Low carb - Need advice

[ni62]

Hi,

I am type 2 diabetic for nearly 18 years. Although initially I controlled through diet but eventually I had to take metformin tablet. Currently I am taking 3 tablets – 2 at night time and 1 in the morning. I do visit this website and learn many things about diabetes. I was reading about the low carb diet and finding it hard to survive with these proposed diets, e.g. having breakfast without any cereal or bread. Are these low carb diet for overweight people? By the way, I am slim and probably in the lower end of border line. Can someone advise me if this low carb program still suitable for me considering my 18 years of diabetes? I don’t want to lose any more weight.

As some people suggests that it’s worth checking which food increases my blood sugar. So I was experimenting sugar level before and after dinner.

Before dinner it was 5.8. I was quite happy with this reading. I suppose it was low because I walked or even depending on the snacks I ate during tea time. I had dinner with medium quantity basmati rice, chicken, mixed veg with mushroom, aubergine and courgette and red lentil soup. I usually take 2 metformin tablets immediately after dinner but I did not take any tablet this time. Little later, I also had one small apple and Greek Yoghurt. I checked BG after 2 hours and it was just 7.2. I was happy. I expected higher BG though.

Two days later, I checked the BG before dinner again and it was 8.4. I was surprised to see this high. At dinner, I ate again basmati rice, smoked mackerel, veg with spring green and broccoli and lentil soup. I did not take any metformin at this time. I checked the BG two hours later and it was just 7.6. How come the BG went down even after dinner without medicine? Or somehow the initial reading was wrong? I am using mylife Pura X to test my BG. My three-monthly average is around 7.0

By the way, I have not been eating rice for the last three months, instead I am eating wholemeal wrap/homemade roti, assuming this is better than rice. Please advise me if my method of experiment is wrong.

Thanks,
NI

 

[Pollylocks]

Hi ni62, you are similar to me, nearly 17years of Type 2 and only on Metformin.

I have lowish carbed for the last two/three years and found its helped me. The main carb culprits [apart from the usual sweet stuff you'll originally have been told about] are usually pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, pastry . Most fruits ending in 'berry' are fine. Many have problems with root veg .

But we're all different. I can eat rice with no spiking in bs levels, most can't , so I always test ~ and it also depends which foods you put together in meals, its a bit of a minefield !

If you love your bread, you can buy LivLife loaves from Waitrose [quite expensive, £1.59] or protein Rolls from Lidl [cheap and large, 39p] both are low carb.

 

[ni62]

Hi Pollylocks,

Thanks for your response. If you are on lowish carb, do you still take metformin or have you reduced the number of tablets from the GP's prescription?

I will check my local lidl for protein rolls. Thanks.

NI

 

[Pollylocks]

I discovered this forum about the same time as I was prescribed Metformin. My bs levels were rising, not surprising after so many years of following the Eatwell Plate advice which was what I was given then, I think we all were back then. Wanted to look around to see what other diabetics were doing to help themselves.

I'm still on Metformin, I've not reduced them , they've lowered my levels a little and seem to be keeping them to an acceptable level, which I don't think would have happened if I hadn't started lowish carbing because I'd been eating what I now consider were the wrong foods for so many years.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Two days later, I checked the BG before dinner again and it was 8.4. I was surprised to see this high. At dinner, I ate again basmati rice, smoked mackerel, veg with spring green and broccoli and lentil soup. I did not take any metformin at this time. I checked the BG two hours later and it was just 7.6. How come the BG went down even after dinner without medicine? Or somehow the initial reading was wrong? I am using mylife Pura X to test my BG. My three-monthly average is around 7.0

Thanks,
NI

Hi,

Can I ask if you re-tested that 8.4 before dinner? As it was a surprise, and quite high for the time of day, I would certainly have tested another twice, just to confirm it wasn't one of those rogue readings we all get from time to time. It could well have been wrong.

You ask how come the levels reduced post meal without medicine. Metformin doesn't work this way. It works on the liver, not the pancreas. It won't affect what happens post meal. It helps in other ways, such as by reducing the amount of glucose the liver produces in times of fasting, exercise etc. (and therefore helps with morning fasting levels to a limited extent) but not with post meal reactions.

 

[ni62]

Hi,

Can I ask if you re-tested that 8.4 before dinner? As it was a surprise, and quite high for the time of day, I would certainly have tested another twice, just to confirm it wasn't one of those rogue readings we all get from time to time. It could well have been wrong.

You ask how come the levels reduced post meal without medicine. Metformin doesn't work this way. It works on the liver, not the pancreas. It won't affect what happens post meal. It helps in other ways, such as by reducing the amount of glucose the liver produces in times of fasting, exercise etc. (and therefore helps with morning fasting levels to a limited extent) but not with post meal reactions.

Hi,

You could be right that 8.4 was probably wrong reading.

What would be the ideal method of testing food that increases BG. Do you still take metformin as normal? When do I test it? Is it after two hours or in the morning?

I am not sure if low carb diet will be suitable for me as my BMI is 20. Is it possible to reduce the number of metformin if I follow low carb diet? Thanks

 

[ab.er.rant]

What would be the ideal method of testing food that increases BG. Do you still take metformin as normal? When do I test it? Is it after two hours or in the morning?

I am not sure if low carb diet will be suitable for me as my BMI is 20. Is it possible to reduce the number of metformin if I follow low carb diet? Thanks

I'm not on metformin. I would say the more typical way to test is to take a reading before you start eating, then about 2 hours later. It's usually 2 hours after starting the meal, though some do it after completing the meal. You can also test at the 1-hour interval, to get a reading closer to the peak of the spike. Depending on what you ate, some also do a 3-hour test, for the slow-release type of carbs. Try not to snack on anything substantial, if at all, during that 2 hours.

I think low-carb is certainly doable to maintain weight, but you need to be conscious of the calories you're taking in - for the carbs you take out, you need to eat the equivalent calories in fat, and maybe a bit more protein (depending on your current amounts of protein intake). You don't want to get into a deprivation situation where your body is not getting enough calories.