Normalizing my Blood Sugar

[SadLady]

I am going to share this for all of you that have very high blood sugars and are obese like I am. I have been fighting diabetes for a long time. I am 60 years old with severe arthritis in my knees and hands and many other health issues. I am disabled and not yet qualify for medicare so I am without insurance at this time. What I make is not much to pay for the tremendous amount of medications I need to take, so I have been low carbing trying to control my diabetes. The problem has been that althought I brought the numbers down, they have not been within normal ranges yet. My fasting blood sugars were in the 150. So I remember that I had done last year the fat fast that Dr. Atkins talked about in his book for 3 days and that my BS at that time were 78, so I decided to do it again. The first 4 days were more or less like he describes in the Atkins book then I decided to change it a bit to my taste. So this are the results of my fasting blood sugars since I started:
8/16 = 154
8/17 = 138
8/18 = 127
8/19 = 111
8/20 = 98
8/21 = 87
8/22 = 97
8/23 = 94
8/24 = 92
8/25 = 95
8/26 = 89

So you can see that I am having great readings for my fasting blood sugars and it has remained like that throught the day. My diet is composed of 90 % fat and the remaining divided between carbs and protein. It looks like this.

Breakfast: 2 eggs fried in 1 TBSP butter with 1 TBSP Pico de gallo w/o tomatoes.

Lunch: 3 oz Lettuce with 3 or 4oz avocado with 1 TBSP Olive oil and some vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

3 oz of Filet Mignon (if small why have something not as good) in 1 tsp butter

Afternoon snack = 1 oz cream cheese

Dinner = 3 oz of lettuce, 3 oz of cucumbers 1 TBSP Olive oil and vinegar with salt and pepper to taste.

Evening snack = 1 oz cream cheese

I also drink sugar free Kool aid.

and I do not exceed 1,000 calories a day/90 % fat.

I lost 5 lbs this past week. This Tuesday I started this modified way of eating and I will keep you posted as to how I do. I only want to share this information for those of you that are having a very difficult time controlling your diabetes and are sick of taking medications. I also need to add that I am not taking any medications to bring my sugar down. No metformin any more, no Actos or Avandia and no Insulin. I have acomplish this only through the diet.

Remember that this type of eating is dangerous for those who are not insuline resistant, so please don't try it. This is only for diabetic people. I am not a physician and I am doing this on my own. I do not recomend anyone trying this without their physician support. I just put it here for your information. Thank you.

[mom2_2boys]

In a word, WOW!!!! I guess it makes me wonder how the 90% fat will affect your cholesterol.

I too have high fasting readings, but as Lisa suggested, it could be Dawn Phenonmenon. On Monday at the Dr. office, my fasting reading was 201. On Wednesday morning, it was 149, Thursday was 146 and this morning it was 136. I also checked it again 2 hours after breakfast this morning and it was at 125 & I hadn't even taken my meds yet for the morning. The only thing I had done was exercise for 30 minutes.

Have you tried adding any exercise to what you are doing? Even just walking would help with keeping your blood sugars in check. As for me, I go to Curves and do 30 minutes, and earlier this year, I was going 5 days a week & working out for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Even though I wasn't really losing any weight, it did help to regulate my blood sugar and actually keep it in a "normal" range.

Good luck with what you are doing!

:) Paula

[SadLady]

Right now I am not excercising. This control is only through the diet. I am hoping that when I lose more weight my knees and ankles are able to support me better. I have very bad arthritis on my knees and I lose my balance very easy. I just want to get down to 200. My first goal was normalizing my blood sugars and that has been acheived. Now is getting to 200 to see if I can start walking a bit and feel more secure when I do.

Good to hear that your bs are coming down too. It is a great struggle.

