From a personal perspective the keto/very low carb strategy is the way to go for the majority of people looking to lower their blood sugars along with significant weight reduction. If anyone asked me the best way to reduce blood sugar I would definitely recommend a keto diet or something similar. I lost weight. I went from weighing in around the upper range for my weight and height to bumping along the line between the lower limit to under weight. I can lose weight very quickly and for most of my life I was under weight. It was not the first time I had been on a very low carb diet. I did the Atkins diet for a while in 2010. The whole office went on it. So peer pressure and being part of a group thing made it fun. I was on it for around 3 months and came off it when I started to feel lousy, no energy, just feeling blah all the time. As soon as I upped my carbs I felt a 100 x better. So when I made the decision to give it another go last year I was unsure how my body would react. I was also being plagued with night time BS lows, so that was a consideration too. Would my blood sugars maintain a descent level, were questions I would ask myself. I decided to give it a shot. I had read so many good reports on here about weight loss and diabetes remissions. I stuck with it for 9 months. I didn't have the blah feeling anytime during those nine months. I kept myself well hydrated but I struggled with my food choices. I did not look forward to my meals. I was already on a restricted diet due to gluten intolerance so this added to it. I am a foody and I am creative in the kitchen, but this didn't save me. Fatty meals made me feel sick and urrgh. I know people who love fat, they chomp on the pork chop fatty bits, eat the popes nose on chickens, buy streaky bacon and love it all. Fatty bits on meat make me feel green just thinking about it. There are only so many avocados you can eat, most of the time they are bullet hard at the grocery store and very expensive.
At the end of it all I lost weight. My Ac1 results , however, were not the results I was expecting, they were very disappointing. I was expecting the mid 5's % or in that ball park, that didn't happen. There was a small drop in my Ac1 blood sugar results for sure, but they still remained at an unhealthy level. My lipid test results told another story too. The positives surrounding keto diets point to drops in overall cholesterol results, particularly LDLs and Triglycerides. Great news another benefit. My cholesterol results have historically been in range. This time, however, my results told a different story, my LDLs shot up out of range, my Trigs were/are still a satisfyling 0.61 mmol/ls. They did not change. My Trigs have always been low, but the rise in my LDLs took me a back. I know LDLs have had a bad wrap for sure, unfairly demonised but it was still a shock. It's hard to stop thinking of LDLs as 'bad' cholesterol even if they are not the bad guys. I guess my point is I did not have a typical response to doing the low carb thing.
All those words to say, while keto/lvery low carb diets work for a lot of people, they may not work for some, depending on what type of metabolism you have, how well you metabolise fats, and of course your mind set. It's a big ask for some people. The reprocussions for high blood sugar affect people long term so the imputus for change can seem less worth it if you are not enjoying those low carb options meals. Diabetes doe not have immediate the big impact like say gluten or lactose intolerances or indeed food allergies. My advise is if the keto works for you stick with it.
Sorry lots of words and if you have got this far, thanks for reading.
But, yes it is a common side effect. It may also be worth having your thyroid level tested - not linked but can also cause the same symptoms.
). If so, your body is likely “saving you” from starvation. A little bit tongue in cheek there, but our bodies can trim back on non-vital services when losing weight.
