Keto Diet and Lantus

Thanks everyone for being so helpful through my transition from pump to lantus.

I feel like I am enjoying it so far! Not missing my pump too much, as I now have all of these little freedoms that I forgot about. (taking a nice long shower, not having to worry about which side I am sleeping on..etc).

In my last post I mentioned I was worried that this transition might lead to weight gain. I say this because I feel like everyone talks about how the pump is such a great tool for exercise and dieting etc. I have not weighed myself (no scale in my new place!) but...I do feel like I'm gaining a bit.

I know that I tend to lose weight when I take less insulin. Since my journey back to lantus I AM taking less insulin. But I do feel like my diet (Very low carb. Hardly any carbs) is hard to manage while on shots?

I would love to hear from somebody who follows a similar diet, takes lantus, and has had any type of success (or failure). Still deciding if Pump or MDI works better for low carb diet.

Thanks!
Andrea

2 Likes

hey, Andrea!

I have been on MDI for almost 9 years. The pump seems appealing, but i have read about some issues that can occur while using the pump, so I am hesitant.

I am by no-means overweight or skinny. I am about 5'4 and 130 lbs. I work out consistently to truly maintain muscle mass. That helps with insulin resistance.

I have always been on lantus. About 6 months ago my A1C was higher than desired (about 7.5) so I decided to go on a very low carb diet and it ultimately reduced my A1C to 6.5.

I found, at first, that i was having a bit of a hard time managing my sugar levels while doing so.

Anyways, to answer your discussion-- i did have some trouble managing my low carb diet. I had to check my BS much more often. I ultimately took MUCH less insulin (like 9 units/day). Once I got on a routine where I was eating the same, low carb meals each day, I saw patterns in my BS. I knew what times I started running high & I would correct for them.

For me, it was all about checking my BS more, finding the patterns & i was successful in regulating/managing my BS. The weight gain fear is something I have too. I feel huge at times and each time I take a shot..the thought of weight crosses my mind. However, I did lose weight when I reduced my A1C. I think getting into the routine of figuring out how to manage the low carb diet with the MDI can result in some fluctuations (such as weight), but once you get it down pat and regulated, your weight can as regulated as well.

ok now i feel like i am rambling. Hopefully there was some clarity in all of that.
Good luck to you!

Hi Nicole,

Thank you for the detailed response. I was able to get a great a1c through low carb and exercise too! I am taking less insulin but not sure why I feel the weight coming on. I am hoping it is just the transition.

Are you still at 9 units a day as your total? Or was that just your lantus?

Could you possibly, if you have time, write me a private message of your routines? I am so interested and inspired by other people who identify with the same problems.

Thanks so much!!

I made the switch to keto earlier this year. I also increased my testing frquency to monitor what was going on between meals. My diet is almost no carbs - on a typical day less than 20 grams.

It took me about 3 months to really get the hang of it. I recalculated mu ISF and IC=F (which did change). I also bolus using TAG since so much of my diet is now fats and protein.

I have the lowest A1cs of my life now. Even better is the sense of control and freedom. I can test an 80 in mid-afternoon and be confident it will still be 80 at dinner time. I can skip a meal (sometimes business forces me to) and not bolus AND be rock solid. And have plenty of energy. I love the way this feels.

I did split my Lantus dose into two. Previously, I dosed at night. But with all the data I noticed a persistent slight upward BG in late morning that I guessed was gluconeogenesis. Same total dose though. I love carbs but the way I feel now is enough reward to keep me on track. (Except for a few episodes during the holidays.

I use about 40% less bolus (Apidra). A stable 60 BG is not as frightening as it was in the old days. This is probably not for everybody, but if you are looking for a new adventure - this can be rewarding.

PS, with the better insulin control I lost 30 lbs without reducing caloric intake. Insulin is needed to deposit fat. Some pretty interesting (if you are a geeky type) biochemistry behind it.

Thanks for the response!

I eat basically zero carbs as well (except for when I am low and need to).I wonder if i should split my 8 unit dose into 4 and 4.

I am definitely the geeky type and can research forever and ever!!

I take 8 units of lantus at 6:30 pm, and about 6-8 units of novolog throughout the day.

Well, I used to take 44 unit at 6:30 PM - now I take 22 each at 6:30 AM & PM. I was perfectly happy on one dose a day for 9 years.

Two place you might look are http://eatingacademy.com/ and Gary Taubes' book Good Calories, Bad Calories. I found Dr. Attia (first reference)in a TED video. There is so much nonsense on the net and media about nutrition that you almost have to ask "what are they telling me?" and "why should i believe it?" I try to learn something every day but until I started this quest I did not have a clue about insulin's role in fat deposition!

1 Like

Andrea, your experience, and that of others, have me very curious (and tempted) to try a keto diet. I already limit carbs to about 100g a day or so, about 1/3-1/2 of what is "recommended" by the medical community.

My biggest issue with going further is simple: I'm highly skeptical I'll be able to enjoy the menu, and/or it will be a lot of work to manage/prepare/etc., something I just don't have a lot of time for.

My tastes run fairly traditional non-diabetic fare. Put bluntly, I can't make it on "rabbit food". So... you seem to be really happy with what your eating -- how did you go about putting a menu together?

Try looking at Sparkdiets over at Sparkpeople. They have the neatest search engine for finding recipes that meat ;-) your desires. It is NOT rabbit food Think bacon and all its goodness, no high fructose corn syrup but real mayo, cream cheese, etc. The fats only convert to glucose at a 10% rate and much slower than carbs. You do lose breading on fried foods but there are plenty of substitutes.

Also check out Jimmy Moore's LVLCC.

Far from rabbit food!! My typical meal is eggs and bacon!!

I want to transition from my tslim tandem pump back to lantus. I have been on keto and Intermittent Fasting since September 2020. I did lose 40 pounds and got my a1c down to 6.1. The problem is with my infusion sets failing and sugars going up and then I have to bolus to get my sugars down and there goes my ketosis and have to start all over again. How did you transition off the pump if you don’t mind me asking.