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Getting Confused Over Lchf

Quirkybee

Well-Known Member
Messages
128
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Morning all

I received a few books yesterday entitled Reverse your Diabetes Diet book and Reverse your Diabetes by Dr David Cavan, the 8 week blood sugar diet by Dr Michael Mosley and Type 2 Diabetes Cure. All recommended by a few members on here. Thank you


Since starting this LCHF last week, I've gained almost 5Ibs and this is something I did not want to do. How is that

It's bad enough that my ankles are swollen since being on the 4th Metformin tablet and they were not swollen before I commenced these tablets, yet according to the Dr's Handbook, swollen ankles are not a side effect! Hmmm, I think so.

My only blip was last night when I had chip shop fish and chips. My bg before tea at 7pm (bearing in mind my last bite of food was a nectarine about 3pm) was a wonderful 5.7, it's never ever been that good. Naturally 2hrs later it rose to 15, I expected that though.

Other than that I have tried to follow this diet. Today I have a salad with a very, very small tin of mixed tuna from Aldi, see attachments, but I'm getting so confused over the high fat, low carb, that I'm feeling quite low with it all and a bit despondent too.

Should I not have this salad for lunch today?

Plus, I feel like giving in, which I won't, as I want to improve my overall bg levels and I'm not stressing about testing, I actually find it quite therapeutic and am looking at my trends more than focusing too much on the figures, but still bearing them in mind. I really do believe that we should "eat to our meter". It's become my little buddy, lol.

Oh folks, please can you help, tell me if I'm doing wrong etc? I'm going to read these books over the weekend, I've had a glimpse too and they are very informative.

Thank you in anticipation from a Welsh lass
 
Hi @Quirkybee If you're trying to keep carbs low, you'd be better off having plain tinned tuna. Lots of those ones with sauces have added carbs like sugar or starch.

You can then add your own flavourings.
 
@Quirkybee,

Some of that tuna is quite high in carbs. I get the plain tuna steaks in brine, which have negligible carbs.

I have been on the LCHF for just under a week now. The key for me is absolutely no bread (accept high protein LIDL rolls), potatoes, rice, pasta, beer or sugar. I have noticed that my bg now seems to be in the pre-diabetes range, however it is too early to draw conclusions.

To start with it is a PITA but I am starting to get used to it now. It has been a bit of a culture shock for my wife, who is Asian, since she sees not eating rice as sacrilege

Keep plugging away and it will happen.
 
Thank you Jonbvn

I'm just concerned about the weight gain in a short space of a week or two since making these changes. Maybe I'm doing it wrong or maybe my body cannot hande the LCHF way......

Feel quite against this lunch now haha and would love a sandwich instead. Best eat it though, otherwise it's food wasted.
 
@Quirkybee , if you like fish take a look at the vacumn packed Mackerel that's available in the Aldi & Lidl stores, they are extremely low in carbs and very good value for money, 2-3 fillets for around £1.40.
 
Yes, I eat those regularly and they're North Atlantic too, which I read yeterday were the best out of a few other named brands to eat, due to high mercury levels in those brands.

Thank you noblehead
 

I'd give it a little longer. Weight can fluctuate and if you've only been following this diet such a short time, then things may settle.

You may also find using an app to record your carbs, calories, fat, etc, useful. That way you'll be able to see if there's any obvious gaps or excesses in what you're eating.
 
oh Quirkybee i feel your pain, this has happened to me on various diets over the years and it is soooooo disheartening.
It must be the hidden stuff that is preventing your success - so the label you showed has tapioca starch as one of the ingredients = carbs, so you need a can of simple plain tuna and add your own mayo or fat based sauce.
 
Thank you all and thank you @cusally.

Yes, I am feeling very disheartened and low since true diagnosis. I've done so well in losing 3.5 stone since 2014 on the slimming world way of eating, but have gone over board with the fruit.
However, I cannot afford to put this weight back on.
I ate the tuna as I couldn't waste it and breing in work, there wasn't many about today who would have ate it for me. Very tasty though, lol BG before hand was 6.4 only nibbled on few almonds this morning. Will see what my reading us like later.

I have fair few tins of natural tuna but they're all in water and although I know that's ok, I wondered if I should get them with oil in, but I am really unsure if thus LCHF way of eating, until I know that I won't gain anymore weight.

Sorry to be a bit jumbled up, but I really do feel quite in shock with all of this and overwhelmed, beginning to feel afraid of eying anything. My life is busy and I don't get in till late, but I'm still cooking from fresh for my son and I, but then it's 9 to 9.30 till we eat and I'm wacked then.
 
