Don't do what I did!!

[retrogamer]

Hey guys,

I've been managing my diabetes quite well, getting exercise, following a (fairly) low carb diet with occasional slip ups and everything has been fine.

That is up until the last couple of days!

Had a roast dinner earlier in the week and thought, I've been good so a couple of roast potatoes won't hurt. They didn't really but the next day I really pushed my luck and had some chips from the local chippy. Yeah I know, stupid anyway, bad carbs 2 days in a row was a ridiculous idea.
Anyway, I am suffering now, not sure if it's my body reacting to the lousy food choices or my medication doing a fine job but for the last 24-36 hours I really feel like my stomach is being flushed out!! Can't sleep for needing the toilet so frequently.
Ordinarily I would assume I had contracted a stomach bug or food poisoning but I have zero ill effects apart from the frequent visits to the porcelain throne so I am assuming it must be my body reacting to the bad stuff!
I'm not suggesting don't have the occasional treat or day off the diet but just don't push your body to the extreme like I did and suffer the consequences.

Needless to say, I'm back on the low carb diet. Maybe I'm completely wrong about why I'm like this but I'm not taking the chance again!

 

[TooSweetForMe]

I see you're on oral medications, per your profile. Are any of them metformin, by any chance?

 

[Pipp]

Good advice, @retrogamer. There is the added difficulty for some which is that consuming carbs triggers a sort of addiction, a desire to eat more and more.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hey guys,

I've been managing my diabetes quite well, getting exercise, following a (fairly) low carb diet with occasional slip ups and everything has been fine.

That is up until the last couple of days!

Had a roast dinner earlier in the week and thought, I've been good so a couple of roast potatoes won't hurt. They didn't really but the next day I really pushed my luck and had some chips from the local chippy. Yeah I know, stupid anyway, bad carbs 2 days in a row was a ridiculous idea.
Anyway, I am suffering now, not sure if it's my body reacting to the lousy food choices or my medication doing a fine job but for the last 24-36 hours I really feel like my stomach is being flushed out!! Can't sleep for needing the toilet so frequently.
Ordinarily I would assume I had contracted a stomach bug or food poisoning but I have zero ill effects apart from the frequent visits to the porcelain throne so I am assuming it must be my body reacting to the bad stuff!
I'm not suggesting don't have the occasional treat or day off the diet but just don't push your body to the extreme like I did and suffer the consequences.

Needless to say, I'm back on the low carb diet. Maybe I'm completely wrong about why I'm like this but I'm not taking the chance again!

When we eat out a few meals in a row (staying in a hotel for a night for instance, so lunch, dinner, breakfast and lunch before we're home again with proper sight on what I eat, carbwise), I just sort of assume I'll be going to the loo every 20 to 30 minutes at night, with very little sleep in between. (Just wee's, though... I tend to get constipated at times like these, not loose. But yes, it does have an effect all around.). I don't even bother bringing a meter, I don't want to know as I can't do much about it anyway in the middle of the night, and I'll be back on the wagon as soon as I'm home anyway. So, yeah... You're far from alone here. And yesterday was a stressful day, so I hit the chocolate, but the only thing we had was a bar that was loaded with sugars... And I didn't read the wrapper until after I'd eaten all 45 grams of it. That bar alone was 20+ grams of carbs. Today I am three pounds heavier than I was at the same time yesterday, so I know it's likely water weight with thanks to the -admittedly absolutely wonderful black sesame and cashew- chocolate bar, but it is very, very frustrating.

All in all, one way or another, our bodies usually let us know that carbs are not a good idea. Porcelain trone-sitting for whatever reason, weight gain however temporary... It happens, and it can hit us rather hard. (The metformin might not've helped matters either!). I just hope you feel better soon, and take it on board for next time. It's a learning experience.
Hugs,
Jo

 

[retrogamer]

I see you're on oral medications, per your profile. Are any of them metformin, by any chance?

Correct, metformin played havoc with my stomach when I first started on it. I assume it helps the body clear out all the junk that harms you.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Correct, metformin played havoc with my stomach when I first started on it. I assume it helps the body clear out all the junk that harms you.

Gastro-intestinal issues are a known side effect, so, no... It's not what the drug is designed to do, just something unfortunate that can crop up. The Met increases your insulin sensitivity a little, and tells your liver not to dump too much glucose. It doesn't really do anything about what you eat. Hence the importance of changing your diet as well.