I don't know if I'm worrying for nothing but I can't get my fastings down to <110. With the increase in met, decrease in carbs, increase in exercise, fatty protein snack at bedtime I have managed to go from 120-140 down to 110-120. I rarely drop below 110 and the very lowest has been 99. I also spent some time testing in the middle of the night. I seem to reach a low in the higher 90s around 5 am then it starts to go back up. My after meal BG looks decent. With the low carb diet I am remaining under 140 at 2 hrs except for the rare occasion when I experiment and have it go bad. I am now trying to see if I can add back some fruit and whole grains. I seem to be doing ok with even 2 pieces of lower carb fruit so far. I really want my morning fasting to get below 110 so I meet ACE guidelines. I also want to be able to increase my carbs. I still am very tired even after several weeks of eating like this and think that I just need a little more carbs to properly function. I also still have a very short attention span which is not good since I'm taking a lot of classes next quarter and need to get a 4.0 to qualify for one heck of a scholarship to a private college that I want to transfer to.
So what else can I do to get that overnight BG down? I have an appointment with my dr. in a couple of months. He doesn't want to put me on any other drugs besides met but I think that I need something else. What would that something else be? My fastings have always been my problem which I gather isn't as common in women as having after meal ones be high. I was reading an article that said that for most women, fasting is the worst indication of a problem. I want to start my research so that when I go in I can show him why I want what but I'm really not certain what is the least problematic drug to add. I figured I ask everyone here since I always get such good advice from you.
Not sure what to do about dropping your fasting numbers but the lack of energy and attention span sound a lot like the Atkin's flu. I'd try upping your fat a bit before going back to carbs. It hasn't been that long since you dropped your carb intake.
If that 110 is your morning fasting figure, I honestly would not think too much about it. I think you're looking at a (very) mild dose of "dawn phenomenon" that basically means nothing. I've heard some people attempt to combat it with a mostly protein evening snack, but I keep hearing of mixed results too.
I tried upping my carbs a bit and while I feel better my BG went up too. I'll try more fat. I did reduce the fat a bit because I'm trying to drop every ounce of extra body fat in hopes it makes my fastings better. It's really hard to lose the last 10 or 15 lbs.
I guess I would really rather eat a little more normally and take more drugs than spend my whole life stressing about what I put in my mouth.
When I was having some problems with low carb, people here advised me to up the fat. It seemed so counterintuitive, but it worked! I was mostly having problems with weight, but as a side effect my fasting numbers dropped from high 90s to high 80s, and I feel pretty scrappy, ready to take on new projects. I wasn't eating too much carb before (scarcely ever over 45g a day), I just wasn't eating enough food. That said, I don't really enjoy fat, but there are other things in life to enjoy outside of eating.
Another thing that can cause problems when switching to low carb is lack of sodium. Your metabolism changes when you switch to burning fat for energy and one of the changes is that your kidneys start to increase the amount of sodium they excrete. Dr. Steve Phinney who wrote an excellent book on low carbing "The Art and Science of Low Carb Living" recommends a cup of bullion a day during the transition. I am 2.75 years into low carbing and have found I feel better when I make sure I'm getting enough salt. I find bacon to be an excellent source. I was somewhat apprehensive that this would have a negative effect on my blood pressure but so far my blood pressure has remained stable.
I have determined that I apparently max at about 65 total carbs a day and that is just that. I'm broke til next week but will buy some higher fat foods. It goes against how I've eaten for most of my life. The other day I was in the store and decided to buy cream cheese. I picked up the regular stuff, put it in my cart, then took it out and went back and got the low fat kind. I love cream in my coffee but don't buy it because of the fat. I love avocados and as much as I know it's good fat, I have trouble eating them because of the cals. I know that I need to get over this fat aversion.
