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Weight loss v BG reduction on LCHF

I take Allopurinol for gout, (am), Betahistine for meniéres disease (am and pm) Lansoprasole for digestive probs, am( miracle pills for me, allow me to drink beer or whisky without sickness) and Atorvastatin for hi cholesterol. Now Gliclazide with breakfast for diabetes.
Sounds like I'm competing in a "I take more than you" competition, but I'm not, honestly! I test my bloods about once or twice a week - - if I remember, or if I feel unwell.
My levels fluctuate between 5.8mm and 10ish. Usually 7ish. I don't have much work on and have lots of other stuff going on. I never feel like I have much time to worry about my condition. Am I not taking it seriously enough?
My knees are shot from Plumbing(osteoarthritis) and my cataract in my left eye is getting worse and needs doing. I swallow around 4-6 paracetamols and 1-2 tramadol a day. I should rattle now. Haven't time for anymore ailments!

I also have Menieres. Have you read up on the supposed benefits of LCHF for Menieres? I am taking notes on attacks to see how the diet affects my symptoms.
 
If your hba1c went up it means average glucose went up so what you are eating may be at question . Condensing your eating window shouldn't increase your hba1c?
For me it does - and I suspect it's because of DP. I did not change what I was eating - just when.
 
For me it does - and I suspect it's because of DP. I did not change what I was eating - just when.

Timing does indeed make a great difference to some people. This is exactly why we all keep saying that one size does not fit all. OMAD suits some but not others but I admire your efforts, you were willing to give it a go.
 
Thank you @Guzzler. I am now enjoying much lower BG results since stopping my BP medication - not that high BG is listed as a side effect of the medication............
 
4s and 5s are healthy normal levels and that is what lots of us are aiming for. I achieve that with LCHF and the concessional missed meal.

5-months into my diagnosis and I am consistently hitting 4s and 5s and my hat is off to this site. I have found that most of the information out on the web and spouted off by the healthcare industry just does not work in the favor of obtaining 4s and 5s outcomes. I am with you, if I have to miss a meal to maintain 4s and 5s, I will.
 
Have you tried a fast?
I love breakfast and supper particularly which I like to eat with my husband because I dont see him all day. I could occasionally skip lunch. Your post to Derry about mixing it up every 4/5 days is an interesting option. Whatever I do it has to be sustainable for my way of life which isnt ALL about Diabetes. I cherish cooking for and eating with my family even with my limitations. I am often doing batch cooking for University supplies or making Chocolate Fudge cakes which I never get to eat but thats A-Ok.
 
This thread seems to have turned into low fbg boasting. It must be very discouraging for people who have made a big effort to control their BG to suggest they have somehow failed if they have not got their fbg down to 4's or 5's. As for fasting, getting low BG by not eating is hardly surprising.
Every time I take a fbg I am nervous and full of trepidation, I just told my truth about the numbers I get eating up to twice a day; this is not a boast it is a matter shared by many. I would hope that stories like mine would show that it is possible to get low numbers as a Type 2 eating in my view healthier. I would just encourage people to do the best they can, if that is 6's and 7's that's fine for that individual also. Genuinely deflated that responding truthfully could be interpreted in this way.
 
Every time I take a fbg I am nervous and full of trepidation, I just told my truth about the numbers I get eating up to twice a day; this is not a boast it is a matter shared by many. I would hope that stories like mine would show that it is possible to get low numbers as a Type 2 eating in my view healthier. I would just encourage people to do the best they can, if that is 6's and 7's that's fine for that individual also. Genuinely deflated that responding truthfully could be interpreted in this way.
There has been no boasting that I have seen. Just people giving their personal stories and views. May they continue as others(me included) enjoy reading them and take at times a lot of encouragement. Your BFG numbers will be what they are, perhaps they might get better or worse from time to time. Nothing will change if you're not allowed to encourage others on their journey.
 
There has been no boasting that I have seen. Just people giving their personal stories and views. May they continue as others(me included) enjoy reading them and take at times a lot of encouragement. Your BFG numbers will be what they are, perhaps they might get better or worse from time to time. Nothing will change if you're not allowed to encourage others on their journey.
Well said!
 
