Did you forget your glasses again Hana?
This link has already been posted in this thread and phoenix has answered it very well.
This link has already been posted in this thread and phoenix has answered it very well.
Atkins and an already rasied cholestorol rating
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clearviews
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When I was first diagnosed with T2 my total cholesterol was 4.4. I was prescribed statins "because diabetics have to have 4 and under".
I began to use the low GI approach but it did nothing for weight loss or my fasting BGLs which were around 6.0-6.3 with an A1c of 5.6. Referred to an Endo who put me on Metformin and told me "no carbs".
I researched how I could possibly do "no carbs" without expiring and found the Atkins Diabetes book and began this. I stopped taking the statins and realised later that they had been causing me issues.
My weight started dropping but my total cholesterol climbed to 5.77 and the endo, while pleased with everything else, was insistent that I restart statins. He knows more than me so scared me into starting them again. I soon stopped.
By now I had tightened my diet further and used the Bernstein approach. My weight was still dropping and it was suggested that the cholesterol was likely to rise while weight was coming off. I asked questions of my GP about all the lipid results and innocently asked if ratios etc should be considered, not just the total. She agreed they were relevant and gave me a further 6 months to see how I was going as I now was off all medication. Now she was giving me printouts of my lipid results and I could see for myself that it was all moving in the right direction.
After 6 months my total cholesterol had fallen to 5.62 (18 months after diagnosis) but my HDL was climbing up, my LDL was dropping, my Trigs were 0.48, my ratios were spot on and I had lost 19 kgs and had reached a BMI of 24. Now 4.4 to 5.62 is a huge difference but as my GP enthusiastically said, all the components that factor here were fantastic.
I do eat more fat/oils today than I ever did in 30 years of low fat and plenty of complex and low GI carbohydrates. It was hard to get my head around a different way of thinking initially and conciously choosing to add more oils and fats. At my last two visits my GP said that I have no symptoms of diabetes. Today I try to stay on 30 grams of carbs a day and my weight has been steady for 8 months.
I began to use the low GI approach but it did nothing for weight loss or my fasting BGLs which were around 6.0-6.3 with an A1c of 5.6. Referred to an Endo who put me on Metformin and told me "no carbs".
I researched how I could possibly do "no carbs" without expiring and found the Atkins Diabetes book and began this. I stopped taking the statins and realised later that they had been causing me issues.
My weight started dropping but my total cholesterol climbed to 5.77 and the endo, while pleased with everything else, was insistent that I restart statins. He knows more than me so scared me into starting them again. I soon stopped.
By now I had tightened my diet further and used the Bernstein approach. My weight was still dropping and it was suggested that the cholesterol was likely to rise while weight was coming off. I asked questions of my GP about all the lipid results and innocently asked if ratios etc should be considered, not just the total. She agreed they were relevant and gave me a further 6 months to see how I was going as I now was off all medication. Now she was giving me printouts of my lipid results and I could see for myself that it was all moving in the right direction.
After 6 months my total cholesterol had fallen to 5.62 (18 months after diagnosis) but my HDL was climbing up, my LDL was dropping, my Trigs were 0.48, my ratios were spot on and I had lost 19 kgs and had reached a BMI of 24. Now 4.4 to 5.62 is a huge difference but as my GP enthusiastically said, all the components that factor here were fantastic.
I do eat more fat/oils today than I ever did in 30 years of low fat and plenty of complex and low GI carbohydrates. It was hard to get my head around a different way of thinking initially and conciously choosing to add more oils and fats. At my last two visits my GP said that I have no symptoms of diabetes. Today I try to stay on 30 grams of carbs a day and my weight has been steady for 8 months.
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Mmmmm.......................I think you are missing the point here Clearview, that all of what you mention are achievable without having to resort to a ketogenic diet such as Atkins, which as been said many times, is unsafe and frowned upon by the HCP's due to the many risk factors to long-term health.
Should you care to read the forum, you will find many examples of people achieving weight loss, improved hba1c/bg's and cholesterol by not adapting a Atkins approach, some do this by eating a low-carb/reduced carbs and low-fat diet, or by using a low-gi/gl, portion control techniques, exercise and diet, or a combination of two or more of all those I have mentioned, but lets not forget, that there are many also who do not need to change their diet and eat/live well on a conventional diet. What sets these people apart from most ketogenic followers is, that none feel the need to shout about their achievement and results at every opportunity, preferring to sit back and be happy and content with what they have achieved.
