low carb

debpre said:

I am considering trying low carb diet as my blood sugars are rising. After being diet controlled for many years, I am now on metformin (1500g) a day and over weight. I want to reduce my blood sugar levels and lose weight for health reasons but also for vanity! I would like to get a response from both low carb followers and non low carb followers for your advice. :wave:

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Lowering BG levels and losing weight at the same time is a little bit of a balancing act. What works for me is avoiding all simple highly refined carbs and eat the complex carbs in moderation, so, pulses, brown rice, wholegrains. Things like barley, pulses and parboiled brown rice, but not long grain brown basmati rice, I can eat a lot of but the brown basmati rice along with wholewheat pasta and wholegrain bread I have to exercise portion control.

I eat things like olives, low fat cheeses, fish and seafoods, poultry, lots of veg and salad stuff and limit red meats to two meals per week. I also cut off excess fat on things like bacon or lamb or pork chops. I dry fry or use a spray for frying. I use a variety of spices and herbs to make these things up into meals.

2 x 15 mins per day exercise. This is not to burn off calories or to 'get fit' but simply to produce hormones which stimulate various enzymes which affect the way food is metabolised. As Prof Taylor points out, "a single bout of exercise substantially decreases both de novo lipogenesis and plasma VLDL", ie it reduces the amount of fat produced by carbohydrate that circulates in the bloodstream and which can be laid down as fat in the liver. Exercising for this purpose has to be daily for the effect is short lived, of the order of a day and with a peak at 12 hours. It's just waking off your lunch and walking off your supper. It's not pumping iron.

I've lost 30 Kg since christmas and my early morning BGs are in the 5s, so it works for me. I still eat well but I don't trust anything out of a tin or packet. If I use those things, I test again and again until I either trust it or reject it.

<<<low carb follower, its been great for me, i would advise a slow induction into it, i reduced carbs a little at a time and it made my sugars drop dramatically with each step which inspires you to go lower, and the weight fell off, i have stalled as expected at 3 stone 5 lbs since the low carbing, although id lost a couple of stone before by accident, i after reading stuff am planning on increasing carbs a little as i am on 30ish a day and im not tottally convinced it is a lifelong thing, but i think i will because of bg`s always watch my carbs just not at this level, maybee go up to between 50-100g a day long term but im still trying to figure out whats best, so anyway im on the side of the fence that says "go for it" what do you have to lose?
good luck

Andy12345 said:

i have stalled as expected at 3 stone 5 lbs since the low carbing

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'Stalling' is normal. This is what Roy Taylor has to say:

"The role of physical activity must be considered. Increased levels of daily activity bring about decreases in liver fat stores and a single bout of exercise substantially decreases both de novo lipogenesis and plasma VLDL. Several studies demonstrated that calorie control combined with exercise is much more successful than calorie restriction alone. However, exercise programs alone produce no weight loss for overweight middle-aged people. The necessary initial major loss of body weight demands a substantial reduction in energy intake. After weight loss, steady weight is most effectively achieved by a combination of dietary restriction and physical activity. Both aerobic and resistance exercise are effective. The critical factor is sustainability."

I've been low carb for about 8 years. I've been pretty fit all that time I have tonilitis at the moment!!.
I am holding my weight about 3 stones below where Iwas and trying to lose a bit more. Going on a cruise in October and hope to be another stone down. tightening up even more on carbs. They taste nice, but I don't need them. Ther's no essenial nutrient you can't get elsewhere.
Hana

I need to lower carbs too. My sugar is not high but I'm overweight and I'm not losing it because of the carbs. I also had hypothyroidism last year, it seems to be gone now, but maybe that's an issue.

I can cut down on most things...bread is my main issue. When I don't eat carbs, I don't feel full and I get cravings. It's hard.

Ditch the bread debpre, you don't need it. I can't eat wheat, so don't have any bread at all. You just need to be a bit more prepared and make a salad for lunch. Don't just think lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes, there are lots of things you can add to a salad such as sugar snap peas and raw cauliflower.

I'd agree.
Bread is a habit food so getting used to not having it is a bit cold turkey. Try to just have half a slice as a treat for now anyway.

