Having LADA and not yet taking any insulin, I am keto but never have lows.
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It depends on what kind of low you are experiencing. If it is a low caused by too much active insulin then yes refined carbs are necessary, like glucose tablets or a little bit of candy but not as much as you may be used to since in all likelihood you will be on less insulin to cause severe lows. If my BG is just slightly drifting into a low though I can usually correct it with a lower carb snack like a rye cracker with butter and cheese (some carb about 3g, fat, and protein). Nuts work well too.
Being low carb has made a definite difference in how I treat lows and as a result I rarely over treat lows anymore.
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One of the reasons that people get sick on keto is if they don’t eat enough protein. Protein is the body’s most essential nutrient and not getting enough will result in weakness.
Keto is not about the fats (though many people think it is and push a very high fat way of eating). A diet is keto because the carb levels are low enough (typically in the 20 - 50g/day range) that the body will switch to preferentially burning fats rather than burning sugars.
A well formulated keto diet limits carbs (20 - 50g for most people - actual level depends on your response / blood sugar levels), targets protein (1.2 - 2 g / kg of body weight for adults), and then has enough healthy unprocessed fats mostly from whole foods to meet energy requirements and maintain stable target weight.
If you are looking more into this I would recommend the ketogains keto approach, or checking out the works of Marty Kendal at “optimizing nutrition” site.
I am also a follower of Bernstein for many years… and while I don’t agree with everything he says (particularly on sweeteners), he has much to offer and his approach and that of the ketogains crowd are very similar.
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Would it be time to inject small doses of insulin?
Hey David49
Thanks for the information. You are so right about not believing people about the “need” for carbs. Actually, for non-diabetics, I think a lower carb diet is healthy but I also can see the importance of balance. However, looking at this issue from the diabetic point of view I actually don’t understand why medical doctors don’t push a keto style diet. I have read (It may have been on here) that most doctors are tired of fighting patients on the diet issues on top of the fact (so many people say) that they are not trained in nutritional matters in great detail. It appear’s to me, someone of a scientific mind that this diet does produce positive results but the maintenance of this diet doesn’t seem to have a strong support system; well not until recently anyway.
Have you had a chance to review the recent study from The Lancet? It’s about low and high carb diets that result in ‘high’ mortality rates. It has created a large amount of conversation (Fighting) among different groups as it appears to be a bought study ie.food companies. In addition one of the main and highly respected editors of this editorial admitted (not directly about this carb study) that half of the resent medical study’s/finding is false from The Lancet. This for me has placed an even greater distrust for the medical community which is unfortunate for them as I may need to pull a Dr. Bernstien, become a DR just find out the trust and spread it for the better good (Ok rant over). Anyway, after seeing this study, the admission of false information, and additional articles, it has really left me realizing as you said that you must be careful to whom you believe. Any more thoughts? have you read it? do you recommend any other readings or info?
Also, did you ever know anyone who tried carb loading to help you in losing weight? I tried it but I’m not convinced it was the added carbs (for like a weekend every few weeks to trick the body) for just the exercising.
Thanks!.
I actually dislike it when doctors push a specific diet, low or high carb. My current Endo does promotes a very low carb/Keto diet, but it does not work for me, and I appreciate that he recognizes that and works with me to manage my blood sugar on a diet that does work for me.
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I have been a diabetic for 35 years and the Keto Diet really helps my blood sugar stay low and has lowered the amount of insulin I use. Also my A1C has dropped to 7.3. I am working on getting it to 6. I also walk about 3 miles a day (except weekends). There are many tasty recipes on Pintrest and it is a better lifestyle for me.
Also, I am a type 1 diabetic and it works well for me. On this way of eating it is rare that my blood sugar goes above 190. I stay in the range of 110 - 150. I want to keep it at 100 but this will take practice. Facebook has great support Groups for those who live a keto way of life (WOE).
So, ultimately, calorie balance is what determines whether one gains or loses weight. Keto (and other low-carb) is generally good for diabetics for two reasons: a) eating fewer digestible carbs lowers the amount of endo- or exo-genous insulin needed by a diabetic to manage their blood glucose; and b) eating keto or low-carb can help to suppress hunger, making it easier to eat fewer calories than one expends in a day.
