LCHF help

Hey gang,

My wife said I should join MFP and look for a LCHF group. I started the diet about 3 weeks ago. For xmas we got the Wii U because our old Wii died a few years ago. I bring this up because we have Wii Fit (along with the accessories) so I started using it again when I began the LCHF diet. I am a new Type 2 DM and am absolutely amazed at my new numbers on this diet. My fasting BG has gone down to low 100s where it used to be in the 200s. My average bg is now 122 which is just awesome. My question is with weight loss and also ketosis.

Weight loss:
When I started this diet in one week I dropped 19.4 pounds. It scared the crap out of me. Since then my weight has stopped or gone up. I have gained 5 lbs in the past week alone. I am not eating much for carbs and had 1 slice of full wheat bread the other night because I was at a friends house for dinner (he didnt have any full fat foods to eat and I didnt want to seem rude). My glucose is still very much under control but the weight has me wondering. The reason I weigh myself every day is because we play Wii fit and its required to play the games. I expect some up and down but this is REALLY up and down.

Ketosis:
I have the test strips that cover whole urinalysis sample (blood, protein and so on). The strips max out for ketones at 16+ which is dark grape purple. Ever since I have started this diet its been pegged there. My concern with regard to ketosis is I hear you lose more weight with a moderate ketosis and not something max. I have tried to introduce mild carbs back into my diet (above the standard green veggies I was eating all along) with things like peanut butter and some other nuts. I am a tree nut munching fool, so its hard to eat only 1/4 cup at a time. What are your thoughts on ketones being so high?

Thanks for any tips or advice.:happy:

Replies

  • siblita
    siblita Posts: 39 Member
    I'm no expert, but I don't think that the urine ketone measurement is a dependable number. It's better for telling you if you're in ketosis or not, but hydration level can affect the level that shows up. You may be a little dehydrated. To truly get an accurate measurement of ketosis level, you must get a blood ketone meter and ketone test strips. It's similar to the glucose test strips, except a lot more expensive, lol.
  • thr33martins
    thr33martins Posts: 192 Member
    I have asked a lot of LCHF questions too - there is a lot of information out there - I suggest you look into "carb cycling", either by searching it here or on Google. The way I understand it, "Cycling" is to LCHF diets like "Intervals" are to working out. I could try to regurgitate what I have read, but I know you will get more out of it if you read some of the sources available. You might also want to look into Paleo or Primal Blueprint, which are free of all processed foods, but include some natural carbs like sweet potatoes and nuts. good luck!
  • 1. This might sound mainstream but your overall calorie count may be affecting the weight loss. I agree that blood ketone testing is more accurate than your strips but if you are maxing them out, you are most likely "in". That said despite the metabolic fat burnin advantage of low carb, you may still be just plain eating too much. I would not necessarily introduce more carbs at all, instead I would log daily food for a while (I know...its a drag) and check on your calories. The recommended range i've been given for a high fat program is 1,500-1,800 for women (men likely higher) on %70 fat, %20 protein and %10 carbs (or less). You can take that closer to %80/10/10 if the extra fat helps curb your appetite (it did mine). It feels crazy eating that much fat but test out the results and see if it works for you.

    2. Another tip i've learned, too much protein will burn as sugar and hinder your fat burning potential, also possibly spiking insulin just enough to create more hunger. Finding out how much protein you would need at your ideal weight, (i.e. this will be used for amino acids etc and not as sugar) and then eating that daily now...is supposed to be helpful (calculator on drrosedale.com and is seconded by my LCHF doctor). If you end up restricting protein to this level, and you feel hungry, you may want to make up for the lost calories by eating fat as it will help curb your appetite and increase fat-burning.
    Below is the quote from that website explaining how to calculate adequate protein. Good luck to you

    Quote from drrosedale.com:
    "On average, you want to have approximately one gram of protein for every kilogram of lean body mass (that is, the weight of your body minus the fat - we all have some fat). The easiest way to calculate your daily protein requirement is to take your ideal weight in kilograms (that is, what you would like to weigh if you could weigh anything) and have roughly one gram of protein per kilogram, minus 10%. For example, if you were a woman who is 5.4 ft (165 centimeters) tall, your ‘ideal’ weight would likely be in the neighborhood of 110 lbs (50 kilograms). Thus, your protein intake per day should be somewhere around the 50g - 10% = 45 grams of protein, split approximately evenly between meals. If you have an especially active lifestyle, you can add 5-10 grams or so. An egg is roughly 6-8g of protein and a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards is around 15. Remember this is 15 grams of protein; the meat will weigh much more as it also has water and fat, so we are not talking about the 'weight' of the meat, but the protein grams. This doesn’t have to be exact, but it’s a good ballpark figure to keep in mind when you’re eating. Males will have a little more, if you are pregnant you would add about 5 grams as well.

    Remember, fat and protein often come together in nature (eggs, fish, seeds, nuts, etc.) The avoidance of fat in your diet is typically an avoidance of protein as well, and the absence of these leads to many of the chronic degenerative diseases of life"