I came off my LCHF diet for 10 days over Christmas

Ojustaboo

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Hi all, I know it was wrong to do what I did, but I will probably do it again next Christmas, and probably if I go on holiday this year.

I have numerous health issues, getting Type 2 was the icing on the cake so to speak, in fact the reality is, when I was told, I smiled and said something else to add to the list.

I've been following a strict LCHF diet for a while now and have seen very good results

I did take a couple of days off a while back (see this thread)
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/taking-a-couple-of-days-off-from-type-2-life.158073/

but have been good apart from that.

My last checkup, the nurse was ecstatic at how well I'd done, weight down, cholesterol down, fatty liver down, resting heartrate normal (was fast for years).

Everyone said how they bet I felt much better, everyone was 100% wrong.

OK obviously the blood results speak for themselves, my body was appreciating the loss of weight/diet, but I had just as much (if not more) pain, my CFS/ME is just as bad etc etc etc.

And I always said that come Christmas, I'm taking a week off and am going to enjoy myself, eating the food I like, not going to weigh myself or check my blood until after Christmas.

9th July I was 120kg (18st 12 oz) 48" waist
21st Dec I was 96.6 kg (15st 3lb), haven't measured waist since Nov when it was 40"

So I stopped my diet. I didn't go stupid, or not nearly as stupid as the rest of my skinny as a rake like family went.

The amount of chocolate and sugary sweets my wife and son both ate, well I doubt I could have kept up with them if I tried.

Sure I had a few celebrations, a walnut whip, Lindt Santa etc.
And I ate potatoes, gravy, peas every day.
I also had one part baked stick of bread every lunchtime (I still had no breakfast every day)
And I had milk in my coffee.

It was all pure heaven. I'm sorry but I disagree with those who say after you've not had them for ages, they will taste funny or too sweet etc, they tasted just like I remembered them.

But I didn't go mad. A bread stick for lunch, cooked potatoes and veg with cold Turkey or ham for dinner and a few sweets in between. One bottle of Speckled hen an evening. But I was also making sure I didn't go too mad, didn't put honey on the ham this year when we roasted it etc.

I only checked my blood once, we checked the whole families (bearing in mind they had all stuffed their faces with 10 times the sugar/carbs I had)

Wife: 5.8
Daughter 4.6
Son 5.4

Me, highest ever reading of 9.4

So I decided not to measure my blood until after my break is over, I know this sounds stupid, but with all my other health problems, my way of thinking is if I cant enjoy a few days over Christmas, whats the point.

Today I weighed myself for the first time since 21st Dec, I expected to have put on a bit, maybe 1/2 stone, what I didn't expect was how much weight I managed to put on in this 10 day period.

21 Dec 96.6kg, 15st 3lb

Today (2nd Jan 2019) , 107.1kg, 16st 12lb

So in those 10 days I put on a massive 1st 9lb and again, while a bottle of beer a day and a part baked stick might sound excessive to some, compared to the amount I used to eat at Christmas, I ate very very little.

It was a bit of a shock to be honest, although I'm back on the LCHF so will soon lose it.

So how do I interpret that. By interpreting, I mean the following.

I really didn't eat that excessively, sure I ate chocolate that in a normal week, before I had type 2, I would not normally eat (except Easter/Christmas).

Sure I had a part baked stick everyday for lunch, that's 150g of bread, which is nothing compared to the amount of bread I ate before I ended up type2.

And sure I treated myself to 1 Speckled Hen or Hobgoblyn a day, again in my pre type 2 days that would have been at least 3 a day.

So, lets presume it's not Christmas, I've got down to my ideal weight and I come off my LCHF diet. No chocolate, so that isn't going to be a factor at all.

Based on the last 10 days, it feels like if I start having small amounts of bread , pasta, potatoes, peas etc and maybe 3 or 4 bottles of beer on a Sat night, I will put weight on before I blink and my sugar levels will be off the scales.

Which sort of backs up my theory that you can't ever reverse Type 2, you can only put it in remission, and can only keep it in remission if you never start eating normally (as in peas, potatoes, bread etc) .

Just taken my blood for the first time since before Christmas, and it's 5.3.
 

bulkbiker

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Which sort of backs up my theory that you can't ever reverse Type 2, you can only put it in remission, and can only keep it in remission if you never start eating normally (as in peas, potatoes, bread etc) .
You're making the rather big assumption that eating "normally" involves potatoes and bread..
Potatoes have only been part of the European diet since the late 1500's bread possibly for 10,000 years or less and nothing like the starchy pap we have today..so maybe your body simply doesn't like these food types?
 