One meal a day does not even suggest you are not getting enough nutrition since it depends what you eat during that meal. If that one meal is of substandard nutritional value then the food or the OMAD is certainly not to blame. I think you should look at the actual nutritional value of each meal and make sure the bases are covered in relation to Fats, Protein and carbs...... I have found that I wont allow my body to get into a groove with eating the same way more than 4-5 days in a row. I change constantly and that seems to work for me. I do OMAD, FAsting and two meals a day. I always skip breakfast as I'm never hungry in the mornings. Good luck and I hope you can sort the eating windows out that is advantageous to you. We are all different.
My typical meal of an evening is Protein with plenty of fat, lots of green vegs and some cheese on the side. Another evening would be a 3 egg omelette with bacon spinach and some Almonds or Salmon salad with broccoli and green beans or Steak celeriac and lots of green veg and so on. I do have butter on my veg. My salads are mixed with lemon oregano and olive oil salt and pepper. I also do stews with plenty of vegs and put neck of lamb into the stew for the fat. I do have some berries and cream. I eat very well with my one meals, but my hair has got thinner etc. It is a very common problem, even the skin being dry..I eat nuts, have fish Olive oil also. I have started to take a multivitamin pill to see if this helps. Also eating plain yoghurt full fat. It is only since I have gone low carb that this has happened. Like I said it is quite common is some people.
 
Re reporting our own blood sugar levels, I think we should all feel free to post honest results as it just adds to the pool of information for people to digest. People posting low numbers shouldn't feel that they are showing off and people posting high numbers shouldn't feel that they are failing.

I'm quite comfortable admitting that I was regularly getting 16s throughout the day last year, then after a lot of effort managed to get lower than 6 (I'd set that target just because that was roughly the transition point for diagnosis of T2).

I then found to my amazement I could get down to 3.9 if I fasted, but I'm quite happy to admit, on the entire 2 occasions I've done that now, I feel dizzy and light-headed.

I'm also quite happy to admit that, after getting that far, I then spent about 2 months regularly getting about 9.5, as I'd taken my eye of diet because I thought I could afford to, given all the walking I was doing. Who knows, those 2 months of high levels may have taken years off my life?

These things happen.

Personally, even though the very low numbers still make me feel a bit weak and dizzy, I still like achieving them when I can. There is some evidence that keeping levels as low as possible will reduce risk of complications. Then again there is evidence that swings back and forth are a problem, so maybe keeping your level steady, so long as it isn't crazily high, is a reasonable strategy. I really don't think there is enough evidence to feel very strongly one way or the other, I just happen to prefer trying (in spite of often failing) to keep things low based on my current understanding of the evidence.
 
My FBG numbers for 2017 not much fasting and no drugs
View attachment 26357

Lovely graph. Are all the readings taken at the same time of day?

Also, do you have any record of changes in your routine around April - June? Just trying to fit a smooth line to the data it seems there is a definite dip there, bottoming-out in May.
 
I start supper at 8pm with 5-6 and 2 hours later am usually 6-7. Its then 10pm and bedtime. I eat breakfast at 8 and can be 7-8. I havent been measuring FB lately because of pain, meds etc but I always test with food. Tbh I am probably well under 50g a day because I dont eat bread, potatoes, rice or pasta so my carbs are from veg and nuts mostly. However I am getting no exercise lately. I said I dont snack but occasionally I have walnuts.

Your post meal glucose are in a comfortable zone.

To deal with the Fasting BG, it really is a matter of clearing out the excessive liver fats and glycogen store. You may wait patiently for it to slowly happen over months. Or try intermittent fasting sessions (eg skipping a couple of dinner) to hasten the process. That is what brought my FBG from 7-8 mmol to 5.5 mmol.

Almost 3 years on, it still works for me...
 
I then found to my amazement I could get down to 3.9 if I fasted, but I'm quite happy to admit, on the entire 2 occasions I've done that now, I feel dizzy and light-headed.

This happens when glucose levels are low and ketone levels haven't risen sufficiently.

