Type 1 and a Low Carb-High Fat Diet

A low carb-high fat (LCHF) diet is used effectively by many type 2 people. It can give them much better blood sugar control, and helps with losing weight. It can also help some type 1 people. I reduced my carbs and ate healthy fats several years ago. I also took 2000 mg of Metformin each day. I lost a lot of weight and stopped the Metformin when I did not need to lose any more. LCHF helped me very much.
The individual in the diagram is a type 1, and he explains how LCHF has helped his control. The graphs show a before and after LCHF blood sugar control. LCHF has been very effective here. Not all type 1 people need to use a LCHF way of eating, but if the control shows many highs, and/or there is a need to lose weight, then LCHF is worth considering. Perhaps your doctor should be consulted before starting the LCHF routine.

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Whilst reading your post I see my experience three years ago. I found it pleasant, euphoric at times, and energizing all wrapped up! Time in range is a big deal to me. The lower graph just feels calmer! LCHF is not for everyone but for those it does work, it can be a boon.

Proposing to someone to change their eating habit is not a popular topic to broach with anyone!

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I am type 1 and I do LCHF. Itā€™s the only diet that has been able to help me control my BG. I am also on Metformin and birth control because I have PCOS and am insulin resistant. The only problem I am still struggling with is the inability to lose weight. It is so frustrating, but I am figuring it all out with my endoā€™s help.

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Tamra, when I had weight gain and insulin resistance I took 2000 mg of Metformin ER each day. I also reduced my daily carb intake by 30%. It was many months before the pounds started rolling off. After a year on Metformin I had lost all the extra weight. Then I stopped Metformin and increased my carbs. That worked well for more than a year, but recently I have started gaining weight again, and the IR has increased. Now I am taking 1000 mg of Metformin and have reduced my carbs byb 15%.

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Ha! As soon as I saw that graph, I immediately thought, thatā€™s @Terry4ā€™s work!!

Cheers!

Thanks, that is reassuring. Iā€™ve only been on the Metformin (2000 MG) for going on two months. Iā€™ve been doing the LCHF since November 2014 (but itā€™s been rocky at times). I keep telling myself it will take time. I know part of my weight problem is the PCOS and I have seen some good results with the therapy Iā€™m on as far as my hormones getting in proper line, but my main concern has always been the fact that I eat well, exercise as much as I can handle, but still am at least 50 lbs heavier than I should be and canā€™t freskinā€™ lose one!

Patience is key at the moment, I guess. :smile:

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Healthy fat suggestions please! Itā€™s so difficult to find high fat items. Supermarket shelves are full of low fat, nonfat goods.

Unsure if Iā€™m doing it right, need help and advice: Breakfast, omelette with cheddar cheese; coffee with cream Is this high fat? Do I add bacon to the omelette with cheddar for more fat so that Iā€™m not hungry? How many carbs do these items represent? If I were having this breakfast I assumed 0 carbs.

Occasionally I have 1 container 6 oz of Liberte Mediterranean yogurt and use the carb count from the container to bolus for the MDI. Iā€™m not on a pump.

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Bacon or sausage would add healthy fat. The coffee and cream does have some carbs, so I do bolus for that. Some people experience an increased BG with caffeine.

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There is a website that is moderated by several T2 people. They advise all T2 newbies to use LCHF. If a T1 joins the group and is having problems with BG control or overweight, they advise LCHF for them too. I do not like seeing T1ā€™s being advised to eat that way. I feel that T1Dā€™s can eat a more normal diet, use basal and bolus with carb counting, and have good control. If that is not possible, and/or there is overweight, then LCHF can help.

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Richard157, in my case, it is how much error am I likely to make if I miscalculate the carbs, the insulinā€¦etc. Iā€™ve tried eating around 35 g carbs for dinner, the BGā€™s are sloppy. I think that when I weigh out the foods, if there are 5 errors in the 5 ingredients, they add up. On the other hand, if all 5 ingredients contribute a miniscule amount of carb, BGā€™s seem better. If I have only one item, and it is 35 g carbs, Iā€™ve also had better luck with BG.

Which is the website that you are referring to - LCHF?

