Update on low carb/IF

[iwilltouchyourcat]

So I’m two weeks in to the fast 800 low carb (40g net carbs a day) and 3 months into low carb/IF. It complicates things that I have coeliac disease and also am a vegan, but with preparation and inventive use of tofu and tempeh (and discovery of vegan babybels and ‘this isn’t bacon’ bacon!) I am managing just fine. My diet is heavily green veg, mainly roasted in olive oil, nuts and seeds, fake meats, berries etc.

I haven’t hit 800 every day. I find my sweet spot has been 950. I have also had a few days when I had an evening snack and taken it up to 1300 but always within my carb limit. I will remain on the fast 800 for another 10 weeks as suggested in the plan, then back up to my normal low carb IF way of eating. I’ve kept my dsn aware of what I am doing.

I have an 8 hr eating window so that means I just skip breakfast and have lunch and dinner.

On starting this, I was averaging a high single figure in the morning, up to 11-13 before midday and then back to 5-8 in the evening.
I was on metformin 1g and gliclazide 160mg am and 120mg pm.

Since feb I cut my evening gliclazide and this week I have halved my morning gliclazide to 80mg. My blood sugars have remained in single figures and my morning spike has vanished! It took a few months for what I assume was my liver dumping stored glucose from years of carbs and sugar and excess weight.

Weight is coming off, slower now, but since I started low carb at the end of feb I have gone down two dress sizes and lost 7.2kg. I am 2kg off no longer having a BMI which is classed as obese.

I attribute this to the advice and information I have received from this forum which has been invaluable. I’ve inhaled a variety of books recommended by other forum members. My GP and DSN have not wanted to do anything but put me on more meds and offered me no advice other than lose weight, start statins and eat baked potatoes(!) and I am so glad that I have tried this instead- I am now on a quarter of the gliclazide I was on in February!

Thank you all so much it has really steered my life onto a healthier trajectory. This forum has been a godsend.

 

[pms543]

So I’m two weeks in to the fast 800 low carb (40g net carbs a day) and 3 months into low carb/IF. It complicates things that I have coeliac disease and also am a vegan, but with preparation and inventive use of tofu and tempeh (and discovery of vegan babybels and ‘this isn’t bacon’ bacon!) I am managing just fine. My diet is heavily green veg, mainly roasted in olive oil, nuts and seeds, fake meats, berries etc.

I haven’t hit 800 every day. I find my sweet spot has been 950. I have also had a few days when I had an evening snack and taken it up to 1300 but always within my carb limit. I will remain on the fast 800 for another 10 weeks as suggested in the plan, then back up to my normal low carb IF way of eating. I’ve kept my dsn aware of what I am doing.

I have an 8 hr eating window so that means I just skip breakfast and have lunch and dinner.

On starting this, I was averaging a high single figure in the morning, up to 11-13 before midday and then back to 5-8 in the evening.
I was on metformin 1g and gliclazide 160mg am and 120mg pm.

Since feb I cut my evening gliclazide and this week I have halved my morning gliclazide to 80mg. My blood sugars have remained in single figures and my morning spike has vanished! It took a few months for what I assume was my liver dumping stored glucose from years of carbs and sugar and excess weight.

Weight is coming off, slower now, but since I started low carb at the end of feb I have gone down two dress sizes and lost 7.2kg. I am 2kg off no longer having a BMI which is classed as obese.

I attribute this to the advice and information I have received from this forum which has been invaluable. I’ve inhaled a variety of books recommended by other forum members. My GP and DSN have not wanted to do anything but put me on more meds and offered me no advice other than lose weight, start statins and eat baked potatoes(!) and I am so glad that I have tried this instead- I am now on a quarter of the gliclazide I was on in February!

Thank you all so much it has really steered my life onto a healthier trajectory. This forum has been a godsend.

This really is fantastic! I, too, am coeliac , and a type 2 , & your post has encouraged me so much. Thanks for sharing.
I’m trying low carb eating and seeing my bs numbers reduce and are now in single figures. My doctor is also wanting to reduce my meds as my blood pressure is dropping so will see what he says this week….

