My weight loss and T2D journey

[pjgtech]

I think anyone on the Pathway to Remission, or any other very low cal diet, should be wary of getting tired due to the low fuel your body is running on. It really does not take much to tire you out!

For example, I had to do a bit of a drive today, 50 mins there, mooch about for 30 mins, then 50 min drive back, so out for couple of hours.
It was mostly motorway driving, and as I'm in the SE, (Kent) the roads are ALWAYS busy, and you have to be vigilant to watch out for all the many idiots on the road, so concentrating a fair bit.
On the drive home I definitely felt a low energy "dip".

I had a 200 cal meal replacement snack bar and a few grapes, and a few nuts with me as a snack, plus I always have a Hypo pack in the car (sugary tabs, gel and liquid).
So I stopped the car ASAP and had a few grapes. After 5 mins I felt fine again, so carried on the drive home.
When I got home, I was definitely tired though, presumably from mental concentration?

Just be aware that 800 cals a day is very, very low, and you cannot exert yourself too much, and listen to your body and pay attention to how you feel. If you need to stop, take 5 mins, recover, eat a snack, etc, then do it....
Cheers

 

[Drummer]

My discovery that very low calorie should be approached from ketosis has been a bit of an eye opener for me.

I am really really low, I should be at the point of collapse if my previous ventures into low calorie eating were to be trusted as the only results possible - instead I am zooming up stairs and beating the dust off things untouched for some time, dragging out bags and boxes of fabric and searching through patterns intending to do a thorough revamp of my wardrobe rather than bring out the old stuff for winter for yet another year.
Today I have been out shopping, on an intake of zero carbs or calories and in an hour I'll be making up a shake then sorting out the kitchen and making dinner - then off to morris practice.

 

[pjgtech]

My discovery that very low calorie should be approached from ketosis has been a bit of an eye opener for me.

What does this mean? cheers

 

[Drummer]

What does this mean? cheers

I need to eat a low carb diet to control my blood glucose levels, keeping them under 8mmol/l after meals was the point at which my metabolism started to recover, at least that is what it felt like. That meant 50 gm of carbs of less in the early days, and I was often in ketosis - burning fat rather than glucose.
It is what Atkins is all about - you might find copies of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution on line as it is fairly well explained in that.
I found that my clothes indicated ketosis very well - I put them into a laundry bag at the end of the day, and there is a distinct odour when I tip them out to sort for washing.
In the later part of this year I was eating less and less, getting deeper into ketosis, so when I decided to try the shakes I would have been increasing my carbs to do 3 a day. I thought 2 and a meal, but that made me hungry, so I went down to one and a meal of mostly protein, and I am not hungry on that. Some days I don't have the single shake, as I forget about it. It is times for 5pm, but if it gets to 6 and I've not drunk it, I just eat dinner.

 

[pjgtech]

I need to eat a low carb diet to control my blood glucose levels, keeping them under 8mmol/l after meals was the point at which my metabolism started to recover, at least that is what it felt like. That meant 50 gm of carbs of less in the early days, and I was often in ketosis - burning fat rather than glucose.
It is what Atkins is all about -

Thanx for the explanation, I had heard of the term Ketosis, but could not remember it referred to burning fat. Cheers

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

There are two different states, so we have to be a little careful.

Ketosis is fat burning (on very low carb intake) with available insulin.

Ketoacidosis is potentially fatal and results from absolute insulin deficiency - not enough insulin to process food, so fat (and then muscle/tissue/organs) are burned instead while the blood becomes acidic. 😱

 

[Felinia]

Unfortunately I've had some other minor health issues, which have affected my ability to exercise. For example, when diagnosed with Diabetes they also diagnosed high Cholesterol, so put me on Statins. I suffered severe side effects with the statins which made my joints ache very badly and severely restricted my mobility. After three months, (despite trying three different statins) I stopped taking the statins (with medical advice) but it has taken well over six months to get my mobility back.

I so empathise with your statins experience, as it mirrored mine. I also developed foot, ankle and calf swelling, a spreading rash, plus severe gastric issues. Like you it was months before all the side effects subsided. Must be something in our genetic makeup that affects us so badly, when many others have no side effects. I was advised to take a cholesterol lowering drink daily, which I do. But every time my cholesterol is checked I have to go through the same arguments about why I won't take statins. The latest episode is due to take place next Monday!!!

 

[Sharron1]

I so empathise with your statins experience, as it mirrored mine. I also developed foot, ankle and calf swelling, a spreading rash, plus severe gastric issues. Like you it was months before all the side effects subsided. Must be something in our genetic makeup that affects us so badly, when many others have no side effects. I was advised to take a cholesterol lowering drink daily, which I do. But every time my cholesterol is checked I have to go through the same arguments about why I won't take statins. The latest episode is due to take place next Monday!!!

Good luck

 

[harbottle]

I think anyone on the Pathway to Remission, or any other very low cal diet, should be wary of getting tired due to the low fuel your body is running on. It really does not take much to tire you out!

For example, I had to do a bit of a drive today, 50 mins there, mooch about for 30 mins, then 50 min drive back, so out for couple of hours.
It was mostly motorway driving, and as I'm in the SE, (Kent) the roads are ALWAYS busy, and you have to be vigilant to watch out for all the many idiots on the road, so concentrating a fair bit.
On the drive home I definitely felt a low energy "dip".

I had a 200 cal meal replacement snack bar and a few grapes, and a few nuts with me as a snack, plus I always have a Hypo pack in the car (sugary tabs, gel and liquid).
So I stopped the car ASAP and had a few grapes. After 5 mins I felt fine again, so carried on the drive home.
When I got home, I was definitely tired though, presumably from mental concentration?

Just be aware that 800 cals a day is very, very low, and you cannot exert yourself too much, and listen to your body and pay attention to how you feel. If you need to stop, take 5 mins, recover, eat a snack, etc, then do it....
Cheers

Why do you have a ‘hypo pack’???