New Member - Questions...

[TucsonBill]

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

[JEY100]

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/2016/05/31/low-carb-diet-helps-control-diabetes-new-study-suggests/

[TucsonBill]

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!

[thud123]

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.

[JEY100]

Please read all the links in the Caution Sticky above ^^^.!!! :exclm:
Start with This one: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/07/zero-tolerance-for-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. :)

[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.

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

http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2007/07/type-2s-understanding-false-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

[thud123]

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.

[Bonnie OFS]

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.

[Mama Sebo]

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!

[TucsonBill]

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

[TucsonBill]

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...

[JEY100]

:thup: keep monitoring! Adjust meds to that number.

[TucsonBill]

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

[TucsonBill]

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

[Mama Sebo]

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

[JEY100]

Continuing to harp about the medication you are taking ;) and combining that with a VLC diet...it is the Farxiga side effects that worry me.

Since dapagliflozin leads to heavy glycosuria (sometimes up to about 70 grams per day) it can lead to rapid weight loss and tiredness. The glucose acts as an osmotic diuretic (this effect is the cause of polyuria in diabetes) which can lead to dehydration. The increased amount of glucose in the urine can also worsen the infections already associated with diabetes, particularly urinary tract infections and thrush (candidiasis). Dapagliflozin is also associated with hypotensive reactions. There are concerns it may increase the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis.[10] Losing 18 pounds of water weight is possible with a diuretic diet plus a dehydrating medication..and that can lead to problems. Now you see the concern about adding Farxiga and staring LC the same day, one example, passing out while driving, or even walking through HD.

The Caution sticky has suggestions what LC doctors generally do. Dr. Westman is clear in the video that for most cases medications doses are reduced by half before even starting to cut carbs. https://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf-diabetes-full-presentation-dr-eric-westman Starting around minute 20, he has examples of Clinic patients dropping all meds within a week. (Patients on medications are given a 24 hour phone number to have dose adjusted anytime). Your doctor should be aware that a ketogenic diet is powerful medicine all on its own. Maybe he doesn't expect patients to actually comply with keeping carbs under 20g, but if they do as you have, Farixga and even common BP medications may be too diuretic.

Edit ps: some of the side effects for Wellbutrin sound diuretic too...frequent urination and constipation. Maybe not the best idea to start 2 meds and a new diet the same day :idea:

[TucsonBill]

Actually I started the Wellbutrin about a month ago. Today my fasting glucose was 121 when I woke up and just now it was 115 two hours after breakfast.

My doctor suggested two years ago that I go on a low carb diet, but like a fool I ignored him and tried - somewhat - to follow the ADA recommended diet (but I still ate a fair amount of jasmine rice and pasta). That may be the reason he prescribed the medication, thinking I would not follow through. I will drive down there first thing Monday morning and see him and I will probably discontinue the Farxiga.

I have also read that the Metformin is "somewhat" natural. Many folks drink Mulberry tea which is where the Metformin comes from - do you think I should discontinue that too or is the Metformin OK to continue to use?

Bill

[JEY100]

You should ask your doctor, but Metformin is at least not a danger by causing too low blood sugar or dehydration or kidney damage or worse. Like any drug, Metformin has some side effects, often digestive, so if you can control your BG without it, I'd consider dropping it.

However, Any of the SGLT2 inhibitors are much more of a problem, please read all of page 4 of the Caution thread to see current warnings. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=452693&page=4&pp=15

[TucsonBill]

Jey100

The past couple of days I have been feeling very tired and weak. I had to force myself to exercise again today so I am going to cut my Farxiga dose in half until Monday and see what happens. I am already on the lowest dose, 5mg, so I'll have to cut the pills in half and see what happens.

Bill

[JEY100]

The "tired and weak" could be "induction flu", a side effect from the diet, read here https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb #5. Be sure to drink enough water and add salt to your diet, easiest is 2 cups of boullion a day. *. But since you also take dehydrating medication, and tiredness is a common side effect of that drug too, water and salt may not be enough.** Skip exercise until you can talk to the doctor. Have a list of what you have been eating, show your commitment to very low carb eating and good BG readings.

You first wondered if you would ever have "normal" BG under 100.
You have been there, done that :thup: :) and can be successful without medication.

* Dr Westman's Clinic Diet as in back of great book, Why We Get Fat
http://www.kostdoktorn.se/wp-content/2014/10/no_sugar_no_starch_diet.pdf The limit on cream and mayo is really 2T, not 4T, but minor misprints..not enough to change the effectiveness of the diet.

