New to low carb

[scoyyt57]

I'm hoping someone can help. I've had Type 1 for 49 tears and have always struggled with my weight. I decided to try low carb as for the last 2 years no diet I have followed has enabled me to lose weight successfully.

I am aiming for 40-50g carb a day and I use an insulin pump. My problem is this is my second week and I have found my bs is steadily rising, instead of being between 4-6, I am now running from 8 to a scary 15.25!!.

Is there any chance that my liver might be producing glucose as I am not eating the carbs I was before? I am worried that this will slow any weight loss down and affect my overall health.

 

[noblehead]

Welcome back Scotty I'll 'bump' your post up in the hope that you get some replies.

 

[Samantha_jo]

The same thing is happening to me. I have started low carb and my blood sugar levels are very very high. I am beginning to question low carb as being safe, because it is becoming dangerous for my health. And i'm not happy about keeping it going on but I will continue for another week to see how it goes and the i'm stopping.

Sam xx

 

[douglas99]

The initial part of a low carb diet is supposed to stimulate your body to release stored glucose, then move onto using stored fat, so it's possible you can see an initial rise in bs as this happens.

I don't know if upping your fat intake suppresses the use of stored glucose.

I'm type 2, so I went for low calorie, with very good results, but obviously I have reduced carbs as a result, due to their calorie content. Not very low carb though, but I have lost a lot of weight.

 

[Samantha_jo]

The initial part of a low carb diet is supposed to stimulate your body to release stored glucose, then move onto using stored fat, so it's possible you can see an initial rise in bs as this happens.

So this could be the reason why my blood is running so high?? Do you think it'll ever stabilise?!? I'm going out of my mind :thumbdown:

 

[scoyyt57]

Thanks for the replies-I'm trying extended bolus on my pump to see if the higher fat content of my food is meaning the carbs are being released more slowly. Had a hypo last night so maybe that is the answer and I should start decreasing my basal gradually back to what it was :?

 

[smidge]

Hey Scotty and Samantha!

I have LADA and I low-carb to around 50g a day. I am on basal/bolus of Levemir/Apidra. My current HbA1C is 5.6%.

The thing with low-carbing is that it will make your bolus:carb ratio completely wrong and you will need to find a new balance of bolus to food. The mistake a lot of Type 1s make when starting to low-carb is to assume they don't need to bolus for a low or no carb meal. My experience is that i need a couple of units of Apidra even for a very low-carb meal. For bacon and eggs for example, I will bolus 1.5 units. For steak and salad, maybe 2 units. I'm afraid this is a bit trial and error, but once you get the hang of it you can get good HbA1cs and pretty stable BGs.

I would suggest you both get a copy of Dr Bernstein' s 'Diabetes Solution'. It was a real revelation to me and helped me to understand the impact of protein on my BG in the absence or near-absence of carb. I don't stick to Bernstein's recommended food plan, because I don't want to be that regimated with my food, but nonetheless, his book was an essential resource for me when i first started low-carbing.

Take care

Smidge

 

[noblehead]

The same thing is happening to me. I have started low carb and my blood sugar levels are very very high. I am beginning to question low carb as being safe, because it is becoming dangerous for my health. And i'm not happy about keeping it going on but I will continue for another week to see how it goes and the i'm stopping.

I posted this a few weeks ago, it's an explanation from Gary Scheiner (Think like a Pancreas) about what happens to the liver when you eat a meal that is high in fat, it may/may not explain what is happening to yours and Scotty's bg:

''So what about after the carbohydrates are finished doing their thing? That's when the fat itself begins to exert its effects. The process goes something like this:

You eat a high-fat meal or snack (this is the fun part).
In a few hours, the fat begins to digest; this continues for several hours.
The level of fat in the bloodstream (triglycerides) rises.
High triglycerides in the bloodstream cause the liver to become resistant to insulin.
When the liver is insulin resistant, it produces and secretes more glucose than usual.
The blood glucose rises steadily as the livers glucose output goes up.
This is what causes the gradual, delayed blood glucose rise after consumption of large amounts of fat. The response seems to be dose-dependent the more fat you consume, the more insulin resistant the liver becomes, and the more glucose it produces. The type of fat also appears to play a role. Saturated fats (the type found in dairy and animal products) seem to cause more insulin resistance than monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the type found in vegetable products).

So what can be done about it? The obvious answer is to cut back on portions of fatty foods, and choose foods containing healthier types of fats. But when confronted with your favorite culinary indulgence from time to time, you can still partake and manage your blood glucose level reasonably well.''