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LCHF..16 weeks in

msmi1970

Well-Known Member
Messages
382
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello Everyone. Me again.

Just wanted to share my LCHF experience so far.

I do approx 10gm of carbs daily from lettuce and tomatoes. About 75% fats mainly from butter. I stick to a maximum of 3 meals per day and have literally not had anything in between meals from week 3 onwards. Mostly, I have roast chicken with the occasional lamb patty a couple of times a week.

I have lost 20lbs but still have more than 100lbs to go.

Most interesting thing has been my blood sugar readings.

3 days before starting LCHF, my A1C was 8.6. Am due for a follow up test next week.
The day before starting LCHF, my FBG was 17. From about week 3 onwards, it has consistently hovered around 6. I test every morning and the highest it has been was 6.4, the lowest 5.2.
In the last 2 weeks or so, I have taken post meal sugar readings intermittently (1 or 2 hrs) around 10 times and the readings have always been below 8.

My 1 hr post lunch reading yesterday was 6.1.
Last night I had my lamb patty (which I am sure has carbs in it) and my 1hr post meal reading was 6.8.
My FBG this morning was 7.2, the highest it has been since week 3.

I know about the liver dump phenomenon and that has a part to play but I also think that whilst LCHF keeps blood sugar very well controlled, there is some short term insulin impairment in that post meal for example, my sugar drops and stays at that level without returning to "normal" until much, much later and my well controlled sugar levels are simply due to my almost non-existent carb intake which means that over time I am having insulin insensitivity whenever there is a slight uptake of carbs.

Am I making sense or merely rambling? Thoughts anyone?
 
hi, you are doing very well and the proof is in the meter
I would also add other fats like olive/fruit oil and nut oils ..no grain oil
OTOH, if it was me, I'd be on metiformin to get the insulin resistance down, as well as diet. was it suggest?

but you are doing very well and you should be proud
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement Jack!! Appreciate it.

I do occasionally add some extra virgin olive oil into the mix if my caloric intake is too low.

Was on metformin for about 18 months many, many years ago. Didn't agree with me at all so I eventually came off it. To be honest, I have not been on any medication since.

I read somewhere that specifically with LCHF, some people experience this situation whereby FBG is always around 6 but A1C is much, much lower. It was suggested that this was fine so long as A1C remained under control and that basically the issue would resolve itself in the long run. Was wondering whether anyone here has experienced this? Anyway, will know when i take my test next week..
 
Hi,

Those are really fab results!

I hope you are absolutely delighted.

There has been some discussion on the forum as to whether very low carbing and/or high protein raises the insulin resistence. (Squabbles have broken out)
So you may not get a clear answer.

Mt personal experience has been that higher protein intake seems to bring my pre-meal numbers up a bit (because protein takes a long time to digest, and then excess protein can be converted to glucose.

However, the longer I go with medium protein, very low carb and average protein, the lower my pre-meal number seems to drift.

But I try to only look at trends in my testing, and not get hung up on the individual numbers.

And I have a very flighty dawn phenomenon, which mucks things up quite often!

I'd agree with Jack about varying your fat intake more. Butter is the food of the gods, and possibly the best thing about very low carbing (or is that double cream?), but I would bring in some other healthy fats too - coconut oil, hemp, flax, fish oils. It's the omega 3 fatty acids that you are looking for.

And is your butter grass fed? (E.g. Anchor)
That helps the nutritional values quite a lot too.

I'm getting similar results to you on the testing, with a similar carb intake (poss more green veg?) and I'm feeling fantastic on it too.

Isn't it a relief to find something that works so well?
 
Thank you for that detailed response Brunneria. Absolutely agree that finding LCHF is brilliant. Finally, something that works!!

tbh, not a great fan of fish but am slowly trying to incorporate that into my diet. meanwhile i consume about 4 eggs per day & i also take a krill oil supplement so hopefully i am getting my share of omegas. FYI, my cholesterol prior to starting LCHF was 6.8. Within 3 weeks, it was down to 4.9. Both my LDL & Trigs are also down (although this could also be related to some supplements I am taking).

