want to get complacent. I consider it is non-negotiable - my son is about to get married- I will bring some food to the reception that I can eat as even for such an important occasion I won't compromise on what I can eat. I won't change my very low carb for the wedding or for Christmas or anything. I really do not want to take a step towards destruction either.

I agree it is not a diet- it is for the rest of my life. Whatever choice you make you must be able to maintain it. Even though low carb would not be my preference it is my reality. If I had a peanut allergy while I might like [eanuts I would know I Ould never have them that is my mindset with carbs. Occasionally and less so all the time I can look at something and wish I could eat it I don't focus on that. It is absolutely not an option in my brain.

 

[Andydragon]

I think we hear from ppl ‘not in remission’ all the time.
Personally I have never expected or even wished for remission.

as far as I am concerned claiming remission is likely to lead to complacency, and that is something I definitely want to avoid! How many times have we seen posters get everything under control with weight loss and low carb, then a year later they return having fallen off the wagon, gained weight and back on their old food habits?

it is human nature - diets rarely work, do they?

but I don’t see low carb as a diet. It’s a lifestyle, and one I need to keep up as long as I live.
If I looked on it as a step towards something I would be sowing the seeds of my own destruction.
Instead, I see it as a path I must stick on permanently. Mindset is everything.

By eating keto and gluten free I can eat an enjoyable range of foods and keep my blood glucose consistently below diabetic levels, and keep my reactive hypoglycaemia at bay (it is always lurking to strike if I let my guard down).
I’m happy with that, and I definitely don’t think ‘remission’ is an appropriate word for my situation.

That's really interesting as for me I have had diabetes since 2008 and I've never had til this year tried for remission. I just assumed it would progress over time and whilst the drugs worked it was just okay. I never had a particular concern about it which perhaps is a little odd given what happened to my father

But then I made changes and my last levels were great. Hopefully the test I have next week shows its continued now I am not on drugs. I could consider that on the path to remission and if I hit a year I will probably say as such but the word remission is key. It will always be with me, always ready to come back. Using that word for me helps against complacency so quite the opposite but that's sometimes why we talk for differing opinions and to learn. But also it's a marker that even for some of us well over a decade in can make those improvements, I hope that helps show it's never too late

To @Dr Snoddy this post is good in my opinion as sometimes it feels low carb/keto as a miracle cure. But then when for some it doesn't work how do we ensure they know they are not alone, not a failure and sometimes no matter what happens, support in other ways is needed? To be fair, Low carb even then could well have a place to keep it as controlled as possible. But I have seen some posters talk about drastic measures because lowering carbs hasn't had the impact they expect.

So we all should be aware, I know I've had a lot of success but it's not a competition, I don't want people seeing how lucky I am and trying to match that. I share my blood levels and my improvements to help in a way get the recognition for myself and for me to help keep on track. I celebrate everyone's success and for some it's a bit higher, others lower

 

[Goonergal]

For me it’s not about remission (whatever that might mean), but about health. For me the move to low carb (well keto and now carnivore) has been about health. First aim was reduce blood sugars. That happened fast and weight loss followed too.

But far more surprisingly (for me) and actually far more important in terms of quality of life, have been the wider health benefits - migraines gone, joint pain far less and overall well-being and energy levels mean that this is for life. It doesn’t feel like restriction at all.

It’s not a miracle cure and neither does it make anyone invincible, but boy does it improve your chances of health and recovery from any illness you do pick up. And if in the future meds are required, so be it. The period without them has already been quite significant.

 

[lucylocket61]

Oh and for your under 130g I had been doing that if not stricter for about 2 years and lowest I got was 53

130g is the very maximum for low carbing. Many of us can't reduce our blood sugar levels on that amount of carbs daily.

 

[lucylocket61]

I forgot to add that when I low carb I have more energy, my skin is better, my mood is much better, and so is my sleep. So for me blood sugar levels are not my sole consideration.

 

[Mbaker]

I lucked into seeing a chance of remission due to 3 things, the first was static cycling and seeing a drop from 8's to 4's, then being told on my diabetic course this was not possible without drugs. The second was the support of my phenomenal wife, who enabled somewhere near compliant meals (everyone should know how to put together some meals). The third pillar was a motivation to fight due to not being able to see my daughter properly across my living room.

Lot's of mistakes, not helped by poor Google searches, which were very depressing. When I saw that some were getting fbg's in the 4's, I was getting 5's despite pushing. Optimisation helped such as lowering oats (I remember to 30 g), then removing entirely along with less veg (I used to do roasted veg (carrots, leeks, toms etc for lunch). I then started heavier weight lifting. I am still optimising and understanding what works for my numbers. E.g. I tested this morning at 3.8 fbg.

