Need to go off low carb diet

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leviabobcat
leviabobcat Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
Here's the deal: At the beginning of February, my doctor diagnosed me as pre-diabetic, and put me on a low carb diet. I cut all carbs out cold turkey and was literally bedridden for a week from the adjustment period. I maintained less than 30g carbs per day for the next three weeks, and then went a little over my carb allowances, and went back into the transition period, only this time I'm still not well. It's been over two weeks this time, and I still feel like death (fatigue, extreme nausea, shaky, etc). The only way I manage to feel well enough to get food or liquids down is by taking pepto bismol, ginger, and phenargan My blood sugar has stabilized, and I can't keep living like this, so I'm going off this miserable diet. What I'm concerned about is another difficult transition period as I add more carbs in.

A few things I need to add: Going off of this diet is non-negotiable. It has to go. Please don't try to convince me otherwise.
Part of what may be giving me difficulty is that I had my gallbladder removed six years ago, when I was sixteen.
Thank you for any advice you may have to give!
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Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Did your doc tell you to cut out all carbs, or give you any guidelines at all?
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Since this is medical, tell your doctor the truth, that you can't comply with what was recommended. Tell the doctor how you are responding to the low carb diet and ask for alternatives. If the doctor can't give you one, get a second opinion. If you can't stick to it, it's not going to help.
  • OkamiLavande
    OkamiLavande Posts: 336 Member
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    Start by adding complex carbs back first and then slowly integrating the simple carbs and starches. That way your body has time to adjust. Do this over a few weeks so it's not sending your body into carb overload and causing major insulin spikes.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor. I have no idea of the dietary approach for pre-diabetics without a gall bladder.

    I think your approach is too aggressive. 30g carbs/day is very low carb. A lot of diabetics manage their bgl at 150g carbs/day. They do this by limiting their carbs per meal to under 50g.

    It's important to avoid blood sugar spikes. Here's some good information on managing blood sugar:
    http://www.bloodsugar101.com/

    If your doctor is advising you to keeps your carbs under 30g a day I would get a second opinion from another doctor. Let the doctor know about the issues you had with a very low carb diet.

    Did the doctor tell you to cut out all carbs cold turkey?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    maybe you should give the Dr who put you on this plan a jingle and see what he thinks, rather than a bunch of random people on the internet? wow….
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
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    Uh, wow...kinda extreme.

    I'm allowed 45g of carbs per meal x 3, and that's a woman trying to lose weight who's already diabetic.

    Do you check your blood sugar on a regular basis?
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    When your doctor said low carb, are you sure they meant that low or did you misunderstand? Would have made more sense to just reduce carbs slowly. If I was bedridden one day due to my diet I would know something was not right and called my doctor
  • PatriciaCornwell
    PatriciaCornwell Posts: 2
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    I agree with everyone who said... "Talk to your doctor". If this were just for weight loss and it made you feel like garbage I'd say chuck it. But if it was recommended by your doctor, then you really need to have a conversation with him or her about how it is affecting you.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    If you have diabetes, and you've had your gallbladder removed, you need to eat a LOW FAT diet, not a low carb one! If you are getting the fat out of your diet, you still need calories to live. Carbohydrates are your fuel.

    Google "intramyocellular lipid"
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    Since this is medical, tell your doctor the truth, that you can't comply with what was recommended. Tell the doctor how you are responding to the low carb diet and ask for alternatives. If the doctor can't give you one, get a second opinion. If you can't stick to it, it's not going to help.

    ^^ This!

    Make sure you understand exactly what was recommended. If you cut carbs, you (by default) end up high protein and/or high fat. Without a gall bladder I can't imagine that would work well. You likely need a very balanced diet with controlled meals at regular intervals to manage blood sugar naturally.
  • leviabobcat
    leviabobcat Posts: 7
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    No need to be a jerk about things, ndj1979. The doctor has been out all of the past week, and I'm getting desperate.
    It's a little more complicated than most of you realize, since I've had a handful of chronic digestive diseases since I was six, and am used to feeling kind of crappy for no real reason.
    He didn't really say anything more than to go on a low carb diet, and during the first adjustment period, he blamed my condition on a sinus infection I was recovering from, and then said that some people have a difficult time transitioning from a very high carb diet to a very low carb diet. I was given the anti nausea meds to tide me over until I was better. I didn't really have any sort of guidance during any of this except the doctor's recommendation of the diet. I didn't realize that going off the way I did could cause so many problems
    I get that I screwed up, believe me. I will be contacting the doctor tomorrow morning.
    Thanks you guys!
  • leviabobcat
    leviabobcat Posts: 7
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    Sorry to double post, but my blood sugar is back to normal. I no longer qualify as pre/borderline diabetic.
    I only put two and two together about the gallbladder the other day. I feel like a moron!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    No need to be a jerk about things, ndj1979. The doctor has been out all of the past week, and I'm getting desperate.
    It's a little more complicated than most of you realize, since I've had a handful of chronic digestive diseases since I was six, and am used to feeling kind of crappy for no real reason.
    He didn't really say anything more than to go on a low carb diet, and during the first adjustment period, he blamed my condition on a sinus infection I was recovering from, and then said that some people have a difficult time transitioning from a very high carb diet to a very low carb diet. I was given the anti nausea meds to tide me over until I was better. I didn't really have any sort of guidance during any of this except the doctor's recommendation of the diet. I didn't realize that going off the way I did could cause so many problems
    I get that I screwed up, believe me. I will be contacting the doctor tomorrow morning.
    Thanks you guys!

