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lost and confused about LCHF

5K views 61 replies 17 participants last post by  Janknitz 
#1 ·
Hi, I'm new here!

I'm coming up to my 20 year anniversary being a type 1 and although my control isn't too bad, it could be a lot better. I have a young family and I'd like to see them grow up before any complications get me!

So I've been looking into the LCHF/keto way of eating, and Ive been giving it a go for the past 8 days, and I'm struggling with the massive shift in foods. But the more i read about chasing carbs with high doses of insulin and the damage its doing to me, its dawned on me that i don't really have much choice but to follow the LCHF idea.

I feel stuck with no options and it doesn't help that I don't fully understand the complexities of it all. And, I mean, its all or nothing, right? My head is swimming with this stuff and I'm worrying about it day and night.

What I want to know is, well, I want to know a LOT!

1) Is it really all or nothing? Does the cyclical Keto way of eating work? Can i take 'a day off', have a larger carb meal to top up my carb supply (I cycle and ride up to 150 miles a week), and then revert back to ketosis?

2) what will happen if my carb percentage is higher? If my carbs are say 80g daily, with the fat filling the rest of the calories? Will the fats do me harm (i.e do they only work if i'm in ketosis?)

I do not need to lose weight so I don't need a deficiency of calories.

I have many more questions, but as I said my head is swimming with this stuff!

Thanks for any help!
 
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#29 ·
I go to the store now and then with BH and am amazed at what is in the buggies at the check out line. Usually not one thing I would eat now. That used to be me. OMG. If it weren't for BH, we would probably get stared at when we check out. She still eats some carbs and donates enough to the church food pantry, we look half normal, except when butter is on sale.
 
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#30 ·
Active Battler feels a lot more natural than Passive Victim doesn't it?

Congratulations
 
#31 ·
I actually was always a little ashamed when I showed up at the checkout with a cart full of junk food. Now I show up with 2 lbs butter, 3 dozen eggs, 4 lbs of cheese, assorted meats, assorted frozen green veggies and not much else (coffee, tea, etc.). The store is like a war zone for us. Even the "safe" sections have seasoned meats and veggies with butter flavor packets (with sugar) to avoid. Instead of up and down each aisle, it's more like one loop around the outside with a trip down the coffee aisle. Ha.
 
#33 ·
vrbalthezr, shopping really is like that nowadays! LOL, never thought of it that way. I also shop at stores where I know the layout and can do a surgical strike for the item I need without having to scan shelves full of addictive carby treats. To be honest, they don't tempt me much anymore, but why take the risk.
 
#38 ·
I'm not a vegan. I don't eat meat or fish at all. I never will. On that I'm not flexible.

I eat dairy (especially now that I'm eating lchf) including butter, cheese and yoghurt. I understand that some dairy is worse for sinuses than others? (Although I've read one report that says there is no link between dairy and mucus.
 
#40 ·
I'm not a vegan. I don't eat meat or fish at all. I never will. On that I'm not flexible.
Did you never eat meat and fish or did you stop at some point?

Anyway, for me personally I find inflexibility to be a really bad idea when dealing with a challenge like this. When I was diagnosed and realized that what I eat has almost everything to do with successfully addressing this condition, I went to the opposite extreme.

I swore an oath (in front of witnesses) that "If I have to stop ALL food and suck a green paste out of a tube a few times per day, I WILL DO THAT." I don't know, for me health trumps all the other considerations when it comes to what to eat. Well, actually, I wouldn't eat anything from a pig for religious reasons, other animals serve the purpose just as well so no problem - actually better because pigs are too high in Omega-6 PUFAs.

As it turned out, the diet required to reverse what had happened and improve my health in every way turned out to be a lot easier and quite pleasant, actually. I have nothing against fish, but shopping for them is tricky and cooking them even more so, so other than restaurants, I don't eat them too often.

BUT, now I eat a LOT of meat and I eat it every day. It is a vital part of my healthy diet. I especially focus on high-fat cuts like short ribs. My struggle now is to get used to more of the organ meats, which were never my habit before. Those are the healthiest and most nutritious parts of the animal.

As a diabetic, everything that does me harm comes from plants, with the exception of lactose from milk (which I stay away from). No animal product every did me any wrong. "And never will."
 
#42 ·
I`m type 1 and on Lantus.
I eat 5-6 carbs for each meal and dont taken any rapid insulin.
I take usually 12 units of Lantus in the morning and thats it.
Due to allergies I dont eat any dairyproducts, nuts, almonds, eggs, soya, gluten, shellfish and only limited types of fish
 
#44 ·
As Vicky says, adjusting insulin dose is best done gently. Decide on an upper limit and a lower limit for your morning number and adjust the dose up and down using something like my rule of plus or minus two units for three days running on the wrong side of your limit.

