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Newbie, weight issues and type 1

asyarlk

asyarlk

Well-Known Member
Messages
155
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi
I was diagnosed with type 1 in December. I am 27 and when I was diagnosed I had lost around 9lbs. My normal weight is 8 St 9lbs and I went down to 8 stone, I'm 5'5'.

I started low carbing around a month ago - 20g a day more or less and have steadily gained weight, around 8 stone 11lbs. I'm happy with this but this is more than what I was before being diagnosed. Is this normal? I know a lot of people lose weight with low carb, is it normal to gain it? I don't want to keep gaining it either, just stay around what I am.

I also checked my ketones and they are 0.3... I know this is low for low carb so what am I missing? Very confused!!

Has this scenario happened before? My BS are good, average around 6 throughout the day.

Thanks in advance!
 
the urine stiks become unreliable and ask the T1's who LC about this., blood ketone stiks are better..I would check your protein input. It sounds like that could be too high. I'd aim for around 60g/day - 240 cal
also with LC, some T1's need to bolus for about 1/2 the protein and may even be needed to split the dose, I would go to the insulin boards about this
 
Okay, thanks. I think I'm eating around 80g protein. Is this too much?
 
your RDA would be about roughly 45g, ...I would drop it to 60g and see how you go, too much protein will keep you out of ketosis too.
if you still aren't losing weight/ketosis, I would drop it to 50g.
I would make sure you are having enough fats, you need that for energy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KYYnEAYCGk
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Perfect, from today in doing 30g carb, 60g protein and 90g fat.... Are you in ketosis? It does worry me sometimes!
 
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Great thanks @noblehead. I guess what worries me is that when I was diagnosed, ketones kept being mentioned and I had high blood sugars so this was dangerous.

A lot of the people I see (consultant, diabetic nurse etc) all say that I should have carbs with every meal. I have never been a big carb eater, except for breakfast where I would have cereal... Now I have eggs as I spike far too high with cereal.

I just want to have good BS readings, maintain my weight and not take too much insulin in my injections. This is why I think low carb is for me, I find it is far more predictable. But my weight has crept up a little so I need to get all my ratios correct and get a plan together.
 
No problem :)

I've never been a big carb eater myself and keep them in moderation, but if your current diet is producing the results and your happy then there's no reason to change, Robert72 eats a similar amount of carbs to yourself and has excellent control of his diabetes and I don't think he has any weight issues, hopefully he'll be along shortly to advise you.
 
Hi there :)
It's normal to gain some weight once you have been diagnosed and on insulin, because the body tries to normalise itself after being deprived pre diagnosis. It's also normal to be slightly above what you consider to be a normal weight for the same reason - your body has been starved of nutrients so tries to hang on to what it get- low carb, or not !:D

There is a lot of confusion where ketones are concerned in diabetes, from a medical angle high ketones associated with high blood glucose are indications of Diabetic Ketoacidosis, a potentially life threatening situation where the body ketones are at a toxic level. Dietery Ketosticks is something different, where the body is ketone adapted to provide fuel from foods other than carbohydrates. You are currently low carbing, so it is normal to see ketones at a low level. Only when you see high ketones , and have high blood glucose numbers should you be concerned.

Health Care Practitioners do tend to trot out the party line of eating starchy carbohyrate with every meal, which is outdated and unnecessary. This advice is comparatively recent, and was not the advice given years ago to newly diagnosed Type 1's . This newish advice is not without its problems , long term :rolleyes:

It sounds as if you are doing just fine so far, and achieving what you want as far as good BGL levels and keeping stable. I wouldn't worry about your weight at this point, because you are not fully stable yet, your body needs to settle. It's doubtful that you will continue to gain weight or gain significant weight, and you may well begin to lose a little in the next few months .

Signy
 
I think you are doing everything fine. I can't really comment on the weight gain issue though. You are right it's unusual for LCHF.
 
Weight gain is very normal for T1s after diagnosis. It can continue and overshoot even after reaching a healthy weight. Maybe try gradually reducing your total daily dose of insulin, particularly if you are eating out of hunger. This can be hunger induced by basal insulin. Though it would be surprising on LCHF. But you are very rare as a newly diagnosed T1 on LCHF. So it's hard to comment.
 
asyarlk, I'm new to the LCHF diet too. Today is the beginning of week 10 for me. What helped me the most when I first started was reading Chapter 10: Diet Guidelines Essential to the Treatment of All Diabetics, from Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution (2011) by Richard K. Bernstein, M.D. It's only 30 pages. :)

Here's a brief overview of his life story... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_K._Bernstein

He was diagnosed type 1 diabetes at age 12. Now in his early 80's - (he began developing the LCHF diet we use today in 1969) - he is in excellent health with no heart disease or other diabetic complications.

Additionally, his book is an excellent reference.

I continue to flounder on the diet, BUT I now have greatly improved glucose control, typically ranging from 115 mg/dL (6.4 mmol/L) to 145 mg/dL (8.1 mmol/L), though I do have a few readings higher or lower. That's huge for me as I'm battling insulin resistance and started with a blood glucose of 282 mg/dL (15.7 mmol/L). It's probably going to take a few more months to get my numbers where I want and need them to be.

And that's okay. The LCHF diet is more of a lifestyle change than a diet. As we continue to learn how to do it through our studies and by asking questions, we get better and better at it with each passing week.

I prefer Bernstein's book to his lectures, but they're good too and can provide the quick start you need, perhaps until you have the book in hand... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ11OJynsvHMsN48LG18Ag

I'll leave it to others to mentor you, as I'm learning too. You're off to a GREAT start. :)
 
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