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Low carb guidelines

Hi all any tips on going low carb again?
What would you like us to share?
You already went into remission with a very low carb/keto style diet earlier this year, and then you went all out going very high carb suddenly.
The very high carb meal didn't make you rise all that much, so what about aiming for a little less carbs but not as extreme as before?

So maybe not mash, and roasties, and yorkshire pudding all in one meal?
Instead, have a bit less of those and more meat and veggies.

In your shoes, I'd try to find a middle road and keep a close eye on my numbers before and after meals.
 
What would you like us to share?
You already went into remission with a very low carb/keto style diet earlier this year, and then you went all out going very high carb suddenly.
The very high carb meal didn't make you rise all that much, so what about aiming for a little less carbs but not as extreme as before?

So maybe not mash, and roasties, and yorkshire pudding all in one meal?
Instead, have a bit less of those and more meat and veggies.

In your shoes, I'd try to find a middle road and keep a close eye on my numbers before and after meals.
I am just scared and worried about introducing more carbs and then having more spikes and affecting my baseline blood sugar....

The cereal I have on a morning is called Surreal...but I am thinking maybe that might also be causing spikes on a morning.

My blood sugar yesterday evening was 4.6 it seems throughout the evening and this morning it was 4.6 too.

Just on a bit of a roller coaster at the moment with everything going on in my life..
 
I am just scared and worried about introducing more carbs and then having more spikes and affecting my baseline blood sugar....

The cereal I have on a morning is called Surreal...but I am thinking maybe that might also be causing spikes on a morning.

My blood sugar yesterday evening was 4.6 it seems throughout the evening and this morning it was 4.6 too.

Just on a bit of a roller coaster at the moment with everything going on in my life..
I think you already know how to do low-carb - it's worked for you before. The issue you seem to be describing is that you want to eat carbs, but you don't want the consequences. Your system (if you're seeing 4.6 regularly) is obviously coping at the minute, but given your history you can't know how long that might continue. And I think you've posted CGM graphs showing that you don't clear heavy glucose loads all that quickly.

If you eat carbs your blood glucose level will rise. It might rise quickly, or a bit more slowly. Once your insulin system gets to work it will come down - quickly or slowly. This is true for everyone, diabetic or non-diabetic. The difference is that for T2s our insulin systems are generally not working effectively so we tend to see higher rises and slower falls, because our insulin is not working efficiently.

It seems that for many people the more you put stress on your insulin system, by making it deal with repeated glucose loads, the poorer it eventually performs: this is where insulin resistance comes from. The body produces more and more insulin, but the cells have become tolerant/resistant to its effects. This means that energy is not getting to muscle cells. The associated problem is that the body also becomes used to higher glucose levels as being normal, and the liver then does its best to maintain those higher levels. Both high insulin and high glucose can cause complications.

The exact levels at which these become problems seems to be different for different people. There are accounts on this forum from people with high A1cs at diagnosis who had no other symptoms: and people like me who get a range of diabetic symptoms at an A1c of 44.

It's really your choice. You know what high glucose will do eventually if you eat a lot of carbs. You know also that the problem won't go away, but can be managed.
 
I think you already know how to do low-carb - it's worked for you before. The issue you seem to be describing is that you want to eat carbs, but you don't want the consequences. Your system (if you're seeing 4.6 regularly) is obviously coping at the minute, but given your history you can't know how long that might continue. And I think you've posted CGM graphs showing that you don't clear heavy glucose loads all that quickly.

If you eat carbs your blood glucose level will rise. It might rise quickly, or a bit more slowly. Once your insulin system gets to work it will come down - quickly or slowly. This is true for everyone, diabetic or non-diabetic. The difference is that for T2s our insulin systems are generally not working effectively so we tend to see higher rises and slower falls, because our insulin is not working efficiently.

It seems that for many people the more you put stress on your insulin system, by making it deal with repeated glucose loads, the poorer it eventually performs: this is where insulin resistance comes from. The body produces more and more insulin, but the cells have become tolerant/resistant to its effects. This means that energy is not getting to muscle cells. The associated problem is that the body also becomes used to higher glucose levels as being normal, and the liver then does its best to maintain those higher levels. Both high insulin and high glucose can cause complications.

The exact levels at which these become problems seems to be different for different people. There are accounts on this forum from people with high A1cs at diagnosis who had no other symptoms: and people like me who get a range of diabetic symptoms at an A1c of 44.

It's really your choice. You know what high glucose will do eventually if you eat a lot of carbs. You know also that the problem won't go away, but can be managed.
Appreciate the advice...I do feel worried about the low carb, high fat cause of the effects on cholestrol ect...
 
Appreciate the advice...I do feel worried about the low carb, high fat cause of the effects on cholestrol ect...
That advice comes from the same source as the advice to base all your meals around starchy carbs. Have a read of these:


You might also find it worth reading Dr Malcolm Kendrick's book "The Clot Thickens"

The thing about cholesterol: it's essential and our bodies make most (70% is usually quoted) of what's in us.
 
Appreciate the advice...I do feel worried about the low carb, high fat cause of the effects on cholestrol ect...
For what it's worth, when I was first diagnosed, 7 years ago, my lipids were all out of whack.
I switched to low carb (not keto levels) and increased the fats, including all the so called bad fats from cheese, cream, fatty meat and butter.
As soon as my numbers came down (with insulin, I'm T1) all my lipid levels improved to what the lab calls the ideal range.

I'm not sure if it's the diet change or getting healthy blood glucose that made the difference in my lipids, but those sat fats certainly have no bad effect on my cholesterol.
 
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