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Shocked

Hi all,

One final question, is there a target number of grams of Carbs I should be aiming to not exceed each day? I guess the amount of exercise I do makes this a trickier estimate, but my understanding is I should make up any shortfalls via more fat/protein than extra carbs?
 
DanW13 said:
is there a target number of grams of Carbs I should be aiming to not exceed each day
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Well the amount you need is precisely zero so as few as possible..
If you are aiming for ketosis then most people achieve that with fewer than 20g per day.
You might be able to get away with more but 20 seems to be a reasonable target.
 
bulkbiker said:
Well the amount you need is precisely zero so as few as possible..
If you are aiming for ketosis then most people achieve that with fewer than 20g per day.
You might be able to get away with more but 20 seems to be a reasonable target.
Click to expand...

Thanks, not particularly aiming for ketosis, just want the blood sugar numbers much lower than current. Just checked though & the weetabix I have for breakfast is 24g alone! Think I may have to bin that, but will wait & see what the blood glucose monitor I’ve now ordered says first.

I dread to think how many grams I was consuming prior to my change in diet!
 
Just a note that the numbers that you get from a Libre may not always be accurate.
A Libre is wonderful for watching trends, and especially tracking what your body is doing when you are asleep, but sometimes you get a Libre which reads either low or high.
It is better to get a finger prick monitor as well to cross check the values.

My finger prick tester (which I have had for over a decade) is an Abbott Freestyle Lite which only needs a tiny drop of blood. I managed OK although I hate needles.
 
DanW13 said:
I dread to think how many grams I was consuming prior to my change in diet!
Click to expand...

Most of us thought the same..

If you want your sugars to go lower fast though then ketosis is the way to go for sure.
Eggs and bacon for breakfast or just coffee with cream.
 


Thanks Littlegreycat,

For now, trends are what I’m interested in, spotting which foods are having a bad effect vs. ones where there doesn’t seem to be a spike. Also general levels at day/night, also post exercise. If results don’t go in the right direction or are little changed v present, I’ll obviously then have to look at it in more micro detail. Really though the amount of carbs I was historically eating, make it no surprise I’m in this mess, so I would be pretty stunned if I don’t see at least modest improvement by December, especially given the weight loss.
 
bulkbiker said:
Most of us thought the same..

If you want your sugars to go lower fast though then ketosis is the way to go for sure.
Eggs and bacon for breakfast or just coffee with cream.
Click to expand...
bulkbiker said:
Most of us thought the same..

If you want your sugars to go lower fast though then ketosis is the way to go for sure.
Eggs and bacon for breakfast or just coffee with cream.
Click to expand...
bulkbiker said:
Most of us thought the same..

If you want your sugars to go lower fast though then ketosis is the way to go for sure.
Eggs and bacon for breakfast or just coffee with cream.
Click to expand...
Thanks, reassuring to hear I’m not alone, I’m trying to guide my kids towards lower sugar eating now, my daughter in particular (age 10) has my sweet tooth & consumes way too many carbs, trying to constructively steer her towards a healthier path, but it’s tricky given her age and don’t want to end up giving her an eating disorder!
 
This may be taking you off at a tangent, but thinking about the lack of hmmm, responsiveness of your GP to your elevated levels, just thought I'd mention something interesting - though it may be old news to some of the experienced folk on this forum.

I had a T2 diagnosis a few years ago (I've only just switched to hardcore combat - using very low carb/low cal stint at present with excellent progress but a long way to go). Anyway, one printout that I had from test results contained some HDL/LDL/Trig info from some 3 years prior to my diagnosis. I've been looking into research (lots of research!) and found that the HLD/Trig ratio can indicate important insulin resistance well before you have any kind of diagnosis.

I'm a newbie, so hope I can post this link. I came across website https://www.thebloodcode.com/calculators/ which, if you plug in your HDL/Trig values (it uses the US mg/dl but gives you a converter for international units mmol/L). It gives you an optimal range ratio, a range that shows some insulin resistance, and then a high level resistance mark. At that time, 3 years before diagnosis, my blood glucose was completely normal range (4.7), but this ratio showed insulin resistance. If I had known THEN what I know now, I think I would have taken different steps and not ended up with a T2 diagnosis that I am now determined to fight into remission.

Best wishes to you.
 

Thanks, very interesting, though annoyingly I don’t have a triglycerides readout, only the HDL & non HDL figures that were in the normal range.

I do recall many years ago (15+ years) being told that my bad cholesterol to good cholesterol ratio wasn’t so good though, so perhaps the damage was done back then? My diet was even worse pre-30, it’s actually improved in the last 10 years hence the better score now on that ratio.

All the best
Dan
 
DanW13 said:
Thanks, very interesting, though annoyingly I don’t have a triglycerides readout, only the HDL & non HDL figures that were in the normal range.
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I don't know if you are in the UK Dan but some areas are starting to put medical records online and you are allowed access after signing a form at the GP. https://www.patientaccess.com is one of several companies (you have a choice of which to use) running the scheme on behalf of the NHS. Down here in Cornwall they seem quite advanced with the scheme. It shows in detail all of my recent blood tests including triglycerides . My Brother who lives in Bristol said his had less detail.
 

