please help

[river-rat-sam]

Hi I am following a sugar detox diet for 14 days. I have been eating omelette for breakfast, a piece of wholegrain bread and cashew butter for midday. Vegetable juice later. Then cottage cheese, tuna, veg and avocado. Then mid pm a sweet potato then in the evening homemade chicken and veg soup. My question is not about the food but about ketosis.

My breath is smelling and I have key tones in it. I have also (I know) stopped all my medication. My blood sugars were between 20 and 26. I was repeatedly suffering from UTI's. I started this on Wednesday. Readings went from 26 on Tuesday night down to 15 yesterday and 18 again this morning. I have a very bad headache but know this is to do with the detox. I really want to get through this as I have a real bad sugar addiction but I am scared that what I am doing is dangerous? What are key tones and is it bad? Will I be ok? Would really really appreciate your advice on this.

The premise is, you eat this for fourteen days to stop the sugar addiction. It doesn't mean you go straight back to sugar, evidently I won't want to. But I will be able to restart my diet with wholewheat pasta etc and all the things I have found so hard to turn to before.

Surely a drastic change in diet is good? I am just worried about this key tone thing????

 

[Grazer]

Hi Sam! Your BGs are still hgih despite your diet aren't they. Thing is, it's not just about sugar, it's about starchy carbohydrates. Sugar is just another carbohydrate, albeit a bad one. I'd look at your diet and re-shape it to be a reduced carb one to get those BGs down. That will by definition avoid the sugars anyway. There are lots of low carb diets on here. Here's a link to one of them:-
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=18803
There's also a post you have probably seen that Daisy sends to new members that picks up on carbs, :-
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088#p155405

Just focusing on sugar won't do the trick. Your stews could have loads of starchy carbs. Sweet potato has quite a lot of carbs. I don't know about cashew butter, but cashews have a fair amount of carbs.
You say you've stopped your medication - why was that? what were you taking? Did you talk to your doctor?
If you have high levels of ketones (did you test for that?) and you've stopped certain meds, I think you should be talking to your doctor. As I understand it, the presence of ketones means your body is burning it's own fat, either because you're low-carbing (which you don't seem to be, particularly with your high BGs) or because you're not producing insulin so your cells can't get their energy from the sugar in your blood. This (the latter) is I believe more a type 1 issue, and you're type 2 in your profile, although it could be you've reached a stage where you need insulin - stopping meds is therefore potentially dangerous without advice.

 

[s230787]

Hi River Rat Sam

Same thing happened to me in the first few days of my low carb diet, when you eat less carbs your body burns fat. This creates keytones. My blood sugars dropped to 4-6mmol each time I tested and I was very happy, but when I checked for keytones it was ++ a dark purple.

I was so worried and started being sick so I went straight to A &E, as i had ketoacidosis last year and it was awful, 3 days in hospital. Keytones and high blood sugars are BAD!! however ketosis and low blood sugar apparently are not too much of a worry (according to the doc at the hospital :think: ), turns out i was suffering from gastritis and i was dehydrated hence the high keytones, ive been fine this week, no keytones.

You need to get this checked out, as the last thing you want is ketoacidosis, when the blood starts turning acidic. might be worthwhile ringing your diabetes support team, they might suggest popping to the hospital, they will do a blood test taking the blood from your wrist to check how acidic it is. its not too bad but please bear in mind i am type 1 and don't know what difference this is for type 2 and i'm no doctor!!

I would suggest starting to drink water/squash to try flush out too. Hope you get sorted soon

**and when i say squash.. i mean sugar free!! no hi-juice etc

 

[Grazer]

Don't disagree with ANY of this, but the key point in that post is

Keytones and high blood sugars are BAD!! however ketosis and low blood sugar apparently are not too much of a worry

You have high blood sugar and ketones, despite a diet which MAY be lowish carb, but not that low - we don't know. I remain worried that you stopped meds. Did you consult with docs first? Do talk to your doc/nurse

 

[xyzzy]

My breath is smelling and I have key tones in it.

Have you checked for keytones in your urine? If you are getting those readings and keytones you need to be checked out imo. High BG readings and keytones are a Type 1 indicator. Also it is quite unlikely that your brain has had enough time to register your diet change as yet and so its unlikely to have have issued instructions to begin to eat your fat reserves imo. What medication have you stopped and why did you think that was a good thing to do? Are you overweight?

Hi I am following a sugar detox diet for 14 days.

It's not about sugars its about all forms of carbohydrate of which sugar is just a refined form. Try reducing to around 50g / day. You carb intake should be driven by what your BG readings are telling you is safe. By all means think of the initial low carb period as detox as that's what I did but once you get back to safe BG levels try experimenting with foods so that you get to have as wide and as varied a diet as possible. As an indicator only I got my levels down to 4.5 - 6.5 within 6 weeks. I do take 2 x 500g of Metformin as it allows me a wider diet. No all medication is bad. Remember you need to find a diet that you can live with for years not just 14 days so start a realistic one now.

 

[viviennem]

It's usual to show ketones after about 3 days on an Atkins-type low carb diet - less than 30g carb. However, river-rat-sam, I don't think your diet is taking you that low. If you have high BG readings and high ketones it's always best to get yourself checked.

Viv 8)