Viv's Modified Atkins Diet

viviennem

Well-Known Member
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3,140
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Football. Bad manners.
These are the figures recommended by NICE (National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence):

Blood glucose levels in non-diabetics:

Fasting/before meals: 3.5 to 5.5
2 hours after eating: less than 8

For Type 2s:
Fasting/before meals: 4 to 7
2 hours after eating: less than 8.5

All in millimols per litre (mmol/l).

Jenny Ruhl (USA), a Type 2 low-carber and author of the book and website "bloodsugar101", gives non-diabetic figures of not above 6.6 mmol/l, 2 hours after eating. Also an HbA1c of between 4.6 and 5.4%.

My GP is very happy with a Type 2 HbA1c of 6.0. I prefer mine in the mid-low 5s (5.4 last time), and am aiming to join the 4% Club - HbA1c below 5. I fear I am too weak-willed to get that low, but it's a goal! :D

Hope this helps

Viv 8)


PS suehatton, I only have to cook for myself, so I eat very plainly. For my main meal I have a good helping of the protein, and double-up on the allowed veggies instead of the carbohydrate. Not so easy when cooking for a family, I know, or on a budget. Look out for things like very-low-carb sausages - several brands are available with 2g carb or less per sausage. A bit more expensive, but very filling. Mince is good, spiced up or used in Bolognese sauce - cook cauliflower for yourself instead of pasta, a few minutes in the microwave while everyone else's pasta is cooking. Or use the Hairy Bikers' trick of splitting leeks into sheets, blanching them and using them instead of lasagne. The odd low-carb meal won't hurt your family - getting used to the idea might save them from Type 2 later in life.

I have a 2-egg omelette every morning, and still haven't tired of it after 3 years! Or sometimes for lunch with cheese or mushrooms. I eat lots of salad, too, with cold chicken or tinned tuna. I do eat an awful lot of chicken :wink: . Also, at Christmas I buy up turkey legs for the freezer from our local butcher (spare from all those turkey crowns, and cheap) and eat those over the year.

I buy Atkins "Daybreak" bars for those occasions when I have to eat on the run. Not often, 'cos they are very expensive!

Have a look at the recipe section on the Low-carb section of the forum - lots of very good ideas.

V 8)
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
viviennem said:
These are the figures recommended by NICE (National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence):

Blood glucose levels in non-diabetics:

Fasting/before meals: 3.5 to 5.5
2 hours after eating: less than 8

For Type 2s:
Fasting/before meals: 4 to 7
2 hours after eating: less than 8.5

All in millimols per litre (mmol/l).

Jenny Ruhl (USA), a Type 2 low-carber and author of the book and website "bloodsugar101", gives non-diabetic figures of not above 6.6 mmol/l, 2 hours after eating. Also an HbA1c of between 4.6 and 5.4%.

My GP is very happy with a Type 2 HbA1c of 6.0. I prefer mine in the mid-low 5s (5.4 last time), and am aiming to join the 4% Club - HbA1c below 5. I fear I am too weak-willed to get that low, but it's a goal! :D

Hope this helps

Viv 8)


PS suehatton, I only have to cook for myself, so I eat very plainly. For my main meal I have a good helping of the protein, and double-up on the allowed veggies instead of the carbohydrate. Not so easy when cooking for a family, I know, or on a budget. Look out for things like very-low-carb sausages - several brands are available with 2g carb or less per sausage. A bit more expensive, but very filling. Mince is good, spiced up or used in Bolognese sauce - cook cauliflower for yourself instead of pasta, a few minutes in the microwave while everyone else's pasta is cooking. Or use the Hairy Bikers' trick of splitting leeks into sheets, blanching them and using them instead of lasagne. The odd low-carb meal won't hurt your family - getting used to the idea might save them from Type 2 later in life.

I have a 2-egg omelette every morning, and still haven't tired of it after 3 years! Or sometimes for lunch with cheese or mushrooms. I eat lots of salad, too, with cold chicken or tinned tuna. I do eat an awful lot of chicken :wink: . Also, at Christmas I buy up turkey legs for the freezer from our local butcher (spare from all those turkey crowns, and cheap) and eat those over the year.

I buy Atkins "Daybreak" bars for those occasions when I have to eat on the run. Not often, 'cos they are very expensive!

Have a look at the recipe section on the Low-carb section of the forum - lots of very good ideas.

V 8)

Just looked again at the NICE Recommendations on this very site (see below) and non-diabetic fasting is 4.0 to 5.9 whereas your figures from the same source (NICE) is 3.5 to 5.5. Blimey, I hypo below 3.9!!

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html
 

suehatton

Well-Known Member
Messages
289
Thanks. I think the veggies is the key. Cooking them in a variety of ways. Only diagnosed 6 weeks ago so finding my feet still. BTW dont know wots cooking in the kitchen but it smells delish.x

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viviennem

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,140
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Other
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Football. Bad manners.
gezzathorpe said:
suehatton said:
I was wrong :?

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Ooops .... have you been aiming for 3.5 then?

Gezzathorpe, if your BGs have been running high for a while, you may well find that you get hypo symptoms at levels that wouldn't affect other people. Once your system gets used to lower blood glucose, you may well lose the so-called "false hypos". I can go down to 3.5 with no problems, but it happens rarely.

On the other hand - we are all different, and 3.5 may be touching hypo for you.

