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Hi all - just thought I would update you. I have been eating the low carb high fat diet for a little over 2 months. All thru April i only lost 1 pound, the same 1-3 pounds kept hanging around. I tried everything and did not cheat.
Anyhoo, upon further studying all this stuff on my own, i have decided to stay lower carb, but do the Atkins 40 where you can add a few lower carb food - (complex carbs - not all kinds but some). and i am going to try to follow that plus the Mediterranean Diet. A couple of things made me do this - i really missed fruit, and all that high fat was making me sick to my stomach. And i think i would rather choose a fruit over tons of butter, i think the fiber will do what the extra fat was supposed to do.
So this week, Im experimenting adding some more complex carbs, and upping my carbs to about 50 total or 40 net.
I looked at the recipes and its like a bee to honey. I think i can still keep it a small amount of carbs, but also eating more complex carbos. Its basically eating cleaner. I think all that butter was hurting me and adding calories. even 500 calories more a day could have stalled me. And I'm going back to Carnation Creamer, rather than the heavy whipping cream. and not so much cheese. I suspect those things kept me plateaud. We shall see this week or two.
Some new food items - berries, low carb wheat tortilla, and oatmeal. Not raisins though. Not sure if i will drink some milk or not. Beans seem to be too high carb unless i got 1/2 cup serving. So anyhoo, i hope this works, seems like the LCHF was not working well after month 1.
Will let you know how it works!
Did you get on this diet to control your pre-diabetes, your weight or both?
I assume you are not on any diabetes medication?
Diets like Adkins or Keto or whatever are aimed at weight loss and not necessarily at controlling blood sugar. Adkins calls for a lot of protein which is fine for most dieters but not that good for diabetics. Protein does actually make your blood sugar go up but not as much as carbs.
If you are trying to control your BG or keep your pre-diabetes from becoming worse you need to see how you react to certain foods and not necessarily go by strict carb control. As an example, beans have carbs but do they make your blood sugar go up? They are complex carbs and don't affect everyone the same. Same goes for oatmeal which also has a substantial amount of carbs. Fruit on the other hand will affect your BG especially certain kinds. The only way to tell is a meter and you may not want to bother with that?
Did you get on this diet to control your pre-diabetes, your weight or both?
I assume you are not on any diabetes medication?
Diets like Adkins or Keto or whatever are aimed at weight loss and not necessarily at controlling blood sugar. Adkins calls for a lot of protein which is fine for most dieters but not that good for diabetics. Protein does actually make your blood sugar go up but not as much as carbs.
If you are trying to control your BG or keep your pre-diabetes from becoming worse you need to see how you react to certain foods and not necessarily go by strict carb control. As an example, beans have carbs but do they make your blood sugar go up? They are complex carbs and don't affect everyone the same. Same goes for oatmeal which also has a substantial amount of carbs. Fruit on the other hand will affect your BG especially certain kinds. The only way to tell is a meter and you may not want to bother with that?
You must be a mind reader because you totally get my situation I am trying to lose weight and reverse pre-diabetes. I know the thing about too much protein turning to glucose. This week im adding a few low carb fruit (berries) and a small oatmeal and a low carb torilla. apparently 1/4 cup of beans has 10 net carbs (or 5 i cant remember). im going to talk this over with the doctor thursday. i figured this out on my own, and hoping im doing the right thing. since i have been doing this, the scale has gone down 2 pounds this week. I think all the butter i was eating and the high fat was perhaps adding calories and keeping me at a maintenance level.
in any case, i feel much better choosing this fruit and upping my carbs to 40 choosing that instead of fat, bacon, butter, etc. which was making me ill. i think the fiber in the complex carbs will keep me full which is what eating the high fat was supposed to do.
The Adkins 40 is similar to the Mediterranean Diet, except with less carbs allowed. so im somewhere in there.(eating clean really)
Fat adds up and if you are not in a fat burning mode (keto) you are going to gain weight pretty quickly.
Stick to mono saturated fats in smaller quantities.
complex carbs is the key and not being afraid to add some nutritious ones. Maybe next week or two i will test a few more items to see how it affects me .. making changes slowly at a time to test this out. Great if this trend continues!!!