 

[iwilltouchyourcat]

This really is fantastic! I, too, am coeliac , and a type 2 , & your post has encouraged me so much. Thanks for sharing.
I’m trying low carb eating and seeing my bs numbers reduce and are now in single figures. My doctor is also wanting to reduce my meds as my blood pressure is dropping so will see what he says this week….

You’re so welcome. Being coeliac sucks congrats on the blood pressure! my blood pressure hasn’t dropped much yet (was very high, now high/normal) but I’m hoping if I continue to lose weight and eat right this may help too. I’m a huge stress head which doesn’t help that. But at the moment I’m focusing on the blood sugar as this was the biggest issue for me and getting some weight off. I have had a complicated relationship with food through the years so relearning how to eat well without bingeing/ eating my feelings has been tough but has been well worth it. Good luck with your low carb journey- if I can do it (as a major carbaholic) I have no doubt you can too! X

 

[pms543]

You’re so welcome. Being coeliac sucks congrats on the blood pressure! my blood pressure hasn’t dropped much yet (was very high, now high/normal) but I’m hoping if I continue to lose weight and eat right this may help too. I’m a huge stress head which doesn’t help that. But at the moment I’m focusing on the blood sugar as this was the biggest issue for me and getting some weight off. I have had a complicated relationship with food through the years so relearning how to eat well without bingeing/ eating my feelings has been tough but has been well worth it. Good luck with your low carb journey- if I can do it (as a major carbaholic) I have no doubt you can too! X

you're too kind! I should have said my bp was lowering unexpectedly, its never been a concern but is reading under 100 / 66 now or lower, Doc has stopped a medicine that helped reduce appetite but theres not much change so they may reduce the metformin too, I ,too have had food issues and loved bread, cake etc
I've recently invested in the libre monitor thingy which has helped me identify foods causing bs rises but I will stop using that soon as too expensive, Im planning my menu this week to incorparate more veggies.....

 

[iwilltouchyourcat]

you're too kind! I should have said my bp was lowering unexpectedly, its never been a concern but is reading under 100 / 66 now or lower, Doc has stopped a medicine that helped reduce appetite but theres not much change so they may reduce the metformin too, I ,too have had food issues and loved bread, cake etc
I've recently invested in the libre monitor thingy which has helped me identify foods causing bs rises but I will stop using that soon as too expensive, Im planning my menu this week to incorparate more veggies.....

I was going to try the Libre too, but am waiting for gad antibody tests back to see whether I have Lada/type 1 which would entitle me to one on the nhs -I suspect I don’t -but will wait for results. Luckily the diabetes team have provided me with blood and keto monitors (I had dka in feb).
Good luck with meal planning! For me it’s bread and rice… Holland and Barrett do keto rice but it tastes like a*** I’ve had better luck with keto bread- Dillon’s keto chia and flax is nice and bfree protein wraps are great too (both gf)

Here’s to our blood sugar becoming more blood and less sugar! X

 

[In Response]

I was going to try the Libre too, but am waiting for gad antibody tests back to see whether I have Lada/type 1 which would entitle me to one on the nhs

If you want to check out the Libre now, you could sign up for the free trial that they still have on their website.
That would give you 2 weeks of data which could be really useful.

 

[lessci]

I was going to try the Libre too, but am waiting for gad antibody tests back to see whether I have Lada/type 1 which would entitle me to one on the nhs -I suspect I don’t -but will wait for results. Luckily the diabetes team have provided me with blood and keto monitors (I had dka in feb).
Good luck with meal planning! For me it’s bread and rice… Holland and Barrett do keto rice but it tastes like a*** I’ve had better luck with keto bread- Dillon’s keto chia and flax is nice and bfree protein wraps are great too (both gf)

Here’s to our blood sugar becoming more blood and less sugar! X

I don't know if it's still going, but Freestyle were giving away a single sensor on a trial, but you needed to have a smartphone that was nfw enabled and download an app

 

[pinkjude]

So I’m two weeks in to the fast 800 low carb (40g net carbs a day) and 3 months into low carb/IF. It complicates things that I have coeliac disease and also am a vegan, but with preparation and inventive use of tofu and tempeh (and discovery of vegan babybels and ‘this isn’t bacon’ bacon!) I am managing just fine. My diet is heavily green veg, mainly roasted in olive oil, nuts and seeds, fake meats, berries etc.

