I am here because I am confused

[JustmeMan]

So I was diagnosed August 2015 with Type 2. Told I could get away with taking the pills (now Janumet 2x50mg) only as long as I watch my portions. I am a Chef and love food in general so ya no that was not happening. I was tested around >8 BS for about a year or so. Then the sh*t hit the fan!! I checked out another (fourth) Doctor as my hip pain was back in full force and preventing me from walking normally.

During the getting to know you Doc phase my BS came back at high teens. I'm talking 18, 19. And to make things really special my Kidneys were leaking protein, oh lucky me. She (Doc) asked me to look into LCHF and specifically DietDoctor.com. This is now mid-March.

Day one I killed all carbs, BANG! just like that. I have been looking at the labels and matching serving sizes to try and mentally keep my intake below 20g a day. If I am not sure I weight the food but that was about as hardcore as I got. Now I am looking for a decent APP to get down and dirty with.

At first, I managed to loose 4.5lbs (200lbs) and keep it off until today I weighed in at 206lbs. I started taking 2 tsp of psyllium husk in water for three days now hoping to help move my bowels and it seems to be working just dandy.

Yes, my portion control is a full plate so I suspect I can attribute some blame to that. I am started as of today to eat slowly and much much less in portion size but more frequent as I get hungry not just because it's noon or dinner time. But I was keeping the plate 70/30 veg/protein.

As of today, I have been in what I now know as Keto Flu; constant headaches, occasional fogginess, dizziness, so tired I could sleep the couch to shreds in one afternoon.

I went looking for answers and depending on what site you read, what I have is normal for a beginner but the solutions are so broad spectrum I get lost in the reading and combine that with my fog state of mind, I am a lost puppy.

I stumbled onto here and read posts that were more detailed and to the point with personal experiences to back up claims. So here I am hoping to get help, find help and so on.

I read here that how you Keto or LCHF or both (if that's possible) will depend on your body's reaction and to the diet. Each person is unique and I have to find out what works for me; I knew this but once you hear/read it you feel better knowing you might have found a good site.

Did you know one website claims this is not a diet...really? That's not what Webster's says. This same site was a Facebook page on Keto but some of them are just out to lunch (excuse pun) with claims of 0g carbs all day. Correct me if I am wrong but unless all you eat is lettuce is that even possible? If so then teach me Obi One.

So I can go on but I think this is good for now. Hope to keep in touch on here and get schooled on this new way of life :help:

Other medical conditions I should mention; I have a hiatus hernia (The hiatus is an opening in the diaphragm) and take a prescribed version of Zantac. I produce high levels of acid in my stomach which combined with the hiatus is a lot of fun NOT! I've been this way for 30+ years, born with it. Doctors tried operating and it worked 100% for 5 years but now it is back full-on and I'm told it's normal for it to return which is why they don't perform the operation anymore.

My right foot feels like it's dying on the top behind the toes - painfully I might add; my hips (especially my left hip) hurt a lot almost all the time - some days better than others (x-ray/CT never show anything) but when it hurts it's hard to walk (this condition I had long before Type 2 was diagnosed); Used to bodybuild until one day I knocked myself out and was rushed to the hospital. Not with the weights I might add just strained so much to lift 300lbs that I busted a hole in my spine behind the neck causing CF fluid to leak out from protecting my brain from touching the skull.

Ya I am a mess. So I am looking forward to being here, thanks. :wave:

[thud123]

Welcome and I hope you my find some relief by following a lower carb higher fat way of eating. For me it's simple: No GPS (Grain, Potato, Sugar) I eat lots of vegetables but most of them are on the low carb side. As a chef you may have been exposed to many wonderful vegetables, you don't have to ditch all of them - maybe some for now. I'm no chef but was very experimental in my LCHF or Keto or whatever you want to call it eating experiment. I did take photos along the way and these may help get an idea of what might be availble to eat. I mostly these days just stirfry up fat, vegetables and some protein in a wok and call it a meal with a salad of some kind.

