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Am I eating enough?

T

TerryJK

Active Member
Messages
28
Location
Essex
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I am 4 days into my low-carb eating regime, having joined this great Forum and read as much as I can here and on the net generally. As a prediabetic 57 year old who is overweight (technically obese), I thought I'd need to do something positive. I told my friends and family I'd have an alcohol free November (I like a beer once or twice a week) and got started on Monday, thinking I'd stick to up to 90g of carbs a day. Well, having just received my Carbs & Cals book (which is a brilliant reference book!), it seems I'm barely managing 15-20g of carbs per day. Also my fats and proteins intake is more or less equal. Over the last 4 days I've averaged about 10% carbs and around 45% fats and proteins equally. I'm worried I'm not taking in enough fat, as I'm led to believe it should be the majority as fats, less as protein and even less as carbs.

I have to admit, I eat until I feel satisfied and I haven't really suffered any hunger pangs. So much so, I skipped lunch on a couple of days and had dinner early, around 5pm. Therein lies another concern. Having completed the figures as above, the book also includes calories (I know, we shouldn't have to count calories), but I checked it as an exercise. It turns out I'm averaging around 1400-1500 calories a day. Somewhat less than the average man requires on a daily basis!

The other matter to note is my meals. I have seen the wealth of recipes across the net and many of them look very appetising, however I'm no chef. And being a lone parent who's daughter flew the nest a couple of years ago, I now shop and cook for one person. I am struggling to find easy meal options without wasting food. However, I am determined to continue with my healthier eating. I guess I'm hoping what I'm doing is actually good for me (as opposed to being detrimental) and should I be tailoring my intake to the more traditional view of low carb in terms of ratios of macros.

PS. I bought a BG meter and found I'm averaging 6.2 before breakfast and around 5.5 two hours after my last meal of the day.

Thanks in advance, Terry.
 
Hi and welcome @TerryJK I was going to say that if you feel fine then just carry on but then I noticed you are only 4 days in to your new low carb way of eating. If you’ve reduced your carbs immediately to just 15-20g you may be at risk of ‘low carb flu’ some people experience when dropping carbs initially. It’ll pass but make sure you eat enough salt - this article explains it better than I can
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/flu-side-effects
It’s also a good site to look at for meal ideas - most are quite simple.
Well done for buying a glucose meter - the best way to find out what works ( and what doesn’t work) for you.
I use the Carbs&Cals app and agree it is really useful.
 
Sounds like you accidentally went keto! (20 grams a day or less) @DJC3 's got a point, you might feel the effects of that for a bit. Or not. Everyone's different, so who knows. It'll pass though, and some extra salt, broth or coconut milk'll get your electrolytes back up until you stabilise.

Whether you're eating enough? Well, you're eating till you're satisfied, so I'd guess you are. Some people here only eat one meal a day, (OMAD), others go for intermittent fasting, meaning skipping a meal or skipping all meals two days a week, whatever suits their purpose. If you do get hit with keto flu, (muscle and join aches, headaches and fatigue) it should go away in a few days up to 2 weeks.... Should you still feel fatigued afterwards though, you might want to re-evaluate how and what you eat. For the moment, your bloodsugars look normal, (fasting in the morning is the last number to come down, but your after-meal is excellent), so I'd say you're well on your way when it comes to avoiding T2.

Good luck!
Jo
 
TerryJK said:
I'm worried I'm not taking in enough fat
Click to expand...

Personally I wouldn't worry about how much fat you're eating. I don't do low carb high fat, more low carb ? fat, after all it's the carbs we would like to lower and the fat to increase if we think we should increase the fat. I know that when I do my total cholesterol increases, so I don't bother too much. WE all different enough to say that you just have to see what's good for you, don't worry about anyone else, just see how it goes.
 
Hi TerryJK,
You really seem to be doing well. Don't concern yourself that you aren't finding it the same as others - we really are all different. Some only need to reduce Carbs slightly to get the Low Carb effect, others need to go all the way down into Keto. Some go into Keto on 40gms of Carbs per day, others need to be down to 20gms or less.

Use your common sense and your BG meter and weight to tell you what works for you.
Your BG figures are great for such early days - so no worries there. However you may want to test both before and 2hrs after every meal until you know how different foods in different quantities affect you.

