New here
PositivelyFlawed
Posts: 316 Member
So I am new to this LC group, but not to MFP (2012). I've done a lot of reading on LCHF/Ketogenic/Atkins and generally how they work. All of this was prompted by a recent change in my health.
Here's my rundown:
34 y/o F
5'3 (5'4" on a tall day)
280 lbs (down from 320)
PCOS
Crohn's
FBS 6.3 mmol/L (2014) FBS 6.6mmol/L (Mar 2015) FBS 6.9 mmol/L (Apr.2015) A1c .59 (Mar/Apr 2015)
Diary is open
I don't want to be labelled diabetic. I don't want my family doctor to push any medications on me, but I want to improve my FBS and hopefully how i feel overall.
PCOS and insulin resistance go hand in hand altho my doctor seems to disregard this as she pushes me more to diabetes. My numbers are not yet (but VERY close) to diabetic diagnosis range.
My biggest issue is that, after increasing activity, losing some weight, eating better, my FBS is still getting higher and higher and these are on 12-13h full fasts.
What I am hoping I can do is switch to a low carb WOE and increase activity to burn off excess glucose stores and then revert to a moderate carb WOE.
altho I have been eating healthier and fewer calories, my carb load daily is still around 200g roughly. MY version of LC is to keep it under 125g, preferably around 100g. so Carbs 100-125g Protein 105-120g Fat 85-100g all fitting into my current calories with deficit on MFP.
My question:
does my logic make sense? That my FBS remains high because 3 months ago I ate like a hog and was already insulin resistant, hence why FBS is not reacting to my new WOL. Is it likely my plan to eat LC for a short period (2-3m) will have a positive affect on FBS?
I don't feel very low carb is sustainable for me, but I also don't want to be medicated or have uncontrolled sugars. I want to get the issue under control and maintain it with diet, excercise and moderate carb load in my diet.
Hopefully this makes sense, but any thoughts are welcome.
Here's my rundown:
34 y/o F
5'3 (5'4" on a tall day)
280 lbs (down from 320)
PCOS
Crohn's
FBS 6.3 mmol/L (2014) FBS 6.6mmol/L (Mar 2015) FBS 6.9 mmol/L (Apr.2015) A1c .59 (Mar/Apr 2015)
Diary is open
I don't want to be labelled diabetic. I don't want my family doctor to push any medications on me, but I want to improve my FBS and hopefully how i feel overall.
PCOS and insulin resistance go hand in hand altho my doctor seems to disregard this as she pushes me more to diabetes. My numbers are not yet (but VERY close) to diabetic diagnosis range.
My biggest issue is that, after increasing activity, losing some weight, eating better, my FBS is still getting higher and higher and these are on 12-13h full fasts.
What I am hoping I can do is switch to a low carb WOE and increase activity to burn off excess glucose stores and then revert to a moderate carb WOE.
altho I have been eating healthier and fewer calories, my carb load daily is still around 200g roughly. MY version of LC is to keep it under 125g, preferably around 100g. so Carbs 100-125g Protein 105-120g Fat 85-100g all fitting into my current calories with deficit on MFP.
My question:
does my logic make sense? That my FBS remains high because 3 months ago I ate like a hog and was already insulin resistant, hence why FBS is not reacting to my new WOL. Is it likely my plan to eat LC for a short period (2-3m) will have a positive affect on FBS?
I don't feel very low carb is sustainable for me, but I also don't want to be medicated or have uncontrolled sugars. I want to get the issue under control and maintain it with diet, excercise and moderate carb load in my diet.
Hopefully this makes sense, but any thoughts are welcome.
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Replies
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Welcome. I went on LC, but not LCHF, to bring down my FBS and triglycerides. Just tested recently (after about 2 months eating LC) and both are now in the normal range.
Interestingly, the doc mentioned nothing about LC to improve my numbers, just suggested that I lose some weight, which I did.
My numbers are exactly what they were last time I did LC about 10 years ago, and I didn't lose any weight last time. It's all about eating low carb.0 -
I would suggest to forget a low carb diet and go to a Keto diet.
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
How I got Off of Diabetic Prescriptions Drugs Since I Started Keto
It's Ketogenic or Bariatric! How I Found the Ketogenic Diet
Blog #10 Keto: Abbreviations, Acronyms & Terminology Used on the LCD & Keto Discussion Groups
Blog #13 DittoDan's Milestone's, First's And Good Changes Since Starting the Ketogenic Diet
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I started lowered carb to fight high blood glucose. I cut carbs to 150 from about 300 per day. It helped but did not get me in the range I wanted. So I kept cutting... I found that in order to keep my numbers in the normal range... I had to go full on Ketogenic, so now I am keeping net carbs below 20 per day. YMMV... Test, test, test, change slowly... Repeat. I am now at my sweet spot for both blood glucose and weight loss.0
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Yup, insulin resistance affects multiple tissues, and the health of your pancreas is also a factor. Lowering carb intake will help. How much to lower them depends on your metabolic state.
I know the keto guys don't want to hear this, but going ketogenic will induce another type of insulin resistance to ensure that your brain gets first priority for glucose. To simplify things, I would start out at non-keto levels of carb intake.0 -
Yup, insulin resistance affects multiple tissues, and the health of your pancreas is also a factor. Lowering carb intake will help. How much to lower them depends on your metabolic state.
I know the keto guys don't want to hear this, but going ketogenic will induce another type of insulin resistance to ensure that your brain gets first priority for glucose. To simplify things, I would start out at non-keto levels of carb intake.