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bulkbiker

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Also you have been doing this for less than 6 months I'd hazard a guess that it took you substantially longer than that to attain T2 status? Maybe 20 or so years so it may take a while for your body to recover..
 

Rachox

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I think you made a choice over Xmas and paid a price, weight gain and inevitably higher blood sugars. You need to look forwards not back now. What’s done is done. You are the only one who can decide if it’s worth doing it again. Personally I keep to under 50g carbs per day and only went up to 60g on Xmas Day and Boxing Day. My sugars went up slightly for a few days but we’re still well within non diabetic limits. I enjoyed my Xmas food, I made loads of LC treats which I’m still having one or two a day of til they are exhausted but back under 50g carbs per day. Bear in mind that I’ve been low carbing now for 20 months and my HbA1c has been mid 30s for well over a year, so maybe just maybe I could get away with ‘cheating’ more but I’m not prepared to take the risk. Anyway that’s my take on it.
 
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Deleted member 308541

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You have to be "vigilanti semper" or your good work is all in vain, because it will come back and bite you on the backside if you backslide.
 

Guzzler

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You may end up being one of the lucky ones that eventually see an improvement in insulin sensitivity given time and as Bulkbiker says it can take decades to reach a diagnosis of T2 so we can't realistically expect to see any improvement in IR in a couple of months/years.

You had a nice Xmas, you didn't go wappy with the carbs but what is more important is that now you are aware that LCHF is a lifestyle and deviating from this lifestyle has its consequences, having said that, we must each weigh up our own personal measure of quality of life and judge accordingly.

Personally, I'm back on t'waggon. I do not celebrate Easter so if I have any carb heavy foods before next Xmas they will be very, very small ones. For me, to have a choice once or twice a year is enough.
 

HSSS

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Just having consumed carbs will also mean you’ll have retained more water too. I’m guessing a bit of that weight will come back off within days as soon as you cut the carbs (the initial water whoosh many people get when they start). Then you’ll have a better idea of what actual weight you’ve gained. Was it worth it? Your choice.
 

Resurgam

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My diabetes is pretty irrelevant these days - BUT - now that my insulin can work better, it works better. When I eat carbs, they are stashed away as fat (oh joy) rather than hoist up the blood glucose they hoist up the body mass.
I am often seeing an extra kilogram or two when I weigh and have to cut back on things so as to reverse the trend. Not buying nuts, cutting out roast veges, making soup, all help to lower the weight again.
 

Ojustaboo

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Was it worth it? Your choice.

The simple answer was, no it wasn't. I should have listened to you all

I really really struggled to get back on the diet (very stressful start to the year) and have only just managed to go back properly, and I now weigh 117.7 kg ( 18st 8 oz) :(

Ah well, what done is done, Stress levels way down now.
 
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Listlad

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This question cropped up with my LCHF friendly GP, just a few days ago. He was of the opinion that short bursts of carbs at special times of the year will not do any harm.
 

Ojustaboo

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This question cropped up with my LCHF friendly GP, just a few days ago. He was of the opinion that short bursts of carbs at special times of the year will not do any harm.

That's true if you have no problems going back to a carb free diet. I thought I was fine, I went straight back on it, but I found it really really hard to stick to and real life stress simply made me give in to temptation.
 

Listlad

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That's true if you have no problems going back to a carb free diet. I thought I was fine, I went straight back on it, but I found it really really hard to stick to and real life stress simply made me give in to temptation.
I understand. So far I don’t yield to temptation. Touch wood and lucky rabbits foot etc. There are loads of carb “demons” in my kitchen but I am able to ignore them including the kids chocolate and sweets. :D
 

srobertson06

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So informative and so helpful - I did really well and things although really slow were all going in the direction I wanted - then Christmas and tried so hard not to give in but failed - thought oh well get back in the new year ---- how wrong was I - now we are almost in July and I am still really struggling to get back to anywhere near eating well. I am still in there trying but not making much progress.
My life is stressful with many things contributing to making it stressful, I am doing my best to resolve these issues but that all takes time - meanwhile I continue to try and do the best I can.
I am doing my best - not seeing results to encourage but still doing what I can, can only hope things will improve soon and I can again see some improvements.
Change of doctor and change of medication so off of normal Metformin (started having problems taking it) now on slow release Metformin but also dropped from 4 tablets a day to 2 tablets a day............. Refused to take the statin as I had problems with the constant pain it caused.

Sorry rambling on.
 

wiflib

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This question cropped up with my LCHF friendly GP, just a few days ago. He was of the opinion that short bursts of carbs at special times of the year will not do any harm.

Those short bursts have left me fighting for months in the past, the most recent started in November last year and ended in February. I’ve still not completely undone the damage yet and there is some evidence that carbing up like that can cause permanent damage.

