I have been practicing a low carb diet. I am also not doing the vegan diet right now. Just exploring other options. When I am doing the low carb diet I do feel week all the time till I eat some carbs (bread, rice, etc). Is this normal? Then it seems like I am not eating enough food because I am watching my portion size also. I figure this is more about my mind telling me I need to “feel full” in order to be satisfied.
Any suggestions from my Type @ folks?
When I started on lowering my carbs, I was not on any plan but started having the same symptoms. It was suggested that I check my keytones so I purchased a KetoMojo meter and strips and found that my body was going in and out of ketosis as I ate carbs to feel better. Eating chopped walnuts, avocado chocolate mousse and lemon cheesecake made from cream cheese kept me in Ketosis, feeling full all the time due to fat content of nuts and avocado. Felt much better within a couple of days but also had to drink a powerade Zero daily to replace missing nutirents.
Yes, I never understood people who say they cut out carbs and have so much more energy. It’s the exact opposite for me. I think a lot of it has to do with getting enough calories when I cut the carbs out. My blood sugars are great, but I find it very, very difficult to sustain.
I understand what you mean. I find that eating more fiber helps me to feel more full and satiated, it keeps away the hunger but I would not say I am energised by it.
I think we have to find a new definition of feeling ‘‘energised’’ as the increase in blood sugar is not what we want to associate with it. I agree with scott that you do need to watch to get enough calories without the carbs - that could also make you feel weak. What helped me feel more energetic in general was increasing my sports with an extra hour per week.
That definitely wouldnt make me feel energized, I feel sluggish and awful if I’m high - it’s much worse than being low for me. I feel malnourished when I go low carb, like I have trouble even sitting down and maintaining a conversation with people. I tried several times and the last time was the worst. Now I’ll restrict carbs at certain times (breakfast most days, before doing something stressful, etc) but it’s just too hard to do it all the time.
i am hVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDINGTHE COORelation between what gives energy and feeling week. I remember when i was doing the vegan i was never really weak. I would go to the gym 3-4 times a week and lost weight. now I am struggling more with a low carb diet. I just feel weak all the time. I try to regulate portion of carbs. I assume this weakness continues till it get use to not having the excess
This would absolutely happen to me. Low carb wouldn’t allow me the energy to get outta bed. If your the type to think a lot and move a lot, your probably gonna need some carbs. Its not a hunger thing. Its a light headed thing and an inability to think straight. Definitely feels like low BG, even if BG not low.
This happened to me too at first in the beginning. Your body is getting rid of the bad bacteria that the refined carbs are causing to flourish in your intestine, which I believe will make you tired. Yes I too felt tired. Take some naps if you can. They will help. I would not under eat, but I would perhaps increase some fat intake. Lower the type of carbs you eat. Eat fruits and vegetables primarily for carbs. It will take some time to get used to but you will eventually feel a ton more energy than you did before you started the diet. I’m speaking of the diets that eliminate complex carbs and refined sugars just to let you know. Fruits vegetables are mostly simple sugars which are much easier to digest. Also that way you won’t go through the starvation ketones that some people have mentioned. I would not eliminate carbs, but the types of carbs. It takes some research on which ones to eat. But yeah also as a diabetic I always eat lifesavers no matter what when I need to or have to. Diabetics need to be careful with all these fad diets. They have to adjust accordingly so that the diets help them not hurt them, which I did, and the result was good. I lowered my a1c by about 3 full points.
The first 1-2 weeks is bad. Till your body switches from burning carbs to burning fat.
It really is more than cutting out carbs. google keto
Don’t you have to eat all the time in order to consume enough fruits and vegetables to survive? I need me some high carb, high fat, high protein, high happiness food. That’s probably 50% of total diet.
It’s true you may have to eat more frequently on a low carb diet with diabetes because you are taking insulin. That’s why these types of diets need to be adjusted for diabetics. Parts of the diet may be helpful and useful, but you shouldn’t ignore eating things if you have to just because of a diet. Picture waking up eating yogurt with almonds and honey for breakfast. Eating fruit for a snack. Eating a nice salad for lunch, some cheese ham and sliced peppers or carrots for snack, and then some homemade vegetable soup like celery and some grilled chicken for dinner. And then for snack almonds. If you go low drink some fruit juice easy. Now this may not be low carb totally, but the fat is there the protein is there, and the carbs are not that high. 25-30 carbs for breakfast. 20 for snack. Maybe 30 for lunch depending on what you put in the salad. 10 for snack. And probably 10 or 15 for dinner. With the juice which you’ll probably need another 30. And 5-10 for snack again. We’re talking around 150 carbs for the day. Up to 300 is the recommended. Insulin dosages would have to be adjusted accordingly. I would never recommend eating less than 100 carbs a day. I think that would cause starvation ketones. The thing about this though, I doubt sugar levels would go high at all, even with the honey and the fruit juice. You could also eat as much as you want really because the body could handle it. It’s all natural 100%. Foods like mayonnaise added with just sauerkraut make a nice low carb coleslaw, and the mayonnaise provides energy because it is considered a high energy food. It does take time for the body to adjust to these kinds of diets though. Squash is also very good for digestion. Bananas too. Even though they’re not low carb, but it just depends overall what else you eat too.
When I was first diagnosed three years ago, I eventually went low carb since it seemed to work best. I remember the first few weeks being rough as I tried to adapt to new habits. I also had to lose weight.
Fast forward 3 years, I lost 100 pounds and took up cycling. I can ride 100+ miles in a day if I choose to. I have plenty of energy. I have experimented with eating carbs on the road and eating higher fat. For example, fish and chips for lunch gives me a good burst of energy but it doesn’t last. Eating more nuts or this fatty pork dish that a Chinese hole in the wall serves up provides energy that takes a little more time to kick in but lasts far longer.
It is difficult to suggest what to do but, possibly, more fat will help provide more energy if needed.
Mark - how many carbs a day would you eat?
Do you have a Ketone meter, and if so, what kind of ketones are you running after 3 years low carbs?
I am sorry. I am not very diligent about ketones. I have this tendency to get hung up on numbers and don’t want the bother. When I get my physical and labs there are trace amounts of ketones in my urine
I don’t count macros so tightly anymore either now that I have my weight and diabetes under control. I estimate no more than 50g of carbs per day. I would like to write 25 but I know that is not the truth. Generally all my carbs come from non-root vegetables and whatever is encountered in nuts, cheese.
I use a small amount of regular ketchup regularly as my guilty pleasure item. 1 Tbsp or so lol… Low carb ice cream too but, over time, my fasting BG will creep up if I eat it regularly. Sometimes it spikes me and some times it doesn’t so it is a caution food. I usually eat it and then ride my bike to help mitigate it.
My primary goals have always been to have a good fasting reading, not to spike during the day, and to maintain a non-diabetic A1c as much as possible. I radically changed my diet and exercise routines early on. Once I established my baseline I learned to let it ride. I still monitor and watch closely since I now know things change over time.
Frankly, it seems like once I went LCHF and started walking, it was like hitting a reset button for my body. The weight really just came off without too much difficulty (100 pounds over 12 months) and my diabetes went into remission (the doctor’s comment). I concentrated on doing the things I like which now includes cycling.
Once again, I am sorry to be so general about this but that is how I work lol…
I found the same thing @Mike_M3. No more roller-coaster blood-sugars, and many of my long-term inflammatory processes have all but disappeared.
For those of us with metabolisms favourable to low carb, it’s the way to go.
I do miss certain Carby foods, and have contemplated upping my carb intake … . But for now it’s < 20 grams / day
Jim