[margilowry]

Hi,

I am a longtime lurker, first time registered poster and I wanted to say hello.

I was gestationally diabetic with my last two pregnancies (1990 and 2006) and I was told by my endocrinologist after my last son was born that I have a 75% chance of being diabetic in later years.

My response was to adopt a VLC lifestyle (which I am embarrassed to report that I do not stick to as strictly as I should) and I have been able to keep the wolf from the door, for the most part.

I have a pretty significant family hx of diabetes (mostly everyone on my maternal side of the family has some issue and my half-brother was dx'd as diabetic). Add to this mix the fact that I had a total hysterectomy and thyroid issues and I cannot, no matter what I do, lose weight at all.

My FBG has been creeping up into the 108-112 range in the mornings, so I have been prescribed generic for Fortamet (I tried "regular" metformin a couple years ago and spent so much time in the potty I had to d/c). Part of the problem with the original prescription was I was given 850 mg with no starting ramp-up dose and absolutely no help from my primary care physician. I have since changed physicians.

At any rate, because of my severe insulin resistance, I'm hoping that this will help push me off the dime, so to speak, and help keep the wolf from the door some more. I am going to start with 500 mg per day for 1 week and ramp until I am at 2000 mg per day. I have noticed that metformin keeps you "honest" about carb intake but I was wondering, also, about fat intake and the interrelation with it and metformin as well.

I post mostly to say hello and thank you because you all who post here help more people than you might think, but I welcome any advice you might have.

 

[margilowry]

I guess I should add that I'm a female, 49 years old, approximately 60 pounds overweight. (That's a side-effect of my yo-yoing. <sheepish>)

 

[jademuffin]

Welcome!

Metformin+Carbs = BAD THINGS
Metformin + Fat = LCHF weight loss (for me).

There are a number of posters here with Thyroid issues of one kind or another, and I'm sure you've seen their posts.

So how low carb are you when you are eating low carb? Do you have problems with cravings/spikey foods? Those are the usual culprits for non-weight-loss in those of us who have definately not arrived at our "metabolic happy place."

And generally speaking, if you are on the Met, the wolf is inside the house. It's a question of whether or not you can get it to leave.

 

[margilowry]

Thank you, jademuffin!

I'm relieved to see that fat is not a problem with met. I'm not wanting to stay on it long term -- I just have tried every diet, every exercise program and I cannot get past a certain point in weight loss. I was told that the met would help me be a little more sensitive and help me to lose weight more like a metabolically "normal" person. Of course, my own history of getting discouraged and falling off the LC wagon is my biggest culprit, I know. I just would like to see *some progress to keep me spurred on.

I have found through trial and error that I cannot go above 50 grams of carbs per day or I stall. I usually stick to between 20 and 30 grams per day, erring on the lower side whenever possible and using that 10 gram "leeway" for days when I get cravings and I satisfy it with strawberries and cream or the like.

I *do have horrible cravings in the evenings, which I passed off on my hormone replacement therapy/amitriptyline. (I take my Armour first thing in the morning and almost everything else at night to keep interactions from happening.)

My worst spike foods are white potatoes and anything wheat. I find that I gain a ton of water weight whenever I eat anything with wheat in it. Consequently, I picked up and use the "Wheat Belly" diet as my core strategy, with VLC (Atkins induction) thrown in the mix.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I guess you're right about that wolf. I don't have to be nice to him, though, right?

I'm learning through this site exactly how to eat to my meter and I'll push that wolf out the door -- I hope!

 

[Roxanne0312]

I still don't know what you eat, but I have noticed I can't have any grains, no fruits, all my carbs come from green veggies, all grown above the ground, and none grown below the ground. I also have thyroid issues, first hyper then hypo. I have reduced the grams of proteins I eat and the scale seems to be moving in the right direction now. Try adding coconut oil . . . it's helping with the blood glucose issues and it has a thermogenic effect on my metabolism.

Welcome to the forum, great help here.

 

[margilowry]

I still don't know what you eat, but I have noticed I can't have any grains, no fruits, all my carbs come from green veggies, all grown above the ground, and none grown below the ground. I also have thyroid issues, first hyper then hypo. I have reduced the grams of proteins I eat and the scale seems to be moving in the right direction now. Try adding coconut oil . . . it's helping with the blood glucose issues and it has a thermogenic effect on my metabolism.

Welcome to the forum, great help here.

Thank you so much for the welcome!