**seriously, why is this drug even on the market? (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=477213)

[TucsonBill]

Yes I did read about "induction flu" and that is probably what I am experiencing, (I do feel better today).

It seems that "99" reading was maybe a fluke. My readings have been ranging from 114 to 140 for the past two days, (which is still a HUGE improvement over what I was averaging on the ADA diet, 250-275 with spikes over 300).

My doctor told me that if I stuck to a low carb diet, I would not need the Farxiga for over a month - so that was sorta the plan form the beginning that I would not be on the medication long term. I have also noticed that my feet don't hurt any more when I walk - and there is no numbness, just "tingling". I did read all the warnings and also read some of the blogs and while I know there are risks, I don't think the risks are significant in the short term - less than a week so far, that I have been taking it.

Bill

[JEY100]

Bill, how are you feeling today?

[TucsonBill]

I'm feeling a lot better, I think I'm pretty much over the "atkins flu" - and actually, I don't think I've felt this well in years!

I was tempted today to "reward" myself with a couple of peaches, but I managed to resist :) So far I have not cheated at all, even once.

We have this peach tree in our yard that produces the most sweet, juicy peaches you ever tasted - nothing like what you can buy in the supermarket. This year it was literally LOADED, the lower branches were bending all the way down to the ground - none broke fortunately. As always, we gave most of them away to friends and neighbors but how I would LOVE to just sit down and gorge myself on them! lol

Bill

[Bonnie OFS]

We have this peach tree in our yard that produces the most sweet, juicy peaches you ever tasted - nothing like what you can buy in the supermarket. This year it was literally LOADED, the lower branches were bending all the way down to the ground - none broke fortunately. As always, we gave most of them away to friends and neighbors but how I would LOVE to just sit down and gorge myself on them! lol

Bill

I know the feeling! I hate it when there's a bumper crop of something I can't eat. Now I'm remembering peaches & cream. Maybe someday!

[JEY100]

Glad you are feeling better! Did the doc adjust your meds? BG still good and coming down?

You can dry pack peaches without sugar and freeze them. Maybe save them for some LC holiday treats? I started LC in August and my first attempt at any dessert or muffins made with sweeteners like Swerve was the holidays. Can see a cheesecake with peach topping :yum: As you know, eating higher carb foods with fats is one way to moderate the BG rise.

[TucsonBill]

Jey100 -

I knew you were going to ask me that :)

I saw my doctor yesterday and we decided to keep my medication levels as they are - for now.

As I mentioned earlier, I seem to have leveled off with my BG readings between about 115 - 140 with occasional low readings of about 100 and occasional high readings of 150... "not great" but way better than it was. Also the rapid weight loss seems to have stopped - for the past few days my weight has been hovering between 272-273. I have been trying to get in a small amount of aerobic exercise once a day to get my heart rate up, which right now, is 15 jumping jacks and I notice that my BG is predictably at its lowest about 1 hour afterwards. I have noticed this consistently for the past 3-4 days. Those are the only times I have had a BG reading in the 100 range.

What I kinda don't understand is why, if I am eating less that 20 carbs a day, where is all this blood sugar now coming from?

I read somewhere that I am not supposed to skip meals and snacks - I have been skipping the snacks for the most part and sometimes eating when I don't feel hungry just because I'm not supposed to skip meals.

I am thinking going forward maybe I'll start eating only when I am hungry?

Also I am thinking doing my aerobic exercise 2 or 3 times a day?

What other things might I do to keep my weight and BG readings going down?

My doctor said not to think about decreasing the meds until I can get my BG down into the 100 range, consistantly. I think the aerobic exercise might be the key - walking just doesn't seem to be cutting it.

[JEY100]

:lol: about those meds.

That whole don't skip meals and snacks idea is part of a high carb diet. You eat some LF yogurt with sugar, and then to "get ahead of hunger" as your blood sugar starts crashing, you eat a snack. Don't need to do that on Low Carb.
Quote from the Duke Clinic diet:

Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full The diet works best on a “demand feeding” basis—that is, eat whenever you are hungry; try not to eat more than what will satisfy you. Learn to listen to your body. A low-carbohydrate diet has a natural appetite-reduction effect to ease you into the consumption of smaller and smaller quantities comfortably. Therefore, do not eat everything on your plate just because it’s there. On the other hand, don’t go hungry! You are not counting calories. Enjoy losing weight comfortably, without hunger or cravings. It is recommended that you start your day with a nutritious low-carbohydrate meal. Note that many medications and nutritional supplements need to be taken with food at each meal, or three times per day

