Impact of keto diet (mega-low/no carb) on pre-Diabetes?

[Callista]

Hello everyone,

I've just joined as I've sadly joined the ranks of the late-middle-age (Ok, nearly 'old'!), unfit, overweight females DX as pre-Diabetic this year (HBaIC is 45 - quite scary!) (Covid meant it hadn't been done since pre-covid, when it went up to 42 and then down to 39 without me making much effort).

I'm now urgently altering my lifestyle to try and drive down my Hb glucose reading before it's next taken in mid-April.

As well as rejoining the gym (not manically, but more than I've done since Covid shut it all down), I've tackled my diet.

I've gone low-carb, but am not sure if I've gone so low I'm hitting keto (about which I knew very little until I started checking what carbs/cals were in what foods etc!)

As I understand it (?) 'pure keto' is no carbs (if that's possible, or certainly very low), and you only eat protein, fat and fibre, and that will drive your body, short of its usual easy access to routinely ingested complex/starch carbs and/or simple/sugar carbs, to have to go and raid your adipose/fat stores (my spare tyres!) convert them to 'base starch' glycogen in the liver, and then Glycogon will flush that into your bloodstream as glucose to fuel your body cells etc. Result - less adipose tissue, smaller spare tyres, etc etc.

But, does a keto (or near keto) have any impact on the insulin resistance which (I assume?) is correlated with me being pre-Diabetic?

Roaming the Internet seems to say a keto diet is helpful, certainly to Type I (no insulin production), but does it help with pre-diabetes?

I'm still exploring all this - got a BG monitor (hours of endless fun!!!!!) and am exploring what does what to my readings.

I appreciate that low carb intake will help keep my BG levels 'down' (ie, compared with a high carb food intake!), and I do appreciate that the only 'remedy' so it seems for insulin resistance is exercise to 'kick-start' insulin working again properly.

I can stick with this current keto/near keto diet until my next HB test, but if it's not actually helping me then there doesn't seem much point, especially if it's contributing in some (unknown to me?) way to insulin resistance.

I also appreciate that those who actually live 'full time' on a keto regime are not necessarily low-cal, they just get their calories from fat, not carbs.

However, I am trying to be as low-cal overall as I can, to drive my weight down (lost over a stone so far since New Year, so I'm heading in the right direction, phew.) (Ironically, I know I can't go too low-cal or I won't have any energy for exercise!!)

I guess I'm just trying to reach the 'sweet spot' (no pun!) of the right dietary regime, and the right exercise regime, to try and take me ideally out of pre-Diabetes, or certainly to reduce that Hb number.

 

[Leadinglights]

You are lucky to have been picked up at the stage of prediabetes as it now gives you the opportunity to make those changes which you have obviously been doing.
I personally feel that a more restrained low carb approach should be sufficient as keto is very hard to maintain long term but a low carb regime can become your new normal way of eatingLow carb is suggested as being no more that 130g total carbs per day but some people find lower than that is where they settle on as being where they need to be to keep blood glucose at a normal level. They will determine that by strategic use of their home testing monitor.

 

[Lilsis]

Hi @Callista and welcome to the forum. I eat low carb/keto. If memory serves me right. Pure Keto is 30g or less of carbs a day. I'm normally around 50g. Doing my finger prick each day before dinner, my blood sugar is definitely coming down (or my meter is on the blink ). Good luck on your journey.

 

[Callista]

Thank you both! Yes, I'm glad I'm still technically pre-D, but it's got too close for comfort I must say. Bit of a wake up call!! Like so many, during Covid the gym closed, and I got 'sloppy' about both exercise (walking only) and diet (oh, hot buttered toast with jam, what the hell!) (etc), and so I already knew that 'this year' I had to take myself in hand, and lose weight and move more (!). In a way, the pre-D DX was the kick start I needed, and I am certainly quite scared of going full DB 2.

Yes, I don't think I could stick keto 'for ever' but I'm happy to use it to drive down my BG until I'm a bit 'safer' in the HB scores.