I find if I can't manage cutting down on something then I'll do without, it less torturous.

Try chewing on a single sunflower seed or nut until you have munched it away rather than a hand full that way the kals are down your mouth is doing something and there is some flavours going on. 3 seed could last 20 mins after which the craving and hunger has passes or at least your choices are more rational. I make raw ginger tea with cayenne pepper to taste. That can knock hunger on the head for the whole afternoon even when working hard felling trees.

I low carb and have done from the day after my diagnosis as T2. I take the same quantity of Metformin as you. Except for the odd occasion I cut out all sugar and the majority of starchy foods (rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, cereals and other flour based products). The result was I normalised my blood pressure, my cholesterol, lost 4 stone in weight and reduced my hBA1c from an initial diagnosis value of 11.3% to 4.9% all in six months. Everyones tolerance to carbs is different so to work out how much starchy food I needed to ditch I simply started self testing. Initially my GP and DSN were sceptical but once they saw the results they now entirely support my approach to the extent that my GP now prescribes me a modest quantity of test strips. Now that I've lost weight and insulin resistance I'm finding I can tolerate slightly more starchy foods but still nothing like recommended portion sizes so I accept that if I want keep just diet controlled + metformin then I'll need to keep the regime I'm on long term but as I don't find it difficult that isn't a problem.

I am borderline diabetic but have lost 1.5 stones in 18 months mainly by be absolutely strict in not eating anything with sugar in it. Fortunately anything with too much sugar gives me a banging headache so for me the question is "if I eat that will it give me a headache?" it's a good indicator. I now don't each much bread which I find makes me bloated but stick to eating salads every day and having toast at weekends and say a burger bun or bread on special occasions. I find it difficult to cut down on the carbs simply because I like carby things. I am not a great vegetable eater so that is an uphill struggle for me to eat what I don't like. But it's like everything in life, you have to persevere and for me, the thing that keeps me on the straight and narrow is not going the same way as my grandmother who ignored advice simply because she didn't want to not eat what she had always eaten.

burcidi said:

I need to lower carbs too. My sugar is not high but I'm overweight and I'm not losing it because of the carbs. I also had hypothyroidism last year, it seems to be gone now, but maybe that's an issue.

I can cut down on most things...bread is my main issue. When I don't eat carbs, I don't feel full and I get cravings. It's hard.

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I tried to cut out bread,rice,and pasta. I took salad to work and felt hungrier than I did when I used to take just one sandwich. Imsometime feel you just can't win. I am well overweight or maybe just to short. I have an appointment with the dietitian next week and hopefully I will be able to sort stuff out..

fit2drop said:

I'd agree.
Bread is a habit food so getting used to not having it is a bit cold turkey. Try to just have half a slice as a treat for now anyway.

I find if I can't manage cutting down on something then I'll do without, it less torturous.

Try chewing on a single sunflower seed or nut until you have munched it away rather than a hand full that way the kals are down your mouth is doing something and there is some flavours going on. 3 seed could last 20 mins after which the craving and hunger has passes or at least your choices are more rational. I make raw ginger tea with cayenne pepper to taste. That can knock hunger on the head for the whole afternoon even when working hard felling trees.

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Do you have a recipe for the tea?

Hi All
Having been diagnosed T2 a month ago I have resigned myself that finding out what your body will allow you to have is simply a case of trial and error.
My reading was 17+ at diagnosis a month ago and has come down to 7.3
My DN (called Egor) advises me to avoid white bread, wine, beer, (of course) but eat porridge,banana's and other fruit twice a day.
In a post yesterday everyone suggested I cut out the fruit and porridge. And that I could eat chicken, eggs, bacon and steak.
Been living on salad and fish since diagnosis.
Lost 5lbs in weight. Exercising one-twice a day for15-30 mins each time. Need to loose 9lbs in weight for a BMI of -25.

Given that both Egor and the responses to my post all agree 'no white bread' at the very least - I'd give any bread a wide berth.
However, they did suggest, rather usefully, that I could eat, for example, bread and, testing before and a few hours afterwards to see how my body tolerated me scoffing. Egor just said to test once a day, which has given me some useful clues.

