About to take my first tablet. Am insulin resistant. Bit scared, have read the instructions. Any thoughts?

Specifically, it suggests keeping carbs going nad also don’t have it if you are in ketosis. But isn’t there a good chance I might be, on a low carb diet?

Thankyou in advance xx

Would u consider trying the BSD strictly before starting with metformin or have you and your Dr covered that base. Only mention this as some of us tried the BSD rather than take metformin and alleviated the need for the drug by reducing our BGLs.

Hi Jenni from the Block

I need to talk some more with her, her approach is to use it as a tool with the BSD. She thinks it’s good for insulin resistance/speedier weight loss than without it.

J x

From my experience with Metformin the reason you get weight loss is because you s—t yourself silly. I had to stop it after a couple of weeks as I couldn’t get out of the house until late afternoon when the laxative effects had calmed down. If you are just starting on BSD and do it seriously you shouldn’t need the Metformin at all and it is recommended in the book that you stop taking it if you are already on it (with a chat with the doctor / nurse). If it was me I would try the diet first. Are you able to test your BG levels regularly as some of us found we go quite low on this diet and have had to reduce or stop other medication.

😂😂😂😂😂 – sunshine girl. Though not so funny at the time!

No they haven’t suggested I monitor my blood sugar. They have suggested only 500mg a day to start with though. I have a check up in about 5 weeks with this particular doctor – not my regular one, she’s private. I went to talk about my lady hormones and ended up having a long overdue talk about insulin.

I think I will go and talk to my GP as well, he’s been copied in on all communication so hopefully has a view.

Thanks everyone, on a bit of a massive learning curve here, the diet is the relatively easy bit!. X

Sunshine Girl – Just re-read this. Just to clarify it was the way you wrote it that tickled me. The reality does not sound one bit funny.

Ok Jackie, I didn’t find it funny at the time but having been T2 for 12 years I have to have a sense of humour considering what diabetes throws at you. I have had the shits, skin rashes, intolerance to dairy, hair falling out. All resolved eventually as doctor just says it is the plight of the diabetic to have sensitive stomach, skin, hair etc etc…….. Hoping this diet reduces all of that and I have cut my medication (insulin) by 50%. Trust this new science and stuff the tablets where the sun dont shine or down the loo cos that’s where they’ll end up in the course of time.

Sunshine girl, diabetes scares the living crap out of me. (Excusing the pun)

You’ve done so well to reduce your insulin! You guys are all an inspiration. Managed just over 800 today, 26g carbs and the tablet didn’t give me the squirts (yet). I’ll take it one tablet at a time, I think, just until I see Doc again. 5 weeks, so who knows I might be back from the edge by then.

JackieM the tablets wont hurt you so maybe it is a good ploy to follow the doctors orders until you get a chance to speak to one again. The only problem is, if your results are good because you are sticking with the plan, your doctor might say it is the Metformin not the diet – remember a lot of doctors dont understand or believe in this play YET. However, assuming your bg is down it would be a good time to suggest that you try without the meds and get your doctor on your side, TRICK, make him feel involved and in control and that you are being compliant albeit with your own input. Whatever, you are here now so that is good.

Day two of the metformin and I’m so scared of getting sick etc I have measured my calorie intake and my carbs way better than before. I do struggle to lose weight so if they make it go quicker I will take it. More than the weight loss I want the clarity of thought and energy I used to have. Weight loss just way of measuring how well I am doing towards that end. How things change!!!

My Doc fully into low carb eating, fortunately, though didn’t mention BSD by name. I guess now I know about it I won’t need to go to see her nutritionalist and pay more cash out. This is a private prescription as apparently in UK they won’t give it for free on NHS unless you are T2 and I am ‘only’ insulin resistant.

Have been low carb for three weeks but not, I now see now I am measuring, low carb enough or low cal enough. Still lost 3kg (6 ish lbs). But now hope to lose another 10kg fairly rapidly by being on top of numbers properly.

Thanks for advice SunshineGirl, will let you know how check up goes (end of September).

Jackie, are you still adding sugar to your teas? As long as you maintain a refined sugar habit, I don’t think you’re going to see the full low carb results you’re looking for. Counting your sugar carbs is not enough, because the vicious cycle of blood glucose spike, insulin release and fat storage will continue undeterred. I’m insulin resistant too, and nothing worked until I started the BSD, got brutally restrictive on eliminating all carbs from wheat, sugar, grains, cereals, fruits and starchy vegetables and reduced my intake of carbs from veg, dairy and nuts to below 20 grams a day.

My endocrinologist put me on Metformin too, way back in the 90s when I was first diagnosed. I lost maybe 10 pounds in the first couple of months, then gained steadily for the next two decades. I stopped taking it when I realized it was having no effect on weight loss or any of the PCOS side effects it was supposed to be helping with. The only thing it accomplished was constantly upsetting my stomach, which has always been somewhat touchy. Or rather it was. It’s not anymore. Turns out carbs were resonsible for that too. 🙂

Hi Jackie, make sure you read the possible side effects of Metformin and keep an eye out for them. I had a short stint on Metformin (even though I had good control of diabetes- Dr wanted me to eat fruit) and have lost a considerable amount of feeling in my toes as a side effect. This is despite now having been in remission for 51 weeks due to this wonderful BSD.

Hi Esnecca, I don’t take sugar in my tea! In fact, I don’t have tea now as I don’t want to use the carbs on milk! And I gave up my black coffee yesterday as it was giving me the jitters!

I’ve been low carbing for 3 weeks, and it’s been a revelation- although I am now understanding what I did was cut out refined carbs (sugar, bread, rice, flour, potatoes). I am now working my way through the veg world working out what is low carb and what is higher than I thought carb. So I am aiming for the kind of diet you have, but am still making mistakes until I started tracking in MyFitness Pal (that’s when I realised onions weren’t the easy, friendly option I thought they were).

So at the very least the fear of tummy upsets with the metformin has got me serious about counting calories and carbs, I’m hoping it will just speed me up losing weight for it a bit and then I can stop it again and continue with the BSD. I am not planning on eating many carbs again ever, I feel so much more on-point when I don’t have them. But I will introduce a bit of fruit and my favourite higher carb veg again, once I’ve given my pancreas the break it deserves. I definitely put it through the mill and realise now I probably have a genetic disposition to not process carbs well at all. When you think my dad had me drinking tea out my bottle with two sugars at age 2, you can see it’s had its work cut out!

Wow, Jenny from the Block, will do. Worth knowing, thankyou xx