Two Weeks On

It's now two weeks since I returned to my "normal" low carb, medium protein, high fat diet, following two weeks of 600 calories per day. The results have not been what I would have hoped for. I have regained a little weight, which I'm happy with, and my ability to exercise for longer and with greater intensity has returned. The problem is that my blood glucose levels have also increased, which is disappointing.

Before the experiment, my average fasting blood glucose (FBG) was approximately 5.6mmol/l (101mg/dL). This lowered during the starvation diet, as one would expect, to 5.1mmol/l (92mg/dL). A good improvement. However, in the two weeks since the experiment my FBG has been not only higher than during the experiment, but also greater than before the diet began. The lowest FBG I've seen was 5.7mmol/l (103mg/dL). The highest, this morning, was 6.1mmol/l (110mg/dL). The average has been around 5.8mmol/l (104mg/dL).

This doesn't seem like a huge increase and some might say that it's not that significant. I'm not happy with it though. I am disappointed with any FBG reading over 5.6mmol/l (101mg/dL) and very unhappy to see anything beginning with a 6.

I'm now considering my next experimental diet and exercise change to see if I can bring it back down again. Any suggestions a welcome!

Undesirable Results

It's now a few days since I stopped the 600 calorie diet and reverted to my more normal low carbohydrate plan.

On the day I stopped, I decided to treat myself to a takeaway meal. I had quite a large Indian meal with lots of chilli-infused curry and vegetables. As I avoid the rice and bread, I had this with a salad. The results of my blood glucose tests weren't bad but were not marvellous either. One hour after eating my BG was 6.3mmol/l (133mg/dL). After two hours it was higher, at 6.8mmol/l (122mg/dL). The first reading I was happy with, the second I wasn't. However, I had never eaten that particular meal before so wasn't sure what to expect.

The other days I've had since increasing my calorie intake were pretty normal, except that my fasting blood glucose has been a little higher than normal, averaging around 5.8mmol/l (104mg/dL). That's about 0.3mmol/l (5mg/dL) higher than I'd expect. Not the end of the world but certainly not improved by the two week starvation diet.

More worryingly, today's readings have all been higher than I like. It may be that I've an infection that I'm unaware of that's skewing the results or it may be "just one of those days", but "those days" make me nervous. My fasting BG this morning was 5.9mmol/l (106mg/dL). One hour after lunch, which was a small green salad with no dressings, I had 6.3mmol/l (113mg/dL). My evening meal gave the worst results though. It was a salad with a few Indian tidbits, some nuts and some cheese. I tested after 1.75 hours and recorded 7.9mmol/l (142mg/dL). That's the highest reading I've had since near my diagnosis and I'm very unhappy with it. I had to beat it into submission with a 2km run (not so pleasant in the dark, cold and wind we have here this evening). It had to be done though and got my BG down to a more reasonable 4.7mmol/l (85mg/dL).

I'll keep an eye on this and let you know if it's a blip, an infection or a new pattern emerging.