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  #1   ^
Old Wed, Aug-09-17, 16:32
TucsonBill's Avatar
TucsonBill TucsonBill is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 339
 
Plan: ≤ 20 carbs & IF
Stats: 292/235/170 Male 72 Inches
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Tucson, AZ
Default New Member - Questions...

I orignally posted this in the newbie / introduction forum but probably should post it here too. I am still wondering, if I stick to the low carb diet, if my glucose levels will ever get back to "normal" and how soon that might happen...

I'll try to make a long story short.

I'm 57, 290 lbs, 6' and was diagnosed with "borderline" diabetes about two years ago. I made a few modifications to my diet which were not enough. My A1C has shot up to 10.1 and I am beginning to get neuropathy in my feet.

How did this happen? I suppose I thought I was invincible. For most if my life I ate and drank what ever I wanted which included a diet of lots of pasta, rice & coca-cola. I'm also a smoker since I was about 14. I guess I am fortunate in that the high blood sugar is the ONLY thing plaguing me at this time. My blood pressure has been 120/80 for years. There is a possibility that Chantix may have triggered my diabetes so I'm staying away from that now just to be safe.

I take 500 mg Metformin which is as much as I can tolerate and just started taking 5 mg Farxiga on Monday. I also started taking Wellbutrin to aid with quitting smoking. These are the only medications I take and my goal is to lose 70 pounds and get off the meds & quit smoking.

i have been following the Atkins diet for 4 days now and I think I have have made it to "ketosis". I have been consuming only about 10 carbs a day. if that, and my blood sugar has dropped from an average of around 250, (my morning fasting reading) and readings as high as 325 during the day, to about 170 in the morning and it has gone as low as 140 during the day.

I can see I have made some progress in just 4 days. So far, I've been eating mostly meat, eggs and a few low carb vegies like eggplant pizza, sausage & cheese stuffed zucchini, & mashed cauliflower with cream cheese and parmesan. I've been looking for the lowest carb recipes online.


If I stick to this diet, should I be taking any vitamins or supplements? What can I expect going forward? What are the odds my glucose levels will ever get back to normal, like 80 or 100? My doctor says I might be cured if I can get my weight down and recommended Atkins and monitoring my progress.

I'd appreciate any help I can get.

Regards,

TucsonBill
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  #2   ^
Old Thu, Aug-10-17, 03:02
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is online now
Posts: 13,368
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

Hi Bill, glad you posted here as well. I answered on the intro thread but hopefully others will add their experience.

I linked this thread http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=475642. with a 30 minute presentation (#4) available free on DietDoctor with a few examples of Dr Westman's patients from his clinical records...How he Reverses Diabetes in patients who are on higher doses of Insulin for longer than you have been. I know people through his support group that continue to eat LCHF for many years controlling blood glucose through diet. Understand they continue to eat under 20g carbs every day...they might eat more foods than on the clinic list or more of them, but carbs are kept below 20g...forever. The clinic diet was designed based on what Dr Atkins used in his clinic with diabetic patients around 2000. He has treated 4,000 Patients with diabetes and the new tele-med start-up, Virta Health, also is following a large number of patients. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=476612
In the U.K., Dr Unwin is tracking the results of a large LC study. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...study-suggests/

Last edited by JEY100 : Thu, Aug-10-17 at 03:12.
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  #3   ^
Old Thu, Aug-10-17, 04:41
TucsonBill's Avatar
TucsonBill TucsonBill is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 339
 
Plan: ≤ 20 carbs & IF
Stats: 292/235/170 Male 72 Inches
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Tucson, AZ
Default

I am just now on day 5 and I woke up at 3am, (after 6 hours continuous sleep), and tested my blood sugar and its 134 - a new record low! Also my high yesterday was 171! In just 5 days my numbers have nearly been cut in half from what they were! I'm excited! I'm wondering if this is normal? I'll check out those websites tomorrow. Thanks again!
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  #4   ^
Old Thu, Aug-10-17, 05:35
thud123's Avatar
thud123 thud123 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 7,422
 
Plan: P:E=>1 (Q3-22)
Stats: 168/100/82 Male 182cm
BF:
Progress: 79%
Default

Keep on this path for a good amount of time. My BG readings have normalized along with many others here by removing grains, potatoes and sugars for what we eat. A1C shoulds start to come slowly down as your daily average of BG lowers over time. Lots of time. Sit down, buckle up and RELAX

