Just adding my own comments to this interview. I was curious about my own blood sugar a few months back and bought a monitor. It has been VERY interesting and definitely proves I'm insulin resistant.

I had a high reading of over 150 after eating a sweet dessert (that was 2 hours later, not sure what 1 hour would have been).

I am having 2 hours post meal readings now (been very faithfully low carb for awhile) and they're just a touch too low. I think this could explain some of my issues like tiredness. So I am experimenting with eating more often and having berries for snacks.

A week back my apricot tree was throwing apricots at me and I was eating quite a few of them. My blood sugar never went super high but it always seemed to be hanging around in the 90s and sometimes the 100s.

Hypoglycemia is a severe problem for me, Nancy, and I've been suffering from periods of extreme muscular weakness. I made a decision to add fruit back into my diet. and to not shoot for ideal any longer. It's too much of a slippery slope between 90 and 60 for me. I feel much better in the 100-120 range.

Yeah, your issues are totally different and much more severe though since you have no insulin of your own and have to inject it. And your hypos are really traumatic. I think I should do ok in the 80's and that is perfectly normal blood sugar range for most folks.

I do think even though I'm only running 10 points or less low it might be causing me some small issues. Like headache, anxiety or tiredness.

I just had about 1/3 cup of unsweetened berries and I'll take my blood sugar after an hour and see what it does for me.

I notice I've been eating more meat lately too. I am experimenting with steaks and having about 8 oz at noon every day. It seems weird in some ways. Like I get VERY full but a little later on I have a kind of fullness but with hunger.

Anyway, I'm looking for snacks I can easily eat. Nuts, grains, dairy and out. So far I'm eating berries and olives. Gets a bit monotonous.

I thought the interview was interesting about the fats. I'd like to get more of my calories from fat but it is hard to do when you're not eating dairy and nuts.

Whoa! Just took my reading... 125.

Yup, when I had a normal response to hypos, I didn't like being in the 70s at all. I would get clumsy and fuzzy-headed.

Hmmm.... I had a really hard time getting my blood sugar out of the 70's yesterday. My snack on olives didn't really budge it, the snack on berries sent it too high briefly. Probably just need a smaller portion or a different type of berries, these had sweet cherries in them.

But I binged on dates last night and today I'm back in the high 90's. Bleh!

I have noticed on a couple of occasions recently that my BG's have been unusually low. Those occasions seemed to correspond to me spending more time outside, not necessarily more active though. Our temperatures here for the last few days have been running almost 100 degrees (F).

Bernstein mentions that one needs less insulin in the summer due to greater peripheral circulation and more efficient use of glucose. I am inclined to think that is what it was but I don't really have a big data set to work with. I like air conditioning too much but I try to at least get my daily vitamin D from the sun.

...and oh, I love olives as a snack.

/smile

Glucose tablets work very well and in a more controlled way. I think jpatti uses SweetTarts for the same purpose.

I listened to that podcast and found it very interesting. I'm pretty sure that I'm very insulin resistant, but I'm not sure what to do about it. I've been faithful to eating lc for almost 4 years now. I don't have diabetes, and I don't want it! I don't have a blood glucose monitor, but even if I did (I could always buy one), how would that help me correct my diet? I feel really unknowledgeable on this subject.

ETA: My fasting blood sugar level is always right around 80, never higher than 85. I don't really feel that I have symptoms of hypoglycemia -- not hungry after I eat, no dizziness or lightheadedness, etc., a little tiredness, but I've been tired for so many years that it's normal for me. I'm going to try to get my doctor to do a glucose tolerance test on me, but I doubt she will. It's the HMO I belong to that limits her. I discussed insulin resistance with her, and she just agreed that I should consider myself as having it!

Excellent discussion on hypoglycemia... I definitely think that this could be the problem as to why some people are having a difficult time losing weight...makes a lot of sense. The author of the Rosedale diet also says that low carb dieting leads to insulin resistance....

He says hunger and cravings = drop in your blood sugar. He also states to eat more often to control this, every 2-3 hours. smaller meals with protein and fat....

Foods to eat should be cottage cheese, hummus, wassa crackers, apple with almond butter, etc. He also says hypoglycemia can stimulate adrenal fatigue...

Strength training is better than cardio for burning fat stores....

Thanks for the article Nancy!

TJ

80 is great, Kisal. Sounds like you're worrying over nothing.

I know my blood sugar is okay, but I can't seem to lose any more weight! I've been playing back and forth with 10 lbs since the end of February. Eating more hasn't made any difference, and I'm afraid to eat much less. I've been averaging around 5 to 10 grams of carbs/day and 1300 calories. I'm lost at sea! What I gleaned from the podcast was that my body probably has to pump out gallons of insulin to keep my blood sugar normal.

I just ordered a copy of DADR, the 1973 edition, from Amazon. Maybe I'll do better on that version than I have on DANDR 2002, although I've never eaten any of the Atkins products and mainly eat plain foods that I make here at home. I tried to switch to PPLP, but can't eat enough food to get all the protein it says I require. I'm at my wits end!

Your doing the very best for your insulin resistance in eating low carb since it provokes only the minimal insulin response. The drug metformin would help make your cells more sensitive to insulin if you could get your doctor to prescribe it. Those HMOs really suck!

If we've discussed it before forgive me, but have you had your thyroid checked? Your doctor telling you you're "normal" is worthless. You need to get the number because the range for thyroid functioning is HUGE! Most people need to be around a TSH of 1 yet doctors tell people they're normal up to, and even over 5.

Your body doesn't have to pump out gallons of insulin to keep your BS normal because you're eating low carb (you are, right?). If it did, you'd have really, really low blood sugar and you'd feel just awful.

What the doctor was talking about was that metabolic syndrome people, which most of us are, tend to slightly over produce insulin even when we are eating low carb, which makes our blood sugar run a little low when we're faithful to the diet. His thinking is that frequent low carb snacking will keep it the BS up a little.

I am not diabetic. But i definitely have hypoglycemia. I feel fuzzy headed on the days when on the previous day I dont eat enough carbs in the night. I need like a cup of rice in the night for me to feel alright the next morning.

That goes totally against low crab but I dont know otherwise. I eat 5 times a day. snack on nuts 2 times and eat omlette in the morning, a veggie burger with low carb bread in the afternoon and a cup of rce and greek yoghurt and some veggie side dish in the night.

I think I am in a stall now. I cant reduce my carbs and feel sane in the morning. It drives me crazy.