Type 1 diabetic about two months in and I need support!

(Doug) #2

Hi RJ, welcome. :slightly_smiling_face: Many people have lowered their insulin dosages by severly lowering carbohydtate intake as you have, with the attendant good health consequences.

#3

Welcome to the keto forum RJ, there is a wealth of experienced “ketoers” who will give you excellent advice. I’m T1D (45 years) and have been eating keto for the past 11 weeks now. Never felt better! Feel free to share/ask any questions. You’re not alone :):grinning:

(Rj Yoyo) #4

Thank you guys so much for responding so quickly! And I’m so happy to find other t1s that are keto and not just read about it lol. I’m really looking forward to driving into this forum and the discussions and learning more. Any recommendations for threads to start with?

(Leslie) #5

How much research have you done? There are a myriad of videos and podcasts available that discuss metabolism and insulin and ketosis and LCHF.

I would be more than interested in providing suggestions but I don’t want to overwhelm you

(Rj Yoyo) #6

Funny you should ask. I’ve read Dr b’s book, then the art and science of low carb living and low carb performance. Keto clarity was my next read, and just recently I finished the ketogenic diet for type 1 diabetics. I’ve been catching up on 2 keto dudes and have been peeking at the site sources from the show too.

(Candy Lind) #7

I’d like to hear what @buffy specifically has to say about this, since most Ketonians do not eat NEAR as many grams of carbs as they do protein. I would think the lower you go on carbs, the easier it would be to control glucose/insulin. But I’m just an ignorant bystander. You two need to educate me!

(Rj Yoyo) #8

She’s been talking to me since I started posting and asking all sorts of good questions. I eat 6g carb max in the am, that’s total carb, and 24g protein, 3g carbs and 15g protein at lunch and 12g carbs and 36g protein at dinner. Close as I can get to that anyway. I weigh EVERYTHING.

The protein is about slow glucose, since the liver has to convert it, and the carbs are quicker. I need about 1/3 the bolus (meal time boost of insulin) for meat that I need for even leafy greens, and the trick with that is timing. I follow Dr. Bernstein’s recommendation to wait until you see a 5mg/dl drop in five minutes, then eat.

Keeping my macros equal from meal to meal and day to day helps to cut down on variances in needs that are caused by factors like weight in the intestine, which usually triggered the release of insulin and glucagon if one has the beta cells needed for insulin, but I produce only the glucagon, and therefore can experience a blood sugar hike from eating a handful of pebbles.

Anyone interested in diabetes can definitely benefit and learn from Dr. Bernstein. He was the whole reason I found this life, and changed the course of my future.

(Candy Lind) #9

AAH! NOW I get it. You didn’t mean carbs equal to protein (eek! :flushed:), you meant macros the same per meal from day to day. PERFECTLY understandable.

@DaveKeto has been known to eat exactly the same thing every meal for days on end, just to keep from confounding results of experiments. Personally, I wonder if I could actually do that without going postal? :crazy_face: Yours sounds easier - but not much.

(Leslie) #10

It sounds to me that you have a very solid knowledge base and a healthy working understanding of keto and it’s practical application. I would suggest that you just keep on keeping on.
Remember that at its core diabetes is a carbohydrate metabolism disorder, so it stands to reason that the fewer carbs you consume the better.
Are you familiar with Amber O’Hearn?
She does a completely carnivorous WOE.
She was interviewed not too long ago on the keto woman podcast.

Now, I’m not saying that you should just quit all carbs.
I’m just saying maybe you can cut a gram here and a gram there until you are closer to zero, over time, perhaps a long time.

I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV. I’m just a critical thinker and enjoy learning and helping others.

I hope you find this helpful
Keep calm and keto on

(Rob) #11

I’d dig deeper into this since this smacks of the supply-driven gluconeogenesis idea that protein is turned into glucose, because protein is there. I’m not sure that is believed to be true any more, the emerging thinking being that it is demand driven (you make it from protein only when you need it (other sources not working), not because protein is there). Otherwise, protein is converted into its amino acids, etc. and not glucose. This may well give you more freedom with the macros and can lower carbs right down without having to overly limit protein.

I could be entirely wrong though.

(Justin Jordan) #12

On one hand, the biology seems pretty clear that it’s demand driven.

On the other hand, protein for sure, for me, raises blood sugar, even accounting for the incidental carbs that may be in meat. Very consistently - it was up this morning because yesterday has a heavier protein day for me.

It might be that it’s demand driven but a high insulin enviroment means the body thinks it needs to convert more, and you can limit below that threshold. Dunno. I do know that keeping my protein lower (and I have done for most of the year so far) hasn’t produced any obvious negatives. Still getting stronger on weights, haven’t lost any lean mass.

So I’m not sure what to make of it.

(Rob) #13

Isn’t that Bikman’s point of the different insulin response to the same macros based on the carb environment. It is confusing and all the more so in the case of T1.

The 2KDs are supportive of minimal protein to avoid muscle loss and it seems sound. Bikman’s research suggests it doesn’t really matter as long as you keep carbs keto low. None of it is discussed in a T1 situation where you need to add your own insulin. :exploding_head:

(Justin Jordan) #14

It is. The issue with a lot of type I’s that they actually ALSO become type 2 diabetics - because they eat high carb diets, they have to cover with loads of insulin, and then start to become insulin resistant.

But even for the insulin sensitive type I, you absolutely DO have to cover protein (albeit with tiny doses) or get a blood sugar rise, so there’s something going on there.

(Rob) #15

Interesting stuff. Thank you.

(Rj Yoyo) #16

Where do I find this research though? Is love to look into and find out more! Thank you guys for replying, and for providing material for new to absorb lol.

(Rj Yoyo) #17

@Lesliemont
I just recently listened to the first year of podcasts and Amber made an appearance. I found her story extremely interesting, and wasn’t horribly surprised by it. It sort of makes sense even just hearing it. That’s another area I’d like to research much more of. Bacon has been my favorite food since in utero (mom loves to tell people how much she created bacon with me lol) and I think there’s got to be a reason we’re programmed to salivate when we smell meat in a pan.

(Rob) #18

This is the video discussing the protein levels (but not from a T1 perspective, obviously).

Don’t forget, you can search the forums using the magnifying glass for stuff like this too. I assume have already read the T1 subforum.
https://www.ketogenicforums.com/c/health/T1DM

(Auden) #19

Welcome! My understanding is dr. Bernstein is THE GUY on type 1 diabetes. I would take anything we say with a huge grain of salt if it goes against what he says. You really are changing the course of your life!

(Rj Yoyo) #20

Bernstein is my guy, but I dislike the idea of drugs for appetite control, and keto is the key to that. Best part is, Dr b is the guy I first read “don’t fear fat,” by he’s not keto specifically, but if you compare the doors they are virtually the same with very few exceptions.

#21

Hi Candy, I know there’s been lots of discussion /replies whilst I’ve been sleeping but just to confirm from my experience I do need to bolus for protein in the absence of carbs, but at only 50% rate of carbs. So, instead of 1unit insulin/10g carb I inject 1unit insulin/20g protein. Needs to be injected approx. one hour later also. If I was eating high carb I wouldn’t need this. My BGs are so much improved on keto; eg FBG 3.7mmol/L (66.6mg/dL) this morning and not hypo. Averaging 5mmol/L currently (90 mg/dL) which is my goal. This WOE is definitely the magic pill!