Puzzled and can't figure it out

Loobles · Aug 21, 2014

I started my low carb journey 5 weeks ago, starting with around 120g/day and working my way down to about 30-40g/day now.

When I first started, my morning BG was in the 6's and 7's, where it stayed till I got right down to about 50-60g a day. Once I reached 30-40g/day, I started seeing some 4's but mostly 5's. And then less than a week later, I'm back up in the 6's and 7's again.

How did that happen? I'm having less carb, exercising the same and I'm weighing and tracking everything that passes my lips...and I mean obssessivley EVERYTHING.

Do you think this is just a phase, or does it hint at a different problem? I'm prediabetic and really hoping to not become T2D. However, given my recent BGs, I'm not looking forward to my next A1c.

Thanks

In case it helps, a typical day is soemthing like this...
Breakfast - scrambled egg, sometimes with cheese or ham added
Snack - not usually, but if I did it would be 6 or 8 nuts or a mini Babybel
Lunch - some kind of meat salad, sometimes with 1-2 Nairns cheese oat crackers and cottage cheese (12g carbs max)
Snack - not usually required, but mayhave a mini Babybel or chunk of cheese if I'm hungry
Dinner - meat stir fry with added pine nuts or cashews (nuts weighed and carbed of course). Sometimes I'll have a sugar free jelly with cream, an almond sponge low carb cake with cream and 6 berries for example
Snack/supper: nothing usually, but may have nuts or cheese if I'm hungry

That's pretty much it, all of my carbs tend to come from nuts and veggies.

Totto · Aug 21, 2014

Could be too much protein and too little fat? Try to up your fat intake up to around 75-80E% and see what happens.

Loobles · Aug 21, 2014

Totto said:
Could be too much protein and too little fat? Try to up your fat intake up to around 75-80E% and see what happens.

Interesting...I had wondered yesterday whether I should be including say 25-50% protein grams in my carb allowance.

Totto · Aug 21, 2014

We don't need a lot of protein so too much will be turned to glucose, that's why LCHF works so well, that is, low carb, normal protein and high fat. So try less protein and more fat and see where it takes you.

))Denise(( · Aug 21, 2014

Maybe you are going down with an illness or infection, this can cause higher blood sugar levels.

AndBreathe · Aug 21, 2014

Have you started a new pot of strips? Not that I'm paranoid, you understand.

iHs · Aug 21, 2014

A bit too much cheese and too much nuts....causing mild insulin resistance?. Eat a bit more leafy veg and drink more water instead of the cheese and nuts

cold ethyl · Aug 21, 2014

My BS levels rise at certain times in my cycle- I am always higher the morning of the day I come on and for a few days around ovulation. Also stress seems to impact on my morning readings- you have been quite stressed recently with the BP monitoring and all the GP stuff so perhaps it is that. I also find a heavier protein meal at night sends me to bed in the mid fives but I wake up over 6.

sharlie · Aug 21, 2014

What ihs and cold ethyl have said. On the day before my cycle I am much higher. It lasts for a few days usually. I've learnt to love it though as it gives me a warning

also if you take your blood as soon as you wake, you will get a truer reading as if I take one before I roll out of bed. ..its often a couple of mmol less than if I take it in the few minutes I've just got up. I need to take a few units of insulin just for rolling out of bed.

Also my meters usually up to 1mmol differences between my spare metres. ..One second I could be 6mmol and the next second I could be 7 mmol.

Your blood sugars are.amazing by the way so I wouldn't get too stressed about it.

Loobles · Aug 21, 2014

))Denise(( said:
Maybe you are going down with an illness or infection, this can cause higher blood sugar levels.

I hope not. When I first started testing. I did actually have an infection, but it's gone now.

Indy51 · Aug 21, 2014

Loobles · Aug 21, 2014

AndBreathe said:
Have you started a new pot of strips? Not that I'm paranoid, you understand.

I have yesterday but they have the same batch no as the previous tub. I think I started the new pot a couple of days ago...will see how it compares...hadn't thought of that.

Loobles · Aug 21, 2014

iHs said:
A bit too much cheese and too much nuts....causing mild insulin resistance?. Eat a bit more leafy veg and drink more water instead of the cheese and nuts

I did wonder about the cheese, though I don't snack on it every day...and yesterday I don't think I had any. Will have a look into that though as one spike last week I think was cheese related.

Loobles · Aug 21, 2014

cold ethyl said:
My BS levels rise at certain times in my cycle- I am always higher the morning of the day I come on and for a few days around ovulation. Also stress seems to impact on my morning readings- you have been quite stressed recently with the BP monitoring and all the GP stuff so perhaps it is that. I also find a heavier protein meal at night sends me to bed in the mid fives but I wake up over 6.

