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Controlling T2D by diet - just LCHF or 'Sugar Diet'?

ianf0ster

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Harpenden, Herts, England
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My GP said I should ignore Dr D Unwin's 'Practical Diabetes' since 4 yrs out of date, and instead read Michael Moseley 'The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet'.

Has anybody got a view on whether 'Sugar Diet' is better than general LCHF?
I am already under BMI 25 and am losing weight slowly by following LCHF (mildly Ketogenic). Do I actually need a diet plan that introduces more sugar/carbs back into my diet?
 
The 8 week Blood sugar diet is a very low calorie (VLCD) diet at 800 cals a day,a "real food" Newcastle Diet good for losing weight quickly and reduced carb, but not a long term way of eating, stick with the LCHF if it's working for you
 
Mmm, well Michael Mosley’s Blood Sugar Diet was first published in December 2015. Just because something was published a few years ago doesn’t make it out of date if it’s still relevant and effective. From my understanding both have their place. Both help blood sugar control, however the Blood Sugar Diet is designed to help fast weight loss too, something it sounds you’re not needing.
If I was in your position I would continue the LCHF approach, but if you want to stall weight loss you need to add in more fats. If you add in more carbs or sugar you will mess up your HbA1c which while low in the diabetic range could probably be worked on to reduce it to pre diabetic or non diabetic.
 
I agree. The Blood Sugar diet is for 8 weeks only and restricts you to only 800 calories a day, which is very hard. You will lose weight on this. I don't believe you need this extreme diet with a normal BMI, and already doing well on a LCHF diet. Why change what isn't broken? The 8 week diet is fine for those that need to lose weight and have high blood sugars, but after 8 weeks they have to find another diet to maintain matters, which is likely to be LCHF. So it seems daft to change what is already working for you.
 
Soooo funny! NICE are using Dr Unwins infographic in their guidelines, he’s won awards for the work he’s doing and is a thoroughly decent chap.

Your GP is the dinosaur here and the advice he’s given you could potentially be dangerous.
 
Thanks for all the replies. You confirmed what I was already feeling: That GP I saw is a Dinosaur!
I will have to see if one of the other 2 'diabetes specialists' at the Practice are less fossilised
 
Apart from anything else I found the recipes in the Blood Sugar Diet had too many expensive ingredients and that there seemed to be avocado or aubergine in everything neither of which I like. I'm beginning to think of Mosely as 'Low Carb Lite' and he could be accused of avoiding the more controversial face of LCHF I.e fats.

The Banting Diet (lower in carbs) is over a century old, just because it's old don't mean it's wrong.
 
The elephant in the room is that on 800 calories, your resting metabolic rate will normally go down a proportion. In the maintenance phase you are meant drop a third of the food you had before the journey....and exercise.

Alternatively you can do LCHF / Keto, eat normal portions for you and exercise is optional.
 
My GP said I should ignore Dr D Unwin's 'Practical Diabetes'
You sure Dr Unwin has a book called "Practical Diabetes" ? I'm not sure what your GP was going on about..
But anyway a low carb / keto diet will be better for you that Moseleys witterings IMHO.
 
Hi. Dr Unwin knows what he is talking about and has led the way in pushing low-carb within the health service. Dr Mosely follows a new diet fashion each year with associated books. In my view the ND has a very weak scientific basis. If focusses around calories which have little relevance for us (or anyone?). Follow Dr Unwin and low carb.
 
You sure Dr Unwin has a book called "Practical Diabetes" ? I'm not sure what your GP was going on about..
But anyway a low carb / keto diet will be better for you that Moseleys witterings IMHO.

No, my mistake, it isn't a book. The detail about the results and rough diet were in a periodical called 'Practical Diabetes Vol 31 No 2 Copyright @2014 Wiley & sons.
 
No, my mistake, it isn't a book. The detail about the results and rough diet were in a periodical called 'Practical Diabetes Vol 31 No 2 Copyright @2014 Wiley & sons.
Ah oh in that case Unwin over Moseley every day of the week whatever your GP may say.
A more charming and well informed man it would be hard to meet (Unwin that is).
 
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