Grapefruit and Low Carbing

[Mud Island Dweller]

I am on a semi low carb about 120/day but have decided l am going to drop and sort of follow Viv and others low carb a lot more closely with my own variations to suit me. The problem is l was reading up on how good grapefruit is and works and was going to start eating half a grapefruit a day.

Will this interfere with a low carb high fat diet as grapefruit helps stop the liver storing fat... from my understanding, although from what l read l will not be storing much as the fat will power me not the carbs l am eating at present?

I am at the moment loosing weight about 2.2lbs a week which l am happy with, have a PT who puts me through a lot of groans/session and gives me homework, but my BG is between 5 and 6.5 post meals going at times to 7.5) and it is those l want to bring down. I am not due to have my first Hbag thingy till start February.

Also l refuse statins and am working to bring cholesterol down when tested in November at diagnosis they were LDL 3.2 Triglicerides 2.3

 

[viviennem]

Half a grapefruit has about 4g carb, so just count that in when you're calculating your carb intake. It's not on the allowed foods list on my very-low-carb Atkins-based diet.

Your weight loss is good at present, but don't be surprised if the rate slows down - it frequently does. I wouldn't be losing weight at all on 120g carb daily but that's just me - we are all different! On a low-carb diet you are indeed running on fat and protein. Part of the protein eventually converts to glucose, whereas 100% of the carbs you eat are turned into glucose. I have insulin resistance, which means that my muscle cells are resistant to the action of insulin on glucose, and most of my glucose is stored as fat rather than used for energy. Your training sessions will help with that.

You are not taking statins, but anyone who is should avoid grapefruit/grapefruit juice as it reacts with statins. Google it.

Figures for your lipid profile should ideally be as follows:
Total cholesterol below 5
LDL below 3
HDL above 1.2
Triglycerides below 1.7 and the lower the better. My best ever was 0.65

Total:HDL ratio should be below 5:1 and preferably about 3.5:1. This is a very important figure and the one my GP pays most attention to.

The figures I have listed above are for non-diabetics. "They" seem to want diabetic total cholesterol below 4, though I've no idea how that affects the other figures. I pay most attention to my trigs (1.2) and my Total:HDL ratio (4.3:1). I'd prefer both to be lower, but I've been eating too much carb (for me). My last Total figure was 4.9. My GP is quite happy with everything.

Good luck with reducing your blood lipids by diet. I find the lower my carbs, the better my blood lipid profile.

Viv

 

[Mud Island Dweller]

Thanks Viv, yup know about the statin/grapefruit they react to about 40 known medications, the scary thing is that they are thought to react to lots more but no money for testing. Advice l have heard is if going on any medication come off grapefruit unless actually shown to be safe.

Following advice from here l just (sat down in shock and writing this) took my bg for my 40g of breakfast porridge and scared myself 9.5. I thought l was ok but usually l am at work when l have tested myself and am slobbing a bit as off for the holidays if l wanted any proof that it wacks me up l just had it, thats the last bowl of quaker l have.

Some of the food we have in like apples l will have till they are gone, usually l have one as a midmorning snack. I don't like to waste food so over next week or so and push hub to eat more apples (huge bowl in)

I eat a fair bit of seeds so will use that as my primary carbs source not stopping those. here is the link about seeds may be of interest if not seen before. http://rawforbeauty.com/blog/the-top-10-healthiest-seeds-on-earth.html I have flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower, hemp and some sesame

undecided on grapefruit on or off menu but have to left so 4 days to decide.