I saw the doctor....

[Scandichic]

I saw the doc this morning after a horrendous appt with the nurse last week who told me LCHF was silly and unhealthy and booked me straight in with the doc as a problem patient I think!!

The doc was less patronising and was pleased with my levels. My HbcA1 was 13.9 4 weeks ago and my readings are now 7s and 8s although he said it was pointless to test after meals because they will be higher.

I told him what I was doing and he said that only weightloss will bring my levels down and that my current readings are because the metformin was working. Buthe then said if my levels stay down I would still have to carry on with same levels of medication. His main argument against LCHF was that my cholesterol is 8 and I need to bring it down to 5 and that high fat will increase my cholesterol.

He said I should be eating the same diet as a healthy slim person without diabetes and that it's the weight that needs to come off not obsessing withBG levels. Basically lose the weight and my BG will be fine. Is that true? I'm overweight but not obese according to BMI.

Half of me thinks that it does seem " sensible " and it's tempting to go back to bread potatoes and pasta!!! But then I don't feel I would've brought my levels down so quickly if I hadn't done low carb. And I am losing weight as a side effect! And feel better. But is that just medication working?

I'm booked in for my next hbac1 in December and cholesterol. My main worry is the cholesterol argument.

Any opinions on that?

Sounds like we have the same DN! I was in the exact same position as you on 28th of Jan. @Totto who has posted on your thread came to my rescue. She referred me to diet doctor ( a Swedish doc who specialises in diabetes and obesity) and I have lost a whole load of weight (3stone 9lb) and am a much healthier 12 St 6. My LDL cholestrol is 6(not good) but my HDL is 1.3 (great) and my triglycerides are 0.6 (beat that!) the website is www.dietdoctor.com
I don't eat bread, rice, pasta or potatoes or sweet stuff.
Every morning I have 1 97% meat sausage or bacon with poached eggs.
Usually still full at lunch so have some olives, nuts, cherry tomatoes, pieces of cheese. A handful of nuts at 3 then an evening meal (veg and chicken, fish, salad) and LCHF dessert twice a week. I have 2 squares of 70% dark choccie every night and a couple of glasses of wine per week. If we go for a coffee, I drink espresso and eat half a raspberry bakewell slice. If I'm hungry and want a snack I have cheese or peanuts.
When I first started I kept a food diary and I test my bs regularly. The cheapest meter I have found is the SD codefree meter. The strips, if you buy 5 pots at a time are £25 which is what it costs for 1 pot of strips for the meters you can buy at the chemists. Downside is that you have to buy it online but it's usually there the next day if yu pay for first class postage ( a whacking 50p!) . I have included the link and a picture of the discount codes. I am bad and rarely change my lancet. You are supposed to change it every time but...
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

 

[AndBreathe]

I think I will! Thanks for all your advice. Had German style rye bread from M&S bakery for lunch- just 2 small slices and blood sugar spiked from 8 to 9.6 :-( think I'll forget the idea of bread for now! 9.6 is the highest I've been since I started testing last Wednesday. 8 is quite a high starting point for today too. Started the day at 8.5. Could what I ate last night for dinner be affecting me today even though it didn't spike myBS at the time or 2hours after?

What did you have last night, Sam? I'm curious. A little while after diagnosis I tried pasta. I was fairly OK-ish, in a not entirely great way afterwards, but I was higher for the next day or so (I can't be too exact now - It was a while ago), which I found disturbing.

Curiously, I looked at the M&S German Rye Bread this afternoon, but didn't buy any in the end. I haven't bothered with bread for a couple of months now, since I've been back in UK. I don't particularly miss it any more, and I felt if I bought it, and enjoyed it, I would want "just one more slice". That said, these days, I can eat some bread. Overseas, I was eating fluffy white bread (in the form of a cheese or bacon sandwich), without impact.

 

[Sam72]

For the first time in a month we ordered takeaway . I had a small portion of pea and paneer (cheese) curry, 3 pieces of chicken tikka and salad with yog and mint sauce, a spoonful of lamb curry - no rice or naan. It didn't spike me but I felt guilty hence wondering if I'm paying for it today?

 

[Kat100]

Hi Sam ...as most know I do low carb medium carb and low GL with low fat
That suits me , my diet and my health needs ....
Many individual answers from people's own experiences and beliefs ...
Have a good long think ..then have a go at what you decide to do , you can always change your mind or your eating patterns as required ....
Wishing you luck ...Kat what ever you choose put you and your health first ...

 

[AndBreathe]

For the first time in a month we ordered takeaway . I had a small portion of pea and paneer (cheese) curry, 3 pieces of chicken tikka and salad with yog and mint sauce, a spoonful of lamb curry - no rice or naan. It didn't spike me but I felt guilty hence wondering if I'm paying for it today?

there may have been flour, or other thickener in the curry, plus a few carbs in the peas, but I wouldn't worry about that too much about those, if the rise didn't happen. But, you will have to have it all again, in the name of science, obviously.

 

[douglas99]

For the first time in a month we ordered takeaway . I had a small portion of pea and paneer (cheese) curry, 3 pieces of chicken tikka and salad with yog and mint sauce, a spoonful of lamb curry - no rice or naan. It didn't spike me but I felt guilty hence wondering if I'm paying for it today?

Very doubtful, a few hours, maybe a bit more, and the effects will be passing. The first few weeks don't have many rules though, your body is still adjusting to lower levels.

 

[andcol]

Hi Sam just a quick one on rye bread. I eat it but find that it is the most weird behaviour in that it doesn’t peak for me until the 3 hour point. Next time you try it measure at 2 and 3 hours to make sure you have come down. It may just be my body that reactts like that.

As for the 9.6 that isn't too bad! Too bad I here you exclaim! Let me explain. As Douglas and bluetit said it was only a small rise (that may be because it hadnt finished giving quite yet so you will need to try again to find out if you are like me) and also you are not used to the carbs and your pancreas takes a while to handle higher levels of carbs.

So what I can hear you say! Well try it again if you want to, test later with it, but try a smaller amount and build it up.

Now as for the doctors regarding metformin. Yes it will help but not by a huge amount. I found it changed my numbers by at most 0.5mmol/l when I was on 1g. That is no where near what you have achieved so do not let him detract from the very positive change that YOU have made and not the drug.

Finally, if you are happy with a low carb diet you stick with it. It is not for me but is great at bringing levels down to near normal and is definitely worth sticking with it until you can scorn at your nurse.

Good Luck

 

[izzzi]

Hi Sam ...as most know I do low carb medium carb and low GL with low fat
That suits me , my diet and my health needs ....
Many individual answers from people's own experiences and beliefs ...
Have a good long think ..then have a go at what you decide to do , you can always change your mind or your eating patterns as required ....
Wishing you luck ...Kat what ever you choose put you and your health first ...

@Kat100 Your absolutely correct, we can always change out minds Many times it is trial and error just to get that balance just the way we want it.
By the way Kat "There is no greater gift than the love of a cat" even better when you have two