Now that could be it...you know...without wanting to give too much away lol. I have been stressed too, much more than normal. I have a week of hospital and GP visits and I hate both places! Off to a hospital appointment this aft to see the surgeon regarding the abscess that kicked all this off. That will be fun...

Loobles · Aug 21, 2014

Indy51 said:
It could be dawn phenomenon?

There is also a phenomenon referred to as "physiological insulin resistance" that seems to affect low carb dieters, especially fasting levels. There are a series of blogposts about it that you can read (but they can get pretty technical in places). The author seems to think that it's harmless if the A1c level stays low. The posts are at the Hyperlipid blog:

http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2007/10/physiological-insulin-resistance.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/05/physiological-insulin-resistance-2-dawn.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/08/physiological-insulin-resistance.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/physiological-insulin-resistance.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/physiological-insulin-resistance-wild.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/terminator.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/physiological-insulin-resistance-and.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/physiological-insulin-restisance-guess.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/chewing-fat.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/physiological-insulin-resistance.html

I've given up trying to work out why my fasting BG varies so much - anything from mid 5's to mid 7's with no discernible pattern, though the readings still cluster mostly around the same fasting BG I had on diagnosis.

I've seen those before and dawn phenomenon crossed my mind. Think I'm going to try some tweaking lol

Loobles · Aug 21, 2014

sharlie said:
Your blood sugars are.amazing by the way so I wouldn't get too stressed about it.

I know they're not bad but I'm prediabetic so really want them to be normal all the time. Perfectionist...what can I say? Lol

Loobles · Aug 23, 2014

Indy51 said:
It could be dawn phenomenon?

There is also a phenomenon referred to as "physiological insulin resistance" that seems to affect low carb dieters, especially fasting levels. There are a series of blogposts about it that you can read (but they can get pretty technical in places). The author seems to think that it's harmless if the A1c level stays low. The posts are at the Hyperlipid blog:

http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2007/10/physiological-insulin-resistance.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/05/physiological-insulin-resistance-2-dawn.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/08/physiological-insulin-resistance.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/physiological-insulin-resistance.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/physiological-insulin-resistance-wild.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/terminator.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/physiological-insulin-resistance-and.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/physiological-insulin-restisance-guess.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/chewing-fat.html
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/physiological-insulin-resistance.html

I've given up trying to work out why my fasting BG varies so much - anything from mid 5's to mid 7's with no discernible pattern, though the readings still cluster mostly around the same fasting BG I had on diagnosis.

I think this must have been it you know, because since I uppsed my carbs a bit, I'm now starting to see very high 4's again...I'd almost given up on them! Had 6's and 7's while I've been on very low carb.

Thing is, which is best? Very low carb but higher BG, or eat more carbs and have lower BG? I presume the former is better for weight reduction as the latter implies more insulin in the bloodstream?

AndBreathe · Aug 23, 2014

Loobles said:
I think this must have been it you know, because since I uppsed my carbs a bit, I'm now starting to see very high 4's again...I'd almost given up on them! Had 6's and 7's while I've been on very low carb.

Thing is, which is best? Very low carb but higher BG, or eat more carbs and have lower BG? I presume the former is better for weight reduction as the latter implies more insulin in the bloodstream?

Which is best?

Had you stopped losing weight, or had it slowed up dramatically? Otherwise, if your primary objective is to rein your bloods into non-diabetic ranges, you probably know the answer. Clearly, you could go for a middle ground of slightly more carbs, with lower, but not your lowest bloods?

Bluetit1802 · Aug 23, 2014

I have a very unscientific theory that when we have our day time levels generally under control, our individual base-line levels will materialise on fasting over night when we've had nothing to eat and no exercise, and are unlikely to get lower. These are likely to be higher than pre-meal levels because during the day we exercise to some degree or another. My current fasting levels run between 5.4 and 6.3, yet my pre-evening meals are between 4.4 and 5.4.

Loobles · Aug 23, 2014

AndBreathe said:
Which is best?

Had you stopped losing weight, or had it slowed up dramatically? Otherwise, if your primary objective is to rein your bloods into non-diabetic ranges, you probably know the answer. Clearly, you could go for a middle ground of slightly more carbs, with lower, but not your lowest bloods?

My weight loss goes in phases, depending on my hormones...I'm currently level, but I can see I have some extra fluid on board and I know that once I get onto the next phase of my cycle, the weight will come off. I have graphs that shows this exact patterns happens. So I'm not concerned about the weight loss...although obviously the quicker the better! I guess if I had to choose between the 2, I'd probably choose better BG readings in the short term, but weight loss in the longer term as that's what impacts my insulin sensitivity. Oh what's a girl to do? Maybe I'll do both LOL...a low carb month and a very low carb month.

Indecisive much? Well, yes I am LOL

Puzzled and can't figure it out

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