Is this dangerous?

copey399 said:

Thanks everyone xxx - I've still got a lot to learn, I know. Just taken me a couple of hours to work out that myfitnesspal app. I think it would drive me nuts. It doesn't have the options I want as to portion size in the food diary. Got a headache now Might tackle it again tomorrow.

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Copey - MFP does actually allow you to define your portion size, so it's probably worth a look afresh tomorrow. Just shout if you can't work out how to do it.

I have used MFP since about a week after diagnosis, and still log every morsell I eat. I find it an excellent way to keep track of things, and it sort of keeps me in check too, as I am committed to keeping it up to date, and if I'm not going to record in there properly, there's no point doing it (in my mind anyway). The only thing I don't log is the milk I have in tea through the morning.

Initially, I would just add what you eat, without trying to manage to any carb/calorie/fat or whatever measurements you eventually decide to follow. If you do that, and do it carefully, that will help inform you what sort of levels you have been consuming at, in order to achieve what you have already. Then you may, or may not, decide to tweak a few things. I'd suggest in this initial phase of just recording everything, you continue to eat exactly as you have been doing since you adopted LCHF.

Yesterday didn't seem an ideal way to live, but you felt it was the best of your options. It didn't do you any harm, and wouldn't harm you if you found yourself in a similar situation in the future. On the downside, it could have a detrimental impact if you adopted yesterday's style as your way of living - but you probably realise that.

You're doing very well. Don't make things too complicated until you really understand what's actually going on.

copey399 said:

@AndBreathe Thank you x Yes I can see that it's very good for getting a guide to what you're having in the way of calories and carbs, etc. It told me yesterday that I had only had 900 calories and that was including my milk in tea. I aimed for 40g of carbs and I got a -18 so I assume that means that I'd actually had 58 (add the minus 18 to my projected 40?) so that was quite revealing if I've got that right. I added it on as I assume the red was a warning.

I have been keeping a Food Diary in a Word Document since I started, with my blood readings first thing and after meals so that has been a help in knowing if anything caused spikes etc. but not such a comprehensive way of keeping track as the MFP.

It was just time consuming looking everything up individually but I presume it gets easier once you get a few more meals under your belt and can use those. I may take you up on your offer of help when I get stuck. xx

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As you add foods in, the site saves them for you, and if, for instance you have a regular breakfast, it allows you to copy the previous day, or any day for the last week, with just a couple of clicks. It's maybe a pain to begin with, but my upkeep on MFP now takes moments a day. Most of the time, I don't even bother looking at my totals any more, but I have my records, and if strange things happen, I can look ban in an instant.

When you talk about meals, I don't know whether you're recording those under "My Meals", or just using the database to add foods? I tend to do the latter, because although we might have, say, pork chops and veg or salad frequently, we won't always have the same veg or salads. But again, once you've added something once, you just find it in your personal list and it's a couple of clicks.

Yes, the red minus does mean you overshot the target you've set yourself, but I would, at this stage be supremely unconcerned about that. For now, and by that, I mean a week or two weeks, just record what you eat. Don't count, tweak or change anything, then you can do a little self review. You've plucked 40gr carb from somewhere, but when it comes to a review of your initial data, that's maybe the time to decide where you want your target to be? I mean, if you find you've been eating 50-60gr a day by virtue of maybe more carbs in your veg, or whatever, but your bloods are in a great range, why would you be driven to cut back any more? Maybe that's actually an acceptable level for you? Maybe it isn't.

This thing is a pain to learn to manage, so don't add any unnecessary constraints, without good reason, and data to back it up?

I'm a real data monster, so I like to make decisions based on data, but in moments of self-doubt, when we have a bit of a mental wobble, it's good to be able to go back to the data, where we know we've been honest, and re-check out reasoning. That usually helps me out.

Keep going copey, you're doing very well, and getting some structure into things.

@copey399 Your spike at an hour (by no means an unusual thing to happen by the way) was probably down to the sausage and tinned tomatoes. Café sausages tend to be cheap and nasty versions, mostly cereal and very little meat content. Tinned toms can be quite carby and frequently have added sugar. If you enjoy sausages, buy the 97% meat ones. They are sold in most supermarkets. I like the Black Farmers ones. Tesco do their own brand. Some butchers do them, but you do have to ask.

