High Fat/Low Carb/Keto?

[Apulahra]

Hi, I’m T2 (Metformin 500mg twice daily) and have started a high fat low carb plan. I’ve read that calorie restriction is important but with high fat that put pay to that. I’m not necessarily going for Keto (currently going for around 20g carbs daily) so am I likely to lose weight and keep BS low? is this plan healthy? I’m also following 16:8 intermittent fasting.
I’ve just been diagnosed with high blood pressure and am now on Amlodipine which is working so far. I need to lose 4 stone (I’m 68).
I find high fat low carb fairly easy so would like to stick with it. I love bacon and most meat!

 

[bulkbiker]

so am I likely to lose weight and keep BS low? is this plan healthy? I’m also following 16:8 intermittent fasting.

Yes ,yes and yes.
Watch out for your blood pressure normalising quite quickly too on a very low carb diet so the meds might start to make you feel dizzy.

I love bacon and most meat!

Excellent choices.

 

[Dragonheart]

Calorie restriction and low carb are approaching the issues from very different view points. And need different considerations. Trying to eat low calorie and low carb usually means neither method works and hunger and failure ensue. I’d say you need to decide which method you are focusing on and stick to that one for now or the conflicting information will drive you crazy. It’s always possible to change later if you need to.

Generally when eating low carb the majority do not need to worry or count calories. The very filling foods mean you are a lot less likely to overeat through hunger and calories are typically self limiting. A few do find they have to be more mindful of calories than most, and it is possible to overeat on keto, but it’s not easy for most of us.

Eating as low as 20g a day carbs is pretty certain to evoke a state of nutritional ketosis. Many reach it at levels higher (up to 50g isn’t unusual).

 

[Transistor]

I'm a few years younger than you. After diagnosis I set up a spreadsheet and weighed or calculated the carb content of everything I ate for two days. It was about 50 g or less per day without being obsessive. My HbA1c dropped from 91 to 43 in twelve weeks without meds just by eliminating sugar and reducing carbs.

My point is that that < 20 g of carbs per day will be hard going as there is a certain amount in many vegetables. You may not need to be so restrictive. I never counted calories in my life but cycle to work (15 minutes each way) and swim a couple of times a week. I wasn't overweight though so that was a help.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi, I’m T2 (Metformin 500mg twice daily) and have started a high fat low carb plan. I’ve read that calorie restriction is important but with high fat that put pay to that. I’m not necessarily going for Keto (currently going for around 20g carbs daily) so am I likely to lose weight and keep BS low? is this plan healthy? I’m also following 16:8 intermittent fasting.
I’ve just been diagnosed with high blood pressure and am now on Amlodipine which is working so far. I need to lose 4 stone (I’m 68).
I find high fat low carb fairly easy so would like to stick with it. I love bacon and most meat!

Be careful you don't go short on vitamins and minerals as many of the foods you will not be having are fortified. Even vegetables are going to have some carbs so restricting those to keep to you 20g carbs may leave you short of them.
When I cut breakfast cereals and bread I was low on folic acid at my first blood test.

 

[Callista]

Trying to eat low calorie and low carb usually means neither method works and hunger and failure ensue
**
I was DX pre-D in January, and have gone low cal and low carb. Cut out savoury carbs (potatoes etc), and most 'sweet carbs' (allowed myself some fruit, but tried to keep it to the low-carb ones like strawberries)(joy!). Yes, my percentage of fat intake is up (not surprisingly, if low carb) but I'm trying to keep that pretty low as well overall.

My 'food' is now predominately protein and fibre (ie, fibrous, low carb veg), with some 'sweet treats' (fruit mostly, though some occasional lapses in respect of chocolate!). No alcohol.

I've lost almost two stone, and reduced my Hb1AC from 45 to 43 in three months. OK, that is hardly 'brilliant' (!), but I haven't felt hungry (though a bit bored and frustrated sometimes), and I'm hoping to push down those levels in another three months hopefully to drop out of pre-D. (And lose a bit more weight)

If I can hit a 'maintainence' level of food intake and BG, then I'd like to allow occasional treats of savoury carbs, and sweet carbs, but stay predominantly low carb and not up my fat intake more than currently.

Overall, I guess I'd say that from a diabetes perspective my low-cal, low-carb diet has been modestly successful with a two point reduction in Hb, and pretty successful when it comes to weight loss (I haven't weighed this little for years and years, and it really hasn't been 'that bad' to do - I haven't felt hungry, as I know is reported for low-carb diets that include a lot of protein and fibre, plus some fat.)

 

[Callista]

That said, I don't think I've tackled my underlying insulin resistance in the slightest! My BG levels are controlled (such as they are) entirely by diet (ie, low carb).

From what I've learnt on this site, to kick my insulin back into activity (I hope!) will take a lot more exercise than I've been doing so far (I've upped it, but not massively)

 

[42istheanswer]

I have done low carb and low cal too, though not keto low (aim under 130g - most days average around 80g). It has worked extremely well for me, I have lost a lot of weight over 9-10 months and also reduced my HbA1c below diabetic level. I am about the size I want to be so now gradually trying to figure out how much to eat to keep carbs at a level that hopefully maintains my HbA1c, without becoming too fixated on food and risking developing an eating disorder.