• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Cannot get bg down

juliekem

juliekem

Well-Known Member
Messages
85
Location
Nottingham, England
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Insulin
I have been low carbing for some time now. Last November, my bg was so low (under 7 in the mornings) that GP was discussing taking me off meds altogether! Two things then happened - GP reduced Metformin by half (down to 1g a day) and after Christmas I got a horrible flu-type cold which lasted two months. Since then I have been quite unable to get my bg down to what it was in November despite taking my carbs down to Atkins level for the last 2 and 1/2 weeks.(I was on slightly higher carbs than this last year.) For example, this morning my bg was 9.6! I have had my metre tested against the one at the local pharmacy and the readings were identical. I am mystified and frustrated as my weight loss has stalled (due to the higher bg I suppose.)
Typical day's eating
B/f - 2 eggs with a dessert spoon of heavy cream as scrambled eggs fried in a little butter
Lunch - salad of lettuce, a small tomato. cucumber, celery and radishes with meat (e.g slice of ham), 1 0z or so of cheese and a hard boiled egg
Dinner - meat with low carb veg e.g. chicken leg roasted with courgette, cabbage, cauliflower with grated cheese on top.
Sometimes I have supper - in the past (i.e. last year when I was successful I used to eat Fin Crisp sourdough crackers which have 3.6 g carb per slice - I would have up to 4 but I have dropped those now and have just cooked meat with a little salad, or more cheese or a sugar free jelly with a spoonful of the thickest cream that I can get.

If anyone can see what I am doing wrong please tell me. Btw - I drink tea and coffee with a little whole fat soya milk in. I eat a lot of eggs because we have hens and they are available.
 
I am no expert but your diet looks good. My only comment would be that it might be a good idea to cut out supper altogether and try eating dinner earlier (I have no idea what time you eat it) so that you have 12+ hours fasting before breakfast.

I am sure others may have more comments/suggestions.
 
Is there a reason you drink soya milk? It's not quite the health food that it's made out to be and is very highly processed. It's also oestrogenic and can mess with female hormones. Also wonder what other additives there may be in it and how they may affect you.

I'd try tracking your calories for a few days - sometimes the total amount can be a shock, especially with all the extra fat.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I do eat supper but I eat breakfast about 9 am so I could try to eat it (supper) before 9 pm, good suggestion. The problem is that I get hungry even though I am excreting ketones! When we eat dinner much later I can do without supper but then I eat a tea so all in all I do not lose weight. I probably do eat too many calories but because of the hunger I am at a loss as to how to reduce them.
The soya milk is because giving up my tea is just a step too far and I don't like it without milk or tasting too milky (so cream is out.) Can you suggest anything else I could put in my tea? Your comment re: hormones hit a nerve because I do have menopausal type symptoms quite badly even though it was over 5 years ago. I take black cohosh, evening primrose oil and vitamin E as well as 4g Omega 3 fish oil because of the arthritis!
 
How much tea do you drink? Full fat milk has less carbs than low fat, so I'd go for that if I wasn't already addicted to black tea. Maybe alternate your normal tea with herbal varieties to reduce the amount of milk you use? Another alternative is cream or butter in your tea in place of milk. I hate milk in tea, but actually enjoy blended butter in it, though I only have it occasionally.
 
@juliekem, if you up your fats you will not be so hungry. Eat the chicken leg with the skin or have a lamb/pork chop with the fat. Or try full fat Greek yoghurt with some nuts/seeds as dessert. If I feel hungry I have a few almonds and walnuts or Brazil nuts, just avoid cashews as they are higher in carbs than other nute.;
 
Arab Horse beat me to it, I was going to suggest Greek Yogurt as a dessert. I have it after dinner most evenings - what my husband calls my 'moussy, yogurt, fruity thing'.

I lightly whip some double cream (splosh a little milk into it to make a lighter whip) and fold this into Greek yogurt (I tend to do about 1 part whipped cream to 3 parts yogurt) and I use my hand blender to zizz up some frozen raspberries or blackberries into small pieces - leave them frozen, they defrost as you're working and mixing and they stay as pieces rather than going to mush. Stir these into the yogurt/cream mix and it makes a lovely light refreshing cool dessert, yet fills you up for the rest of the evening. I rarely eat again after that following dinner. It tastes like the best quality thick and creamy yogurt for a fraction of the price of one - and a nice simple ingredients list. And a better portion than those silly little pots.

I read someone recently who watered down full fat milk for tea as they didn't like the creaminess of FF in tea. I think that would have less carbs than semi-skimmed?
 
BooJewels said:
I lightly whip some double cream (splosh a little milk into it to make a lighter whip) and fold this into Greek yogurt (I tend to do about 1 part whipped cream to 3 parts yogurt) and I use my hand blender to zizz up some frozen raspberries or blackberries into small pieces - leave them frozen, they defrost as you're working and mixing and they stay as pieces rather than going to mush. Stir these into the yogurt/cream mix and it makes a lovely light refreshing cool dessert, yet fills you up for the rest of the evening
Click to expand...

BooJewels, I just started adding heavy cream to my Fage 2% (can't find FF Fage) and it is decadent.
 
Back
Top