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What should I tell her?

hornplayer

Well-Known Member
Messages
983
Having seen how I've done low-carbing since I was diagnosed (T2) a month ago: dropped from an initial fasting BG of 17.4 to 7.1 and 5's and 6's during the day, and 1 stone lost, my mother has decided she wants to know more about the low carb approach. She has been diabetic for over 20 yrs. - tablets, then insulin, tablets again and now, I'm not sure but I think she's off all medication. She's done it by sheer will power, but I know it's been a real struggle all the way. She's scared that if she goes low carb she'll get hypo's. As I've never taken insulin and I'm apparently not in any danger of going hypo, I don't really know what to say to her.
I find a low carb diet really easy to stick to, but everybody's different.

Could I have some pros and cons please? - she's a nurse, so don't be afraid to get technical!
 
My understanding (and bear in mind that it isn't 100% certain) is that as long as you are having some carbs (to avoid ketoacidosis -and believe me it is not fun) it depends on her medication.
If she is still taking Insulin then she will have to reduce her dosage to avoid hypo's.
If she is currently on tablets then it depends on the type - some of them can lead to hypo's with no crabs. As a type 1 i'm not sure which types are okay and which are not, it's best to ask a medical professional.
If she is not on any medication and is still having some carbs then she should not be able to have a hypo (unless she has another medical condition that can cause hypo's).

I hope it helps a bit, although no real answers above
 
Pretty much what I thought, thanks. She can see that I'm perfectly happy on low carb and I know why she wants to try it. - I can still remember as a child watching her struggle to keep the "correct balance" the doctors were telling her and getting so upset. Hungry all the time and frustrated because her BG wasn't as good as it should be. It seems barbaric now, looking back.


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Do you know why your mothers wishes to low-carb having done so well. Is she is still testing herself at all and concerned by the results or does she wish to lose weight?
 
 
I don't know.

My brother is an Ironman and I know he's been on at everyone he can find to "go primal", which is essentially low carb. I know that Mum is aware of all the rubbish that's added to our food and is trying to cut it out. Low carb seems to be a much cleaner way of eating. Maybe it's something to do with that? I'll ask her when she "picks my brain".


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OK.. not sure what 'cleaner way of eating' means though. And she can avoid rubbish by eating fresh as much as possible and avoid tins and packets if she is able to as there's more to those than carb content to be concerned about.
 
hypos are caused by MEDICATION, not by diabetes.
How you approach low arbing depends on what medication you use. If your mother is serious about it, get her a copy of Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution to read. Try your library first. It's not a cheap book to buy.
Hana
 
hornplayer said:
I'll read that too, thanks for the recommendation! I've seen it referenced on the forum a few times but didn't know what it was.


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Hypos are caused by low blood glucose, medications can or are designed to lower blood glucose. I get hypos 2 or 3 times a week. I am not on medication. I just don't eat enough carbs during the day. My son gets hypos as do many other non-diabetics. Sorry for the contradiction but that is what my personal experience is. Maybe I am a rare case.
 
hornplayer said:
I know what you mean. :/ I've been getting hypo's since my teens, but not since I became diabetic. Weird isn't it?


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You're probably getting enough carbs and are well balanced. I can remember having hypos since I was a teen and especially at work from my early 20s (62 now) although they weren't called that. But a Mars Bar or something fixed it till lunchtime. My daily intake of carbs is around 250g but geared towards the evening. By reducing from about 300g per day I am losing weight and have recommended bG levels.
 
Hmm, I think I lived on caffeine and yorkie bars in my first year at college! - oh, and my infamous cuppa soup omelettes! ( I could make an omelette but I didn't like the taste, so I used to put a cuppa soup mix in to take the taste away! My big brother came to dinner one night and it has now become a family legend!)

Oh, and I lost weight!! Go figure?


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