Going from keto to low carb?

[lorib64]

I started a keto diet a year ago. I was able to get off Januvia and My A1C went from 5.3% (5.7 mmol/L) to 4.8% (5.1 mol/L)

In December I went off keto around the holidays. I found i missed fruits and some of the starchier veggies and legumes. I even had some sweets but not like in the past. I recently had blood work fasting glucose 103 mg/dl (6.0 mmol/L) A1C 5.0% (5.4 mmol/L)

I am planning to eat low carb, but not keto. I have got out of the habit of logging food and counting carbs, My husband eats non starchy veggies and very little fruit, no grains. He has type 2 diabetes and is in remission. He never counted carbs.

I found I am lactose intolerant and the combination of avoiding dairy (lactose) and carbs was restrictive for me.

I want to be able to have some freedom with food choices without diabetes progressing.

Do I need to log food and keep track of carbs and glucose levels daily? I have trouble sticking to eating meals and when I snack it is hard to keep track of what I ate. I can work on that.

 

[sunspots]

To eat low carb vs keto will mean doing the same but at higher levels. Eg. instead of sticking at about 30g carbs daily you could aim for 100g. You would still need to measure what you are eating to keep within the target.

Alternatively, you could aim for a level of carbs per meal which causes only a modest rise in post prandial bg. You would need to count carbs and monitor before and 2 hrs after eating.

Either way a certain amount of food logging, carb counting and blood testing will be involved I'm afraid, but at least you will get a greater choice of food (hooray!)

 

[lorib64]

To eat low carb vs keto will mean doing the same but at higher levels. Eg. instead of sticking at about 30g carbs daily you could aim for 100g. You would still need to measure what you are eating to keep within the target.

Alternatively, you could aim for a level of carbs per meal which causes only a modest rise in post prandial bg. You would need to count carbs and monitor before and 2 hrs after eating.

Either way a certain amount of food logging, carb counting and blood testing will be involved I'm afraid, but at least you will get a greater choice of food (hooray!)

Thank you. I will get back to logging. What do you consider a modest rise?

 

[sunspots]

Ooh. Probably anything below 10.

 

[Deleted member 543160]

Like your husband I don't actually count carbs, but for anything new I intend to eat/drink, I'll generally check for carb content and if necessary adjust quantity to suit. For managing my long term pre-diabetic (and apparently reversed) version of T2, I use my meter to check pre and post meal glucose levels and how different foods might affect them. Have a look at https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html for recommended levels.

As a diabetic, for me "keto" is basically shorthand for "ketogenic" and is simply the bottom end of a low carb sliding scale where we eat so few carbohydrates that our bodies resort to converting and using dietary and stored fats - with ketones as a by-product - as an alternative fuel source. 20-25g carbs a day is generally the level considered to achieve ketosis, and once your body's adapted, it's possible to eat up to 50g carbs a day - and some people may manage more.

It's best if you try to stick to proper meal times and less or no snacks. As ketogenic/low carb diets aim to replace most carbs with fat as a more sustainable fuel, this helps to prevent hunger resulting from quick fix short term carby food, and fewer carbs means lower glucose levels and better controlled diabetes. https://www.dietdoctor.com/ offers both keto and low carb meal ideas, and has visual guides showing carbs in various fruits and veg. You'll probably be surprised at the variety you can actually eat and still keep your diabetes under control!