Lazy Keto doesn't always work, but I decided to give it a try 30 days ago when my blood glucose went through the roof, yet again. I didn't go back to Keto for weight loss, although my bad right knee would love me to do that.
I went back to Keto for 30 days to bring my blood glucose back down.
Needless to say, I was shocked.
So shocked, that I ran back to Keto for my very next meal in hopes of bringing my numbers back down as quickly as possible.
The challenge is that hubby isn't joining me this time around.
Although, he will eat low carb meals with me – sometimes, with extra carbs added; and sometimes, not – he's not concerned with testing his own blood sugar right now.
I don't really know how well he's doing in keeping his glucose under control. He cut way back on the sugar and starches, but isn't counting anything, which is how I got off track.
I've been eating way more carbs on maintenance than I realized.
The challenge is that hubby isn't joining me this time around.
Although, he will eat low carb meals with me – sometimes, with extra carbs added; and sometimes, not – he's not concerned with testing his own blood sugar right now.
I don't really know how well he's doing in keeping his glucose under control. He cut way back on the sugar and starches, but isn't counting anything, which is how I got off track.
I've been eating way more carbs on maintenance than I realized.
Apparently, I haven't been paying as much attention to my food choices as I need to. Gluten-free foods and recipes are overwhelmingly heavy on sugars and starches, and my blood glucose level was reflecting that fact.
What I have to accept is that limiting my carbs is my new normal. There's no “life after low carb” for me, anymore.
There's just low carb.
How low will depend on my blood sugar when I reach a point where I'm comfortable adding back a few additional higher-carb goodies.
I don't particularly like the term “Lazy” Keto.
It's called that because most of the Keto community at the Reddit forums track their macros very closely, including calories. This intense tracking guarantees that you are eating at a caloric deficit.
Those only counting carbs instead of protein, fats, carbs, and calories are labeled “lazy.”
Lazy Keto is not looked down on over there.
It's similar to the 2002 Atkins Induction diet, where you concentrate on cutting back to 20-net carbs per day.
Carbs are the only macros you zero in on.
Anything that fits within that 20-net carbs is allowed.
Lazy Keto works for a lot of beginners, who tend to weigh enough that a calorie deficit can be easily achieved by paying attention to hunger signals. Eat when hungry, and don't eat when you're not.
This is because Keto drastically dulls your appetite.
However, for Lazy Keto to work well, 20-net carbs isn't a goal.
It's an upper limit.
The lower you go in carbs, the less hunger you'll have.
And since my goal wasn't weight loss, during those 30 days, Lazy Keto with its hunger control seemed to be the best solution for my blood glucose problem.
My blood glucose level dropped like a rock.
After only a week, I went from 230 mg/dL two hours after eating (diabetic) to 103 mg/dL (pre-diabetic). Sometimes, a little bit higher, 105 to 115 mg/dL in the afternoon, due to stress.
I lost 9.2 pounds during those 30 days, even though I wasn't trying to do that. And I'm down another couple of pounds since then.
Hunger is way, way down. I'm eating half to 2/3s of what I used to because I'm just not hungry.
Cravings have not gone away, though. I still have to keep telling my thoughts:
NO. We are not going back.
If I want to keep the diabetes from progressing any further, I need to consciously restrict the number of carbs I eat per day. This means that the name of this blog doesn't really fit my lifestyle any more.
It's not life “after” low carb.
It's just low carb.
The biggest lesson I've learned over the past 30 days is that I will have to watch my carbs for the rest of my life if I wish to avoid diabetic complications.
There is no way to get around that.
What I have to accept is that limiting my carbs is my new normal. There's no “life after low carb” for me, anymore.
There's just low carb.
How low will depend on my blood sugar when I reach a point where I'm comfortable adding back a few additional higher-carb goodies.
What is Lazy Keto?
I don't particularly like the term “Lazy” Keto.
It's called that because most of the Keto community at the Reddit forums track their macros very closely, including calories. This intense tracking guarantees that you are eating at a caloric deficit.
Those only counting carbs instead of protein, fats, carbs, and calories are labeled “lazy.”
It's similar to the 2002 Atkins Induction diet, where you concentrate on cutting back to 20-net carbs per day.
Carbs are the only macros you zero in on.
Anything that fits within that 20-net carbs is allowed.
Lazy Keto works for a lot of beginners, who tend to weigh enough that a calorie deficit can be easily achieved by paying attention to hunger signals. Eat when hungry, and don't eat when you're not.
This is because Keto drastically dulls your appetite.
However, for Lazy Keto to work well, 20-net carbs isn't a goal.
It's an upper limit.
The lower you go in carbs, the less hunger you'll have.
And since my goal wasn't weight loss, during those 30 days, Lazy Keto with its hunger control seemed to be the best solution for my blood glucose problem.
Lazy Keto 30 Day Results
My blood glucose level dropped like a rock.
After only a week, I went from 230 mg/dL two hours after eating (diabetic) to 103 mg/dL (pre-diabetic). Sometimes, a little bit higher, 105 to 115 mg/dL in the afternoon, due to stress.
I lost 9.2 pounds during those 30 days, even though I wasn't trying to do that. And I'm down another couple of pounds since then.
Hunger is way, way down. I'm eating half to 2/3s of what I used to because I'm just not hungry.
Cravings have not gone away, though. I still have to keep telling my thoughts:
NO. We are not going back.
Where Do I Go from Here?
If I want to keep the diabetes from progressing any further, I need to consciously restrict the number of carbs I eat per day. This means that the name of this blog doesn't really fit my lifestyle any more.
It's not life “after” low carb.
It's just low carb.
The biggest lesson I've learned over the past 30 days is that I will have to watch my carbs for the rest of my life if I wish to avoid diabetic complications.
There is no way to get around that.
My A1c has to stay in the normal range.
For now, I'm going to keep moving forward while I try to come up with a new name for this blog.
I Went Back to Keto Last Week
For now, I'm going to keep moving forward while I try to come up with a new name for this blog.
Related Article:
I Went Back to Keto Last Week
Informative post! Check out The Essential Keto Cookbook
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