Pre-Diabetes since mid July

Hello!

Which bit of it don't you like? Is it your food choices that you find a bit restrictive?

You are doing brilliantly. Big weight loss and perfect blood sugars, so well done.

I'm currently trying to very carefully get back into ketosis and have keto flu to contend with, so I'm right there with you. (Though I'm not sure if messing with my thyroid meds is adding to the fatigue and muscle weakness or not... I'm guessing it is though.). You're doing great looking at your numbers, took the bull right by the horns rather than just waiting for diabetes to fully develop before doing anything. Good on you! I do get you're not enjoying pre diabetes, but you're keeping the big D at bay, and that's wonderful.

And that coffee sounds so good, I'm going to make myself a cup.

JoKalsbeek said:

And that coffee sounds so good, I'm going to make myself a cup

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Excellent idea! In my case it will be a proper coffee full of caffeine, with plenty of double cream. One of the things I do like about pre-diabetes. (Previously I would have made do with "healthy" skim milk in my coffee.) Like @TheFloppyOne I am putting myself through the low carb mill NOW rather than waiting for things to get really dire, an approach with which my GP does NOT sympathise. I too feel tired after meals, even if they contain almost no carbs, indeed I feel tired much of the time. I am still hoping my body will gradually adapt to its new fuel.

TheFloppyOne said:

My blood sugar tends to range from 4.2 to 5.3 while fasting and goes to 6.5 after a evening meal.

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How long after your evening meal are you testing? Initially you might want to test at 1 hour, then at 2 hours and, if your bg has not fallen, at 3.

TheFloppyOne said:

usually after 2 hours but I have done a few checks to check if any foods cause me to have big spikes.

2 hours after eating I have gone to 5.2 mmol /L

Todays food was

breakfast/brunch 11am

3 streaky bacon
2 eggs + 10g butter + 50g chedder cheese scrambled
1 avocado
100g Kale + 5g butter.
1 tspn vegetable oil
1tbsp nutrutional yeast.

total carb intake: 13g

dinner 6pm

Salad + Braised Pork with Spinach & Mushrooms

90g of lettuce
1 avocado
balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp
apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp
virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
chedder cheese 50g
3 walnuts

&

Pork shoulder steak
200g Spinach
100g Mushrooms
1 tbsp vegetable oil

total carb intake: 16.5g

prob will be giving in balsamic vinegar soon because its high carb.

not sure about avocado since its less than 1g sugar.

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Sounds excellent to me. Your 3 walnuts made me smile. I often count out 9 almonds and weigh 10g brazil nuts (roughly 3 not too big ones) so we are kindred spirits. Don't worry about avocados - they are the poster child of the keto diet.

TheFloppyOne said:

I would avoid caffeine and swap for a caffeine free alternative. it causes insulin to go up just like sweeteners do. at least that is what dr berg says on youtube.

check out insulin index.

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Actually, I think my main problem is lack of insulin. So maybe I should drink more coffee.

Alexandra100 said:

Actually, I think my main problem is lack of insulin. So maybe I should drink more coffee.

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Hi Alexandra
It's my belief, but I could well be wrong, that Type 1 lacks insulin whereas Type 2, and so would include pre-diabetes, is actually too much insulin but the insulin is 'resistant', in that it doesn't work properly. Consequently, giving more insulin, ie by tablets or, later, injection, will make the situation worse.

That's why the low carb approach helps so much, stimulating less insulin, and the fats slowing down absorption of any carbs, therefore, staving off hunger as you don't then get the spikes and the drops (which is when the body thinks you need more food coz you're running out of 'fuel'.

Hope you can understand what I'm trying to say

You are doing really well. Keep going. Well done.
You’re still new to this so still in physical, mental and emotional adjustment phase. So it will feel hard sometimes, but as the numbers tumble towards healthy, the good days will outnumber the bad ones. You’re in control now, there will be bumps in the road but I detect a strong sense of determination- you’ll be Ok.

TheFloppyOne said:

The best thing to get yourself out of the energy loss that keto flu causes is to consume fatty protein such as mackerel, streaky bacon, ribeye steak, pork shoulder steak, salmon. It can help to consume a can of tinned mackerel after you wake up than fast all the way to lunch.

