Please can somebody tell me where I'm going wrong?

[BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation]

I'm doing low carb because I'm pre diabetic and sugar and refined carbs spike my blood sugar. I've lost half a stone over the past 6 weeks, but it's a struggle and I'm feeling very weak. Today I almost fainted whilst out, and dh took me for a scone and a glass of milk after which I felt a lot better.

My meals are as follows:

Breakfast: cup of redbush tea and then a cup of chicory (can't drink coffee).

Lunch: cheese omelette (one egg) and selection of vegetables done in the air fryer. Small cup of full fat milk.

Teatime: four rice crackers - two with butter and cheese and two with peanut butter. Salad. Frozen raspberries and full fat Greek yoghurt (about one tablespoon).

Nothing after 6pm apart from redbush tea. I don't drink alcohol or fruit juices. I usually have some fizzy water during the day.

I know it's not a lot, but I don't do much exercise although I'm always busy and don't sit down for long periods.

If I don't keep my calories low I don't lose weight. I can lose at around 1200, but anything much over and I just plateau.

Please can anyone give me any advice? I can't eat bread, wheat, oats, pasta or potatoes as they spike my blood sugars.

It doesn't clog your arteries 🙄 foods that elevate your blood sugar levels and have the wrong types of saturated fats do though.

It would only ‘clog your arteries’ if you were taking in carbs AND fat so the body burned the carbs and stored the fats, as the fat is used for energy there’s none leftover to clog

@PatientlyWaiting21 I'm afraid that you are wrong. And science supports low carb eating. It is in no way weird. It is, however, wonderful for its ability to reverse diabetes, lower blood pressure and cholesterol as well as deliver weight loss.

Surely you can see why you are feeling weak if you eat one egg, a bit of veg and some rice crackers in a day?

I had the same problem 2 years ago and I've been experimenting with diets and training routines for a while. I would recommend you to do any kind of activity in the morning on an empty stomach and combine the 8/16 method with the Keto diet and calorie limit do this and I promise you results after 15 days max.
Also if you don't have any experience in the Keto diet and don't know any recipes I would recommend you a free book called " The Keto Snacks Cookbook" that I've started with. Good luck on your journey!

tinyurl.com/2xrresx3 this is the link to the book for those who are interested

There is so much terrible advice here.

Our bodies aren't designed for punishing gruelling limited diets such as the extreme ones described here. (I'm not talking about a sensible diet, where you have lower levels of carbs or whatever because it suits you & your body).

Cutting out entire food groups & restricting how & when you eat to a severe extent is unhealthy. It is unhealthy regardless ox whether you lose weight.

I know you think you are managing your pre-diabetes in this way. You are not tho - your calorie & nutrient intake is insufficient. Your endocrine system will also be affected by that. Talk to your GP for sensible advice.

The other point that jumped out at me is that you lost 2 stone some years ago. Well, that's great but you gained it back. The diet worked short term but not long term

Healthy eating, combined with high impact & strength building exercise is what's important for overall health & well-being. Seek professional advice on these.

No, I put the weight back on because I was eating crisps, bread, cake, biscuits and chocolate 🙄

I've explained why I cannot tolerate carbohydrates. People have reversed their Type 2 diabetes through low carbing. Once you've lost the weight and improved your health then you can reintroduce some carbs according to what you can tolerate.

You don't understand how low carbing works.

Well tbf neither do you. What you're listing is basically starving yourself. Your calories are low, your fats and proteins are scary. You need proper advice from a dietitian.

You are storing up a different kind of trouble for later on if you continue down this path.

Not enough fat, nowhere near enough!!

As an aside E&L is absolutely correct.healthy eating and strength training will be more beneficial in ALL areas long term.

Yes, I acknowledge that I wasn't doing it properly. It's been four years since I did proper low carbing and I did follow it properly then, hence the two stone loss and my HbA1c improving.

I've had a mental block about it this time for some reason.

