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Doctors Advice is confusing

P

pb&cj

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My doctor just said that I shouldn't do low carb like that :/ and also I shouldn't get my protein from animal meats or fish (just once in a while) and that I would benefit from a purely plant based diet. Idk what to think any more. It just feels like she ripped out the last thing I could enjoy.

I was told that lifting weights or strenuous exercise would raise my blood sugar levels too much. I've just been walking around and its nice but I just miss the weights.

I don't know how to tag someone but thank you to Paul for advising me to post this
 
Your dr is advising her personal dietary choices without the science to back it up.

Ask her to demonstrate why and how animal proteins raise blood glucose and what the problem with nhs endorsed low carb actually is? Most drs get little dietary education unless they specifically seek it out and even less aimed at specific conditions like diabetes. They often just follow the latest nhs directives/leaflets or the article they read in last weekend papers

Why not use a meter to check your choices and remove the doubt from your mind.
 
She said that the fats in animal proteins would raise my blood sugar and make my overall health worse. The confusing part was that I said I enjoyed eating chicken breast and salmon.

Thank you, I will check with my monitor. Apologies if this sounded dumb, I'm really new to everything.
 
pb&cj said:
I was told that lifting weights or strenuous exercise would raise my blood sugar levels too much. I've just been walking around and its nice but I just miss the weights.
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It is common for BG levels to rise whilst doing short sharp exercises like weights or anything that will cause a strain on your body.
HOWEVER, any exercise is likely to reduce your BG levles for up to 48 hours afterwards.

For example, one of my activities is climbing. This is a series of short activities, I "lift" my body weight, I get slightly scared (in a weirdly fun way) when I am doing some tricky moves. During climbing, my BG levels rise. Afterwards, overnight, I have to eat something to avoid hypos because my levels are much lower.

If you expect the rise DURING the weights and they don't go too high, the benefit over a longer period should be worth it. Not just for your lower BG levels but also for your mental wellbeing if you are missing them.
If it was me, I would start on a gentler regime and test as much as possible to see the impact and the build up the weights and reps over time as my body familiarised itself with the activity.
 
In Response said:
<snip>

For example, one of my activities is climbing. This is a series of short activities, I "lift" my body weight, I get slightly scared (in a weirdly fun way) when I am doing some tricky moves. During climbing, my BG levels rise. Afterwards, overnight, I have to eat something to avoid hypos because my levels are much lower.

<snip>
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I walk - Munros sometimes - rather than climb (as in rock climbing), and am T2, but find after a big hill day I often wake up hungry at night and am hungrier than usual the next day.
 
CatsFive said:
I walk - Munros sometimes - rather than climb (as in rock climbing), and am T2, but find after a big hill day I often wake up hungry at night and am hungrier than usual the next day.
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I was referring to rock climbing but I also hike up mountains and find that the impact on my BG can vary depending upon how strenuous the walk is. My BG is definitely lower the next day after a long hike.
As I do not follow any diet I do not notice whether I need to eat more - I always eat what I want and, as I have Type 1 (and not overweight), I am able to inject insulin accordingly.

I used climbing as an example because, unlike walking, it is a weight resistance activity which the OP had asked about.
 
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I think your doctor is being most unprofessional in trying to force her own private beliefs on her patients. And as someone who is lucky enough to live in a country where food choices are vast, I can say with vigour that I have reduced my T2 to non-diabetic levels by eating a diet with plenty of animal protein while being unable to exercise beyond one or two hours of walking a day.
 
pb&cj said:
She said that the fats in animal proteins would raise my blood sugar and make my overall health worse. The confusing part was that I said I enjoyed eating chicken breast and salmon.

Thank you, I will check with my monitor. Apologies if this sounded dumb, I'm really new to everything.
Click to expand...
No need for apologies. When diagnosed with T2D my GP advised continuing to eat the same low fat high whole grain lots of fruit way that I'd been scared into for the prior decade! I found this forum, this information: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html
and Dr David Unwin 's results with his patients on Low Carb.

I took advice here about BG meters and testing, then verified for myself that this was something that worked for me. My GB levels dropped back to normal , followed by my HbA1C followed by T2D remission. My GP never mentions diet again.