Being carnivore is helping hugely now.
 

Brunneria

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I have a few coping mechanisms that seem to ease my body back down from carbs.
Have used them a few times, because I am human, and stray from the straight and narrow on occasion. Don't we all!

For me, trying to go cold turkey back down to very low carb is always a disaster. The carb cravings are absurd.
So I step down over 2-3 days. This helps tremendously. Half carbs on day 1. Quarter carbs on day 2. Down to VLC on day 3.
And I never say never, I just say not now. lol.

When I am stepping down from carbs to LCHF, I make sure that I up the fat immediately.
That way the fat helps to squelch the cravings, and make me feel full and satisfied.
Also, planning really fab LC food for the transition helps a lot. That way you are looking forward to the yummy crackling, dark choc, strawbs and cream icecream, cordon bleu chicken and stilton cream sauce on steak, rather than feeling sorry for yourself because you are waving bye bye to that dull slice of toast.
Generous portion sizes too.
Carb cravings cannot complete with LC decadence, and full tum AND a feeling that scrambled egg and smoked salmon with a cream cheese topper is just around the corner... ;)
 
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KK123

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I have a few coping mechanisms that seem to ease my body back down from carbs.
Have used them a few times, because I am human, and stray from the straight and narrow on occasion. Don't we all!

For me, trying to go cold turkey back down to very low carb is always a disaster. The carb cravings are absurd.
So I step down over 2-3 days. This helps tremendously. Half carbs on day 1. Quarter carbs on day 2. Down to VLC on day 3.
And I never say never, I just say not now. lol.

When I am stepping down from carbs to LCHF, I make sure that I up the fat immediately.
That way the fat helps to squelch the cravings, and make me feel full and satisfied.
Also, planning really fab LC food for the transition helps a lot. That way you are looking forward to the yummy crackling, dark choc, strawbs and cream icecream, cordon bleu chicken and stilton cream sauce on steak, rather than feeling sorry for yourself because you are waving bye bye to that dull slice of toast.
Generous portion sizes too.
Carb cravings cannot complete with LC decadence, and full tum AND a feeling that scrambled egg and smoked salmon with a cream cheese topper is just around the corner... ;)

Wow! I'm sold! :)
 
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LittleGreyCat

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Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
I went off the rails before Xmas and it took my a while to recover.

I find carbohydrates addictive.

The bad signs (if I have been straying) in the overwhelming urge to eat bread and cake if I know that it is in the house.

The good signs are when (like now) there is some awesome sourdough bread in the house but,...meh....

One suggestion; to clear out the carbohydrates and get rid of the cravings, a 48 hour water fast may be an effective choice. I found that 2 days was good to clear out the carbohydrates but 3 days fasting gave me the massive munchies when I started eating again.
 

Listlad

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For me, a lot of it is self control. Maybe easier for some than others, presumably.
 

Listlad

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Messages
3,971
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I have a few coping mechanisms that seem to ease my body back down from carbs.
Have used them a few times, because I am human, and stray from the straight and narrow on occasion. Don't we all!

For me, trying to go cold turkey back down to very low carb is always a disaster. The carb cravings are absurd.
So I step down over 2-3 days. This helps tremendously. Half carbs on day 1. Quarter carbs on day 2. Down to VLC on day 3.
And I never say never, I just say not now. lol.

When I am stepping down from carbs to LCHF, I make sure that I up the fat immediately.
That way the fat helps to squelch the cravings, and make me feel full and satisfied.
Also, planning really fab LC food for the transition helps a lot. That way you are looking forward to the yummy crackling, dark choc, strawbs and cream icecream, cordon bleu chicken and stilton cream sauce on steak, rather than feeling sorry for yourself because you are waving bye bye to that dull slice of toast.
Generous portion sizes too.
Carb cravings cannot complete with LC decadence, and full tum AND a feeling that scrambled egg and smoked salmon with a cream cheese topper is just around the corner... ;)
Part of the trick is find low carb food that we enjoy. That way we don’t need to stray towards carb indulgences too often or at all.
 

nomoredonuts

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Part of the trick is find low carb food that we enjoy. That way we don’t need to stray towards carb indulgences too often or at all.
I reckon I used to eat bacon and avocado most days for breakfast for over a year. then I did months and months of chopped ham, cheese and mayo. Nowadays, I manage on coffee/cream for as long as I can, then have my first meal, often last night's leftovers in some form. A 40 minute "ride" in the bedroom, is normally enough to produce 5's, before dinner.
It's by no means strict enough or ideal, but it's a balance I can live with, and one which can be loosened or tightened when necessary!