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Low Carb Advice Needed

L

Lally123

Well-Known Member
Messages
231
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi I'm asking this for a good friend of mine who is type 2 and very obese. She is struggling with her glucose levels and I had a chat with her the other day and asked her if she had tried low carb. Problem is she has gut problems and can't tolerate any dairy. The only meat she can eat is chicken and she is severely seafood (all types) allergic. She has a really restricted diet as it is and has tried all the meds out there with very little success. Her latest hba1c has come back at 85 and she constantly runs high. I am at a bit of a loss as to what to advise her to do with the low carbing and so far have just suggested she looks at the carb content of everything she eats to reduce where she can. Obviously she will struggle with low carbing as she can't fill up on fats. I don't think she will survive on nuts and chicken! Does anyone have any ideas as to how best to help her avoid insulin, which is the next step for her and one she really doesn't want to take. At the moment she is on max metformin and an injection (may be victoza or one.of those) and empagliflozin. I am really worried about her and think her only hope is low carb but can't see how she will manage it with her allergies. Thanks
 
Lally123 said:
Obviously she will struggle with low carbing as she can't fill up on fats.
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i dont understand, why cant she fill up on non animal fats? and lots of green veg for example? Low carb isnt just living off meat and nuts, there are many foods one can eat and still low carb.
 
Hi @Lally123 There are non-dairy fats such as coconut oil or avocado. Maybe your friend can have a look at Dietdoctor website for some meal ideas.
 
Is your friend worried about increasing her calories if she eats more fats?

I am very obese, so I both carb and calorie count. I have reduced the calories I have as carbs, and increased the calories I have as fats, so my calories intake levels remain the same.

I do find, however, that i can eat around 1700 cals a day of mainly fats, protein and salad/veg and still i am slowly losing weight. If I have more carbs, I put on weight at around 1500 cals a day. I am sure there is a scientific reason for this, but I cant remember what it is.
 
lucylocket61 said:
I am sure there is a scientific reason for this, but I cant remember what it is.
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Carbs trigger insulin response more than protein or fat.
Insulin triggers fat storage, the carbs turn to fat and get stored so you stop losing.
Edit to add /.. I'm sure you know that anyway ... but to hot to type?
 
@Lally123 - Is your friend lactose intolerant or all dairy? Many people find they can't have milk, for example, but can tolerate cheese and double cream.
 
lucylocket61 said:
i dont understand, why cant she fill up on non animal fats? and lots of green veg for example? Low carb isnt just living off meat and nuts, there are many foods one can eat and still low carb.
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Hi thanks but I guess it's just some ideas I need as to how best to advise her. I don't go really low carb myself as I don't need to so I'm not really sure what foods real low carvers eat that my mate could tolerate. Thanks for your reply.
 
Scimama said:
Hi @Lally123 There are non-dairy fats such as coconut oil or avocado. Maybe your friend can have a look at Dietdoctor website for some meal ideas.
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Thank you I will get her to take a look that's a good idea.
 
Hmmm...no dairy, and the only meat she can eat is chicken. I assume she had tried turkey but that is not possible? Is she allergic to beef and pork or does she have personal aversion to red meat?

No mention of eggs. Eggs are a good source of protein and fat and can be very filling.

Eggs and vegetables can be combined in many ways to make filling meals.

I think if I was only able to eat nuts (of which there is a wide variety), chicken and eggs and vegetables I could live pretty well.

On the dairy, there is sheep and goat cheese if it is cow that is the issue.
 
I think she probably is but to be honest she's in a real mess atm and feeling rubbish because of the sugar levels and I think for her tackling the carbs first will help her most and when she begins to feel better she can then tackle the weight. Thanks
 
I'd be a firm second for www.dietdoctor.com caters for most diet variations.
 
bulkbiker said:
Carbs trigger insulin response more than protein or fat.
Insulin triggers fat storage, the carbs turn to fat and get stored so you stop losing.
Edit to add /.. I'm sure you know that anyway ... but to hot to type?
Click to expand...
Yeah she definitely needs to go as low carb as she possibly can but I just don't see how she can do it with her allergies and not starve. I am going to get her to start looking into the diet doctor website as suggested above and might be able to persuade her to join this forum too you never know!
 
That would be a good step for her.
 
DCUKMod said:
@Lally123 - Is your friend lactose intolerant or all dairy? Many people find they can't have milk, for example, but can tolerate cheese and double cream.
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No she is lactose intolerant she can't eat any dairy at all nor can she eat eggs which makes advising her really difficult.
 

With all due respect, starving might be the best thing for her in the short term. If she is over weight then a very low calorie diet could be a way to reduce weight and improve BG control.

Worth looking up the Newcastle Diet for some ideas.
 
LittleGreyCat said:
With all due respect, starving might be the best thing for her in the short term. If she is over weight then a very low calorie diet could be a way to reduce weight and improve BG control.

Worth looking up the Newcastle Diet for some ideas.
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I agree but she's in a pit of depression at the moment and obviously feeling terrible because of her sugar levels. I think that's a good idea tho and I will certainly suggest she looks into this. Thanks
 
Lally, you are a good friend and you have found some ways forward for your friend, but in the end either she will get fired up by the idea of lowering her bg and be prepared to make the rather difficult effort required, or she won't! In the latter case, your task will be the hard one of standing back and watching her suffer, and maybe eventually she will herself reach a tipping point and decide to change.

For now, I suggest she cut out the obvious carbs. To compensate she could double her portions of chicken and not stint on the fatty skin or avoid the dark meat. Maybe together you could be creative about presenting chicken in as many different ways as possible - roast, casseroled, curried, hot, cold, with salad, with various vegetables - you get the idea - so she won't get too sick of it.

Good luck!
 
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