[322432]

The fat will most likely bring down your TG's and raise your HDL.
The cholesterol theory is all BS anyway.

www.thincs.org
www.theomnivore.com
www.StatinAlert.org

[greannmhar]

The fat will most likely bring down your TG's and raise your HDL.
The cholesterol theory is all BS anyway.

www.thincs.org
www.theomnivore.com
www.StatinAlert.org

I agree. My doctor was horrified that I was on a LC diet and predicted that my cholesterol would go through the roof. She had to change her tune when the opposite has happened over the last 18 months (and it wasn't even high to begin with), although now she's predicting some nebulous long-term damage sometime in the future.
I think I'll take my chances against the devil I know (high BS and long-term damage) and the unknown future - at least I'm likely to have one now ;)
Babs

[Squid]

My doctor was horrified that I was on a LC diet and predicted that my cholesterol would go through the roof.


I saw my endocrinologist recently and he told me he wanted me on a low carb diet. I think some of the medical community is starting to come around. There's certainly enough research on low carb diet and blood sugar control - you'd think they'd wake up some day.

The only resistance I encounter to low carb diet is from my nutritionist and diabetes educator. The nutritionist is horrified at my diet but starting to come around. The diabetes educator is a type I and thinks that no one should be deprived of any food so she'll have some insulin and a donut. That's not for me. I stopped seeing her.

Now it's time for me to go exercise!

[Dodger]

8/16 = 154
8/17 = 138
8/18 = 127
8/19 = 111
8/20 = 98
8/21 = 87
8/22 = 97
8/23 = 94
8/24 = 92
8/25 = 95
8/26 = 89


As it seems that you have good blood sugar control, I would start adding in more protein while continuing to monitor your blood sugar.

[SadLady]

My good blood sugar control is only a week old. I also have an issue with very high blood pressure which has been erratic, although it is coming down, but it is not down enough, not stable enough for me to discontinue my medication, but I am working towards that. I wanted to give the diet another week to see if the hypertension is better and then start adding a bit more protein. I have been low carbing for about 2 years with a 6 moths break :-(. Started really strong again about a month ago and my bs readings were not coming down that much, that is why I started the fat fast that Dr. Atkins talk about. It is very important that I get my BS and Hypertension under control

[Leela]

Sorry if I sound critical. But from what I'm seeing, you are starving yourself and setting yourself up for failure. A more balanced sensible plan would benefit you better in the long term, even if you need medications in the meantime. You are destroying your metabolism. Please don't do this for too long.

[SadLady]

I am sorry Leela, I am doing great! I am losing weight, feeling just as well and full of energy, something that did not happen while regular low carbing. Remember we are all different, so to each its own.

[Lisa N]

SadLady, I know that getting things under control as quickly as possible (and doing it without medications) is important to you, but be careful that you don't trade one problem for another.
I'm not sure what modifications you've made so far, but I have to agree with Dodger; you need more protein than you're currently getting or you are going to start losing muscle and that's something you really don't want. Muscle is what burns the fat. Less muscle means less calories used daily and less fat burned.
Your menu posted above comes to less than 20 grams of protein per day. Doing this for a week or even two isn't going to bring about disastrous consequences, but please don't continue it for more than that without increasing your protein intake or a lot of those pounds you are losing could be your precious lean body mass along with the fat. :idea:
It wouldn't take a great deal to get your protein intake up there (and I'd suggest 60 grams a day minimum); 6 oz. of tuna or 5 oz. of chicken would do the trick and that wouldn't add more than a few hundred calories. :)
You're doing great, but proceed with caution. :)

[Carpendale]

Sadlady, Where in Dr Bernstein's book does he talk about a fat fast? I have his Diabetes Solution and haven't found it. My husband is type 2 and follows the low carb diet but his blood sugar is sticking in the 6's and 7's, just can't get it down into the 4's and 5's. Any advice welcome! Carpendale

[Lisa N]

Sadlady, Where in Dr Bernstein's book does he talk about a fat fast? I have his Diabetes Solution and haven't found it. My husband is type 2 and follows the low carb diet but his blood sugar is sticking in the 6's and 7's, just can't get it down into the 4's and 5's. Any advice welcome! Carpendale

Hi Carpendale!