You might be in for a long row to hoe but if you relax and remain patient it might bring you some relief. For some ideas of what I ate go to the first page of my journal and I had some links to pictures there during the first few months.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=470285&page=1&pp=15

Also review other journals here http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=36 you find lots of things to do and not to do.

[Zuleikaa]

Welcome.

One of the best things you can do for diabetic neuropathy...painful tingling or loss of sensation in extremities is take vitamin D3 10,0000 IU/day and be tested before you start or after three months of being on it. If you can't be tested I wouldn't worry about it, 20,000 IU/day has been proven safe over a 5 year period.

With the vitamin D3 you should take 400-600 mg of chelated magnesium/day.

The two are synergistic and will help heal your body, muscles, bones, joints, and control your diabetes.

To get away from Zantac try taking 1 tablespoon of natural apple cider vinegar with the mother, think Braggs, in 4 to six ounces of water before meals. This will provide a safe acid to help digest your food and prevent acid reflux which will prevent further damage to your esophagus.

You might also want to investigate George's Aloe Vera Juice. Drinking 2 ounces 2X/day helps heal esophagus, stomach, and intestines from damage caused by the acid reflux and wheat proteins. As your stomach heals it also heals leaky gut which can be contributing to some of your joint pain.

As you can probably tell I'm into holistic healing in a big way.

[khrussva]

Welcome JustMeMan. You found a great place for information and support in this forum. Not all information posted is golden - but there is a lot of real life experience here and some good roll models to follow. It looks like you are off to a good start.

Yes - the Keto flu thing is common. It normally resolves in a few days and salty broth or salting your food does help you feel better. Your BMs should normalize within a few weeks. I had a big problem with that for the first several weeks. Anytime I make a significant change to my diet I have those kind of issues. It took longer than I wanted it to, but it did resolve on its own eventually.

I beat type 2 diabetes. My A1c has been in the normal range for over 2 years eating low carb. This way of eating (WOE) resolved my high blood pressure, too. It became quite apparent to me that this is how I should be eating. I've made the change stick and I've gotten lean and healthy.

Did you know one website claims this is not a diet...really?
I used to interpret a "Diet" as being a temporary modification to how you eat in order to shed some pounds. I now see it differently. A diet is what and how you eat on a regular basis. In general I've eaten 2 different diets in my life... The carb loaded standard American diet (SAD). That one made me fat and sick. My diet is now low carb. This diet made me naturally shed pounds and it made me healthy again. I've tweaked this diet some over time. I started off low carb. Then I went very low carb (keto), and now I eat high fiber and slightly more carbs than I did in the beginning. As I keep learning I may tweak some more - looking for the flavor of low carb that works best for me.

I wish you the best and you get started. Kick diabetes to the curb.

[bkloots]

Welcome, JustMeMan. You're a terrific writer, so I hope you'll stick around. Meanwhile, as you've already noticed, there are loads of intelligent, successful, and helpful people on this site. You've come to the right place.

Best wishes.

[JEY100]

Welcome, you have a lot going on! :wave:

The journals and progress reports from Thud and Ken are very helpful for a guy's perspective on this way of eating.

I am happy that your doctor recommened the DietDoctor website. It is truly loaded with great medical advice, how to handle keto flu, explains the minor difference between keto and LC diets, recipes you can filter by carb level, and has interviews and movies with some of the best LC experts in the world. Sign up for the free month and when you see how much help is there, you will want to stay a member to help Dr. Eenfeldt bring this information to the world without ads or selling any products.

I know that it will sound as though Low Carb fixes every medical condition, but my husband stopped his long-standing GERD and Aciphex prescription by eliminating all wheat and sugar, my long-standing skin rashes and hip/knee pain disappeared by removing all sugar and starches (plus go very light on dairy too), to say nothing of keeping our BG numbers in very healthy ranges. Check all the threads on Reversng Diabetes in our Diabestes forum http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=45, in particular, read some of Dr Fung here and at DietDoctor...adding some Intermittant Fasting can help you bring down those high blood sugars.


