I m a fairly newly diagnosed Lada diabetic. I m still honeymooning therefore as long as I keep my diet low carb I hardly ever need to use any bolus insulin. The only downside is, I have been losing quite a bit of weight since diagnosis (around 10 kg) and I wasnt having weight issues to begin with. I am now down to 52 kg at 1.73 m height,
I m very well aware that that is NOT good, and I fear I might lose even more.
The problem is though, I am very happy with managing BG through Low Carb, it makes a huge difference to my day if I see a high number after eating (I have pp spikes even with a bolus if I have a fair amount of carbs.)
So really I am looking for other ways of sensibly keeping my weight up, adding more carbs surely cant be the only option? Any suggestions are highly appreciated,
According to Dr. Bernstein you should up your protein, just as Helen said. The reasoning behind this is that 58% of protein is eventually converted to carbs. But these carbs hit your bloodstream very gradually. In your case, since you are honeymooning your pancreas has a better chance of keeping up, as opposed to fast acting carbs which can overwhelm your ability to produce insulin fast enough.
You need to decide the amount of calories your going to eat each day and stick to it. 1 carb is about 3 calories-1 gram of fat is about 9 calories...if you do not eat carbs your going to need to eat fat....
Yes starving to death is how people managed to survive before insulin...yes we all have lower BG averages if we don't eat. When I was first Diagnosed I just stopped eating it seemed like the right thing to do....it was a bad idea and I finally gave in and excepted my fate and started eating a balanced diet. Check your ketones if they are high and your BG is in normal range you are probably not eating enough food (calories) so your body is just eating it's self.
I eat a lot of peanut butter and use a lot of olive oil to keep my weight up even though I don't low carb. I'd encourage you to eat in a way that makes sense to you which may or may not be low carb and to bolus accordingly. With any luck you are going to have diabetes for a very long time and for most of that time you will be taking boluses with meals. Why not get into the habit now and develop insulin management skills while your beta cells can still help out a bit.
I use protein shakes to help ensure good levels of protein. I buy the big bags at costco. Many people are surprised that on low carb, their appetite and hunger drops, causing them to eat less frequently and not as much. It is important to eat enough as John points out.
Also, don't forget, fat is important as Helen points out. Don't fear the fat.
After diagnosis I lost 20kg's in a couple of months. I think it was my body's reaction to getting the crazy blood sugars under control. It might just be a result of that...
Who would have thought? For the past 25 years I 'tried everything' to lose that weight. I couldnt even dream of a day that I would wonder how to make sure I don't get too skinny. Yay to diabetes!
In Holland the following rules are recommended for food: - decide the amount of Kcalories you need depending on age, sex and activity level
- fat should not be more than 30% of calorie intake. 1 gram of fat equals 9 Kcalories.
- ideally, carbs make up 40-70 % of the calorie intake. 1 gram carbs = 4 Kcalories.
- There is no clear recommendation on proteins, except that you should not overeat. Too much protein may give kidney problems. 1 gram protein = 4 gr Kcalories.
When I was diagnosed with LADA it took me some time to figure out to find a - on average - balanced food regime. At first I had problems in accepting the thought that I required insulin - just tried to minimize the dose. However, after takiing everything into account ( quality of life, balanced diet, potential diabetes related complications) I have accepted insulin as a friend, though an uninvited friend.
I have the same problem. I find I lose weight unless I roast my veggies with a bunch of olive oil or have salad with a decent amount of vinaigrette. It seems to be those fats that keep my weight stable. Am also having quite a bit of protein. And sunflower seeds are a good high-fat, low-carb snack,,,,,
As many have said, merely increase the protein intake. I lost 15kg very quickly after moving to low carb but was able to level off and find a healthy equilibrium at my ideal weight by upping my protein consumption. There are so many dietary options available; eggs, nuts, peanut butter, beef, fish, poultry, etc. Choose what you like best and experiment with its effects on your BG as well as the impact on your weight.
I was in Munich on business last week and was reminded of all the tasty meat and cheese options you have there.
I'd been battling to lose just 5kg for the last 10 years...had I known all I needed was a type 1 diagnosis to get there....
Wow, the comments on this infomercial article are really quite critical. Based on these comments, if I heard the words, "HealthTap," I would run like the wind in the other direction.