    so there is no one at the Dr's office that can answer your question….like maybe the other DR's….

    not being a jerk, just questioning the logic of asking random internet people for medical advice.
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
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    No need to be a jerk about things, ndj1979. The doctor has been out all of the past week, and I'm getting desperate.
    It's a little more complicated than most of you realize, since I've had a handful of chronic digestive diseases since I was six, and am used to feeling kind of crappy for no real reason.
    He didn't really say anything more than to go on a low carb diet, and during the first adjustment period, he blamed my condition on a sinus infection I was recovering from, and then said that some people have a difficult time transitioning from a very high carb diet to a very low carb diet. I was given the anti nausea meds to tide me over until I was better. I didn't really have any sort of guidance during any of this except the doctor's recommendation of the diet. I didn't realize that going off the way I did could cause so many problems
    I get that I screwed up, believe me. I will be contacting the doctor tomorrow morning.
    Thanks you guys!

    Yep, same thing happened to me. Didn't lose but 2lbs the first 6 months because I wasn't scheduled for the diabetic education classes like I should have been. Pretty much told to I was diabetic, and to lose weight, but not given any guidance.

    Ask to speak with a diabetic educator, even if you're not currently diabetic. They can help you prevent the onset of diabetes with meal plans and support.
  • leviabobcat
    leviabobcat Posts: 7
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    Alright dude, let me spell this out for you. No, there was nobody else at the office that I could ask. My GP doesn't have any idea about how nutrition affects health, and wants to transfer me to a GI specialist that I would have to wait over a month to get in with. The thinking behind asking random internet strangers for advice is that maybe some of them have been through this before. I will of course consider the source on this new information, but I'm really grasping at straws now, and it's the weekend, so obviously I can't get in contact with any of my doctors. Why does this forum exist, if not to let people share their experiences and offer advice to others? You are seriously going to run some people off of this forum.
    MysteriousMerlin, I didn't even know there was such a thing as diabetic education classes! They don't even mention things like that at my appointments. I'll certainly check this out as soon as possible!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Alright dude, let me spell this out for you. No, there was nobody else at the office that I could ask. My GP doesn't have any idea about how nutrition affects health, and wants to transfer me to a GI specialist that I would have to wait over a month to get in with. The thinking behind asking random internet strangers for advice is that maybe some of them have been through this before. I will of course consider the source on this new information, but I'm really grasping at straws now, and it's the weekend, so obviously I can't get in contact with any of my doctors. Why does this forum exist, if not to let people share their experiences and offer advice to others? You are seriously going to run some people off of this forum.
    MysteriousMerlin, I didn't even know there was such a thing as diabetic education classes! They don't even mention things like that at my appointments. I'll certainly check this out as soon as possible!

    so the DR that recommended this diet now admits that he knows nothing about nutrition and referred you t someone else? I would suggest getting a new dr then ..

    this forum does not exist to give medical advice, the disclaimer at the bottom clearly says this

    I know if i had a medical issue I would consult a physician or whatever before asking random questions on an internet thread…
  • leviabobcat
    leviabobcat Posts: 7
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    Fine, I've heard your opinion. Does anyone else have anything constructive to say?
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Since this is medical, tell your doctor the truth, that you can't comply with what was recommended. Tell the doctor how you are responding to the low carb diet and ask for alternatives. If the doctor can't give you one, get a second opinion. If you can't stick to it, it's not going to help.

    ^^ This!

    Make sure you understand exactly what was recommended. If you cut carbs, you (by default) end up high protein and/or high fat. Without a gall bladder I can't imagine that would work well. You likely need a very balanced diet with controlled meals at regular intervals to manage blood sugar naturally.
    bingo
  • LindaLou1397
    LindaLou1397 Posts: 69 Member
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    I have been a diabetic for about twenty-five years and my doctor has me on 45 grams of carbs for a meal and 15 grams for a snack. If the carb has over 5 grams of fiber I can subtract the fiber amount from the carb amount. My diabetes is well under control and I have eaten this way for a lot of years. I am like you I can't go without carbs or I get sick. Ask your doctor to see a dietician.
  • dixseachic
    dixseachic Posts: 2 Member
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    Maybe a nutritionist could help you develop a plan that will be conducive to weight loss as well as your compliance. Most physicians are not experts in nutrition and often insurances will pay for a consultation and a few follow up visits if health issues are involved. Experiencing the symptoms you describe is a bit extreme and may need to be discussed with your physician. I wish you well and hope you find the solution to your difficulties.

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