If you are interested in high fat low carb you might be interested in the Bernstein Group here on tuD. There are folks there who have been using this approach for years and can help answer any questions you have.
Just a comment: Some of us follow low carb or at least "lower" carb without intentionally eating "high fat".
For the Bernstein diet you follow 30g per day, most low carbers do increase fat and protein to make up for lower carb with fat being higher than protein. Don't be afraid of fat, it will help you feel less hungry on the low carb if you do. I felt very hungry on 30g per day so I went to 50g per day, I'm on insulin and I think that was the reason for the hunger for me as well as lack of amylin. As long as you're eating good fats like olive oil and not canola oil, soybean oil it's ok. Butter & animal fat is ok too.
If a higher fat/lower carb diet appeals to you, there is no reason not to eat that way but you may find that once you establish a medication regime, you may be able to eat more carbs than you can at the moment.
One thing you'll learn is that diabetes treatment is very much in the moment and that changes in one variable inevitably change others.
Maurie
I'm not sure if you're addressing the OP or me, meee, but for me,I am the exception to the above in that I don't choose to intentionally eat high fat. I have a very difficult time losing weight and I think, in reaction to the over-emphasis on low fat (and under emphasis on low carb) some PWD's have gone in the opposite direction. I do eat some fat in my diet such as olive oil for cooking and butter as well, but others I choose the low fat alternative such as yogurt, sour cream, etc. I'm not strict Bernstein so I rarely go as low as 30 grams, and I'm never hungry, I really don't need a lot of food at this point in my life. I'm not "afraid of fat" I just don't choose to eat it with abandon. YMMV.
I think I remember you saying that about the fat before Zoe, I was actually telling Stephanie not to be afraid, but of course if she finds it doesn't work to be higher fat she can adjust it like you did :) I actually have had trouble in the past they told me with fat absorption but I think being on insulin has helped that a bit. I never really did low fat high carb though, I always kept it balanced and probably a good thing too considering the way I react to most carbs.
for me its been so hard because i haven't had an appettite for at least 4 months, so trying to eat higher fat, higher caloric items is like choking down carboard. don't want to eat anything really. but trying to eat every 4 hours to help level my blood sugar. i don't even know. today is not a good day. feel like a hypochondriac. we found my diabetes because of drinking and peeing so much, but my levels weren't high enough to spill sugars, so now....why am i drinking and peeing so much? don't want any more bad news for sure
I think that is strange you had lower appetite... I had tremendous appetite as I was going into dka and I was losing weight but had no idea why really. Can you eat some eggs? They're an easy way to add fat & protein without feeling like it's cardboard, lol. Also just a little bit at a time, a small piece of cheese, a 1/4 cup of nuts. It takes time to adjust to it. Eating smaller meals throughout the day is better for D also for a lot of people.. a large amount of food signals to the liver the produce glucagon I think, forgot the exact process, and can actually spike your bg.
I find that I tend to go a lot if I have drunk a lot of water, and when my bg goes up or down, so it could be that. I had been drinking tons of water for other health reasons like acid reflux long before D and I think that was part of the reason I didn't wonder about excess peeing etc. at first.
Anyway, try not to worry, just take the metformin for now, do the lo carb, and drink lots of water.. that will help remove sugar from your blood and flush out the kidneys. You're going to be ok and you're in a good position now to get properly diagnosed and get started on a great treatment program. Just make sure you get to a good endo who can do all those tests. Just take a deep breath and take one day at a time :)
ps almond milk is a good low carb replacement for regular and other milks. you can also make lo carb pankcakes and other goodies with almond flour.
Your body is doing exactly what it should! When blood sugar is elevated, your body will make you thirsty so you will drink liquids and help the kidneys expel excess sugar via urine. I would not expect more bad news!
And fyi, don't worry about damage from high blood sugars. You are already addressing it and it takes years and years to really screw up your health. Just keep figuring it out gradually.
forgot to add that your levels don't need to be high enough to spill sugars for your body to release sugar through your urine... like don said it's the natural process your body will do when bg is too high... that is why it is good to drink lots of water and especially when you see you're bg is high- I do that to help lower mine along with insulin correction and exercise when I spike. when I was dka I was 279 and had 1000++ sugar in urine- but if you don't test the urine you don't know what is there.
