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Type 2: Fasting Experiment To Lower Bg


I am going to see how the fatigue is for the next few days, and then see what to do.
 
The first step is to get yourself a BP monitor to use at home, so that you can give your GP the data, including readings on the days when you have no energy. Then unless your BP is clearly high try reducing the drugs to see how you feal.

The BG targets are mostly set by people in the pay of the drug companies and are luckily to be too low. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/...cid=raven_jbs_etoc_email#.Wyps9MZiAr8.twitter
 

Thank you @ringi - I will try that - hopefully I will start getting my energy levels back up one way or another.
 
AllieRainbow said:
Thank you @ringi - I will try that - hopefully I will start getting my energy levels back up one way or another.
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I’d agree with taking readings at home. I can have a reading at home of 110/70 and a couple of hours later at medical centre 175/78 ! Luckily they accept my home readings. I always take two weeks readings in and the average. I was having real probs when on bp meds before until started home readings and realised just how low they were! No longer on any meds thankfully. Hope you resolve your tiredness @AllieRainbow
 
My determination to get some exercise done yesterday lead to 22 minutes of exercise done over several hours. I will aim to do at least 30 minutes today, and try to build up to one hour by the end of the week. I may feel a bit better if I can get myself moving a bit more.

Last night I had a dream about wanting to eat a slice of sourdough bread smothered in butter, but before I could take a bite, I put it down, realising that it would make my blood sugar go up. It looks like a the low carb lifestyle is pretty well embedded now!

Day 21 - Weight: 114.1 kilos / BMI 37.2 / Waist to Height Ratio: 65%

8.50am - FBG: 6.7
9.39am - DP: 6.7
? - Under 5.2: eating OMAD around 12 noon to bring down BG
11.34am - Pre-meal: 6.7
1.36pm - Post-meal (2hrs): 7.5
? - Post-meal (3 hrs): ?
2.14am - Bedtime: 7.4

Meal: Belly pork, pork sausage, guacamole, yellow pepper, avocado, cucumber. Coffee with coconut cream, all other fluids water.

I am adding a couple of twists of himalayan pink salt to meals to increase my salt intake (not today - too much salt already).

Carbs: 12.5g
Protein: 86.9g
Fat: 135g
Cals: 1616

Length of Fast: 23hrs 57mins
Average BG Before Fasting Experiment: 7.0
Today's Average BG Reading: ?
Breathalyser reading: 0.22% BAC

mySugr estimated HbA1c:

41.9 - Day 1 (baseline)
39.9 - Day 8
38.8 - Day 15
38.6 - Day 16
38.5 - Day 17
38.5 - Day 18
38.5 - Day 19
38.5 - Day 20
 
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I also have similar issues with surgery BP readings being very high, and my GP suggested buying my own monitor to check at home. I've taken this to the surgery so that he could compare reading from both his and mine iunder identical conditions as I'm also getting much better results at home.

I think that low carb diet aslo have a lot to do with improved results.

Robbity
 
After having several days of total exhaustion, I have come off the Ramipril, as the fatigue seems to be related to side effects from my BP medication. I am checking my BP at home and it seems OK so far.

Day 22 - Weight: 114.4 kilos / BMI 37.2 / Waist to Height Ratio: 65%

7.32am - FBG: 6.5
8.38am - DP: 7.0
? - Under 5.2: eating OMAD around 12 noon to bring down BG
5.19pm - Pre-meal: 6.1
7.19pm - Post-meal (2hrs): 8.1
8.40pm - Post-meal (3 hrs): 7.4
11.45pm - Bedtime: 6.8

Meal: Chicken, bacon, pork burger, guacamole, strawberries, clotted cream, greek yoghurt, peanuts, pork scratching, Oppo vanilla ice cream. Coffee with double cream, all other fluids water.

I am adding a couple of twists of himalayan pink salt to meals to increase my salt intake.

Carbs: 36.2g
Protein: 141.9g
Fat: 151.9g
Cals: 1850

Length of Fast: 29hrs 45mins
Average BG Before Fasting Experiment: 7.0
Today's Average BG Reading: 7.0
Breathalyser reading: 0.23% BAC

mySugr estimated HbA1c:

41.9 - Day 1 (baseline)
39.9 - Day 8
38.8 - Day 15
38.7 - Day 22
 
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Results for Week 3 of the fasting Experiment to lower BG

Average FBG Wk 1: 6.2
Average FBG Wk 2: 5.4
Average FBG Wk 3: 6.0

Longest time fasted: 25 hours ? mins
Shortest time fasted: 11 hours 6 mins
Average length of time fasted: 18 hours 47 mins
Number of meals over 7 days: 7

HbA1c (lab) 39 days before start of experiment: 82.0 (9.7%/12.8 mmol/L)
Est HbA1c (mySugr) Day 1: 41.9 (6.0%/7.0 mmol/L)
Est HbA1c (mySugr) Day 8: 39.9 (5.8%/6.7 mmol/L)
Est HbA1c (mySugr) Day 15: 38.8 (5.7%/6.5 mmol/L)
Est HbA1c (mySugr) Day 22: 38.7 (5.7%/6.5 mmol/L)

Weight/BMI Day 1 minus 52 days: 129.7 kilos (285.8lb/20st 5.8lb)/42.2
Previously unmonitored eating, high carb.
Removed processed carbs while waiting for diagnosis.
Switched to MCMF diet, carbs < 250g.

