Adaptive glucose sparing

[MG426]

Type 2 ...19 years.  Started carnivore 7 weeks ago....Have been off insulin for 5 weeks...also stopped Glipizide 5 mgs as well.....Am now on 1000 mgs of Metformin...prior to the last couple weeks Blood sugars were doing great...Now starting to creep up to 145 Fasting ...Levels slowly go back to 105 around bedtime...Strict carnivore..NO CARBS....Thinking adaptive glucose sparing..?

 

[Bob]

12 hours ago, MG426 said:

Strict carnivore..NO CARBS....Thinking adaptive glucose sparing..?

Possibly. Adaptive glucose sparing is when your muscles become resistant to glucose and instead prefer triglycerides so that the glucose in your system will be spared for the brain, which needs it more. This is actually a good thing.  

Where are the blood sugars coming from? Gluconeogenesis - your body is converting protein into glucose. This is a natural process. Until you become fat adapted, this process will keep taking place because your cells prefer sugar. So what many people do is keep their protein intake moderate and their fat intake high so that they can become fat adapted faster (fat adapted is when your body now has a preference for fat for energy over that of carbohydrates). 

Those high readings indicate that you are still diabetic and/or have insulin resistance. You're only 7 weeks in. I would keep doing what you are doing. 

[MG426]

Thank you for the response...I feel amazing..Loads of energy...I am 66 years old...I am eating OMAD at this time......I have lost an amazing...20 + pounds in a very short time...I dont get hungry doing OMAD...Sleeping better too....just wondering what is going on..? In addition my Blood pressure has gotten 100 % better..down to 122 over 60...Drs have me on metoprolol..and diuretics...Plus valsarten...Used to run 165 over 80...I am exercising every day..Mostly walking..Lifting dumbells..wall pushups ..squats...2 + minute planks...I am feeling stronger over all.....I will continue to eat carnivore...And exercise...Thanks again.....On another note...I was a train wreck prior to starting carnivore....I was On treshiba  12 units...Metformin..and glipizide....And getting A1Cs in the 6.5 range.....I have all the Markers of Metabolic disease.....I want to get as healthy as I can be...The last couple years I felt like I was circling the drain so to speak..Now i feel so much better its unreal...Thanks again..mark G.

[Geezy]

I’m not diabetic but my last blood test showed that my numbers had gone up since my last test six months earlier. In my case it was because I’m OMAD and had fasted too long before the blood draw. I’ll be getting another blood draw in six months and I’ll fast inside the proper window.
I was on Metoprolol but my cardiologist had to take me off of it because carnivore had brought my BP down to normal levels naturally but the Metoprolol was bringing it down too low artificially. I was at 79/58. Not cool.


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[MG426]

I have been as low as 109/55........going to keep a close eye on things...Go back to the dr in a couple months.....I have a bad case of White coat phobia....So my BP has always been rather high at my drs.....the main thing is that my Diabetes is going in the right direction ..along with my BP...And I feel so much better...Its unbelievable...!

[Geezy]

I have been as low as 109/55........going to keep a close eye on things...Go back to the dr in a couple months.....I have a bad case of White coat phobia....So my BP has always been rather high at my drs.....the main thing is that my Diabetes is going in the right direction ..along with my BP...And I feel so much better...Its unbelievable...!

You are definitely on the right track and I’m happy for you. I love hearing about the healing this WOE brings to us.
Be careful with your BP if you start getting dizzy for no reason or when you straighten up after bending over. It’ll sure sneak up on you.
Do you have a BP cuff at home so you can keep track of it?


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[MG426]

I have 2 cuffs at home....They are withuin a couple MMs of each other,,I had one of them verified at my Drs office....I am very happy about the results so far,,..I have never been this low in my life..so I am checking every day..I may begin decreasing my meds if it goes any lower...This is all so new to me..However I feel great..Have lots of energy....Its a good feeling..!

 

[Geezy]

I have 2 cuffs at home....They are withuin a couple MMs of each other,,I had one of them verified at my Drs office....I am very happy about the results so far,,..I have never been this low in my life..so I am checking every day..I may begin decreasing my meds if it goes any lower...This is all so new to me..However I feel great..Have lots of energy....Its a good feeling..!
 

I’ve read that when reducing meds like Metropol and Flecinide, those are my heart meds, that it’s best to wean off of them gradually.
In my case my BP had dropped so dramatically that my cardiologist didn’t wean me off of Metropol but just stopped it immediately but the Flecinide he is reducing slowly. I’m on a half a dose now and if I keep doing well he may take me off of it completely in about six months.
I would definitely consult with a doctor before quitting all together.


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[MG426]

Roast chicken..Sausage patties... 5 eggs ...green tea..

[Skeptic]

Just wanting to say that I applaud your progress!  Its REALLY nice to hear folks getting ahead through proper nutrition!

Im in the midst of fighting type1  (different bull, same rodeo) and I am encouraged to hear of your victories.

