I’m new here amd confused!

[Max157]

I was diagnosed type2 diabetes last September and advised to reduce carbs. I’ve bought an Apple Watch and try to use my fitness pal to help. I’ve steadily increased my walking to 10000 steps daily and my calorie intake to around 12,00 , I am 4’11.5 inches . The low carb diets seems to be high fat and high calorie so I am confused about how they work

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

It sounds like you've made a great start, and you've been given good advice, but clearly nobody has filled you in on the details!

Almost everyone finds low-carb (LCHF) diets confusing to begin with because they contradict everything that we've ever been told about calories and fat. What you're going to discover is that everything we've been told was false, and you will probably be quite angry about that when it hits you.

All you need to do here is stick to the script and it will work. You will feel healthy, your blood sugar (and other metabolic markers) will start to correct themselves, and you'll lose weight.

The simple reason is that your body is perfectly capable of managing its own calorie intake, and maintaining your bodyfat at an appropriate level, if you give it the chance. LCHF food is healthy food: you should be eating lots of non-starchy vegetables with meat/eggs/dairy to taste. Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full - don't attempt to restrict your calorie intake.

Yes, most of your daily energy is coming from fat, but because fat is so energy-dense you don't need a huge amount of it. Ordinary minimally-processed foods, like meat, butter, cheese, eggs, and olive oil will do the job, without any need to cram down more than you think is compatible with flavoursome meals.

As you eliminate starches (I suggest doing a standard "keto" phase for two weeks rather than trying to cut down slowly) your appetite for fat will increase somewhat; you will find, for example, that you can happily eat a fatty portion of chicken instead of lean chicken breast.

The diet works by allowing your body's internal control systems to function properly, instead of shoving them hard into a region of operation that they were never designed for (which is what low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets eventually do). Trust your body to know what it needs and it'll all come out in the wash.

[Max157 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thank you for your kind and helpful reply! Needless to say I now have another question ! You mentioned a two week keto start but I’m afraid that is beyond my understanding! Could you kindly point me in the right direction?

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Max157]

This should help, Max157 dietdoctor.com/low-carb/ket...

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to Max157]

The only real difference between "keto" and "low carb" is that keto is stricter with carbs. The idea is to eliminate all visible sources of starch and sugar - so that means being careful with things like milk (which contains lactose), sweetcorn, beans, and similar items.

I don't think anybody has figured out 100% why it works, but it seems to be the case that (particularly for diabetics) withdrawing almost all carbohydrates from the diet for a short period results in the most painless transition to a low-carb lifestyle. Attempting to "cut down" works for some people, but more often that not your body rebels - and again, this is particularly true in the case of diabetic bodies which have "forgotten" how to burn bodyfat effectively between meals and need a short, sharp reminder. Your appetite for carbs and sugar will fall quite dramatically and you'll find it very easy (enjoyable, even) to continue what you've started.

This site is a good place to start:

dietdoctor.com/

It has a paid section, but this is more for people who want to actively support the work that Dr Eenfeldt (the site owner) is doing - you don't need to go near the 'free trial' stuff. All of the important information (diet guides, scientific explanations, recipes) is free.

The visual guides are particularly helpful. Build your meals from the appropriate ingredients and you don't need to measure or count anything. There's about an 80% chance you will be able to transition into a "normal" low carb routine just like everyone else and your diabetes will go into remission. "Normal" means you're eating pretty much anything apart from "white carbs" such as bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes.

Important: if you are taking any drugs for diabetes, it is vital that you talk to your doctor about stopping these before doing a keto cycle. Metformin is about the only drug that's "keto compatible". In all other cases, your blood sugar/insulin response will normalise so quickly that you will be in danger of hypoglycemia if you take such drugs while changing to a very-low-carb diet.

[Max157 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thank you I haven’t been prescribed any drugs so I’m relying on diet and exercise

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to Max157]

Good stuff. If your doctor hasn't given you drugs then you're probably a borderline case, so you're almost guaranteed to make a full recovery.

You might be interested in Googling Dr David Unwin (perhaps you've heard of him?). He has a few interesting videos about all this on YouTube.

[Max157 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

I am so grateful for your help and thankful you took the time to answer I shall be looking on you tube!

[Max157 in reply to Max157]

Your friendly neighbourhood pest back again! I amusing my fitness pal to track my food, I have to set calorie, fat , carb and protein goals so I have 1200 calorie, but unsure what to put in the other categories any clues gratefully received

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, Max157

When you're following a low carb diet, you need to increase fat, or a least not be scared of fat and calories don't need to be counted. Here are a few things for you to look at that may help with your confusion.

healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

phcuk.org/wp-content/upload...

healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

fatismyfriend.co.uk/

All of the information you need about the forum can be found in Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/weight-l... and we hope you'll be joining all the Events, Challenges and Clubs that we run, especially a weigh-in and the daily diary.

If you haven't already taken it, here's a tour of the forum healthunlocked.com/?tour=true

We've found active participation to be key to successful weight loss and, of course, it's a good way to get to know people, find inspiration and share support and encouragement.

Wishing you all the best

[Bee-bop Maintainer 2st 7lbs]

Hi Max157,

I was pre diabetic and I changed my diet by swapping carbs not going LCHF. So, sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, whole grain rice for white rice and wholegrain rice pasta. I also cut sugar and have natural sweetener instead of sugar. Lost approx 3 stone and no longer pre diabetic. Hope that helps.

[Lytham 3 stone]

I love low carb partly due to the fact you don't count the calories, which I get confused with anyway ! Would you like to join us on our weigh in? Here's the link, hope to see you there! x

healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

[Gizmocat Moderator 13kg Maintainer]

Its great you have been given sensible advice. I had never heard of LCHF until I joined this forum. I was prediabetic and had high BP and wasn't given any help. However following advice from people here I switched to LCHF and have lost 17kg and blood sugars and BP are normal and I no longer need medication.

As you have been the most important thing is to cut carbs like bread, rice, pasta and potatoes. Increasing exercise helps too. The term high fat is a misnomer and should be healthy fats. Focus on full fat yogurt, cheese, milk etc and avoid anything low fat or fat free. Fats fill you up so you feel less hungry. You don't have to eat lots of fat. As others have said DietDoctor is a great source of information and recipes. I also recommend Michael Moseley's 8 week blood sugar diet book. There is a recipe book that goes with it with some lovely recipes. It also explains a lot of the science in an easy to understand way.

You can reverse T2 and you sound like you have made a start. Good luck

[Max157 in reply to Gizmocat]

I think what panicked me was the high fat label! Healthy fat makes much more sense!

[slipstick Maintainer 2st 7lbs in reply to Max157]

That's why I call the way I eat RCRF (Reduced Carbs, Reasonable Fats). It's not very different in practical terms from LCHF though miles from the extremist version "Keto". But it does sound far less daunting to me.