Weight/BMI Day 1 minus 39 days: 124.6 kilos (274.6lb/19st 8.6lb)/40.6
Switched to LCHF diet after diagnosis. Carbs < 100g.

Weight/BMI Day 1: 118.5 kilos (261.2lb/18st 9.2lb)/38.6
Switched to experiment protocol of fasting till BG dropped into target range.

Weight/BMI Day 8: 115.7 kilos (255lbs/18st 3lb)/37.7
LCHF diet, carbs < 20g.
Eating to target range on BG meter.
Target range < 6.0 mmol/L, then < 5.2 mmol/L from Day 5.

Weight/BMI Day 15: 113.4 kilos (250lbs/17st 12lb)/36.9
LCHF diet, carbs < 20g.
Eating to target range/then OMAD from Day 11 due to a cold raising BG.
Target range from Day 8 < 5.0 mmol/L.

Weight/BMI Day 22: 114.4 kilos (252.2lbs/18st 0.2lb)/37.2
LCHF diet, carbs < 20g- < 50g.
Eating OMAD to keep mealtime late morning to early afternoon.

Weight/BMI Lost Wk 1: 2.8 kilos (6.2lbs)/0.9
Weight/BMI Lost Wk 2: 2.3 kilos (5.0lbs)/0.8
Weight/BMI Gained Wk 3: 1.0 kilos (2.2lbs)/0.3
Weight/ BMI Total Lost: 4.1 kilos (9.0lb)/1.4

Waist to Height Ratio Day 1: 71%
Waist to Height Ratio Day 8: 67%
Waist to Height Ratio Day 15: 66%
Waist to Height Ratio Day 22: 65%

Body Fat:
Day 15: 48.4%
Day 22: 49.1%

Visceral Fat:
Day 15: 18
Day 22: 18

Muscle Mass:
Day 15: 121.2 lb
Day 22: 121.2 lb

Metabolic Age (I am 51):
Day 15: 58
Day 15: 58

The last week has been characterised by feeling progressively more tired, until around Thursday when I realised that it was more than ordinary fatigue. I had been on the BP medication Ramipril for 2 weeks, and although it has brought down my BP to normal levels, it has also made me so exhausted I was no longer able to do any exercise, and found day to day tasks almost impossible. I was seeing the same levels of fatigue I had earlier this year with very high blood sugar just before diagnosis and also the same as when I was treated for TB in my early thirties, when I could barely move for exhaustion. i took a decision to stop taking the tablets and home monitor BP and talk to the doctor about either no medication, or a different medication if necessary. I suspect the small rise in weight this week is to do with lack of exercise, and less attention to fluid intake, or just a natural fluctuation.
 
Today involved a trip over to the east coast to see my cousin, who is camping over there. We were keen to ask questions about camping, as we are buying a tent in the next few weeks so we can go camping the ssummer, with a view to having a more active holiday.

While we were there, I had a magnum ice-cream, and was pleasantly surprised at the BG results:

3.42pm - Pre-Magnum: 6.0
4.37pm - Post Magnum (1hr): 6.6
5.49pm - Post Magnum (2hrs): 6.5

This summer is already looking a little better, although I would regard a Magnum as an occasional treat as I am much more savoury than sweet.

Day 23 - Weight: 114.4 kilos / BMI 37.2 / Waist to Height Ratio: 65%

8.01am - FBG: 7.3
9.17am - DP: 7.3
? - Under 5.2: eating OMAD around 12 noon to bring down BG
?pm - Pre-meal: ?
?pm - Post-meal (2hrs): ?
?pm - Post-meal (3hrs): ?
11.14pm - Bedtime: 6.9

Meal: Chicken, ham, avocado, olives, raw stir fry mix, boiled eggs, Magnum. Coffee with double cream, all other fluids water.

I am adding a couple of twists of himalayan pink salt to meals to increase my salt intake.

