Back on the wagon....

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scrdofbugs
scrdofbugs Posts: 37 Member
I am a T2 who has "played" with going LC for the last few years. I had success at staying around 90 total carbs a day. I lost like 30 pounds then carbs started sneaking back in. Well...I managed to keep off about 14 pounds but my A1C is back up to 7.8. My cholesterol numbers are all high too. I am also having some weird high Lipase (1007) and Sed rate (63) levels. Heading to the GI tomorrow. I saw a cardiologist about 3 months ago who recommended a 60 - 90 carb diet. I am starting today after my recent blood work was so bad. I could go on and on..but basically I am looking for support and meal ideas. I want to lose 130 pounds. Anyone get their A1C under 7 and come off meds?
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Replies

  • lowil44
    lowil44 Posts: 21 Member
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    I'm T2, no meds, female. I keep my carbs under 50g, those grams from veggies. As a diabetic, you'll feel much better on low carb. There's also info out there that indicates that diabetics should keep their protein to 53g per day. So I've been watching that as well to see if the weight continues downward/slows/changes.
  • gfjazz
    gfjazz Posts: 285 Member
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    Day one first day back
    Wow my budget is empty so today picked up a few items low carb
    WW free since nov no weight loss so today decided to try low carb.42 carbs 60 min running outdoors
  • catherineg3
    catherineg3 Posts: 127 Member
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    I got off insulin last summer and A1c at last checkup was 6.7%. I have tested before and after meals routinely enough to find that if I keep under 50 net carbs per meal, I stay under 160 after meal. I'm trying to cut that by half for this year, so aiming for max of 25 net carbs per meal max. and want to see if I can get A1c under 5 primarily through diet.
  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
    edited January 2018
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    lowil44 wrote: »
    I'm T2, no meds, female. I keep my carbs under 50g, those grams from veggies. As a diabetic, you'll feel much better on low carb. There's also info out there that indicates that diabetics should keep their protein to 53g per day. So I've been watching that as well to see if the weight continues downward/slows/changes.

    The protein thing is a sore subject among keto people, especially diabetics. Like almost everything else, protein affects different diabetics differently. For example..... I have a lean body type, and I unintentionally lost lean body mass my first year on keto due to insufficient protein intake. :o

    Like @2t9nty, I now aim for around 110g/day, and I don't notice a big spike in my BG - certainly nothing compared to the effect of carbs - and my A1c and BG have continued to drift downward. I just got a Freestyle Libre (like a CGM, reads glucose level on demand from a sensor), and I hope to use it to get a handle on my typical reactions to different amounts and types of protein.
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,576 Member
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    RalfLott wrote: »
    just got a Freestyle Libre (like a CGM, reads glucose level on demand from a sensor), and I hope to use it to get a handle on my typical reactions to different amounts and types of protein.

    Interesting! I will be interested to know how this works.

  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
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    Well, it is way easier to read BG levesl by waving a little reader by the implanted Libre sensor (not painful) than testing fingers.

    I got over 100 data points yesterday, plenty enough to show gentle wave patterns (and a serious spike 1 hour after a small serving of potatoes.....).
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,576 Member
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    RalfLott wrote: »
    Well, it is way easier to read BG levesl by waving a little reader by the implanted Libre sensor (not painful) than testing fingers.

    I got over 100 data points yesterday, plenty enough to show gentle wave patterns (and a serious spike 1 hour after a small serving of potatoes.....).

    Sweet! It would be nice to have one that just recorded a reading to your phone every 30 minutes. I would be really interested to see what mine does at night while I sleep.
  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
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    2t9nty wrote: »
    RalfLott wrote: »
    Well, it is way easier to read BG levesl by waving a little reader by the implanted Libre sensor (not painful) than testing fingers.

    I got over 100 data points yesterday, plenty enough to show gentle wave patterns (and a serious spike 1 hour after a small serving of potatoes.....).

    Sweet! It would be nice to have one that just recorded a reading to your phone every 30 minutes. I would be really interested to see what mine does at night while I sleep.

    My data from just a few days show a pattern of dipping into the low 60s/high 50s in the wee hours of the morning, then rising steadily into the 90s - 100s into late morning before I've even eaten anything.

    (This explains how I managed to get my A1c under 5.0 - and confirms to me that A1c is really not the gold standard, at least in my case).

    One curiosity is that this pattern has repeated whether I've eaten or not eaten right before bed, but I haven't started trying to determine if what I eat, or when I stop eating for the day, might affect the rise in the morning.....

    On the basis of the data from the Libre, I'm also wondering whether I can tolerate all food better later in the day than earlier due to circadian variations, or whether it has to do with the working of the metformin (still on 2000-2500mg/day).