Butter that i currently consume is organic (with 84% butterfat YUM!!) from Organic Valley in the U.S.

I certainly take your point about looking at trends. Admittedly, I do get hung up on daily numbers, a habit that i am trying to change. used to do the same with the scale.. but have now learnt to weigh myself once a week..

to the crux of my post...i sort of suspected that opinions would be split on this insulin resistance issue. and i realise, each person's body responds differently. it would however be good to know what other people have experienced so i thank you for sharing. hopefully, it will not become a long term problem for me too.
 


Krill supplements are fantastic. I just wish I remembered to take the dratted things!

Have a look out for @modesty007 's posts. She's a hardcore low carber, and loves bulletproof coffee (me too ).

I had decided to weigh myself once a month. 1st of the month. And then put the scales away for 30 days.

But the first time I did that, I was horrified to see that I weighed more than the month before.
So I weighed every day for 4 days.
Found that I varied by 4.5lbs over a single 24 hr period (all weigh ins were during low carbing)
But my lowest reading showed significant loss.
So I have now decided to weigh myself starkers, first thing in morning, every day for the first few days of the month.

The whole thing is beyond ridiculous!
 
From the hardcore lady, include a little coconut oil, either in coffee or tea or cooking with it, increase the fat burning.
If you can get your hands on grass-fed beef that might be better than chicken which is a bit to lean, hardly eat any chicken any more, prefer duck if having bird (fatter and tastier), if the price is to high go for cheaper and fatter cuts or mince. In any case indulge in spiced butter or melted butter or make a delicious bearnaise sauce, recipe included in the end of the post.
Don't forget to drink some extra water and replace the salt you're loosing when reducing carbs (washed out with the water the body will loose) take 0,5-1 tsp salt in a glass of water everyday, will spare you some headache as well.
Kerrygold butter might be a great alternative, my favourite in my breakfast the bulletcoffee/fatcoffee.
Bearnaise sauce, reduction and herb bearnaise
Home made béarnaise sauce is so delicious and not so hard to make. For variation try the herb béarnaise.
Original recipe created by Birgitta Höglund.

INGREDIENTS
Reduction for Bearnaise sauce
  • 2 tbsp white vine vinegar (estragon/tarragon vinegar can be used)
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped yellow onion (shallots can be use if preferred)
  • Some stems of parsley (the leaves will be used in the sauce)
  • 5 corns of white pepper
Bearnaise sauce (2-3 portions)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 150 g butter
  • 1 tbsp reduction
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley (leaves)
  • 1 tsp estragon in vinegar OR
  • 1 ml dry tarragon
  • 1 ml chervil (may be omitted)
  • 0,5-1 tsp lemon juice (preferably fresh)
  • A few drops of Worcester sauce
  • Sea salt
  • Cayenne pepper
Herb Bearnaise
  • 200 ml Bearnaise sauce
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped lemon balm (balm, balm mint)
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped lemon thyme (citrus thyme)
  • 0,5 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 grated garlic clove
  • 1 ml chili-flakes
  • A few drops of Worcester sauce
  • Sea salt
DIRECTIONS

1. First make the reduction, the recipe is enough for 2 batches of bearnaise sauce.

2. Mix all the ingredients in a pan.

3. Bring to boil and let it boil until it’s reduced by half (half left)

4. Let it cool for a while and then filter through a small mesh strainer.

Bearnaise sauce

5. Melt the butter slowly in a pan for clarifying (do not stir). You can make this is advance and store in the fridge.

6. Remove/skim the foam on top of the melted butter. Pour the clarified butter into a measure jug or similar, that would make it easier to pour and whisk, be careful not to include to much of the whitish stuff at the bottom, some can be included to bring some nice saltiness and buttery taste to the sauce.

