Am I doing something wrong?,,,


(Craig Lloyd) #1

Hey all

As most of u know iv been attempting carnivore and now in my 3rd week,

I’m somewhat worried about my blood glucose readings, as u an see from the attached they seem to range from 5,7 all the way upto 10, I haVe only ate meat based products for the 3 weeks iv been doing this,

Meats iv eaten are fresh chicken pork beef goat fish,

Drinks I do like tea and coffee with single or double cream but while working iv had the occasional splash of milk

I have a cup of t or coffee when I wake and then at breaktimes at work(2) and then 2 in the evening

Surely if I’m not eating carbs they’re should be some improvement?

I am open to ideas?


(Craig Lloyd) #3

I know that but under keto my blood sugers for above a year were alot better that’s why I’m querying…


(Bob M) #4

So, you went from keto to carnivore and now are getting over 9? 9.2 = about 166 in US units. That is high. Even 6.1 isn’t low (about 110).

What were you getting on keto?

What are you eating now?

How much are you exercising?

Are you lean?


(Joey) #5

What you are consuming should not be causing any glucose issues. But please help me understand the x-axis on your graph…

Is that spike BEFORE you eat anything in the morning?

If so, this would indicate what’s often referred to as the “dawn effect” … i.e., it’s your body providing glucose for your brain/muscles through gluconeogenesis (converting body fat to usable energy)… which would be a very good thing, indicating that you’re making great progress in improving your health over time.


(Craig Lloyd) #6

Yes it’s before I eat, I dont eat until 10:45 but sometimes later depending if I’m hungry


(Craig Lloyd) #7

Varies from day to day but since I started its been meat no veg or seasoning. Apart from salt and pepper

On keto until Xmas my blood sugars were between 4.5 and 6

No I’m not lean, I’m doing keto carnivore for weightloss but have put 10+kg since Jan and unsure why

Some exercise but mainly working


(Bob M) #8

Very interesting. 4.5 and 6 is about what I get too, on keto with a lot of meat, but some vegetables and the like too.

Those are some high values now.

The only thing I can think of is that you’re “exercising” (including working) enough that your body needs higher blood sugar, and therefore produces more blood sugar, I assume from protein. How that leads to weight gain, though, I don’t know. I’d say you’ve gained muscle/connective tissue, but 22 pounds is a lot.

I’d be interested to see what happened if you added carbs back in, say 50 grams a day. I’d bet your blood sugar would go down. (Not sure what carbs to add back in - it would depend on what you’re able to eat.)


(Craig Lloyd) #9

Previously I was on less then 15grams of carbs

I am curious if I’m eating to much meat? Is that possible?

I tried one of my wife’s mushrooms tonight and it wasn’t nice, yet a month ago I could easily eat a pack or two?

When I say exercise I do mean general walking

Work I drive a jcb all day from 7 till 6


(Linda ) #10

Yeah it is possible to eat too much protein if your insulin resistant…Dr Cywes had be add in more fat and advocado or olives 3 meals a week. And few slices of cheese.

I can’t do cream it gives me upset stomach and so does melted butter so to add fat I went to short ribs 70/27 ground beef and heavily marbled meat…I eat bacon as a side dish.
By eating the extra fat the idea here is to fill you up faster and cut back portion sizes on meat…it worked for me dropping insulin improving my fasting glucose and improving cholesterol.


(Joey) #11

… so to be clear (the axis is still a bit confusing as to timing of results), the highest reading (spike) for glucose is seen well before you have eaten your first meal. Then if begins to come down - still before you’ve eaten anything. And then once you’ve eaten your first meal of the day, your blood glucose continues to decline throughout the afternoon? Then it begins to rise again - presumably after your dinner?


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #12

Since you are not eating carbohydrate at all, the glucose in your system is the result of a very well-regulated process.

On a carnivore diet, too much fat or protein should not be a concern. Eat to satisfy your hunger. On a carnivore diet, that may well result in eating a lot of food. Two pounds (909 g) of meat a day is not too much for most people on a carnivore diet. Shawn Baker eats twice that amount, but as he says, “I’d never recommend eating that much to anyone; I’m a freak.”


(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #13

Bingo! Your BG may seem a bit on the high side right now. But you also just went from a keto diet where you consumed some carbs, even if very few, to a new diet with zero carbs. Maybe it’s simply an adjustment phase. As Joey says your daily ‘spike’ occurs in the fasted state and then falls all day long in the fed state. That’s actually very good! There are probably a lot of folks on this forum who would like to be able to say the same. Just give yourself more time before coming to conclusions. As long as you’re not eating it, glucose isn’t necessarily a bad thing.


(Craig Lloyd) #14

Hi, that’s correct yes


(Craig Lloyd) #15

Hey, I am insulin resistant, Di u calorie count? For last 3 weeks I haven’t been… Should I be?


(Linda ) #16

No on carnivore you don’t need to count calories Dr Cywes has us dish our food up on a main plate and take pieces from the main plate to a smaller plate and eat til your full the reason is if you serve food up on a plate your mote likely to eat til its gone…if you have to go back to get more you seem to be mote inclined to leave food when you’re full…when I started it still weighed everything and put it through carb manager so if I could see what I was doing…
I’ve lost 12 lbs on carnivore but then gained 5 back but I think that’s because I was so used to mircromanaging keto I was still doing that when on carnivore…my clothes still fit and my blood work is improving so I’m still healing…i was at goal now up the 5 pounds…but if that 5 pounds means I don’t have to restrict food its a good trade off for me im still monitoring my weight though and if need be I can make changes if I need to


(Joey) #17

If what’s correct refers to my description of the diurnal pattern of your blood glucose (continual monitoring?) in conjunction with your daily eating times, then it sure looks like you’re doing great on carnovore.

Your body is providing the glucose you need (and associated insulin response) at the times needed. Glucose in and of itself isn’t a bad thing - depends on the source, frequency, and what else is being eaten at the same time.

Your glucose ain’t coming from Pizza Hut :+1:


(Craig Lloyd) #18

Hi yes I’m trialing one of the libre sensors, that’s why it’s in graph form,


(Craig Lloyd) #19

I’m somewhat confused, I throught blood sugars needed to be in the 4-6 range for. It to be safe?


(Joey) #20

I can’t speak to what “should be” (I’ll leave that to experts), but if you are not consuming carbs/sugars from your food intake, any glucose you have in your system is being created by your body (I’m assuming by converting protein and dietary/body fat).

If you’re concerned about high glucose levels, the solution can’t possibly be to consume foods with a high sugar/carb content (more importantly, a high glycemic index).

In other words, if I understand what (and how often) you’re eating, you are currently doing exactly what one would do to address any concerns about the ability to handle glucose.

Have you been diagnosed with a specific health issue? Why do you have a continuous glucose monitor in the first place? Perhaps some additional context would help.


(Craig Lloyd) #21

I’m type 2 diabetic aiming for reversal, my last Hba1c had risin so I am looking to lower it back down,

I eat twice a day, iv done that since I started keto (naturally, unforced), I do know I am eating sometimes a little later on a evening when hungry since starting carnivore,