On LCHF from yesterday but still high

[ButtterflyLady]

I am not.
I guess what i am trying to say is where i would get enough calories from if i give up or significantly reduce the animal protein and animal fat in my diet as suggested by Macdoug.
This is getting very complicated now...

I don't think he was suggesting giving up animal protein and fat.

 

[mehhh2015]

I am not.
I guess what i am trying to say is where i would get enough calories from if i give up or significantly reduce the animal protein and animal fat in my diet as suggested by Macdoug.
This is getting very complicated now...

I do not eat nuts as they are very high in carbs.
Milk i only have 50 g a day on average.that is 2 carbs.

The amount of carbs i am having is between 50 and 70 as per this guide for beginners http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/


I am surprised that aside from nuts(almonds, peanuts, walnuts) which are very high in carb you are suggesting that i also should have flaxseed which is terribly high in carbs (30 grams of carbs/100g.)

Here is what i am eating most days:eggs,bacon,cottage cheese,feta,mushrooms,greens,celery,zuchini,tomatoes,cucumber,spring onions,fish,peanut butter ,olive oil, sesame and sunflower oil,butter.But it doesnt mean i would eat everything from this list every day.For the past few days i had a couple of rice cakes every day (6 carbs each).Once or twice a week i would have pork,chicken or beef.Occasionally i would make a cabbage soup with celery and carrots .As you can see nothing on my list is as high in carbs as the nuts and flaxseed you are suggesting.

I do not know what i could eat to be bellow 20 g of carbs a day and not eat foods high in fat and calories either?
This seems a bit extreme to me and i would probably starve.

One can go below 20 grms in carbs a day and not starve. I don't starve.

One can eat high fat foods when low carbing and its fine.

You can do low carb and low calorie but personally I wouldn't suggest it.

If you want to try low calorie maybe you should have a look at the low calorie section in the forum, most people do the Newcastle diet which an extreme calorie restriction diet of 600 calories a day (yes, its very low calorie and nobody dies on it, it is possible...), you might be more comfortable doing that if you still think fat is bad for you.

I don't do high fat but I am not scared of it, I eat high fat foods.

Foods high in fats are fine when low carbing. My cholesterol and trigs have improved when eating them as per my last week test results.

You need to get your head around the fact that fat doesn't affect you if you want to do low carb.

I'm not sure what are you using to measure your carbs content but I have to say it's a bit inaccurate:

Normal milk is about 6 to12grms of carbs for a 100ml... Lactofree milk or cream is 3grms for 100ml (I use only 50ml lactofree per day)

Carrots are high in carbs and affect BGs (I don't eat them), tomatoes can be consumed by some in moderation but too much is also high in carbs (I avoid them but eat them occasionally).

Almonds, walnuts, pecans are not high in carbs. I eat about a handful a day.

Flaxseed meal is definitely not high in carbs at all, I use 30grms a day and that is only 0.9 grms of carbs (to make a breakfast bun or in my yogurt)

Look at the food in my pictures, that's all less than 30grms of carb a day! I'm certainly not starving.

 

[khorlo]

yesterday evening at around 8 i had a salad
2 vine tomatoes
40 g of feta
1 small tin of sardines
30 g of red pepper
olive oil

This morning at 9 i had a rice cake with peanut butter(6 carbs).That is all i had.
And right now my BS is 9.2

 

[mehhh2015]

yesterday evening at around 8 i had a salad
2 vine tomatoes
40 g of feta
1 small tin of sardines
30 g of red pepper
olive oil

This morning at 9 i had a rice cake with peanut butter(6 carbs).That is all i had.
And right now my BS is 9.2

Rice cakes are a no no for me

As I have said before some people tolerate larger amounts of carbs than others and everyone reacts differently. For me, 2 tomatoes do affect my BGs and rice cakes as well, and I do take metformin.

 

[khorlo]

One can go below 20 grms in carbs a day and not starve. I don't starve.

One can eat high fat foods when low carbing and its fine.

You can do low carb and low calorie but personally I wouldn't suggest it.

If you want to try low calorie maybe you should have a look at the low calorie section in the forum, most people do the Newcastle diet which an extreme calorie restriction diet of 600 calories a day (yes, its very low calorie and nobody dies on it, it is possible...), you might be more comfortable doing that if you still think fat is bad for you.

I don't do high fat but I am not scared of it, I eat high fat foods.

Foods high in fats are fine when low carbing. My cholesterol and trigs have improved when eating them as per my last week test results.

You need to get your head around the fact that fat doesn't affect you if you want to do low carb.

I'm not sure what are you using to measure your carbs content but I have to say it's a bit inaccurate:

Normal milk is about 6 to12grms of carbs for a 100ml... Lactofree milk or cream is 3grms for 100ml (I use only 50ml lactofree per day)

Carrots are high in carbs and affect BGs (I don't eat them), tomatoes can be consumed by some in moderation but too much is also high in carbs (I avoid them but eat them occasionally).

