Re: advice for Harry

August 30, 2003

Hi Harry.

You mentioned you were on lantus and I have been meaning to share this with

you for a while but keep forgetting to do so. Dr. Bernstein explains that he

has his patients on insulin shots inject no more than 7 units per shot. He

prefers the maximum dose to be 4 units per injection. I'll explain why in a

minute. So, if you take 9 units of lantus prior to bed, you would take 4

units of lantus in your leg, for example, and the remaining 5, using the

same insulin syringe, in your belly, a different body location.

He explains that insulin doses larger than 7, again him preferring 4 to be

the max but will let people do 7, causes the body to see it as a foreign

substance put under the skin and your bodies immune system destroys some of

the insulin. When you only inject 4 units at a time, your body doesn't pay

attention to it and doesn't destroy it.

So, when you take more than 4 to 7 units per shot, you lesson the effect of

the insulin since your body destroys some of it and there is no way to keep

consistent bgs results with bgs readings.

So, by breaking large doses, such as 9 units, into 4 unit small doses using

the same syringe but given in different body locations, you fool the body

and none of the insulin is destroyed. The benefit to this is you can better

control your bgs readings since now you are 100% maximizing the insulin and

that gives more stable bgs readings. BTW 9 units to some is a very small

dose since some diabetics take upwards of 30 to 50 units per shot. Those

large insulin requirements typically are from insulin resistant diabetics,

or often times, just to cover quick acting carbs since the diabetic will

often times be eating the ADA carb rich diet that is low fat/low meat and

high quick acting carbs.

* begin rant *

As an aside, I can recall staying in the hospital through my childhood and

teen years on an ADA (american diabetes association) diet. You want to guess

what they served me saying it was perfectly fine and a good diabetic diet?

Breakfast typically had oranje juice, 15 grams of carbs, 2 pieces of *raisin

bread*, 35 grams of carbs, 1 bowl of cereal, 40 grams of carbs, 1 cup of

milk, 11 grams of carbs, and 1 egg. That totals 106 grams of quick acting

carbs and they said this was healthy? What about the typical high sugar

diabetics run in the morning? And I wondered all the time why my bgs were in

the 200 and 300 range a lot? For lunch, they'd feed me a sandwhich, 2 pieces

of bread 30 grams of carbs, 1 fruit, 15 grams of carbs, 1 bag of chips, 25

grams of carbs, and a diet pop. That totals 75 grams of quick acting carbs

for lunch? And the ADA says that is healthy? So my bgs was 250 from the 106

quick acting carb grams from breakfast then they feed me 75 more quick

acting grams of carbs for lunch? hmmmm. It all makes sense why I was a

brittle diabetic for years... the ADA and their suggested high qquick acting

carb meals and low fat/low meat meal plans and jamming large amounts of

insulin in my body to deal with the spikes in my bgs from the quick acting

carbs. For dinner, they'd give me pasta, 1 cup 30 grams, 2 pieces of bread

and butter, 30 grams, 1 piece of fruit, 15 grams, and a cup of milk, 11

grams of carbs, and a salad and diet pop. That would total 86 total quick

acting grams of carbs. So my total quick acting carbs they gave me in a day

was 267? Again, all this the recommendation of the ADA (american diabetes

association) who still practises this meal plan and are killing diabetics.

Strong opinion, I know, but it is true, they have people eat a carb rich

diet with an emphasis on low fat/low meat saying it protects the kidneys and

heart when all along, the killer of the heart and kidneys is the high bgs,

not the fat and meat. Dr. Bernstein and his years of research and his

patients have the best blood work/lipid panel/a1c around and eat mostly

meat/fat and slow acting carbs like veggies. The high unmanaged bgs is what

kills diabetics, not fat and meat. It's your body, try it out. Follow a low

carb diet and eat meat/fat and in 3 months, get a lipid panel done and a1c

and see the results.

* end rant *

With regards to dosing 4 unit increments, pretty cool, eh? I've found this

to greatly give me repeatable results when testing my bgs where as taking

more than 7 units per shot gave me hard to follow patterns in my bgs.

advice for Harry

> > > > >

> > > > > > Fasting gbs this morning was 92.

> > > > > > So I tried that experiment and for breakfast had only scrambled

> eggs

> > > and

> > > > > > some Canadian bacon and two hours later my gbs was 120.

> > > > > > Then I celebrated by going to lunch with my cousin at a chinese

> > > > restaurant

> > > > > > and I just had a bowl of hot and sour soup and two egg rolls

> dipped

> > in

> > > > > duck

> > > > > > sauce and mustard. Two hours later my gbs is 272 and I am so

> sleepy

> > > and

> > > > > > drowsy I can hardly write this message.

> > > > > >

> > > > >

August 30, 2003

harry, The problem may be the Canadian Bacon. It is unknown how much carb

is in a piece of that-there may be more than 1 or 2 carbs.

Re: advice for Harry

Puzzling update:

Fasting gbs this morning was 88.

I ate two scrambled eggs and two pieces of Canadian bacon with a 5.5 ounce

of V8 juice, which contains 8 grams of carbs for a total of between 10 and

definitely no more than 12 grams of total carbs consumed for breakfast.

Two hours later my gbs was 132, a 44 point rise in gbs.

Four hours after breakfast my gbs was 116.

So I ate lunch consisting of three hefty pieces of roast beef and a big hunk

of pepper cheese and a salad with some tomatoes in it, but mostly lettuce

and salad dressing of oil and balsamic vinegar.

I will check later to see what rise in gbs I get in two hours.

What puzzles me is it usual for a 10 or 12 carb meal to shoot the glucose

level up 44 points two hours later?

advice for Harry

> > > > >

> > > > > > Fasting gbs this morning was 92.

