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How Do You Do Lc?

B

BarbaraG

Well-Known Member
Messages
294
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Hello everyone. I've been T2 for 18 years and have a chequered history when it comes to disordered eating and weight. I've been doing LCHF for all of five and a half weeks - it's going well so far in terms of both sticking to it, and weight loss. I have worked out, however, that there are a whole range of different ways of low-carbing, and some people can get rather evangelical about promoting their particular way.

So far I have not been counting carbs or recording my food - that kind of does my head in due to my eating disorder history. The first book I read on the subject was Real Meal Revolution, which offers Green, Orange and Red food lists, and I'm sort of following that, but not completely strictly. So, broadly speaking, I have excluded sugar, grains and root vegetables, apart from the odd little nibble here and there, and limited my fruit to berries. I'm just not eating carb-dense foods or seed oils and am doing almost all of my food prep from fresh ingredients. Don't know what the effect on my BG is yet - I lost a shed load of weight a few years ago, and when I got taken off all medication my prescription for test strips was not renewed. Been back on metformin for a year now, but no test strips. But I've just moved area so signed up with a new GP and am due my annual review now, so will ask about test strips when I go.

My question is: what is your approach to LC, and why are you doing it that way?
 
Personally I go as low carb as feasible. Green veg salad stuffs are my only real source. Meat and fish are my other main foodstuffs. Snacks are pork scratchings. In tea and coffee I have unsweetened soya milk or double cream. I look on Type 2 as a carb intolerance so don't eat them. I also fast intermittently up to 5 days. I have no medication and last HbA1c was 27
 
This was after a lot of testing using my SD codefree meter which I self fund.
 
Thanks for answering. When you mention testing, do you mean that you tried initially with a higher carb intake, but weren't happy with your results?
 
BarbaraG said:
Thanks for answering. When you mention testing, do you mean that you tried initially with a higher carb intake, but weren't happy with your results?
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That is how I did it. Some people go cold turkey initially then add back a few carbs once they have control. I stated with higher carbs and gradually reduced them until I was happy. During this period of reducing carbs gradually I counted all my carbs, fats, proteins and calories and kept a strict food diary including portion sizes. I eventually arrived at around 30g carbs daily and have stayed at that for the last 10 months or so. I no longer count anything but I do make notes on what I ate and still test several times every day.
 
I have been on low carb diet since March....Diagnosed in December 2015. Now my weight and BG are now bellow normal, almost no meds...I reduced my metformin first to 1 x500 and that is when I remember to take it, which is not very often.
Most important thing for me with this diet is to enjoy what you are eating...Spoil yourself with low carb things you enjoy.
 
I have a similar history to you, but with no eating disorder, just gluttony! I have been low carbing for about 5 months now with good results. I basically cut out bread, rice, pasta, grains, pulses, pastry, potatoes and other root veg. Only berries and not too many and definitely no sugar or fruit juice. I did check to begin with to see how many carbs, but found I was generally eating under 30g daily. So if you don't want to count I reckon if you exclude those foods you should be fine. Just watch you don't overeat on protein as that turns to glucose when you have more than you need. Good luck, hope your new GP is good.
 
I arrived on it because it feels the best. I eat under 20 carbs a day and all I salad veggies and the few I might get with nuts and pumpkin seeds. I moderate my protein and eat fat just until satisfied. The majority of my fat is avocado nuts pumpkin seeds olive oil mayo and whatever fat comes with my protein. I do not eat chicken skins, bacon grease, gob butter etc. just normal meals without carbs. Veggies and protein with normal amounts of added fat.

The easiest way to do it is make a list of foods you know you can eat and forget thinking about the foods you can't eat. Personally I don't look for substitutes for foods I can't eat like bread etc. however there are some good nut flour recipes for crackers and muffins and good veggies substitutes for mashed potato with cauliflower.
 