The Fat Fast is not part of Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes solution. It's something that Dr. Atkins used for his patients that proved to be severely metabolically resistant to weight loss and was also not intended to be used for longer than a period of 3-5 days before moving to a modified level and then back to induction levels again a week later.
Older versions of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (abbreviated often here as DANDR) contain the details of his fat fast which he borrowed from a man name Keckwick. ;)

[SadLady]

I have diabetes retinopathy, very high blood pressure and I am extremelly insulin resistant (difficult to lose weight) and on top of that my blood sugars used to be in the 500 or 600. Not even with metformin, actos or 50 u of Lantus, could I bring them down. When I started low carbing they began to normalize until I quit low carbing for a while. In the 6 months while I was not low carbing, my bs went up and even thought I started low carbing again more than a month ago, I could not bring them down. I read Dr. Bernstein book in hope to normalizing my blood sugar, but the 6/12/12 was not working for me. My fasting blood sugar was still 150, so I read Dr. Atkins again and found the fat fast. You also have to realize that I can not longer take Actos. I started this medication again and I truly thought I was going to have a heart attack. I could not breath, became extremely swollen and ill. So I was looking for a way to bring my sugar down. Carbs turn into sugar and so does protein. So what is the only thing that does not? Fat. I have plenty of fat. So far I feel better than ever, with energy for the first time in my life, however, I don't intend to do this forever, only until I can get this BS stabilized, which has not happened yet. Maybe another week and then I will start introducing other food and seeing how it affects my BS. You have to realize that we are all different and things afects us in different ways. I am only doing what I think is best for me. I will not inject insulin again in my life (refuse it), so I am reading as much as I can about diabetes to be able to control it. I have all of Dr. Bernstein's books and I read and read and read. Thank you all for your concern. Believe me, the way I was going I was not going to be alive much longer. I feel that I have a chance now. Thanks again.

[Lisa N]

Carbs turn into sugar and so does protein.

SadLady, you have to do what you feel is best for you but I need to point out a few things about gluconeogenesis (the process of turning amino acids into glucose). First, while it's true that protein can be converted to glucose, this is by no means a 100% conversion as it is with carbohydrates (far from it) nor is it accomplished at nearly the speed that carbohydrates are converted to glucose. Second, your body requires (meaning, it's not optional) a certain amount of protein daily for various functions. If you do not get what your body requires in your diet, your body will take what it needs from your own muscle tissue. One way or another, your body is going to get the amino acids it needs so you can either give it what it needs through what you eat and spare your lean body mass or let it take what it needs from your own muscle tissue. Believe me, the former is preferable to the latter. Depriving your body of protein isn't stopping it from converting protein to glucose, it's just using a different (and much less preferable) source.
Going to 90% fat has produced some dramatic improvement in a short period of time, but you're going from one extreme to another. You may find more stability by adding a few things back at this point (like another 40 grams or so of protein spread throughout the day) than continuing with a very low protein intake.
I'm glad that you're thinking ahead and not planning to do this for too much longer as I really wouldn't recommend continuing for more than another week. :)

[SadLady]

Liza thank you very much. I value your opinion very much. Like I said, I have no intention on contiuning with such a strict diet for long. As a matter of fact I have added another 3 oz of meat in the evening. I am just trying to see where my limits are. For example, I started to drink sugar free Kool-Aid during the past two days, only to realize that it is having an effect in raising my BS. Today I quit drinking it. Let's see tomorrow what my fasting BS is. I need to find the middle point in my diet as to where is healthy, I lose weight and also keep my bs in control, so I started from the least I can do and then start adding different food. Again, thank you.

[Lisa N]

I started to drink sugar free Kool-Aid during the past two days, only to realize that it is having an effect in raising my BS.

