Hey Cassie,

I know very little about Keto, but I know alot about weight loss because I've been trying to do it since before you were born most likely Just a couple of things I've learned: 1) I had to totally change the way I was eating to make a difference in my weight AND my blood glucose numbers; 2) I had to really buy into the changes; 3) the changes had to be for life.

A little about me - I gained a bunch of weight with my first 2 pregnancies and never lost it. 20 months ago my life changed with my attitude about food. Instead of just cutting back the way I was eating or exercising more, I started eating a healthy diet without most processed foods, junk foods, desserts. Instead of focusing what I was missing out on, I looked at what I could have and what was yummy. I started at 234 lbs with a fasting BG of 160s and now I'm 139 lbs and average daily fasting BG is 80s/90s.

If you feel like Keto is okay for you, go for it 100%. I've read other posts of people who are very successful losing weight with it, as well as controlling their T2D. I've considered it in the past but I just haven't had time to really look into it.

Last, I was being treated for my T2 by my primary care Dr., but he basically just threw meds at the problem. There was very little education involved. Summer of 2012 I finally went to an endocrinologist who had me work with a registered dietitian/diabetes educator. She also really worked to get a medication that would be best for me. If you have that option, it might be helpful.

Where a ketogenic diet helps first-and-foremost is with glycaemic control. If you're regularly pushing 300 mg/dl, moving to a high-fat/low-carb/moderate-protein approach will likely work very well, if you tolerate it. The diet also lowers triglycerides and improves the ratio of HDL/LDL (though it doesn't always lower total serum cholesterol). For many it's the most-effective for fat-loss, which is a bonus.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Ensure you get enough carbohydrate intake to fuel exercise (if you're exercising). The idea to eat < 30g of carbohydrate is fine for those just starting out, and/or light-exercisers, but if you decide to do heavy/intense exercise, you may need a little more intake, especially shortly before your workout.

2. Eat healthy fats. Avoid refined oils and processed trans-fats. Yes, saturated fat is OK - it's never been confirmed to be the villain it once was thought to be, and evidence is now showing it's not linked to CVD at all.

3. Eat moderate protein, not high-protein. Your overall protein requirement will depend on your metabolism and the exercise you engage in. There's a good primer here: http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/daily-protein-requirement.html

Just FYI, I'm a Type I diabetic who has been ketogenic going on 41 months now. I rarely venture close to 140mg/dl (usually under 130mg/dl) and my last labs showed a 5.2% HbA1c.

Good luck, and take care!