Glucometer, BG & Low Carb advice please T2

[sharonm1]

On 1.4.19 routine annual blood tests showed my HbA1c level to be 50. My GP said she would not label me diabetic just yet, no medication, and gave me a month to get it down to 48. After much reading I decided to go low carb 60-70g/day. A month later my HbA1c was 46, by 1.8.19 it was 39 and on 1.12.19 it was 40. During this time I have lost 16kg and look better and feel much healthier.

I would like to find out the effects of the foods I eat on my BG and thought to get a glucometer. There are so many on the market and I don't know which to chose. I would like something simple to use, no bells & whistles, just a basic but accurate glucometer at a reasonable price as I am on a budget. Can someone kindly give me some adivce on this please?

Regarding my low-carb eating, I really enjoy this way but I am struggling with getting/understanding the right ratio of fat/protein to go with my low-carb eating; my carb intake is now probably 70-80g/day, maybe 90g sometimes. There are so many variances when I do research on the topic of fat/protein ratio. (I'd also like to lose another 5-8kg too.) Can someone please advise me on how to calculate what my fat/protein intake should be please?

I do not eat bread/pasta/potatoes/grains/pulses/below ground veggies/anything with sugar/cakes/pastries/sweets/chocolate/fruit - except berries of which I eat too many (150g every day) + lots of 10% Greek yoghourt, another reason I want to see the effects of doing this on my BG. Every day I eat loads of above-ground veggies together with either pork/fish/chicken and I cook from scratch. I also eat lots of eggs, cheese (mainly feta & parmesan), butter, bacon and avocadoes and use mainly olive oil; I get through at least 800g of fresh cherry tomatoes every week, love them!

Thank you for reading this, I have been reading threads on this Forum for the past 8 months and I have every trust in members to give me the best advice.

 

[xfieldok]

Can I come round to yours, it sounds delicious!

Don't know much about ratios. I just went low carb keto and when I got to my target weight, I upped the fats and proteins to maintain it.

I use the Tee2 meter. The strips are your running costs. I phoned Spirit Health, ordered 200 strips and they threw in the meter for free. If you declare yourself as diabetic, you don't pay VAT.

 

[sharonm1]

Thanks for your reply xfieldok. Ha ha, you're welcome to mine for a low-carb fest! I enjoy cooking. I enjoy low-carb, not sure I could do keto on 20g carb/day - my personal way of low-carb means I will stick to it for the long haul. Thanks for the meter information, I will check that out - I haven't been diagnosed diabetic by my GP so I don't know if I can get away with declaring that I am! Thanks again.

 

[Robbity]

There are various apps that can help you if you really want to know macro ratios. But I've basically kept my protein intake about the same as pre diagnosis, reduced carbs down enough to keep glucose levels where I want them (hopefully) at low end of pre diabetic, and replaced them with enough (slightly extra) fat to keep me feeling full. Simples! For me, it was primarily a matter of working on reducing my glucose levels, and the weight (which GP wanted me to lose) just fell off without me initially being aware after I cut carbs down to 20-25g a day for a few weeks. I've eaten a low carb/ketogenic diet for nearly six years, and don't set myself a fixed carbs-per-day allowance to keep glucose levels stable - just aim to keep to below 50g, which can sometimes be lower than 20g carbs a day.

If you want to lose a little more weight try cutting down on the carbs slightly, and eating a bit less fat. You need to aim for enough reduction in fuel input that your body has to use a bit more stored fat - it uses fuel from carbs first as they are most easy to digest, then burns dietary fat, and then finally, if necessary, will resort to hardest to process stored fat. One of the main benefits of going really low carb/keto (for a while - not necessarily forever!) is that when your body is faced with a severe lack of carbs, it's forced to (relearn how to) burn body fat (AKA being fat adapted), instead of shouting "I'm hungry - feed me more carbs!!"

 

[sharonm1]

Many thanks for your feedback Robbity, it's very helpful. Can you give me some examples of your typical breakfast and evening meals when only eating 20-25g carbs per day please?