Lots of Carbs, Nyet!: was-Carol..Carol..Carol

[Guest guest]

Hi Carol (I can't keep track of them!),

Statements like " a majority of your food intake each day should be from

carbohydrates " make me a little crazy!!!

Now, know that this is just MHO, but it's what I believe is true---

CARBS are the ENEMY of diabetics!

Each gram of carbs we eat will raise our bg's, as much as 3-5mg/dl.

The ADA (high carb/low-fat) diet prescribed by many Drs/Dietitians will

typically contain 150grams or more of daily carbs (I've heard some as high as

250grams).

So, since for a T2 diabetic, carbs are the only thing that causes bg

increases, does it make any logical sense at all to " force-feed " these large

quantities only to have to then prescribe one or more medications to get the

bg's back

down, many times with marginal success at best?

Now to fat---

Yes, fat has lots of calories, but it also supplies energy if we're eating

less carbs (the normal energy source). If losing weight is an issue, then some

eating less fat is necessary.

Fat also satiates hunger & slows digestion of the carbs we do eat, lowering

peak bg's post-prandially (after meals).

Many T2 diabetics at diagnosis also have lipid issues

(cholesterol/triglycerides), but that can be, in part at least, by the fact that

they have very high

blood insulin levels while their body tries to overcome the

" insulin-resistance " that is the root of their problem. Insulin promotes the

manufacture of

cholesterol among it's other duties, so if the blood insulin level can be

reduced,

cholesterol may also come down.

I've been eating a low-carb WOE for 6 years now with quite high % of fat.

Initially, at diagnosis my cholesterol was 235mg/dl & triglycerides were over

500. Upon going on the LC WOE, my tri's dropped almost immediately with a low of

27 in a couple of weeks!!!

My cholesterol was 235mg/dl, & in about 3 months of LC'ing (with lots of all

kinds of fat), it dropped to about 170mg/dl & has stayed continually in the

" good " range for total, HDL, LDL & ratio. Just my experience of course, but I'm

not alone.

, T2, dx'ed 4/98, controlling with LC & Supplements

Average fasting bg 100mg/dl, last HbA1c 5.7%

__________________________________________-

I have been trying to do some research and one place I read where a majority

of your food intake each day should be from carbohydrates, but I thought they

were bad for you. I know I do better if I watch my carbs and my fat. What do

the rest of you do?

[Guest guest]

Hi Carol, this is CarolR - I was dx'd 2 years ago and put on metformin

and Avandia. Even with those meds if I didn't eat a low-carb diet my

bgs were quickly over 180 and totally out of control. With the pills

only - no insulin - I had very little to absolutely no control unless I

counted carbs and got them as low as possible, and add exercise daily.

I haven't had as good a result as has with the cholesterol and

triglycerides and my bgs were chaotic at best, which is why I've started

insulin now. 15 grams of carbs will raise me 50+ bg points, so if I'm

only using the pills and want to eat that much at one time I'd have to

wait and hope that my bg would fall at least down to 100 in order to

stay out of dangerland. You'll have to do your own experiments, of

course, and it could be that whatever meds you are taking will work

better for you - I hope so.

Oh, yeah, I'm older than either of the other two Carols - think Lombard

- my dad had a crush.

CarolR

Huntington Beach, CA - trying to help keep track of us

rogerhlmn@... wrote:

> Hi Carol (I can't keep track of them!),

> Statements like " a majority of your food intake each day should be from

> carbohydrates " make me a little crazy!!!

[Guest guest]

At 11:41 AM 12/8/04, you wrote:

>I've been eating a low-carb WOE for 6 years now with quite high % of fat.

>Initially, at diagnosis my cholesterol was 235mg/dl & triglycerides were over

>500. Upon going on the LC WOE, my tri's dropped almost immediately with a

>low of

>27 in a couple of weeks!!!

Unfortunately I seem to be one of those whose cholesterol still won't go

down. When I was diagnosed with diabetes I'd just started trying to get

back onto low-carb again. My cholesterol was high then. Two months later,

with very strict attention being paid to low-carb eating, but not to

saturated fats, my cholesterol was higher. 8-( I gather this reaction is

not very common and of course I hate to find out I have it.

sky

[Guest guest]

> My cholesterol was high then. Two months later,

> with very strict attention being paid to low-carb eating, but not to

> saturated fats, my cholesterol was higher.

Apparently about 25% of people have this reaction. The GO/Four Corners Diet

was designed for people like that. It focuses on mono fat and also

prescribes a lot of fiber.

Another approach is Zetia. It worked great for me.

Gretchen