What on earth is going on?

[DaveNN]

Hi,
I'm now classed as a fully fledged type 2er...on 500g metformin a day.
My BS levels ( using an iBGStar, which is supposedly accurate) have usually been around the 8, 7 or mark ( with the occasional 5).
Since I started on the metformin ( this week) I haven't banged in a sub 7 and have been hitting the 9's at bed time.
I appreciate that metformin may not have a dramatic effect on my levels even when I am fully primed...
I eat under 60g of carb a day and exercise for a hour a day.
However, I do drink Pepsi Max ( hardly any carb) and similar....though they have a " trace" of carb.
I've lost 2 stone, through diet and exercise, over the past 6 weeks or so...with a BMI of 31.

The question is this..what on earth is going in with my BS seemingly rising?
Could this be due to me consuming sub 800 calories a day, so I'm burning fat ( so to speak) and my BS is rising accordingly?


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[viviennem]

Burning fat from low-carbing - called "ketosis" - doesn't cause your blood glucose to rise.

It may be that you aren't eating enough, at 800 calories per day, and that your liver is dumping glucose in an attempt to keep you fuelled. I believe this can happen during/after exercise.

Are you deliberately trying a programme (eg the Newcastle Diet) for a limited period that requires a low calorie intake? A list of what you are eating on a daily basis may help us have some more ideas.

I know nothing about Pepsi Max (ugh! - sorry, personal taste! ) but check what they are using as a sweetener. I believe some (eg maltilol?) can raise BGs. Why not try a day on tap water and see what happens?

Viv 8)

 

[Lenny3]

Hi, I love love love Pepsi Max, but I tend to avoid it most of the time as Ive heard caffine can affect weight loss. I have also heard that caffine affects BG levels. Maybe try a day or 2 testing without any?

 

[DaveNN]

Many thanks for both the replies.
They do make perfect sense.
On the ketosis, yep I understand where you are coming from.
However, and forgive my ignorance but, surely any sugar dumped by my liver has come from somewhere?In this instance my fat reserves?
I am doing my own version of the newcastle diet- but I won't follow the slim fast ( or similar) system with shakes.
I know one and know of another fellow employee who did this type of thing....and spent months off work due to gastric problems.
Admittedly one lost about 10 stone - but he still isn't 'right'.
I did post in the newly diagnosed site that perhaps my low calorie diet has put my system into starvation mode, though I am doing weights, kinect sports and walking to balance fat losing and muscle retention.
I,m basically living on fish, chicken, lean ham, the occasional egg and a small amount of rocket.
I was bulking this up with a tortilla wrap a day- though this may be what has been causing my BG to stay a bit high.
On waking this morning, I banged in a 6.8... The lowest for a while and by a full point.
I did drop all "no sugar" drinks yesterday and stuck to iced water...so it may be one, the other or a combination of soft drinks and a tortilla. The Atkins book does state that these "no carb" drinks and caffeine can effect weight loss...why??..I don't know.
The question is just how long can I stick to this type of restrictive diet before I ' rebel' and have a carb binge?
My concern is that, even with me looking to shed about a 1/4 of my weight ( at my heaviest), I will have to stick to a restrictive diet in order to keep my BG within acceptable and safe limits....unless I am prescribed additional meds.
I'll stick on metformin, even if I can 'fix' myself, as I am thoroughly convinced of its long term benefits.



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[viviennem]

As far as I understand it, about 25% of the protein we eat is eventually metabolised into glucose, so this may be what your liver is working on.

If I was you I would be turning that "small amount of rocket" into a decent-sized salad once a day - using the list of low-carb veg on Atkins Induction (or see Viv's Modified Atkins Diet on the Low-carb Diet section). That's where most of your vitamins and minerals will come from, if you're not using the shakes. Other than that your diet seems okay, in that the Newcastle Diet doesn't allow any fats.

I don't know how exercise works on such a low-calorie diet. Maybe ask in the exercise section? or ask one of the people who's already done Newcastle successfully.

As for the morning fasting reading - you could still be getting the "Dawn Phenomenon" - the rise every human has in the morning, to get us going. Non-diabetics don't show it 'cos their insulin response is working properly. In Type 2s, either we don't have a good enough insulin response, or our insulin resistance makes our BGs rise. Before and 2 hours after eating is a more reliable guide. Why not try testing on the meal before you exercise, and see what happens then.

Viv 8)

 

[DaveNN]

Many thanks for the informative reply.
I will have a gander at the modified Atkins today.
I have used the Atkins on many an occasion in the past, though is time it does look like it will have to be a way of life and not just another 'diet'.
Since my reading earlier, I had a tin of tuna for breakfast ( with a metformin horses d'hoover) and a glass of iced water.
I've had a bit if a walk..and popped in a 8.7!
This totally convinces me that my liver is dumping glucose into my system..so I may either increase my calorie intake a little, or add a tiny amount of carb and see if it balances it out.
I'm having some spicy chicken for lunch, with 5g of carb and about 400 kcalories and will test again tomorrow.
But, if my weight loss is increasing my glucose levels, is this such a bad thing in the medium to long term?



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