If you are only hungry for one meal day, Dr Westman is OK with that. He's not a fan of extended fasting, though Dr Fung is. All info on that here: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=472377 I do some extended fasts for the possibility of cancer recurrence prevention, and my BG dropped to never before seen levels and I felt great..tons of energy. Low levels in the 80s remained even after the fast. Aerobic exercise may bring down BG, but for how long? I think fasting is a longer term solution to clearing out the stored energy and reducing BG levels. https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/power-comparison-fasting-vs-low-carb-fasting-26/
If you slog through the first thread linked you will find examples of many members here with success lowering BG.

[Bonnie OFS]

What I kinda don't understand is why, if I am eating less that 20 carbs a day, where is all this blood sugar now coming from?

I read somewhere that I am not supposed to skip meals and snacks - I have been skipping the snacks for the most part and sometimes eating when I don't feel hungry just because I'm not supposed to skip meals.

I am thinking going forward maybe I'll start eating only when I am hungry?

Also I am thinking doing my aerobic exercise 2 or 3 times a day?


Have you read Dr. Bernstein's book yet? If not, get cracking. You might be able to find it at your public library - 2nd hand copies are very cheap online. Dr. B will explain everything to you!

Don't eat snacks. Period. You don't need them. You have to go at least 4-5 hours between meals to let your insulin get back to normal. If you are eating every couple of hours - it doesn't matter what - your bg & weight will go up.

Too much protein will increase bg, too much anything - even low carb foods - will do it.

Exercise is good. You aren't doing much, so more exercise - 20-30 minutes of brisk walking, for example - would help. Exercise can, short term, increase bg, but in the long run, it helps reduce bg. Jumping jacks aren't too good for your knees.

[TucsonBill]

OK guys,

#1 when I say "snacks" I don't mean carbs - just so you know. I am counting carbs and keeping them below 20 per day, religiously, no cheating at all. I keep a bowl of boiled eggs in the fridge and have 100% natural peanut butter, (no added sugar, only peanuts), that I sometimes put on one stick of celery. That is what I mean by snack. I only did that for the first few days anway - like I said, I have been skipping the snacks, I could also easily skip breakfast.

My vice is coffee, I have a cup of hot black coffee every morning and there are mixed reviews on that, but as long as I have my coffee I'm not hungry in the morning - I may start skipping breakfast.

from the Atkins page on induction:

"1)Eat either three regular-size meals a day or four or five smaller meals. Do not skip meals or go more than six waking hours without eating."

https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/library/articles/the-rules-of-induction

I'll try to figure out some other aerobic exercise that will get my heart pumping :)

EDIT: Yes, at my weight, no doubt jumping jacks are hard on the joints - whats more, my PJ's are loose now, I think most of the weight I have lost so far has been in my waist, and all that fat flopping around when I try to do them combined with my bottoms trying to fall off... LOL - I'm just glad no one can see!

[Meme#1]

"1)Eat either three regular-size meals a day or four or five smaller meals. Do not skip meals or go more than six waking hours without eating."

Hi TucsonBill,
When I first started Atkins I had to debate with people about this but I think this was the secret to my success in the beginning. I think it kept me satisfied and on the low-carb track.
I also think low carb snacks are fine.

You're doing great Bill, keep up the good work!

[TucsonBill]

I have read a couple articles that things like lemons, pickles and apple cider vinegar help to naturally stimulate insulin production and lower BG - anyone know if there is any truth to that notion?

EDIT: Ok, I ran down to the corner market and got a jar of Claussen kosher dill spears and had 3 of them with a light lunch (2 slices of Boars Head Everroast chicken wrapped up with a slice of American cheese. BG was 121 and an hour and a half later its 102.. a low I never had before except an hour and a half after aerobic exercise. I must repeat this test.

[JEY100]

I think quite a few of us use ACV, but I'm terrible at remembering to take it so have no reliable BG results to share. It definitely suppresses my appetite.

There is a thread on Vinegar as nature's Metformin, the Amy Berger article in it is very good,http://www.tuitnutrition.com/2014/12/virtues-of-vinegar.html
and Dr Fung is a big fan.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=472620

The plan I follow has a limit on Dill pickles, no sugar, up to two servings a day. Lemon and lime juice is limited to only 2 teaspoons/day. You're a big guy...3 pickles would likely be fine. :lol:

Dill pickle roll-ups are :yum: :yum: great for a portable lunch.