I haven’t hit 800 every day. I find my sweet spot has been 950. I have also had a few days when I had an evening snack and taken it up to 1300 but always within my carb limit. I will remain on the fast 800 for another 10 weeks as suggested in the plan, then back up to my normal low carb IF way of eating. I’ve kept my dsn aware of what I am doing.

I have an 8 hr eating window so that means I just skip breakfast and have lunch and dinner.

On starting this, I was averaging a high single figure in the morning, up to 11-13 before midday and then back to 5-8 in the evening.
I was on metformin 1g and gliclazide 160mg am and 120mg pm.

Since feb I cut my evening gliclazide and this week I have halved my morning gliclazide to 80mg. My blood sugars have remained in single figures and my morning spike has vanished! It took a few months for what I assume was my liver dumping stored glucose from years of carbs and sugar and excess weight.

Weight is coming off, slower now, but since I started low carb at the end of feb I have gone down two dress sizes and lost 7.2kg. I am 2kg off no longer having a BMI which is classed as obese.

I attribute this to the advice and information I have received from this forum which has been invaluable. I’ve inhaled a variety of books recommended by other forum members. My GP and DSN have not wanted to do anything but put me on more meds and offered me no advice other than lose weight, start statins and eat baked potatoes(!) and I am so glad that I have tried this instead- I am now on a quarter of the gliclazide I was on in February!

Thank you all so much it has really steered my life onto a healthier trajectory. This forum has been a godsend.

This really is fantastic! I, too, am coeliac , and a type 2 , & your post has encouraged me so much. Thanks for sharing.
I’m trying low carb eating and seeing my bs numbers reduce and are now in single figures. My doctor is also wanting to reduce my meds as my blood pressure is dropping so will see what he says this week….

Fantastic achievement. I have ;lost 2 stone on low carb and have single figures too mostly 6's which is great. I have my HBA1c Friday so am hoping for good results.

 

[iwilltouchyourcat]

Fantastic achievement. I have ;lost 2 stone on low carb and have single figures too mostly 6's which is great. I have my HBA1c Friday so am hoping for good results.

Brilliant! Good luck for your hba1c!

 

[iwilltouchyourcat]

If you want to check out the Libre now, you could sign up for the free trial that they still have on their website.
That would give you 2 weeks of data which could be really useful.

Thank you, that’s good to know

 

[iwilltouchyourcat]

I don't know if it's still going, but Freestyle were giving away a single sensor on a trial, but you needed to have a smartphone that was nfw enabled and download an app

Thank you I’ll check it out now

 

[iwilltouchyourcat]

So another update- I have LADA not t2. Had an appointment with the diabetes consultant today who said I have high levels of antibodies and wants a repeat c pep to confirm whether my production is erratic or ok for now in terms of starting insulin etc. but she praised me for my improved levels and weight loss and told her I do IF abs low carb. She said ‘keep going, it’s working’. I also got the trial of the Libre and she’s sending me an online thing to fill out so they can add it to my prescription. It’s a shock especially after the nurse said she doubted i had LADA as I was still making insulin… she was also the same nurse who recommended me eating baked potatoes to lose weight ‍ so yeah. A bit of a shock but at least I know what I’m working with.

 

[pms543]

So another update- I have LADA not t2. Had an appointment with the diabetes consultant today who said I have high levels of antibodies and wants a repeat c pep to confirm whether my production is erratic or ok for now in terms of starting insulin etc. but she praised me for my improved levels and weight loss and told her I do IF abs low carb. She said ‘keep going, it’s working’. I also got the trial of the Libre and she’s sending me an online thing to fill out so they can add it to my prescription. It’s a shock especially after the nurse said she doubted i had LADA as I was still making insulin… she was also the same nurse who recommended me eating baked potatoes to lose weight ‍ so yeah. A bit of a shock but at least I know what I’m working with.

Aw well at least you know but well done on the free entitlement as it has helped me enormously.
Keep going!!

 

[iwilltouchyourcat]

Aw well at least you know but well done on the free entitlement as it has helped me enormously.
Keep going!!

Thank you ️