I have discovered cauli rice and cauli rice, and it's a surprise that I like them because I have never enjoyed cauliflower as a vegetable! But I'm only using them occasionally. I'm finding that either salad with olive/avocado oil or veggies with butter are perfectly adequate accompaniments to my protein element most of the time - I really don't need potatoes/rice/bread/pasta.
 
May I ask your height and weight? Also your age and exercise capabilities, as you seem to be eating hardly enough to keep body and soul together. I agree you can manage perfectly well without potatoes, rice, bread or pasta, but you do need some carbohydrate in your diet as well as plenty of protein. You don't mention milk/dairy/eggs, so how much calcium are you getting (have you had a dexa scan?)
If your body isn't nourished it can go into 'starvation mode' and make you quite ill.
 
Hi and welcome!

My LC method is fairly resistant to anything mathematical. Does my head in. Counting calories was a resounding disaster for over 30 years, and I am left with a few deep seated dislikes for that kind of thinking.

I basically eat normal protein (probably a bit too much, but hey, I don't like counting)
Then I eat huge portions of low carb veg and/or salad, with maybe 3 portions of berries a week
And then enough fat to keep me from getting carb cravings and falling head first into carbs.

REALLY not very technical.

I do monitor my blood glucose, and that has been the best and most consistent guide to how much carb, and what size portions.
There are a lot of foods, including this breakfast cereal, that have no impact on my blood glucose. I stick to those and reserve foods with a higher impact for small portions or rare treats. Last week I found the most gorgeous low carb choc cake recipe, that didn't blip my blood glucose. What a find!
 
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For me Low Carb is very simple, and requires little or no planning.

I immediately stopped eating Potatoes, Bread, Pasta, Rice, Cereals and anything else made with Grains. That still leaves you with a huge choice of things to eat and enjoy.

I don't count anything, so I have no idea how many Carbs I eat on a particular day, but it's rarely very many I would guess.

If it was difficult and required a lot of thought I doubt whether I could have managed to follow the Lifestyle for too long, but it's not and it doesn't so it is easy.
 



Ooh could you share the recipe please?
 

I'm actually REALLY struggling. Do you have a weekly food diary you could share please? I'm struggling terribly with LCHF/am a new T2 so any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
melliemars said:
I'm actually REALLY struggling. Do you have a weekly food diary you could share please? I'm struggling terribly with LCHF/am a new T2 so any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Unfortunately not, but there is a great thread on the Low Carb forum that recounts what people have eaten. I don't contribute too often as I've usually forgotten before I post.

As an example;

B: Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Tomato & Mushroom
L: Salmon Fillet in Chilli Dressing (bought from Morrisons) with a small salad
D: Chicken Bacon & Avocado Salad with plenty of EVOO
Snacks if needed would have been a mini BabyBel, or a Pepperami Stick, or some nuts....

That was yesterday, the day before I had no breakfast just a double espresso with a splash of cream, lunch was some pate with picked veg, dinner was some 97% meat sausages on the BBQ with salad, and strawberries with cream.

All very simple, the main constant is plenty of Salads and/or Green Veg with a source of Protein.
 
BarbaraG said:
Thanks for answering. When you mention testing, do you mean that you tried initially with a higher carb intake, but weren't happy with your results?
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No I mean testing my blood sugar after eating anything to see the effects. I went ultra low carb from day 1.
 
breakfast: hard boiled egg
mid morning: a few sunflower seeds 1/3 cup
lunch: couple pieces of cheese, 1 devilled egg
dinner: 2 burger patties (0 carb no fillers) with cheese, salad

Was kind of a high protein low motivation day. It is now 12:30 am where I am and I am still feeling stuffed full.
I would normally have some steamed veggies in there somewhere. My blood sugar is right now 5.2
 
bulkbiker said:
No I mean testing my blood sugar after eating anything to see the effects. I went ultra low carb from day 1.
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You might find now that you've lost a good chunk of weight that something which spiked your BG at the start would not now. OTOH, if you're enjoying what you're eating, no need to change?
 
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