[teaser]

I don't know if apple cider vinegar is special or not, compared to other vinegars--but there are studies showing acetic acid in vinegar can have good effects, which is good, because I only like plain "white" vinegar. Funny use of the word white.

[GRB5111]

Interesting regarding ACV in that the brands that contain the "mother" like Bragg, are raw, unfiltered and contain supposedly healthy enzymes that other brands don't contain. I use it on salads and some meat dishes liberally. I was drinking water with a tblsp. of Bragg ACV, but I as well don't do this as often as I used to. This approach was also used to eliminate GERD, and I'm sure it helps, but since I no longer have GERD, I can't vouch for the effectiveness of this home remedy.

[thud123]

I'm a heavy user. I buy in gallons. I'm not sure about the health benefits but I love the sour. At one point I was Bragg's only, then started cutting it, now just use plain old store bought ACV. Bragg's in deliciously flavorfilled drunk straight but so expensive. If you're doing ACV for it's claimed, "miracle pro-macrobiotic enzymey microNUTRIENT, age reversing, wrinkle removing, gastro beneficial, wunderkind magic elixir like properties", try a small bottle of it. It's likely not much will happen but it will also probably not kill you.

And remember, Bragg's #1 claim is that, and I quote from the website: "Helps remove body sludge toxins"

toxins. pfft. ;)

http://downhaul.com/lowcarb/keto141-168/newBraggs.JPG

http://downhaul.com/lowcarb/keto141-168/Vinegar.jpg

Good Luck!

[GRB5111]

Sludge. pffft :cool:

[Bonnie OFS]

And remember, Bragg's #1 claim is that, and I quote from the website: "Helps remove body sludge toxins"

toxins. pfft. ;)

Sludge toxins - double pfft.

I haven't found any OTC type diabetes "cure" to help at all. I've tried the apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, chromium, & other things I can't recall. They have either done nothing at all or have given me some weird, uncomfortable side effects.

I'll stick with my Dr. Bernstein diet - low carb, medium protein, medium to high fat. No weird or uncomfortable side effects. :D

[teaser]

Studies I've seen show vinegar helping with the glucose response to meals, that's probably not relevant to low carb eaters--there is stuff showing nighttime vinegar reducing morning glucose, that seems more likely to be important to low carbers, but again the studies will be in people on "normal" diets.

[TucsonBill]

Well, I got my results...

I figured if a couple of pickles was good more would be better. They did suppress my appetite - except for the pickles, I wound up eating all but three of the spears before bedtime. I checked my blood sugar in the morning and it was 131... no big change...

I have a daughter who starts the UofA as a freshman and today was her move-in day at the dorm and she was scheduled for 7am so after a rushed 2 egg breakfast and my last 3 pickle spears we rushed out to get her moved in and I bought another jar of Claussen's, (OMG they are so good!), on my way back home.

I was excited to step on the scale figuring my weight should be down a little since I had such a light lunch, and only pickles for dinner, and was shocked to see I had gained almost 3 pounds! OMG WHAT HAPPENED? LOL!

I figured out there is 330 grams of sodium in EACH SPEAR! Welcome back water weight!

*sigh*

I'll try the ACV but will try to limit the pickles going forward :)

Bill

[Bonnie OFS]

I figured out there is 330 grams of sodium in EACH SPEAR! Welcome back water weight!

Not necessarily. I consume a lot of salt - I crave it - but no water weight gain. Low carb seems to take care of it.

[TucsonBill]

Not necessarily. I consume a lot of salt - I crave it - but no water weight gain. Low carb seems to take care of it.

Well it my have something to do with just "how" overweight I am, and before I started this diet I was dealing with edema. That was one of the first things I noticed after just a week on low carb was that my edema went away. For me, a whole jar of pickles clearly effected my water retention, I know I did not grow another 3 pounds of fat overnight, (but I was consuming a lot of water and pickles) :)

[Liz53]

What kind of pickles were they? Sweet or dill?

[TucsonBill]

What kind of pickles were they? Sweet or dill?

Claussen kosher dills:

https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/claussen/kosher-dill-spears

I don't eat ANYTHING sweet right now - I am counting carbs and sticking to less than 20 a day.

Sunday will mark two weeks. Today I started only eating when I actually feel hungry. I did eat 2 eggs for breakfast just because I had to help my daughter move into the dorm and did not want to suddenly be starving in the process. I came home and had two of the chicken cheese roll-ups, (~2 carbs each) and skipped dinner - I just don't feel hungry but I have felt great all day!

