I lost more than five stone by checking my blood sugar : LC Research/Media Forum : Active Low-Carber Forums

#1 ^

Sun, Jan-01-23, 06:00

Demi

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Stats: 238/155/160 Female 5'10"

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I lost more than five stone by checking my blood sugar

Quote:

I lost more than five stone by checking my blood sugar

From Midlife Fitness Files: The Telegraph’s health series, where we glean advice from midlifers as they talk us through their weekly regime

Pat Phelan

Nearly 23 years ago, I became sober after a long battle with drink, but quickly replaced my addiction to alcohol with one for food. It was miserable: I was never full, always hungry and always reaching for sugar. My brain felt like it was permanently foggy, and I was always so tired. I weighed 18 stone (252lbs), and I really hated it. But no matter what diet I tried, after a few weeks, I’d slip back into my usual habits.

Then I met a trainer who tested my blood sugar before our sessions. If he saw my blood sugar had spiked, he’d ask me what I’d just eaten and suggest a walk or a workout to get them back down again. It made me think: what if there was something that could measure your blood sugar levels continuously and show you the effect of that food?

I am a tech entrepreneur, so I made a rudimentary blood glucose monitor that measured my blood sugars throughout the day and transmitted the results to my trainer. Seeing the results in real time really provided the motivation I needed to change my eating habits.

I started by eating more regularly. Previously I’d be so busy (I am on a plane three times a week and often in meetings all day) that I wouldn’t eat anything until 4pm, then I’d have a big, blow-out meal. Now I make sure that I eat proper meals at regular timings. If I eat out at restaurants, I pick the healthy option and I rarely eat after 7pm – my gut needs time to rest.

I also cut out all the snacks and sugar, and upped my protein, which is important for those of us in midlife. I found it really filled me up. But aside from the general rules, which benefit everyone, I found some surprising results, such as bananas and onions really make my blood sugar spike, as does oat milk – things you think are healthy, it turns out, don’t work for my body. I loved how personalised I could make my diet.

Now we’ve tested the prototype on a variety of people, not just me, and 18 months on it’s now a device powered by AI, so my prompts these days are from the machine, rather than my trainer, but they still work to change my behaviour. Last night I had a meal that sent my blood sugars soaring; I got a notification telling me to go for a walk for 30 minutes. But I rarely eat “badly” anymore; learning about nutrition has almost rewired my brain.

I love being at my new weight of 12st 10lb (178lbs), which I’ve maintained for the last 18 months. I’ve always loved clothes, but now I don’t have to shop in the XXL section or feel embarrassed about my size. The energy I now have is amazing. This journey has literally been life-changing.

My workout week

I do an hour of cardio most days because I love how it makes me feel. I add in weights for 30 minutes once or twice a week.

What I eat in a day

I eat simply because I find it easier, but try to keep my protein high and eat at regular intervals.

Breakfast: Omelette

Late-morning snack: A protein shake with almond butter

Lunch: Meat and salad, including sprouts when I can.

Dinner: Fish and vegetables and a shake to finish.

Lifestyle aids

Carbs: I eat them in moderation. I’m not on a keto diet but I have found, personally, that lowering my carb intake made me healthier and feel sharper.

Caffeine: I love coffee and have about three a day

Alcohol: I don’t drink.

Sleep: I get about 6½ hours sleep, but the depth of my sleep has improved.

Pat Phelan used limborevolution.com

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-...ng-blood-sugar/

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#2 ^

Sun, Jan-01-23, 06:22

JEY100 JEY100 is offline

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Plan: P:E/DDF
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Location: NC

Wow! This is a wonderful explanation of one way to use your blood sugar readings to manage health and weight loss, and rewire your thoughts about food. Since it was in The Telegraph, I thought it might be a story based on The Glucose Goddess book, but this uses CGM readings Before Eating and Exercise and after to use them like a "fuel gauge". (A regular inexpensive glucose meter also works fine)

This is similar to Marty Kendall's Data Driven Fasting program which worked so well for me to lower my weight to a range I hadn’t even considered when on Low Carb.
Much more about it here at: https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=484792
And at: https://optimisingnutrition.com/dat...ting-challenge/

Marty is a proponent of Higher Protein and higher satiety foods so the Dr Ted Naiman P:E Diet and DDF work together well. It’s not really "fasting", more Data Driven Eating that allows whatever style of satisfying foods you like so you don’t need to power through hunger.

Last edited by JEY100 : Sun, Jan-01-23 at 06:29.

#3 ^

Sun, Jan-01-23, 12:51

deirdra

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Plan: vLC/GF,CF,SF
Stats: 197/136/150 Female 66 inches

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One feature of Marty Kendall's DDF that this person could benefit from is to identify ALL foods/meals that spike the BG more than 1.6 mmol/L (30 mg/dL), not just the higher carb ones, and modify, eliminate or eat less of them. I found certain foods/meals with <6 g net carbs spiked my BG above this limit even though theory and Dr. Bernstein wouldn't predict it. Whey protein and dairy products were the worst for me, but I now never eat them alone; I must have some other protein or fibre with them.

Last edited by deirdra : Sun, Jan-01-23 at 13:01.