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discouraged

VashtiB

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
2,380
Location
Australia
Treatment type
Diet only
Just a warning- I'm not feeling great so this is mostly a vent I try to be upbeat most of the time but yesterday/today just can't be

So have now been diagnosed just over 9 weeks. I have been doing LCHF since the day after the diagnosis

Good news- blood sugar levels in the 5s with the occasional 4 usually once or twice very second day- so levels I would say are under control

Bad news- I don't have any more energy- in fact I would say I had less energy- my cross training seems to be getting harder I can not do it as fast or as long as I used to I don't have the energy to practise my flute everyday which I enjoy
-I'm not losing weight- I am not gaining any which is great but I'm doing the LCHF and IF -I am doing the 16/8 so for the whole morning I am starving. Just so hungry- I can't find anything I can stomach early in the morning so am not eating rather than eating and throwing up

Then when I feel upset- my body punishes me by making my blood sugar levels higher- still in the 5s but higher rather than lower.

I feel really bad today- I can't change what I eat because I can't face the possibilities of the complications than diabetes brings

Anyway just needed to vent to someone other than my wonderful husband,
 
@VashtiB Patience is your friend here. You haven't been doing this long and it is a marathon and not a sprint.

Glad your husband is supportive, mine too. Energy levels should return, but give it time. Concentrate on your flute before exercise for now. Stressing about things will not help you at this stage.

What are you having for breakfast and when are you eating it? We are all different. I have had to change my mealtimes to adapt. I used to eat my last meal around 6pm but have now changed this to eat at 3 or 4pm.

It took me around 4 weeks to break through the carb addiction and lose the hunger pangs. I did fall off the wagon several times before this happened. I learned to stop beating myself up and just get on with things.

Vent as much as you want, your numbers are improving, that should be celebrated.
 
This is the place to vent how you are feeling.

You are doing so well after just nine weeks and should be congratulated.

As has been said above, it will take time as your body adjusts to the lower levels.

i don't know that much about about LCHF as I have just cut out all sugars and reduced carbs as much as possible. Maybe your body has less energy because of your eating regime, but I am sure experts will come along with sound advice.

Good luck and I am sure that you will feel better as time passes.
 
2 common things spring to mind to check.

You are obviously doing well with the low carb but have you done the high fat part? If you do t have glucose as an energy source you need an alternative and it is fat. Some people are wary due to the indoctrination of the last 40yrs that fat is evil and it’ll kill you with a heart attack within days! No fuel means no energy.

Electrolytes (along with hydration). It’s very easy to get low on these compare to typical higher carb/processed foods ways of eating. Fewer carbs to hold water > increased fluids which then flush the electrolytes faster. Make sure you are eating plenty of foods with potassium and magnesium as well as adding a little sodium (salt). Or take a quality supplement/electrolyte drink - just check ingredients first. Lack of water or electrolytes can make you feel truly pants.
 
Hi Vashti,
Do you actually need to lose weight?
You say that you aren't putting weight on - so that is good.
Are you getting enough calories ? Are you actually Fat adapted? If you just cut carbs and don't increase fats then it is much harder to get fat adapted and your energy will suffer since your body will react just like on a standard crash diet - your metabolism will slow down to protect you in this period of starvation!

From what you say your BG figures are great - much better than mine! My BG figures took my Hba1c from 53 to 45 (nicely in the pre-diabetic ) in 4 months. So if all else fails you have scope to increase the carbs a little - though I would try increasing Fat first, then try more Protein before resorting to carbs.

Your Meter is your friend.
Good Luck,
Ian
 
Thank you everyone- in a much better space today

I hadn't thought about the fact that possibly upping the fats might help weight loss- I'm going to try that. I don't want to increase my carbs until I've had my first three months review

It really helped being able to vent to people who actually understand- thanks all!
 
If you're too hungry don't fast - it's definitely not an absolute requirement, and your glucose levels are great anyway. Best to first let your body become accustomed to becoming a "fat burning machine" - fats can provide you with more energy for far longer than carbs which are a short term fuel source and need topping up constantly. If you're not used to eating normal full fat foods it can take a while for your body to get used to using them and you may well have times when you've cut right down on carbs but not got used to burning fat instead, and you will end up hungry and with less energy.

It's often better to take things slow and steady than fast and furious; our LCHF "motto" is "It's a marathon not a sprint!"

Robbity
 
Why do you have to eat foods with potassium and magnesium? What is the benefit? What is a electrolytes drink please?
 
Saur said:
Why do you have to eat foods with potassium and magnesium? What is the benefit? What is a electrolytes drink please?
Click to expand...
Because electrolytes (salts) such as sodium, potassium and magnesium are essential for proper body function. On a typical western diet there’s no shortage.

Low carb we tend to drink more fluids as carbs hold water (thus electrolytes) and without carbs - resulting in more water - the electrolytes get flushed through more quickly. So the double whammy of less eaten and flushed more quickly are the major contributors to “keto or low carb” flu. In extreme cases heart palpitations and other very unpleasant side effects can occur without them.

Drinks are usually marketed as sports or recovery drinks or maybe post diarrhoea remedies. The only thing is lots have sugar too so read the labels. I prefer to eat my nutrition when I can but if that’s difficult or you need a faster remedy these drinks can help.
 
I find that eating first thing in the morning and then again in the evening works very well for me.
Normally I fast for two eleven hour periods and find it works very well with no hunger of weakness. If it feels wrong, it usually is, and as fasting is usually to try to lower high glucose, and you do not have high glucose, it might be as well to try another way.
For me, the LCHF diet is not a way to punish my body and force it into proper behaviour but how to treat it correctly and give it the nutrition proper for it so it can do its best.
 
Saur said:
Why do you have to eat foods with potassium and magnesium? What is the benefit? What is a electrolytes drink please?
Click to expand...

One of the effects of a low carb diet is that less fluid is retained in the body. Unfortunately when you pee out the extra fluid you also lose sodium, potassium and magnesium (amongst other minerals). These are important electrolytes without which at best you feel lousy (aka 'Keto Flu') , at worst you get really sick.

There are commercial drinks meant to replace electrolytes, but unfortunately many of them contain too many carbs.
 
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