I suspect that, if I can drive down the HB scores, and, ideally (hopefully!) get out of pre-DB altogether(!), I can then settle on a 'sustainable' dietary regime, with 'some carbs' everyday (low GI etc) and then 'some more carbs' as special (higher GI!) treats. As you say, a 'new normal' of 'lower carbs' and 'lower cals'

There is so much experience and knowledge here, and I'm most appreciative. Thank you!

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Some find keto works well.
But it does seem to be a course of action that needs to be adhered to.
I preferred to go down the weight loss path, and go back onto a normal healthy diet.

 

[Callista]

I'm definitely trying to lose weight - I've lost a stone, and am glad of that. I'm not 'morbid' or any such, but definitely carry a wodge of spare tyre very generously! So I'm not just substituting carb cals with keto cals, but actually trying to reduce over all cals.

It's interesting you reference the Newcastle Diet as that was mentioned to me by my GP who advised me to look it up. I shall!

 

[Deleted member 21371]

I'm definitely trying to lose weight - I've lost a stone, and am glad of that. I'm not 'morbid' or any such, but definitely carry a wodge of spare tyre very generously! So I'm not just substituting carb cals with keto cals, but actually trying to reduce over all cals.

It's interesting you reference the Newcastle Diet as that was mentioned to me by my GP who advised me to look it up. I shall!

In the day, I could have retyred a dumper truck

 

[Callista]

Oh dear! Of course, one of the unsightly side effects of shedding spare tyres is that it is the fat that disappears (thankfully) not the 'outer rim'. I am now definitely showing signs of those horrible 'empty tyres', sigh. Still, no one sees them but me at my age!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Callista]

t's interesting you reference the Newcastle Diet as that was mentioned to me by my GP who advised me to look it up. I shall
**

OMG - it's 800 cals of liquid mush for five months!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! 🙂

 

[Deleted member 21371]

t's interesting you reference the Newcastle Diet as that was mentioned to me by my GP who advised me to look it up. I shall
**

OMG - it's 800 cals of liquid mush for five months!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! 🙂

Well, stay on keto.
Do what you can.
It's a lifestyle choice that has to work for you.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Oh dear! Of course, one of the unsightly side effects of shedding spare tyres is that it is the fat that disappears (thankfully) not the 'outer rim'. I am now definitely showing signs of those horrible 'empty tyres', sigh. Still, no one sees them but me at my age!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't find that.
I did a work out, lots of exercise, NHS gym, I lost 5 stone, probably around a third of my weight, all good now.

 

[bulkbiker]

OMG - it's 800 cals of liquid mush for five months!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Agree 100% for most people crash diets don't lead to long term weight loss.. low carb/ keto is far more sustainable.

Carry on with what you are doing maybe introduce some time restricted eating and I'm sure your blood sugar numbers will come back to normal levels.

Mine did and still are 7 years later.

 

[Drummer]

Decades of being pushed to eat low calorie diets resulted in my metabolism slowing down when I tried to lose weight, and even now I feel myself slowing down if I eat too little, I need to eat twice a day really, and at around 12 hour intervals.
I can survive on fairly small meals, but I have such things as steak and mushrooms or stirfry - and that is for breakfast!!
It means that I can keep on working even though I am coming up to 72 years old, and I have actually got stronger over the last few years. Statins hit me like a truck and the AZ jab almost did for me, but as long as they don't find something else which is supposed to keep me alive I should be able to survive.
I used to be a lot bigger around the middle and am only thankful that although I am now a foot smaller around the equator, my skin has shrunk rather than flobbled.

 

[Callista]

Yes, I think one has to work with what one can cope with, and that varies for everyone. Liquid mush low cal for 5 months sounds a nightmare, so it's a definite no for me, that one!

Keto, so far, is doable, and as you say, if my BG improves, then I can gradually either reintroduce carbs/non-keto or regard them as treats once I am 'sustainable'.