LCHF is a very broad spectrum of 'Ways of Eating'. The main reason for including the High Fat (or Healthy Fat) part is because it is important to get your body 'fat adapted' before reducing Calories too much - this way when your Calorie intake is low your body just uses up some of its fat stores (mainly the bad visceral fat around your internal organs) and so you still have plenty of energy while losing weight and maintaining good BG levels!
If somebody goes straight onto a very low Calorie diet without being Fat adapted, the Insulin from what Carbs they eat will still prevent them burning up their stored fat and so the metabolic rate lowers to 'starvation mode' - making further weight gain almost inevitable when the diet restriction is slightly eased! Note that this reduction in metabolic rate doesn't happen when fasting - so skipping some meals (Intermittent Fasting) , or even fasting for several days at a time don't cause this rebound or YoYo effect.

So what the Higher Fat content of LCHF does is to give your body time to adjust to running off Fat without restricting Calories, like preparation for the main event. If you don't feel hungry, or low in energy, then you almost certainly are 'fat adapted' and you are losing your visceral fat making up the Calorific deficit. That is why Calories don't matter!
 
Hi Folks. Thanks very much for your replies and encouragement, it means a lot. I'm checking out more recepies and ways to feed one person, such that I don't end up eating the same meals every other day. I've also bought some full fat greek yoghurt and double cream which I'll incorporate into some meals.

With regard carb-flu, today I have felt like my head is wrapped in a pillow (brain-fog?) and a little lethargic. I guess I'll have to up my electrolyte intake. I've invested in some coconut water, hopefully that'll help.

Thanks again!
 

Increase your Salt intake, better still if you use a LoSalt or LiteSalt alternative ( they mix Sodium Chloride with Potassium Chloride) so you get more of both electrolytes from the same ingredient.

Salt/ Sodium is wrongly demonised for raising Blood Pressure, in fact people with low sodium also tend to have higher Blood Pressure. A Keto or Low Fat way of eating tend to make the body hold on to less fluid and that fluid is peed away with electrolytes - so you need more than usual or your will feel rough!
 
If you do not have a fair sized freezer, I suggest investing in one, and some glass casserole dishes, with sloping sides as they stand the pressure of freezing unlike parallel sides which can burst!!!
I often find that larger packs of meat or fish are much cheaper per 100gm than smaller ones, so I defrost or open up and then cook them, make up dishes and freeze them as soon as they are cool, then they can sit for some weeks before being brought out to the fridge and reheated. I have a Halogen oven which I find very good - I got one off the telly selling channel, one with a hinged lid, which is, I think, essential just from a personal safety point of view. It has a convenient thaw setting for those days when I go out and forget to take anything out of the freezer.
 
@TerryJK Don't worry that you are eating too little.
You have reserves to use up so you don't need as much food.
Just occurred to me that in the initial stages of adjustment we could be eating LCPF (that is, Low Carb Personal Fat) as we use up the fat reserves for energy, and reduce weight at the same time.
If you are below 2,000 kcals (but who's counting?), eating minimal carbohydrate and feeling full then you seem to be doing pretty **** well.
 
Slightly different view point @TerryJK

all the above make perfectly good sense.

for me, i used to eat for enjoyment AND to get me through the next meal

NOW i eat to power me through to the next meal AND i enjoy my food

a subtle difference, i'd agree, but just like this isn't a Diet
food just ain't the same anymore.

it's nice and tasty, but it's main purpose has changed,

eating as you do, so has yours.
so once full you stop..did you did that before i wonder.?

i usually do breakfast then an evening meal.
some do OMAD..i like to go 2MAD
some skip a meal, done that and others skip a day...:***:
a step too far for me at the moments,, but who knows ..next week next year..

the rules have changed,
we just have to adapt.

good luck, fella.
 
as for cooking for one..mmhh

fry up is always good..bacon, eggs, toms , mushrooms..yum
greek yoghurt and blueberries, start any day well.
avocado, scoop one with scrambled eggs,
have other tomorrow as a side with egg and sausage
iceland do frozen cauliflower cheese (3.8 carbs per 100g)..also do frozen carrot & swede mash (2.7 carbs per 100g))