Aspartame (Nutrasweet) has a very unpredictable effect on my blood sugars, but generally causes an increase. Some (not me) have found the same to be true with Splenda. I haven't seen anyone post regarding how they react to saccharin (Sweet-n-low), but saccharin tablets are what Dr. Bernstein recommended for sweetener.
It's frustrating to have to experiment so much on ourselves, isn't it? Especially since what may affect me may not have the same effect on you. ;) What makes it even more frustrating is that even if I do the same exact thing with my meals two days in a row, I may get a slightly different result (better or worse) because of other factors that may be out of my control (fighting off a bug, slightly short on sleep, stressed out at work, etc...). With so many variables to account for, we can really only do our best with what we can control and try to find ways to minimize the effect of those things that we can't.
Keep at it. I'm sure you'll get it all sorted out soon. :)

[Carpendale]

This is very interesting, I don't have that book but will research the whole thing. Sadlady, I do hope you feel better soon. Have you tried doing a little yoga to help with the arthritis? The breathing exercises and gentle stretching are very helpful. I use Doriel Hall's 'Beginning Yoga' and it has been a great help - I just do the breathing and the exercises at home - little and often is best.

[SadLady]

No, but I will take a look at that book and see if there is anything I can do. Thank you.

[kbfunTH]

Good luck SadLady. It looks like you are on the right track to me. One question though, how did you determine the limit of 1000 calories/day? Are you planning to add a little to that as you get things figured out?

My brother-in-law is type II and has severe related health problems. Most doctors he's seen, have denied seeing him after the first visit due to the amount of complications. Imagine a doctor telling you, "I can't see you anymore, your problems are way to complicated for me."

Anyway, he did find a doctor that is helping him now and the doc has recommended a newer supplement variation called R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (100 mg 3x/day. Here's a link that will explain with more detail. Notice all the common uses. www.biosynergy.com/RALA.htm

[Carpendale]

Sadlady, I came across the following website which might be of interest:bodyactive-online.co.uk/nutrition/nutrients. It seems to be concerned with bodybuilding but there is a very interesting discussion of fats. Apparently if you take 3.5 grs. CLA per day and 6g fish oil they both help burn up fat. We have been taking both but not in such large doses - a bit nervous about the effect all that fish oil might have, but we will give it a try. Hope you feel better soon.

[SadLady]

kbfunth, yes I am planing on adding more calories and food, one at a time to see the effect on my blood sugar. I want to be able to maintain the readings as close to normal as I can. For the last 3 days they have been between 100 and 120 without doing anything different. I have added 3 more oz of protein in the evening so far. The reading in the morning is around 100, not the 89 I was having, however the avocado is gone since I don't have any available. As the ones I bought ripe, we will study the morning readings until I can eat them again and then see if the avocado has any particular effect due to its high fat content.

I can not believe that the doctors would not see your brother, what are they for, to treat the colds only? I hope your brother is doing better. I have found out that for me, and I am also a type II a diet high in fat has worked very well in bringing my bs readings down. A lot of avocados, olive oil and meat and salmon has been very good, but again I must emphasize, for me. Everyone is different and you have to keep that in mind.

Carpendale, I will look into it, thanks a lot.

[nawchem]

I'm impressed with your discipline and think your experiment is really cool! :thup:

Maybe in the future you can try some of the real fatty meats like salmon, or bacon. I'm very, very happy for you!

[theadora]

Sadlady? I don't know if you are able to find this vidoe tape near home or on TV on PBS. My question is this?, are you so unstable on your feet that you are stuck useing a wheelchair?. If so this tape might be worth looking into at the Library or maybe thru Amazon.com Look for a tape called "Sit and be Fit". Her name is Maryann Wilson,she does ALL her exersizes in a chair. Its all slow moving and comfortable. And we all need to some how include exersize in our lifestyles. Sometimes when I'm lazy I'll watch her and follow along. But I was thinking of you first because you stated that you had bad arthritis. I hope this helps you. and any others here who read this.

theadora
diet controled for now

[cindy_cfid]

it makes me wonder how the 90% fat will affect your cholesterol.

My 80% fat diet (with a minimum of 4 eggs a day) has finally normalized my cholesterol & dropped my triglycerides to 100 (ref. s/b <150). ;)