I'm also trying, at the moment, to balance between a cal-restricted diet (and 'almost' keto) and the amount of exercise I can do (ie, that I have the energy for). I'd like to lose a few more pounds, even if I'm not doing as much exercise as I know I must, so that when I start to build (heavier-than-fat) muscle, I won't mind the scales so much. I know weight is only a proxy for fitness/leanness, but it's very psychologically encouraging to see the scales lower than they have been for a good few years (certainly well before Covid).

 

[Callista]

Decades of being pushed to eat low calorie diets resulted in my metabolism slowing down when I tried to lose weight, and even now I feel myself slowing down if I eat too little, I need to eat twice a day really, and at around 12 hour intervals.
I can survive on fairly small meals, but I have such things as steak and mushrooms or stirfry - and that is for breakfast!!
It means that I can keep on working even though I am coming up to 72 years old, and I have actually got stronger over the last few years. Statins hit me like a truck and the AZ jab almost did for me, but as long as they don't find something else which is supposed to keep me alive I should be able to survive.
I used to be a lot bigger around the middle and am only thankful that although I am now a foot smaller around the equator, my skin has shrunk rather than flobbled.

You sound an inspiration to me! Though I don't think I could cut down to only two meals a day - I do like 'something' mid afternoon (by way of a 'late lunch'). But then I'm an owl not a lark.

What went wrong with statins for you?

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Yes, I think one has to work with what one can cope with, and that varies for everyone. Liquid mush low cal for 5 months sounds a nightmare, so it's a definite no for me, that one!

Keto, so far, is doable, and as you say, if my BG improves, then I can gradually either reintroduce carbs/non-keto or regard them as treats once I am 'sustainable'.

I'm also trying, at the moment, to balance between a cal-restricted diet (and 'almost' keto) and the amount of exercise I can do (ie, that I have the energy for). I'd like to lose a few more pounds, even if I'm not doing as much exercise as I know I must, so that when I start to build (heavier-than-fat) muscle, I won't mind the scales so much. I know weight is only a proxy for fitness/leanness, but it's very psychologically encouraging to see the scales lower than they have been for a good few years (certainly well before Covid).

Yes, no point in trying something you know you can't do.
For me it was effortless, and very easy to do five gym sessions a week on as well.
But it certainly has to be each to his own.

(It's eight weeks normally by the way)

 

[Callista]

It's also very easy to take someone in instant dislike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😉😉

(Like people who find exercising five days a week a doddle!!!!!)

(It's always been a question for me - am I lazier than I'm greedy, or greedier than I'm lazy? Never can decide!)

Well done, though, on getting everything so under control - shows it can be done, which is always encouraging.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

It's also very easy to take someone in instant dislike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😉😉

(Like people who find exercising five days a week a doddle!!!!!)

(It's always been a question for me - am I lazier than I'm greedy, or greedier than I'm lazy? Never can decide!)

Well done, though, on getting everything so under control - shows it can be done, which is always encouraging.

Trust me, it wasn't a doddle.
But, it was a means to an end, and it needed doing.
(I was probably both in similar amounts)

 

[Callista]

I suspect it's human nature to want to be fit and healthy without any effort, and a piggy diet (if only!)

 

[Drummer]

You sound an inspiration to me! Though I don't think I could cut down to only two meals a day - I do like 'something' mid afternoon (by way of a 'late lunch'). But then I'm an owl not a lark.

What went wrong with statins for you?

Statins were a disaster - I did take them with Metformin as well, and my insides went ballistic.
I was hardly able to walk to the post box on the corner, my muscles lost all strength my joints ached my memory both short and long term was so bad I thought I would have to go into a care home. I was pulling myself up the stairs almost on all fours. I only lasted about 5 weeks but it was 18 months before my muscle pain finally subsided.
I was finally able to sing one of my longer songs from memory a few weeks ago, over 5 years to recover. I have a collection of over 300 folk songs, luckily I promised to write them down for my daughter around ten years ago and was well on with it when diagnosed.
It is only something I have read on Twitter, but it seems that taking statins doesn't extend life by any significant amount, despite all the claims made for them. The simplest and then more complex analyses of the data do not seem to find a benefit in what is a multi billion participant treatment plan.