Dec 2014 update: New research on the Low Carb Diet in general practice

[paul-1976]

And again a thread destroyed.

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Agreed! but for maybe different reasons to what you're thinking.

 

[Thommothebear]

Yes I'm sure it would, I also exercise far, far more than the average person, but as the average person does not like to cycle 30 miles after breakfast or dig for 6 hours I suggest we keep the experiment in the realms of reality.


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[Mongoose39uk]

I am sure the fanbois will be feeding Eddie well done I look forward to it. It

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[Totto]

I would like to have the term "portion control" explained to me. Please, what is it? And what are the consequences?

I understand it as in eating less than would actually want to. Is that right?

And why would you want to eat less than you want to?

If I have interpreted the term rightly, what do people on portion control do about hunger?

 

[mo1905]

so we are not allowed to disagree with someones advice? regardless of whats said? everything is valid? isnt this a discussion? i would also disagree with someone saying dont give up smoking it will make you miserable, should i not say anything because smoking is working for them?

having an opinion and disagreeing is fine but you said " this is about not telling a newbie to go and buy a yum yum, then saying just eat a bit! give me break". I don't think he ever said that. I understand how passionate you are with low carbs and I agree but sometimes you just need to accept some don't agree.

 

[borofergie]

Being on LCHF doesn't mean I can stuff myself until I feel sick with anything that isn't carbs.

Yes, but sometimes I can and do, with no consequence to my BG control. Pretty awesome eh?

We're all different, and a solution may work better for some than for others.

Hmmm, yes, but on a very fundamental level we are also all pretty much the same.

LCHF is easy in comparison to HCLF, and as pleasurable.

True 'dat. Starving yourself sucks.

Personally, I don't need chips to give meaning to my life. I feel a little sorry for those who do.

Amen!

Once you're off of it for long enough, you realise that most of the worst carbohydrates are pretty much flavorless gunk (pasta, rice, spuds etc). I don't miss any of them (with the possible exception of sweet potatoes).

 

[ItalianKitten]

But you're on insulin!! Most type 2's are lucky if they even get a meter! How do they know what damage these 'Yum yums' are doing? An annual Hba1c test?? Wow! Everything in moderation? cool but that shouldn't mean lifespan for those who don't have access to what you do IMO

Quite right. I was told I wasn't going to get a meter, so I bought my own, and I pay out of my pockets for the strips.
Hadn't I done that, I would have continued on my 'moderate carbs' lifetime habit.
Not realising, of course that moderate portions of carbs would push my BG to stupid levels, and keep it there for a while.
We're not even talking about yum yums here, but "holy" wholegrains, the NHS's golden standard of diabetic nutrition.
Eh, no, thanks. Somehow I'd like to live past my 60s, if you don't mind.
Now my readings follow this average pattern: pre prandial 5.1, post prandial (1hour) 6.0, post prandial (2hours) 5.3.
But of course I wouldn't know this unless I had done some nutritional research and bought my own meter.
Still, worth it as it has kept me off medications, at least for now.

 

[borofergie]

You still have to have portion comptroller whether it's high carb, high fat-whatever....

This is a non-sequitur. On LCHF the only thing that controls my portions in my appetite. This is exactly the way it should be. My calorie intake is controlled ONLY by my calorific need. It requires zero conscious effort from me. I eat what I want, when I want, when I'm hungry.

I personally think high of anything kills....low of anything kills. Moderate of everything is ok. Enjoying eating everything in proportion, having treats and enjoying a life of eating is so much better than yo yo dieting.

So a moderate amount of cyanide is ok. Too much air will kill you?

I don't think LCHF is a "yo-yo diet". I think it's a lifestyle. Actually, fundamentally, I think that it's the lifestyle that 2.5 million years of evolution tuned our metabolism to thrive on.

Life is not about yo yo diets, it's about enjoying your food, having treats and enjoying exercise...walking in the country, walking dogs, teaching children about active living and getting vitamin d from sunshine without sunscreen.

For me it's about steak, bacon and running marathons, and living to a ripe old age so that I can enjoy the life I lead with the people that I love. For me LCHF gives me the best shot at all of that. I'd always choose a nice juicy steak over a plate of tasteless pasta.

 

[Totto]

Quite right. I was told I wasn't going to get a meter, so I bought my own, and I pay out of my pockets for the strips.
Hadn't I done that, I would have continued on my 'moderate carbs' lifetime habit.
Not realising, of course that moderate portions of carbs would push my BG to stupid levels, and keep it there for a while.
We're not even talking about yum yums here, but "holy" wholegrains, the NHS's golden standard of diabetic nutrition.
Eh, no, thanks. Somehow I'd like to live past my 60s, if you don't mind.
Now my readings follow this average pattern: pre prandial 5.1, post prandial (1hour) 6.0, post prandial (2hours) 5.3.
But of course I wouldn't know this unless I had done some nutritional research and bought my own meter.
Still, worth it as it has kept me off medications, at least for now.

