Hi. Just wondering if low carb is meant to work for everyone. Ive been diagnosed a couple of months now and on metformin. Ive been strictly low carb and my sugars are getting higher and higher. Ive stopped eating during the day now and am only eating once a day in the early evening. By the time my meal is due my sugar is around 9-10 after 24 hrs without food. After food my sugars shoot to mid 20s and stay there for hours. I usually have meat cheese and green veg for my meal. I have a drs appt next week and hes already said I need more meds. I kind of dont want to give up on low carb but also cant see it has made much difference. My estimated hba1c according to my My Sugr app is heading for higher than when I was diagnosed.
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Does low carb work for everyone?
- Thread starter Lally123
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CherryAA
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that does sound unusual . you should make sure you ask for the tests to check that its not type 1 or some other kind.. Im no expert so others will have a better sense of that.
In the meantime - one thing I have noticed myself is that because I suffer quite badly from dawn phenomenon, if I fast until the evening then I find that I end up with higher figures all day.
You might find that if you switch it about - e.g. have the one meal at the beginning of the day instead of the end - that might help,
good luck
In the meantime - one thing I have noticed myself is that because I suffer quite badly from dawn phenomenon, if I fast until the evening then I find that I end up with higher figures all day.
You might find that if you switch it about - e.g. have the one meal at the beginning of the day instead of the end - that might help,
good luck
pleinster
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Hi. Doesn't sound good, pal...I am pretty confident that low carbing should have a positive impact on most people's blood sugar level...so this sounds a bit odd...but there are always exceptions as we are less than copies of each other; more like variations on a theme. Others may have different opinions or experiences of course.
That said, I would advise that when you speak with your doctor (and you really do need to), you arm yourself with a list of what you are eating (as exactly as possible). A record of what you ate and when you ate it as well as your reading before and 2 hours after can only help....and a breakdown of exact amounts of carb in relation to portion size would also be of assistance. I would be concerned too about how little you might be eating, so counting calories, protein, fibre, fat etc in a day's intake would be more than useful. It was only by recording all these things that I got my levels under control.
I am not doubting you for a second but wonder exactly how low your carb intake is - what kinds of veg, meat, cheese (some still have higher carb content than you may think). On the surface, it sounds like you are eating the right things though. The mid 20s shouldn't be happening if you are a Type 2 with low carb intake as well as metformin...so there may well be other factors involved.
Are you on any other drugs (particularly steroids or antibitoics)?
What were your levels on diagnosis?
Was there any initial improvement on the Metformin?
Might you have an infection?
Some people take longer to respond than others.
Whatever the issue is - don't lose heart. Good luck.
seadragon
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Have you checked you are not eating too much protein and too little fat? Protein can also be broken down into glucose and pure fat (e.g. butter, coconut oil, olive oil) is the only nutrient that should have no effect on blood glucose. Still it sounds odd so would get more checks done.
Indy51
Expert
Ask your doctor to test you for Type 1/LADA. You'll need a c-peptide and GAD antibody tests. If you're eating only once a day and your BG is still rising, I'd suspect you have beta cell damage of some kind.
Winnie53
BANNED
@Lally123 I've been thinking about your question for much of the afternoon and evening. Yes, the low carb diet does work for everyone - (those with metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, type 2, type 1.5, type 1 diabetes) - in the sense that it significantly reduces and levels out glucose levels, but only if adequate levels of insulin are present. For the diet to work, type 1.5 and type 1 diabetics need to inject insulin.
While waiting to see your physician, there are additional things that you can do...
Continue eating non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens.
Continue eating no sugar, no fruit, no grains, no beans and legumes, no root vegetables, as you've been doing.
Begin including one or more healthy fats with each meal - (remember, fat serve as your primary source of calories on the diet): butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, up to six green olives a day, avocado, raw nuts, animal fat.
Learn how many grams of protein are in each ounce of cooked meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and eggs. Determine how much protein you should be eating each day based on your lean body mass and whether you're above, at, or below that upper limit. This is important because excess protein is converted to glucose and will spike your glucose levels.
Document exactly what you're eating each day and the amounts. Determine the grams of protein, calories from fat, and number of carbs you're eating each day. Note that.
Take your glucose level upon awakening, before each meal, two hours after each meal, and before going to sleep. Note that too.
Also note how much weight you've lost or gained if there's been a change, also your symptoms of being thirsty and feeling awful.
Without knowing exactly what you're eating, daily grams of protein, calories from fat, and whether or not you're eating non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens only for carbs, it's hard to know what's going on.
I want you to have type 2 diabetes - (perhaps your glucose meter isn't working properly) - but based on the information you've shared here over the last month or so, it's not looking likely.