Have you been told to take your blood sugars? Pre diabetes is not diabetes and one-off spot glucose measurements aren't used in the diagnosis or monitoring of pre diabetes.

I would very much suggest going back to your GP/Practice nurse and asking for a referral to a dietician who can work with you in understanding the condition and how to improve your HbA1C

You've a mental block because you want quick results through fear. Please speak to a dietitian.

Healthy eating? I am eating healthily. My fridge is stuffed with protein, vegetables and salad foods and healthy fats.

Do you think I'm existing on bacon and cream? I'm not doing the Atkins diet.

I can't eat carbohydrates because they spike my blood sugar. Even a small bowl of cereal, a slice of bread, some beans, lentils etc. I could eat them with fat to slow the spike, but then I'd gain weight. If I lose weight, stabilise my blood sugar and am able to exercise my health improves.

I've been diagnosed with pre diabetes. I monitor my blood sugar levels to determine a pattern. I'm not stupid.

I'm in the Low Carbing section of MN in order to get back onto the low carbing wagon. Having this thread filled with carbohydrate advocates is not helping. Why have a go at me for following my choice of weight loss programme, which is low carbing?

Are you seriously telling me what you listed in your first post is classed as healthy eating? This is why you need to speak to a dietitian. Your protien, fats and calories suck. Nobody is telling you to eat more carbs, your brain is just stuck there thinking that

You're going to end up feeling ill if you carry on. If your fridge is full of healthy fats and proteins then go eat some of them and a decent amount. Get some weights in your life so your calorie maintenance levels can go up way past 1200.

It's up to you, it's your body to wreck.

put the weight back on because I was eating crisps, bread, cake, biscuits and chocolate

Exactly.

You weren't able to sustain a long term way of eating healthily. You went back to less healthy food choices, and regained the weight.

You will undoubtedly do so again as you will not be able to sustain a long-term diet of eating almost nothing & excluding food groups (and nor should you try).

You don't understand how low carbing works.

On the contrary, you don't understand how nutrition works.

Low carb (though I personally am not a fan) has merits, of course.

But you aren't eating healthily or properly.

There is no such thing as not being able to tolerate carbs (unless you suffer from coeliac disease)

It's been four years since I did proper low carbing and I did follow it properly then, hence the two stone loss and my HbA1c improving.

But then you reverted to eating badly and regained the weight.

And I know it sounds like I'm having a go. I really don't mean to.

It's really so destructive for our bodies to yo-yo diet, lose & regain weight like this.

Of course addressing your pre-diabetes is important. I am not a healthcare professional so cannot offer advice but speaking generally the issues are not with 'carbs' but unhealthy choices like you've mentioned, eaten to excess.

I really would discuss the diabetes concerns with your GP. I can guarantee they won't support the current diet you are on - even with the tweaks you've added in

Have you asked your GP for any dietary advice? It might be worth seeing if you can get a referral to a dietician although I'm not sure how realistic that is at the moment or how long the wait would be.

Otherwise there is lots of good advice online from the NHS and Diabetes UK on healthy diets for those with diabetes or pre-diabetes (just Google) and none of them suggest the kind of restrictive diet you've described above. No wonder you felt faint!

Were you recommended the blood sugar monitor by your GP or is it something you've bought yourself? Are you sure it's reliable?

@gamerchick

Really good advice there.

@EarringsandLipstick I agree with most of what you're saying. Coeliacs can tolerate carbs though, just not gluten

It's OK @BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation - you get used to the carbers piling into this topic to have a go!

You know that what you started out eating wasn't right (hence this thread!) but you know where to go from here.

Courage mon ami!

I'm not an expert but I would up the protein (chicken, tuna, salmon, meat) and veg. Tonight we're having salmon, a few baby potatoes and a pile of veg (green beans, broccoli and peas). That's a really satisying dinner.

I've reverted to breakfast, lunch and dinner with no nibbling in between. I feel better when I don't eat cakes, biscuits and crisps so very rarely have those in the house.

I know Fast 800 works for a lot people but slow and steady is better IMO.