 

Edited Monday at 12:32 AM by Skeptic

[MG426]

On 3/2/2025 at 7:32 PM, Skeptic said:

Just wanting to say that I applaud your progress!  Its REALLY nice to hear folks getting ahead through proper nutrition!

Im in the midst of fighting type1  (different bull, same rodeo) and I am encouraged to hear of your victories.

 

Thank You sir..it has been Just about 1 Year into this adventure...I have stopped ALL diabetes medication..Insulin...Glipizide..Metformin....I have stopped all Blood Pressure medication..With the exception of 50 mg Of Metoprolol...I was On HCTZ..Amlodipine..And Valsarten....I have lost 51 lds...I feel great...I am excersing each day..210 wall pushups..120 squats..75 10 ld curls (each arm ) Per day In addition to walking 80 to 100 minutes per day..My blood sugar remains below 100 most of the day...My blood pressure is running around 115 over 60....When I think back on the medical care that I have recieved over the last 20 years...It makes me so very angry...! No Dr that treated me ever once considered to advise me to stop eating carbs..NOT ONE..!However they were very quick to Write prescriptions for medication.. It was by luck that I found Dr Robert Lustig and Dr Ken Berry on Line..Then found this Forum...I am very Grateful for all of the help and encouragement That I have recieved...Right now its time  to walk...Mark G

Edited Tuesday at 03:38 PM by MG426

[Skeptic]

5 hours ago, MG426 said:

No Dr that treated me ever once considered to advise me to stop eating carbs..NOT ONE..!

Me either.  Not one once.

I actually had a doctor tell me once that I wasnt eating ENOUGH carbs (and that was back when I was EATING carbs!!)

UGH

[Scott F.]

Congrats on your progress. Weight loss is great and feeling better is even more, but when you come off medicines, that is a incredible feeling. Congrats on the progress you have made.

I think a lot of doctors are pre-programmed/pre-dispositioned on a lot of things. At a HAZMAT physical the doctor came in and never looked at my chart. His first sentences were, "we will need to get you on some blood sugar and blood pressure medicine sometime soon". My blood sugar was in the low 90's and my blood pressure was 110/65. My response was, "I am overweight but I'm not in any need of being on medicine. I'm healthy, just fat". He came back with the "you will need them in time", but he was fully prepared to write the prescription then.

My family doctor was pleasantly surprised with the weight loss and almost onboard with the way I am eating. He wanted me to use some cholesterol medicine and eat similarly but drop the fat content down. I left with the medicine he gave me but it is sitting on the shelf in the bathroom. My LDL dropped by 35 points and he sent me a note, "Continue on your current path". I take that is he is OK with a higher fat/moderate protein-nocarb/sugar and nor cholesterol medicine. LOL

Again congrats on your progress. 

Scott

[MG426]

It is a sad situation....Blood pressure comes down....Blood sugar comes down...But LDL is slighty elevated...Its like that is the only Marker that Drs are looking at..Eat More (Whole Grains )....Whole Grains Do Not exist in todays Ultra processed food ....?

[Scott F.]

Sometimes the LDL numbers will inch up with carnivore. Your body is using that body fat for energy at times and there will be more in the blood. Mine made a couple weird jumps over a three-month period. About six or 7 months on carnivore I had a 35 point drop in LDL. 

I have blood tests coming up this month and again in May. I'm interested to see how they are tracking.

Scott

[Skeptic]

I am in the midst of learning more about cholesterol myself.  What I have learned so far is that mainstream medicine really makes cholesterol out to be the villain, and needlessly so.  Theres a few threads on here that explain it well, but basically our bodies are MADE of cholesterol, and the fact that someone's LDL numbers are up, means they are healing, especially on a carnivore diet!  My numbers are up considerably after 2 years on carnivore, and I knew it would happen, as I have a good bit of accumulated damage to undo, and am eating meats and fats like my life depends on it (because it does)  How long someone's numbers stay elevated is a good indication of how much healing is going on.

LDL numbers show the cholesterol that is traveling from your liver to your tissues.  Western medicine calls this "bad" cholesterol, but a high number here is actually a good thing, and means healing is taking place.
HDL numbers show what is being carried back to the liver.  Now if your LDL and HDL are BOTH high, that is not good, as it means a lot of the cholesterol is coming back unused, and your body is struggling to repair the damage.

If your LDL is high, and HDL is low, that is a good thing, as it means your body is working the way it should be, and healing!  Taking cholesterol lowering medication will stop the healing process in its tracks, and is a very bad thing akin to driving your truck down the highway with one foot on the brake.

Whole grains are my doctor's go-to recommendation as well, but are not what you want to be consuming.  The only "grain" I am interested in is the one to cut across when I am eating a steak. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Skeptic

[Geezy]

21 minutes ago, Skeptic said:

What I have learned so far is that mainstream medicine really makes cholesterol out to be the villain, and needlessly so. 

The reason the medical profession worries so much about your LDL level is that studies have shown a a very strong correlation between lowering your cholesterol by taking a statin and the annual pay bonuses of pharmaceutical company executives. (Cynical? Moi?)

[Skeptic]

I got about halfway through that statement with a straight face