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Moving from Low Carb to Higher levels

ok i may be missing something, lets face it im not the sharpest knife in the draw, if eating carbs was a contributary factor in getting diabetes which i assume it was as why else would cutting carbs help solve the problem, and by cutting them out youve cured yourselves..... then why on gods green earth would you go back to such high levels of carbs? ok if you were on 30g and fancied upping it to 100g max i could see that, but are you not asking for trouble? this seems tottally nuts to me
 
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It makes sense to me actually. I don't believe T2 Diabetes is caused by carbs, but much more by genetic factors - after all most people (being non-diabetic) can handle carbs just fine. Carb just happen to be a very effective tool (among others) that helps to control diabetes. Some reports suggest insulin resistance can be reduced by exercise, so in that case it would make sense that if you can get it under control, to then try to train the body to accept some level of carbs, thereby making it easier to fit in with social settings and enjoy a wider variety of food.
 
Hi Andy, I think you do yourself an injustice. @brdavies has summed up the situation nicely. There are 2 other contributing factors that I would like to throw into the pot:
1. My life style before diagnosis was pretty awful. I worked from 8 to 8 grazing on chocolate, cakes, biscuits all day. Never got any exercise except walking to and from the car to my desk (100 yards and a lift).
2. I followed a low cal/carb diet and exercise programme and have lost 25% of my body mass and do not have abnormal sugar responses (compared to my non-diabetic wife).

Given these facts I need to see how far I can go. I am a consultant and often live from hotel rooms during the week and socialise with my clients in the evening. Eating a controlled diet becomes very difficult under these circumstances. The change in my lifestyle has given me the scope to test and I am finding I do not seem to have limits. So (fingers crossed here) as long as I maintain my current build or improve it I should be able to move back to a "more normal" (read that as occasionally unhealthy) diet when I have no choice but to eat from restaurants.

I do not see carbs as a poison any more because I can tolerate their presence in my body; they were previously.

BTW I have noticed a large difference on days when I haven't exercised much on the previous days. I can only attribute this to my muscular insulin resistance, I am therefore forearmed and forewarned and forever on the watch.
 
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well as you folks seem very clever, i have to give this idea some thought and cannot dismiss it, very interesting, thank you for the posts
 
You are welcome. I will keep you all informed with my experiment - still early days (6 months from diagnosis) so this could, yet, turn into a disaster yet
 
I agree, Andy, but then I am pretty antisocial and don't need to eat in restaurants. I think the low carb veg/nut versions of rice, mash, pasta, cake etc are not only tastier, but are more nutritious, so I don't see me wanting to ever go back to the high carb versions. If it ain't broke, don't fix it
 
I have wondered recently whether I needed to be more guarded about the HF in LCHF.

I have over come a weight plateau by reducing my fat intake (mainly cheese and salad dressings) and increasing my carbohydrate.

Hence I'm approaching 110 g a day of carb with an associated 600 kcals.

Now I'm within the correct range of BMI.

 
Yes 1g fat contains about 9 kcal so it adds up quickly. As I have increased my carbs I have been lucky that I have had room in my diet to accommodate the extra calories but I am now at the point where I haven't so have to reduce my nuts instead. That isnt going to happen though because I prefer my nuts to carbs. So I am at a little bit of a dilemma at the moment if I want to continue to lose weight.
 
Ok tried Weetabix in the morning, waking up BS .5.3, before breakfast 5.4, after one hour 10.8, got on the bike burned 200 cal (40min) after 2 hrs BS 5.7, after 3 hrs 5.3
Will do the same next few days to see BS changes. I decided to stick to a time table eat meals at same times, at the moment anytime I feel hungry. This may cause my body to program itself for meals.
I cant say I can stop at two biscuits, so goodbye biscuits.
 
Hopefully after a couple of more days you will see that 10.8 reduce (got my fingers crossed for you). Mind you weetabix aren't very friendly when it comes to spiking.
 
Very Interesting thread. I am just beginning on a low fat way of eating (Do not like the word diet). It seems that one must be quite controlled when starting LC diet obviously your meter is going to tell how long.

Then experiment with what carbs you can take! Sorry if I am stating the obvious here but I just want things clear in my mind.

Thanks for the posts it's made me think out of the box!!!
 

I think is just another example whereby diabetes shows us that one size doesn't fit all.

Currently, I'm not working, leading a life of sun, sea, sailing and general hedonism. But, life in UK is more aligned to Andrew's description. Given, when working, I am being paid a handsome day rate by clients, they tend to want blood, not 9-5 attendance. When I am with them, Often in hotels 4 nights a week, need to fit in, to a degree, as discussions have to focus on what they're paying me for, and not what I'm (not) eating, or lifestyle. That said, it's not my intention to fully revert to my former lifestyle, or it will run into difficulties again, but I need some tolerable flexibility.

Even here, I need some. For example, We are going to watch the Monaco GP, with friends tomorrow. Here it starts at 8am, and our hostess declared last night she is making waffles, bacon with maple syrup and all the all-American trimmings. Right now, I'm undecided about how I'll tackle,this one specifically. But, in the past where we've done bacon sandwiches or smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels, I have gone along with it, with no adverse blood results. Tomorrow's offerings may be a step too far; and I don't care for maple syrup.

