Guest guest Posted April 25, 2003 Report Share Posted April 25, 2003 Hi anne - about Atkins, first you should read the book and find out if it makes sense to you. I've been doing Atkins since dx in November and have lost 27 pounds so far, trigylcerides and cholesterol numbers have all come into " normal " ranges, and I'm waiting for Tuesday to find out my new numbers and A1c, which was down from 17.3 to 8.3 in the first 3 months. My blood pressure has gone from 130/80 to 110/60 in six months. I no longer have any heartburn or acid reflux. I eat about 30 carbs/day and do not get hungry. I can't tell you if Atkins is for you or not, can only report my own experience and wish you luck in your search for the right program for you. CarolR anne wrote: > Hi, > My name is anne. I live in Australia and have been dx with Type 2 diabetes since September 2000. At the time I was living in a small outback town with substandard medical care and my diabetes has never been in good control. The numbers for our readings are different from those in the states, good control is between 4 and 8, mine has always bounced from around 6 to 16. My last HbA1c was 9.1 when it should be sitting below 4. I have high blood pressure now for the first time in my life (I'm 40 this year) and high cholesterol as well. I am very aware that I'm a walking heart attack. I now live in a semi rural town with much better medical care and have just been switched to insulin injections along with blood pressure meds and anti cholesterol meds. > > My question was about the Atkins diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2003 Report Share Posted April 28, 2003 Atkins is oriented mainly to losing weight. However, Dr. Bernstein is a diabetic and his plan is oriented towards diabetics specifically. The book is called " Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions " by K. Bernstein, M.D. It's available in hardback and paperback but the paperback is only available from Bayer. Call Bayer direct at 1- and request Part #0441445. Their ordering lines are open 8 am - 5 pm eastern standard time. They take Visa or MasterCard. And here's the URL to Dr. Bernstein's website, where there's lots of good stuff: http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml Another excellent book is called " The First Year Type Two Diabetes, An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed " by Gretchen Becker One thing I've learned is that YMMV. Diabetes is a very individual disease and what works for one may not work for another. However, since most agree that diabetes is a carb metabolism problem, it simply makes sense to avoid foods that make BGs go up - and carbs definitely do. If you're lowering your carb intake, it makes sense to use vitamin supplements to make up for what you're not getting. I do avoid carby foods such as grains, pasta, rice and most fruits. However, the following veggies are lower carb and can be eaten without much BG rise: Spinach Cauliflower Broccoli Summer squash (zucchini, crookneck) Spaghetti squash Mushrooms Asparagus Greenbeans Cabbage Sauerkraut And of course lettuce and avocados which aren't a veggie but a fruit …but they're definitely lowcarb. I have a large mixed lettuce salad with avocado every night with dinner. << In a message dated 04/28/2003 8:38:22 AM US Mountain Standard Time, serene_cat@... writes: > But I > actually have a friend who is a diabetes educator. They do not promote > Atkins... > > I think, (and this is my opinion), from what I have read in the group > so far... most would agree that carbs are the main culprit. > > For me...I don't follow this opinion. Although I do believe refined > sugars aren't good for you. However, I think complex carbs in whole > grains, some vegetables, etc... are important to a healthy diet.. not > only for the vitamins they possess but also for the fiber. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2003 Report Share Posted April 28, 2003 I am not a pure Atkinsite, but it seems that many of the criticisms of the Atkins diet are aimed at the Induction phase, as though one was expected to stay on it forever. Re: New member intro It's not as hard (after induction) as people make it sound, either (at least not for me). There are lots of low carb recipe lists to get great tasting food ideas from, too. Robin G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2003 Report Share Posted April 28, 2003 Bruce, I've been accused of being an Atkins " Purist " , mostly because I discourage people from trying to substitute phony " sugarfree " sweets for the pure sugar stuff that got them in trouble in the first place. You are correct that, in the interest of sound bites, most commentators/reviewers/critics of Atkins concentrate only on the induction phase which lasts two weeks, or more (by choice). And the idea that one can eat unlimited bacon, meat, cheese, etc., is false. The induction phase itself limits amounts of those foods, and limits the amounts of veggies eaten during induction. Another limiting factor is that even if you eat " all you want " of fat and protein you will not want to eat those unlimited amounts - you get full too quickly. It would be nice if those who wish to criticize the plan would read the whole book, not just the Induction chapter. And they never seem to pick up on the part about the veggies. There's a two page list of veggies allowed on induction, but we never hear about that - only the steak and bacon. CarolR Bruce Alan wrote: > I am not a pure Atkinsite, but it seems that many