The website that emphasized LCHF is:

@lh378 healthy fats would be coconut oil, avocados, tuna, anything with Omega-3. Much more on this website. http://www.goodfats101.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwrJ2tBRD13N7T5u7k9I8BEiQA5APAAGp2Xx4HgXwxTHHVUu06Pp5BZaxOyunP5lctAlGDilUaAgNs8P8HAQ

Good luck.

Sarah :four_leaf_clover:

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When you eat whole fresh foods, and not supermarket-shelf food, you will know exactly how you are getting the fat in. Eat avocados. Cook eggs in butter or coconut oil, put a pat of butter on your cooked cauliflower/broccoli, full cream in your coffee. etc.

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The first thing I saw in this website is that it lumped saturated fats together with trans fats as unhealthy.

Trans fats (margerine) are indeed unhealthy. A great doctor once said to me - ā€œits like eating plastic bagsā€. That includes Canola oil and all the processed vegetable oils.

Animal fats including butter, and coconut oil, on the other hand, are saturated - and healthy! fats.
Saturated fats have been REMOVED from the ā€˜dangerous for the heartā€™ list, and our body needs them.

But many health practitioners/dieticians and ā€˜websitesā€™ are very slow to learn this. They copycat from each other.

Please use a more up-to-date source to learn about healthy vs. nonhealthy fats.

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I have never understood why the LCHF is the one thing that is pushed. Nutrition and balance are not important?!? They are for me, and I donā€™t struggle with diet issues. To do my thing each day, I need some carbs. Not a lot, but certainly some fresh produce and sometimes a little rice wonā€™t kill a T1. In fact, too much fat can be quite dangerous for some folks, Because we donā€™t know a personā€™s medical history, medical issues, and even the risk of chronic disease based on the family genomics, it is simply unwise and possibly dangerous to recommend ANY diet plan.

Obviously I donā€™t follow LCHF, there are some nutritious carbs out there. In fact, when I needed to lose some weight I received advice from an RD, who never said to eliminate fat but to limit and make healthy choices. Did that and BOOM, it worked, I continue to follow the recommendation, I feel just fine, my diabetes is managed, and i donā€™t jones for eats all day long. There is no way I could live on fat alone as the DOC seems to suggest is perfectly healthy. Here is a pretty good up to date source regarding fat: Dietary fats explained: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

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LCHF works for me because I react very strongly to carbs of any kind. But, I do not eat NO carb, that would be impossible. My 25-30g daily carbs come from non-starchy, green leafy veggies mostly. I have been able to reduce my TDI by nearly 40%. Isnā€™t that the goal, less insulin? But, if you are able to follow a plan that works for you, then BRAVA. More power to ya!

Sarah :four_leaf_clover:

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pasture-raised butter and cream are two of my favorite healthy fatsā€“extremely good for feeding probiotics as well as a ketogenic diet :wink: Organic coconut oil as well as coconut meat. Avocados. macadamia nuts and oil. organic olive oil.

Hope this helps :smiley:

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[quote=ā€œcurlysarah, post:16, topic:46521, full:trueā€]
LCHF works for me because I react very strongly to carbs of any kind. But, I do not eat NO carb, that would be impossible. My 25-30g daily carbs come from non-starchy, green leafy veggies mostly.[/quote] Itā€™s good to have a solid definition of LCHF at last!!

[quote=ā€œcurlysarah, post:16, topic:46521, full:trueā€]I have been able to reduce my TDI by nearly 40%. Isnā€™t that the goal, less insulin? But, if you are able to follow a plan that works for you, then BRAVA. More power to ya! Sarah :four_leaf_clover:[/quote] I did not know about the ā€œless insulin goalā€. Thanks for the BRAVA, though. I am all powered up from enjoying a bowl of fresh berries right out of the garden :slight_smile:

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from my 31.5 years of living with D, I have learned that the less insulin the better.

Sarah :four_leaf_clover:

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Iā€™m with you, Sarah. I think the less insulin the better, even if you donā€™t have D. I think too much insulin has all kinds of effects, many we donā€™t know about yet.

Using LCHF I reduced my total daily dose from 80 to 33. Life is definitely better this way. :smile:

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