    In short, lots of questions, few answers so far, but the data is much richer with enough points to show clear trends!
  • lowil44
    lowil44 Posts: 21 Member
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    2t9nty wrote: »
    FWIW, I can't seem to see any impact of higher protein on the glucose levels. My goal is 113 protein grams, and I am almost always over that.

    lol, good to know. I tried to keep protein down but, no fricken way, that's not enough! I seem to be hitting 75-110g. Or maybe I just eat too much. Oh well, feel good, not gaining, so I'll just stick with it.
  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
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    @2t9nty

    If you're interested in getting one..... The Freestyle LIbre is just hitting the pharmacies in the US. It requires a prescription, and most insurance will not cover it unless you're insulin-dependent.

    There are 5 pharmacy chains Freestyle's now using. Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, RiteAid, and Kroger. After phone calls to local stores, I chose Walgreens, as they were familiar with the product and offered to have it ready that day.

    More info:
    www.freestylelibre.us

    Walgreens ran my insurance card just to see what would happen.... It appears that Freestyle has worked out an arrangement with the pharmacies / insurance carriers to limit your out-of-pocket monthly expenditure to $75 for 3 sensors, IF you have insurance that doesn't cover the Libre.

    Some Libre users in other states have reported getting 3 sensors for $57 at CVS.

    There is some great 3rd-party software out there that has been in use in Europe for several years. An Italian non-profit at www.deebee.it has a vast amount of information on using smartphones, watches, etc., to distribute BG reports to remote persons, like parents.

    I use Glimp, which works well with my Samsung S7. You turn on NFC on your phone and hold it near your sensor.
    It collects data and crunches your BG using algorithms that are different from the proprietary Abbott algorithm built into the Freestye Libre reader. So far, Glimp's readings are closer to my BG meter than the Freestyle Libre reader, and Glimp can be calibrated using BG results, whereas the official reader, mysteriously, cannot.

    You can install Glimp from Google's Play Store.
    More info on Glimp here:
    https://www.deebee.it/glimp

    There are guides at www.deebee.it to direct you. Here's the one for using the Libre with Glimp and Nightscout:
    https://www.deebee.it/?p=9766

    Other neat things about Glimp - it can be directed to report values to Nightscout, whose reports can be viewed on PCs, TVs, etc., by anyone with access privileges. Also, Glimp, unlike the official Freestyle Libre reader, will start collecting data 30 minutes after the sensor is activated (instead of 12 hours for the official reader) and it will read for up to 14 days (instead of 10).
  • lowil44
    lowil44 Posts: 21 Member
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    scrdofbugs wrote: »
    ...but basically I am looking for support and meal ideas.

    Ok, I'll start this off: Tonight's special is Ginger Garlic Chicken (4.2 NCs per piece) with a side of Asian Coleslaw, non-LC spouse also gets a Knorrs Sidekicks "Thai Sweet Chili Noodles".

    http://rasamalaysia.com/ginger-garlic-baked-chicken/2/
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,576 Member
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    RalfLott wrote: »
    My data from just a few days show a pattern of dipping into the low 60s/high 50s in the wee hours of the morning, then rising steadily into the 90s - 100s into late morning before I've even eaten anything.

    I can come home from work and check. It will be 92. Two hours later I can check before supper and it will be 120 when I have not eaten anything.

    I suspect I am dropping lower while I sleep and then the body is kicking in with dawn effect or whatever when I am waking up.

    It has to be very interesting to see what is going on.

  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,576 Member
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    RalfLott wrote: »
    @2t9nty

    If you're interested in getting one..... The Freestyle LIbre is just hitting the pharmacies in the US. It requires a prescription, and most insurance will not cover it unless you're insulin-dependent.

    There are 5 pharmacy chains Freestyle's now using. Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, RiteAid, and Kroger. After phone calls to local stores, I chose Walgreens, as they were familiar with the product and offered to have it ready that day.

    Interesting...

  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,576 Member
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    lowil44 wrote: »
    2t9nty wrote: »
    FWIW, I can't seem to see any impact of higher protein on the glucose levels. My goal is 113 protein grams, and I am almost always over that.

    lol, good to know. I tried to keep protein down but, no fricken way, that's not enough! I seem to be hitting 75-110g. Or maybe I just eat too much. Oh well, feel good, not gaining, so I'll just stick with it.

    I was curious about the protein thing and tried to find a trend with glucose readings. I did not see any correlation with high protein and high readings for me. This experience may not be universal, but the high protein => high glucose readings is not universal either.
  • lowil44
    lowil44 Posts: 21 Member
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    scrdofbugs wrote: »
    ...but basically I am looking for support and meal ideas.

    Tonight: pork loin chops with a creamy mushroom sauce (3.2 NCs), mashed cauli (mashed pot for hubby), steamed broccoli.
  • lowil44
    lowil44 Posts: 21 Member
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    I'm gone
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
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    lowil44 wrote: »
    I'm gone

    You are gone 'on,' or 'off' the wagon?