Isn't coconut oil the best? I didn't ever like coconut in my "pre-condition" years, so I have to work on eating more coconut and oil. I can eat it for a while and then the smell gets to me and I can't choke it down.

I have found that MCT oil (medium-chain triglycerides) which is the thermogenic effect coconut oil has works for me -- mostly because it doesn't taste like coconut.

I know what I have to do. I just have to do it. You know what I mean? I've been in the State of Denial for years and I am going to have to grow up, put my Big Girl undies on, and do what I gotta do.

 

[jademuffin]

Don't we all?

Strawberries? I'm TOTALLY JEALOUS. I can eat mangoes, but no strawberries. Seriously, higher sugar "count" and I can tolerate it better? Crazy. Blackberries are safer for me.

If you are looking for a little motivation to stay on the wagon, I was Dx about this time last year, dropped wheat (Thank you, Wheat Belly), a week later dropped to about 40g carbs. 4 months later started adding fat. So almost a year later I've gone from a 14P to a 6P. 40-inch waist to 33-inch waist (and still on a downward trend). I've gone from about 170lb to about 140lb. On a 5-foot frame. I make a FANTASTIC low-carb cheesecake with a nut crust and eat it for breakfast.

I've had my stalls (like the one I was on for 4 months) but I was clearly changing shape elsewhere. (Waist and weight remained the same, but pant size kept going down.)

The trick is you are NOT on a diet. You are eating the way you need to for your body. That means not eating spikey foods over your tolerance. What ever you need to do to keep to that, is how you need to behave. For me, that means killing cravings with SF-sweet lattes made with HWC, and cheesecake, and sometimes it means different cheeses broiled in butter (I'm working on re-creating a greek saganaki, and failing with very tasty results). I cook for only myself, which helps, too. BF has to hunt and kill his own dinner (which is usually a spinach salad topped with contraband).

 

[mbuster]

Hi and welcome. They do have refined coconut oils that have removed the smell and taste, just see if you can find out the process the company uses to do that. I love the taste and smell of coconut, and can eat coconut meat. I have a phobia about shredded coconut in/on anything, except german chocolate cake icing, but I don't eat it anymore since D.

 

[Roxanne0312]

Thank you so much for the welcome!

Isn't coconut oil the best? I didn't ever like coconut in my "pre-condition" years, so I have to work on eating more coconut and oil. I can eat it for a while and then the smell gets to me and I can't choke it down.

I have found that MCT oil (medium-chain triglycerides) which is the thermogenic effect coconut oil has works for me -- mostly because it doesn't taste like coconut.

I know what I have to do. I just have to do it. You know what I mean? I've been in the State of Denial for years and I am going to have to grow up, put my Big Girl undies on, and do what I gotta do.

My coconut oil is Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, not processed, cold pressed or whatever they call it. I do not notice any smell from it.

 

[margilowry]

BF has to hunt and kill his own dinner (which is usually a spinach salad topped with contraband).

That right there made me laugh out loud!

My personal history is that I was naturally thin until I wasn't anymore. I was 140 pounds most of my adult life, with a couple side trips with two pregnancies. I was gestationally diabetic with the second pregnancy. In the mid-90s I got my first "abnormal" glucose reading and was Dx'd with hypoglycemia. (Which, as we all know now is just another way of saying 'diabetes', just not up to the "standard" diagnosis readings.

I knew then I would struggle with my metabolism.

Fast forward. I'm 40, and I was gaining weight in a very quick fashion. I thought I was experiencing menopause -- and then the baby kicked. Biggest and best surprise of my life. Still, a metabolic nightmare. I was again Dx'd gestationally diabetic (and pretty much the poster child thereafter for pregnancy complications). He's a hale and hearty elementary student, now, thank goodness.

My struggle continues. The monkey wrench in my plan is that I married the worlds' biggest carbloader and that last pregnancy birthed his "mini me." Living with these two has made me swan dive off the LC wagon too many times. I need to stop doing that. I cannot eat like they can, no matter what. (And they probably could stand to lose some carbs from their diets as well.)

It helps to talk with people who "get it" so thank you for reading my tales of woe.

(As for the strawberries? Only a few and only when it's that or fall face-down in the bowl of Cheetos.) Heh.

 

[margilowry]

My coconut oil is Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, not processed, cold pressed or whatever they call it. I do not notice any smell from it.

I will check that out! Thanks!