Think of it like a seesaw.
Carbs on one side, fat on the other.
Increasing fat intake will always result in weight gain unless you drop your carbs low enough.
Once you get those carbs low enough for your body, then eating fat won't cause weight gain.
But we all need to find out where our personal carb tolerance lies.
- sorry to say it looks like you need to reduce the carbs further.

Oh, one more thing. On conventional diets, it is fine to take a day off, or have a treat. Your fish and chips would just be a blip, wouldn't they?

But when low carbing, a single large portion of chips and batter is a hefty wack of carb intake, and has a number of effects - it pushes your blood glucose up in a big spike, it switches your body back to using glucose as a fuel, it causes water retention (a portion of chips will cause me to gain about 4 pounds overnight, and the chips don't weigh anything like that!) and can bring back all those lovely symptoms of T2, the thirst, the widdling, the tiredness, the brain fog...

After a 'treat' like that, it can take 4-5 days to shed the fluid, feel better again, and let your body re-adjust to burning fat as fuel.

So one 'treat' a week might effectively sabotage your efforts for most of the rest of the week, and mean that you were only getting the benefits of low carbing for a couple of days before you have your next treat...
 
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Can you tell us a typical day of food?
Are you eating healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, nuts? It doesn't necessarily need to be high fat but you do need some healthy fats. I would have put mayo on that tuna or Evoo and added some chunks of avocado.

Did you start eating dairy? That can cause weight gain.

Also if you've increased fars but have not reduced carbs enough could potentially cause gain. Fat does not make us fat IN THE ABSENCE OF CARBS. Of course over eating any food can cause weight gain. Calories still should be monitored. I use VLC 20 g or less per day, moderate protein and enough healthy fats to satisfy.
 
That makes sense Brunneria. It's having the time to study the carbs and how much I should use a day. I'm nearly always rushing here or there and although I am having a whinge, I know I must and I know that I want to get this right eventually. After all, it's for my health and future long life in the long run.
 
@Brunneria nailed it and cracked me up that the fish doesn't weigh nearly that much. Lol

It is very true, I always say one bad ( and I don't mean bad, just too much etc) equals three bad days of random blood sugars and I too can gain 3 or 4 pounds that take that many days to get back to normal. And true again, one high carb meal throws your body back into a carb burner and until you deplete all that glycogen you will not get back to fat burning for a few days. It is especially important to adhere to low carb in the beginning as your body is still adjusting to a new fuel source.
My personal carb threshold is less than 20 a day or I see weight gain, higher bs and cravings start. Easy for me to say as I have been doing this for over 25 years.
 
Find some grab and go foods like lunch meat, cold chicken, hard boiled eggs, nuts etc. I have a small cooler with ice packs that I take with me everyday. I make my lunch when I make my BF. Only one clean up. I pre cook lots of different proteins and put in serving sized baggies and defrost them in water while making my BF. When I'm done eating BF its defrosted and I just assemble the veggies. Lots less time in the kitchen.
 
I have the same problem, although I haven't gained any weight I haven't lost any either. I think I'm overdoing the fat. I was so pleased to see I could have butter and real cream and tasty cheese, I didn't take into account that these foods are usually eaten along with carbs - bread, fruit or crackers - and I think I drink too many cups of tea with delicious full fat milk, I must get through at least a pint a day which is not a good idea. Like everyone says, its the ratio of fats to carbs that's the secret
I'm not sure about your swollen ankles, are you on any other prescribed medicines such as blood pressure meds - these can have swollen legs as a common side effect, as well as giving you a dry itchy cough.
My big downfall is chocolate, even the 80% dark stuff (will I ever be thin?)
 
I would ditch the dairy before the chocolate. Dairy is a very well known weight staller. I know it lacks the pounds on me. I sure do love it but I only eat very small amounts on rare occasions. Even LC grains will pack pounds on. Try replacing the cheese with avocado slices? It is also true that saturated fats are the hardest to burn. I prefer mostly mono / plant fats but we are all individuals as the saying goes....
Sometimes we just need to tweak our diets a bit until we settle on what works for each of us.
 
Thank you all


My ankles were slim before I started on the 4th Metformin tablet (500mg), then the swelling started. They hurt now to bend, moreso my left one. Yes, I'm taking BP medication too, never had a problem with it though before,
it's since starting the Metformin.
 
Could it be your body doing some kind of rapid detox? Low carb is a diuretic diet so maybe you are losing fluid fast and it's held up in your ankles? Did you add the extra met at the same time starting low carb? Just a thought....
 
Are you drinking plenty of water? My last full-time office job caused swollen ankles in the hot summers. The A/C helped but no cure. I had to be very rehydrated and them elevated to resolve.
 

Have you checked with your surgery about that? It doesn't sound very nice if you're in pain.
 
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