I'm curious Wab, are you saying that a ketogenic diet (that hundreds of thousands of people are on) are harming their brains?
The latest research I have seen, the diet looks promising for helping Alzheimer patients (a brain disorder). Full blown studies are being conducted now. The brain can live of ketones just fine. Not to mention, but another big brain problem of epilepsy is cured by a ketogenic diet. Whole societies of people (Inuit Indians) have lived just fine on low or no carb diets.
People can fast for long periods of time and live.
Features of a successful therapeutic fast of 382 days' duration
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
23 Studies on LCHF vs LFHC
Previous Discussions (lots of easy Keto recipes and other useful Keto info)
Vinegar and Insulin Resistance0 -
No, I'm saying that the brain needs glucose. It will get it no matter what, even if it has to make it from protein. If there's too little glucose available, that seems to cause you to enter a NORMAL state of insulin resistance to ensure the brain gets the glucose it needs.0
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No battling in my thread! lol Back to your corners.
I am not planning Ketogenic now or for long term. Right now i am going lower carb for me by almost half. If that doesn't control the FBS i may consider KD, but it seems really unsustainable for 'me'. Dan, it was reading your blog that got me even looking into a keto diet, since your results have been awesome. Kudos to you!
I am dipping a toe into the LCHF waters to start, especially while a few things are being investigated. I mostly wish i'd done the weight loss before any of my issues emerged.
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I think you'll find a load of 125g/d carb works pretty well, but your best bet is to monitor your blood sugar levels during the day to see how it works. It's also necessary to ensure you maintain a calorie deficit if you want to make sure all the carbs you consume are burned rather than stored as fat.
Good info here on monitoring and diet:
http://bloodsugar101.com/
(Site seems to be temporarily down for me.)0 -
I'm curious to know why low carb won't be sustainable for you? I understand that it's not for everyone and some people have medical/health reasons to stay with higher carbs.0
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Everyone is different, and if you are thinking about insulin resistance, I'm sure you've don't some research about how it works in your body. If you want to continue eating carbs, you may want to consider look at glycemic indexes of foods you're eating, and making sure you're spacing your carbs out accordingly. Basically, the more excess sugar in your blood, the more insulin your body needs to produce to store it in the cells. If you take in a lot of sugar in one sitting, regardless of where it came from, it will not help your insulin resistance. Good luck! Keep in mind it's a journey and everyone's is different! Do what works for you!0
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Every person has an individual level of carb tolerance. Unfortunately, we don't get to mentally choose how many carbs our body can operate efficiently with. At the start, it's an individual experiment to discover your own levels. Some people can get results at 100-125g a day. If you find that your body performs as you desire at those levels, great. If not, consider lowering it slowly until you find a level that gives you the glucose response you desire.
@wabmester is correct in that very low carb will cause your muscles to become insulin resistant (this is not a harmful or permanent change). This is because your muscles have adapted to using FFA (Free Fatty Acids) for fuel instead of glucose to preserve glucose for the brain. This is one of the fundamental shifts keto-adaptation seeks to have happen. This is also when ketone production tends to drop because the muscles aren't using ketones for fuel anymore.0 -
@wabmester - Calorie deficit is my top priority. To hit my calorie goal of 1690 I will eat 30% Carbs 45% Fat 25% Protein.
@itcphotog - I can be happy to live a healthier life eating wholesome foods and setting a good example for my daughter. That I can say i can do for a lifetime. It's probable that I will always eat lower carb than I have been, but unlikely that i will aim for 100g or less because it does mean that I will miss some things I love as well as some conveniences. If it's absolutely necessary, then ofc I can do it. It's not impossible, many have and continue to do it. When it comes down to it, i don't want to HAVE to eat low carb.
@Fat4fuel2 - The GI index was the first place I want and will be aiming for all my carbs to be rated 55 or less and at least one low GI item per meal. This seems to be a decent guideline.
@FIT_goat - 125g is my starting point to see how dropping from 200g/day to 125g or less might affect my next blood sugar. It is possible I may need to go down from there even to get it under control, but i am 99.9% certain all my insulin issues are related to my morbid obesity and if i can get a handle on that the body will normalize itself. We shall see
Thank you for all the feedback.0 -
No, I'm saying that the brain needs glucose. It will get it no matter what, even if it has to make it from protein. If there's too little glucose available, that seems to cause you to enter a NORMAL state of insulin resistance to ensure the brain gets the glucose it needs.
Oh. I see. Sounds like a factoid. Thanks for sharing it.
Dan the Man from Michigan
Bacon Wrapped Baked Stuffed Jalepenos
An Alternative to Batch Cooking
Cream Cheese, Bacon & Chicken
Do You Like Fatty Beef? Try Corned Beef
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@itcphotog - I can be happy to live a healthier life eating wholesome foods and setting a good example for my daughter. That I can say i can do for a lifetime. It's probable that I will always eat lower carb than I have been, but unlikely that i will aim for 100g or less because it does mean that I will miss some things I love as well as some conveniences. If it's absolutely necessary, then ofc I can do it. It's not impossible, many have and continue to do it. When it comes down to it, i don't want to HAVE to eat
Thank you for all the feedback.
Perfectly reasonable! I'm not planning on staying at 20 lol, I will up my carbs slowly once I get to my maintenance and see how it goes. The one thing I won't touch is grains and processed sugars and other junk, so that's my lifelong plan. I do want to add some fruits to my diet at some point
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