OT: blood sugar question

[Goofproof]

Your numbers are to be expected. While food may be instant gradifaction, food must be processed into fuel and absorbed this takes time. Types of fuel like ice cream and sweet candy still take 30 to 60 minutes to get into the blood system.

You have to think like you are shooting a moving object, you aim in front of the target, and let the target movein front of the bullet. Have your A1C tested, and TRY to adjust your lifestyle to keep it in a healthy range.

Testing 3 hours after you eat will provide a more realistic number, but it's never set in stone. We must learn how our bodies react for us, it's never a smooth ride for most of us, and outside forces are changing the results all the time.

P.S. I'd kill to be in your range! JIM

[kona0197]

Like I am going to believe what you say over what all of my Doctors say. I refuse to believe all they want to do is kill me. And for the record, if I cut carbs all the way out of my diet I would still need insulin. I have tried that route.

[SleepWrangler]

I don't understand why everyone says that if you have diabetes you have to eat a low carb diet. Why is it I eat a semi high carb diet and have low blood sugar numbers and such a low A1C?

A1C for diabetics is about as useful as AHI for apnea. I see most people, including myself, trying for "normal" range or better. Having a therapeutic value of 10 AHI would have most people in this forum in a panic and looking for solutions. The organ damage from continued high cortisol levels is hidden but at least there's the "I feel like shit meter". LCHF diabetics are going for real "normal" values too and not the therapeutic baseline. Same deal as the CPAP'ers except there isn't an easily detectable wellness meter (unless maybe you count the number of heart attacks ... some people only get one).

Like I am going to believe what you say over what all of my Doctors say. I refuse to believe all they want to do is kill me. And for the record, if I cut carbs all the way out of my diet I would still need insulin. I have tried that route.

That's completely understandable. Everyone's situation is a little different. I agree that unfortunately you can't fix what's already broken but instead do whatever you need to stay far away from even more damage.

[49er]

Like I am going to believe what you say over what all of my Doctors say. I refuse to believe all they want to do is kill me. And for the record, if I cut carbs all the way out of my diet I would still need insulin. I have tried that route.

Kona,

Of course doctors don't want to just kill you. Unfortunately, because of their training in medical school, they aren't trained to look outside the box and simply will think that prescribing meds is the answer to everything instead of looking at diet.

For example, I know someone whose doctor is threatening to put him on insulin instead of looking the person's diet to see if perhaps that can make the necessary improvement. Sadly, this doctor has the attitude that everyone eventually ends up on insulin who is diagnosed with diabetes which is pretty sad.

No, you shouldn't blindly trust what someone says on the Internet. At the same time, you shouldn't blindly trust doctors just because they have an MD by their name. Many folks who did paid big time with their health.

49er

[old dude]

I don't understand why everyone says that if you have diabetes you have to eat a low carb diet. Why is it I eat a semi high carb diet and have low blood sugar numbers and such a low A1C?

I would strongly recommend that you pay thorough attention to Janknitz's posts.

He or she is so smack dead-on-the-money that it has saved me a lengthy diatribe saying basically the same thing.

And if you went low carb you could likely cut way back on your insulin dose, which would of course be a good thing. Many people can get off insulin altogether when they change their way of eating to LC.

[SleepWrangler]

and yes…I am having a bit of a hard time getting my head around animal fats as being healthy fats…but I am not dismissing it by any means…at the moment I'm relying on avocado and almond butter…but obviously, I have a lot to learn!

A few years ago I went through a similar thought process and the biggest issue was to overcome the "lean and skinless" and "low fat" messages from virtually everywhere. I hear ya completely. The LCHF zealots seem like a bunch of quacks running around yelling that my doctors are trying to kill me. It drove me towards a vegan diet which ultimately is laden with carbohydrates.

You could maybe achieve vegan high fat with avocado, seeds, and nuts but high fat is opposite to every single message from the medical community. I was told to strictly limit these foods. I made the vegan high carbohydrate way-of-eating work for a few years but it required a level of exercise commitment I could not sustain. Also preparing five to six small meals per day composed of whole foods took a lot of effort. I have detailed records that unequivocally document my resolve and progress. It never improved my BG readings lower than recommended therapeutic values as I expected but it did result in beautiful test results that amazed my doctors. Looking back it shows that calories-in calories-out is complete boloney but it's a phrase my GP uses often. For example, I had a month where I had a 17,000 kcal deficit. Didn't lose the promised 4 pounds. Even gained a little bit.[1] WTF!

When it comes to LCHF I'm in the same boat as you. A newbie. Early BG test results are impressive. Thing is LCHF relies on ketosis. There's a tipping point where the extra fat you consume results in fat loss but before then its just more calories. They're calories your system likes to pack away in favor of all the carbohydrates. What strategy will you follow to maintain weight and BG levels?

BTW, LCHF is not necessarily a problem free solution. My issues are knowing what sodium and potassium levels are best. The transition is putting just a slight bit of strain on my heart (could be due to weight loss, or rapid drop in average glucose levels, or change in potassium, or change in sodium, or change in cholesterol, ...). My blood pressure is steady and therapeutic so I assume it means salt is fine. My heart rate is slightly accelerated and erratic so I am consuming potassium laden food just in case. Wearing a heart rate monitor 24 hrs a day so I have diagnostic data to show my GP and cardiologist.

