Hi I have now been doing the low carb for just over two weeks. My readings range between 5.8 and 4.4 but are usually in the low s when at work and in the 4s at home- stressful job I guess.
I am currently feeling exhausted- really tired. I'm sleeping betterbthan usual but everything seems an effort. I'm not eating very much as my stomach starts turning at the tight of meat, fish or chicken. I'm still eating it though. I was thinking about whether I need to get dietary supplements- what does everyone reccomend.
You don't absolutely
have to eat meat, fish and poultry if you hate it so much. It makes following a low carb diet easier if you have them in your repertoire, but others here are vegan/vegetarian for personal or religious, health or whatever reasons, and they pull it off. I think I may have told you before, you're not going to stick with a diet you hate, and this is a for-life deal. Find the things you love and go from there. More veggies, and are eggs and cheeses okay? Nuts, tofu, to some extent quorn, tempeh? If there's something you love, but it's very high in carbs, try googling it with "keto" in front of it, you'll get alternatives in recepies and shop bought stuff... I'm reading a lot of grief here for having to follow a diet that really doesn't suit your personal beliefs/wishes/needs. Look into alternatives, go from there. And don't rush it, this takes time.
As for supplements, a B complex is always a good idea, add some Brazil nuts for selenium (2 per day is plenty, and taste better than selenium in pill-form). You might be low on D, so a supplement might be alright, as that might explain your fatigue as well... Though since you started all this you made quite the diet change and that too will impact your energy levels. If that is the culprit for your fatigue, it will pass in about 2 weeks after the diet change. You are probably also a little dehydrated and in need of electrolytes (coconut milk / -water will help, a pinch of salt here and there too), as carbs hold on to water and you're losing electrolytes together with the fluids your body is shedding. It's called keto- or carb-flu, but that does get better.
Your bloodsugars are absolutely beautiful, but you're not happy with the way you're achieving them. I hope you'll find a way to find some joy on your plate again. It's a puzzle, I know... A lot of the stuff that's good for me to eat, diabetes-wise, aggravates my rheumatism or trigger migraines. Not to mention IBS and other bowel issues. When there's something else restricting your diet, it becomes that much more complicated. But usually that just means you have to put a little more effort in changing your diet around to something that is both good for you physically as well as mentally, requiring research and experimentation... I wouldn't've been able to keep up keto if I hated what's on my plates throughout a day, and I didn't figure out what worked for me in a matter of days... Took me 3 months to find some equilibrium, and I didn't switch to keto until I was two years in. But the way I'm eating now, I do think I can do for the next couple of decades. Find what foods make the same true for you.
Don't lose hope just yet, okay?
Jo