of the criticisms of the Atkins diet are aimed at the Induction phase, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 29, 2003 Report Share Posted April 29, 2003 , My comments interspersed in your post serene cat wrote: > ...I > actually have a friend who is a diabetes educator. They do not promote > Atkins... This has been the prevailing opinion of the larger medical community since Dr Atkins first published his diet plan. It is just now coming out through new research that he likely was right all along. > I think, (and this is my opinion), from what I have read in the group > so far... most would agree that carbs are the main culprit. > > For me...I don't follow this opinion. Although I do believe refined > sugars aren't good for you. However, I think complex carbs in whole > grains, some vegetables, etc... are important to a healthy diet.. not > only for the vitamins they possess but also for the fiber. The body absolutely needs protein (for building/rebuilding cells) and fat (for production of necessary hormones), but there is no evidence that there is any " requirement " for carbohydrates (the part that converts to blood glucose). Of course, there are vitamins/minerals & fiber that are contained in " some " carbs that the body does need. The fiber can be gotten with minimal " carb " intake from low GI/GL vegetables. The vitamins/minerals can be gotten from supplements although there are a lot in the same low GI/GL vegies. > I know that treatment for type1 diabetes and type2 are different. Also, > that treatment varies from person to person. While I am new and still > learning...and alot of the posters to this group are very > knowledgeable... What works for one person, may not work for another > person... YMMV (your mileage may vary). I am not specifically pursuing > a low carb diet. I am on oral medication but not on insulin. Treatment for T1 & T2 may or may not be different. T1 " requires " insulin, and rarely the addition of oral meds. Exercise can lower bg's for a T1. Treatment for T2, being caused by insulin resistance, can be treated with weight-loss, WOE, exercise, orals, and in some cases insulin is the med of choice. T2's have more choices of treatment plans. The underlying condition for both types is different, but in both cases, carbs are by far the largest factor that cause bg's to go up. Only a portion of protein converts to bg (20-50% depending on who you listen to), and fat does not convert and has, in virtually everyone, no effect on bg's. Simply put, carbs are the enemy of bg control! > When I first began on medication, I was put on metformin... I had > severe side effects. My doctor had to switch me. I have switched to > another doctor who is closer but he wants to put me back on it... I > told him no He thought I was imagining the side effects and wasn't on > the medicine long enough.....excuse me... Not to mention the other > things that he said.. If the Dr wants to put you on Glucophage (Metformin), ask for " Glucophage XR " , which is a timed release and many don't experience the gastric problems that can happen with the straight formula. > ... Anyway, I will be going to a new > doctor in June. I'm not sure who yet... I have to check with my > insurance... but I'm going to look at someone who has a focus in > endocrinology. I continue to read and try to educate myself on this > condition. Good, Endo's are typically much more knowledgeable about diabetes than the general Drs. > My recommendation would be to consult with your health care team, but > also review the information that is available from respected resources > and become informed... Also, let your doctor know what you plan to try. Anyone having trouble with control should definitely read " Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution " by Dr K. Bernstein. He has 50 years experience with diabetes and controlling it. Even if you don't choose to exactly follow his plan for control, there is a wealth of knowledge that will make you a much better " medial consumer " , and know what questions to ask of a medical team, and know when their answers make sense. > Unfortunately, this is not something you can learn by osmosis... I wish > it were. From what I have learned so far....I have made been making > better decisions and taking a proactive role in the treatment of this > condition which has helped to make an overall difference. My BGs have > come down into the normal range... I'm hoping my next h1ac will be > below 6.0. > I hope this helps. > Sincerely, > Education about all factes of this disease is the single most important thing any diabetic can do for themselves. It is just not possible to achieve " really good " control just by following the advice of any medical team. It is not them that have to live with it and make it work, its us, the patients. , T2, diagnosed 4/98, controlling with LC, average bg 100mg/dl, last HbA1c 5.6% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 29, 2003 Report Share Posted April 29, 2003 This is 'diabetes education standing upon one leg.' (For those who do not recognize this, there is a story of a rabbi confronted with a gentile who promised to convert if the rabbi could teach him the whole Torah while standing on one leg. Assuming the pose, the rabbi said, " That which is hateful unto you, do not to your fellow; the rest is commentary. " ) Re: New member intro Simply put, carbs are the enemy of bg control! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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