You will do well.
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  #5   ^
Old Thu, Aug-10-17, 05:39
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is online now
Posts: 13,368
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

Please read all the links in the Caution Sticky above ^^^.!!!
Start with This one: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/...r-hypoglycemia/

The lows can happened quickly, esp. if you are taking medication.
The other issue may be "false hypos". Because your body has adjusted to blood glucose levels in the 200-300s, quickly cutting carbs may make that 135 "feel" very low to You. If you feel OK, that's fine, but please be cautious that you don't go too low. Phone doctor's office, give them readings, and possibly get their instructions for lowering or eliminating medication. This morning.
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  #6   ^
Old Thu, Aug-10-17, 09:50
TucsonBill's Avatar
TucsonBill TucsonBill is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 339
 
Plan: ≤ 20 carbs & IF
Stats: 292/235/170 Male 72 Inches
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Tucson, AZ
Default

Thud123: What I am curious to know his "how quickly" your blood sugars normalized after eliminating the carbs. I'm going hard core on this and trying to stay below 20 carbs a day and have had a pretty drastic change in just 5 days now. I am wondering how much of that decrease has to do with the diet, and how much it has to do with the medications.

Jey100: Some great info there. I found this article on false hypos:

http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/...alse-hypos.html

It's kind of old and does not mention Farxiga but I have read about it and there can be some nasty side effects from Farxiga in a small percentage people. At this point, I have been on the Metformin for only a month, and the Farxiga for only 4 days and I am monitoring my glucose levels closely. Farxiga is very expensive and I could not afford it if I had to pay for it. My doctor gave me a one month supply of free samples and I am hoping not to to take it any longer than that. My doctor is 100% behind my diabetes being curable by diet and exercise and said he was only giving me this because my readings were so consistently high and that i needed "someting" to get those levels down while I adjust my diet and exercise. From what I have read, it only reduces the A1C by about .8% after 90 days and at the rate I am going, my A1C should be down by 40-50% just based on the readings I have been getting over the last couple days (if it continues). Also, risk of "false hypos" seems to be very low for folks like me not taking any insulin. I will definitely stop taking it if my blood sugar goes to 100 - just to see what happens. For now, I will continue to monitor it closely.

As far as the false hypo's go, I have not had any symptoms of that so far. On the contrary, I have always had 20/20 vision and before I started this diet, my vision was getting blurry especially at night and I had to use my reading glasses more and more. All the sudden, my vision is clearing up too! I was just reading some fine print a few minutes ago, and a week ago I would have needed my reading glasses! I also feel more energy. Before I was taking at least one, sometimes two naps a day and sleeping 10 hours at night. Yesterday I took zero naps and slept a total of 8 hours last night and only got up to pee once! Before I was waking up thirsty and having to go pee 3-4 times a nite and thirsty all day. Now I have to sort of force myself to drink water! I am really amazed about what has happened in just a few days. I am going to give it at least a few more days like this before I try discontinuing the meds. Thanks for the warning though! I am going to monitor myself very closely.

Bill

Last edited by TucsonBill : Thu, Aug-10-17 at 09:55.
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  #7   ^
Old Thu, Aug-10-17, 10:03
thud123's Avatar
thud123 thud123 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 7,422
 
Plan: P:E=>1 (Q3-22)
Stats: 168/100/82 Male 182cm
BF:
Progress: 79%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TucsonBill
Thud123: What I am curious to know his "how quickly" your blood sugars normalized after eliminating the carbs. I'm going hard core on this and trying to stay below 20 carbs a day and have had a pretty drastic change in just 5 days now. I am wondering how much of that decrease has to do with the diet, and how much it has to do with the medications.

I'm sorry I can't answer how quickly mine dropped below 100 on a consistent basis but by the time I got a BG meter they were pretty normal, You might want to page thru my journal as there may be some mention of it.

I was on no medication and my numbers were just above 100 - I didn't use low carb to intervene with that issue necessarily , I used low carb to investigate fat metabolism mostly.