As for the figures differing - I think the NICE advice has been tweaked recently and I'm still on the earlier figures. They suit me, so I'm not too worried. :wink:

Viv 8)
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
viviennem said:
gezzathorpe said:
suehatton said:
I was wrong :?

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

Ooops .... have you been aiming for 3.5 then?

Gezzathorpe, if your BGs have been running high for a while, you may well find that you get hypo symptoms at levels that wouldn't affect other people. Once your system gets used to lower blood glucose, you may well lose the so-called "false hypos". I can go down to 3.5 with no problems, but it happens rarely.

On the other hand - we are all different, and 3.5 may be touching hypo for you.

As for the figures differing - I think the NICE advice has been tweaked recently and I'm still on the earlier figures. They suit me, so I'm not too worried. :wink:

Viv 8)

OK... thanks my fasting is averaging 5.1 and post evening dinner 6.1 (no carb counting)
 

goodnews123

Newbie
Messages
4
Wish I had found this site years ago. This diabetic-modified Atkins is just spot on, but I have never been told this stuff on any NHS advisory site. As it happens, this is just what I have devised myself this year. I have now lost 2 stones, and come off all oral hypoglycaemics. I have a BMI of 23, and HbA1c of 6.2, so I will be sticking to this regime.
 

viviennem

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,140
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Football. Bad manners.
That's really good news, goodnews123! Well done!

You'll find that the NHS is slowly becoming more open-minded about one diet type not fitting all! Very many HCPs still seem to think that Atkins consists only of fatty meat, butter, cheese and cream in unlimited quantities - and know nothing about the amount of vegetables that are included. Nor about the amount of exercise he recommends (see the book).

I am beginning to think that I am one of a human "type" that can't manage too many carbohydrates. If I do over-indulge (which for me is about 150g carb in a day) I get spots, and the most awful wind! :shock: :oops: I'm much better on minimum carbs. With any luck, one day the NHS will come round to accepting that different diets suit different people. Until then, all we can do is keep banging on about it.

I'm not saying that Atkins suits everyone, but I do think that all Type 2s at least should give it a try for a few weeks, just to see.

Viv 8)
 
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Pepsi Max

Well-Known Member
Messages
162
I started this modified Atkins diet & so far can handle it, I'm only a week in so no weight loss to report yet (weigh in is Wednesday) anyway, I wake up & my BG are in range, I have an egg of some sort for breakfast- scrambled, poached or omelette but when I check my BG for my next snack/ meal (usually 3-4 hours later) they are in the teens!!! Why is this, because then I need to take a correction of insulin so what's the point! Please help!


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A

Anonymous

Guest
viviennem said:
That's really good news, goodnews123! Well done!

You'll find that the NHS is slowly becoming more open-minded about one diet type not fitting all! Very many HCPs still seem to think that Atkins consists only of fatty meat, butter, cheese and cream in unlimited quantities - and know nothing about the amount of vegetables that are included. Nor about the amount of exercise he recommends (see the book).

I am beginning to think that I am one of a human "type" that can't manage too many carbohydrates. If I do over-indulge (which for me is about 150g carb in a day) I get spots, and the most awful wind! :shock: :oops: I'm much better on minimum carbs. With any luck, one day the NHS will come round to accepting that different diets suit different people. Until then, all we can do is keep banging on about it.

I'm not saying that Atkins suits everyone, but I do think that all Type 2s at least should give it a try for a few weeks, just to see.

Viv 8)

Sounds like you are contributing to global warming!! ... :think:
 

viviennem

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,140
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Football. Bad manners.
Pepsi Max said:
I started this modified Atkins diet & so far can handle it, I'm only a week in so no weight loss to report yet (weigh in is Wednesday) anyway, I wake up & my BG are in range, I have an egg of some sort for breakfast- scrambled, poached or omelette but when I check my BG for my next snack/ meal (usually 3-4 hours later) they are in the teens!!! Why is this, because then I need to take a correction of insulin so what's the point! Please help!


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

Sorry, Pepsi Max, as a Type 2 not on insulin I can't help you as much as I'd like to. The only thing I can think of is that your liver is dumping glucose because you're going too low after your egg. Have you tried testing at 1 hour and 2 hours after the egg to see what's happening?

2 other suggestions about low carb and Type 1s - try posting on the Type 1 forum asking for low carb advice from them - we have a number of very experienced Type 1 low carbers who may not necessarily follow this thread.

The other is to Google "Dr Richard Bernstein", who is an American long-term Type 1 (I think he's in his seventies now) who turned himself completely round by low-carbing. He has written a very comprehensive book which is worth reading, but I believe much of the info is on his website.

Hope this helps.

Viv 8)
 

snowballnc700

Well-Known Member
Messages
49
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Today, Breakfast : 2 slices of Bergen soya/linseed bread toasted with ham/cheese on top,coffee,
Lunch Macdonalds grilled chicken and bacon salad, medium fries, sour creme /chive sauce, coffee, Evening meal, stir fried chicken breast, leeks, onion ,and 4 hash browns 2 glasses of red wine.
 

shellysexbomb

Well-Known Member
Messages
134
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Been doing slimming world extra easy since before diagnosis (2 weeks since D-day and 8 weeks dieting, lost 15.5lb so far) Am finding spikes left right and centre with the foods 'allowed' with SW food optimising. As pasta, potatoes, rice and noodles are 'free' then I dont think its particularly diabetes friendly, so am going to try this ;) x