M
No not in the slightest..
When I was first diagnosed by FBG's were in the 7's and 8's for the first 3-4 months. You have been following low carb for less than 2 months and have had FBG"s in the 4's and 5's which is absolutely amazing.
Starving yourself however will not help with blood sugar or weight loss.
Not sure how much weight you have to lose but you need to build a sustainable regime that you can follow for months.
Your slightly higher FBG's could well be down to the body releasing the stored sugar and burning it off so should be applauded not dreaded.
Intermittent fasting and ultra low carb was my chosen path but it took months to get anywhere near the levels of FBG you have already achieved.
I was diagnosed T2 in April, and my GP gave me three months to try and manage with diet and exercise alone. So, so far I am not on medication or insulin.
My starting HBA1C was 9.3 and the confirmation fasting finger prick test my GP did was 12 point something. I immediately cut carbs and started to lose weight as fast as I could, and by the start of May had got my predicted HBA1C (via the MySugr app which it stresses is just an estimate based on your daily readings) down to 5.1, taking between 4-8 finger prick tests a day averaging 4's and 5s, with a few 3's.
HOWEVER... that was just the first few weeks. In the last few weeks, i.e. most of May, my fasting readings have been creeping up into the 6's and 7's, with some others spiking into 8's and some post-prandials also spiking into 8's. I have NOT changed anything, haven't gotten slack and started eating more carbs, eating more calories, or exercising less. My predicted HBA1C has now risen to 5.2% and I'm guessing 5.3% isn't far off.
(Side note: is it possible to not have eaten enough but your blood sugar not be low enough to hypo? Because my weekly calorie deficit is in the thousands, and I'm hungry and tired all the time, but my blood glucose levels have never dipped low enough to hypo.)
The only times I've been able to get my fasting blood glucose back down into a 5 is when I eat nothing for at least 36 hours. The best I achieved was yesterday morning when I got a 4.5 in the morning, after having not eaten for 54 hours. I managed to stay not eating for some of the day but kept getting dizzy spells and seeing spots in front of my eyes, and I caved and ate an avocado, a 10 g cube of Parmesan and a hard boiled egg at 4 p.m. and my pre and post-prandial readings shot from 4.4 to 7.0, I ate nothing else for the rest of the day, and my reading this morning was 7.2.
Edit to clarify: this spike from 4.4 to 7.0 has been the only time this month that the spike itself has been so big. The rest of the time my post-prandial levels have been in the high 7's and 8's only because my pre-prandial has been higher, because my fasting level seems to have inexorably risen.
Am I correct that with these kind of readings it's likely that I am simply not able to manage to control my diabetes with diet alone, and that I will have to start medication? Because I have to be totally honest and say that feels like the beginning of the end, as decline into disability and early death (however many years it takes) seems to start with requiring medication.
I have been steadily losing weight due to my calorie deficit, and am close to my first goal weight of 64 kg, starting from 73.
So am I correct that these are my two options:
1. Go on medication and eat closer to the number of calories I should be getting.
2. Try to manage with diet alone but be eating way less than I should be.
I am still very stressed and depressed about my diagnosis, which I know probably isn't helping my levels. I know there isn't really a solution to depression apart from trying to not be depressed.
I’m not meaning to be rude here but have you read all comments above? And really thought about them? There’s plenty of other options to consider beyond carryon on with the extreme approach you’ve had so far. Talk to your dr, she sounded one of the good ones, and good luck.I’m currently at 66 kg so still have two to go to my first goal weight, then I’ll see if I’m able to keep managing my blood sugar levels without having to lose any more. I’m 35 and 165 cm so not exactly wasting away. My first goal weight will still be at the high end of the normal range.
At this point I feel there’s not much I can do but carry on like I have been and see if my fasting level keeps creeping up or whether it drops back down again or does anything different.
I’m currently at 66 kg so still have two to go to my first goal weight, then I’ll see if I’m able to keep managing my blood sugar levels without having to lose any more. I’m 35 and 165 cm so not exactly wasting away. My first goal weight will still be at the high end of the normal range.
At this point I feel there’s not much I can do but carry on like I have been and see if my fasting level keeps creeping up or whether it drops back down again or does anything different.
I would steady up the diet.First thing I would do.You are all over the place and your bodily reactions are scary to me,I worry that isnt helping you by not having consistency in nutrition.Like I say, I know that thinking calories aren't totally irrelevant to absolutely everybody is not a popular opinion on this forum, so I'm happy to agree to disagree.
THE most important point being made on this thread IMO is right there in the passage above.If carrying on like you have been means starving yourself to the point of being so deficient in food and fasting for very long periods to the point of feeling dizzy and seeing spots. Feeling tired and hungry all the time, then I think you need to rethink that decision.
@Adm_Mad calories are important to a certain extent however you can have too few as well as too many. When I was younger I went on a vlc diet and lost very little weight in 3 months (about 7 lbs) despite being overweight. However I felt so ill that I went to the Dr who told me to go home and have a good meal as my metabolism had gone into starvation mode and was trying to preserve my vital organs by shutting down the rest of it. He also sent me to an endocrinologist who confirmed his diagnosis and I was told to ensure that I always ate enough calories but eat healthily which I did (or thought I did until T2 made me rethink the theory that low fat etc was the way to go!). Although he softened the blow by telling me I was one of his few patients who could honestly blame their metabolism for their weight it still meant that I had little chance of losing weight. My thyroid was also yo-yoing between too high and too low which didn’t help and that finally sorted itself out 8 years ago when it was definitely confirmed as being under active. I am still over weight although the thyroid medication and lower carb diet has helped me lose approx 3 stone albeit very slowly but over the years I have accepted that my metabolism will never let me be a size 12 but I will be healthy and my weight is still dropping by about 1lb per week@Goonergal Like I say, I know that thinking calories aren't totally irrelevant to absolutely everybody is not a popular opinion on this forum, so I'm happy to agree to disagree.
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