Over time, you may be able to shave the lower limit down towards something like 5. But don't try to rush it.
 
#45 ·
About three years ago, I tried vegan for a year and a half. Despite trying to get all the nutrients I needed, I still got several bacterial infections that wouldn't go away. The flatulence was also pretty bad. However, it seemed to have no effect on my blood sugar control this year. Maybe I just wasn't a vegan long enough to matter.

On the mucus from dairy - yes, there is definitely a relationship. The more fatty the dairy product, the less it affects me. Butter is OK, cheese moderate, 6g/tablespoon cream is more touchy and milk/ice cream are bad. I daily try to juggle my sinus congestions/headaches against how much cream and cheese I would LIKE to eat. This week I am losing (sinus problems all week).
 
#52 ·
Ghee is also really easy to make.

Start with the best quality unsalted butter you can. I buy organic butter from a local source--because we live in California it's mostly grass fed. I tried this with Kerry Gold once and wasn't impressed, KG has to come a long way and I don't think it's all that fresh. I prefer local good butter--it has a fresher, cleaner taste.

Put your butter in a heavy pot--I usually do a pound at a time which yields a little less than 2 cups of ghee. Turn the heat on medium low. Do not leave the kitchen--you want to keep an eye on it. The butter will melt and foam up. Then the foaming will subside and it will continue to bubble, with a thinner layer of foam on top. Watch it carefully because it can burn. It will become very fragrant (like popcorn) and develop a golden tinge when you push aside the foam on top to look at the melted butter. There will be brown, crusty solids on the bottom of the pan. This takes about 30 minutes total. If you let it brown too much it will taste bitter.

Remove from the heat. I let it sit for a little while, and then carefully pour it through a fine mesh strainer into clean jars. Allow them to cool before putting the lids on.

Ghee can be stored at room temperature.
 
#55 ·
I got the ghee and sauteed some mushrooms tonight in it. Wow, that stuff is great! It doesn't sizzle as it melts like butter (30% water) and has a great nutty flavor. It also didn't burn as I moved the mushrooms out and the hamburger patties into the skillet. I don't think I could go back to using butter now for frying or saute cooking.
 
#56 ·
I thought I'd give a quick update on my progress so far with LCHF and Keto eating.

After a few weeks of stumbling through, trial and error, hours of research, many threads started on this forum and £60 spent on books I can say that I understand a lot more than I did to begin with but it seems that each answered question raised at least another two new ones!

I now have a much greater understanding of my diabetes in general. I've turned to face it, as a condition, and no longer just tolerate it.

My BG readings are a lot lot better already. I'm taking a lot less insulin. Less than half before I changed my diet.

I no longer snack and no longer have my afternoon slump in energy. It seems my sleep is better too.

Now to the negatives.

Somedays I feel very weak and dizzy when I stand and my vision blacks around the edges. I put this down to one or more of the following: I'm dehydrated. Lacking sodium or magnesium. Some other mineral shortage. I'm not eating enough fat. I'm not eating enough protein.

I need around 115g of protein daily and I'm finding it hard to hit that as I'm a vegetarian.

I need around 300g of fat a day and I'm really going for it with heaps of butter, cream, cheese, MCT oil etc but still come short.

My 'Grand Experiment' is going well though, and, on the whole I'm enjoying it. Getting normal BG is hugely rewarding.
 
#61 ·
..... I now have a much greater understanding of my diabetes in general. I've turned to face it, as a condition, and no longer just tolerate it......
Just that is huge! Congratulations!
 
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#59 ·
okay i am 71 kg and i take 200grms of fat


Also if you read my other posts, you will see i am asking this question cause i feel weak and i am figuring out why.

I think my body cant handle this massive shift to ~below 30grms of carbs pe day ( was on 300 per day )

Because i felt much better when i was on 60 carbs per day before .

Maybe this is making me problem.
 
#62 ·
Marcevans, I love your attitude. My husband's parents both had Type II (and never curbed their diet), and I see all their kids in the crosshairs. My SIL has already been diagnosed as "pre-diabetic" and when I asked what she was doing about that she said "my doctor is watching it." Watching it what? Turn into diabetes, which she assumes in inevitable, and no big deal because my parents in law kept on eating whatever they wanted, never exercised, and were both very ill and disabled for the last years of their lives. Sigh!

My husband, who does exercise vigorously and watches his diet mostly, has elevated FBG, but he's not willing to do anything else. I just pray his mostly good diet (real whole foods but lots of grains and some sugar) and exercie will be enough. Next brother is already very disabled from a variety of diet related illnesses, but I don't think he's been diagnosed with full blown diabetes, YET.

So understanding your diagnosis and taking positive steps toward your own health IS huge! Good for you!
 
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