[1] See Nutrition Tracker chart in your "OT: Juicing, blood sugar and losing weight" thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=97251&p=901179#p901179

[Kitatonic]

I don't understand why everyone says that if you have diabetes you have to eat a low carb diet. Why is it I eat a semi high carb diet and have low blood sugar numbers and such a low A1C?

I would strongly recommend that you pay thorough attention to Janknitz's posts.

He or she is so smack dead-on-the-money that it has saved me a lengthy diatribe saying basically the same thing.

And if you went low carb you could likely cut way back on your insulin dose, which would of course be a good thing. Many people can get off insulin altogether when they change their way of eating to LC.

Agree! Finally I am trying to really limit those carbs, steering towards what Janknitz posted a few years ago.Only in this last month are doctors have new advise: Sugar is Worse than FAT.

[nmevan]

thought I'd put this up there just for the heck of it

this morning, day two of taking my blood glucose reading first thing in the morning after fasting …100
it was 108 yesterday morning

I'm sure things fluctuate, perhaps like blood pressure…or perhaps the blood glucose meters you buy at longs are not that accurate?

yesterday I ate very low carb…breakfast was vegetables sautéed in butter then scrambled with two eggs…lunch was fairly pathetic :guacamole with flax seed crackers, a kambucha drink and a handful of macadamia nuts…dinner was macadamia nut encrusted mahi with coleslaw and some crushed flax seed crackers mixed with some sugarless almond butter for desert

thank you to everyone for your help

evan

[SleepWrangler]

this morning, day two of taking my blood glucose reading first thing in the morning after fasting …100
it was 108 yesterday morning

I'm sure things fluctuate, perhaps like blood pressure…or perhaps the blood glucose meters you buy at longs are not that accurate?

Yes things fluctuate. Yes meters have a variance between readings and especially between brands. There's a consumer report comparing the various meters. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/bloo ... meters.htm

yesterday I ate very low carb…breakfast was vegetables sautéed in butter then scrambled with two eggs…lunch was fairly pathetic :guacamole with flax seed crackers, a kambucha drink and a handful of macadamia nuts…dinner was macadamia nut encrusted mahi with coleslaw and some crushed flax seed crackers mixed with some sugarless almond butter for desert.

Very cool. The kambucha drink is likely terrible ... probably depends on how it was sweetened. Some are just pure carbs. No problem with sodium and potassium with those ingredients. Have you also tried the folks at http://www.diabetesforum.com? You're likely to find all kinds of successful LCHF diets there including vegetarians, and mostly vegetarians.

[nmevan]

the synergy kambucha claims on the bottle that it has unsweetened cranberry juice in it
4 grams total sugar and 60 calories
7 grams carbs
it's fun to drink cause it's bubbly, tastes sweet and supposedly has pro-biotics in it
but it does taste so good that I am suspicious of it
but now that I think about it…I should probably just avoid anything that has any added sugar…period

I'm listening to the diabetes summit this morning and there is a doctor claiming that the best breakfast for reversing diabetes is one with no carbs…0

[SleepWrangler]

I'm listening to the diabetes summit this morning and there is a doctor claiming that the best breakfast for reversing diabetes is one with no carbs…0

A stick of butter? I guess you could add eggs and a dash of mayonnaise as well.

[kona0197]

Sorry guys, I can't do a LCHF diet. I have cut a lot of high carb foods out of my diet, but I can't commit completely to a LC diet.

[Janknitz]

I make my own kombucha flavored with dried cherries. I give it a long (7 day) secondary fermentation. My husband is a winemaker by profession, so he tested it for residual sugars. It came out to be 0.05%. That means about 4-5 grams of carbs per 8 oz. It still tastes sweet to me, but I'm very sensitive to sweet flavors since I eat no sugar.

Not sure about commercial stuff, but their claim on the label should be based on laboratory testing. I like making my own because I have control over it AND it costs about 50cents per bottle instead of $3! Be aware that most kombucha bottles contain TWO servings.

You're eating very well. How do you feel? Are you making an effort to have plenty of fluids, salt, and potassium? Great snacks are a mug of broth (good cold on a hot day), olives, Mac nuts, hard boiled eggs, cheese if you are ok with dairy. I like to roll thin slices of avocado in turkey slices and dip them in curried mayo (I make my own with good quality oils and pastured eggs).

Try not to let yourself be too hungry, that's when a lot of people bail. No need to skimp on calories. When you are hungry, EAT. The satiety factor will soon kick in.

[nmevan]

I'm excited about getting to eat cheese…been avoiding it since I thought it made you fat

trying to figure out a sane breakfast that has no carbs

what is a good source of potassium?

[Janknitz]

Sorry guys, I can't do a LCHF diet. I have cut a lot of high carb foods out of my diet, but I can't commit completely to a LC diet.

Not everybody can, decreasing carbs is difficult. It takes a lot of though, planning, committment, and hard work. A lot of people bail when you go through the adaptation process because it doesn't feel very good at first. Not everyone is up to the task. Some people succeed simply by lowering carbs, without going to the extremes of keto as SleepWrangler is trying. ANYTHING that improves blood glucose is a good thing, even if it's not a full out very low carb diet.

You are absolutely correct, Kona, that you shouldn't be taking medical advice from some yahoo who posts on a forum. Your doctors are remarkably keeping you alive with the advice and treatment they've given you, considering the dietary choices you make.

All I'm trying to tell you is that there's more out there than the standard advice you get from conventional medicine. It's worth looking into, reading, and gaining a full understanding. Working WITH your doctors you have options that may improve your health and chances of living a long life without serious impairment. But the choice is yours.