Bill

[deirdra]

Dill & sage cause me mild allergic reactions (hives & stuffed up sinuses) that are inflammatory and cause me to hold onto water weight more than what the salt alone would cause. I still have pickles on occasion because I like them, but don't go overboard. But knowing it was just the pickles, and not a failure of the diet causing the weight gain, makes it easy to use it as a learning experience to help keep on track. In the olden days I would have gone off the diet and eaten tons of junk.

[JEY100]

Don’t Trust the Bathroom Scale With Your Mental Health

We humans are about 2/3 water. Each of us contains about 40 liters (or quarts) of the stuff, and each liter weighs a bit over 2 pounds. Our bodies effectively regulate fluid balance by adjusting urine output and sense of thirst, but this is done within a 2-liter range. Within this range, your body doesn’t really care if it is up to a liter above or below its ideal fluid level.

What this means is that we all live inside a 4-pound-wide grey zone, so that from day to day we fluctuate up or down (i.e., plus or minus) 2 pounds. This happens more or less at random, so with any one weight reading you don’t know where your body is within that fluid range. Your weight can be the same for 3 days in a row, and the next morning you wake up and the scale says you’ve ‘gained’ 3 pounds for no apparent reason.

For people who weigh themselves frequently, this can be maddening. There are two solutions to this problem. One, just don’t weigh yourself. Or two, defeat this variability by calculating average weights. You can weigh yourself every day, and then on one day per week, calculate your average for that week (i.e., the average or mean of 7 values). If you are really into math, you can weigh yourself every day and then each day calculate a new mean over the last 7 days. Each day you do this, you drop the oldest value and add the newest one to the calculation.

And of course, for [free] there’s an iPhone ‘App’ that will do this for you

Phinney, Stephen; Volek, Jeff (2011-07-08). The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable (pp. 241-242). Beyond Obesity LLC. Kindle Edition.


Pickles? Or working in the heat? Lugging boxes from car to room?
Whatever, you know you didn't gain 3 pounds of fat.

[GRB5111]

Sunday will mark two weeks. Today I started only eating when I actually feel hungry. I did eat 2 eggs for breakfast just because I had to help my daughter move into the dorm and did not want to suddenly be starving in the process. I came home and had two of the chicken cheese roll-ups, (~2 carbs each) and skipped dinner - I just don't feel hungry but I have felt great all day!

Bill
Excellent! This is exactly what you want, and it becomes self-reinforcing.

[perfectfit]

Claussen kosher dills:

https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/claussen/kosher-dill-spears

Bill

Wrap some raw bacon around those dills and bake em. 350F till the bacon looks cooked.

[TucsonBill]

OK well, today marks exactly two weeks consuming 20 carbs or less per day. I did not lose as much during week 2 as I did during week 1, but I have gone from ~274 to precisely 272.2 - a good solid 2 to 2.5 pounds I figure. My BG has also gone down a bit more, but again not as much as it did during week 1, average about 130.

I continue to take my oral medications but hope to be able to quit them completely at some point.

My plan at this point is to continue induction at no more than 20 grams of carbs per day.

[JEY100]

That's great progress. :clap:
After that large whoosh of water/edema you had the first week, settling into a 1-2 pound loss of actual fat weight. Often week three has no loss, so if that happens, don't get discouraged. Why the Scales Lie: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=365499

You probably feel great already but may not be fully "fat adapted" yet, that is estimated to be more like 4-6 weeks. http://www.tuitnutrition.com/2016/01/dont-be-a-ketard1.html

Good plan to stay at 20g, Consider staying there until BG is under 100 consistently. Dr Bernstein keeps diabetics at his 6-12-12g meals forever. :idea:

From an average BG of 250 to 130 in 2 weeks...guess this low carb thingie works :lol:
Keep doing what you're doing. :thup:

[GRB5111]

Agreed, this is great progress. You don't always see progress immediately because your metabolism is going through a lot of adjustments. The numbers indicate this. Stay the course, don't vary, and don't give up, don't ever give up!!!

[Bonnie OFS]

Agreed, this is great progress. You don't always see progress immediately because your metabolism is going through a lot of adjustments. The numbers indicate this. Stay the course, don't vary, and don't give up, don't ever give up!!!

