[lg20626]

Hi all!

I have a long list of type 2 diabetes familial history: three out of four grandparents, 3 aunts and one uncle, my father and my sister. (plus several great aunts and great grandparents). Some overweight and most not, which is kind of weird I think.

I am a 47 yo female, overweight and been having symptoms that led me to ask my sister about her diagnosis and the symptoms that she had.

What I have been experiencing (obviously not sure what is relevant, just mentioning what stands out): increased urination and thirst, increased hunger, itchy skin, extreme fatigue- especially right after meals and feet pain when I wake up that goes away after walking around a bit.

I went to my sister and she tested my blood and I have also begin testing my blood at home.

My fasting/morning readings have consistently been between 111 and 130. Otherwise, I have been testing anywhere from 96 to 154 throughout the day. (I am testing after meals as per suggested here on this site)

I know that I need to get to the doctor and be tested but I know my doctor will immediately go straight to meds and I would like to try to work on diet, exercise and weight loss.

So, I started a LCHF diet and I have a few questions-- I know I am totally a "newbie" to this, so I know I have a lot to learn and my questions might be dumb ones lol)

1) I'm guessing I would be called "pre-diabetic" based on my numbers? Or would it just be insulin resistant?
2) can I expect my numbers to come down to normal (non-diabetic) after cutting carbs out?
3) Should I be aiming for ketosis?
4) If I can get my numbers down to normal, will I always be insulin resistant and need to have a low carb lifestyle?
5) When can I expect my numbers to be lower, after going LCHF?
6) Not sure I understand the idea of "eat to your meter"

My sister isn't really controlling her diabetes very well, so I'm not sure if she would be much help in adopting a different lifestyle-- which is my main goal.

I know that I am not full blown diabetic and my numbers are pretty low, compared to others. I just want to get myself on the right track because I feel like diabetes is inevitable for me if I don't do some serious work now.

Hope some of this made sense. Thanks for reading and any input you might have for me.

 

[cyclinglady]

Okay, I'm just into this LCHF diet and pre-diabetes thing for just four months. Others will pipe in soon to give you sound and wise advice.

First, you need to read "Blood Sugar 101". It talks mostly about type 2 diabetes and is written by a woman who offers good advice and is backed by research.

I found her site, after I got a FBS of 100 this year at my annual check-up. My doc told me to exercise more (I exercise a lot for my age) and to lose weight (my BMI was in the normal range) until my next check-up. But, type 2 runs in my family and lots of autoimmune diseases like RA, thyroiditis, and celiac disease. I had to take this seriously. Besides, I already have Celiac Disease (dx 2013) and thyroiditis. There was no way I was going to give up my homemade gluten free cupcakes and cookies (so good, mind you, that I was seriously thinking of starting a GF bakery!) without definitive proof!

Jenny's site taught me to test. I was getting high readings. Then I tested my sugar one and two hours after eating a cup of white rice with a cheap meter purchased at Walmart. Yep, insulin resistance was a problem for me.

I opted for the LCHF diet. I was so scared, I wasn't hungry. I kept testing to my meter. I liked the "normal" readings which occurred within days (I was eating carbs only in veggie form (grown above ground). Then I lost some weight (now at high school weight and holding) and have been buying some new clothes. But losing weight isn't the issue. Not developing diabetic complications is the reason for adhering to the diet.

I've seen advanced uncontrolled diabetes in my own family and I am only 52 and have a long time to live (still have a 13 year old at home). I was experiencing an itchy arm (no rash) and leg tingling that I attributed to CD, but it seems that it was high blood sugar! Hummmmmm......

Testing to your meter. Yeah, I do it. I have slowed down. Ate a tiny bowl of GF cereal. Tested. Did okay. Ate more after dinner and I got a spike! Yikes! That spaghetti dinner? Five hours of elevated blood sugar! Sadly, diabetes never goes away. It's always lurking!

Everyone is different, so different foods cause different reactions. Corn cereal is out for me, along with corn pasta. A small square of dark chocolate is fine for me. A bit of berries. You just have to test. The goal is to get to normal blood sugar levels and maintain. Prevent spikes which can cause complications.

Welcome to the club that no one wants to join!

Hope this helps! Research! Be your own advocate. No doctor really cares if you lose your foot or kidneys (Blood Sugar 101.com).

 

[Philip]

Hello Ig and welcome to the forum.I am no great expert but will try and answer a few questions until some of the more experienced and learned come along.

The LCHF method is great for reducing blood glucose values, improving lipid profiles, losing weight and improving your health in general. I know , because I did all 4 and have numbers to prove it.

