A Rather Long Post with a Question about LCHF and Fasting Insulin(or glucose?)

jaimekbee1219

Hello!

Ok so I had started attempting LCHF back in January, but I'm taking the comp exam for grad school so I put major dietary changes on hold until I can I really take the time to do this right. Well I'm just about finished... My last exam question is due tomorrow at midnight so I want to get back on track ASAP.

From what I've gathered from everyone's posts here and on the low carber forum is that this WOE really helps regulate blood sugar. My concern is that I am having bloodwork done in May and I really want to find out if I'm actually IR. I was diagnosed with PCOS ten years ago, but my insulin/glucose levels were never really discussed. I found out about my diagnosis two days before I turned 23 and was kicked off my mom's insurance so I didn't really listen. I remember being pissed that it took my doc two months to follow up with me... And she only told me enough to confirm my suspicions about what was going on - I had been doing some research online. As far as I'm aware, she diagnosed me based on my high testosterone levels and how infrequently I got my period. One of the blood tests she had done was put in the wrong vile or something so the results were inconclusive but she was confident about my diagnosis based on what she saw. I also have a crazy number of cysts on my ovaries (which I found out four years later).

Ok sorry to babble... Anyway, I've always had issues with sugar making me feel unwell in a way I can't really describe. When I reduced my junk food and added sugar intakes I felt tons better so I just left it at that. But I've always been curious. And especially now that it's taken me 18 months to lose 14ish pounds... And after talking about it with my PCOS pal who was just put on Met, I feel like it's important to know.

So I guess my question is ... Will blood tests show if I'm IR after I start LCHF again? When I started in January I was just trying to stay around 100g of carbs. Part of me wants to just move my appointment up, but it's timed to coincide with refills of my fibromyalgia meds and I still have to get an MRI for my migraines before I see her again so that affects the timing a bit too. No matter what I plan to have them test my fasting insulin (or is it glucose? I can never remember no matter how hard I try...).

Does even matter if I know or not as long as I'm sticking to a diet that makes me feel good and healthy?

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance

Dragonwolf

If the bloodwork is a standing order or you already have the prescription, you may be able to get your blood drawn now. If you're not sure, or if it's not, try calling your doctor and explain your plans and concerns and see if she'll add a blood draw for the same tests that you can do now and go over at your appointment. It's also a good opportunity to see if anything turns around in the intervening weeks. This does kind of depend on when in May your appointment is, though, since you need to do the blood draw at least a week before the appointment. If it's early or mid May, then it might not be worth it to do two blood draws, and at this point it won't hurt to wait the couple of weeks until your doctor appointment. If it's late May, then getting a second draw may make more sense.

As for how much you'll respond between now and then...well....that depends entirely on your body. Some women here have had tremendous success with only reducing their carbs to the 100g that you mention. Others (like me), are hard-pressed to see changes even at more extreme levels and for longer times. Without any start data, there's no real way of knowing.

However, if you feel bad eating the more refined and simple carbohydrates, I'd say avoid them. If you want to see in the blood draw if you're insulin resistant, you can probably achieve the same effect with starches. Keep things like rice, potatoes, tubers, and other minimally processed starches in, which will keep your blood sugar and insulin about where it is already, but might not make you feel as bad. Once you get your blood drawn, you can drop that stuff off and get your carbs from non-starchy vegetables again.

jaimekbee1219

Thanks for the advice!

I don't have an appointment written down on my calendar for May so there's a chance I didn't make one yet. I was going so frequently since my physical last May that it all kinda blurs together. If that's the case, I'm going to try to make it for sooner. I work at a school and have spring break next week so I can hopefully take care of everything then.

The 100g was just to get me used to it. Bananas and rice are my downfall... I wasn't ready to give them up! I think I will need to reduce carbs more to actually see results, but I definitely felt less bloated and just overall healthier at 100g. I've tried a lot of other PCOS-friendly diets (GI Index mostly) with some results, but never great ones. I'd like to drop them further - I just wanted to double check about how it affects blood work first!

Thanks again!

ETA: Since my last physical was May 2nd, the doc won't see me for another one until exactly one year from then. The next available morning appointment (they prefer to do blood work in the a.m.) is May 20th so I'll just drop down to 100 g again now and see what happens in May!

jaimekbee1219

Follow up:

At my physical on May 22nd, I asked for fasting glucose AND insulin to be checked. A medical assistant gave me the results saying that my insulin was high at 24.7 and that it shouldn't be over 19.5 (I think - hectic work day and I didn't write it down). The doctor left a note saying only that - nothing else. I have a follow up in August and they are sending me the results of my blood tests via mail. There was no mention of insulin resistance or anything. I tried doing some research through older posts and online, but am feeling rather confused by everything since I won't have time to really read thoroughly until the weekend.

