Type 2 Am I too low

[Lamont D]

I too strongly agree the advice here is better than most GPs give, and the results speak for themselves.

I've seen the conflict first hand, and is very concerning to me.
My experience of having a test that should have lasted five hours and kept me in hospital for over twelve, also my four days fasting test in hospital, really have opened my eyes to the bad practice of diabetic care in hospitals.
If you have ever been on a diabetic ward, you know what I mean!

For example, after my fasting test was finished, I was asked and quizzed by staff as to what to have for food breaking my fast!
Everything they offered on a diabetic ward was full of carbs! Toast, cereals, low fat yoghurt, tuna sandwich, pasta, need I say any more?
The staff insisted that these were good diabetic foods!
They even offered me concentrated fruit juice!
So I went to the cafeteria and had bacon, eggs, black pudding with mushrooms!
It was wonderful!

 

[chalup]

I also do not count every gram of carb unless it is a new food but just avoid anything carby. I almost exclusively eat meat, cheese, some nuts, and a ton of "free" veggies. The fats such as butter are also considered free foods. Dressings or marinades I choose based on 0 or 1 gram per serving. I come out at less than 20 grams most days and I also do not count calories.

 

[maxjoe121]

How do you know if you're doing LCHF if you're not counting carbs?
In the beginning it's best to test and see what your body can deal with, so you can set limits.

As you keep blood glucose in range, it has been proven in research that your body can recover(depending how high and how long your blood sugar has been), also low-carb will help with weight loss that with exercise can reduce insulin resistance.

I'm not strictly counting my carbs each day. What I mean is I eat low carb food I don't have a number I stick to each day

 

[maxjoe121]

Maybe like me the OP just doesn't eat the pesky things..I don't carb count or calorie count either but I know from what I am eating that I am on a very low carb diet.

Yes that's exactly what I mean lol

 

[bulkbiker]

I feel all alone as the only one that counts carbs(maybe I'm strange), not calories though, but if I did it was about making sure I was getting the right amount, not cutting calories.

My reasoning behind counting carbs was to know what my body was able to cope with in the beginning without stressing it. Once I got a full picture with a mad amount of testing, I could go without testing each meal, knowing what it would be, and as I lost the weight via diet and exercise I noticed my body would react faster and could increase carbs without stressing my body. So yes, cutting carb and exercise it was helped my body recover in a big way, and is what I believe to be the free alternative medicine.

Well yes that's what most of us do.. eat and test.. personally I'm not interested in how many carbs my body can tolerate because I don't want to eat them anyway for multiple reasons. I look on my type 2 as a "carb allergy" so avoid them most of the time except as I say in green veg and salad. After a year of eating this way it has become automatic for me. If I get chips with a meal they go straight to hubby I'm not even tempted to have one. But again it's not "alternative medicine" it's good science. Have you read any Dr Jason Fung? He explains the causes of Type 2 very well and has helped many of his patients to control their condition to great effect. you're not alone and many people following a ketogenic diet do map their macro's in a very controlled way. So far I haven't felt the need to do this but maybe in future if my weight loss stops I will. Currently if that happens I just fast for a few days.

 

[chalup]

Good for you, a 4.9 is a great number and your hard work has paid off However 60 gram of carb is about 3 days worth for me. Like bulkbiker it has just become automatic to avoid all carbs other than veg or a few nuts over time. I do not have to count the carbs in a bowl of salad, I know it is safe to eat. I would carefully check the dressing for carbs though. If I was to have a higher carb limit such as you have then I would have to count carbs carefully.

 

[chalup]

Sadly my mother never got this advise and ended up being diagnosed with Type 2 after 2-3 years, and for the past 15 years she's been on tablets and even been told to switch to insulin, while still being told to eat high carb low fat, and eat more before bedtime if under 10(180). Yes, she's now started to lower her blood sugars and is NOT using insulin. I'm not sure if she can reverse her insulin resistance it after all these years, but no harm in trying.

It really depends on 2 things. How much insulin she is producing naturally and how willing she is to completely change her diet. Exercise is very good for you but it is not necessary for control or weight loss. A fasting c-peptide test will tell how much insulin is being produced. Most type 2's produce far too much which raises insulin resistance which causes even higher levels of insulin to be produced. On and on in a vicious cycle. If this goes on for too many years unchecked it can burn out the beta cells in the pancreas and it will no longer produce enough insulin and then there is really no choice but to go on insulin. If your mother is still producing her own insulin there is no reason why she cannot get things under control with diet but she may still need the tablets (you don't say which ones) to help. The c-peptide test is the key and then a good sit down chat with the doctor.

Whoever is giving her dietary advice is part of the problem.

 

[Lamont D]

It really depends on 2 things. How much insulin she is producing naturally and how willing she is to completely change her diet. Exercise is very good for you but it is not necessary for control or weight loss. A fasting c-peptide test will tell how much insulin is being produced. Most type 2's produce far too much which raises insulin resistance which causes even higher levels of insulin to be produced. On and on in a vicious cycle. If this goes on for too many years unchecked it can burn out the beta cells in the pancreas and it will no longer produce enough insulin and then there is really no choice but to go on insulin. If your mother is still producing her own insulin there is no reason why she cannot get things under control with diet but she may still need the tablets (you don't say which ones) to help. The c-peptide test is the key and then a good sit down chat with the doctor.

Whoever is giving her dietary advice is part of the problem.

The c-peptide test is not used for type 2 by GPs, it is too expensive!
Hba1c test is the most used test for diagnosis.
Then if there is doubt, a two hour glucose test is used.

For those that are prediabetic and have hyperinsulinaemia, these tests are not indicative of the onset of type 2!
Your Hba1c could be in normal range but your insulin could be very high..
Hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance causes obesity. The viscous circle will then occur, leading to diabetes.
I have posted many, many times about how a c-peptide test could prevent so many that may be prediabetic could be prevented from type two!

 

[Lamont D]

Because of the weird nature of my condition, the number of different tests that have determined my diagnosis gave me an alternative view of how all metabolic conditions especially type two can be not only wrong but missing important diagnostics symptoms that would help assist doctors.
I second guess all my tests and always ask questions about how and why they keep doing diagnostics **** about face!
Throughout my long fight to get diagnosed, the needless time and money spent on my health, because of misdiagnosis, the simple thing would have been to test for hyperinsulinaemia! But because of my high glucose because of high insulin resistance, it is a wonder the GPs didn't put me on insulin injections!
Thankfully, I was referred!