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Type 1 New To Keto Advice Please

boboblck

Well-Known Member
Messages
50
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello everyone. Hope you don’t mind if I pick your brains a little! I don’t know anyone with type 1 and I’m recently diagnosed (feb). Have asked my DN for Keto diet advise and she just said don’t do it basically as not enough research but I can’t manage with the crazy carb insulin rollercoaster anymore. Lots have advised on a few threads already but I can’t get enough advise atm!

I’ve been doing progressively more low carb since diagnosed and the past few days I’m down to 30grams a day. Lots of fish and avocado.. green veg and cheese. My ketones are up to 0.4 today and my BS is staying around 4.5 all day- up to 6 max when eat and then goes no lower than 4.5.

I was wondering what happens when it is at say 4.8 and I go for a brisk walk etc.. will it go low unless I eat? Or does it usually stay steady? Would my body burn its own fat and I don’t need to worry.

I walk quite quickly for about 30 mins for the train from work and when was eating more carbs it would go low if didn’t have a snack or something on route.

Also, what percentages do people? 10 percent carbs, 20 protein and 70 fat?

I feel so much better already but just have lots of questions, hoping I’m doing it right and it’s safe. I’ve watched lots of dr Bernstein’s videos but haven’t ordered his book yet. Waiting until get paid on Friday ...

What happens you when you exercise? Do you ever go low and why do you think it is if you do?

I’m typically having a shake with almond butter, almond milk, avocado, spinach and flax seed for breakfast.

Mackerel and salad for lunch..

Eggs, cheese and turkey for dinner..

Dark chocolate as snack..

I know there are lots of type 1s who are so experienced and would love their guidance.

I’m on 4 lantus and don’t need to inject for meals atm. I’m also taking high strength folic acid as looking to conceive within next year. Am I taking too soon?

All advice welcome!

Thanks!!!!
 
@Mel dCP is a very low carb Type 1 and maybe check out Dr Ian Lake as well as @JoeT1
There are a few Type 1s on www.ketogenicforums.com who I'm sure would be happy to help as well.
I follow a keto way of eating but have no experience of Type 1
However I try and stay under 20g of carbs per day rather than percentages. I often snack (or more usually replace meal with pork scratchings) hope that help a bit.
 
Thanks a lot! I will have a look at that forum too!
 
Morning! Like you, I got exhausted/exasperated with the glucoaster, so cut carbs drastically. My macros work out at 30g carbs, 65g protein and 100g fat - a little more f & p on weekends, because I’m human and like more flexibility! % wise, it’s about 9/21/70 - about the same as you.

I do minimal exercise due to dislocating joints, but a briskish walk to the post office doesn’t have much effect. I understand from some of the Facebook keto groups I’m in that once you are fat adapted, exercise has little effect. There are a few endurance athletes and marathon runners who are type one and run fasted with little to no effect on their BG and performance. http://type1keto.com/ is a blog by a doctor who has had great success with this.

Your food looks great, and pretty similar to what I eat, although a lot of days I skip breakfast because I’m not hungry. I sometimes skip lunch too, but may have a protein shake to stave off the mid afternoon drop in BG levels. I adore dark chocolate, it’s my big treat. I use the 100% drops from Hotel Chocolat - a couple of those keeps my inner chocoholic happy

If it’s of any interest, I blog about my keto food and it’s effect on my diabetes in the links below in my sig.

Also, the best price I’ve found for the Dr B book is here: https://amzn.to/2HR4Yy5

It’s also very important to keep your electrolyte levels up, otherwise you can get flu-like symptoms. Specifically sodium, magnesium and potassium - they get flushed out of your body on keto. I use pink salt for sodium, lo-salt for potassium/sodium and a magnesium/calcium/vitamin D supplement that I also get from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2rghDPM

 
Aw @Mel dCP ! Was hoping you would chip in actually! I think you might be my new favourite person/ God/ fountain of all knowledge on this (too much?)


Thanks! Very interesting to know about electrolytes. Will be sure to do that. Maybe using Epsom salt baths would help also? Help absorb magnesium?

I am looking forward to exercising without being afraid of hypos. Almost feel normal again. Carbs is a small sacrifice to make really, for what I feel is getting my life back again.

I just ran for the train today and BS didn’t move at all, no food since chicken salad at lunchtime too. Still stayed 4.5! Shocked and extremely happy I don’t need to eat to keep it up like before.

So I will check out your blog and other forum next. Thanks for the links and all your support. I’m genuinely feeling 100 times better already and positive for future again.

 
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Am also trying out keto and do exercise a lot but rarely go low so hope that is the same for you. Another book to try is Diatribe's Adam Brown - Bright Spots and Landmines in which he follows a really low carb diet. Its free or you can donate something to them. It is an e book. Love Dr Bernstein who is the pioneer in all of this although he doesn't seem to like talking about ketones! But I find him hard to listen to on his You Tube videos. Ian Lake as referenced above is a type 1, GP and runner so is inspirational.
Are y;ou newly diagnosed? You seem to be on very low level of insulin (just jealous as I still need 18 units to get through my keto day but that's after 36+ years of insulin).
 