7. Heat water in a pan to make it simmer but not boil, that would make it to hot for egg mix. Use a heatproof bowl like stainless steel, you can also use a double boiler if you have.

8. In stainless steel bowl or the top of the double boiler mix the

9. egg yolks and the reduction.

10. With a wire whisker beat the mixture, whisk constantly and makes sure that you reach the bottom of the bowl, not letting it curdle.

11. When the mixture have thicken remove the bowl and place it on dish cloth that’s been soaked in warm water, this will make it more stable.

12. Now slowly add the butter, very slow at the start, while continuously whisking (do not stop whisking).

13. When all butter been added and the sauce is thick and smooth add the herbs and spices.

14. Pour the sauce to a suitable pot, the sauce is best served warm and be kept warm on the stove, be careful not to heat it to much.

Herb bearnaise

1. Mix the bearnaise sauce with the herbs and garlic.

2. Spice with lemon, chili, Worcester sauce and salt.

3. Leave at room temperature for an hour to mature and enhance the flavours.

TIPS

  • The bearnaise should be enough for 2-3 portions, for both the reduction and the sauce just double the recipe for more portions.
  • If you make a to large batch the sauce can be stored in the fridge up to 2-3 days, it will get thicker and need a good whisk before serving and slow warming (do not use the microwave).
 

Please consider this post liked x10!
 
Thank you both Brunneria & Modesty007 for your advice. I really appreciate you making the effort and taking the time.

I have taken your suggestions on board as of today and am switching my chicken to salmon/tuna, increasing my olive oil intake, increasing my veggie count and cutting back quite substantially on my protein. Also, Thank you for that wonderful recipe!! I do hope to try it soon.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/members/brunneria.41816/
With regards to bulletproof coffee, i have yet to pull the trigger or bite the bullet to be honest, i do prefer my coffee black but i have read many blogs that recommend it so i may give it a go.

unfortunately today was the second day in a row that i awoke to find my FBG at 7.2. I suspect that i grossly underestimated my protein intake and that is largely responsible for this. Anyway, i am still looking forward to my A1C numbers next week and hopefully based on the new diet i am adopting, my FBG will gradually return to 6.

hope everyone has a good and happy weekend!!
 

What you could do id try some coconut oil without taste and slip in 0,5-1 tsp in each cup, happen myself to love cafe latte. Dinner today will be beef mince with taco spice (making my own mix to avoid sugar & additives) with an avocado.
Here's a recipe for hollandaise, lovely with fish or/and veggies
Easy hollandaise sauce, chilihollandaise and herb hollandaise
A lovely smooth sauce that goes with most dishes, chicken, fish or vegetables. Make a variation with chili taste or herbs.
Original recipe created by Birgitta Höglund.
INGREDIENTS
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 250 g butter
  • 1 tbsp water
  • Lemon juice
  • Sea salt
  • Cayenne pepper
Chilihollandaise
  • Chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
Herbhollandaise
  • Parsley
  • Lemon thyme
DIRECTIONS

1. Clarify the butter; melt the butter on low heat and let it simmerfor a while letting the salt and milk solids drop to the bottom

2. Remove the white foam at the top of the butter (you can save this for a dough or soups

3. If it make it easier for you move the butter to jug, like a measure jug before pouring it

4. Separate the egg yolks into a into a heavy-bottom/thick/bottom pan or a stainless steel bowl, add a tbsp of water

5. Place the pan on low heat and start whisking the egg yolk water mix, make sure it’s not to hot, remove the pan from the heat if to hot (don’t want to make scramble eggs), you might have to turn done the heat further

6. Continuously whisk the eggs, making sure to reach all of the pan/bowl, whisk for app. 5 minutes until it’s thick

7. Move the pan/bowl to a cloth (dip in warm water and then wring out the water)

8. Very gently and slowly add the butter and continue whisking the egg yolk mix, avoid the whitish stuff at the bottom of the pan/jug

9. When all the butter has been whisked in, add the lemon and spice with salt and some cayenne pepper, add chili flakes for chilihollandaise and the herbs for herbhollandaise

10. Leave the sauce by the stove to keep it warm

11. Prefer using a bain marie (water bath) for whisking the egg yolks, no worries of course you can do that

TIPS
  • The best whisk for this job is balloon whisk. Remember you can always make a double or triple batch of the sauce. Don’t reheat the sauce in the microwave oven, similar to bearnaise it will split, if you want to reheat melt it in a water bath and you might need to add an egg yolk and some water and whip together.
 
