Just started LCHF but not diabetic

[lou49]

Good afternoon and hopefully you'll allow me to join on here! I'm trying to improve my health, as we all are.

I haven't been diagnosed with diabetes but have in the recent past been advised that I am running the risk of prediabetes. I do have multiple sclerosis - diagnosed three years ago - and I need to lose around four stone.

I low-carbed with success about 15 years ago. I've tried many other diets but I'm a 'yo-yo' dieter. So I've gone back to LCHF and came across the forum here, which seems great. I've done Slimming World several times - I lost five stone on my best shot at it about four years ago - but I tend to go mad on the fruit, and feel worse for it.

I'm very used to eating low-fat food - which I know tends to include lots of rubbish - but I'm now concentrating on real food.

Is there anyone else who's doing LCHF/keto but not having a lot of extra fat? It makes me feel a bit yucky tbh and this is why I didn't go back to it before. When I originally did the low-carb, I followed Charles Clark, but in those days there was much less emphasis on fat ratios, I think.

Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!.

 

[Rachox]

Hi Lou and welcome to the Forum. Well done on wanting to nip the risk of prediabetes/Diabetes in the bud.
I was diagnosed Type 2 last May and started a low carb diet straight away, primarily to sort out my blood sugar levels. I don’t go mad on the high fat aspect, I do have Diet Drs coconut ‘porridge’ with strawberries and cream for breakfast and some strawberries and cream after dinner, but I still eat low fat yoghurt, I get the Greek style Danone Free and Light 0% fat and 0% sugar, low fat cheese and other fat free options but you need to check out the carb content carefully as sometimes the fat is replaced with sugar. On this diet I have lost 5 stone in 8 months and have not struggled. The diet is filling and with a bit of searching on the internet for new recipes varied.

 

[AdamJames]

Good afternoon and hopefully you'll allow me to join on here! I'm trying to improve my health, as we all are.

I haven't been diagnosed with diabetes but have in the recent past been advised that I am running the risk of prediabetes. I do have multiple sclerosis - diagnosed three years ago - and I need to lose around four stone.

I low-carbed with success about 15 years ago. I've tried many other diets but I'm a 'yo-yo' dieter. So I've gone back to LCHF and came across the forum here, which seems great. I've done Slimming World several times - I lost five stone on my best shot at it about four years ago - but I tend to go mad on the fruit, and feel worse for it.

I'm very used to eating low-fat food - which I know tends to include lots of rubbish - but I'm now concentrating on real food.

Is there anyone else who's doing LCHF/keto but not having a lot of extra fat? It makes me feel a bit yucky tbh and this is why I didn't go back to it before. When I originally did the low-carb, I followed Charles Clark, but in those days there was much less emphasis on fat ratios, I think.

Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!.

Being warned that you are in danger of diabetes is the best time to tackle it! I wish I'd had the warning many years ago.

I've been in ketosis plenty of times over the last 4 months, but rarely get carried away with fat.

I've never given the "high fat" thing a fair chance. I did it for 1 week, but I was maintaining weight rather than losing it, which required a lot of fat in the diet (there's a lot of weight to maintain!). I didn't like the way it made me feel. Had I used LCHF while losing weight, maybe the smaller amount of fat required would have felt better for me.

More often than not I've been probably on a similar amount of carbs to Rachox, and like her, never embraced the fat in the way some people do. But that's the difference between losing weight and not: If you have weight you can afford to lose, then you can focus mainly on the LC and there's less need for HF.

I've lost about 3.5 stone in 4 months with a very yo-yo "diet", rarely sticking to any plan for more than a week. The main things for me have been abstinence from alcohol (because of the effect it has on my appetite!), much lower carbs, and, more often than not, calorie restriction. Plenty of days with excess calories, but still, as an overall plan, it seems to be working very well.

I love fatty food in the right context. I did like double cream on nuts for breakfast, and I liked a meal with nothing but belly pork and a few sprouts. I just didn't like how I felt after eating like that for a few days. You certainly don't need to, from a purely weight loss point of view.

 

[lou49]

Thanks to both of you. Wow, well done on your weight losses!

I don't drink alcohol (makes me feel weird!). I joined Diet Doctor a few months back - I forgot I joined until this week actually! I bought his book when it came out but the website is really good and there's loads of content on it. When he started it it was a bit amateurish but obviously lots of money has been invested in it.

I'm following Dr David Unwin's diet sheet. It's great to see that there's loads of interview content with him on Diet Doctor. He seems sooo nice! Almost worth moving to Southport to become a patient at his practice! On reflection his approach seems to be more moderate like Professor Clark's was/is, and I realise that the fretting about the extra fat which some plans require has stopped me from doing this WOE again. So I'm going to stop worrying about adding the fats and thanks for your advice!

I'm going to stop thinking that a) I should be drinking bulletproof coffee in the morning b) should be having lots and lots of protein....will have lots of veggies instead. I was in Tesco looking for a joint of lamb - I picked up a (wrapped) lamb shoulder and felt vaguely nauseous as it's so fatty. Brainwashed by high carb/low fat, me!

 

[archersuz]

Hi @lou49
I eat low carb and don't worry about the fat. If I fancy cheese I'll have it, but I don't go out of my way to eat High Fat. When I did indulge in cream over Christmas, I found that my weight loss stalled so I'm back to black coffee now. I lost 2 stone in 4 months - not as much as others but at a level I feel I can cope with. If I cut out any more carbs or calories I wouldn't have enough energy to be able to do my job! I don't eat much red meat so I don't get much fat from my protein (fish and chicken) either.
I do have masses of energy now and walk for 3.5 miles a night.

 

[lou49]

Hi. So a further development. Having not followed anything in particular since my last posting (always have the intention but not so good at seeing it through) my husband (aged 70, two cardiac stents inserted about 10 years ago, sees his cardiologist once a year) had his annual blood test prior to his yearly appointment with the cardio. His HbA1c came back at 43, for the first time ever. He is not overweight, exercises and is in good health apart from a sometime migraine spectrum problem for which he receives treatment.

As I understood this he is on the border of being pre-diabetic, as it starts at 42. He had his annual cardio appointment yesterday. The specialist said he didn't need to worry too much about the reading, but should try and reduce his carbs. He didn't suggest another blood test before next year. He wasn't more specific than this.

I also got him to make an appointment with the GP to discuss, and I thought that he should ask to have a blood test in six months or so rather than a year.

I got out Dr Unwin's plan and told him that we'll do it together. I thought that this might be the most moderate plan for him. We've had a lot of 'well, what can I eat?', 'I'm used to eating a cracker with that cheese' kind of thing. TBH I have my own food issues so I'm finding all this rather tricky. I do know a fair bit about low carb, having done it for the first time in 2002, but not enough to 'teach' it!

For those Dr Unwin acolytes: how many carbs do you reckon you have a day? It looks like it might be too high for me, but I can only bear to do a very moderate fat version as otherwise it makes me feel yuck.

Thanks for reading this far! I'd appreciate any advice!