You're in great shape! you're a healthy weight, good bp, a good lipid panel- that will get even better prolly if you do lo carb and you will prolly see triglycerides lower once your bg is in better control. my cholesterol went up when my bg were really high.
they tested my urine two weeks ago and was negative for sugars, very diluted of course. the last two days, i think they highest my bg has gotten is 126 and i seem to be peeing more, up to 3 times at night and never did that before. just doesn't make any sense. will be glad to see an endo, but am still afraid of more bad news. my doc had been worried about elevated bilirubin but my urine was good so he said
Gilberts syndrome. all my kidney and liver function came back good.
Hi Stephanie,
I think people with D just pee more because we don't handle carbs well, our bodies are always trying to release any excess sugar.. even people without D do that too I think if their bg goes above the 80's which is really the norm for bg. I don't know anything about Gilbert's syndrome but found this link and it seems it's not something to worry much about, it doesn't need treatment apparently? Anyway, I would not assume you have that because my father was told by a good doc last fall that he thought he had mds syndrome and he was very worried, but a good hematologist figured out it was iron deficiency due to a lot of complex problems. Unless someone is a specialist in the area with a good reputation I wouldn't believe they have enough knowledge to know what is really going on most of the time. Just worry about one thing at a time and try not to expect the worst :) I know that is hard right now and I know how scared you are but you're going to be ok.
I was diagnosed 2 years ago at 50 with an A1C of 13.5. Luckily my GP recognized that I was type 1 immediately. I don't want to repeat the good advice you've received here but, I would like to reassure you that your life will settle down.
At the time of diagnosis my children were 6 and 9. I'd cry myself to sleep after tucking them in at night as I was certain I wouldn't live long enough to see them grow up. I barely ate anything (carbs!!!) and, my moods were determined by the number on my meter. I was so insulin sensitive (one of the many signs that I was type 1) that I couldn't correct a moderate high number and, on the other hand, lived in fear of going low. I was obsessed with testing (to some degree that part hasn't changed but, now it brings me comfort). I am still outrageously needle phobic but easily manage +/- 5 shots a day.
I highly recommend Dr. Bernstien's book, not necessarily for the strict lifestyle but, for the science. Think Like A Pancreas and Using Insulin are also excellent. Knowledge is power.
Please believe us when we tell you that you'll adjust to your new normal. There's a lot to learn but, you're motivated. Advocate for your good health . . . be demanding if you have to be. (I literally fought for an insulin pen that doses in half units). In short order you will know more about what works for YOU than anyone you talk to, including medical pros. You'll do a few nutty things while you figure things out . . . don't beat yourself up. You'll find lots of support and wisdom on this site. I did.
As a mom I also want to add that my diagnosis has been wonderful for my children. I could have told them that they are empathetic, nurturing and helpful little people but, they've had the chance to prove this to themselves. And as an added bonus, they read the nutrition labels on junk food. :)
thank you! just having a rough go with everything, and cutting down extremely on my cigarettes, just makes it harder, that used to be my sanity. so instead i sit here and obscess about everything. i want to do the eating changes and quit smoking and do everything right, but its really not easy and so overwhelming. my poor kids right now trying to deal with my ups and downs, lot of downs right now. our sanity time is we take at least an hour walk at night, the whole family and that really helps take the edge off.
you're welcome :) you are going to be ok.. just keep saying that to yourself and the walk is a great idea! I do that and it always destresses me too :) you could also have spastic bladder to maybe.. I had that 10 years before D.. maybe it was the D all along, but my bg was normal then it seemed.
oh yeah.. forgot this but green tea is very destressing- it acts like tranquillizer for me and you can get theanine pills too- in green teas :)
thank you aimee, i'm sure in time will settle down, i really appreciate everyones story and words of wisdom, comfort and empathy. means the world. most all of my friends are avoiding me and it seems over half my family doesn't even care enough to call me. i don't get it
ha ha, don't know, i always have a dry mouth and probably pee 20 times a day, and not just a little bit, lol
thank you! i really am trying to do everything perfect, and it sucks A**! but i want to live a long life with fewest complications possible. but i am so focused on this right now, its hard to even enjoy my family and i know that's no good either.
Sorry for mentioning it. I think I meant to put it after another comment, but it's something my former endocrinologist said to me before I switched endocrinologists and got properly tested and diagnosed as T1 (LADA) by someone else. I had already gotten on insulin (basal/bolus), so was able to avoid it. I wouldn't worry about it.