KnitOrMiss

Mine is much lower than this and my doctors were both concerned about insulin resistance. If this is your regular doctor, I would highly recommend getting a endocrinologist. If not, I'd consider switching doctors, because this number, combined with your symptoms seems to me to be cause for concern...

Once you drop lower, you sincerely won't miss your bananas as much as you think. I was a total banana and banana bread junkie. Daily. Sometimes more than one. I got tired of the energy crash that always followed. I have rice now in very small portions, maybe 1/4 cup to my fiance's 1 cup servings...and sometimes I don't miss it. There are alternatives...it's up to you do decide if feeling the way you currently do is worth the cost of those foods....

jaimekbee1219

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

Mine is much lower than this and my doctors were both concerned about insulin resistance. If this is your regular doctor, I would highly recommend getting a endocrinologist. If not, I'd consider switching doctors, because this number, combined with your symptoms seems to me to be cause for concern...

Once you drop lower, you sincerely won't miss your bananas as much as you think. I was a total banana and banana bread junkie. Daily. Sometimes more than one. I got tired of the energy crash that always followed. I have rice now in very small portions, maybe 1/4 cup to my fiance's 1 cup servings...and sometimes I don't miss it. There are alternatives...it's up to you do decide if feeling the way you currently do is worth the cost of those foods....

This is why I posted here I figured 24.7 wasn't great, but I half-hoped it wasn't too bad since my doc didn't seem concerned at this stage. My friend with PCOS, IR, and almost pre-diabetes was confused/surprised that she didn't give me more info, prescribe met, or ask me to come in sooner for a follow up. I have an appt in July with my gyno - she's been on my to lose weight (5'3 and 140lbs at my last appt 6 mos ago - although I actually weighed less. The nurse weighed me after working all day and fully clothed).

I will look into an endo. I've been thinking about it on and off for a couple of years (especially after everything I've read here), but was managing my symptoms with diet and felt good so I just let it go. My MIL sees one for diabetes so that will be my next step. We have the same GP and I really like her - despite not giving me more info than my insulin number. Right now I'm trying to get back into eating better and cooking. My friend is a "coach" for the 21 day fix and I joined as a way to help develop some better habits. I read some positive reviews from women with PCOS and my height/weight so I'm hoping to have some success. I just will cut out the fruit (which I don't really eat anyway). It doesn't really allow much in the way of grains/pasta/potatoes so I can easily just cut that down or out all together and only get my carbs from veggies

I don't mind giving up the bananas. My husband uses three in this amazing smoothie he makes, but I told him yesterday that I need to cut them for awhile. We only have two bananas left so after tomorrow, I won't have them anymore. I'd rather feel better! And I'm sure we can figure out a substitute.

Thanks so much for your response! And concern! I always had a feeling something was up with my insulin (especially since my fat is mostly belly fat), but I guess since I'm just a little overweight I didn't really anticipate it being so high. Sigh.

Dragonwolf

In cases like ours, the insulin issues often predate the weight issues. That is, the insulin issues cause the weight issues. Your "just a little overweight" right now can, and likely will, turn into "very overweight" in the future if you don't take steps now to change things (which you're doing, which is awesome). I'd venture to guess that your doctor's non-response was largely due to the fact that you're "not very overweight," which, in my opinion, is unacceptable, because it clearly shows the cognitive disconnect between "looking" sick and being sick and allows a disorder to progress potentially beyond the point of non-medicated help, or sometimes even help in general. (Thankfully, PCOS can be reversed at just about any stage, but some disorders aren't so cooperative.)

jaimekbee1219

I've been concerned for awhile about my weight in the future - especially post-pregnancy (provided I am able to have kids). I'm pretty sure my cousin is undiagnosed (we share many of the same symptoms) and she's been trying on and off for the last 13 years to lose the weight she gained during her pregnancy. It's made me really aware of what could happen if I don't stay on track,

I like the looking sick vs being sick comment - it's something another family member went through. I'm hoping it's not the case with my GP. We haven't really discussed my PCOS at all except for me requesting my fasting insulin to be tested. I started going to her a year ago and the primary concern at the time was my migraines and figuring out if I had fibromyalgia or not. Now that that's under control, I'm planning to see how she deals with PCOS. But I agree that her non-response may have to do with my weight. She hasn't shown much concern about it while my gyno has. I'm bringing the blood work to her (gyno) in July and I'll go from there I guess.

Thanks for the help and for giving me some direction. I plan to do a lot of research this weekend - starting with the books I already have. Obviously getting back on track with my eating and exercise is my first step. I've been dealing with this on my own for 10 years so I don't even know where to begin with doctors. Any suggestions about things to ask or discuss are welcome.

KnitOrMiss

Read most of the posts here on this group for the last couple months. There is a TON of suggestions for how to get your doctors on track!

jaimekbee1219

Thanks! That's my plan for this weekend!