Keto and after

[Laura205510]

Hi I have been doing a ketogenic diet and my sugar levels have been excellent

5.1 then 5 then 4.8 then 4.7 fasting


I don't have a machine prescribed but fortunately was given 1 and some strips which has proved invaluable to me

I am not on medication before this keto diet my blood sugar readings were in the diabetic range

I had to abandon the diet as it caused constipation which it can cause despite following instructions to prevent this that did not work for me


Just came off it and my eve reading after 1 day off normal eating it was 8.12
Morni g blood sugar 1 hr after eating 12 8 I know its early days but wondering what my next move is to keep weight off and sugars low

That day I came off it I ate I ate a cup full of porridge no sugar or sweetener
r milk for breakfast

A sandwich with wholemeal bread 2 tablespoons of peanut butter tea I had cauliflower cabbage no potatoes 2 slices of nitrate free bacon drank green tea or water
Wonder if anyone else had this any advice appreciated


In the time on keto I lost very little weight loss which is odd as I did lose a lot quickly with lipo trim years ago which is similar to ex ante and the Cambridge diet with that diet the weight flew off quickly this time I did atkins and the weight seemed to stick

I had to abandon lipotrim for the same reason constipation despite following the rules however my blood sugars were normal while on keto

 

[HSSS]

Hi. Welcome to the forum. Before anyone can really help you a bit more information would be useful. What type of diabetic are you. As you say no meds I’m assuming it is not type 1 but type 2. For how long? It would help if you completed your profile to reflect this to save people keep asking.

How long were you on keto? What precautions to avoid constipation, that you mention, did you take? Did you raise fats as well as drop carbs? Increase fluids? Utilise things like flaxseed for fibre or magnesium to ensure “movement”? What sort of foods were you eating on keto?

Eating porridge and bread would send many a diabetics blood glucose rising if not soaring. Fewer carbs is THE best way of controlling blood sugars by diet. Finding a way to avoid the constipation whilst reducing them would in my opinion be the way forward. Weight loss generally follows when the blood sugars get into line but it can take some people quite some time to see it when starting keto. It doesn’t mean it’s not working, just that the metabolism is healing first. The tape measure often shows changes first.

Depending on how long ago and what the lipotrim diet consisted of (never heard of it) it may be that your reactions to carbs has deterioted in the mean time

 

[Rachox]

Hi Laura and welcome to the forum, first I’ll tag in @daisy1 for her useful info post.
I’m with @HSSS on both counts, we need more info to be able to help you better and secondly, why compromise your blood sugars by going back to carbs. I had a lot of problems with constipation in my early days low carbing however I tackled the constipation rather than giving up on low carbs. I already ate low carb fruit and vegetables so I upped my seed intake. I use chia, flax, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. I rarely suffer now but on the odd occasion I take a couple of Senna.

Edited to add, I make sure I drink plenty of fluids too.

 

[Guzzler]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the fabulous intro post offered to all newcomers.

May I ask how many carbs per day you were having?

 

[daisy1]

@Laura205510
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 600,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.