Testing - everything is out of wack

(Dave) #13

Alas, I’m very limited in judging medication effects on lipid profiles as well. But to keep the context, about when did you go off your meds before this last blood test?

#14

Ok, maybe I should stop touching shit…or else I will probably break the internet.

i_have_no_idea_what_im_doing_meme_640_16_3932512.jpg640×503 69.4 KB

#15

that is a hilarious pic

(Jamie Coulter ) #16

I don’t track anymore. I have found that I become obsessive when I track food. I feel like I have to “meet” everything and then my focus is food centered and I’ll overeat. When I do more with following actual hunger cures, I don’t tend to eat as much.

Yesterday I had a breakfast pizza w/ bacon, eggs, and a little onion on carl’s dough, topped w/ a little salsa. For dinner I had a small chili from wendy’s and made a chicken ceasar salad… I didn’t much like the salad, though, and probably only ate, at most, a cup of the romaine.

I don’t consume fruit, not even berries. I was telling Daisy, I may have a couple pieces of sugar free candy in a week, and maybe a diet soda or sf ICE drink. I don’t care for the taste of artificial sweetner, so it’s not excessive… Usually just when I’m craving something that I used to have when I ate carbs. Typically, I do find I run a little higher than I have projected I should on protein. When I track, it was usually around 100. Carbs tend to stay around 25 (net). I don’t stress too much if they’re at 30 one day. I did track for a month or so, about a month ago.

Is it possible that my body would still run high w/o carbs, since I’m not taking my meds?

I just logged my food for today to see how it stacked up
Protein 69
Net Carbs 21
Fat 94

(Jamie Coulter ) #17

My prior draw was with meds. Then I stopped keto shortly after and avoided the dr, and only took metformin. Trulicity makes you sick if you eat carbs, so I was always feeling pukey. I stayed on the metformin until about a month ago when I ran out. I did not have a panel done w/o meds and on my SAD. I thought I’d be ok w/o meds since I was keto… but, I have been diabetic for years.

(Jamie Coulter ) #18

I went ahead and logged yesterday
Protein 67
Carbs (net) 25
Fat 79

(Dave) #19

I’ll always advocate tracking diet closely when looking for the cause of a dysregulation. It’s a common engineer and manager statement: if you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

At a minimum, I’d want you to get a glucometer and start testing your blood pre and post meal (postprandial) so you can help discover where your blood sugar spikes are coming in and how long they are lasting.

You may need to start targeting gross carbs instead of just net. This has been a topic of much debate in the keto community, but I tend to think it’s a course correction if the signals are there.

But without question, from a systems standpoint, there’s too much energy (glucose + triglycerides) being held in your bloodstream and not getting taken up by your cells (muscle or adipose) by your fasting blood draw and I’d consider it worth addressing right away. If you can at least know how much you’re ingesting on a regular basis, you can help determine if it is a external thing (the diet) or an internal thing (metabolizing the energy) and go from there.

(Jamie Coulter ) #20

But, I will say, last week my mother n law passed away unexpectedly. We were doing a lot of traveling and I did have carbs throughout last week. Some emotional eating, some was really out of convenience. However, that is not a typical behavior for me.

(Dave) #21

Oh – and deprogram yourself from having this thought – much less saying it!

Your body is yours and it comes with its own unique bio-map. You can’t control that part, but you can control it’s inputs and have an excellent relationship with it. When you do this, it makes it easier for you to push back on social pressures that are less respectful of your diet as well. (“No, I’m going to care more about my health now to eat that… thanks anyway.”)

(Jamie Coulter ) #22

I think that will be a bigger challenge than changing my diet! haha. I have so many health issues, and I’m still pretty young. I often am envious of people who are “bio-mapped” differently. They can be heavier, or thinner and not be affected by carbs, like I am, nor will they have the ailments that I do. Not so much that I’m having a pity party, but man… sometimes it feels like I’m trying to improve my body, but getting nowhere.

Good advice, though. My mind is a place that I often have the biggest struggle. I have mental illness, as well, and it’s very difficult to keep a happy medium between physical and mental health.

#23

I could’ve written this statement a few years ago and still have tendencies to think that way, but I’ve resolved to deal with things as I have the knowledge and understanding to try new strategies. I’ve even learned to consider “failures” as learning experiences - paraphrasing Thomas Edison, “I learned 999 different ways how not to make a light bulb and 1 to make it work”.

Love yourself for who you are, no matter what issues you have, and KCKO!

You can do this!