It is far better to adapt and change your diet to suit your own personal needs, than to blindly follow a diet that is known to be controversial and restrictive in the foods one can eat, where strangely food supplement are recommended to replace the foods that are excluded. Therefore, I for one would rather eat a well balanced diet that is nutritionally packed with all my dietary needs, and one in which I know will sustain me without any associated long-term risks and complications, so for me it is a low-fat and moderate approach to eating every-time!
Nigel
Should you care to read the forum, you will find many examples of people achieving weight loss, improved hba1c/bg's and cholesterol by not adapting a Atkins approach, some do this by eating a low-carb/reduced carbs and low-fat diet, or by using a low-gi/gl, portion control techniques, exercise and diet, or a combination of two or more of all those I have mentioned, but lets not forget, that there are many also who do not need to change their diet and eat/live well on a conventional diet. What sets these people apart from most ketogenic followers is, that none feel the need to shout about their achievement and results at every opportunity, preferring to sit back and be happy and content with what they have achieved.
It is far better to adapt and change your diet to suit your own personal needs, than to blindly follow a diet that is known to be controversial and restrictive in the foods one can eat, where strangely food supplement are recommended to replace the foods that are excluded. Therefore, I for one would rather eat a well balanced diet that is nutritionally packed with all my dietary needs, and one in which I know will sustain me without any associated long-term risks and complications, so for me it is a low-fat and moderate approach to eating every-time!
Nigel
I echo Nigel's comments. Diabetic management is achievable in many ways and an individual approach is always best. You have to be happy with what you decide to follow, after all it is you who is eating it and it has to suit you and your lifestyle personally. Trial and error is the way forward and if someone decides that the Atkins diet is for them then that is their choice.
I think that many fall by the wayside when using the G.I. approach is because they think that any low carbohydrate G.I. food can be eaten in larger quantities because it is low G.I. and will not affect their overall b.s. readings. Portion control is paramount with this method and I too have results equally as good as yours without using an Atkins type diet. I consider my diet carefully and do not want to add extra saturated fats to it because I am far from convinced that is the right way to go and I also know that my body cannot tolerate them.
I think that many fall by the wayside when using the G.I. approach is because they think that any low carbohydrate G.I. food can be eaten in larger quantities because it is low G.I. and will not affect their overall b.s. readings. Portion control is paramount with this method and I too have results equally as good as yours without using an Atkins type diet. I consider my diet carefully and do not want to add extra saturated fats to it because I am far from convinced that is the right way to go and I also know that my body cannot tolerate them.
Dillinger
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noblehead said:
What pious hypocritical tosh.
What are you doing in the low-carb forum spouting off about how dangerous an Atkins style diet is for god's sake? Shouldn't you be sitting back somewhere else feeling happy and content?
This is a thread for people looking for an alternative view not the same old orthodoxy that has got so many diabetics into so much trouble.
This forum has tried consistently to take a more relaxed view regarding the issue of members posting in the low and non low carb areas. We hoped that members would appreciate that freedom.
It is felt that this Topic is now more suited to a more general area where members can post without fear of being told they should not be posting in the thread. That decision in any case is a forum decision not subject to discussion.
In the circumstances the decision has been made to move this thread to the 'Diabetes and Discussions' area where a more open discussion can take place. I would remind all members to be civil in their postings. Any comments or posts not felt suitable will be edited and/or deleted.
Mod 3.
It is felt that this Topic is now more suited to a more general area where members can post without fear of being told they should not be posting in the thread. That decision in any case is a forum decision not subject to discussion.
In the circumstances the decision has been made to move this thread to the 'Diabetes and Discussions' area where a more open discussion can take place. I would remind all members to be civil in their postings. Any comments or posts not felt suitable will be edited and/or deleted.
Mod 3.
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Dillinger said:
Should my memory serve me right, you can low carb without following a ketogenic diet......!
Fergus's newbies guide to low-carbing states that a low-carb diet is 0-50g, and a typical low-carb diet is 50-90g per day, and a liberal low-carb is 90-130g, therefore as I often eat 80-90g of carbs per day, I am well within my rights to post in the low-carb forum.
I am more than happy with my diet thank you very much, and certainly contented! I come on the forum to offer advice on a whole range of diabetes related subjects, based on my many years of type 1 diabetes, unlike like some who only ever seem to post on subjects such as Atkins! :roll:
I don't, and never have resorted to personal insults, I believe when someone resorts to these tactics they have lost the argument, so you enjoy the rest of your day.............
Nigel
