Fatty liver - non-alcohol related

[greyinganddecaying]

Really hoping others can share experience of this.

Mid-40s, ultrasound has shown severe fatty liver.

Been referred for a fibroscan.
Liver function blood tests all within range
I'm very overweight, have tried so many diets/ways of eating but finding it impossible to lose weight. I don't over-eat, often only have 2 meals a day, eat low carb and have a long fasting period (14-16 hours)

I have diabetes (part of the drive to lose weight), plus insulin resistance/PCOS. I'm under a specialist who admits there's nothing else we can try.

To top it off, my original problem was continuously feeling weak/tired (apparently a symptom of fatty liver issues) so exercise isn't something I can do easily (& currently have covid so can hardly get out of bed!).

Has anyone been through similar and can advise on things I can do to deal with this?

Anyone?

Lay off the carbs, fat, sugar and any alcohol.

Watch your blood sugar levels like a hawk.

Ask your GP to refer you to an endocrinologist, a gastroenterologist and a dietician.

Sorry, OP.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/

It's a well-studied condition.
I think you know what you're supposed to do to try to get better, it just isn't easy. All the lifestyle advice recommended to everyone about being active , keeping healthy weight, etc.

Have any medications been suggested -- do any work?

Apparently lots of added sugars cause thia, like fructose, glucose sugars etc. Do you eat a lot of processed food? Drinks other than water? Even fruit juices, "sugar free" drinks.

I’m in the early stages and awaiting a scan (only know due to surgeon noticing during another procedure)
Currently reading the following books
www.whyweeattoomuch.co.uk/

www.waterstones.com/book/spoon-fed/tim-spector/9781529112733
And old book (science not as up to date) potatoes not Prozac
The idea being that the more processed food you eat the more cravings you get for that food.
I’m eating protein, complex carbs and veg/fruit each meal with snacks in between. I’ve not craved anything sweet yet, but if I do I will eat it with a meal to stop my blood sugar spiking.
I have a history of eating disorder so been working with someone who is trained to help and these books are their recommendation.
It’s really scary, but this is doable.

The OP says she eats low carb, so telling her to lay off the carbs and sugar might not be very helpful.

How long have you been low carb, OP?The trying lots of different weight loss methods may be part of the problem, if you've been yo-yoing back and forth.

Low carb isn't helping OP lose weight. Maybe calorie counting or bariatric surgery would work instead?

Thanks all.

Calorie counting never worked for me in the past. I did LCHF and lost weight after my first pregnancy. Then had a period of 5-6 years of pregnancy/pregnancy loss where I put on weight.

When I tried LCHF again it just didn't work. So I tried low carb, low calorie which actually made me more insulin resistant. And that didn't work (in terms of weight loss) either.

I've stayed fairly low carb, mainly to try to control my blood sugar, but I'm still here.

So I've not really yo-yoed between different methods. I also don't eat a huge amount of processed food & have read the books suggested (appreciate the info though).

If I'm feeling sorry for myself I'm really fed up that I've been trying so long to lose weight, got nowhere and now have this.

I'm under a diabetes team and we've pretty much exhausted all meds options. I've been referred to gastro for a specialist scan, but apparently it's 2-3 month wait. Dieticians I've seen to date tell me to eat carbs

My stomach is huge and I'm worried that my liver is also huge, and what this might mean.

What's fairly low carb? Dp has a fatty liver and diabetes and is currently zero carb, he sees a lipid clinic consultant and is monitored every 4 weeks. - (the diet is advised by the hospital. It's not just something he decided to do )It's tough but do-able. Also no sweeteners etc.

Oh he's teetotal too so not caused by alcohol

So sorry op, I absolutely meant to say NAFLD is a silent illness. God knows why it changed it. Have asked MN to change it.

Ask for a referral to Addenbrookes Severe Insulin Resistance unit, it’s based in Cambridge and the only one in the U.K. Have you tried Victoza?

Thanks again - I'll look up Addenbrookes and the Liver Trust

I don’t have liver issues but T2 and PCOS. Have you taken Metformin? Life changing for me along with diet changes.

Swapped normal milk for unsweetened almond milk.
Fage 5% total with berries for breakfast
Soup or salad for lunch (try to avoid bread etc at lunch)
Dinner is family friendly stuff, spag bolg, stir fry, traybake etc.
Only bread I eat is sourdough
No wine - gin and tonic

Hello I am sorry that you have been suffering with your health and weight. I have been watching The Game changers and What the Health documentaries on Netflix which lays out the health benefits of a plant based diet. They are both worth watching and may provide you with a lightbulb moment as they did me. My diabetes is much better controlled now and I feel so much better

Have you tried hypnosis? A friend gave up smoking instantly after hypnosis. Before that she had been trying to give up for about 11 years and smoked almost 20 a day.

Thanks again all

I've been on metformin for years, not made a huge difference (unless I come off it, then things get worse!)

I don't do bread at all as my blood sugar goes through the roof. No fizzy/sugary drinks, don't drink much milk.

Interestingly I tried a plant based diet for a while but struggled to keep low carb (if you don't eat carbs, meat or fish you're not left with many options!). I think that made blood sugar issues worse for me tbh.

Also - and I know many overweight people say this - it's not a case of over-eating. My digestive system is really slow, I'm often not hungry until 1030-11am and usually only eat two meals a day.

I've been looking up probiotics, so I might give them a go. It's worth a try.

Only eating two meals a day and fasting for 16 hours doesn't mean you're not overeating. I could easily eat 2500 calories in one sitting and not feel overfull if I was making poor choices.

If you're overweight it's because you're taking in too many calories. You need to research, be brutally honest with yourself and find out where those calories are and stop them.

Have you tried Exante or another VLCD?

Someone up thread suggested Victoza. Have you considered this or a similar GLP1 medication like Saxenda? This has been a game changer for me in terms of weight and bloodwork. If you search 'saxenda' you should find a long running thread on here from people who've had success with it.

Sugars are carbs

Rice, potatoes, pasta and wheat aren't the only high carbohydrate foods.

Sorry

Sugars are everywhere.

Milk, fruit and many processed foods contain 'hidden' sugars.

[quote Gingernaut]Lay off the carbs, fat, sugar and any alcohol.

Watch your blood sugar levels like a hawk.

Ask your GP to refer you to an endocrinologist, a gastroenterologist and a dietician.

Sorry, OP.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/[/quote]
My dads been waiting 6 months to see gastro regarding scan results and bloods showing on alcoholic fatty liver. He is in his 70s and it’s thought to be ageing with his type 2 diabetes. Which isn’t easily controlled and he is on insulin for now.