I'm about 3 stone overweight, have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I signed up for the Low Carb Diet over a year ago but couldn't believe that it was the right diet for me as I had already lost about 4 stone over 2 years through calorie counting and exercise. Then the weight loss came to a standstill and I got despondent and it started to creep back on again. The weight loss is so slow but all I see around me is this low carb diet and the success stories - can it really be that good? With all the high calorie food ie nuts, red meat peanut butter, how does the cholesterol not go up and the weight? Help I need some advice??
Low Carb Diet???
- Thread starter Sukigirl63
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chalup
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Welcome to the forum. The short answer is yes, it is that good if done properly using your meter to guide you. I will tag @daisy1 to send you the welcoming info. There is a link in her post to the low carb program. My A1c has gone from 10.5 to 5.5 and I have lost 50 lbs. My cholesterol has gone down. That took about 6 months on low carb.
Bluetit1802
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Seeing is believing. Give it a try and see for yourself. Done properly it really works. 
Seeing is believing. Give it a try and see for yourself. Done properly it really works.
What worries me is that I will undo the good but slow progress I have already made and it goes totally against the grain as to what I have been told by the specialists - they recommend using very low calorie drinks and I've seen what that has done to friends! I think I'm going to read all the videos on the diabetes website again and maybe give it a shot - I may be surprised
Hotpepper20000
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I too have PCOS. After 15 years trying to figure out why I was gaining weight, tired and depressed I can honestly say this way of eating has changed my life.
I no longer have all over body aches, lost 50 pounds and and my A1C has gone from 10.9 to 5.9.
I still have another 40 pounds to lose but it will be a slow process, I'm ok with it as I have so much energy and my mind is much clearer.
I had to go against the normal advice as following it was killing me. I ate what was pretty healthy but it was not healthy for me with insulin resistants. PCOS comes with many symptoms and other then acne they have lessened significantly for me.
Key for me was getting a BG meter. I now know what foods spike me and avoid them.
I can not stress enough how much this way of eating has helped with PCOS.
I no longer have all over body aches, lost 50 pounds and and my A1C has gone from 10.9 to 5.9.
I still have another 40 pounds to lose but it will be a slow process, I'm ok with it as I have so much energy and my mind is much clearer.
I had to go against the normal advice as following it was killing me. I ate what was pretty healthy but it was not healthy for me with insulin resistants. PCOS comes with many symptoms and other then acne they have lessened significantly for me.
Key for me was getting a BG meter. I now know what foods spike me and avoid them.
I can not stress enough how much this way of eating has helped with PCOS.
Mep
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We're all different. I did the LCHF years back and had to stop because my cholesterol was too high. I also recall not losing any weight on it and gaining too. I'm not prepared to live with high cholesterol levels because of my family history where they have the same problem along with heart problems and several heart attacks. So what I do now is I have one lower carb meal per day to try and balance everything... the other meals I have up to 35g carbs usually. You just have to do what works for you in the end. It's nice that this diet works for most, but not everyone. I wish you the best
Kristin251
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I completely thrive on low carb high fat. Carbs make me feel awful. Fat fuels me all day. Crabs out me to sleep and I ache
My weight and energy are great as long as I stay vlc.
My weight and energy are great as long as I stay vlc.
Give it a shot. It may work well for you.
While the simple answer is "weight lost = calories out minus calories in", things aren't that simple.
Low carb works by also inciting ketosis. You need to be pretty strict and under a certain threshold of carbs per day/meal though to keep this process going consistently.
It's not for everyone, but why not try? You can still be low calorie while going low carb, and nothing will change in terms of exercise
While the simple answer is "weight lost = calories out minus calories in", things aren't that simple.
Low carb works by also inciting ketosis. You need to be pretty strict and under a certain threshold of carbs per day/meal though to keep this process going consistently.
It's not for everyone, but why not try? You can still be low calorie while going low carb, and nothing will change in terms of exercise
daisy1
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@Sukigirl63
Hello Sukigirl and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.
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 235,000 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:
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 free 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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
Hello Sukigirl and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.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 235,000 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
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 free 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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
- Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
- Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
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If you see your good work being undone, then you can always stop. Nothing is set in stone.
I think every person on here does their own version of their chosen way is eating because we all get to choose the details on a daily basis.