As has already been said, fat barely nudges Blood Glucose (much less even than Protein) so testing with a BG meter will immediately refute the myth that fat (or even just animal fat) raises BG.
The second part is more tricky, but relies on the slight evidence that Saturated fat sometimes raises LDL and that high LDL is thought to be a Cardio Vascular risk. However there are many cardiologists who disagree this is always the case, especially in the context of a Low Carb way of eating:
 
pb&cj said:
My doctor just said that I shouldn't do low carb like that :/ and also I shouldn't get my protein from animal meats or fish (just once in a while) and that I would benefit from a purely plant based diet. Idk what to think any more. It just feels like she ripped out the last thing I could enjoy.

I was told that lifting weights or strenuous exercise would raise my blood sugar levels too much. I've just been walking around and its nice but I just miss the weights.

I don't know how to tag someone but thank you to Paul for advising me to post this
Click to expand...
Your doctor is making claims which seem to be contradicting what a lot of people experience, and my own path back into normal blood glucose numbers has been by eating protein and fat from animal sources, low carb - and I went back to work, moving knitting machines around to do the servicing on them, because I can do that again.
To tag someone you use the 'at' key followed by their name and, before you reach the end of the name a list of names will appear
@pb&cj
Just click on the right one and it will appear as a tag once the message is posted.
 
pb&cj said:
My doctor just said that I shouldn't do low carb like that :/ and also I shouldn't get my protein from animal meats or fish (just once in a while) and that I would benefit from a purely plant based diet. Idk what to think any more. It just feels like she ripped out the last thing I could enjoy.

I was told that lifting weights or strenuous exercise would raise my blood sugar levels too much. I've just been walking around and its nice but I just miss the weights.

I don't know how to tag someone but thank you to Paul for advising me to post this
Click to expand...
Firstly, no need to thank me. We've spoken a bit on PM and this was an area of discussion I felt you would benefit from the far greater experience of other forum members here, rather than the thoughts of a guy who's had some decent results, but is still relatively new to all this (I'm still yet to have my second hba1c, which is the real proof of approach). Hopefully the responses so far have given you some confidence to continue on the path you were planning.

My diet and lifestyle approach is the polar opposite to what your doctor suggests. My BG readings were between 15 (270) and 17.9 (322) when I was diagnosed. While following the dietary advice your doctor promotes, I got the 17.8 result - which is still, to date, my highest reading I had on record. Within 2 weeks of low-carb, my readings had halved at all points. Diabetic symptoms started to significantly subside. Within 4 weeks, all symptoms were gone. I've lost quite a lot of weight and my blood pressure has reduced enough I was taken off 1 of my 3 meds. I'm now a couple of months into all this and my average BG reading today is 5.3 (95). All by staying under 30g of carbs per day and exercising 30 mins a day.

I really can't get my head around your docs advice on exercise. Sure, while you're reducing your BG through low-carb, start off slower with the weights and exercise intensity maybe. However, even the NHS recommend 2 X 30 minute sessions of weight/resistance training per week. Just make sure you test before starting and after, then give it a couple of hours and test again. You can always adapt the intensity of your exercise regime then. My BG may go up a bit immediately after, but if I don't eat anything following exercise, it goes down below the pre-exercise level within 2 hours normally. If I do eat after exercise, I get less of a BG rise than I would if I didn't exercise.
 
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pb&cj said:
She said that the fats in animal proteins would raise my blood sugar and make my overall health worse. The confusing part was that I said I enjoyed eating chicken breast and salmon.

Thank you, I will check with my monitor. Apologies if this sounded dumb, I'm really new to everything.
Click to expand...
Have you asked her further studies behind her claims?
 
May I also ask about working out to anyone here? Does it matter if I split up my walking time or would it work to have a single workout in the morning? I'm just trying to ascertain whether length of workout is important or frequency is more important. Cause I've heard that a 10-20 min after a meal can help blood sugar spikes. But I'm getting a bit exhausted doing that after everything I eat.
 
Hi @pb&cj
If it helps, I settled into a routine after my initial diagnosis (hba1c 87) after going through the usual panic and feeling overwhelmed.
I switched to low carb diet and soon felt the benefits, my legs were no longer painful and I was able to move again!

