Why I've Started a Low Carb Diet
Pre-diabetes can be revered in 93% of people according to a study cited by Dr. Jason Fung author of The Diabetes Code.
In the 90s, I reversed my own case of pre-diabetes on a low carb diet in less than six months. At the time, my fasting blood glucose sat at 124—just two points away from the 126 marker for diabetes used by my clinical lab.
I also lost 20 pounds eating low carb.
Once my fasting glucose levels were back in the normal range, I relaxed my carbohydrate restrictions. But generally, I didn’t overindulge in high carbohydrate foods for the next three decades.
But here I am again in the pre-diabetes zone.
After a particular set of intense traumas occurred, one on top of the other, I found emotional comfort in chocolate, ice cream, and the occasional bag of potato chips. I also started to eat bread again after not eating a single slice for decades.
Since I’m genetically predisposed to type 2 diabetes, I naturally slipped into the pre-diabetes zone once again due to those kinds of poor food choices.
What now?
The Realities of Pre-Diabetes
I lingered on the borderline of pre-diabetes far too long. But humans are creatures of habit. That includes me.
I won’t judge you if you don’t judge me. Deal? But I want to clean up my carb act. And maybe you do too.
When I first slipped back into the pre-diabetes range, I engaged in wishful thinking. I vaguely attempted to cut back on carbs. But three months later, my hemoglobin A1C (a test for blood sugar levels over the previous two-three-month period) had popped up an additional point.
Time to let go of wishful thinking and get serious.
Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, complications can include heart and blood vessel disease, nerve, kidney, and eye damage, and an increased risk of dementia.
I didn’t want to go near there again.
On an encouraging note, the Mayo Clinic agrees pre-diabetes can be reversed or at least kept in check so you don’t progress to type 2 diabetes if the right choices are made.
“Healthy lifestyle choices can help you bring your blood sugar level back to normal, or at least keep it from rising toward the levels seen in type 2 diabetes.”—The Mayo Clinic
So after my once again elevated hemoglobin A1C, I pulled out a list of books my primary care physician had recommended about a year ago and got to work.
Her suggestions included:
The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung
Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore
Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore and Dr. Eric Westman
I immediately devoured Keto Clarity and set three goals:
Reduce my hemoglobin A1C and fasting blood glucose numbers back to normal
Loose weight
Reduce the recalcitrant pain in my left knee, which I finally realized may be nerve pain.
Nerve damage can begin in the pre-diabetes phase before the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
Research indicates patients with pre-diabetes and metabolic syndrome are at an increased risk of developing autonomic neuropathy and cryptogenic sensory peripheral neuropathy.
That makes it all the more important to take pre-diabetes seriously, doesn’t it?
I was curious if my knee pain would abate once I started on a low carb diet.But did I want to do a Keto Diet?
To Keto or Not to Keto?
The Keto Diet (also known as the Ketogenic Diet) gets a bad rap. It’s a low carbohydrate, moderate protein, and high fat diet that includes specific types of fats only.
We’ve all been trained to think fat is bad. Like most people, I feel hesitant about an increase in animal fats in my diet.
But I learned some interesting facts reading Keto Clarity, written by a man who started his low carb journey at 400 pounds.
A Ketogenic Diet shifts your body from using glucose as the primary source of fuel to utilizing ketones instead. Ketones are created when the body burns fat. Your body already uses them as an alternative food source when glucose isn’t available.
The balance of macronutrients in a Ketogenic Diet will vary from person to person because we all have different levels of carbohydrate intolerance. You have to experiment to find the right balance of carbs, protein, and fat for you.
The basic formula for a Ketogenic Diet involves omitting sugar and starch, limiting protein intake to two to three ounces per meal, and consuming as much dietary fat from specified sources to meet your fatty acid requirements and achieve satiety.
While some people can achieve ketosis with a 100 gram intake of carbohydrates, that’s unusual. Most people need to restrict carbs to 50 grams or less and those with metabolic syndrome need to remain below 30 grams a day to produce adequate ketones.
“Ketones are actually the preferred fuel source for the muscles, heart, liver and brain. These vital organs do not handle carbohydrates very well; they become damaged when we consume too many carbs.”—Keto Clarity
The Keto Diet has not been readily accepted by most major medical organizations. But many medical doctors use it successfully to help people reverse pre-diabetes. It has even helped in reversing diabetes in some individuals.
Is the Keto Diet right for me? I plan to discuss it with my primary care physician in the near future.
In the meantime, I’ve reduced my carbs to 50 grams or less per day. What does that look like? For me, it means:
No fruit
No starchy vegetables
No bread, pasta, or processed foods
Plenty of low carb veggies like bell pepper, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, celery, cabbage, and so on.
A small amount of nuts, some are higher in carbs than others.
Various forms of animal protein
Generous amounts of specific fats
No fruit? Some people eat low carb fruits like strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. But I’m not able to eat berries due to my food intolerances.
If you consider the number of grams of carbohydrate in most fruit, you’d think twice about freely snacking on them if you are pre-diabetic. The amount of sugar contained in most fruits is likely to spike your blood sugar too.
For example:
Apple, medium size: 25 grams of carbohydrate
Banana, medium size: 27 grams of carbohydrate
Pineapple, one cup: 22 grams of carbohydrate
Compare that to:
Broccoli, one cup: 6 grams of carbohydrate
Zucchini, one cup: 4 grams of carbohydrate
Kale, one cup: 1 gram of carbohydrate
You’re able to eat a larger quantity of food when you eat low carb veggies, which can help you feel satisfied in combination with appropriate amounts of protein and fat. But most importantly, you’ll be able to stabilize your blood sugar and possibly reduce pre-diabetes.
My First Week on a Low Carb Diet
I just finished by first week on a low carb diet. I lost 2.6 pounds. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sustain that level of weekly weight loss. But even if I lose one pound a week, I’ll be delighted.
My left knee pain disappeared entirely. Maybe this was a coincidence? Maybe not. I’ll never know for sure.
I felt hungry at times. I wasn’t well prepared with appropriate snacks for those moments. But now I’m armed with celery sticks and almond butter.
I didn’t yearn for high carbohydrate foods or sweet snacks. But I did allow myself to have a mini dark chocolate coconut bar after dinner. That might not be ideal on the long run But hey, it’s only week one!
At some point I’ll add in lifestyle changes that can contribute to the reversal of pre-diabetes. That might include exercises, intermittent fasting, and adequate sleep. But I need to go one step at a time or I might become overwhelmed and give up.
I expect to have my hemoglobin A1C and fasting glucose levels back to normal in three months—at this point, they’re still far closer to normal than to diabetes.
From there, I’ll continue low carb until I get them to mid range. But realistically, considering my tendency to pre-diabetes, I know I can’t go carb crazy again.
Concluding Thoughts
This isn’t medical advice. And I’m not telling you what you should do. I just want you to know that pre-diabetes is reversible in most people.
Talk to your doctor, do your own research, and find the right diet approach for you. You might prefer the American Diabetes Association recommended plate that allows you to have one-quarter covered in starchy foods or you might decide to go full blown Keto.
In the end, your blood tests will reveal whether or not your approach reverses Pre-Diabetes. If one approach doesn’t work, you can always shift to another. And don’t forget those lifestyle changes too.
Because we don’t want to get type 2 diabetes, do we?
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