Completely Frustrated. That I cannot seem to get my blood sugar down. I have not changed my way of eating. Lots of high fat, no carbs or very little. I have just mainly been eating steaks or store bacon. I posted on here looking for pork belly since there are no butchers or meat markets carrying it or will order it. My blood sugar has been stalled for the last month with a range between 240 and 285. This does not change even when I am fasting. I know that if I get my blood sugar down my weight will come off. Don’t mention exercise, I have tried, I am totally exhausted after five minutes and just want to sleep. Some other things I noticed is I now have a gag reflex on hamburger and eggs. It is kind of strange especially for eggs they are my favorite but lately, it is like I have had something to rich or to much oil. So if anyone has had any of these experiences or have any ideas, please share.
Completely Frustrated
How’s the rest of your life? Physical stressors, like inflammation or infections, can boost cortisol which will then boost blood sugar. Psychological stressors like family or work problems can do the same.
Edit: to give an example, I don’t typically lose weight during finals weeks or during weeks with several exams, even though my diet and activity level are the same.
The Frog de Crunchy is correct. Cortisol is a bitch.
I learned that about the same time I learned about a little something called adrenal exhaustion. It’s kind of like burning out the clutch in your car–your stress response goes haywire from sustained over-stimulation. You churn out cortisol too soon, too much, and for too long. Lucky you.
The only real cure is to remove the stress or train yourself not to respond to it in the same way. You can’t tell your cortisol to stop crank calling your insulin. Like fart jokes in a fraternity, it’s just a given.
Are you working with a competent MD who “gets” LCHF/Keto?
It’s possible you have an underlying metabolic issue that’s making this harder for you, and there may be blood tests that would help diagnose that.
For example, as others have suggested, cortisol could play a role, so testing cortisol levels might be helpful. If you aren’t getting sufficient sleep at night, your cortisol levels are apt to be significantly higher than normal. Stress, as already observed, can also impact cortisol.
Are you testing for ketones? If you are eating very little carbohydrate, but still have high blood sugar, that might keep you from being in ketosis, which would certainly make it harder to have the desire to exercise.
Bottom line, I think you might want to call in a professional who’s willing to work with you to figure out if there are metabolic factors at work beyond the typical issues of IR and/or T2DM. I wish you luck!
Low-Carb/High-Fat (LCHF) is good, but only part of the story and to be ketogenic protein must be eaten in moderation at a level to maintain lean body mass (LBM) which is usually quoted as 1.0 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of lean body mass.
Eating mainly steaks and bacon makes me wonder if there’s too much protein, especially since blood glucose (BG) is so high and I suspect that gluconeogenesis (GNG) is the cause of the hyperglycemia, but if those are fasting BG readings after waking, then the Dawn Phenomenon might be an issue and if they are postprandial, then how long after eating are they taken?
Dr. Jason Fung certainly recommends fasting for diabetics and insulin resistant (IR) people, and I would seriously consider at least some form of intermittent fasting, also known as time-restricted feeding by some researchers, but he also reports that in people who’s blood glucose has been high that some sugar has been stored along with fat in adipose tissue (fat), so if you are losing weight, it’s possible that the released glucose will confound the true effects of the diet and temporarily raise BG while the body is getting rid of the excess that was stored.
The gag reflex you are describing reminds me of the gag reflex I got after eating for a couple of months of high protein low fat diet (way back when I listened to really stupid advice). The most common meal I would have was grilled chicken breast (no skin) on a bed of green leafy salad with less than half teaspoon of olive oil (I used a spray device to finely coat the leaves) and some vinegar. The diet was obscenely low on fat. Yes, I lost weight, but I was crazy hungry all day long, and then I developed gag reflex. My body was physically rejecting low fat and high protein diet. It also destroyed my metabolism, drove it way way down, feeling freezing cold all day long, no matter how much I ate or even when I regained the weight, I was still freakin freezing all day long.
If you are experiencing what I experienced, then I would assume that you are eating too much protein, and not enough fat. I target no more than 1 gram protein per kg lean body mass. And then no limit on fat, eating to satiety.
I have been on fast for three days. My blood sugar range has been from 175 to 255. I still check every 2 hours just like when I had a meal. What are some causes for high blood sugar during fasting?
When you say “fast” do you mean water-only? Or are you supplementing fat, or consuming any other macronutrients?
I don’t have anything to offer here beyond what I mentioned in an earlier reply…it sounds like you would benefit from working with a competent keto-aware physician. It does seem unusual to have BG that high when you’ve been fasting for 3 days, but given that it was even higher when you weren’t fasting, it might take longer than usual to go lower.
Again, I’d advise you to take the time to find a doc who can work with you to figure out what’s going on. Most of us here are not doctors, and the few that may be aren’t your doctor. When something doesn’t seem right, it’s time to call in a professional. My 2 cents, adjusted for inflation.
In addition to all the other suggestions, it might be an idea to get your fasting insulin tested, if that’s easily possible. It won’t suggest an immediate solution, but it’s a bit more information to put towards the investigation. As would measuring blood ketones, of course. (fasting and post-prandial).
from what i understand, and i could be wrong, having that situation might mean the liver is releasing fat that was in storage, and because there is no insulin to bring the blood sugar down, there is the normal flow of blood sugar in the body. I wish i had been a doctor.
I have to agree with you as that was my experience to- too much protein. BS are lowering now… 