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LCHF diet advice

I've been trying to think of something that might help you that hasn't been said or you haven't mentioned.
When first diagnosed and started very low carb, I increased my saturated fat and my protein as you would.
The other thing I did was walk more, do more chores, but I increased my walking and mild exercise by at least an hour each day.
I don't know if you can achieve more exercise or what you do to increase muscle tone especially in your legs. Increased muscle will also make you gain weight a bit at a time.
It is also good for keeping
your blood glucose levels within range. I would go for a walk after meals, which also helped with thinking about food, if I was nowhere near it, I couldn't eat it!

Best wishes
 
Your weight is far too low for your height algarvedave. I am tall and weigh more than you but my shoulder bones and ribs show and my face is much thinner. I was told by my dermatologist not to lose any more weight and my wife and daughters keep on at me about weight. You need to see your doctor not take our advice. b
 

I know you mean well Derek, but my experience is that his doctor would suggest eating more carbs than is good for him.
If you could suggest something that would be really great, I have not come across someone with RH who needs to gain weight. Except you of course, but you have never asked a question or given advice how to achieve this that I can remember.

Best wishes.
 

I have always been under weight for my height. I have been between 60 and 65 kgs all my adult life and always been a very active and heathy person - apart from RH.
The only advise doctors ever gave me was to eat more often, eat more carbs and drink protein shakes.
I dropped initially from 63 kgs to around 59 kgs in the first couple of weeks when I started eating LCHF just over 6 weeks ago.
I then increased my fat and protein intake considerably which seems to have halted the weight loss.
The LCHF diet is great and I am finding it easy, I just worry that my protein and fat intake is too high.
The other problems I have is my legs feel heavy and ache and my energy levels are low and I am not sure why.
I am still getting lower leg cramps every night but they have not been as bad over the last couple of days.
More exercise/walking might be the answer.
 
We are advised to increase salt intake in the first weeks of starting LCHF since weight loss is largely due to water loss while glucose stores are used up and not replaced by carbs. This should offset the flu like symptoms often reported in early days of diet, and may help with the leg cramps too.
 

Hi,
I did increase both salt and water intakes during the first two weeks and I am still drinking a lot of water every day.
 
Hi Lamont, I can now eat some carbs when I eat them after fat and protein I normally have three fried eggs and loads of olive oil plus flaked almonds and then two piled table spoons of Jumbo porridge
in water with soya milk as a cooler. similarly I have a 4oz potato at evening meal. I just snack at lunch. No rh and my blood glucose stays down but would peak if I had carbs first.
I do not have diabetes due to being overweight it is likely due to an adrenal adenoma. As is my RH.
Birmingham university has done a study on the German Conns register and there is a link with T2D via cortisol.

I do not believe in one size fits all regime
atb
Derek
 
algarvedave said:
Hi,
I did increase both salt and water intakes during the first two weeks and I am still drinking a lot of water every day.
Click to expand...
It seems you are ticking the right boxes. I cannot advise on the RH side since I am a T2D, and with LCHF you ought to be able to adjust weight either way by simple diet alteration. Not sure why HF and HP is not having the desired effect for you.

For me I start using double cream and that gradually allows my weight to rise a bit, but it is thankfully limited so no runaway bloating for me, But there may be something else going on. The tiredness and lethargy you mention could be an indication of anaemia or iron deficiency. I am currently faceing this in my life, and it is a fairly common affliction in diebetics. The ADA website states that over 25% of diabetics registered in USA have iron deficiency anaemia. Maybe you should ask your GP for a whole blood count test. Here in UK it seems that this test is not part of the normal Diabetic monitoring checkup, so is being missed unless other symptoms present.
 
He would feel the same if he had low potassium. This is just guesswork without bloods being done.
 

Hi Derek, nor do I! We have all travelled a different journey to get here!
I believe that the few carbs you do have, you have a lot of all the other stuff to slow the raise in blood levels. So it's offset, you have found your balance and that is really brilliant!
We all learn from each other and advice can be tricky to someone who is just starting!

Best wishes mate!
 