You must be a mind reader because you totally get my situation I am trying to lose weight and reverse pre-diabetes. I know the thing about too much protein turning to glucose. This week im adding a few low carb fruit (berries) and a small oatmeal and a low carb torilla. apparently 1/4 cup of beans has 10 net carbs (or 5 i cant remember). im going to talk this over with the doctor thursday. i figured this out on my own, and hoping im doing the right thing. since i have been doing this, the scale has gone down 2 pounds this week. I think all the butter i was eating and the high fat was perhaps adding calories and keeping me at a maintenance level.
in any case, i feel much better choosing this fruit and upping my carbs to 40 choosing that instead of fat, bacon, butter, etc. which was making me ill. i think the fiber in the complex carbs will keep me full which is what eating the high fat was supposed to do.
The Adkins 40 is similar to the Mediterranean Diet, except with less carbs allowed. so im somewhere in there.(eating clean really)
Just another note on LCHF. In my experience it provides only moderate weight loss. It is the ideal diet for diabetics. It keeps insulin levels low which is what diabetics want. The weight loss is very gradual which is probably why you are not noticing any progress and it has to be a lifestyle instead of a temporary diet. You are not a full diabetic and it may not be the best choice for you. As for the fat intake, you may be overdoing it if it is not agreeing with you. Maybe it should be Low Carb Some Fat for you. Eating some carbs is fine but especially avoid the refined white carbs. I am on LCHF for almost 3 years now and I don't eat that much butter if any. I don't go out of my way to eat extra fat, it is already in the foods I like. I'm glad you found a doctor that understands what you are doing, I wish I could do that. Go ahead and enjoy the fruit just don't go overboard. Yes, fructose from fruit is the same as any sugar, what differs is the concentration of it. I eat moderate amounts of it myself and my numbers are quite good. I just avoid the really sweet fruits like mango or pineapple. I also enjoy beans and they don't raise my numbers too much especially if I mix it with some protein and vegetables in the same meal. Since I don't do grains, I don't eat oatmeal. I am not a big breakfast person and only eat it on the weekends. So again if you are still trying to lose weight then yes count every carb. If you are just trying to manage then it is not necessary to be that strict.
Chicago, I used to have gestational diabetes. I ate carbs but I had to always balance them with a protein for blood sugar purposes. Courtesy of diabetes everything I ate basically had to have thought/be balanced. So you can enjoy things like beans and even fruit as long as it was paired with a protein (i.e. a cube of cheese, or 1/4 cup of nuts). My father has Type 2 and he continues to eat a balanced diet. the main change for him was learning portion control. my dietitian at the time preached portion control even more than carb control.
beans are really filling. have you tried vegetarian chilis made with lentils? they'll fill you up for hours and the calories aren't that bad at all. just watch for the sodium.
personally, instead of overly fretting about carbs, I'd focus on getting the best bang for your buck calorie wise and focus on portion control. by losing weight in general, your sugar should improve. install a fitness app to see how many calories you should be eating and then make choices based on that.
Chicago, I used to have gestational diabetes. I ate carbs but I had to always balance them with a protein for blood sugar purposes. Courtesy of diabetes everything I ate basically had to have thought/be balanced. So you can enjoy things like beans and even fruit as long as it was paired with a protein (i.e. a cube of cheese, or 1/4 cup of nuts). My father has Type 2 and he continues to eat a balanced diet. the main change for him was learning portion control. my dietitian at the time preached portion control even more than carb control.
beans are really filling. have you tried vegetarian chilis made with lentils? they'll fill you up for hours and the calories aren't that bad at all. just watch for the sodium.
personally, instead of overly fretting about carbs, I'd focus on getting the best bang for your buck calorie wise and focus on portion control. by losing weight in general, your sugar should improve. install a fitness app to see how many calories you should be eating and then make choices based on that.
I'm going to take your post to my doc tomorrow to ask him these things that you mentioned, thank you! that's what I need to sort out to go forward!
Tryin to get my blood sugars down and reverse this pre-diabetes. doc said 50 carbs is good. I see I can eat a small fruit if its higher sugars and a small amt of beans. complex carbs is the way to go. funny, I don't crave desserts or cake, but fruit and other complex carbs. thinking it may be my body telling me it needs some nutrient in those items. Sometimes I am feeling my way around in the dark, but im gonna find my way
I'm going to take your post to my doc tomorrow to ask him these things that you mentioned, thank you! that's what I need to sort out to go forward!