It's important that you document what's happening to you so you and your doctor will have the information he needs to justify ordering the lab tests for type 1.5 and type 1 diabetes. The sooner you know, the sooner you'll get treatment you need, and most importantly, the sooner you'll begin to feel a lot better.
I'm sorry you're going though this. I remember how frustrated I felt when my glucose levels didn't come down fast enough - (it took four weeks, then my levels plateaued and gradually improved over the year that followed; two years later, glucose levels are no longer in the diabetic or pre-diabetic range, but I still have severe insulin resistance).
Your doctor needs to find out what's going on with your pancreas. My hope is that he'll be persuaded to do so when you see him (or her) at you upcoming appointment. Whatever your diagnosis, you'll continue to receive support here. Not knowing what's going on is the worst. Again, I'm sorry you're going through this...
maria030660
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hi,
Extreme low carb doesnt work for me. I have to get up at 445 each morning and start work at 7 and then home at 515 so a long day. I aim to too exceed 130 g of carb but have more carb in the morning and less carb at lunch (like salad or something) and then dinner as i need to go through the night. In the morning i have an old fashioned bowl of porridge which works for me. It is a matter of trying out. But if you eat lots of fresh veg, fruit like apple, cherries, strawberries (no banana or grapes), fish (not fried) and say no to ALL processed food you will be alright.
Extreme low carb doesnt work for me. I have to get up at 445 each morning and start work at 7 and then home at 515 so a long day. I aim to too exceed 130 g of carb but have more carb in the morning and less carb at lunch (like salad or something) and then dinner as i need to go through the night. In the morning i have an old fashioned bowl of porridge which works for me. It is a matter of trying out. But if you eat lots of fresh veg, fruit like apple, cherries, strawberries (no banana or grapes), fish (not fried) and say no to ALL processed food you will be alright.
Daibell
Master
Hi. If you are reasonably slim then suspect late onset T1 (LADA) and not T2. Ask for the two tests GAD and c-peptide. Note that many GPs won't know what these are but hopefully they will find out or refer you. GAD checks for antibodies which are usually but not always present with LADA. c-peptide checks your insulin level. If you are LADA then you will need more meds leading eventually to insulin. If you are T1 (LADA) then you may be prescribed Gliclazide for a while to stimulate the islet cells. Keep the low-carb going but sadly T1 always needs increasing meds, but insulin works well as and when you need it. Quite a few of us have been down this route on the forum. If you do have a lot of excess weight then T2 is probably correct and you need to discuss options with the GP.
Hi all thanks for all your replies. @Daibell I am pretty slim weigh around 9.5 stone size 10 and happy with my weight. I spoke to my gp today he was pretty good. I spoke to him about all the tests you guys have mentioned and he said I have to try gliclazide next then he will order tests if that doesn't work as they are expensive. Tbh I'm more concerned with getting my sugar levels down atm as they are making me feel.pretty ill. I guess I was hoping some.of you would say that low carb doesn't work for everyone because deep.deep-down I am worried as my mum died young of pancreatic cancer and as my diabetes began so suddenly it bothered me a lot. But I also have a massive family history of diabetes, which in most of my cousins uncles aunt father and grandma responded beautifully to low dose gliclazide or other drugs like it. Some were/are on insulin, none on metformin. I'm guessing my diabetes may not be typically insulin resistant and there has to be a really strong genetic lean on it. My sugars certainly do leap up in the evenings despite eating few carbs so either I can't tolerate carbs at all okay be just not enough insulin there to deal with them. Massively grateful.to you all for your thoughts and advice and keeping my fingers crossed that gliclazide does the trick.
Hi @Freema. Very few. I normally only eat once a day and an example would be a big sirloin with blue cheese on the top cabbage leeks and green beans. I take tea and coffee black. Don't often have cold. Drinks but if I do its water. Don't eat breakfast rarely eat lunch. If I need.to snack I have pork scratching puffy things, salami bites or some nuts. Have really restricted food because until my sugar levels normalise I won't be able to work out what sort of effect individual foods have. I did have lunch today had a manic busy long workday and was getting too hungry by lunchtime so popped in aldi got tuna nicotine salad (egg and tuna) but didn't eat the potato. I don't get how putting very little into your body that can turn into.glucose can send my levels soaring so high for so long. Maybe it is the protein. Still I start my new Meds on Monday and am strangely excited to be taking another tablet!
proteins if you do not do exercises and weight lifting should usually be under 1 gram pro kg body weight even 0.8 gram is usually enough for an average build female.. I really do understand why you worry... your blood glucose is supposed to be much lower when considering what you eat... there is though 1 person in here with an eating disturbance that also have very high levels of blood glucose... and it could be that when one only eat like 1 meal a day that ones liver think it has to do the mainrole in metabolim and thus speed up its contribution of transforming proteins into glucose as well.... maybe you should try more meals and smaller amounts of foods to see if that does make a change..in your weird pattern