> > > > > > So I tried that experiment and for breakfast had only scrambled

> eggs

> > > and

> > > > > > some Canadian bacon and two hours later my gbs was 120.

> > > > > > Then I celebrated by going to lunch with my cousin at a chinese

> > > > restaurant

> > > > > > and I just had a bowl of hot and sour soup and two egg rolls

> dipped

> > in

> > > > > duck

> > > > > > sauce and mustard. Two hours later my gbs is 272 and I am so

> sleepy

> > > and

> > > > > > drowsy I can hardly write this message.

> > > > > >

> > > > >

August 30, 2003

Hi Harry.

First of all, hats off to the perfect bgs in the morning! Good job! Now onto

your breakfast... no, a 10 to 12 slow acting carb meal will not shoot up the

sugar but the V8 juice contains 8 grams of quick acting carbs, the tomato

juice. Tomatoes and onions are to be avoided since they contain sugar, or, a

certain level of quick acting carbohydrates. After all, tomatoes are

classified as a fruit, not a veggie. And they are certainly not a slow

acting veggie. Think of them along the lines of a fruit rather than a

veggie. BTW YMMV may vary with tomatoes... they increase my sugar while

others don't have a problem with it. Again, between the two pieces of

canadian bacon, containing sugar, and the tomato juice, yes, it is quite

possible to jump the sugar 40 points.

Looking at this again, you could have had left off the 2 pieces of bacon,

contains some sugar, and try the v8 Juice with the eggs tomorrow for

breakfast. If your 2 hour post test is more than 120, then you know to not

eat the v8 juice and to not eat tomatoes. Bernstein lists tomatoes and

tomato juice in the no no list and they are to be foods to avoid. However,

like I say, YMMV. For lunch, all looks ok, accept the tomatoes on the salad,

may have not effected you hopefully since tomatoes are in season and many

love them, and the balsamic vinegar, if recalling correctly, has a certain

level of sugar in it, not tagged sugar or carb, but a different name on the

label that breaks down to sugar when ingested. With you being up a while

from morning and your metabolism working some, your lunch may just turn out

to be fine. The meter will tell smiles.

So, your experimenting, which is good, so tomorrow try another experiment...

leave off the bacon and try the v8. I still have a hunch it will jack the

sugar but hopefully not. Keep up the great work... it's all about trial and

error.

advice for Harry

> > > > > >

> > > > > > > Fasting gbs this morning was 92.

> > > > > > > So I tried that experiment and for breakfast had only

scrambled

> > eggs

> > > > and

> > > > > > > some Canadian bacon and two hours later my gbs was 120.

> > > > > > > Then I celebrated by going to lunch with my cousin at a

chinese

> > > > > restaurant

> > > > > > > and I just had a bowl of hot and sour soup and two egg rolls

> > dipped

> > > in

> > > > > > duck

> > > > > > > sauce and mustard. Two hours later my gbs is 272 and I am so

> > sleepy

> > > > and

> > > > > > > drowsy I can hardly write this message.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > >

August 31, 2003

I did not test my gbs two hours after lunch, but instead went on a shopping

spree and five hours later I tested my gbs level was 107, so it took five

hours for my gbs to fall from 142 to 107, a 35 point drop.

For dinner I just ate two hefty pieces of roast beef with mustard and a big

hunk of cheese. Two hours later my gbs was 90. After this I took 7 units

of insulin. I wonder if I should eat something to avoid a hypoglycemic

reaction, but I will not, so I can see what happens.

advice for Harry

> > > > > >

> > > > > > > Fasting gbs this morning was 92.

> > > > > > > So I tried that experiment and for breakfast had only

scrambled

> > eggs

> > > > and

> > > > > > > some Canadian bacon and two hours later my gbs was 120.

> > > > > > > Then I celebrated by going to lunch with my cousin at a

chinese

> > > > > restaurant

> > > > > > > and I just had a bowl of hot and sour soup and two egg rolls

> > dipped

> > > in

> > > > > > duck

> > > > > > > sauce and mustard. Two hours later my gbs is 272 and I am so

> > sleepy

> > > > and

> > > > > > > drowsy I can hardly write this message.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > >

August 31, 2003

Harry.

Eat you 1 piece of meat, like a hunk of cheese, and 3 saltine crackers which

is a total of 7.6 carbs including the cheese. Each gram of carb will raise

your bgs 5 points, in theory for a 150 pound non-obese human, so if you ate

7.5 grams of carbs, your bgs in the morning should be around 127 but will

probably be lower than that. I'd hate to see you get low during the night,

it wouldn't even be worth it. Be careful. If you are not around 85 in the

morning, then leave off the v8 juice and only have 1 piece of the canadian

bacon. 2 eggs/1 piece of bacon some diet jello or a pop.

advice for Harry

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > > Fasting gbs this morning was 92.

> > > > > > > > So I tried that experiment and for breakfast had only

> scrambled

> > > eggs

> > > > > and

> > > > > > > > some Canadian bacon and two hours later my gbs was 120.

> > > > > > > > Then I celebrated by going to lunch with my cousin at a

> chinese

> > > > > > restaurant

> > > > > > > > and I just had a bowl of hot and sour soup and two egg rolls

> > > dipped

> > > > in

> > > > > > > duck

> > > > > > > > sauce and mustard. Two hours later my gbs is 272 and I am

so

> > > sleepy

> > > > > and

> > > > > > > > drowsy I can hardly write this message.

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > >

August 31, 2003

Onions have carbs? I never knew that-how many carbs. I don't think I can

give up onions as I use them all the time for seasoning.