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New to LCHF

Kellrob

Kellrob

Well-Known Member
Messages
55
Location
Somerset
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
hi, I've just started the LCHF way of eating as from today. Can anyone tell me what to expect over the next couple of weeks. My sugars today have been reading 5.7 and then 4.3 but I've been feeling ok a little wobbly. I read that this was normal. I've also got the Carbs and Calcs app to help me keep tabs on my carbs intake. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
It depends on what exactly you are eating - i.e. what you consider a LCHF diet. However, you may experience some carb craving and some "false hypos", which is basically feeling hypoglycemic symptoms (such as feeling a little wobbly) without actually being hypoglycemic.

You should certainly start to see your blood glucose levels decrease. If you are eating a healthy diet (lots of fresh veg, no highly processed veg oil, pleanty of fat and protein) then you should feel fine, although some people get "low carb flu", but that should pass. I wouldn't recommend doing a lot of strenuous exercise for a couple of weeks, just moderate walking.

You may also experience initially rapid weight loss, followed by more gradual weight loss.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice it would be forget about calorie counting or even carb counting. Just cut out all sugar, grains, rice, starchy veg, processed veg oil, and factory processed food. Eat lots of fresh veg, moderate amounts of beef, poultry, and seafood, and some full fat dairy and tree nuts. If you are not losing weight, cut back on the cheese and nuts.

Good luck!
 
Excellent, thank you for the advice. I'm not one for counting carbs etc usually but I just want to monitor things while I get used to a new way of eating. I was thinking of just trying to cut right down on my carb intake and sugar intake and keep a check on my blood sugars just to see what spikes my bloods. Although my main aim is to get my diabetes under control I would like to loose weight as well. Here's to being positive
 
Kellrob said:
Excellent, thank you for the advice. I'm not one for counting carbs etc usually but I just want to monitor things while I get used to a new way of eating. I was thinking of just trying to cut right down on my carb intake and sugar intake and keep a check on my blood sugars just to see what spikes my bloods. Although my main aim is to get my diabetes under control I would like to loose weight as well. Here's to being positive
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As nocrbs says. Avoid all bread, pasta, rice potatoes and cakes / puddings, and you will be well on your way. After a few weeks of this, you will be in a position to determine whether you need to refine it a little more by cut back more or less on the carbs.... Depending on BG levels and weight loss.... Good luck, it works for most of us here.
 
Hi Kellie. Can you be more specific about your low-carbing? How much fat are you eating to compensate? Also are you testing immediately before meals and 2 hours after?
 
Yes @jack412 I also find when I eat things like rice and especially pasta I found that I was hungry about an hour later!. @DeejayR being a newbie to the low carbing I am trying to cut right down on rice, bread, pasta and potatoes, cakes and pastries etc. I read the book from Dr david Cavan, reversing diabetes and understand that cetain fats are good, animal fat, butter. Basically what I plan for my first 2 weeks is to record everything I eat using the carbs and cals app and then review it and see how I'm doing. I'm also trying to drink more water and to add a little table salt to my food, which will be tough as I cut out adding salt to my cooking and to my cooked food about 15 years ago!!. I have been taking my bloods before meals and 2 hours after.
I only started to day but already my blood sugars are great. This is how today looks like so far....
8.15 blood sugar 5.9
Had decaf coffee with cream
9.15 breakfast 3 rashers of bacon and scrambled eggs. Blood sugars 6.2
10.15 decaf coffee semi milk
11.15 blood sugars 5.9
1 apple
12.50 lunch leftovers from last nights roast which I fried. This contained roast pork, 1 roast potato, 1/2 Yorkshire pud, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, gravy.
1 tea with semi milk
Blood sugar 5.7
I have also drunk around 1 pint of water also this morning.
Will take blood sugar at 2.50
How does this sound so far?
 
Sounds pretty good! Personally, I had no problem cutting out all refined sugar, grains, rice, starchy veg and fruit. It was easier than having a little as all my carb cravings disappeared compared to when when having a little of those.
 
Lol, I'm too much of a wimp to eliminate them totally at the moment. I will eventually, but I need to build up my confidence first :)
 
I'm afraid of how it will make me feel, you know when I said before about panicking about my 'false hypos' and how scary they were, I hate feeling like that. :(
 
I hate the feeling of not being in control, and when I start to feel dizzy and start sweating and shaking etc, I just freak out and probably make things worse!
 
Ok. Interestingly, I've only had hypos after eating too much carbs. If your blood glucose levels are fairly steady on a low carb diet you shouldn't have false hypos. Those are due to levels dropping too fast, which shouldn't happen if they don't go high. i.e. the less carbs you eat, the less chance of a false hypo. Or at least that's my theory and experience.
 
being lower 2hr after eating breakfast had to feel good :)
keep cutting the carbs and have a jelly bean handy if you do falso hypo..you will find your body gets use to the new BG very quickly
 
NoCrbs4Me said:
Ok. Interestingly, I've only had hypos after eating too much carbs. If your blood glucose levels are fairly steady on a low carb diet you shouldn't have false hypos. Those are due to levels dropping too fast, which shouldn't happen if they don't go high. i.e. the less carbs you eat, the less chance of a false hypo. Or at least that's my theory and experience.
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Me too - it's much more on an even keel now that I'm low carbing.
 
I have to say that yes I do feel better already, just having stable bloods are encouraging. The only downside at the moment is a horrible taste in my mouth, I know it's nothing but is this normal?
 
Just checked my blood sugars 2 hours after lunch they are 6.6 which I suppose is to be expected a little higher due to the carbs in my lunch?
 
Good work there. Keep you food/BS records safe and as time goes by patterns will emerge to guide your diet. Also you'll be surprised to see how your diet changes. Looking at what I ate when I was trying hard to follow the NHS diet I'm amazed at the lengths I obediently went to to stay low-fat and eat "healthy" carbs.
 
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