The 3.8 was a result of:
(50 pushups, 30 minute walk with 4 x 100 karate blocks, 100 punches)
Brunch half a packet of Waitrose LEAP Sockeye Salmon (50 g), with Chaffles (Mid sized Goose egg, chicken egg, duck egg with around half a small matchbox size of black bomber cheese all whisked up).
Giant set: 5 x 4 bench presses, 5 x 20 leg extensions, 5 x 6 barbell squats, 5 x 10 bicep curls) - Including warm-up 15 minutes, (no rests during the workout)
Dinner: 2 Sirloin steaks, onions, mushrooms, cucumber, cherry toms, some green leafy stuff. Afters: 3 home made seed crackers with slivers of cheese, 5 pieces of 100% dark chocolate and 3 large strawberries
Repeat of the Giant set
Walk dog 1 - 25 minutes
Walk dog 2 - 20 minutes
I did a finisher for the first time in months last night
3 x 10 bicep curls (X3 Bar (very hard)
1 x 5 deadlifts (Heaviest band X3 Bar - very hard)
I have detailed this as it might help someone to pick and choose some elements. The important ones I think are meal selection, covering meals with a walk and resistance training. When I was in the 5's plateau I just kept trying different things. On days that I do not complete the above I hover around 4.4 - 4.7 fbg.
(Total walks 7 miles, total time resistance training 32 minutes)

 

[bulkbiker]

Personally I have never expected or even wished for remission.

Honest question though.. can you ever be in remission from RH?

Well in fact thats a silly question because of course you are,... but could it ever be "reversed" per se?

 

[Brunneria]

Honest question though.. can you ever be in remission from RH?

Well in fact thats a silly question because of course you are,... but could it ever be "reversed" per se?

As with diabetes, every person's experience of RH is different, so that question is unanswerable for both conditions.

 

[CherryLaf]

I am interested to know if any Type 2's have stuck to a low carbohydrate diet but have not managed to get into remission? We are delighted to celebrate those who have but do not seen to hear from people for whom this approach has not worked

I have tried a tried sticking to low carbs , readings still high and was then told i wasn't eating enough carbs! Don't know what to do and am really frustrated!

 

[bulkbiker]

I have tried a tried sticking to low carbs , readings still high and was then told i wasn't eating enough carbs! Don't know what to do and am really frustrated!

There's no such thing as "not enough carbs" we need zero of them. So unless you are on strong medication that could induce a hypo then you should be fine assuming you are T2. How many were you aiming for?

 

[woollygal]

130g is the very maximum for low carbing. Many of us can't reduce our blood sugar levels on that amount of carbs daily.

the original question was if anyone had followed a low carb diet of less than 130 but who had not got into remission,

my answer was that I had, but then changed to strict keto and still no remission,

 

[MrsA2]

@Mbaker is such an exercise regime sustainable for life?

 

[Tannith]

T2 is a progressive illness. It gets worse over time. So I would expect if low carbing you would have to lower your carbs over time as well to keep up with the progression.

 

[Hotpepper20000]

T2 is a progressive illness. It gets worse over time. So I would expect if low carbing you would have to lower your carbs over time as well to keep up with the progression.

Simply not true.
With low carb, keto or carnivore a person stops the spiking of BG therefore cutting down the excess insulin then this helps insulin resistance. For many with type two is the heart of the problem.
Of course there are those who pancreas stops producing insulin, and thenyes they would need medication.

 

[lucylocket61]

T2 is a progressive illness. It gets worse over time. So I would expect if low carbing you would have to lower your carbs over time as well to keep up with the progression.

no. it doesn't. You dont have to keep lowering carb intake etc. I personally have halted my type 2 diabetes for nearly a decade. Read the stories form those of us on here who have halted for years.

It may be true for SOME, but certainly not all.

 

[VashtiB]

T2 is a progressive illness. It gets worse over time. So I would expect if low carbing you would have to lower your carbs over time as well to keep up with the progression.

I am pretty interested in your authority for this statement.

There are people here who anecdotally demonstrate that this is not always the case so I assume you have some evidence for your statement.

I can see it could be true if you didn't go low carb as then your insulin resistance could increase but if you do go low carb- well I would like to know on what basis you made that statement.

 

[Resurgam]

T2 is a progressive illness. It gets worse over time. So I would expect if low carbing you would have to lower your carbs over time as well to keep up with the progression.

Total nonsense. I can now eat more carbs and not get raised blood glucose - the carbs go straight into fat, and next morning I can see that on the scales.
I still over produce insulin, so I will have felt a bit wobbly the previous evening, and it can take up to a week to get rid of the couple of pounds I put on, so it is not worth doing.

 

[VashtiB]

Actually @Resurgam I have the same experience. If I increase the carbs the weight goes up more than the blood sugar readings!

 

[Andydragon]

T2 is a progressive illness. It gets worse over time. So I would expect if low carbing you would have to lower your carbs over time as well to keep up with the progression.

It can get worse over time if you don't take control. It can also stay totally stable or improve, as many of us can show evidence of. Mine progressed because I didn't change my weight or eating habits, once the latter changed and with exercise my weight has dropped and my blood levels too. I cannot categorically state Lowery carbs were the cause but I am now <130g on average and I am in non diabetic range after a decade of being diabetic, others on here have shown a decade of being stable.

Doctors and nurses see people who don't change or are led to believe certain diet plans that certainly seem to cause issues (I am sure studies are being done for higher carbs and T2 but I don't have them to hand) and that causes progressive change

So, your statement is too binary

 

[Daphne917]

T2 is a progressive illness. It gets worse over time. So I would expect if low carbing you would have to lower your carbs over time as well to keep up with the progression.

Not from my perspective. I’ve managed to maintain a non diabetic Hba1c for approx 8 years on about 130g carbs per day.