Did this a couple of times when I first got into Keto. A small 80g portion of 20g fat 20g protein is enough to get you to work or where ever your going.

Its my second time into Keto Flu and its not nice. Kind of a double whammy of anxiety, tired and dizzy spells not to mention all the aches and pains.

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Thank you. It's my third time in keto-flu land, and I'm not enjoying my stay either. I do think my thyroid's making things that much worse right now though. (The last time I didn't take the correct dosage of thyrax, was 2 years ago, and my legs would just quit supporting me out of the blue. Faceplant! Something similar happened again yesterday after a medication change. Thankfully my husband grabbed the camera's I halfway tossed at him when I felt my knees buckle! Back to my old dosage I go!). Just generally feel like a truck hit me. Eating loads of tuna, avocado, bacon, salt, cheese, drinking tea and water... Supplements aplenty. And it's not helping one iota. Would be going for broth if it didn't give me killer migraines. But I know at the end of the ride my sugar control is better, my food insensitivities practically go away, and I get to have energy, less panic attacks, less depression... As a reward I've booked tickets for a Da Vinci expo in Haarlem (NL) in two weeks time, as wel as a kitty café there. And will visit/photograph a brewery-in-a-church, because sometimes feeling better isn't reward enough for going through this particular type of hell. I need something to look forward to. Might be a plan for you too.

I know it's more than worth it. I know I'll feel better for it. And I know I'll actually enjoy the food, so it won't be a chore in that sense.

...but having a kitty café in the near future to hold on to, helps.

TheFloppyOne said:

usually after 2 hours but I have done a few checks to check if any foods cause me to have big spikes.

2 hours after eating I have gone to 5.2 mmol /L

Todays food was

breakfast/brunch 11am

3 streaky bacon
2 eggs + 10g butter + 50g chedder cheese scrambled
1 avocado
100g Kale + 5g butter.
1 tspn vegetable oil
1tbsp nutrutional yeast.

total carb intake: 13g

dinner 6pm

Salad + Braised Pork with Spinach & Mushrooms

90g of lettuce
1 avocado
balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp
apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp
virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
chedder cheese 50g
3 walnuts

&

Pork shoulder steak
200g Spinach
100g Mushrooms
1 tbsp vegetable oil

total carb intake: 16.5g

prob will be giving in balsamic vinegar soon because its high carb.

not sure about avocado since its less than 1g sugar.

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You're making me hungry.

Alexandra100 said:

Actually, I think my main problem is lack of insulin. So maybe I should drink more coffee.

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It won't be doing your A-Fib much good.

Bluetit1802 said:

It won't be doing your A-Fib much good.

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That might be the case if it were the adrenergic form, although there is no consensus about that, but as it is the vagal form (I believe linked to damage to my vagal nerve by high bgs) it is irrelevant.

Energize said:

Hi Alexandra
It's my belief, but I could well be wrong, that Type 1 lacks insulin whereas Type 2, and so would include pre-diabetes, is actually too much insulin but the insulin is 'resistant', in that it doesn't work properly. Consequently, giving more insulin, ie by tablets or, later, injection, will make the situation worse.

That's why the low carb approach helps so much, stimulating less insulin, and the fats slowing down absorption of any carbs, therefore, staving off hunger as you don't then get the spikes and the drops (which is when the body thinks you need more food coz you're running out of 'fuel'.

Hope you can understand what I'm trying to say

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Agreed. So as I am extremely thin and my bgs have not improved all that much even though I am now eating literally almost no carbs, and taking the maximum dose of Glucophage, I deduce that I am probably pre-LADA and lacking insulin. Or, Jenny Ruhl considers that there are skinny T2s who lack insulin. How far I may also be insulin resistant I don't know. I am very enthusiastic abut low carb, but it simply isn't enough in my case.

TheFloppyOne said:

Could be. I think there are some tests which could be ran. Depends where your located. NHS where I live is totally bankrupt.

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I'm going to try and get my GP to send me for a C-peptide test.