(Dave) #24

Trust me, the two are very intimately linked. Take this as a wake up call to do what you need to and you’ll find so many more benefits on the other side. It starts with becoming resolved to make it happen.

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #25

Agreed. My cyclical depression literally disappeared when I started the ketogenic diet three years ago and has not returned.

(Jamie Coulter ) #26

Brenda! :slight_smile:
So, I know you were on diabetic meds when you started Keto. Did you have to stay on your meds for awhile in the beginning?

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #27

I quit them all out of protest
-all at once-

I was on the maximum dose glucophage four times a day (Metformin), blood pressure meds (Lisinopril), and 2 statins to lower my triglycerides which were 1200. When the doc tried to prescribe an injectable I bailed. Stopped going to 3 month check ups too. Decided to figure it all out my damn self and I did.

I don’t recommend people do what I did. Stop meds cold turkey. Certain people may have a dangerous BP, sky high blood glucose etc.

I lucked out.

I fucking HATE meds and even avoid pain killers etc.

Plus, now I don’t trust prescription meds after gaining over 100 pounds on them and getting sicker.

But I was eating the ADA’s prescribed diet at the time. The food ultimately messed me up.

And the statins probably damaged me. Pisses me off the whole bullshit statins thing.

/rant

(Jamie Coulter ) #28

I stopped my statins when I started Keto and doing research on how ineffective they were, especially for women. I just know the endo is going to prescribe them, again.

I don’t think I’m going to do well w/o the meds. The labs above are after a three months on keto, basically not meds. It’s a bit defeating. But, I think I’m going to try to avoid the fast acting insulin. On Keto, w/ that insulin, it was seriously a roller coaster on my blood sugar bottom outs.I’m sitting here wondering, why am I doing Keto if my blood sugar isn’t going to regulate out. Not ready to quit yet, though. I had tremendous success the first time I was on Keto. Trying to take it like a dr once told me, (I’m awful w/ taking meds like I should), that when we do this on and off again cycle, it’s harder each time we go back on. I have to beat diabetes, or it will honestly beat me. 37 years old and I already have signs of kidney damage, damage to my eyes, neuropathy in my legs/feet, and my hands and feet do this weird “molting” thing. lol

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #29

Which meds? You won’t die if you stop taking statins. AND it is normal for lipids to be wonky for at least 6 months after you start the ketogenic diet.
If you’re already on insulin you need a doc to help you reduce safely and get off it.

If you’re not, strict keto will keep you off it. IDK your history, but @Kassie was on insulin and has reversed T2DM without it.

@richard has a good argument on continuing Metformin to keep BG down.

How often do you test your BG? Are you being compliant with keto?

You need a doc who will support you with this. I have yet to meet someone with T2DM who the ketogenic diet did not work for. Have you listened to the podcasts?

(Jamie Coulter ) #30

In particular, it seems I need some diabetic meds. I’m SUPPOSED to be on metformin, insulin and trulicity. I stopped all of them awhile back, on my own accord. I’ve been pretty strict keto… I did have a lapse a week ago due to a death in the family. I do struggle with emotional eating… Trying to eat the pain away. Yes, I do know, logically it doesn’t work and only amplifies my negative feelings. But, I’ve brushed that off and back at keto. I was strict keto for 3 months, and just had blood work yesterday. That’s what the original post was about. In 3 months on keto (and I did track for over a month… I kept carbs low, but tracking makes me food obsessive and I eat more calories), even putting my food in myfitnesspal over the last couple days shows my carbs are good. Anyway, 3 months on keto and my a1c is over 11. I didn’t expect perfection, but hoped at least for single digits.So… I’m assuming that maybe I need the meds while my body acclimates and then maybe reduce them back out… Ugh, I don’t know… but 11 a1c is ugly.

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #31

Yes. Mine was 12. Now it’s 5.5, but it took SEVERAL months.

YOU CAN DO THIS

Consider therapy for support if you can, I’ve seen counselors at more than one point in my life to help me cope.
Please also get your doc to help you manage the drugs that affect your blood glucose. If your blood glucose is dropping too low, meds need to be adjusted, and often.

(Jamie Coulter ) #32

Lol, I used you as an example to my husband, today! He said, honey, our bodies are just getting older and they’re not able to bounce back as well.He was like, you may always need to be on meds. I said, Brenda REVERSED hers, and she’s older than I am. I don’t think age has anything to do with it!

I am quite conflicted… and honestly, therapy wouldn’t be an awful idea, but dr’s make me nervous with their script-writing agenda.