I'd not worry about how quickly, just be concerned that it's going the right direction. And as others have mentioned, if you are still taking meds, work with your doctor to find what works for you. Some here report having to cut dosages or stop taking meds after a time.

sorry I can't be more helpful or specific.
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  #8   ^
Old Thu, Aug-10-17, 10:34
Bonnie OFS Bonnie OFS is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,573
 
Plan: Dr. Bernstein
Stats: 188/150/135 Female 5 ft 4 inches
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: NE WA
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TucsonBill
I'm going hard core on this and trying to stay below 20 carbs a day


In my opinion that's the only way to do it. I dithered & cheated & it took forever to get down to normal.
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  #9   ^
Old Thu, Aug-10-17, 12:59
Mama Sebo's Avatar
Mama Sebo Mama Sebo is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,202
 
Plan: Keto, IF
Stats: 224/136/124 Female 64 inches
BF:44%/23%/20%
Progress: 88%
Location: Kenya-teleworking Austria
Default

Wonderful to read your enthusiasm, it reminds me of my time just after my diagnosis and how in the groove I was. Go for it! And I will find that groove somewhere around here......we can do it! We can get our weight low enogh to reverse diabetes!
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  #10   ^
Old Thu, Aug-10-17, 14:05
TucsonBill's Avatar
TucsonBill TucsonBill is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 339
 
Plan: ≤ 20 carbs & IF
Stats: 292/235/170 Male 72 Inches
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Tucson, AZ
Default

This is really surprising, 2 hours after lunch, (leftover low carb Chile Relleno & cauliflower Mexican rice), my blood glucose is 124, amazing to me!

I did wind up calling my doctor and got a recording that he's out till Monday so I sent a fax hoping someone there will relay the message, but to me, this is great!

Bill
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  #11   ^
Old Fri, Aug-11-17, 03:01
TucsonBill's Avatar
TucsonBill TucsonBill is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 339
 
Plan: ≤ 20 carbs & IF
Stats: 292/235/170 Male 72 Inches
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Tucson, AZ
Default

Had T-Bone steak on the grill, saute'd mushrooms and brocolli for dinner, woke up to use the restroom and:

edit: Ok well I tried to attach an image but it didn't work - my reading glucose is down to 114...
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  #12   ^
Old Fri, Aug-11-17, 04:00
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is online now
Posts: 13,368
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

keep monitoring! Adjust meds to that number.
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  #13   ^
Old Fri, Aug-11-17, 17:10
TucsonBill's Avatar
TucsonBill TucsonBill is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 339
 
Plan: ≤ 20 carbs & IF
Stats: 292/235/170 Male 72 Inches
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Tucson, AZ
Default

Another thing that just dawned on me...

I weighed myself yesterday and my scale said 274 and I thought it must be broken because when I went to the doctor Monday I was 292 so I went to Walmart and bought a bran new good quality digital scale and it said 274 too.. I was very confused..,

When I went to take my shower and took my socks off I noticed that the edema in my ankles was gone! I have had fat bulging calves and I wear tight socks and when I take them off there is a noticeable ridge where my socks stop, and it was gone - completely! Also, to take off my wedding ring, before I'd have to use soap and water to get it off and now it just slides on and off easy as you please.

I know I did not lose 18 pounds of fat in one week, probably I have lost some, but clearly my water weight has gone way down. Now I only have to lose 54 pounds instead of 72 to hit my target weight of 220

Bill
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  #14   ^
Old Fri, Aug-11-17, 20:02
TucsonBill's Avatar
TucsonBill TucsonBill is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 339
 
Plan: ≤ 20 carbs & IF
Stats: 292/235/170 Male 72 Inches
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Tucson, AZ
Default

I might have had a very "slight?" false hypo today. I usually take my walk about noon or one. It's very hot here in Tucson so I go to the local Walmart and walk all the isles for about 30-45 minutes. Today I was tired and did not feel like going but I forced myself to. I probably walked for 2 hours today because I had to go to Home Depot too. I came home exhausted and went straight to bed but I only slept for about 45 minutes and woke up feeling much better.

My glucose reading was 99... I am definitely going to see my doctor on Monday.

Tonight I made a delicious shrimp salad with organic spring mix, cucumber & tomato and some low carb cilantro-lime dressing and it was wonderful

Bill
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  #15   ^
Old Sat, Aug-12-17, 00:30
Mama Sebo's Avatar
Mama Sebo Mama Sebo is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,202
 
Plan: Keto, IF
Stats: 224/136/124 Female 64 inches
BF:44%/23%/20%
Progress: 88%
Location: Kenya-teleworking Austria
Default

wonderful that you arehaving such positive responses to your changes Under 100!! Great!!
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