The “carb loading to lose weight” is so much baloney, although there is a rationalization for it when it comes to certain kinds of exercise. Carb-loading (even on a semi-regular basis) isn’t going to actively help to lose weight. Eating at a deficit actively helps to lose weight. Carb-loading (or cheat days, skip days, etc.) make it easier for some dieters to stick to a long-term diet where they maintain an average daily calorie deficit. That’s great, and will help with losing weight. Also, weightlifters and sprinters, i.e., those who do incredibly glycogen-dependent training at a high intensity, can benefit on the strength side from targeted carb intake. So, I do Olympic and power-lifting type weightlifting, and I’ve experimented with “Cyclical Keto Diet” and “Targeted Keto Diet.” Those are variants of Keto where you eat more carbs at certain times of a week, but it isn’t to help lose weight. Rather, it’s to help you push big weights more effectively. And it works, for that.
So…if pushing big weights (or doing wind-sprints) is part of your regular training and helps you to lose weight (by maintaining a consistent calorie deficit), and if eating a few more carbs before exercise sessions helps you to move faster or with more power, then that can be a good thing. But you have to be careful not to overcompensate and just use the exercise (and “carb-loading”) as an excuse to eat all your SO’s stash of cookies and Halloween candy bars (I’ve totes never done that, even once… I promise).
Bottom line: eat less and move more, and anyone can lose weight. However, both of those things are hard for most people to do consistently over time. Keto is one strategy that helps many people to eat less over time consistently, and it also has some nice side-benefits for diabetics, and so it’s a pretty good eating plan for many of us. But it’s not magic.
I agree it can get VERY boring but Pintrest has amazing recipes. Like No-Meal, which replaces oatmeal. Take a look at their Keto recipes. Especially their desserts. They have NO sugar and minimal carbs. They are so good that you have to limit how much you eat. Finger licking good.
Excellent explanation!!!
Thank you for the post. I have pre diabetes and my weight was very high. I followed keto diet to burn fat more effectively. It helped me a lot. Then I made a list of Keto diet books. Hope it will help also. You can get that from here.
I can tell you about my experience. I am Tyoe 2 and started 7 months ago. I was having digestive problems (gastroparesis and gall bladder needed out) so I wanted to improve my eating to be healthier. Since, I have lost 85 pounds, maintained an A1C or 5.3, all my other labs are spot on, normal blood pressure - - - all good. Just quick tips. Eat GOOD fats. I use olive oil to cook, avocados, real butter. I don’t do nuts. I do 20 grams or less carbs a day. It has cut down the water retention and bloating. I’m not hungry. I have energy. It has been a success. My doctor told me whatever I’m doing, keep it up. I look forward to continuing to reduce my medications (now off insulin - just Bydurian and oral meds). I did a lot of research to decide on the right choices for me so find the KETO plan that fits you and your needs. We are all different.
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While I’m not sure I am doing keto - not true, I’m fairly sure I’m not - I have been going low carb for a little over one week. The difference is stark. I describe it as like living in someone else’s house. I don’t have a peak and a crash, my head/brain doesn’t feel … something, not sure what, after meals. Jittery? I feel full and I’m losing weight, though I want to stop losing weight. There are some down sides - I feel a bit more boxed in, but that’s because I’m just kind of winging it, and haven’t carefully committed or thought things out yet. Cooking doesn’t seem to be as fun, and there’s the taste and flavor issue. That could change. Finally, I am not sure about long-term consequences, not that I am going to commit to this (I haven’t decided). One other positive is that it’s a lot easier to not eat sugar on the low carb/keto plan. In fact, sugar’s the least of it! Which is as it should be. Put another way, I don’t even think about it, whereas before when I was eating pretty much anything, especially lots of vegetables, but no sugar, I would still crave sugar.
Last thing, when I fast I go into ketosis extremely easily (this is as a rule always, not specific to low carb). I find this very interesting.
ETA: Blood sugars! How could I have forgotten? What is interesting is that I don’t go very low. The main feature is, so far, no wild excursions but hanging around 100-109 during the day and the usual 90-100 in the morning.
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