Good morning, about 12 months ago my HBa1C was 42. Last year from July - Oct I worked hard at exercising (walking) and losing weight. I asked for another HBa1C to be done in September but was refused. (Disappointed as this would have motivated me more). Then I began to have sudden onset of dizziness and vomiting which has be diagnosed as potentially Ménière’s disease. I’m still waiting for my appointment with the right hospital to confirm it, but it’s not curable, at best manageable. This has meant that since November it’s almost impossible for me to go out on my own, and I live alone. So the weight has gone back on, my fitness has significantly dropped and I have muscle wastage in my legs. A few weeks ago my HBa1C was 46 so I had an appointment with the nurse. She said I need to walk say 3 miles a day , 4 days a week. But since then I have had the Ménière’s attacks almost daily so I can’t go out. (And feel unwell of course). I’ve borrowed a blood glucose meter, and my readings have been roughly 13.2 in the morning, and 10.6 during the day. So I definitely need to do something. So although no exercise, for the last 3/4 days I’m trying to do weightloss LCHF, coupled with 16:8 IF. This morning the first reading has come down to 6.3! I am both delighted and a bit shocked that it has dropped so quickly. Is this normal? Does anyone have any suggestions about how to get round my exercise problem? I live on my own so don’t have another family member to drag out with me! Also, any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Increasing prediabetes
- Thread starter Gillianc23
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Hi Gillianc23 and welcome to the forums.
Well done on taking action. My experience was similar : low carb can have a very quick impact on your current blood sugars.
I am in my fourth year of very low carb/keto, and I did zero exercise until last year. Before that I was too heavy and would have risked injury. Since starting exercise my weight loss has stalled, while my fat loss has continued (I'm building muscle) and my BG has stayed stable. So if you stick to your diet, and your experience is like mine, you may find that lack of exercise will have a negligible impact on your BG.
There are a number of exercise routines you can do at home, some while seated, and with minimum strain. Have you considered those? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Air_Force_Exercise_Plans
Best of luck
Thanks KennyA for your speedy response. It’s very reassuring to hear what you have to say about LCHF diet. How many grams of carbs per day do you aim at? For the last few days I have managed to stick to less than 25, but I won’t be able to keep this up - I miss the fruit and veg!
Also thank you for the link to exercises I could do at home. I need to find the motivation, which has definitely been lacking, but today with all the positive feedback I’m getting from the low BG readings, I just might do some!
Also thank you for the link to exercises I could do at home. I need to find the motivation, which has definitely been lacking, but today with all the positive feedback I’m getting from the low BG readings, I just might do some!
JoKalsbeek
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Fruit: Some berries should be fine. Blackberries, strawberries, raspberries etc... And as for veg, above ground and/or leafy greens are usually quite a good fit. (Courgette, spinach, cauliflower etc etc). https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help some, but it should be quite doable even if you want to stay keto or just low carb.
I don't know if you have glasses, but my mom had Meniere's... She went to Specsavers and got prism-cut glasses rather than the regular prescription ones, on the advice of a Dutch doctor (Dr. Vente) who specialised in the condition. It helped, her attacks became more infrequent and much shorter. (Couple of days rather than half a year long on that merry-go-round, for instance). Might help, who knows.
All in all, as you're discovering with your meter, the thing that matters most is how you eat... Getting out there for walks would be good, but not possible for everyone. Changing what you eat, however... That'd go a very, very long way to helping, and you've already started down that path. now to find a way to make it sustainable for you!
Good luck,
Jo
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Around 20g. I go out of ketosis somewhere around 40g.
Green veg is fine for me - no root veg, though. I have blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries every so often, usually with sugar free jelly and double cream.
Thank you Jokalsbeek and KennyA, the info you have provided is v useful, both re carbs and re menieres. I will look into that.
I was quite ill a while back and couldn't exercise, and even now my only exercise is walking (which I realise you can't do until the Menieres is under control) and some exercises I can do while lying in bed or sitting in a chair. Nevertheless, by changing my diet I managed to knock my T2 into remission (no meds) and lost a lot of weight, which was needed. I hadn't realised this would be a side-effect. Maybe it will help you.
Thank you Outlier. It’s good to hear that others have managed to get their diabetes into remission despite not being able to exercise much. The Ménière’s was a bit improved yesterday, so I went for a gentle walk around my local streets with a friend (to look after me if the dizziness came back). I was impressed with the difference it made to my BG reading.
I’ve just got the Freestyle Libre 2, (free for 2 weeks) and started using it last night. I’ve been doing very low carb high fat for about 6 days now, so all my readings have been within the normal range (bar 2 early low ones which I’m putting down to the meter not yet being settled in my body). So I’m quite pleased with that. But I don’t think I will lose weight on the LCHF, and think that I must lose weight in order to make it possible to keep my readings under control on a more conventional diet. So over the next few days I’m going to re-introduce more carbs in various forms to work out what I can eat and still stay within the normal range.
I’ve just got the Freestyle Libre 2, (free for 2 weeks) and started using it last night. I’ve been doing very low carb high fat for about 6 days now, so all my readings have been within the normal range (bar 2 early low ones which I’m putting down to the meter not yet being settled in my body). So I’m quite pleased with that. But I don’t think I will lose weight on the LCHF, and think that I must lose weight in order to make it possible to keep my readings under control on a more conventional diet. So over the next few days I’m going to re-introduce more carbs in various forms to work out what I can eat and still stay within the normal range.
Sorry, me again. Actually on reviewing the target blood glucose levels on this website, I’m not sure I’m right to say my levels have been ok. They’ve varied between 4.2 and 7.5. Which I thought meant they have been ok. But the pre-meal readings have mostly been above 5.9. Which I think suggests my base level has been a bit high. Thoughts, anyone?