Almonds, walnuts, pecans are not high in carbs. I eat about a handful a day.

Flaxseed meal is definitely not high in carbs at all, I use 30grms a day and that is only 0.9 grms of carbs (to make a breakfast bun or in my yogurt)

Look at the food in my pictures, that's all less than 30grms of carb a day! I'm certainly not starving.

The milk i have is 6 carbs/100 g
Flaxseed 30 g carbs /100 g
almonds 22g carbs/100 g
Walnut 14 g carbs/100g
Peanuts 16 g carbs/100g

As a rule and as suggested in the beginners guide for LCHF i do not use products which go over 10g carbs/100 g.
So what exactly is wrong ?

If all the carbs i have dont go over the total daily amount sugested(typical low carb 50-90g daily)for low carb dieters than i should be fine shouldn't I ?
Or is that guide wrong ?

 

[GeoffersTaylor]

Looking back at your posting history it seems that your results are improving, just slower than you'd like. You're on the right track.

At 50-70g daily there's room for you to be even more aggressive and reduce carbs even further if you want to. I try to stick to around 30g per day. But that's just me.

 

[mehhh2015]

The milk i have is 6 carbs/100 g
Flaxseed 30 g carbs /100 g
almonds 22g carbs/100 g
Walnut 14 g carbs/100g
Peanuts 16 g carbs/100g

As a rule and as suggested in the beginners guide for LCHF i do not use products which go over 10g carbs/100 g.
So what exactly is wrong ?

If all the carbs i have dont go over the total daily amount sugested(typical low carb 50-90g daily)for low carb dieters than i should be fine shouldn't I ?
Or is that guide wrong ?

May I suggest to maybe change the way you are thinking about it in terms of right or wrong, I personally think, this is a learning process where everyone is different and we need to learn what works for each one of us and what doesn't,

There is not a set rule that will mathematically work for everyone. It's a bit like walking in the dark until one finds what works, and what works for me might not work for you. The guidelines are there to give a reference frame, they are not a magic formula.

The guidelines are general guidelines, as a general rule if you stick to eat foods with less than 10grms of carbs per 100 grams you are in the right path. That is mainly proteins, fats and green vegs.

This is from the packets in my kitchen:

Linwoods flaxseed: 3grms of carbs per 100grms of product (I use 30 grams a day)
Ground Almonds from Sainsbury: 6.5grms of carbs for 100grms of product
Pecans from Holland and Barret: 5.8grms of carbs for 100 grms of product.
Lactofree: 3 grms of carb for 100grms of product.

 

[mehhh2015]

Looking back at your posting history it seems that your results are improving, just slower than you'd like. You're on the right track.

At 50-70g daily there's room for you to be even more aggressive and reduce carbs even further if you want to. I try to stick to around 30g per day. But that's just me.

Yeap

 

[khorlo]

May I suggest to maybe change the way you are thinking about it in terms of right or wrong, I personally think, this is a learning process where everyone is different and we need to learn what works for each one of us and what doesn't,

There is not a set rule that will mathematically work for everyone. It's a bit like walking in the dark until one finds what works, and what works for me might not work for you. The guidelines are there to give a reference frame, they are not a magic formula.

The guidelines are general guidelines, as a general rule if you stick to eat foods with less than 10grms of carbs per 100 grams you are in the right path. That is mainly proteins, fats and green vegs.

This is from the packets in my kitchen:

Linwoods flaxseed: 3grms of carbs per 100grms of product (I use 30 grams a day)
Ground Almonds from Sainsbury: 6.5grms of carbs for 100grms of product
Pecans from Holland and Barret: 5.8grms of carbs for 100 grms of product.
Lactofree: 3 grms of carb for 100grms of product.

Try and google" flaxseed carbs" and do the same with the rest.
Google has no comercial interest.

One thing some people sugested was that i test to see what foods spike my blood.
That is not realistic.
It is not possible to test for every single item i have in my food.
If i have a meal where i have a combination of greens and vegetables how can i know what spikes me?This is ridiculous.
Also another reason i can't test is the test strips issue.When i requested a test strips prescription the doctor took a bit of convincing and wasnt so happy with my request saying that i only need to test in the morningSo basically she tried to discourage me to test for individual meals and items.Anyway ,she eventually prescribed me the test strips only with the view that i go back in 2 weeks for a review.

So there you have it .The reason why i cannot waste 6 strips a day to test every meal.

All of you , you seem to live in a different world than me where there is an unlimited access to test strips and where the foods you eat have different carb content.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Try and google" flaxseed carbs" and do the same with the rest.
Google has no comercial interest.

