My blood sugars are still high despite of Keto

(Venu) #1

Hello,
I am type 2. Keyto breath sensor shows that I am at level 5.
Its Keto Day 16 and I mostly consume 100 grams FAT and 50 to 60 grams Protein.
I am not using any diabatic medication and also stopped checking my blood glucose on daily basis. However, my bg are between 140 to 165. It’s way better than where i originally started (355 with medication of 2X1000 mg metformin).
I am not sure why my blood sugars are still high despite of Keto diet. Am I doing it right?
Thanks,
VB

(Robin) #2

Welcome!
That’s all I got….
You’ll soon be hearing from people with knowledge in that area.
Glad you’re here.

(Allie) #3

Patience, you’re doing fine. It takes the body time to heal.

(Joey) #4

Greetings - welcome to our forum!

Clearly you must be doing a lot of things right … to lower your serum glucose this significantly in only 16 days. Kudos on your rapidly improving health.

Having said that, the ketone breath metrics are squirrely at best (search the topic around here) as they measure not what your body is utilizing but the ketones that your body is wasting out through breath (i.e., unused). Hopefully that figure comes down - doesn’t remain high :wink:

Keep up the great start and post any new questions that arise.
As @Shortstuff notes above, it takes time - patience and persistence wins this challenge.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #5

If you have ketones in your breath, you are indeed “doing it right”. Yes, the blood sugar level is still quite high, but that’s without metformin, so you are making good progress.

For what it’s worth, perhaps you should stay on some dose of metformin. Talk to your doctor about how high it should be; you probably won’t need as much as you were taking before. Dr. Stephen Phinney of Virta Health says he feels metformin is probably one of the safest drugs to take over the long term, so he’s not in a hurry to de-prescribe it for Virta patients.

Of course, Ideally, we want to do it all with diet, but if we need the medication, we need the medication.

There are two issues with blood sugar: first, the hyperglycaemia can be damaging, even fatal. And the insulin response, if it gets too high and stays elevated, can also cause damage. You are indubitably better off than you were, because your insulin is now low enough for your liver to be producing ketones. And if you still need some help getting your serum glucose even lower, then metformin is not a bad choice.

(Venu) #6

Hi Paul,
Thank you so much for your reply!
I keep reading about physiological vs Pathological blood sugar elevations. some doctors are saying these high sugars are physiological and they are not harmful. Is that true?
second question is, if I start metformin let’s say a low dose of 250 mg, and I am worried about low blood sugars (hypoglycemia), will metformin cause hypoglycemia?
Thanks,
VB

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #7

Hi VB and welcome to the Forum. There’s very very clever people here (not me lol) so your in good hands.
I’m 3 months in so still much to learn but being here and reading previous posts etc really helps.
We’ve done damage to ourselves over years, some things will take a while to improve noticeably. As already said.
You don’t say if you have a weight issue? … That’s one thing that improves real quick!
Stick with it. It’s a huge transformation

(Michael) #8

You do not have to worry about Metformin and low blood sugars, not an issue. You can even do fasts while taking, although if your fast was longer than 3 days I would consider stopping, but otherwise totally fine ( your body would simply force enough glucose out if it was needed).

FWIW, two years keto/ carnivore and my blood levels have not changed since the first 3 months. Others report much faster improvements, so it varies by person, and it takes time, for some people a very long time. Had 10.3 A1C initially, has stayed at 5.9 without meds since, more or less.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

Yes, you are right about the difference between physiological and pathological, but 140-165 seems still rather high. On the other hand, you’ve been eating a ketogenic diet for just over two weeks, and your blood sugar now is fantastic to what it was before (and that was with metformin, too!), so perhaps it would be just as well to wait a few more weeks before worrying. If you got it down to around 130, with fluctuations in a narrower range, then I’d say there’s nothing to worry about. Some people just run a higher blood sugar than others.

The fact that you are producing ketones suggests that you are definitely on the right track. But if your blood sugar doesn’t drop further in, say, another month or two, then if I were a doctor, and if I were your doctor, I think I’d be trying to get you back on a low dose of metformin. In the meantime, keep calm and keto on (or as we say, KCKO).

(Venu) #10

Thank you all! for your encouragement!!!
its 29th day and keto level 5 .
Fasting BS - 120
Morning : 2 Teaspoons of ACV + 1 Lemon + wheat Grass
rest of the day BS - 100 to 120
Dinner : 2 Teaspoons of ACV + 1/2 Lemon
i am 5’9 and 70 kilo so , not looking to loose weight.
Thanks,
Venu

(Allie) #11

Are you actually eating food?