Eat, test and be damned

Yorksman said:

'Stalling' is normal. This is what Roy Taylor has to say:

"The role of physical activity must be considered. Increased levels of daily activity bring about decreases in liver fat stores and a single bout of exercise substantially decreases both de novo lipogenesis and plasma VLDL. Several studies demonstrated that calorie control combined with exercise is much more successful than calorie restriction alone. However, exercise programs alone produce no weight loss for overweight middle-aged people. The necessary initial major loss of body weight demands a substantial reduction in energy intake. After weight loss, steady weight is most effectively achieved by a combination of dietary restriction and physical activity. Both aerobic and resistance exercise are effective. The critical factor is sustainability."

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Yorksman talks a great deal of sense and just about mirrors my views entirely

bob2025 said:

Hi All
Having been diagnosed T2 a month ago I have resigned myself that finding out what your body will allow you to have is simply a case of trial and error.
My reading was 17+ at diagnosis a month ago and has come down to 7.3
My DN (called Egor) advises me to avoid white bread, wine, beer, (of course) but eat porridge,banana's and other fruit twice a day.
In a post yesterday everyone suggested I cut out the fruit and porridge. And that I could eat chicken, eggs, bacon and steak.
Been living on salad and fish since diagnosis.
Lost 5lbs in weight. Exercising one-twice a day for15-30 mins each time. Need to loose 9lbs in weight for a BMI of -25.

Given that both Egor and the responses to my post all agree 'no white bread' at the very least - I'd give any bread a wide berth.
However, they did suggest, rather usefully, that I could eat, for example, bread and, testing before and a few hours afterwards to see how my body tolerated me scoffing. Egor just said to test once a day, which has given me some useful clues.

Eat, test and be damned

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Cut out the carbohydrates and the bananas, stick to the berries. Add cheese to your list of things to eat. Plenty of exercise. Beer in moderation. Dry white and red wines are fine.

Palerider said:

I tried to cut out bread,rice,and pasta. I took salad to work and felt hungrier than I did when I used to take just one sandwich. Imsometime feel you just can't win. I am well overweight or maybe just to short. I have an appointment with the dietitian next week and hopefully I will be able to sort stuff out..

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Fat and fiber stops hunger, carbs only make you hungry
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm

jack412 said:

Fat and fiber stops hunger, carbs only make you hungry
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm

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I have to agree with Jack412...
I was diagnosed with T2 in December 2013 after being "insulin resistant' most of my adult life due to PCOS. I don't take meds.
My GP gave me the usual dietary advice but I did some research and settled on the Low Carb High Fat lifestyle as described here: http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf.
By the time I revisited my GP 3 months later I had lost over 12kg and my fasting results were much improved. My whole family are eating the same and everyone is losing weight without increasing exercise.
I am still losing weight though not as quickly now. The way to stay satiated when cutting carbs is to increase your natural fat intake as described.

Yorksman said:

'Stalling' is normal. This is what Roy Taylor has to say:

"The role of physical activity must be considered. Increased levels of daily activity bring about decreases in liver fat stores and a single bout of exercise substantially decreases both de novo lipogenesis and plasma VLDL. Several studies demonstrated that calorie control combined with exercise is much more successful than calorie restriction alone. However, exercise programs alone produce no weight loss for overweight middle-aged people. The necessary initial major loss of body weight demands a substantial reduction in energy intake. After weight loss, steady weight is most effectively achieved by a combination of dietary restriction and physical activity. Both aerobic and resistance exercise are effective. The critical factor is sustainability."

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Absolutely correct for me

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hanadr said:

I've been low carb for about 8 years. I've been pretty fit all that time I have tonilitis at the moment!!.
I am holding my weight about 3 stones below where Iwas and trying to lose a bit more. Going on a cruise in October and hope to be another stone down. tightening up even more on carbs. They taste nice, but I don't need them. Ther's no essenial nutrient you can't get elsewhere.
Hana

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Hanadra, Im just back from a cruise , you will be ok , just watch all the lovely cakes lol
I managed to do some sort of activity every day on board , put 6lb on in 2 weeks but 2 were post flight fluid retention so only really 4.
I do some exercise / activity every day in life now and watch my carbs most days.

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