This book is also excellent and give a good electrolyte water recipe:

Ketogenic Diet for Type 1 Diabetes by Davis & Runyan: https://amzn.to/2KZgGV5

Also, hope you like cauliflower. It’s your new best friend
 
Thanks from me too. I've been keto or three months now, and I keep thinking of questions to ask, but then don't find the time to come on here, or when I do, I've forgotten what I wanted to ask! So this is a helpful thread for me too.

So far, it's working out well for me. Although my BG does still seem to dip when I walk the dog - usually at a brisk pace for an hour each evening. I used to run regularly, but I've been too apprehensive about it since starting keto.

Still having quite a few hypos. But way less than I used to.

One step at a time...
 
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Yeah I’m newly diagnosed, I’m hoping it stays this low as long as possible. Hopefully this diet will help! I will check out Ian lake! Thanks. Yeah I haven’t been able to find Bernstein saying much on ketones either. My ketones went up to 1.4 today and actually panicked a little even though I knew that was coming. Hard to shake off the fear instilled by DN lol

I was wondering what you all inject before a high fat meal: fat protein meal if anything? I currently don’t inject anything. It’s gone up to 6.8 today but I know will fall down. Is that just because I have some insulin acting or does nobody inject and or just goes down again?

Also.. does anyone know what we do if ketones go over 3 to bring back into ‘safe’ zone?

When should we inject insulin to correct blood sugars after meal? Like over 7?

Sooo many questions! Ordering some books tomorrow finally!

Glad to know others trying this too! Seems like a no brainer doesn’t it. Still feeling good. Almond butter, almond milk, avocado, flax seed, spinach and cucumber smoothies are my new favourite breakfast. Have a try!

Thanks for advice everyone

 

Maybe you need to reduced your basal more? How many carbs are you typically eating in a day?

How are you feeling 3 months in? I feel great already but I know it’s early days.
 
Mel dCP said:
This book is also excellent and give a good electrolyte water recipe:

Ketogenic Diet for Type 1 Diabetes by Davis & Runyan: https://amzn.to/2KZgGV5

Also, hope you like cauliflower. It’s your new best friend
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Aw thanks

I like broccoli more. Always get the one from Aldi that’s blitzed into tiny bits! Broccoli rice it’s called. They also do cauliflower rice which I’ve had a few times too. Will get back on the cauliflower.

Do you make any Keto bread? Seen a few recipes using almond flour and might give a whirl this weekend!
 
boboblck said:
Maybe you need to reduced your basal more? How many carbs are you typically eating in a day?

How are you feeling 3 months in? I feel great already but I know it’s early days.
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I've done extensive basal testing and, although it's not quite perfect yet, it's not far off. I'm keeping under 30g carbs per day. I can't say I feel much different, although my control has improved significantly. It's very much a work in progress...
 
I make 90 second bread most, it’s the quickest and simplest.

30g ground almonds or almond flour mixed with a beaten egg and plenty of salt and pepper, microwaved for 90 seconds. That’s it.

Sometimes I dry fry it after to give it a toasty colour and crunch. One slab is 3g carbs and really, really satisfying. Makes a good pizza base too!
 

That’s my dinner sorted for tonight then! Sounds great!
 
Glad to hear nutritional ketosis is working for you and in spite of the DN's dire warning, ketoacidosis means levels of 10+ and is accompanied by very high blood glucose numbers.
Dr Bernstein does not like the K word ! And for type 1s the focus is reducing the toxicty of abnormal blood glucose levels rather than making ketones. Many insulin resistant folk feel fantastic on ketones (almonst spiritually uplifted with sudden brain fog clearing) but apparently if you are not insulin resistant then its likely you won;t feel much different (Rob Wolf spoke on this recently - You Tube).
Personally, I find it easy to eat correctly but my blood glucose levels do still spike if I miss a meal or do weights. I do need to bolus for protein (1.5 units per meal) but that's possibly because I have been type 1 for a long time and also do weights.
 
boboblck said:
Ooooooh my! Welcome back fish and chips, I have missed thee!
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My non D, non keto family nicked a bit and proclaimed it fabulous. And they’re used to the proper stuff - we have a really good chippy three doors down from us, sometimes you open the front door, smell the amazingness, and that’s dinner decided. So I can join in now, peeling the (gorgeous) batter off their fish and having it with a salad is perfectly nice, but.....
 
NicoleC1971 said:
Dr Bernstein does not like the K word ! And for type 1s the focus is reducing the toxicty of abnormal blood glucose levels rather than making ketones.
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Agreed.

This is interesting, thank you. I've always been very insulin-sensitive.
 
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