Just recieved good news that my AC1 is 5.6 from last year 10.9. I do (now) IF and Keto. However I am experiencing the following:
Dry itchy skin around the ankles. They look old even though I am only 46 and very, very active.
Hypo symptoms when fasting. carry with me glucose tabs to make me feel better.
Hypo’s at night, wake up in a puddle of sweat.
Any thoughts??
Thanks
Are you diabetic? Do you take medication to lower BG? Why are you taking glucose tablets? How many do you take and how often? When you have an episode, do you test BG or are you just going based on symptoms? How long have you been keto and how long since you added IF?
Ah forgot to mention. Sorry. I was diagnosed T2D, I am off all BG meds, BP Meds. All Med I take is for my Lupus. I take three glucose tablets once a day especially in the late afternoon while I am fasting. Yes, I test when I am having an episode…its usually 47-59. Been on Keto 5 months (on and off, sticking to it has been challenging) and Ive been fasting 16 hrs -4 hrs for the last month.
If your BG is dropping, it’s due to an insulin spike and probably excess insulin sensitivity. You made a huge change in your A1c and I’m betting it’s caused you to be much more sensitive to insulin spikes. Of course, 3 times a day you’re putting a direct hit to your system that screams the need for insulin stat. And, in the recent past, low amounts of insulin wasn’t working so your body produced a lot more. So, now that you’re in a much better place, your blood sugar is normal frequently but your insulin response probably hasn’t changed so it still overdoses you. Drop IF and throw the tablets out. If you use sweeteners, get rid of those for now too. Do basic keto for a few weeks and really get firm in it without the tablets where your BG is fairly stable. And then add IF back in and slowly add whatever sweetener if you were using any. See where that gets you. Some people respond with insulin spikes to sweeteners that don’t raise blood sugar thus causing it to drop where it shouldn’t be also.
Congrats on the good A1C, HOWEVER …
*** WARNING BELLS SOUNDING ***
How many grams of carb are in each tablet? If you’ve been taking 3 glucose tablets every day since you started keto, and doing keto “on and off,” you may have never really started keto. Did you count that glucose in your less than 20 grams per day? You’re probably not fat adapted, & you’re not really fasting as long as you think you are. I think you’re defeating the purpose of keto by taking the glucose.
What exactly IS an “episode?” Sweats? Shakes? Worse? What you should do is eat plenty of real food with balanced keto macros. If OMAD isn’t cutting it to keep your energy up, you may need to be eating two for now. If you’re very active, you simply might not be eating enough. Let the IF go until you are fat-adapted.
Hey, @Brenda, am I way off base here? (Brenda works for Jason Fung’s company, IDM. She used to be T2D & advises people like you daily.) You’re the guru here - give @Ernesto_Llorente your pearls of wisdom!
(PS - no idea about the dry skin - wonder if it could actually be fungal or a sign of candida?? IDK.)
Thank you all for your input…just to let you know I went back to my KETO diet, got rid of all glucose and artificial sweetner and began to feel better. After two weeks of strick adherence to very low carb diet, my BG stabilized (70-90) and no symptoms of what I believed to be Hypo… perhaps it was all in my head because after taking time to read about IF with Dr. Fung, I was able to do a two day fast with no problem. No glucose tabs, no symptoms and my BG stable and feeling great. As far as the dry skin above the ankle is still there, but not as bothersome as before. My rheumatologist saw it and said he does not know what it is but will monitor it on our next meeting. Once again thank you all.
By the way, while fasting, any suggestions how to deal with KETO breath without sugar free gum?