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Dandelade

Well-Known Member
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So I was feeling so good in energy levels, clear head, and getting levels between 5-6 I felt it would be alright to up my activity.

3 hours of walking yesterday and 17000 steps and I feel dreadful today with banging headache, really tired, and a fasting glucose 1 point higher than it’s been in a week (although still alright at 6.3).

It’s how I felt every day before changing to low carb. I thought I’d found a way to live more normally without exhaustion. So I’m really upset that it seems to be back when my activity has gone up and it might have just been that I’m on holiday and was doing less so felt ok?

I just want to be able to go to work and walk the dog a couple of times a times a day without feeling dreadful and still have a clear enough head to do a couple of hours work in the evening!

Anyone any ideas of things to try?!
 
My advice would be nice to yourself, enjoy the exercise when you can but allow your body time to rest too.
6.3 is not a high reading and 3 hours of walk is not a stroll in the park.

You may be going down with something, you may have overdone it yesterday. Your current feeling may not have anything to do with diabetes. We all have "off days".
Keep an eye on how you feel and if you do not get your energy levels back in a few days, make an appointment to see your GP.

But, above all, don't overdo it.
 

Thank you for your nice words. You’re right I need to chill out! It’s just the thought that it has been a long term problem I thought had righted itself and that it had to do blood sugar. Will make an appointment if it continues and try not to overreact!
 
That is a huge amount of activity. Building up to maybe half of that spread over two sessions would still be alot (assuming everyday), maybe book-ending your meals to get the benefit of glucose control.

Ensure your electrolytes are topped up with something like half a teaspoon of lo-salt (good ratio of potassium to sodium). I am 5 years plus in and still tweaking my program, with an eye on long term sustainability.
 

Thank you, I’ll try the lo salt and gradually build up that extra hour (I’m alright at 2 hours).
 
Oh and that 3 hours is spread over walks in the morning, afternoon and evening, not all at once!

Yeah I can see anybody would be tired all in one go! I was trying to mimic what I want a normal day to look like. But perhaps being a bit hard on myself.

Thanks everyone, I’ll rest for a day and that back at it with the tweaks suggested.
 
I agree with Mbaker entirely! I think perhaps you should ease yourself gently back into exercise with a shorter time walking to begin with, as you may have given your body a shock? After all it IS dealing with all the changes to diet you have implemented. Also, as Mbaker suggests, you may have a slight bug or something completely unrelated to diabetes may be niggling you. Treat your body like the wonder that it is for a short while as you walk this new road in life x
 
Thank you!
 
I don't know how long you have bee Low Carbing, how much weight you may still have to lose, or even if how much protein, fats and calories you are eating, So this isn't about you specifically.

It takes at least 2 weeks on an LCHF way of eating in order to get even partially 'fat adapted'. It takes a couple of weeks (usually) to get over the 'keto flu' stage of going Low Carb and some of us find that even after that we still find the need for a boost of the 3 main electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium.

If a person used Low Carb as part of a Calorie reduced diet rather than as a 'way of eating', then they are slowing down their resting metabolic rate which makes exercise and even intense concentration harder because their body has made adjustments in order to function with a lower intake of calories than before.

Unless a person has boosted their Protein and Fat intake from what it was before going Low Carb they can find that they have some 'lean mass loss' (= muscle loss) in addition to fat loss as a part of their overall weight loss.
 
Cheers Ian, it’s been about 4 weeks. I haven’t been counting calories and just put extra meat and veg on the plate, then eaten till full but not stuffed! Maybe I should be counting everything and then play with the amount of protein and fat to make sure there’s enough...
 

Gah, I’ve gone back and looked at my food diary, and on the day I struggled I had sausage, egg and cheese for breakfast, crayfish salad for lunch and white fish for tea. Nowhere near enough fat apart from breakfast I think. It’s 60-80% fat in the total calories intake right? I’ll have to plan my menus again and try to shake the lean meat/ fish options I’d usually go for. Will reply next week if it has had an impact!
Thank you.
 
One of the best pieces of advice I gleaned from all my battles.
Walking is good for you, but only do it fifteen minutes after food for fifteen minutes.
It doesn't sound a lot but because walking helps with blood glucose levels control.
Whatever spike you get from food, it wouldn't be as bad as if you didn't walk after food.
Always test pre meal and two hours after.
Being around 6+mmols sounds good to me. And like you said other than this episode, you have felt better.
 
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