Hi, yes I’m UK based & use patientaccess, but annoyingly there was nothing in my results for Triglycerides. I’m pretty sure when I was tested at work circa 15 years ago, the Triglycerides result was poor (I remember being picked up on my bad fat levels also), I don’t have the figures though now.
 
That's annoying. My records don't show any of the many hospital blood tests I had. I would love to see what range my BG was in before I was put on statins for a heart attack I had back in June 2019.

On a more positive note, if you are still craving something sweet, I can thoroughly recommend this keto chocolate cake. My wife made it for me a couple of days ago. I like it best straight out of the fridge nice and cold rather than just baked and still warm. For me it works even better with double cream and a single (only very slightly naughty) strawberry cut up on the top!
 

This is very interesting.

I just calculated my ratio based on trig of 1.1 / HDL of 1.5 and I get a ratio of 1.7 which is supposedly optimal... This can't be right given my HBA1C (42). Perhaps this is skewed because I am on statins?
 
Lots of good advice here and you seem to be doing all the right things in your own way and in your own time. Weight loss and energy levels are good signs!
Was going to suggest a couple of great books in addition to Diet Doctor site:
Ivor Cummins is someone who first got diagnosed with fatty liver (similar to one of your results), did some basic research when his doctor could not tell him why and discovered that it is all linked to insulin resistance aka Metabolic syndrome. He does some great lectures on it all on YouTube plus the book:

Plus Weight Loss for Diabetes may appeal to your sweet tooth (great muffin recipes that don't involve mashed cauliflower or anything daft like that!) based on low carb & the author had personal experience of diabetes reversal as well as being a trad Italian cook...
 
Thanks Nicole, will take a look at those & yes I agree my bottom end of normal liver results are almost certainly IMO down to the high carbs I’ve been consuming, so hopefully that result will improve with the new diet also. I don’t drink much these days so it can’t be down to that!

Made a couple more diet changes this week, dropped to just 1 weetabix (instead of 2), tried scrambled eggs yesterday for breakfast which was okay but I was still very hungry so ended up having a weetabix on top! Still that’s 12g less carbs per day going forwards. Also dropped most of the accompanying carbs with my evening meal. Finally bought some Greek natural yoghurt yesterday, will try that for lunch today.

Think my carb count must be pretty low with these changes.

Feeling less stressed today, another pound lost (11 now in total), slept better.
 
I usually add grated cheese to my scrambled eggs and a tomato, thinly sliced on the top once the eggs are cooked ant the cheese is softening, done in the mini wok I keep by the cooker. I cover it with a plate to keep the heat in and warm up the tomato as I go to sit down.
 

I've just had a quick look (because I've never heard of HDL/Trig ratio showing IR) and it looks as though the site does an IR calculation on insulin/glucose then a heart health calculation based on cholesterol ratios.

So it doesn't seem to do quite what you seem to suggest, unless I am misreading your post.
 
I have a very similar lifestyle, body type, demographic to you. I believe I was tipped over by pasta and cereal, which are horrific from a carb point of view - thought I was eating well!

I'm five months into no bread, no pasta, no cereal, no pastry, no potatoes, no cakes, no sweets. I have not enjoyed it, and my FBG is still stubbornly above 6.0. If I do eat any of the above, I will see scores of 9 or 10 for hours afterwards unless I exercise them away, and then for days afterwards any carbs I do eat seem "sticky" on my blood glucose.

A couple of things I have found (although I know very little):
- GPs are not interested. My GP says I have no issue. The NHS can fix you if you're clearly broken. The NHS does not tinker.
- Weights, squats, etc., are a good way to drag a spike back to normal levels
- Watch your blood pressure - I switched over to cheese, bacon, fish, steak,and now I have high blood pressure AND prediabetes!
- Forget grain based cereal. Stop trying to negotiate with your body - for you, Weetabix is over. I'm currently on full fat yoghurt + small portions of an eye-wateringly expensive "paleo" breakfast mix. It's ok, omelette every day gets a bit much.
- My main issue now is eating enough to keep weight on.
- Fingerprick testing is useful and unless you're crazily phobic it's not a big deal. Still not cheap though.
 

Hi Carpetsalesman,

That doesn’t sound good, though I guess at least your BS level hasn’t gone up further? Hopefully over time it will start to come down and it’s just a lag effect, have you lost weight since you changed diet? My thought process is if weight comes off then surely blood sugar levels should logically follow, or is it not as simple as that?

I hear what your saying on weetabix & you may well be right, but for now I’m sticking with the 1, at least until I see evidence my blood glucose level isn’t dropping or it causes a spike after eating it.

My Abbott Libre arrived today, only 2 days after I ordered it, hadn’t expected it so soon, so will get started with it tomorrow.

One thing I am wondering, is it possible some people (especially those who do lots of exercise like you do) are prone to high blood sugar levels, so diet changes will only have a minimal effect? You’re not diabetic, your body has just adapted to high BS to cope with the level of exercise you do?? No idea if that could be possible, but perhaps high BS is just your normal state now??
 
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