Eating to your meter is a brilliant saying, it means measuring the effect of a meal or a certain food on your blood glucose. No need for fancy theories or calculations, you eat whatever you eat and measure its effect on your blood glucose { BG} The glucose meter will become your best friend and ultimate adviser.

Ketosis, anybody following the LCHF MOE [method of eating] will almost by definition be in ketosis.ie if you follow 5% from carbs 15% from proteins and 80% from fats, you will certainly get into ketosis. [ % refers to % of total calories]

Getting your numbers down happens pretty quickly, but as everybody is different its impossible to give an exact answer. If I remember correctly you should see improvements within a few days. In any event its a very short period of time.

Regarding getting normal numbers via the LCHF MOE, I would say most probably, but again we are all different. There are quite a few members here who were diagnosed with D2 and are managing their BG without any medications. I am sure that they will be along soon and will give you a far better answer than I can. After all they did it.

Regarding your question re insulin resistance all I can tell you is that I am insulin resistant and that through the LCHF MOE and exercise things seem to be improving. However here also I simply dont know enough about this issue to give you a good answer. Others with a better grasp on the subject will ,I am sure.
Dont forget Knowledge is power , so read plenty and ask plenty.
Hope you have a good time here and look forward to hearing of your successes in the future.

 

[skb]

1 Many members (me included) do not believe that there is something called "pre-diabetes". That said, your symptoms & numbers both indicate that you are a full blown diabetic. The best way to confirm that would be to go to a doctor who will (probably) order you to undergo an OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test).

2/3/4 Yes.

5. When you switch to eating low carb, your body takes a certain amount of time to adjust. This is known as the induction phase, and could last for 2-3 weeks, in some cases longer. During this phase the body could react strangely & make you feel sick or fatigued. This is known as the Atkin's Flu. If it happens, bear it out. It will go away.

6 The concept of Eat to your meter means that you keep testing your blood glucose (before / 1 hr & 2 hr after) with different foods and keep tracking how your body (BG) reacts to various foods. You don't want to be crossing the 140 mark, ever. After a few experiments, you will know what foods you can eat, and what you cannot. Basically Carbs in food will elevate your BG, Proteins may not but will contribute partly to BG at a slower pace, and Fats will not make your BG budge.

 

[volfan]

Hi all! I have a long list of type 2 diabetes familial history: three out of four grandparents, 3 aunts and one uncle, my father and my sister. (plus several great aunts and great grandparents). Some overweight and most not, which is kind of weird I think. I am a 47 yo female, overweight and been having symptoms that led me to ask my sister about her diagnosis and the symptoms that she had. What I have been experiencing (obviously not sure what is relevant, just mentioning what stands out): increased urination and thirst, increased hunger, itchy skin, extreme fatigue- especially right after meals and feet pain when I wake up that goes away after walking around a bit. I went to my sister and she tested my blood and I have also begin testing my blood at home. My fasting/morning readings have consistently been between 111 and 130. Otherwise, I have been testing anywhere from 96 to 154 throughout the day. (I am testing after meals as per suggested here on this site) I know that I need to get to the doctor and be tested but I know my doctor will immediately go straight to meds and I would like to try to work on diet, exercise and weight loss. So, I started a LCHF diet and I have a few questions-- I know I am totally a "newbie" to this, so I know I have a lot to learn and my questions might be dumb ones lol) 1) I'm guessing I would be called "pre-diabetic" based on my numbers? Or would it just be insulin resistant? 2) can I expect my numbers to come down to normal (non-diabetic) after cutting carbs out? 3) Should I be aiming for ketosis? 4) If I can get my numbers down to normal, will I always be insulin resistant and need to have a low carb lifestyle? 5) When can I expect my numbers to be lower, after going LCHF? 6) Not sure I understand the idea of "eat to your meter" My sister isn't really controlling her diabetes very well, so I'm not sure if she would be much help in adopting a different lifestyle-- which is my main goal. I know that I am not full blown diabetic and my numbers are pretty low, compared to others. I just want to get myself on the right track because I feel like diabetes is inevitable for me if I don't do some serious work now. Hope some of this made sense. Thanks for reading and any input you might have for me.

If you are overweight, loosing some weight and making better eating choices may be enough to lower your blood sugar back to normal levels without having to take any medicine.

 

[lg20626]

Thank you all for your responses!

cyclinglady, thanks for sharing your experiences. It will be interesting to see how this goes. Maybe it sounds weird, but I'm excited to make some changes. I've been feeling like such a lump and if this is what it takes to force me to snap out of it...I guess I am glad.