We all need to find our way forward, over time, and it's all about is weighing up our personal risk/reward tolerances, and the resultant blood scores. To fit into my own life; to ease things for my OH and to prepare for a late summer of business, I think I need to be expanding my horizons a bit. Of course, if my numbers start creeping up, I'll have to modify my approach accordingly.

I don't think anyone is suggesting they have a panacea, and I do acknowledge my own stance has softened quite a bit over the last couple of months. But, I think this is a healthy discussion, which has helped me, and whether others agree, or not, will have stimulated thought, if not discussion.
 

Sterling - is that all you're eating, or just the items containing carbs?
 
yes i agree this is interesting, i dont think its good but it is interesting, i suppose its perspective, what balance between health and convenience you want, i am obsessed with my health and it takes priority over everything else (apart from the obvious stuff) i believe carbs to be not just evil but a disease of man (and woman) and i dont think we need to eat them, society disagrees of course, i understand how things can be difficult without the carbs because this way of eating isnt widely catered for, but as i consider carbs such an evil, if all the restaurants sold was arsenic based meals i still wouldnt eat them, on saying that if someone feels they want to eat carbs and monitor their effects carefully so they are not harming themselves i dont have a problem with it and if i could healthily eat carbs i certainly would (especially bread) i just enjoy my low carb lifestyle and its doing me so much good i cant quite get my head around someone wanting to change for the sake of convenience, im not saying you shouldnt be doing this, we all have to find our own path, its just that i have deep reservations about your path or any path that involves eating more poison, oops i mean carbs

all just my opinion i of course hope it all goes well
 
Andy - it's all by degree, not,a binary, on/off switch. I enjoy lower carb too, but, I also need to,have a life I love, with my loved ones. That I appear able to moderate, a bit, is a great bonus.

I'm mindful that my eating plan impacts on my OH, who has been steadfast in his commitment to us eating together, and eating the same things. Our only different meal,is lunch, when is tend to have an oily fish fix, and he is allergic to fish. I firmly believe if our diets converged too much, our relationship would be impacted. We enjoy the social aspects of eating together and discussing our food. Clearly, when we're not together we can each do as we please.

I feel fantastic. I am active. I am skinny, and my bloods are excellent. I don't want any of that to change, but I would be willing to tolerate my blood averages going up a smidge these days. The reality is though, I seems to be creeping down a bit more, even though I'm eating a few more carbs, more regularly.

T be honest, I also fear a certain amount of "use it or lose it". Or another way, if I am very restrictive on carbs, every day, on the day I increase them, my body will be caught on the hop and unable to cope. Such a spike would be emotionally damaging and a big disincentive.

But, that said, I have read of you eating birthday cake, and the like. That's absolutely fine, and you clearly choose to have the odd,day off, or,day,off-ish. I just don't think about cakes at present, so we each push our own diabetic envelopes in our own way.

And, thanks for your best wishes. Likewise to you and all our fellow diabetic travellers.
 



Thats all cool, im happy that your path suits you but i would hate this message to damped the awesome benefits to most people cutting them out (including me) you guys are obviously doing this with your eyes (and test kits) wide open, if someone decides to eat terribly and ignore diabetes (extreme example sorry) thats ok with me to as long as they know the risks. im also cool with people that would like to do it but dont have the strength of will, its all good really, im just commenting, not meaning to contradict your approach. i think how you guys have controlled your db is inspirational and should be aspired to

me eating birthday cake is considered by me a moment of weakness and a mistake, definately not part of a plan hehe, it was yummy btw lol
 
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Come on Andy. Anyone doing that, based on this thread would have to have read this thread in isolation and no others. Andrew has been consistent in his approach to,new posters, in my view, and I would like to think I have been too.

There will always be those who do not want to hear the messages they need to hear, and frankly would ignore the most sound advice if it didn't suit their pre-decided requirements. Anyone with an open mind would surely want to read about various approaches and outcomes.

I don't eat anything like the level of carbs Andrew appears to. I would find that a very scary prospect, and I might find myself having a psychosomatic reaction if i did.

Im not trying to have an argument with you, or anyone else, but if we are to lower the forum to the lowest, most resistant denominator, it would have no appeal to me, or possibly others. I want stimulating discussion, and sometimes challenging ideas.
 
ill shut up, sorry, im pushing the wrong buttons, its not intentional and is likely due to me not explaining my point well, sorry
 
Andy12345 said:
ill shut up, sorry, im pushing the wrong buttons, its not intentional and is likely due to me not explaining my point well, sorry
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No. No. Please don't take that as a telling off. I was just challenging your extreme reaction to something that certainly I am trying to achieve in a measured way. Eating extreme low carb, then reverting to, say 200g a day makes no sense whatsoever. The approach Andrew appears to have adopted, and to a lesser extent by myself, is just like the reverse of what we all end up doing at the outset:

1. Eat bacon sandwich, for example, then test and record,score.
2. Repeat to prove reasonably accurate reading.
3. Depending on results, exclude food, continue in moderation or eat at will.

The only difference to my current activity is to prove the ability to amend any given food status from the moderation or,exclude category.

I also have an eagle eye on my fasting levels which I believe help,understand general trends.
 
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