I walk my dogs in the morning, between 1 to 2 miles. Initially could barely walk 1/2 mile. Now 2 miles is ok, but this has built up over a few months.
Then lunch and a nice rest, feet up.
Mid afternoon I do a 30 minute workout ( gentle at the start of my journey) on You Tube.
After evening meal if it’s been slightly carb heavy, after an hour or so I’ll walk 20 mins. But not every evening and not every time after eating.
My hba test after 3 months had dropped to 38, I’d lost 2 stone, all meds were stopped and I’m 4 weeks away from next blood tests.

My exercise routine has not changed, just the intensity as I have way more energy and fitness.
The weight is still dropping, I had plenty to drop!
Hope this helps and you find a routine that works for you.
 
pb&cj said:
My doctor just said that I shouldn't do low carb like that :/ and also I shouldn't get my protein from animal meats or fish (just once in a while) and that I would benefit from a purely plant based diet. Idk what to think any more. It just feels like she ripped out the last thing I could enjoy.

I was told that lifting weights or strenuous exercise would raise my blood sugar levels too much. I've just been walking around and its nice but I just miss the weights.

I don't know how to tag someone but thank you to Paul for advising me to post this
Click to expand...
My doc knows my way of eating has kept me in the normal range since a month or two after diagnosis. She still tells me it's perfectly fine for me to have a slice of birthday cake every now and again, at parties, so I don't feel left out. I think she figures no-one can keep up a diet without cake? ;)

Just go with your meter, it knows better what's happening in your body than your, (or my!), GP at any given time. My meter loves meat, poultry, fish and eggs, does yours? :)

As for exercise, not my area of expertise, but considering the diet's the main thing... Anything you do is a bonus. One long walk or a bunch of small ones will lower blood glucose. Anything strenuous'll make you spike most likely, but in the long run you lower blood glucose... I figure, whatever you do is a win. But that's just my take. Find what suits your life, really.
 
Should add, the walk is daily. The exercise video 3/4 times a week.
Totally agree with @JoKalsbeek
Diet totally overrides exercise for blood control, but exercise will help in so many ways.
Trust your meter rather than your current GP.
 
pb&cj said:
My doctor just said that I shouldn't do low carb like that :/ and also I shouldn't get my protein from animal meats or fish (just once in a while) and that I would benefit from a purely plant based diet. Idk what to think any more. It just feels like she ripped out the last thing I could enjoy.

I was told that lifting weights or strenuous exercise would raise my blood sugar levels too much. I've just been walking around and its nice but I just miss the weights.

I don't know how to tag someone but thank you to Paul for advising me to post this
Click to expand...
I don't agree with your doctor (I didn't agree with the NHS advice I was given either).

I have been on ~20g carb a day since December 2019, with the results seen below. The carb largely comes from green veg, but I'm fuelled 95% by meat and dairy. While I think it's possible for some people to achieve similar results on a plant-based diet, that would not work for me.

I do get blood glucose rises with strenuous exercise, which is good - my system is providing fuel for my muscle cells to work, and contributing to using up energy stored in bodyfat. And it feels good. My glucose will be back to my normal level within minutes of stopping. If I were you, I'd be back on those weights.

With advice like you've had, I can see why there is still a belief in much of the medical profession that T2 is a progressive, inescapable disease. Following that advice would probably do it.
 
KennyA said:
I don't agree with your doctor (I didn't agree with the NHS advice I was given either).

I have been on ~20g carb a day since December 2019, with the results seen below. The carb largely comes from green veg, but I'm fuelled 95% by meat and dairy. While I think it's possible for some people to achieve similar results on a plant-based diet, that would not work for me.

I do get blood glucose rises with strenuous exercise, which is good - my system is providing fuel for my muscle cells to work, and contributing to using up energy stored in bodyfat. And it feels good. My glucose will be back to my normal level within minutes of stopping. If I were you, I'd be back on those weights.

With advice like you've had, I can see why there is still a belief in much of the medical profession that T2 is a progressive, inescapable disease. Following that advice would probably do it.
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Thank you so much for your input! Its not like I was even asking to eat the fattiest cuts of beef or pork. I literally asked if I could continue to have chicken breast, salmon, and mackerel. I don't think eating a balanced meal of vegetables, protein, and nuts should destroy me.
 
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