Philip, that was very helpful. I really need to download an app to my phone so that I can enter my foods and more clearly monitor the 5/15/75 way of eating.

skb, thank you for your response! Ugh, I guess I thought my numbers were borderline or something. I haven't really thought of myself as full blown diabetic. I am wondering- if I am in ketosis and go and have the blood work done for diagnosis...won't the numbers appear normal or non-diabetic? I guess I am not sure if I should just plow ahead with LCHF and see how I do or go back to crappy eating and then get tested lol.

volfan, thank you. That is the plan and I really hope I can be successful. I know I can be.

Thank you all again, I will continue to learn...it's so overwhelming. I feel like I don't even understand my own body. All of this going on and affecting so many parts of my life. The more I read, the more I see how I have slowly been getting more and more symptomatic.

 

[gotsomeold]

Oh, feeling like your body must belong to a stranger - it is so weird, it can't be yours - goes with the territory. It is a normal feeling.

The great thing - the thing worth getting excited about - is the more you learn about how your body reacts to different foods, the more you test, the better you feel as your health improves ... then the more you and your body come together and really start working as a team.

 

[jademuffin]

Welcome... and LCHF for Beginners | DietDoctor.com

It will help you get started.

 

[Mary]

Welcome! As cyclinglady mentioned above, losing weight is not the issue. As you start to adhere to a lchf diet, the weight will take care of itself. LCHF, as you're likely seeing by now, is the simplest, surest way to bring your blood sugar down, regardless of any weight issues.

Welcome aboard!

 

[furball64801]

Hi and welcome to me your numbers are not horrible but you are diabetic. Get into walking as much as you can, cut the carbs and watch the weight fall off.

 

[volfan]

Hi and welcome to me your numbers are not horrible but you are diabetic. Get into walking as much as you can, cut the carbs and watch the weight fall off.

Loosing weight by eating better has been the key to my success for the most part.

 

[Mary]

- But as we've already established in millions of other threads, a LCHF diet needs to come before any concern for weight loss. Period. I'd hate to lead any newcomers astray. LCHF will drop your blood sugar faster than anything known to man. It allows the diabetic to start gaining immediate control so that the focus stays on blood glucose control and not weight loss, IMO. (Which works out great for me, too, since I wouldn't have any desire to visit a weight-loss forum but definitely need a blood glucose forum!) It's a win-win situation.

 

[lg20626]

Just wanted to report in that after eating over a week of LCHF diet, all of my bg numbers have been excellent. It's given me a lot of encouragement that I might be able to keep this under control and not take medications. I am not against them if I will need them, but it would be great to not need them.

Here's my question though. I never went and had blood work by my doctor for a baseline A1c or formal diagnosis. Do I really need to do that? And if I went in now, would the fact that I am now eating LCHF throw off the numbers? And do I call myself a diabetic, if I am not formally diagnosed?

 

[Patdart]

I'm glad I had an A1C to discover mine and to be able to see so concretely how quickly it dropped as it gave me reinforcement to the WOE to me. And I'm not formally diabetic diagnosis, but called 'carb sensitive' by my PCP, but all my eating normally is shocking, so if I chose to eat that way, he would quickly diagnose me. I tell people if asked, unless there is a reason not to in which case I use his term.

After all, why would you care, as long as YOU know and control it?

One week of eating LC/HF shouldn't affect your A1C because it is supposed to represent 3 months. It may have a small affect, but not a lot.

 

[Shanny]

You can call yourself anything you like, but if I were you, I'd eat like a diabetic - LCHF (which I do - just like Pat does)!

 

[lg20626]

Lol I should clarify, I'm not looking for a label. As far as I'm concerned, I need to eat this way to keep my bg in check. I'm thinking more along the lines of if I went to a doctor or the emergency room and they asked my medical history. Do I include diabetes or is it irrelevant? I just don't know if its important to mention. As far as the label, it doesn't matter to me.

 

[skb]

Of course you should say that you are a "very well controlled diabetic". There are many drugs / therapies that the hospital or doctors may use not knowing that you are one, which may severely raise your BG & put you at great risk.

 

[Shanny]

Absolutely include it in your medical history . . . if you wind up in ER and they start D5W, you'd be in big trouble.

 

[lg20626]

Thank you, that's exactly what I was wondering about- whether or not there might be a reason they need to know. Thanks!

 

[silvertiger]

Welcome!

Cutting carbs and adding fat to your diet so you feel full are the important parts. You can do it!