One thing some people sugested was that i test to see what foods spike my blood.
That is not realistic.
It is not possible to test for every single item i have in my food.
If i have a meal where i have a combination of greens and vegetables how can i know what spikes me?This is ridiculous.
Also another reason i can't test is the test strips issue.When i requested a test strips prescription the doctor took a bit of convincing and wasnt so happy with my request saying that i only need to test in the morningSo basically she tried to discourage me to test for individual meals and items.Anyway ,she eventually prescribed me the test strips only with the view that i go back in 2 weeks for a review.

So there you have it .The reason why i cannot waste 6 strips a day to test every meal.

All of you , you seem to live in a different world than me where there is an unlimited access to test strips and where the foods you eat have different carb content.

Spending a bit extra on being able to test a lot at the start and then cut down later, is a good investment.

I saved a lot of money when I switched to low carb because I was eating less food, and less ready to eat/takeaway food.

 

[mehhh2015]

Try and google" flaxseed carbs" and do the same with the rest.
Google has no comercial interest.

One thing some people sugested was that i test to see what foods spike my blood.
That is not realistic.
It is not possible to test for every single item i have in my food.
If i have a meal where i have a combination of greens and vegetables how can i know what spikes me?This is ridiculous.
Also another reason i can't test is the test strips issue.When i requested a test strips prescription the doctor took a bit of convincing and wasnt so happy with my request saying that i only need to test in the morningSo basically she tried to discourage me to test for individual meals and items.Anyway ,she eventually prescribed me the test strips only with the view that i go back in 2 weeks for a review.

So there you have it .The reason why i cannot waste 6 strips a day to test every meal.

All of you , you seem to live in a different world than me where there is an unlimited access to test strips and where the foods you eat have different carb content.

I totally understand you are frustrated with your numbers but we are trying to help you out by sharing our personal experiences we are not trying to prove you wrong.

We can only talk by our personal experiences, we are not HCP and cannot advise you on your specific problems, each person is different, and each person reacts differently to different carbs... everyone is different.

I trust my packets information as more accurate than general random counters, there are lots of apps and different places have different ratios, they all vary, I stick to buying what I find that has the right levels for me on the nutritional information, they don't know what kind of diet I am following therefore I doubt they are altering their measurements.

My packets readings works for me as well as my glucometer, and my BGs remain where they should be. I don't trust google generalizations but it might work for you, stick to what you think is the best for you.

Sorry to hear about your HCP not encouraging to test and prescribe the test strips, a lot of us find it really useful to test frequently at the beginning but some HCP don't agree while some others do.

Some of us don't get test strips prescribed and buy them online, yes it is a bit pricey but not as much as losing my kidneys or my eyesight.

I hope that helped! You are doing well, your numbers are improving hope you find your way through it

 

[GeoffersTaylor]

Try and google" flaxseed carbs" and do the same with the rest.
Google has no comercial interest.

One thing some people sugested was that i test to see what foods spike my blood.
That is not realistic.
It is not possible to test for every single item i have in my food.
If i have a meal where i have a combination of greens and vegetables how can i know what spikes me?This is ridiculous.
Also another reason i can't test is the test strips issue.When i requested a test strips prescription the doctor took a bit of convincing and wasnt so happy with my request saying that i only need to test in the morningSo basically she tried to discourage me to test for individual meals and items.Anyway ,she eventually prescribed me the test strips only with the view that i go back in 2 weeks for a review.

So there you have it .The reason why i cannot waste 6 strips a day to test every meal.

All of you , you seem to live in a different world than me where there is an unlimited access to test strips and where the foods you eat have different carb content.

My first reply to this post seemed to fall foul of the forum rules, presumably because it was a bit ... tetchy. I'll try again.
I pay for strips. They're not unlimited - it's about £7 for 50, which is about a fortnight's worth for me. It's an investment in my own future health that I'm willing to make. If you're not willing, for whatever reason, then all advice that follows it isn't going to be for you. Fair enough.

But that doesn't make us "ridiculous" or somehow not living in the real world. That's very unfair of you.

 

[khorlo]

My first reply to this post seemed to fall foul of the forum rules, presumably because it was a bit ... tetchy. I'll try again.
I pay for strips. They're not unlimited - it's about £7 for 50, which is about a fortnight's worth for me. It's an investment in my own future health that I'm willing to make. If you're not willing, for whatever reason, then all advice that follows it isn't going to be for you. Fair enough.

But that doesn't make us "ridiculous" or somehow not living in the real world. That's very unfair of you.