Most hight streets have a chicken shop, grilled chickens lovely, some even have a rotisserie..yum
£5 a cooked chicken cut up and portioned out, one half dinner, with broccoli and veg
the other half great with a fresh salad the next day.
boiled eggs with asparagus soldiers..always a comfort food
i can tolerate a ryvita, some cream cheese (boursin) hard cheese, deli meats, add a little coleslaw
i could be in st tropez,,LOL

if you buy a decent bit of meat, i usually cook it and halve it, have half tonight as a main meal with leeks,
broccoli or whatever is your fav veg is, and take rest to work tomorrow, for a filling decent home cooked meal.

snacks are the danger, so get good ones in your fridge.
deli meats all good, all sorts of cheeses, and a packet or two of biltong.
never would have bothered with it before, now it a favourite in my fridge
and like pepperami it comes in it's own wrapper and keeps for ages..

it is hard, but we just have to educate ourselves and be aware of what we CAn eat quite safely.
THOSE foods, fill us, help us lose weight and lead the way to a happier relationship with food.

i also don't do calories, no idea how much of them i eat a day,
i just count carbs..and at that only in a broad sense.
so i know most meals are in the 30-40 range..could be more, could be less.
but like you, NOW when i have eaten enough..i stop.

one of the wonders of LCHF IS that 'hunger' just seems to drift away after a while.

You sir are doing great, sensible points re carb flu, and the salt
which will also help if you get cramps
(magnesium spray ended up being my go to when they got too bad )

good luck on your journey.
all the best for the travels ahead.
 
Thanks very much for your advice. I'm not much of a condiments person and really never add salt or pepper, etc, to meals. That being said, I realise I have to up my intake and the Lo Salt looks a good alternative. I've no idea how much I'd need on a daily basis. Does half a teaspoon in a glass of water sound about right?
 
Some great tips and advice! I guess I was being very regimented in what I could and couldn't eat. I feel I shouldn't see it as embarking on a 'diet', but a new outlook on what I eat. I hadn't really thought that eating out or takeaways, can form part of what I eat, so thanks for your help there, much appreciated.
 

i think we were all there at first Dx, terry.

i omitted subway..yeah subway..do a great meat salad option
so do just eat, pret and others.
burger without the bun,
kebabs just not the pitta,
it all works to keep us satiated, and keep food interesting.

Meter really IS the key.
it unlocks the secrets to what YOU can tolerate and perhaps what you should be giving a miss to more often.

you might be amazed and surprised how much foods that you don't think are having an impact can really be hammering your BG levels...i think dr Unwin, enjoys eating then showing the effect a banana has on him

i find the same with an apple, but that i CAN feel, as i get quite hyper and super chatty.
 

Crumbs... I found your post here so insightful.
I am so new to this, I know nothing about how or why it works. All I DO know is, it works!
Great post thanks
 

You are what you eat.... Me and you look like we eat the same stuff lol
I could have written this, apart from the end bit Re. cramps. That is useful to know.
 
poemagraphic said:
You are what you eat.... Me and you look like we eat the same stuff lol
I could have written this, apart from the end bit Re. cramps. That is useful to know.
Click to expand...

nice one Po..

yeah i got hit with cramps a while back, up for ages each night doing circuits of the living room
mentioned on here, common issue..
loss of fluids as we lose weight, peeing out all the good stuff as well
carbs hang on to fluids, so less carbs, less fluids i guess.
we all get told off about salt, but we dip and don't get enough.
i now add to most meals, i know some add to coffee, etc.
whatever works, huh.

for quicker relief, ,magnesium spray helped me get a night sleep each night.
no longer need at minute, my electrolytes seems to have settled down some.

still have a funny story from it.

mentioned in my signature about t2 and vit b12 deficiency. met drives it down in some.
so took precautions..
missus has some possible symptoms, so she started taking it..did her good.
now the best way top take B12 is via spray or sublingual (under the tongue)

so when i woke up one morning and she mentioned she had cramps and knew i used the the magnesium spray
so she tried it....and it DIDN'T work, AND tasted disgusting,
i almost fell on the floor with laughter.

it's meant to be sprayed on skin..Lol
 
We are quite complex individuals.
I never knew I knew so little.

Laughter is such a good medicine
 

For electrolytes and stuff, one way is to dissolve a stock cube in hot water (I generally use vegetable), add a knob of salted butter and enjoy.
I guess the butter with added sea salt is also a good thing to put on vegetables.
I add it to my morning coffee, along with double cream.
 
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