Am I going to far?

[Anonymous]

I started to feel a bit faint before tea tonight, took my BS, and it was 3.4. I am now seeing high 3`s and have felt fine, but this was how I used to get years ago, and had to eat something sweet to feel normal. I had the food I planned, chicken salad, and now I feel fine again.

Obviously I can`t carry around a lump of meat and a few veg, what is the best thing for these times? Please say milk chocolate.

 

[wiflib]

If you wait long enough, your liver will dump. Failing that, try sniffing a Hobnob :wink:

wiflib

 

[Grazer]

A SMALL piece if chocolate would work, but seems a shame not to take advantage of the situation and have some more proper carbs. Could take an apple around with you, or a banana if you need a bigger hit. An Atkins daybreak bar combines some choc with other stuff. 8 grams carbs (according to how you want to score it - they claim net two) and I really like them. Fills a hunger pang too

 

[Grazer]

If you wait long enough, your liver will dump. Failing that, try sniffing a Hobnob :wink:

wiflib

Snorting hob nobs? Don't the crumbs get stuck up your nose? I tried snorting coke once, but the bubbles made me sneeze :lol:

 

[xyzzy]

This is what Pneu said on another thread the other night

Right... there needs to be a clear definition here... many non-diabetics regularly have blood glucose of below 4 mmol/l... if the mean fasting blood glucose of the general non-diabetic population is in the very low 4's then by definition some people are going to have fasting blood glucose in the mid - high 3's... (3.3 mmol/l is commonly citied as the 'lower level' of normal blood glucose). What you don't see is them regularly falling over or collapsing from hypo's because this is 'normal' blood glucose.

I think if I was in your place Jeanne then you don't panic but do exactly what you did and just eat something sensible or do what Grazer said and take advantage of the situation. Unlike me you do the Ketosis thing I think, so maybe a large injection of carbs may effect that, maybe others can offer advice.

Did the 3.4 just happen or had you been busy or exercising? Did you miss lunch? Mine plummet if I miss lunch and are really low come tea time.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you both. Checked after an hour, 4.9. I don`t ever do one hour readings (except my first week) is it normal for it to go up like that?

Those bars sound nice Grazer

 

[Anonymous]

This is what Pneu said on another thread the other night

Right... there needs to be a clear definition here... many non-diabetics regularly have blood glucose of below 4 mmol/l... if the mean fasting blood glucose of the general non-diabetic population is in the very low 4's then by definition some people are going to have fasting blood glucose in the mid - high 3's... (3.3 mmol/l is commonly citied as the 'lower level' of normal blood glucose). What you don't see is them regularly falling over or collapsing from hypo's because this is 'normal' blood glucose.

I think if I was in your place Jeanne then you don't panic but do exactly what you did and just eat something sensible or do what Grazer said and take advantage of the situation. Unlike me you do the Ketosis thing I think, so maybe a large injection of carbs may effect that, maybe others can offer advice.

Did the 3.4 just happen or had you been busy or exercising? Did you miss lunch? Mine plummet if I miss lunch and are really low come tea time.

If anything I have done a lot less than normal today as I have been looking after some of my grand kids. I have been eating less carbs to get into ketosis properly, and I missed lunch, but that is common for me.

I think it will be a one off, but how exciting it was for 5 minutes (I eat quick)

 

[borofergie]

If anything I have done a lot less than normal today as I have been looking after some of my grand kids. I have been eating less carbs to get into ketosis properly, and I missed lunch, but that is common for me.

I think it will be a one off, but how exciting it was for 5 minutes (I eat quick)

Firstly it takes a few weeks for your metabolism to adjust to burning fat (and ketones) instead of sugar, so it's not that surprising that it dropped a bit low. Until you get that sorted then MAKE SURE YOU DON'T SKIP YOUR BLEEDIN' LUNCH :!:

 

[Anonymous]

If anything I have done a lot less than normal today as I have been looking after some of my grand kids. I have been eating less carbs to get into ketosis properly, and I missed lunch, but that is common for me.

I think it will be a one off, but how exciting it was for 5 minutes (I eat quick)

Firstly it takes a few weeks for your metabolism to adjust to burning fat (and ketones) instead of sugar, so it's not that surprising that it dropped a bit low. Until you get that sorted then MAKE SURE YOU DON'T SKIP YOUR BLEEDIN' LUNCH :!:

I thought I must be into it properly. Did you see I lost 6 and a half pounds this week?

I will have some meat for lunch tomorrow. I am all prepared :wink:

 

[borofergie]

I thought I must be into it properly. Did you see I lost 6 and a half pounds this week?

I will have some meat for lunch tomorrow. I am all prepared :wink:

You are certainly in ketosis. Your PURPLE stick proves that. But your metabolism still needs to build some new metabolic machinery and become fully "keto-adapted".

6 and a half pounds is a great start. I'm proud of you. Well done. :thumbup:

 

[Anonymous]

6 and a half pounds is a great start. I'm proud of you. Well done. :thumbup:

Cough cough. 1 stone 7 and a half pounds since diagnosis my friend

 

[Defren]

3.4 ...Faints. How the devil do you get that low? I think I might panic if I got that low, either that or throw a celebratory party :lol: Oh and by the way Missus, don't you ever moan at me again for missing meals :silent:

 

[Billythebull]

I think if I was in your place Jeanne then you don't panic but do exactly what you did and just eat something sensible or do what Grazer said and take advantage of the situation.

 

[thetallerpaul]

Newbie question alert.

Aren't ketones something you don't generally want? I thought they were the by-product of breaking down your own cells for energy not a supply of energy in itself? Or it just my docs get worried if I have them because I need to put weight on not lose it?