Tryin to get my blood sugars down and reverse this pre-diabetes. doc said 50 carbs is good. I see I can eat a small fruit if its higher sugars and a small amt of beans. complex carbs is the way to go. funny, I don't crave desserts or cake, but fruit and other complex carbs. thinking it may be my body telling me it needs some nutrient in those items. Sometimes I am feeling my way around in the dark, but im gonna find my way
This is what I've pulled from the American Diabetes Association:
Lower Your Risk for Diabetes by Losing Weight
Are you more than 20% over your ideal body weight? Losing even a few pounds can help you avoid developing type 2 diabetes.
Making healthy food choices Follow simple daily guidelines, like eating a variety of foods including fresh fruits and vegetables, limiting fat intake to 30% or less of daily calories, and watching your portion size. Healthy eating habits can go a long way in preventing diabetes and other health problems.
Exercising Regular exercise allows your body to use glucose without extra insulin. This helps combat insulin resistance and is what makes exercise helpful to people with diabetes. Never start an exercise program without checking with your doctor first.
You will note that they did not specifically mention not eating fruit or carbs for that matter. They do stress portion control and overall weight loss as a means of reducing your risk of diabetes.
Just another note on LCHF. In my experience it provides only moderate weight loss. It is the ideal diet for diabetics. It keeps insulin levels low which is what diabetics want. The weight loss is very gradual which is probably why you are not noticing any progress and it has to be a lifestyle instead of a temporary diet. You are not a full diabetic and it may not be the best choice for you. As for the fat intake, you may be overdoing it if it is not agreeing with you. Maybe it should be Low Carb Some Fat for you. Eating some carbs is fine but especially avoid the refined white carbs. I am on LCHF for almost 3 years now and I don't eat that much butter if any. I don't go out of my way to eat extra fat, it is already in the foods I like. I'm glad you found a doctor that understands what you are doing, I wish I could do that. Go ahead and enjoy the fruit just don't go overboard. Yes, fructose from fruit is the same as any sugar, what differs is the concentration of it. I eat moderate amounts of it myself and my numbers are quite good. I just avoid the really sweet fruits like mango or pineapple. I also enjoy beans and they don't raise my numbers too much especially if I mix it with some protein and vegetables in the same meal. Since I don't do grains, I don't eat oatmeal. I am not a big breakfast person and only eat it on the weekends. So again if you are still trying to lose weight then yes count every carb. If you are just trying to manage then it is not necessary to be that strict.
Thats it! You said it exactly ! There are two things that i need to do for the rest of my life - keep calories under a certain amount, and i can have total carbs per day - 50 to 100. Eat complex carbs and RARELY maybe have a white potato if its going to get me thru the night. Portion control on those higher sugar fruits like apple or peach and grains. So thats it! My A1C went down 3 points, so I'm almost out o pre-diabetes, maybe in 3 months i will be out totally. And everything you wrote, I will eat! Even a glass of milk, i just have to watch the calories and carbs and voila. and also he said not to worry about losing too fast, its for the long road ahead, not just a quickie fix. so all good news today! i can enjoy the Mediterranean diet as long as it fits my macros. YAY! so happy, onward to great health. I've only been on this for 2.5 months!
This is what I've pulled from the American Diabetes Association:
Lower Your Risk for Diabetes by Losing Weight
Are you more than 20% over your ideal body weight? Losing even a few pounds can help you avoid developing type 2 diabetes.
Making healthy food choices Follow simple daily guidelines, like eating a variety of foods including fresh fruits and vegetables, limiting fat intake to 30% or less of daily calories, and watching your portion size. Healthy eating habits can go a long way in preventing diabetes and other health problems.
Exercising Regular exercise allows your body to use glucose without extra insulin. This helps combat insulin resistance and is what makes exercise helpful to people with diabetes. Never start an exercise program without checking with your doctor first.
You will note that they did not specifically mention not eating fruit or carbs for that matter. They do stress portion control and overall weight loss as a means of reducing your risk of diabetes.
Hey congrats on losing a pound! Every pound you lose helps with your blood sugar.
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I am trying to lose weight and reverse pre-diabetes. I know the thing about too much protein turning to glucose. This week im adding a few low carb fruit (berries) and a small oatmeal and a low carb torilla. apparently 1/4 cup of beans has 10 net carbs (or 5 i cant remember). im going to talk this over with the doctor thursday. i figured this out on my own, and hoping im doing the right thing. since i have been doing this, the scale has gone down 2 pounds this week. I think all the butter i was eating and the high fat was perhaps adding calories and keeping me at a maintenance level. 
