dawn phenomenon - it's normal for BG to rise prior to waking, even in non-diabetics...eating triggers your body to release insulin, so that helps bring it down if you aren't introducing carbs...some people do not eat carbs after 2pm in order to try to counteract the morning high BG, but I'm not sure if that is effective for everyone.

I'm not diabetic, but I eat keto, and like others here, I keep my net carbs under 25 grams (total carbs usually around 50)... It's the only macro I watch.

I eat meats and veggies cooked in olive oil, sometimes topped with dairy (cheese or sour cream).

I snack on fruits, cheeses, and proteins.

I have quit trying to force more fats, unless severely under calorie.

I'm 5'8" 45 yrs old, and try to consume 1400-1700 calories a day. I don't stress if I go over or under a little.

Good luck, you've got this!!

How do you get your carbs under 20? I am so interested in doing that, but it seems so much of any foods we eat, we add to the carb counter, at least a bit. Can you describe a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for a day that keep carbs under 20?

need2move2 wrote: »

Keto for me is not so many grams of fat. keto for me is 20 grams of carbs or less. This is what works for my body. Hope this helps. Good luck!

This is a great list. Thanks.

camtosh wrote: »

snha wrote: »

How do you get your carbs under 20? I am so interested in doing that, but it seems so much of any foods we eat, we add to the carb counter, at least a bit. Can you describe a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for a day that keep carbs under 20?

Here's a list of zero carb foods, just pick some of them? You can eat hard-boiled eggs for snacks, meat for breakfast --whatever you like! Just avoid high-carb things. https://lowcarbediem.com/atkins-zero-carb-foods-list-free-download/

snha wrote: »

How do you get your carbs under 20? I am so interested in doing that, but it seems so much of any foods we eat, we add to the carb counter, at least a bit. Can you describe a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for a day that keep carbs under 20?

You are welcome to friend me and see my diary. I have been doing keto since 2016, and I log.

I've been Keto/Low Carb since January 9th... And fairly early on about once a week it would be normal for me to see a reading of 145-155. Where as the other 6 days of the week it would be anywhere from 110-120 on average, and as low as 98 on a few occasions. I test first thing in the morning, before eating.

I also test my ketone level every morning and enter it all in a spreadsheet along with the calculation of GKI. What I can say for sure is since starting those random spikes are less frequent, and not as high as they were before. My GKI number (a combination of Glucose and Ketone Level) has been steadily improving over the last 3 months.

I haven't been hitting the extreme keto's macro (well other then the first 2 weeks or so)... For the most parts I've been 10-15% Carbs / 60 % Fat Calories / and the rest protein. However the net carbs % percentage is actually less then 10% 90% of the time. I do eat at a fairly extreme (but I don't think it is for someone my size) calorie deficit. Consuming 1600 calories per day (I'm currently about 420ish Pounds Starting at almost 487). But I'm never hungry, always satisfied, have more then enough energy for the day and if you check out the low carber daily group, you can see what I'm eating. BUT I have now experienced 2 gout flare up in the last week in a bit. Either by eating to high a protein percentage where as the liver has been turning protein to glucose and creating uric acid, or I'm not eating enough and muscle is being broken down to create glucose.

So I made a relatively small change... I simply removed the 1 pudding i had every day, and replaced it with Virgin Coconut oil in my coffee, 60-150 calories worth depending on projected calories that day. Immediately since making this change, my daily morning ketone level has been significantly higher, resulting in markedly better GKI. This small change also pushed my Fat level closer to the 65% mark while lowering my Carbs by 5%.. And my Net carbs now works out to about 6% - 8%. (I also get an average of 25 grams of fiber from food a day).

Based on my research adding the MTC oils from coconut oil, and raising the fat to protein ratio... The body is more likely to derive energy from fat then protein and especially from MTC oils in the morning. So far the numbers seem to suggest I do have significantly more ketones available in my body, thus I think it's fair to suggest, the body would be less inclined to use protein to make up for the deficit as there is less of a deficit based on higher ketone availability.

This is just what I think is going on however... I can't claim to be an expert. And I also went to the clinic the other day, and got a prescription for Allopurinol to hopefully reduce any further risk of gout going forward. No sense taking chances... Gout sucks.

At the moment I'm loosing about 4.16 pounds a week, a rate of which started higher and drops slightly each week. My loss percentage of total body weight is 0.96 to 0.98 percent per week (at the high end of what is acceptable by the "Golden Rule"). I suspect as my weight loss per week decreases, glucose levels and GKI numbers will continue to improve over time as they are now. I also suspect somewhere near sub 300lb, I'll even have to eat more per week to maintain satiety, energy and health. I also fast on Sundays with my fiancé, I know a lot of people frown on this but we both very much enjoy it thus far and being on Keto really does make it painless (Full energy the whole nine yards right through). Today is our 11th Consecutive Sunday Fast.

The point of this whole thing is, patience... Fat adaptability is said to take 12 weeks or more to occur, this could be partially what I've been seeing in my own results. This time frame allows mitochondria to switch focus, die, multiply and get there general house in order and build preference to ketones over glucose. "100% fat adapted" etc.

And Fat% to Protein% by reducing carbs directly with high quality fats high in MTC has made an immediate improvement in my Ketone levels, and GKI's without changing overall protein intake... The better your ketone level, the less requirement you body has to produce Glucose.

Hope that makes some sense! Cheers!

(I am not diabetic)

camtosh wrote: »

snha wrote: »

@camtosh just checked your profile and you seem to have been successful for a number of years. How did that work? what was it that made weight loss stick?

Well, I have gained some back over the past year of lockdown and working from home, so take it with a grain of salt! I just keep on ketoing on, as they say. And I tried to keep active. Whenever you fall down, get back up on the horse. Don't let a gain of a few lbs turn into a lot. I find that depression and the old f--it feeling goes away when I eat higher fat keto foods, and then it becomes easier to stick with it. Convince yourself that you are worth it. Sometimes, I am my own worst enemy when it comes to caving in to the "why bother?" devils. Good luck with your journey!

Aren't we all? Best at sabotaging. And I'm real good at lying to myself. We just do the best we can to troubleshoot those demons to get them to hush and move on. That's how we win. This Quarantine Chub is MEAN!