I'd have eaten a truck of chocolate if my meter gave me a sniff of an excuse like that. I eat if I see 4 (4.9 still counts!) so well done you for managing it a lot better.

Paul

 

[Grazer]

Hi Paul!
There's a difference between ketones arising from different circumstances. If you get ketones in your urine whilst having high blood sugar levels, it's a sign that you don't have enough insulin being introduced to remove the sugars and can lead to a dangerous condition called ketoacidosis.
If you are ultra low carbing, the same presence of ketones is just a sign that the body is burning fat (which is what was being aimed for)
In both circumstances, it is actually the same message - the body is burning fat. But it is WHY it's burning fat which is key. In the undesirable circumstance, it's because it has to because it can't utilise the high levels of sugar in the blood due to lack of onsulin.

 

[borofergie]

Newbie question alert.
Aren't ketones something you don't generally want? I thought they were the by-product of breaking down your own cells for energy not a supply of energy in itself? Or it just my docs get worried if I have them because I need to put weight on not lose it?

I'd have eaten a truck of chocolate if my meter gave me a sniff of an excuse like that. I eat if I see 4 (4.9 still counts!) so well done you for managing it a lot better.

Here you go:
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=28176

Ketones are an alterantive source of fuel for your brain when there is not enough glucose available in your bloodstream to meet its energy needs (about 100g of carb a day for someone eating a regular "balanced diet").

Low-levels of ketones are not a bad thing if you are a T2 (who doesn't need insulin) with good BG control and eating a very low-carb diet. If you have dark ketone colours and your BG control is not good, you need to be very careful, as this is a sign of ketoacidosis (which is a very serious medical condition).

If you are eating less than about 100g of carbohydrate a day then you will be relying on ketones to fuel your brain, to some extent. Below about 50g (and almost certainly below 30g) then some of those ketones will start to spill into your urine and be measurable using ketostix.

Those of us on Very Low Carb Ketogenic Diets use ketosis to reduce our glucose requirement by using ketones to fuel our brain and free fatty acids to fuel our muscles. Even in deep ketosis (say <30g) your brain still needs some glucose to operate, but your liver can easily manufacture enough from fat and protein (gluconeogenesis). Because of this you technically don't need to eat any carbohydrate to carry on functioning properly as long as you consume enough fat and protein, although this is neither practical or necessary.

It isn't for everyone, but some of us get really great results using this approach (in terms of both BG control and weight loss). Basically it's like staying on the Atkins induction diet forever.

 

[Grazer]

Newbie question alert.
Aren't ketones something you don't generally want? I thought they were the by-product of breaking down your own cells for energy not a supply of energy in itself? Or it just my docs get worried if I have them because I need to put weight on not lose it?

I'd have eaten a truck of chocolate if my meter gave me a sniff of an excuse like that. I eat if I see 4 (4.9 still counts!) so well done you for managing it a lot better.

Here you go:
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=28176

Ketones are an alterantive source of fuel for your brain when there is not enough glucose available in your bloodstream to meet its energy needs (about 100g of carb a day for someone eating a regular "balanced diet").

Low-levels of ketones are not a bad thing if you are a T2 (who doesn't need insulin) with good BG control and eating a very low-carb diet. If you have dark ketone colours and your BG control is not good, you need to be very careful, as this is a sign of ketoacidosis (which is a very serious medical condition).

If you are eating less than about 100g of carbohydrate a day then you will be relying on ketones to fuel your brain, to some extent. Below about 50g (and almost certainly below 30g) then some of those ketones will start to spill into your urine and be measurable using ketostix.

Those of us on Very Low Carb Ketogenic Diets use ketosis to reduce our glucose requirement by using ketones to fuel our brain and free fatty acids to fuel our muscles. Even in deep ketosis (say <30g) your brain still needs some glucose to operate, but your liver can easily manufacture enough from fat and protein (gluconeogenesis). Because of this you technically don't need to eat any carbohydrate to carry on functioning properly as long as you consume enough fat and protein, although this is neither practical or necessary.

It isn't for everyone, but some of us get really great results using this approach (in terms of both BG control and weight loss). Basically it's like staying on the Atkins induction diet forever.

Didn't I say this in a more ignorant sheepy-like way? :lol:
Should have known better than to post about ketones when the LLC (lord of Low Carbing) is around.

 

[borofergie]

If you are ultra low carbing, the same presence of ketones is just a sign that the body is burning fat (which is what was being aimed for)

This is exactly the point. On a VLCK diet I want my body to get it's energy from fat (either injested fat or, if I'm trying to lose weight, body fat), and to minimise my requirement for glucose (and therefore carbohydrates). Because I am keto-adapted, my body needs very little glucose so I eat very little carbohydrate, and my BG levels stay consistently low (rarely over 6mmol/l even after a meal).

Some T1s do use this approach too to minimise their insulin requirements (it's the approach Dr Richard Bernstein promotes in his Diabetes Solution book), but obviously it needs much more care if you don't make enough of your own insulin (unlike us T2s).

Remember high ketones for a T1 are a very bad thing, especially when combined with high BG.

 

[borofergie]

Didn't I say this in a more ignorant sheepy-like way? :lol:

And there was I just typing something nice about you. You had it exactly right. I'm just a bit obsessed about ketones.

Should have known better than to post about ketones when the LLC (lord of Low Carbing) is around.

Get 'orffff moi patch :!: :!: :!:

 

[wiflib]

High ketones are bad for any diabetic injecting insulin, not just T2's (in the presence of high BS).
I know it's old hat but I'd like to use IDD or NIDD again. Insulin dependent diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes.

Opinions please.

wiflib