Hi,

Hope everyone is well.

Just to update. My LCHF journey has started well. After just 8 weeks, my A1C has gone from 8.6 to 6.2.

My cardiologist is a happy man and was amazed that it was done through diet alone. I am well chuffed.

My cholesterol however, has crept up from 4.6 to 5.5 so he wants to keep an eye on that.

He has again asked me to start walking as that should help increase insulin sensitivity.

The only issue is my C Reactive Protein (which is an inflammatory marker) has gone from 30 to 50. Normal value is below 3. He is extremely worried that it is vascular related chronic inflammation caused by prolonged uncontrolled diabetes. I am hoping it is due to an inflamed tendon in my right arm. MRI today confirmed an issue with the tendon. Seeing the orthopedic surgeon in a couple of days. Hoping that the crazy numbers are in fact due to the arm. Will know in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.

Thanks to everyone who has given me advice and encouragement!!
 
I've just watched a video on inflammation and LDL
it seems insulin resistance turns glucose into fructose by 30% instead of the normal 3% and fructose = ldl
 
Hi again,

Thanks for that link @jack412 I'm going to have to wait til this evening, to watch it.

In the meantime, I can say that I have had the odd bout of inflamed finger joints (let's call it rheumatoid arthritis although never diagnosed as such), and sore knees which are more or less permanent.

But since clamping down on the carbs (consistently below 40g, usually below 20g, a day), I have noticed a great improvement in my knees.

The hands got better when I dropped below 80g carbs a day.

Who knows? Maybe your diet has prevented the tendon getting far worse? Obviously, that is just idle speculation...
 

certainly possible.

i have had this arm pain for more than 6 months and is progressively getting worse. i firmly believe that is causing the bulk of the inflammatory issue. most likely, i will go on a high dose of an NSAID for about a month. if that doesn't work, maybe a steroid injection but that will cause my sugar levels to fly..so i am very hesitant.
 
Regarding the pain in case it's similar or close to what Brunneria mentioned, are you 100% gluten free, the effects of going gluten free will take as much as 6 months or more to heal, another source discussed in Scandinavian to cut are dairies, but usually going gluten-free and below 20 g carbs a day can have effect.
Could be an inflammation resisting to heal causing the CRP raise, important to clarify this to your doc, but i guess you have.

Don't worry about the total cholesterol as this might be a rise in HDL also it's known that LCHF can initially give a transient rise in cholesterol and this will return to your old numbers, check dietdoctor regarding cholesterol etc. I had a meeting with surgery nurse regarding one of those health checks and I told her since they don't measure LDL particle size or particle numbers nor CRP, there were nothing the test to predict my cardiac health, in the end we gently agreed to disagree, I apologised being a difficult patient but pointed out they they need to modernise this. your cardiologist should be able get your apolipoprotein quote measured that's ApoB/ApoA1 this is a much more modern test and will tell much more about cardiac risk.
 

Thanks for the feedback Modesty. i honestly think it is a tendon issue (confirmed by an MRI), made worse by my obesity and long term diabetes. Had the problem long before i started LCHF. Hopefully anti-inflammatory medication will resolve this.

with regards to my cholesterol, it was at 6.8, before i started LCHF and came down to 4.9 within 3 weeks. that was great!! it has since gone up to 5.5.
overall my trigs/ldl are down slightly. i think my supplements have also helped. hopefully, it will stabilise within the next few months. i will also check if they are able to check the apolipoprotein quote. thanks for that.
 
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