The protein is far too high Dave. Your height and weight is a concern and perhaps has an underlying cause. At that height and weight you will look like a beanpole. They called me a long streak of p*** when I was young and I was 6'5" and weighed 13stone, but I was big boned! Now I am your height bmi c.22. D.
 
lindisfel said:
He would feel the same if he had low potassium. This is just guesswork without bloods being done.
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Yes I wondered about low potassium but I eat lots of green leaf salads and spinach, salmon, high fat low carb yogurt all everyday so I would have thought my levels were ok.
 

Do you think the very high protein could be to blame for my heavy legs and lack of energy?
I have reduced it to around 145/150gms per day since Friday which is now around 30% of my daily calorie intake.

Yes I do look like a bean pole, I have done since I was 16 years old but I have learnt to live with it over the past 47 years. Other than undiagnosed RH suffering hypos every week or so I have led a very active and heathy life with no other illnesses whatsoever. The reason for trying a LCHF diet is that the hypos were becoming more frequent and more severe to the extent that i passed out a couple of times, once in a restaurant. A trip to hospital with blue lights flashing made me determined to get things under control.
The LCHF diet is really doing its job but with the drawbacks I have already mentioned.
 

I am using lots of double cream, good job I love it.
I have always been anaemic since childhood but do try to eat lots of spinach and greens now so should be ok.
A whole blood count might be a good idea but I did have a load of blood tests last year as I had a suspected pancreatic cancer. All my bloods were said to be ok then. After CT and MRI scans I was given the all clear.
 
It is the kidneys that get hammered with too much protein. See if they will do U&E blood test at the surgery this will give an indication if your kidneys are OK and your potassium level is OK. It is hard to eat enough at 4.7 grams per day recommended, if potassium down you will feel knackered. They claim approx 1gram protein per kg body weight is necessay! You would probably eat some carbs if you had plenty of fat and oil. Good fats btw! Otherwise its eating a few carbs every hour which is a chore!
 
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NoCrbs4Me said:
I'm curious about what you're eating to get almost equal amounts by weight of protein and fat. I would think that's difficult to do.
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Ok here goes, today's food.

Breakfast:
3 eggs scrabbled made with 15 gms of butter + 2 teaspoons of thick cream + 50 gms of smoked salmon. 1 slice of low carb toast + 26 gms butter.

Lunch:
Salad of half a tomato, spinach, celery, lettuce, 2 teaspoons of full fat mayo + 120 gms of tinned tuna in olive oil + extra olive oil.
Low carb smoothie.

Mid afternoon snack:
Low carb smoothie with 250 mil of unsweetened soya milk + greek yogurt + cream+ berries+ 30 gms of low carb whey protein powder.
1 slice low carb toast, + 17 gms butter, 28 gms of cheese. 3 raw brasil nuts.

Dinner:
250 gms of grilled salmon, spinach, cauliflower rice and a small amount of carrot.
70gms full fat unsweetened greek yogurt + 2 teaspoons of mixed berries + 4 teaspoons of cream
Coffee with 2 teaspoons of cream.

According to the app I use that's
135 gms of fat
25 gms of carb
149 gms of protein
 

Yes, I can see that there's a lot of protein. I think there are two issues: the whey and the fish. I'd stop the whey for sure. It's not really good for you. It's something weight lifters eat when they are trying to bulk up their muscles. Maybe instead of fish eat some red meat sometimes, but not lean red meat.

Right now your at around 65% fat, 30% protein, and 5% carb based on calories, which is not bad. I think if you stopped the whey and replaced that with some extra butter and/or cheese and had some bacon instead of smoked salmon for breakfast, you be right where you should be.

Remember, fat has about 9 calories per gram and protein and carbs have about 4 cals per gram and most people look at macro percentages in terms of calories.

Also, I'd get rid of as much highly processed food as you can, like the low carb toast and soya milk as well.
 

I was given all those tests for pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis.
I have always been relatively healthy all my life. I just have RH!
All my symptoms were asymptomatic of RH!
As @NoCarbsForMe has given you good suggestions, I know you are vegetarian, there are good alternatives to the whey and low carb bread, they could be too much, unless you have tested for them.
I take a drug called irbesarten for my kidney protection, I have been on these meds for about twenty years.
You're not on statins are you?
It is about finding the right balance tho!
 
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