Carbs: 36.2g
Protein: 141.9g
Fat: 151.9g
Cals: 1850

Length of Fast: 28hrs ?mins
Average BG Before Fasting Experiment: 7.0
Today's Average BG Reading: 6.8
Breathalyser reading: 0.21% BAC

mySugr estimated HbA1c:

41.9 - Day 1 (baseline)
39.9 - Day 8
38.8 - Day 15
38.7 - Day 22
38.7 - Day 23
 
Today I am feeling a little better today, after a couple of days off the BP medication. I managed more exercise over the last couple of days than I did in the whole of last week.

Day 24 - Weight: 114.1 kilos / BMI 37.1 / Waist to Height Ratio: 65%

8.16am - FBG: 6.7
11.15am - DP: 6.6
? - Under 5.2: eating OMAD around 12 noon to bring down BG
12.16pm - Pre-meal: 6.9
2.27pm - Post-meal (2hrs): 5.6
? - Post-meal (3hrs): ?
? - Bedtime: ?

Meal: Salmon, avocado, olives, raw stir fry mix, cottage cheese, cheese, guacamole. Coffee with coconut cream, all other fluids water.

I am adding a couple of twists of himalayan pink salt to meals to increase my salt intake.

Carbs: 10.2g
Protein: 67.9g
Fat: 61.1g
Cals: 872

Length of Fast: 20hrs ?mins
Average BG Before Fasting Experiment: 7.0
Today's Average BG Reading: 6.7
Breathalyser reading: 0.23% BAC

mySugr estimated HbA1c:

41.9 - Day 1 (baseline)
39.9 - Day 8
38.8 - Day 15
38.7 - Day 22
38.7 - Day 23
 
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I haven't posted for a while as I was still recovering from the side effects of the BP medication.

I am feeling a bit better now, although the hot weather is making me feel wiped out. I will post an update after the weekend as I have a lot of stuff on at home and I am really busy at the moment.

BG is relatively stable, and I am working on lowering my carb count so that it is under 20g per day - at the moment it is usually around the low 20s.

The weight is dropping very slowly at the moment, and I am just starting to get a little more exercise in every day. My main issues have been with little foot and leg cramps at night, so I am eating around 20g of salted peanuts before bed with a couple of glasses of water, which is improving that a little. I am adding a little more salt with my meal, and drinking plenty of water.
 

You may want to try a little magnesium supplement too if the cramps are bad. And maybe up the salt a bit more.
I put mine in coffee and tea rather than peanuts!

Edit to add had missed your updates well done for the perseverance
 
bulkbiker said:
You may want to try a little magnesium supplement too if the cramps are bad. And maybe up the salt a bit more.
I put mine in coffee and tea rather than peanuts!

Edit to add had missed your updates well done for the perseverance
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I have ordered some epsom salts to put in the bath so will be trying those soon.

Also I am very tempted to try a bacon and egg fast as I have found a new (to me) brand of eggs that is delicious - Burford Browns - best eggs ever. I am frying pre-roast belly pork chunks and mushrooms, adding some cottage cheese or Philadelphia to make a sauce and adding a couple eggs fried in butter - OMG. heaven on a plate and very low carb.

I am still feeling pretty tired after the BG medication fiasco. But I am sure things will improve soon as I am eating my macros and drinking plenty of water.
 
Good luck I’ve missed your updates and really pleased you’re back. I’m addicted to Burford browns too!
Re cramps Epsom salts do help but you can also get a magnesium oil spray to rub in which if you use before bedtime can be helpful and/ or if you wake up with cramp. I have to have a lot more salt too than I used to eat but my Blood pressure keeps going down regardless of my increasing salt intake! Who’d have know it maybe I’m strange but the more salt I have the lower my bgs get and not been on no meds for 6 months now. Morning bp today 102/72 ! When put on bp meds was regularly in 150 + range.
 
@AllieRainbow if you have not already done so I think you would benifit from reading "The Art and Science of Low Carb Living" book as it covers a lot of these issues.
 
Here I am at the start of another week. I am trying the OMAD approach again as I am still hovering around the same weight, and have been for a few weeks now.

Weight: 114.8 kilos / 253 lbs / 18 st 1 lb
FBG: 6.3
Before meal: 6.8
1 hr after meal: 6.7
2 hrs after meal: 6.5
3 hrs after meal: 5.8
Bedtime: 6.2
Breathalyser: 0.010 % BAC

OMAD: eggs and cheese!!
Drinks: water
Fast: 16 hrs
Exercise: 48 mins on pedal exerciser

Let's see how I end up in a week's time...
 
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So can I ask what is baseline, FBG & DP just so I get a better understanding of how to fast myself.
 
ejpk72 said:
So can I ask what is baseline, FBG & DP just so I get a better understanding of how to fast myself.
Click to expand...

FBG - fasting blood glucose
DP - dawn phenomenon
Baseline would be where I started from at the beginning of the experiment
 
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