Hi all! I am new to low carb eating and to this forum. I gained some weight the past few years and began to have fasting glucose readings in the pre-diabetes range. I heard and read good things about low carb, so decided to try it almost three weeks ago. I love it and it is working! I have quickly lost weight and have much lower glucose readings.

My only concern is, I have used my gkucometer a few times and have had a few readings in the 50-60 range. Should I be worried? I feel fine.

Thanks.

That's rather low but if you feel fine, it's probably ok. Keep in mind that meters are not that accurate as well. My meter reading is always higher than the lab's when I have labwork.

Edit: should have asked if you're diabetic, on any medication for blood sugar? If so, that may indeed be too low. I don't know much about actual too low blood sugar, just that it can be very dangerous.

Thanks. I am not diabetic, but was in the pre-diabetic fasting range before I started, which is one of the reasons I started this. Now I am very low...

My understanding is that in the absence of medication, the body regulates itself and will likely not go too low. See the section on this site about abnormally low blood sugar:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/16422495.php

I think you're ok as long as you have no adverse symptoms.

Hypoglycemia can be a problem with or without medication so it certainly bears watching. With diabetes we're conditioned to worry about high or artificially low BG but naturally low BGs are concerning as well.

Have you tried testing with another meter to rule out technical issues?

Do your BGs run low now (or at the low end of normal) all the time, or are these pronounced dips? If you just tend to run low in general that would concern me less than if they are normal most of the time, but very low occasionally.

Are there behaviors that go along with the lower readings? For instance, are you eating later or less (or more) the night before, or getting up earlier than usual?

If you aren't having any symptoms and your BGs are normally fairly low I would probably eat something LC (not "treat" the low with fast-acting carbs, just have breakfast) and make sure it does eventually wander into a better range. (For example, my fasting today was 63, which is lower than normal for me but not unheard of. I feel fine and I know that I got up earlier than usual so I'm just eating an omelet and will retest in an hour.)

But if these are dips you don't normally experience or you do start having symptoms I would definitely investigate further.

Either way, be sure to study up on how to treat a low with fast-acting carbs and keep some around, just in case. It won't hurt to be prepared.

Congrats on your success so far!

actually, 50's is dangerously low.....studies show that reaction time for a person in 50's is that of a woman who consumed 3 alcoholic drinks within one hour.....I know i don't feel any symptoms at that level, but sure wouldn't drive a car in that state!
Call your Dr- sounds like it is time to dial back the meds. congrats!

Ketones actually get burned instead of blood sugar. There were tests done by getting people deeply into ketosis and then lowering their glucose with insulin. They felt just fine, even with BG as low as 25.

I think this was some of the work they're doing with regards to cancer and ketogenic diets. I think I read about it on single cause, single cure web site.

She's not diabetic, so no meds, I'm assuming, as she didn't answer the question when I asked her.

Thanks all. I am not diabetic and not on any meds, but I had not eaten much all day; only two hard boiled eggs in the morning and a slice of roast beef a bit after noon and it was almost five, so I think that was the problem. I don't normally eat so little, but I was very busy and just didn't have time to have a proper meal.

My fasting level was 75 this morning, so I feel good about that. Before beginning low carb, it was inching into the low 100's (the highest I saw was 112, but I did not monitor it daily), which is partly why I am doing this. My monitor's reading has agreed to a blood test directly afterward, so I am pretty sure it's accurate. I will do some more monitoring to assure things are remaining more stable.

Also, I am really enjoying this way of eating. This is the easiest I have ever been able to lose weight. It's wonderful not to feel hungry and deprived! I do plan to slowly move up the ladder and add some carbs once I am close to my goal weight, but keep them low.

oh whoops! I didn't read thread super carefully, because the dog just got out of the bath and needed more towel drying- so i did quick panic reply.
as a type I, we are taught to fear wrapping yourself around a tree pole from the age of 6.....

to any diabetic (type 1 or 2) who stumbles across this, please note that "not feeling low" is irrelevant to reaction time in subjects with BG i 50s.

i kissed my fiance goodbye last fall, seemed totally normal. drove 8 minutes to work. felt strange as i exited my car, and had seizure before reaching my destination (2 houses down from where i parked)......the tighter control of your of your BG and the longer you have diabetes, the fewer symptoms you will feel from hypos- it does NOT make them less dangerous!

Oh, Robin, that's so scary! I appreciate the quick reply in any case. Do you know how low your blood glucose was when you had the seizure?

Also, I just tested an hour after eating a mixed green salad with olive oil, a little apple cider vinegar, a few slices of deli ham and a slice of Swiss (yum!) and it was 77.

Ccat, you may not be eating enough, especially not enough fat. Two hard boiled eggs is fine, if you are hungry between meals. But it's not a meal. Scramble those two eggs with coconut oil or HWC, and add fat to the pan--then it's a meal.

As you are adjusting to fat based metabolism, you do need to give your body adequate fat to get things going. You are only in the "overweight" category of BMI, so have much less fat to contribute to the party, as it were, than someone who needs to lose a whole lot of weight.

You had told your body, on a busy day, that it needed to function well on about 250 total calories. That's less than a cup of bulletproof coffee.

EAT MORE! And more fat. It's fine to eat later, or to wait longer between meals, but eat more at the meal, OK?

Yes, that make sense, MickiSue. I will eat more and more fat. Thank you!

another vote that your calories need to be upped

um, not sure what my BG was that day. The problem was a malfunction with my glucose monitoring system. After medics injected me with glucagon, they tested me at 41, i think. So who knows what it was before that. It is actually the length of time a person is low that tends to effect whether the person seizes, not necessarily the number itself. For instance, i have been conscious and responsive below 20, and unconscious or extremely impaired in high 40s....also, some diabetics are much more prone to seize than others, for unknown reasons. i am lucky to be fairy resistant to them!
I have never heard of diabetic seizing unless on insulin, though.
My point to you is that having blood sugar in the 50s is not good for you, even if you don't feel "low."
70s= awesome
50s= too much of a good thing

Wow. Well, I'm glad you're alright, Robin. My calories are usually around 1500 per day. That was unusual because we were really busy, but it is a lesson.