Hello,

I looked through this forum and didn't see what I was looking for. I apologize if I'm posting repeated questions...

First, for some reason, I only just realized that my Metformin is supposed to be taken with food. Eating first thing in the morning makes me queasy. Do you think that the heavy cream that I use in my coffee could be considered "food" for the purposes of taking this? The label doesn't say "take with food or milk" it says "take with food".

Also, as I've expressed in other threads, I have been really trying to watch my protein intake. It's been difficult. Do you think I'm making a mountain out of a mole-hill on this? Should I be strongly concerned about my protein intake?

I'm not a raging diabetic. My A1C was 7.5 or something. I think we caught it fairly early on...

Thank you for your help!

I would think that the advice to take the Metformin with food is to avoid the stomach upset it sometimes causes. If you've been taking it with the cream and you are doing fine with it, then stick to that.

I don't know if you've read Dr Richard Bernstein. He's a great resource for eating LCHF to control diabetes.

As far as limiting protein, carbs have a more damaging effect on blood sugars than protein. If you can get your blood sugar where you want it while limiting only carbs, then you're good. If you are not getting the results you want, then consider lowering protein as well. Good luck!

What are you limiting your protein to?

You only need to take Metformin with food if it upsets your stomach. So you're good

I've always taken metformin at bedtime. No stomach problems.

Thanks for the responses, everyone!

I'm glad to know that the only reason for taking Metformin with food is tummy issues. I'm not having too much of that.

My doctor said that if I eat a piece of meat, the size of the back of my hand, that would be plenty of protein in a day. But, I'm finding this very difficult to achieve. Especially since I love eggs and they really are a staple of my diet. I just know that diabetics need to protect their kidneys and excess protein causes them to work harder. But, I don't know how much of this is medical-industry hyperbole and how much is a real cause for concern...

I've just put myself through 10 weeks of researching kidney disease. The one thing every place seems to say is, protein doesn't harm normally functioning kidneys.

However, the majority of sites/organizations/papers say lowering protein slows the progression to dialysis or transplant. Doesn't mean you will go that far, that's just what you hear most. However, I have read varying recommendations for protein amount for slowing, anywhere from .6 to .8 (most frequent) to 1.0 g per kilo of normal body weight. So there is no consensus on amount.

I had an appointment with a Low Carb Dietician who recommended 60-80 grams of protein for me...I'm 5'3", 62 yo, Stage 3 CKD. Dr. Fung said LCHF is safe for me to do, because it is high fat, not high protein. I haven't asked him yet for a protein amount to shoot for.

There are 5 grams of protein per ounce of raw ribeye, fat trimmed off (just the way the USDA database has it) How thick of a piece of meat is your doctor talking about? The size he said could be 4 ounces, could be 6. At the highest that is 30 g. protein. Also - salmon = 6 g. protein, and cheese = 7 g. protein, per ounce.

I buy jumbo organic eggs - 13g. per egg.

Adds up fast! But it's more than your doctor said!

Thank you for all of this information!

I just bought Dr. Bernstein's book (2011 edition) and have begun reading it. I love Kindle for PC!

My kidney function tests are fine. I'm not having any problems there. As I said, I think we caught my diabetes in the early stages. Thank goodness!

But my doctor has put such emphasis on protecting the kidneys and not going too high in protein, it kind of freaked me out a bit.

I think I will stop worrying about it.

My fasting sugars are slowly coming down and I'm losing weight.

I see my doctor again in 3 months. I assume he'll want to run more blood work and my fingers are crossed that there will be improvements in my sugars and liver tests (he's thinking fatty liver, numbers aren't crazy, but elevated.) Hopefully I will have had a significant weight loss by then, too.

YW. Just wanted you to see that you're fine! I don't know why he would recommend such a low protein amount (maybe he's a stealth vegan) when nephrologists don't even go that far.

LOL! Well, this is Oregon, after all... We do have a lot of those vegan people running around here. I don't think he's vegan, but he might be. He is supportive of me and this lifestyle change (thankfully!) but he's definitely bought into the ADA recommendations. He's young, so I'm hoping that perhaps seeing the changes in me, he'll learn the lesson that low carb is safe and effective. *fingers crossed*