It helps to understand that we often have insulin resistant brain as well which have impaired glucose uptake. So a normal glucose level in the 4s becomes LOW for us. But we can function well with ketones as well, just that ketone level needs time to ramp up. For most it may require up to 2 full days of fasting to significantly increase ketones production.

Glucose-Ketones-Fast-mimicking-diet.png


Hence for those of us who just do intermittent fasting, I find that spoonfuls of virgin coconut oil or bulletproof coffee helps with the light headedness without increasing the glucose levels.
 
Lovely graph. Are all the readings taken at the same time of day?

Also, do you have any record of changes in your routine around April - June? Just trying to fit a smooth line to the data it seems there is a definite dip there, bottoming-out in May.
Yes they are my first thing in the morning readings so usually between 7.30 and 8 am (the joys of being retired)
Interesting that you ask about that period.. unfortunately (and I really hate to say this) the lowest section looks to be when we were going to the gym 4-5 times a week with me mainly swimming 1-2km. Over the summer , because I hate swimming with kids in the pool, this ceased (and to be completely honest) never really restarted. Looks like you have prompted me to start again and see what happens now.. next week though......
 
This happens when glucose levels are low and ketone levels haven't risen sufficiently.

It helps to understand that we often have insulin resistant brain as well which have impaired glucose uptake. So a normal glucose level in the 4s becomes LOW for us. But we can function well with ketones as well, just that ketone level needs time to ramp up. For most it may require up to 2 full days of fasting to significantly increase ketones production.

Glucose-Ketones-Fast-mimicking-diet.png


Hence for those of us who just do intermittent fasting, I find that spoonfuls of virgin coconut oil or bulletproof coffee helps with the light headedness without increasing the glucose levels.

Thanks for that bit of insight!

I've always sort of hoped that if I can get a solid run in the 4-s to 5-s for several weeks, then any lightheadedness would "sort itself out" as the body does whatever it does to adapt. I'm not sure whether for me that would require fasting, keto or whatever, or what fuel type my body would be running off at that point. It's certainly a rarity for me to be in the 4s so no wonder it struggles then.
 
Yes they are my first thing in the morning readings so usually between 7.30 and 8 am (the joys of being retired)
Interesting that you ask about that period.. unfortunately (and I really hate to say this) the lowest section looks to be when we were going to the gym 4-5 times a week with me mainly swimming 1-2km. Over the summer , because I hate swimming with kids in the pool, this ceased (and to be completely honest) never really restarted. Looks like you have prompted me to start again and see what happens now.. next week though......

It's nice to have hobby which just happens, accidentally, to involve exercise. My sister loves swimming and she's very overweight so it's probably perfect for her to avoid joint damage. Unfortunately she also doesn't like kids, or people in general, and so she rarely goes. If she had her own private pool she'd be in it a couple of times a day.
 
My lottery dream.. a 25m pool at home with one lane just for me...

Perfection!

I don't understand me at all. As a young teenager I was a competitive swimmer. I also did a fair amount of diving training. I carried on swimming regularly for years until I married Mr. Blue, who can't swim very well and hates water. Swimming then sort of disappeared from my life and has never reappeared. We live a 5 minute walk from a very pleasant swimming pool, where we don't have to mix with children. There are different sessions for different groups of people, including ladies only sessions. Do I go? Do I heck. It's just laziness I think.
 
Perfection!

I don't understand me at all. As a young teenager I was a competitive swimmer. I also did a fair amount of diving training. I carried on swimming regularly for years until I married Mr. Blue, who can't swim very well and hates water. Swimming then sort of disappeared from my life and has never reappeared. We live a 5 minute walk from a very pleasant swimming pool, where we don't have to mix with children. There are different sessions for different groups of people, including ladies only sessions. Do I go? Do I heck. It's just laziness I think.
I won't tell you how much the monthly cost of our gym is but even that isn't enough of an incentive.. my heart drops when I walk onto poolside and hear the screams of the plucky little blighters..luckily there is also a 20m outdoor pool which s heated all year round so I did use that one too.

Edit to add when I can be bothered.... rarely...
 
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