 

[Shanny]

When those cravings hit, it may help to know that each little carby treat allows our livers to stock up again on glycogen, and

glycogen is stored in the liver, muscles, and fat cells in hydrated form (three to four parts water) Source: Pubmed

 

[margilowry]

Yes, Shanny, it sure does. I need to remember that. My doc told me that I need to stop being so hard on myself but this ain't a dress rehearsal. I want to dance at all my son's weddings.

One question -- I was wondering if anyone has had <ahem> intestinal problems with dairy and metformin. I want to make sure I stay off that particular treadmill this go-round.

Thanks so much for the warm welcome!

 

[jademuffin]

Met and I get along great. We have formed an understanding. I stay under the carb limit, it doesn't make me run for the hills. Aside from that, it doesn't care what I eat. And I apparently also enjoy the appetite-suppressant effect, which is nice.

That said, I'm having side effects lately from too much magnesium, so I'm thinking I need to add more calcium to give it something to do (oh joy, another pill).

And certain SF sugar alcohols give me the same evil side effects, but not others.

So while my relationship with this drug is a good one, my goal is to get off if it as soon as I am metabolically stable via LCHF. And work from there to see how much I really need, to keep my 4 or 5% club membership.

Now as far as your kids are concerned, get on the same page with Hubby Dearest to confine their food from yours. They are now officially At Risk to develop the problems you have. Teaching them better now will help them in the long run. Then they will be able to dance at their own weddings. And from experience, if it's a "trigger food" for me, he can't have it in the house. It helps me keep my face out of bags (note the plural here) of Cheetos.

Other tricks: If I have the munchies, I'm probably thirsty. 3 16-oz glasses of water with flavoring later, I figure that out. String cheese is my friend. Always having some in the fridge, and some almonds in the cupboard can help me make better choices. I also keep frozen cauliflower on hand to use as a vehicle for tasty sauces. There are a number of things I can't buy and be trusted to ration. So therefore I can't buy them. I can buy 1 while out for immediate consumption. I'm bad at portion control. Even SF jello is not safe. I tried it last week. As everyone knows, just buying a single-serving of something gets spendy, really fast. So now I not only have to make a special trip to get the thing, I have to justify the expense. Yep, I build my own roadblocks, and get myself to behave in spite of myself.

 

[margilowry]

Good tips, jademuffin. Thank you. Good reminders and I think I will have to sit down and have a chat about just how much these two eat that turns into sugar in their bodies. For all our sakes.

I, too, have no long-term goal of staying on metformin, either. I intend to use it as a tool to help me get to a lower weight (with diet and exercise) and then kick it back to the curb. I have found that it has wonderful appetite suppressing qualities -- especially in the evening when I have my most problems. I'm crossing my fingers this works. But you know, even if it doesn't, I will hopefully get all my other numbers in line -- trigs, FBG, etc. I appreciate SO MUCH your understanding and tips.

 

[grammaB]

Hi and Welcome to the forum!!

Check out our recipe sub forum for Fat Bombs, they come in all sorts of flavors. Google Fat Bomb and you will find even more varieties. When you start to get cravings pop one of those puppies in your mouth and that should help a lot!!

 

[margilowry]

Mmm, grammaB -- excellent suggestion. I made some lemon-flavored fat bombs once. I have to dig out that recipe. Thank you!

 

[walkerwally1]

Our recipe forum is a treasure trove of ideas. Here is one lemon fat bomb recipe :
http://www.diabetesforum.com/diabetes-recipes/17207-lemon-fat-bomb-8-servings.html

Or just use the search box on the right for more.

 

[margilowry]

This forum is a Treasure Trove. Period.

Edited to add: Chocolate is not one of my weaknesses (thank goodness). Lemon anything and caramel, however . . .

 

[margilowry]

Hi it's me again.

I have been reading this forum's posts (when I should be working -- heh) and I've seen several people say that it takes weeks before one shifts into burning fat for fuel. I was hoping you could help me out with a couple of questions.

It takes me approximately 3-4 days to get into "ketosis" using the Ketostix. I know they're not terribly accurate but I like to have a little test to confirm the burst of energy and loss of appetite and the dragon breath that tells me I'm in ketosis.

Is there some other mechanism that needs to happen, metabolically, before you switch to fat burning for fuel? I've read a whole bunch of Atkins books (I even own the '72 version) and I must have missed that part.

I assumed that when you were in nutritional ketosis, your liver had dumped its stores and you were "good to go" on the fat-burning for fuel instead of glucose.

Thanks in advance for your help.