(Venu) #12

100 Grams direct fat (60 grams EV coconut oil, Costco brand and 40 g butter)
60 to 80 grams of protein
2 to 3 lemons
Supplements

7 am : coffee with heavy whipping cream ( a small cup)
8 am : 2 Teaspoons of ACV + 1 Lemon + wheatGrass + electrolyte powder
BF at 10 : 30 am :
2 eggs omelet with coconut oil
1 large avocado
butter Coffee with 20 grams extra virgin coconut oil + 20 Grams butter

Lunch at 2 :30 pm :
2 eggs omelet with coconut oil
100 Grams - Salmon/ chicken wings / bacon (4 strips)
2 cups salad with Extra Virgin olive oil + broccoli sprouts
Vegetables Cucumber, celery with Cheese cream / almond butter
butter Coffee with 20 grams extra virgin coconut oil + 20 Grams butter

Dinner 6pm:
8 am : 2 Teaspoons of ACV + 1/2 Lemon
100 Grams - Salmon/ chicken wings / bacon (4 strips)
vegetable soup with 20 grams extra virgin coconut oil
1 cup salad

Supplements:

  • Omega 3
  • Dr. Berg Keto energy - 2 tab (1M and 1E)
  • Dr. Berg D3+K2 - 1 Tab
  • Dr Berg Trace Minerals 1 tab
  • Dr. Berg Magnesium glycinate 2 tabs (1M and 1E)
(Robin) #13

Looks good. The only thing that jumps out to me is perhaps the amount of veggies, which often come with significant carbs… but you probably already know that…

(Joey) #14

As @robintemplin notes, this isn’t likely helpful. Depends on the brand and style but a single “serving” of most commercially produced vegetable soups are loaded with more carbs than you’d likely want to eat in a day if you’re trying to keep within 20g daily.

Also: You really don’t need to be spiking your food with extraneous fat. You’re not really accomplishing anything … but adding more fat. Is your current body profile lacking in body fat? If not, stop adding even more - you’ve got enough to work with.

#15

You’re only 2 weeks in, you shouldn’t expect much, but with that said, is the 140-165 your fasting numbers? They’re always going to be higher in the AM, see what it is during the day after you haven’t eaten for a while, that’s more important.

If you still have the script for Metformin, use it. Nothing wrong with that at all. People like to hate on Metformin like it’s a statin or something, that drug is incredibly well tolerated and has benefits beyond the glucose control. The alt medicine world has been trying to get it repurposed as an anti-aging/longevity drug.

On doing it right, from quick glance it doesn’t look like you’re really eating much and protein is a little low.

(Venu) #16

Vegetable soup is home made. I add broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and add low carb vegetables. i just use it to consume FAT.
I’m 5.9 and weight 75 Kgs . Due to the high blood sugars(A1C 11.3) I lost 6 to 7 kilos and now after a month of KEto diet I gained little and now I am 70Kg.
I did one month low carb then i completely moved into Keto 30 days ago.
Blood sugars:
Fasting :120
rest of the day : 100 to 120
I am also taking ACV 2 teaspoon morning and evening but still suffering with GERD, burping and right shoulder blade pain(minor pain only), right little finger is always tender.
ACV is not helping the right shoulder blade pain and little finger pain.
Thanks,
VB

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #17

I would suggest eating more fish and chicken. Fifty grams of protein is not much for your weight; you’d probably do better with more, and with the fat that comes with it. Fish is about 22% protein by weight, whereas meat is 25%, so calculate your portions accordingly.

If you are keeping carbohydrate low, you don’t need to worry about fat intake, true, but you don’t want to be stuffing it down your gullet. If you lost, say, 1200 calories from your diet by cutting carbs, those 1200 calories represent 300 g of carbohydrate, but you get 1200 calories from a mere 133.3 g of fat.

Once your hormones have re-regulated themselves, you will be better set to know how much fat it takes to satisfy your hunger. At that point, you will be able to metabolise both the fat you are eating, and any excess stored fat you may have. But you only need to lose about 5 kg to be at a good weight for your height, and 5 kg is not going to come off all that fast. In any case, if you are adding muscle while shedding fat, the scale is not a good indicator of progress, so keep track of the fit of your clothes, or measure your waistline, bust, etc., to get a better idea of how you’re doing.

#18

Welcome venu2023

I am someway into keto and now am carnivore.
My BGL recently elevated despite intermittent fasting and being in ketosis and my dietician thinks I am producing glucose as my body thinks it is experiencing an emergency…so I am eating 3 carnivore meals a day again, even though I don’t want to!

If your blood glucose doesn’t drop or raises after awhile, keep that possibility back of mind.
I had never heard of it but trust my dietician who has a PhD gained for a study on ketogenic diet.
I am off Metformin cause of issues it caused me.

Best wishes and healing with keto for diabetics is a reality…it just takes longer and is more challenging if you are older and longer term diabetic as I am…I take R-Lipoic Acid for blood glucose control now.and carnivore diet.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #19

Amber O’Hearn has speculated that the problem is a result of not eating enough fat for energy, and the higher glucose is the response. That would fit quite well with what your dietician is telling you.

#20

I am eating quite a lot of fat, tallow, duck fat, bacon with a lot of fat on it, fatty pork, beef etc. so it seems that currently one meal a day isn’t good for me. So I am eating 3 meals, reluctantly and despite not feeling hungry! :grinning:

The increase in my blood glucose coincided with an increase in my uric acid levels and a drop in B12 and iron.

The confused messages my body is getting are from IBD, preventing absorption of nutrients and a high inflammation rate, hence I can’t intermittent fast at the moment.