Low BG on low carb

[AndBreathe]

Thank you all for your replies.
I wanted to quote this because I have indeed had gastric surgery .. a gastric band. This was emptied at the start of the pandemic (due to discomfort) and not adjusted correctly (to this day). As a result I gained 50kg (yes kilos) in 18 months and I'm afraid I'm rather desperate to 'be myself' again .

This is where keto comes in. Believe it or not the diagnosis of pre-diabetes helped solve my years long question of why I would gain weight even if CICO was observed!

It's been a real eye opener. Finally I feel somewhat educated about the effect man-made carbs have on the body

For me, and probably many, keto js not sustainable long term, and I have these horrible hypo like symptoms occasionally (which without fail make me think I'm either having an anxiety attack or another stroke) so I plan to raise carbs a little some time in April.

Don't want my body getting used to non diabetic ranges if I am indeed diabetic (as I believe as I am nearer DT2 at 47.5 hba1c). I can forsee all sorts of complications including having to continue ultra low carb to avoid weight gain and having to put up with these horrible symptoms, or gaining weight and putting my BG up.

As others have pointed out, there's actually really no firm evidence that low carb can be good for you long term, as the science isn't in yet - it's too new a concept. It does, however, make sense to me as we haven't been processing our food for that long relative to how long we were around before relying on meat and natural sugars in fruit.

Thanks again. Great discussion for newbies.

There are two area of your post I'd like to comment upon, please.

Firstly, "....Don't want my body getting used to non diabetic ranges if I am indeed diabetic....", can I ask what you mean by that? I see my body getting used to non-diabetic numbers are it having the opportunity to heal and limit the potential for any damage caused by high blood sugars, whether that be to my blood vessels, nerves, eyes or anywhere else.

Whilst we all have to come to our own conclusions about the way we choose to deal with life, including the management of health conditions, for me low carb has served me well. I have been living a low carb lifestyle since 2013. I have also been gluten-free for about 3 years.

 

[Oldvatr]

Hi

I got a pre-diabetes diagnosis in December and after reading and researching I decided to alter my eating to low carb.

I test before and after meals and my fasting level.

I've managed to get my readings into the 4s and 5s, but several times a week I catch my BG in the 3s . This is usually before a meal, indicating I might have waited too long, but I've also had "hypo" symptoms such as racing heart, chills, anxiety and tiredness at times when my BG is in the 4s or 5s.

I don't understand why my BG can dip to 3.2 or 3.8 (also following retesting) with my current diagnosis of pre-diabetic. From what I understand this is rare in non diabetics and DT2.

Is this all down to just being a little late with meals and eating low carb?

Thanks

Nicola

Your OP did not mention the need to lose significant weight
Now the keto makes sense. You did seem to be wanting to get you blood sugars lower which did not make much sense since the range you were quoting are such that many reading this would cry tears of joy to achieve (it was your mention of considering adding in water fasting on top). Personally, I think you could probably take your foot off the accelerator pedal a little to bring the levels up a bit to lose those pesky hypo's. They aren't going to amount to much if you ignore them, but better off avoiding them if you can. In terms of weight loss it will not make much difference, and your bgl should still pass muster at the next HbA1c review.

I got the impression that you are requesting to be considered for a full bypass to replace the band. I cannot advise on this, but I believe that part of the acceptance criteria is (1) a BMI in the morbidly obese range and (2) demonstrate the ability to lose a significant amount of it pre-op by diet. Is this what is behind your stress to get bgl levels down as quickly as possible? If so then is it to avoid the Roux-Y variant which is used for diabetics? Just thinking aloud. It's not a judgement, but I do detect some stress that you might be able to deal with.

 

[Grannypat]

Part of the normal process of glucose regulation is that when the liver senses lower levels it will dump glucose into the blood to bring it back to “normal”. This is why we all don’t go into a coma if we skip a meal or two. Some medications (including insulin and some other diabetic medications) or a few unusual conditions might interfere with or override this but otherwise it’s pretty reliable. When fasting people reach a certain low point and this mechanism kicks in.

The other thing is if you are used to a particular range your body thinks this is “normal”, whatever that might be. It’s why some can walk around with horribly high levels and be unaware of it and also why when they lower their levels noticeably they feel as if they are hypo even when their levels remain above 4mmol. Known as a false hypo. The body can reset a new normal once it becomes accustomed to it after a while.

 

[NickiSanta]

It was actually the post that grannypat has just quoted that I had in mind, when I said I didn't want my body to think of my keto lows as my normal, so when I go to low carb soon my body can cope and keeps my BG low instead of over compensating.

Perhaps I misunderstood HSSS post?

The stress about my weight is more to do with my state of mind (particularly autism). Although a bypass was on the cards I suspect my BMI may now fall outside the NHS criteria.

 

[HSSS]

It was actually the post that grannypat has just quoted that I had in mind, when I said I didn't want my body to think of my keto lows as my normal, so when I go to low carb soon my body can cope and keeps my BG low instead of over compensating.

Perhaps I misunderstood HSSS post?

The stress about my weight is more to do with my state of mind (particularly autism). Although a bypass was on the cards I suspect my BMI may now fall outside the NHS criteria.

You did misunderstand. What we all need is for our bodies to recognise and maintain normal levels so they don’t give false signals that it is too low. What a false hypo does is fail to recognise true normal and send signals (too much and too soon) because it’s not what the body is used to and acclimatised to. The post was intended to reassure you that you are highly unlikely go dangerously low because of the mechanism I described without another reason for it than keto, and that your body would learn what true normal was once you go used to it and stop sending false signals that feel so horrible. Lows such as you describe (remaining above 3.5) are not harmful in and of themselves, it’s the symptoms that are the problem and in cases where other conditions or medications apply the potential to drop still further (maybe quickly after excess insulin for example) and overwhelm the mechanisms designed to keep you out of danger and render you incapable of helping yourself.

You’ve since disclosed weight loss surgery and oldvatr has given some indication this can complicate the process in some cases so perhaps it is wise to nudge the carbs up slightly and allow the acclimatisation to more normal blood glucose levels to happen a little more gently and with a good deal of watchfulness. As you settle - symptoms free - into each new normal stage you can edge it down a little further if you still feel it will be beneficial for glucose or weight control. It’ll still happen. Just slightly less quickly.

 

[NickiSanta]

Ok. Thank you

 

[Starlark]

I experienced those false hypo symptoms too. My body was used to bgl 7-8 and when it dropped below 5 I got shivers, sleepiness... But 4.7 is far from hypo.
Now my bgl is around 5, 4.6 - 5.8 and I feel great no more hypo symptoms.