I am curently paying £8 for 50 and i am totally fine and happy with the price and i will pay for as long as it takes.
It's just that the doctor wasnt happy to prescribe strips and judging by her attitude and advice to only test once a day , i am bit affraid that i could lose this priviledge for prescribed strips .
If i do lose it then whenever i will want to test i will have to pay the full price which is prohibitively expensive.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I am curently paying £8 for 50 and i am totally fine and happy with the price and i will pay for as long as it takes.
It's just that the doctor wasnt happy to prescribe strips and judging by her attitude and advice to only test once a day , i am bit affraid that i could lose this priviledge for prescribed strips .
If i do lose it then whenever i will want to test i will have to pay the full price which is prohibitively expensive.

I don't understand. You are currently paying £8 for 50 and are happy with that, but you can get Codefree strips for less than that with the box discount. I pay less than £6 for 50.

 

[khorlo]

I don't understand. You are currently paying £8 for 50 and are happy with that, but you can get Codefree strips for less than that with the box discount. I pay less than £6 for 50.

" Acu aviva check" the retail price for 50 is £27 and on prescription is £8.
I do not think that i could use strips of a different brand in my device.
But i could be wrong.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

" Acu aviva check" the retail price for 50 is £27 and on prescription is £8.
I do not think that i could use strips of a different brand in my device.
But i could be wrong.

Ok then, you need to compare the price of your meter and strips against the SD Codefree, which is often suggested on this forum because the test strips are the cheapest around. I can't see how you can do enough testing to get valuable info from it if you are rationing the number of strips because of cost.

 

[Bluetit1802]

" Acu aviva check" the retail price for 50 is £27 and on prescription is £8.
I do not think that i could use strips of a different brand in my device.
But i could be wrong.

Yes, you buy the Codefree meter, not very expensive, and then you are off and away with as many strips as you can afford - at less than £6 for 50.

 

[macdoug]

I do not eat nuts as they are very high in carbs.
Milk i only have 50 g a day on average.that is 2 carbs.

The amount of carbs i am having is between 50 and 70 as per this guide for beginners http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/


I am surprised that aside from nuts(almonds, peanuts, walnuts) which are very high in carb you are suggesting that i also should have flaxseed which is terribly high in carbs (30 grams of carbs/100g.)

Here is what i am eating most days:eggs,bacon,cottage cheese,feta,mushrooms,greens,celery,zuchini,tomatoes,cucumber,spring onions,fish,peanut butter ,olive oil, sesame and sunflower oil,butter.But it doesnt mean i would eat everything from this list every day.For the past few days i had a couple of rice cakes every day (6 carbs each).Once or twice a week i would have pork,chicken or beef.Occasionally i would make a cabbage soup with celery and carrots .As you can see nothing on my list is as high in carbs as the nuts and flaxseed you are suggesting.

I do not know what i could eat to be bellow 20 g of carbs a day and not eat foods high in fat and calories either?
This seems a bit extreme to me and i would probably starve.

Thanks for responding. Ground Flaxseed is very high in fibre. Fibre is mostly carbohydrate but is not absorbed by the body so it doesnt count toward net carbs. The net carb of some flaxseed meals is virtually zero. As for 20g of carbs/day, this is very low but quite common in ketogenic circles and necessary for you to get your sugar down to the levels you desire. I struggled for a while and had to give up my daily latte. Absolutly no grains whatsoever and no starchy veg. There are many keto diet plans on the net targeting this number.including Dr Eric Wisemans protocol for diabetics

I highly recomend perservering with this approach as it is an awesome feeling when you realise you have the power to completely avoid the risks associated with diabetes, like dodging a bullet.. Here is a great recipe resource and there are many others available full of free delicious munchies so the carbs will not be missed http://www.ruled.me/keto-recipes/ Good luck!

 

[mehhh2015]

Thanks for responding. Ground Flaxseed is very high in fibre. Fibre is mostly carbohydrate but is not absorbed by the body so it doesnt count toward net carbs. The net carb of some flaxseed meals is virtually zero. As for 20g of carbs/day, this is very low but quite common in ketogenic circles and necessary for you to get your sugar down to the levels you desire. I struggled for a while and had to give up my daily latte. Absolutly no grains whatsoever and no starchy veg. There are many keto diet plans on the net targeting this number.including Dr Eric Wisemans protocol for diabetics

I highly recomend perservering with this approach as it is an awesome feeling when you realise you have the power to completely avoid the risks associated with diabetes, like dodging a bullet.. Here is a great recipe resource and there are many others available full of free delicious munchies so the carbs will not be missed http://www.ruled.me/keto-recipes/ Good luck!

Correct, however in the UK we don't use the net carb concept, the nutritional information on the label separates carbs from fibers already, therefor sticking to reading the labels on products rather than using random counters on line.

 

[macdoug]

Correct, however in the UK we don't use the net carb concept, the nutritional information on the label separates carbs from fibers already, therefor sticking to reading the labels on products rather than using random counters on line.

Thats much better, it is not clear on a lot of our labels wether the carbs are net or total.