- Messages
- 4,384
- Location
- Suffolk, UK
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
I think I may disagree slightly with @Kristin251 on the emphasis about eating fat and ketosis.
Ketosis comes about when your body doesn't have enough glucose to supply your energy needs and your metabolism switches to burning ketones which are produced from fats. Eating fats helps you get into and maintain ketosis, but ONLY if you restrict your total carbohydrates and protein. If you don't restrict your carbohydrates and protein then you are unlikely to achieve ketosis and you are also likely to feel like **** because there is a half way stage between full blown glucose metabolism and ketosis where you aren't getting enough glucose for your energy needs but aren't getting so little glucose that it triggers the switch to ketosis.
Protein needs of the body are quite low; really only needed to repair damage and slow general loss due to wearing out and replacement as a natural process. Protein is also a source of blood glucose through gluconeogenesis so you can kick yourself out of ketosis if you eat significantly more protein than your body needs for maintenance. As a side note, one of the indicators of the onset of T2 diabetes (and also T1) is rapid unexplained weight loss. This can be due to the body going into panic mode because the tissues are not getting enough glucose (despite high BG levels) and kicking off gluconeogenesis to digest body proteins to produce ketones for energy. This tends to overload the blood with ketones, which is diabetic ketoacidosois and a very rapid trip to A&E.
The generally accepted dietary ratio is 80% fat, 15% protein and 5% carbohydrates but with a limit of below 100 grams of carbohydrates. Some people need to go much lower to kick themselves into ketosis, perhaps as low as 20 grams of carbohydrates per day initially.
Within those general guidelines you eat until you are full. If you feel hunger cravings then often bulk can help for example from eating loads of low carbohydrate vegetables (covered in butter, of course).
Remember that most cuts of meat are not all protein; they contain fat and water and fibre as well so a 100 gram steak is not 100 grams of protein.
@ghost_whistler I understand your concern about slipping out of ketosis, as it can take 4-6 weeks to become fully adapted but allegedly it only takes 3-4 days to get back in if you are strict with yourself. Haven't noted if you have tested your urine with Ketostix to see if your body is pushing out ketones.
Snack when you are hungry, a few nuts eaten slowly are good. If you are so full that you can't comfortably eat any more and you still feel desperately hungry then there is something abnormal about your hunger reflex (not all that uncommon) and that is a separate issue from your diet, which should be addresses as a specific issue. Again, you might have something like acid indigestion from your change in diet which your brain is interpreting as hunger pangs,
Remember that going onto a ketogenic diet is in two stages; firstly cut back on sources of glucose (both carbohydrates and protein) to force your body to adapt to ketosis but making sure that you eat plenty of food to avoid hunger then secondly look at balancing your total calorie intake if you specifically want to lose weight AND you are not already losing weight.
I seem to be managing to be in and stay in ketosis and the only real problem I have had was when I wasn't eating enough. This made me hungry and tired but didn't reduce my weight.
Ketosis comes about when your body doesn't have enough glucose to supply your energy needs and your metabolism switches to burning ketones which are produced from fats. Eating fats helps you get into and maintain ketosis, but ONLY if you restrict your total carbohydrates and protein. If you don't restrict your carbohydrates and protein then you are unlikely to achieve ketosis and you are also likely to feel like **** because there is a half way stage between full blown glucose metabolism and ketosis where you aren't getting enough glucose for your energy needs but aren't getting so little glucose that it triggers the switch to ketosis.
Protein needs of the body are quite low; really only needed to repair damage and slow general loss due to wearing out and replacement as a natural process. Protein is also a source of blood glucose through gluconeogenesis so you can kick yourself out of ketosis if you eat significantly more protein than your body needs for maintenance. As a side note, one of the indicators of the onset of T2 diabetes (and also T1) is rapid unexplained weight loss. This can be due to the body going into panic mode because the tissues are not getting enough glucose (despite high BG levels) and kicking off gluconeogenesis to digest body proteins to produce ketones for energy. This tends to overload the blood with ketones, which is diabetic ketoacidosois and a very rapid trip to A&E.
The generally accepted dietary ratio is 80% fat, 15% protein and 5% carbohydrates but with a limit of below 100 grams of carbohydrates. Some people need to go much lower to kick themselves into ketosis, perhaps as low as 20 grams of carbohydrates per day initially.
Within those general guidelines you eat until you are full. If you feel hunger cravings then often bulk can help for example from eating loads of low carbohydrate vegetables (covered in butter, of course).
Remember that most cuts of meat are not all protein; they contain fat and water and fibre as well so a 100 gram steak is not 100 grams of protein.
@ghost_whistler I understand your concern about slipping out of ketosis, as it can take 4-6 weeks to become fully adapted but allegedly it only takes 3-4 days to get back in if you are strict with yourself. Haven't noted if you have tested your urine with Ketostix to see if your body is pushing out ketones.
Snack when you are hungry, a few nuts eaten slowly are good. If you are so full that you can't comfortably eat any more and you still feel desperately hungry then there is something abnormal about your hunger reflex (not all that uncommon) and that is a separate issue from your diet, which should be addresses as a specific issue. Again, you might have something like acid indigestion from your change in diet which your brain is interpreting as hunger pangs,
Remember that going onto a ketogenic diet is in two stages; firstly cut back on sources of glucose (both carbohydrates and protein) to force your body to adapt to ketosis but making sure that you eat plenty of food to avoid hunger then secondly look at balancing your total calorie intake if you specifically want to lose weight AND you are not already losing weight.
I seem to be managing to be in and stay in ketosis and the only real problem I have had was when I wasn't eating enough. This made me hungry and tired but didn't reduce my weight.