People with pcos have a harder time than most losing weight - it is well documented. But we also respond well to lower carb (have a Google for the info). When I switched to very low carb I lost nearly two stone without trying, which delighted me because I had been stalled for years. Since then, I have stalled again, but I find it easy to avoid regain. The trick is to not expect miracles (those happen to non pcosers ).
I think every person on here does their own version of their chosen way is eating because we all get to choose the details on a daily basis.
People with pcos have a harder time than most losing weight - it is well documented. But we also respond well to lower carb (have a Google for the info). When I switched to very low carb I lost nearly two stone without trying, which delighted me because I had been stalled for years. Since then, I have stalled again, but I find it easy to avoid regain. The trick is to not expect miracles (those happen to non pcosers
).
carty
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I eat lots of cheese and cream ,Full fat yoghurt ,butter ,though I do not need to lose weight in fact I want to gain but my cholesterol came down from 7.9 to 5.3 when I lowered the carbs and upped the fats
CAROL
CAROL
Resurgam
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I eat comparatively small amounts of dairy - but the fats which are in the chicken or meat are used for preparing vegetables or cooking eggs and mushrooms, onions or courgettes etc,
I was not losing weight after the first 18lb, but then I added cream as there are strawberries everywhere - and my weight dropped. This week no strawberries and cream, no weightloss - so I am pretty much convinced that I need to eat more fat, just a little more, and I should lose weight again.
I was not losing weight after the first 18lb, but then I added cream as there are strawberries everywhere - and my weight dropped. This week no strawberries and cream, no weightloss - so I am pretty much convinced that I need to eat more fat, just a little more, and I should lose weight again.
Hello all. I'm completely new to this, so please be patient. I'm 85 and was diagnosed with Type 2 (diet-controlled so far) a few years ago. Since then I have mostly eaten a healthy-ish varied diet with almost no processed food. But a fortnight ago I started my own version of a low carb diet: foregoing all potatoes, bread, pasta and rice, eating a mixed fairly healthy set of meals, measured at less than 100g of carbs per day; in fact mostly about 50 or 60. I had expected to see a wonderful weight loss but so far there is almost no difference. Can anyone tell me why so little? Should I carry on and be patient? Be more strict. Or what? Don't want to feel discouraged and go back to relying on bad carbs for bulk. I weigh about 76kg, so I'd be very grateful for some insight.
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chalup
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Try going down to 20 grams per day of carb. Once you are losing you can try to increase this a little bit at a time and you will soon know where your threshold for weight loss is. All of those carbs at first should be above ground veggies, no root veggies and no peas or corn. You may also be eating something your body does not like. Your meter is the best way to find out. I am tagging @daisy1 for you to send you information which includes some very good links. Check out the atkins website or dietdoctor.
I've only just got a meter and still have to start using it - gulp...I'll give it a go and am grateful for the advice and the link/s you give. Finding fresh veg here in a remote village will be difficult though. Co-op is 25 miles, nearest decent supermarket 75 miles. Today I spiralized courgettes, so that's a first.
chalup
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My favorites are green or waxed beans, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels, asparagus, and mushrooms. Frozen works well and most of these last a while. I also eat a lot of salad with deviled egg, ham, chicken, tuna, etc on top. Iceberg lettuce keeps well.
I should certainly buy some extra frozen veg, when I can. Soon I'll plant my kale and cavolo nero for the winter (principally that's to help with my wet macular degeneration). Sometimes I make soup with brussels sprouts (only way I can eat them). Why no peas? Do you think I should increase the fat intake a bit?
Used the meter today for the first time but it didn't work because there wasn't enough blood so I'll adjust the thingamajig to go deeper.
(Love the photo of your wee cat.)
Used the meter today for the first time but it didn't work because there wasn't enough blood so I'll adjust the thingamajig to go deeper.
(Love the photo of your wee cat.)
If you have trouble getting enough blood, wash you hands in warm soapy water first to boost your circulation. Being well hydrated keeps you veins nice and juicy too.
Peas can be quite starchy. I discovered recently that the younger peas, petits pois, are much lower carb although they taste very sweet. I had a lovely petits pois, spinach and mint soup.
Thanks for that, Avocado. Since my last post I managed a successful first test, well after lunch, with a reading of 6.2 which, I think, is OK. I have ordered spare lancets and strips. I drew blood from the edge of my fingertip because someone said it was less painful than from the middle.
I do like petit pois and your soup sounds good.
I do like petit pois and your soup sounds good.
