Going off eating?!

[Member496333]

Hi Jim. You are absolutely correct, and I followed this diet for a long time but caused myself a few problems. An endocrinologist told me you also need the correct amount of cortisol and thyroxine for your metabolism to function correctly.

Eating low calorie as well as low carb (<20g per day) as has been posted, may eventually cause your thyroid to slow your metabolism by producing reverse T3, which I did and this was in my blood test results. I only say this as I wouldn't like anyone to go through the problems I did. I carried on with the diet but increased the carbs to a minimum of 20g carbs per day, not much, following the endocrinologists advice, this worked for me. I would now say I am slim and have maintained this for over a year. I do think we are all different with different tolerances, but better to have as much knowledge as possible. The book I mentioned also talks about this. You are absolutely correct in what you say but it's whether your thyroid has an adverse reaction that may muddy the waters.

Sure thing, but don't forget it's not necessarily all about calorie intake. People who are eating low-carb, and have sufficiently low circulating insulin, will almost certainly be in some level of dietary ketosis. This means that they will be pulling any shortfall in energy from their stored body fat (hence no hunger). That is, after all, why it's there. If someone is hungry then of course they should eat, but if they're not, then their body has sufficient fuel and nutrients currently available. Hunger should be the driver of what we eat and when we eat it, not numbers, macros and charts.

But yes it goes without saying that we all have a way of eating where we feel our best and perform optimally. I'm not prescribing anything one way or the other, but I don't think it's true that low carb will necessarily cause any metabolism issues, which was the original point I addressed.

 

[HSSS]

Eating low calorie as well as low carb (<20g per day) as has been posted, may eventually cause your thyroid to slow your metabolism by producing reverse T3, which I did and this was in my blood test results

So how do you identify the low carb as the cause not the low calorie?
When you increased your carbs slightly did you also increase your calories? If so same question as above

obviously the changes worked for you and it’s certainly worth considering but I’d say from the info you’ve posted it’s insufficient to draw the conclusions you have.

 

[Hertfordshiremum]

So how do you identify the low carb as the cause not the low calorie?
When you increased your carbs slightly did you also increase your calories? If so same question as above

obviously the changes worked for you and it’s certainly worth considering but I’d say from the info you’ve posted it’s insufficient to draw the conclusions you have.

They are not my conclusions, the endocrinologist was insistent. I can only tell you what I was told and reference the book that also talks about this.

 

[ianf0ster]

I agree with Jim Lahey (above), As shown in my 'Email to a Friend' thread I suggest that the process of losing weight for a T2D is just a by-product of getting the BG under control using LCHF. And that the total calorie intake shouldn't be reduced until the body has become Fat Adapted.
Once Fat Adapted a person can reduce total Calorie intake by cutting portions or by various Fasting regimes and not feel hungry! Thus the Calorie deficit from eating is made up by using the prior stored body fat (even on slim people like Jim and me) and so the Base Metabolic Rate is protected.

It infuriates me that people are still currently bombarded by media promoting 'crash diets' , the latest example was last night on ITV where they took sound dietary fasting principles (16:8 and 5:2) and then grafted on Calorie restrictions making them unsustainable!
Although both subjects lost weight much faster than I did, I was starting form a 'normal weight' (only ever overweight by 2 lbs) and they were obese, what are the odds of them managing to hold on to even my weight loss (23lbs over 4 months) in 1year's time? - Fairly remote based on the evidence!
Please note that I'm just eating to sustain my weight now so I'm no longer in 'weight-loss' mode since reaching a pre-diabetic Hba1C. The next one should be lower still as my liver gets used to my 'new normal' BG levels and reduces its morning Glucose dumps.

 

[ianf0ster]

They are not my conclusions, the endocrinologist was insistent. I can only tell you what I was told and reference the book that also talks about this.

Oh, and (all) doctors know what they are talking about - yes?
In which case we would nearly all still be on that crazy 'healthy heart' HCLF way of eating that caused my T2D !
Sorry, but we know better than that in here - don't we?

 

[MillieT]

I don't think any carbs are welcome personally, well for me anyhow, something can't be right, i have just managed to get some test strips as have been without since last Wednesday- pharmacy error, I had no breakfast today as felt ill when i got up, i have been packing some things up so have been busy and very active and had brunch an hour or so ago- bacon some white onion, two mushrooms and eggs and i'm on 19.8, thing is i am literally scared to eat carbs. i feel so awful i'm going back to bed. sorry. bye Tuesday :|