Progress in health is odd. I've been stuck at my weight for a while now (not complaining - it's lower than it was a couple of months ago!), but this week my bg is better & I'm able to wear some clothes I had gotten too fat for.

[PilotGal]

Steve Cooksey, Diabetic Warrior has been doing nearly zero carbs for 5-6 yrs now and reversed his diabetes. He's always experimenting and blogging about his results.
I Believe in Meat (http://https://www.diabetes-warrior.net/2017/06/25/i-believe-in-meat/)

He has nothing else better to do in life than experiment on his body....
And his results are easy to follow and understand.

Check him out. He keeps surprising me.

Welcome to the forum, Bill. :wave:

[JEY100]

Pilot Gal, thanks for letting me know that Steve Cooksey is also doing a higher protein diet. I stopped following him that time he went crazy over Dr. Fung, so it has been a while. Good info, though Dr. Naiman's approach to a high protein diet is a teensy bit more liberal "sissy carnivore". My comment after only a week or so doing it...after moderating protein for years it is hard to increase protein to higher levels. Not getting close to the protein grams the macro calculator suggested, but think it will get easier as I keep messing with the meats. :thup: it is not much higher in protein than some meals I ate in the first months of NANY/Westman Low Carb plan before I even knew what a macro tracker was :) one reason to try this "hack" for a short time.

[TucsonBill]

Wrap some raw bacon around those dills and bake em. 350F till the bacon looks cooked.

Sounds weird... but since I'm making some baked cod today, I'm gona try it! :)

[TucsonBill]

Thanks all for the words of encouragement. I try to do a little online reading about my low carb diet and weight loss each day and I've added a couple things to my regimen.

I read that soaking in a hot bath before bedtime can help you lose weight, lower your BG and help you to sleep more soundly. I also started taking a small amount of ACV with water before bedtime which is reported to help a lot of things including edema.

Also I have adopted the "no eating anything after 8pm" idea. Even if I get hungry, I just put it out of my mind and go take my hot bath :)

I also discovered a new thing by accident. I had to take my dog to the vet yesterday and had to run some other errands and I'd skipped breakfast because I woke up late, but I really wasn't hungry anyway, but by noon I was starving. By the time I got home with the dog I was running late for another appointment and no time to fix anything so I just grabbed a couple slices thin roast beef and crammed them in my mouth and ran back out. 30 minutes later I was not hungry at all and felt like I'd had a full lunch & didn't get hungry again until dinner time. Cool.

I guess the moral of the story is you don't have to eat a full meal just because you feel like you are starving. (All I ate yesterday were those two slices and one bowl of low carb broccoli cheese soup which filled me up for dinner).

Lastly, this morning I weighed myself and I'm out of the 270's and into the 260's! I was 268.8 this morning! Seems odd, but I'll take it!

[JEY100]

Ive never heard that about a hot bath but lack of sleep can effect BG. http://drhyman.com/blog/2016/04/13/8-simple-hacks-for-a-better-nights-sleep/ Many like a hot Epson Salt bath to relax and absorb magnesium through the skin (maybe) and that helps sleep for sure.
Dr. Mark Hyman's Detox Bath

Take a hot salt/soda aromatherapy bath – raising your body temperature before bed helps to induce sleep. A hot bath also relaxes your muscles and reduces tension physically and psychically. By adding one-and-a-half to one cup of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) and one-and-a-half to one cup of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to your bath, you will gain the benefits of magnesium absorbed through your skin and the alkaline-balancing effects of the baking soda, both of which help with sleep

Dr Bernstein is not a fan of skipping meals, but Dr Fung is...if you read in his work, he describes hunger coming in waves. Beside the good protein you had which is satiating, you rode through the wave that comes at lunchtime (because you body is primed to have food then). Hunger doesn't continue to build up and get worse. Not suggesting you start fasting...but learning to Eat When Hungry, and what true hunger is, is "a good thing" :thup:

[TucsonBill]

Ive never heard that about a hot bath but lack of sleep can effect BG. http://drhyman.com/blog/2016/04/13/8-simple-hacks-for-a-better-nights-sleep/ Many like a hot Epson Salt bath to relax and absorb magnesium through the skin (maybe) and that helps sleep for sure. :thup:

There are a few articles out there about hot baths and BG, this is one with reference to a study:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/08/18/hot-bath-beats-cycling-for-lowering-blood-sugar-levels-for-type/

I'm a believer in fasting (even though it's obvious I have not done much of that over the years lol). So far I have just been doing small fasts, such as skipping a meal when I don't feel hungry.