Intermittent Fasting and Blood Sugar

#1

First all of , I am so happy to see a ketogenic forum for support that I was badly looking for.

I am on the 6th day of the 30 day Kavadlo program. Also have started Intermittent fasting 16-8 at the same time. Also I run long distance so train 2 times a week and a long run on Sundays. Now here is the thing…

I have type 2 diabetes and take 1 metformin and 1 glipizide and 1 lisinopril during lunch everyday. What I am observing is that my morning 12 hour fasting blood sugar since 2 days is hovering around 71. I know that below 70 is hypoglycemic. But I really do not feel any effects of it and I am my usual self…In fact one of the days I might have gone for a run on fasting without knowing my sugar was low.

So my question is should I just ignore and continue OR reduce metformin OR eat something after getting up in the morning.

Just to give it a try I have not taken any medication yesterday and my morning 12 hour fasting blood sugar was 85 and the post meal (2 hour) was 100.

I am suspecting the numbers look so healthy due to the reduced carb and keto diet.
Am I on the right track :slight_smile: ? Please do advise. This is my first try on ketogenic diet and Intermittent fasting.

Also any advise on which meter I should get to measure the ketones. ?

Thanks a lot

(Dameon Welch-Abernathy) #2

Before discontinuing medication, you should check with your doctor.

Below 70, there is potential for hypoglycemia, but it seems if you’re not diabetic, the hypoglycemia line is lower (50).

(Richard Hanson) #3

Hi Magneto,

Before discontinuing any medication, check with your doctor.

I am not going to tell you what to do. What I did was stop taking all of my T2D medications after starting keto. I was T2D for over fifteen years and I was taking six medications including 75 units/day of insulin. Now I take nothing. The ADA reports that healthy blood glucose levels are between 70 mg/dL to 99 mg/dL fasting, and less then 140 mg/dL two hours postprandial. I had no reason at all to take any medications for T2D when I had no T2D glucose symptoms. Moreover, the major risk is that when I stopped eating carbohydrates my T2D medications would drive my blood glucose levels lower than is safe, hypoglycemia. The method I used was to test, test a lot, and as my serum glucose levels where dropping day to day, I would aggressively reduce the medications I was taking to avoid the primary risk of hypoglycemia.

But please check with your doctor as normal healthy blood glucose levels without medication might kill your.

Before discontinuing medications, check with your doctor, but consider, if you don’t like the advice, you can just go find a doctor that is not utterly ignorant about the ketogenic diet and managing T2D, that is you can go find a doctor that will be happy to tell you to stop taking medications. Or … you could just skip it and save the money, but I am most certainly not advising you to do that, it is just an option.

Before discontinuing any medications, first find a doctor that will advise you to discontinue your medications.

I went to the same well respected endocrinologist for over a decade and all he ever did was give me more drugs to manage blood glucose. I went to a new doctor and instead of drugs he prescribed a ketogenic diet. Two doctors with two contradictory treatments for the same metabolic disorder.

If your current doctor tells you no … I do not want to get taken to court no matter how stupid your current doctor might be. I am not giving you medical advice.

Keto for Life!

Most Respectfully,
Richard

I Pray, continually, for tort reform.

#4

Thanks @phoneboy :slight_smile:

#5

Thanks a lot @FatMan for your valuable insights.
And please don’t worry about medical advice :slight_smile: I know its a disclaimer but really I am not going to consider comments on this forum as medical advice or hold it against anybody. Its solely my decision what I do and I am fully responsible for it.

So I do visit my doctor every 3 months but I know very well every time he is coming up with newer medications to reduce inflamation and increase longevity ( simvastatin for cholestrol, lisinopril for blood pressure and protecting the kidneys etc)… I am sure he has my best interests at heart but without my effort I am sure I am not going to get off medication any soon.

That is where you incredible people come in and give me your experiences and insights into how to interpret and go about IF and ketogenic diet. I really appreciate your honest opinion. Initially I was feeling lost and desperately wanted to find people who are going through similar journey and can share the experiences. I think I found it in this forum.

Another question I had was about measuring ketones and A1C. What is the most effective instrument to measure it at home and monitor my health. Or should I say whats the essential “Health Gear” we should have at home :smile:

One Update: After I stopped taking medication, my fasting blood sugar returned to 85 and postprandial stayed at 100. So not so scared about going below 70 now !!

Thanks for your time !!!

(VLC.MD) #6

Hold that one first.
Keep the others

(Richard Hanson) #7

Hi Magneto,

I was also on simvastatin, no more.

Testing … I am only testing blood glucose once a week now and I don’t bother with testing ketones. I certainly understand the desire for data. Early in January I am in for a 3 month checkup and will have the standard blood work done including A1c, but after that I think I will have it done only once a year, if at all.

Instrumenting your diet, testing, is habitual for T2D, but after everything is sorted out with ketogenic diet, I don’t see a lot of need to spend money testing when I will not be using that data to make any changes in my behaviors or medical treatments.

That leaves curiosity, a powerful motivator to test.

Keto for Life!
Richard

#8

So I continue with ketogenic diet , although I don’t know if I am in ketosis… No medication right now…Also very active and running… So my postprandial for the last 2 days was 150 and 153 (so above 140 And Fasting was 100 and 103. I just wanted to check if this seems a normal transition or I should incorporate some changes. It has been 2 weeks and 2 days now. Also on 16-8 IF