Now I am looking for a decent APP to get down and dirty with. Many of us use My Fitness Pal, custom the goals for LC first, can save your recipes, favorite meals, it gets easier to use with more input. Free version is fine. http://eatfatlosefatblog.com/how-to-configure-myfitnesspal-for-a-low-carb-or-ketogenic-diet/

All the best,

[bluesinger]

The trip you've started is hard and long, and you have to make up your mind to do it. The people on this forum come from a variety of beginnings and are more than willing to share what they know. However, every BODY is different and responds to different tactics.

I used to be a chef, and the way I handle tasting is: taste and spit. I taste and then spit it into the garbage.

I also used to have violent GERD. Some people make too much stomach acid, some make too little. Mine responded to raw apple, and I haven't had an event in over 10 years.

Good luck to you.

[DelaneyLC]

Welcome! Looks like you are on the right track getting started here.

Lots of people consider low carb as a WOE (way of eating) and not a "diet". For me it's a lifetime commitment and a not diet that I go on & off.

When someone says they eat Zero carbs they mean that they just eat protein and fats...meat, eggs, etc. and they don't eat vegetables, because vegetables are carbs.

You should feel better soon and come out of the fog as you continue low carb eating. Supplements like magnesium and vit D can help. Drinking some broth for extra sodium helps because LC depletes sodium in your body.

Keep reading posts here and read some books like Atkins or Gary Taubes "Why we get fat and what to do about it". Dietdoctor.com has a lot of great information too.

[JustmeMan]

Welcome.
To get away from Zantac try taking 1 tablespoon of natural apple cider vinegar with the mother, think Braggs, in 4 to six ounces of water before meals. This will provide a safe acid to help digest your food and prevent acid reflux which will prevent further damage to your esophagus.

You might also want to investigate George's Aloe Vera Juice. Drinking 2 ounces 2X/day helps heal esophagus, stomach, and intestines from damage caused by the acid reflux and wheat proteins. As your stomach heals it also heals leaky gut which can be contributing to some of your joint pain.

As you can probably tell I'm into holistic healing in a big way.

Thanks for the advice - Just need clarification on "...apple cider vinegar with the mother, think Braggs..." what is mother? And Braggs?

[JustmeMan]

Welcome! Looks like you are on the right track getting started here.

Lots of people consider low carb as a WOE (way of eating) and not a "diet". For me it's a lifetime commitment and a not diet that I go on & off.

When someone says they eat Zero carbs they mean that they just eat protein and fats...meat, eggs, etc. and they don't eat vegetables, because vegetables are carbs.

You should feel better soon and come out of the fog as you continue low carb eating. Supplements like magnesium and vit D can help. Drinking some broth for extra sodium helps because LC depletes sodium in your body.

Keep reading posts here and read some books like Atkins or Gary Taubes "Why we get fat and what to do about it". Dietdoctor.com has a lot of great information too.

Thank you for your input, greatly appreciated.

The zero carb comment; I should have explained that the person who was claiming this had just shown a pic of her lunch and it was a taco salad with sour cream, tomato, lettuce, meat and onions. No way that was zero.

I have heard a lot about magnesium, potassium but you are the second person to mention vitamin D. Does a multi not take care of all that?

[JustmeMan]

The trip you've started is hard and long, and you have to make up your mind to do it. The people on this forum come from a variety of beginnings and are more than willing to share what they know. However, every BODY is different and responds to different tactics.

I used to be a chef, and the way I handle tasting is: taste and spit. I taste and then spit it into the garbage.

I also used to have violent GERD. Some people make too much stomach acid, some make too little. Mine responded to raw apple, and I haven't had an event in over 10 years.

Good luck to you.

Thank you.

Yes I make too much acid and with the ruptured hiatus, it is not fun without the meds. I take a pill twice a day (each 20mg Rabeprazole) If I miss one I pay for it 8 - 10 hours later.

I strongly agree that every BODY is different, DNA, Genetics, etc all factors. You need time through trial and error to understand your body and what foods affect you. I am in it for the long haul.