Back on the wagon....
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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I strongly suggest you aim for 50g carbs total or less per day and stick to that for at least 30 days straight. I used to be pre-diabetic myself. Am off all meds. My mother IS Type 2 Diabetic and I dragged her along with me on this way of eating. She is also now off ALL Diabetic meds. As for meal ideas, check out the launch pad / sticky note area of this group. There is a section dedicated to websites for low-carb recipes and there's got to be easily 40-60 links there alone!11
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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.4
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I am T2D. I started initially with LC at 50 carb grams, but the glucose numbers responded well to lower carbs, and I tried lower carb limits. I dropped carbs to 20 net and within a year, my A1C was 5.5. My doctor reduced my metformin, and I stayed with the 20 carb grams. At my next appointment, my A1C was 5.3 on the reduced meds. He took me off the metformin, and I am just managing things with the diet.
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.5 -
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 outdoors3 -
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.4
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scrdofbugs wrote: »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?
I don't remember the stats at the top of my head now but when I lost nearly 40 pounds with keto my numbers improved significantly. So hang in there. The results will come. Try adding things that will lower your stress levels and help you move like walking and swimming too. Exercise helps cholesterol as well. Lots of support on this forum. And meal ideas too. When I really miss something or crave something new that's not low carb I look for ways of making it low carb. I have pretty much been able to replace all my favorite meals. And you can never go wrong with some lettuce, lots of olive oil, red wine vinegar, blue cheese, a little bit of walnuts or almonds, and some more protein, eggs, tuna, grilled fish etc. Good luck!7 -
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.
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.4 -
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.....).3 -
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.2 -
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!0 -
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.1 -
@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).0 -
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/2/2 -
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.
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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.
Interesting...
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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.4 -
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.3 -
I'm gone0
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Off the thread. Looks like the person who started the thread hasn't come back.0
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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.
I'm having similar issues. during the day I can get fasting readings before lunch or dinner down to around 100, but still getting 130s in the mornings.
one site recommended waking up at 3 am and testing for a few days to see if you are normal during the night and just getting a "dawn phenomenon" rise in the morning OR if you are going too low into hypoglycemia in the night and then rebounding too high "Somogyi effect".
I still can't seem to find a 'fix' for dawn phenomenon. any suggestions?0 -
catherineg3 wrote: »I still can't seem to find a 'fix' for dawn phenomenon. any suggestions?
This may not be a very satisfactory answer, but I have decided that it is one of those mysterious things and shrug my shoulders. If the A1C is good, it all evens out.
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catherineg3 wrote: »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.
I'm having similar issues. during the day I can get fasting readings before lunch or dinner down to around 100, but still getting 130s in the mornings.
one site recommended waking up at 3 am and testing for a few days to see if you are normal during the night and just getting a "dawn phenomenon" rise in the morning OR if you are going too low into hypoglycemia in the night and then rebounding too high "Somogyi effect".
I still can't seem to find a 'fix' for dawn phenomenon. any suggestions?
If you can get a prescription for a Freestyle Libre reader and subcutaneous sensor, they can be had relatively cheaply, and you should be able to get a handle on your daily BG patterns with only one 10-day sensor. (FYI, I was able to snag 3 sensors for $40 at Walgreens.)
You could then try different approaches - taking whatever meds you take (metformin?) before you go to bed or when you wake up, exercising before bed or when you arise, eating/fasting at night, eating less or more the day before, having a shot of whiskey for breakfast
......etc. 1 -
Thanks everyone. I was out of town and just got back to the boards.3
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Glad to see you back.
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Been a long time. Fell way off the wagon. Had some new health issues come up (diabetic and a complete herniation of L5) plus my DH passed on August 31 so tons of emotional eating.
5’4”
New SW (and biggest I’ve ever been) : 234lbs
Size 20-22 pants
Breasts across nipples: 47” Waist 43”, hips 48”
Thoroughly disgusted, ashamed, and embarrassed with myself. But I know why it all happened and now I just need to figure out this diabetic diet crap. All I was provided was high protein and low carbs. Ugh.4 -
Been a long time. Fell way off the wagon. Had some new health issues come up (diabetic and a complete herniation of L5) plus my DH passed on August 31 so tons of emotional eating.
5’4”
New SW (and biggest I’ve ever been) : 234lbs
Size 20-22 pants
Breasts across nipples: 47” Waist 43”, hips 48”
Thoroughly disgusted, ashamed, and embarrassed with myself. But I know why it all happened and now I just need to figure out this diabetic diet crap. All I was provided was high protein and low carbs. Ugh.
I'm sorry for your loss. 2017 was not kind to you.
2t9nty is right. There are a number of people and old threads that might be of help to you. In the Launch Pad, the mods have put together a great sticky about T2D.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10482542/diabetic-discussions#latest0 -
Well I’m down to 222.4 as of today. Down 12 lbs. some progress in the activity level however it’s killing my back. Plan for this weekend is to deep clean the truck from my late husband’s mess, more yard work and hopefully start C25K!2
This discussion has been closed.