What happened after 2 hours? Hopefully the spaced out feeling disappeared. This was possibly your body complaining at the higher than normal sugars, even though 8 isn't drastic. If that happens to me, I just want to fall asleep.

copey399 said:

@AndBreathe Yes, I was doing it under My Meals because that's what I found when playing around with it. I don't know what adding to the database means but I haven't had a chance to check.

I did just pluck 40g carbs out of thin air because I didn't really know what to put in there. Not having any way to check what I was having (and doing good on the BS) I just put something to fill it in .. lol. Yesterday was just a try out really to see how it works.

We went to our usual Wednesday jaunt round the carboot sale this morning and that's always followed by a fried breakfast so I had 1 sausage, some tinned tomatoes, 1 bacon and an egg. (didn't have the toast that usually accompanies it) but on the way home I felt awful. Really spaced out, irritable and my arms felt sort of tingly and not "right" Hubby said that sounded like low BS so I just checked (just over an hour after eating whereas I usually wait 2 hours) and my BS had gone from 5.9 this morning to 8.00. I've got a headache now so it might have just been a sort of migraine.

Sorry, I don't mean to be a pain in the rear end but without the help of your good self and the other Forum members I would be stumbling about in the dark. xx

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OK. No problem. Sorry about your headache. I hope you're feeling better now.

I am assuming you are using the website, as opposed to the app on your phone or tablet.

When you log in, you see a ribbon menu near the top of the displayed page. On there, you see "Food". Click on that, and your day's diary is displayed; today's date at the top, then the meal titles down the left hand side? If you go to the just under the meal name (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or Snacks), you will see "Add Food". When you click on that, the page will re-draw and reveal a seach window where you put in what you've eaten, for example, "grilled back bacon", or "John West Tuna in Oil", just as examples. Click on the green "Search" button, then a list of the foods in the database appears. Scroll through until you find what you want.

When you next go into "Food", the go a meal, the foods you have already input to MFP will be in a list that forms under each meal. Once you have eaten something again, you just select it from your personal list and add it. Simples, once you know how.

For today's breakfast; what does that breakfast normally do to your numbers? If you're normally OK with all those items, it could be they used a different brand of sausages, say, which could have had more rusk or something in them. I must admit, I rarely have sausages when out, unless I firmly believe they will be excellent quality. For home, I only buy over 95% meat content, to keep the carbs down.

You're on another learning curve here, Copey. Don't be too hard on yourself. We all learned somewhere.

copey399 said:

So, I went for my pill review (just routine on my Blood Pressure pills etc. as they won't let you have any more until you have the review every so often) and I expected a bit of a struggle regarding my not taking the prescribed Gliclazide but I saw a locum and she was so nice. I told her about the LC/HF diet and how my figures had come down and she said "well done" and when she weighed me and saw that I'd lost since my last check up she congratulated me and said I was doing well and to keep it up. She wasn't too keen on the high fat aspect and mentioned cholesterol so she got one minus point for that but overall she said she was delighted to see someone taking control My BP was good too.

I told her about being given a prescription for Gliclazide and a monitor by Reception and she was gobsmacked that I didn't get any information about how and when to use it. She said there must have been an oversight there as I should have seen the DN for discussion about the new med and how to use the monitor.

Anyway she wants me to have a blood test in 3 weeks to check my progress and see the DN when I get the results. Suits me as I will be interested to see it myself.

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Well done on going Low Carb High Fat. I have been doing it since February and have lost 17 lbs. I have stopped taking the Statins and I have halved the Metformin and my blood glucose is averaging 4.8. The Doctor was absolutely amazed at how all my blood tests results had improved!
Please order the book Real Meal Revolution by Prof Tim Noakes, Jonno Proudfoot and Sally Ann Creed. It is absolutely brilliant! It has the science behind it, information, tips and information as well as fantastic recipes. I suggest that you stop using milk as that has more carbs than the rest of the dairy products. Also make sure that you only use double cream, full Greek Yoghurt. Do not touch any low fat or fat free products. You can also go on to the Real Meal Revolution website, where you can join a week's free trial programme, which is very helpful. There are three lists, Green, Orange and Red. If you stick to the green list you will not have any problems. Use the Red List to clear your grocery cupboards and fridge so that you can replace them with the proper products. All those tips are on the RMR site. This lifestyle is absolutely amazing for Diabetics! Good Luck with it!