I felt I couldn't afford strips so threatened my DSN with never eating a carb ever again if I didnt get a meter and strips, So I got one, immensely helpful. So now I know what to eat to keep my bg in normal levels as in below 6 or so. The answer is LCHF as you know and works fine.

 

[mo1905]

Steak, bacon & marathons suits you and I may be a little jealous but it certainly is not suitable for all. My wife would be extremely happy with cod, peanuts and Zumba ! Each to their own as usual

 

[ItalianKitten]

Yes, but sometimes I can and do, with no consequence to my BG control. Pretty awesome eh?
Hmmm, yes, but on a very fundamental level we are also all pretty much the same.
True 'dat. Starving yourself sucks.Amen!
Once you're off of it for long enough, you realise that most of the worst carbohydrates are pretty much flavorless gunk (pasta, rice, spuds etc). I don't miss any of them (with the possible exception of sweet potatoes).

Sometimes I find myself idly thinking about pasta, but it's just my Italian genes wondering what's going on.
Nonetheless, after about a week without starches, I stopped wanting them.
Somehow I feel that there was an element of addiction somewhere in there, at least for me.

Psychologically, I don't focus on what I have lost (starches, cravings, headaches, bloating, lethargy, etc.).
Rather, I focus on what I have found: peace of mind, extra energy, a sense of wellbeing, and some control over my BG.

In the interest of transparency, my GP is not supportive of LCHF at all, but my latest blood works were excellent.
That gave her a bit of confidence that I wasn't just about to keel over and die in her office from lack of wholewheat.

 

[ItalianKitten]

I felt I couldn't afford strips so threatened my DSN with never eating a carb ever again if I didnt get a meter and strips, So I got one, immensely helpful. So now I know what to eat to keep my bg in normal levels as in below 6 or so. The answer is LCHF as you know and works fine.

If I tried that with my GP she'd just glare at me. She's a tough little cookie.
Thankfully I found a strips distributor in Singapore for a third of the price.
I recently got my first shipment, perfect. That should last me for a while.

But well done you, Totto. You're a tough little cookie too

 

[Totto]

If I tried that with my GP she'd just glare at me. She's a tough little cookie.
Thankfully I found a strips distributor in Singapore for a third of the price.
I recently got my first shipment, perfect. That should last me for a while.

But well done you, Totto. You're a tough little cookie too

Yep, tough as hide. Comes with age you know.

 

[Yorksman]

hmmmm you mean thats not a normal todger? *cough* wow look at that todger! pfffft glad mine isnt like that!

Maybe he'd just had a cold shower.

 

[Scandichic]

Just some thoughts and reflections, not to be construed as argumentative, about points raised above.

PORTION CONTROL
Being on LCHF doesn't mean I can stuff myself until I feel sick with anything that isn't carbs.
However, I must say that it's so very easy to feel satiated when eating fats.
Portion control is rarely an issue, as I just can't overeat, and I've even lost weight without trying.
A very different story with HCLF, however. Perhaps I'm sensitive to starches, I can't say.
But the cycle of carbs cravings used to haunt me and portion control was a never-ending uphill battle.
I seem to have left all that behind me, and not a moment too soon.

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION
We're all different, and a solution may work better for some than for others.
However, when I hear people saying that the universal key to health is 'everything in moderation', I am sceptical.
After all, would you have trans fats in moderation? Why not? Surely, in moderation they can't be harmful. Wrong.
Sometimes things just aren't good for us, not even in moderation.
It was Oscar Wilde who said "Everything in moderation, including moderation."
I've tried 'moderate carbs' for three decades, it didn't work for me.
The moment I eat 'moderate carbs' I inexorably enter a cycle of cravings.
I will still eat a pizza, or a plate of pasta, or a baked sweet potato at some point, but as rare treats.

ENJOYING LIFE
LCHF is easy in comparison to HCLF, and as pleasurable.
I fill up on beautiful, non-starchy vegetables, which give me a few carbs without triggering cravings.
For the first time, I feel I can enjoy life without constantly fighting intrusive thoughts about food.
Low carbs works for me, and I regret should people think that I'm just another sad and deprived yo-yo dieter.
As long as I can travel, see the world, admire art, listen to concerts, read books, and spend time with friends, I'm ok.
Food is nourishment and enjoyment, but not a raison d'être.
Personally, I don't need chips to give meaning to my life. I feel a little sorry for those who do.

Thank God! You've said everything that I wanted to say! Well said that woman!

 

[Avocado Sevenfold]

I would like to have the term "portion control" explained to me. Please, what is it? And what are the consequences?

I understand it as in eating less than would actually want to. Is that right?

And why would you want to eat less than you want to?

If I have interpreted the term rightly, what do people on portion control do about hunger?

I had been following lchf for a month before I saw the dietician. On hearing what food I ate, she suggested I use a smaller dinner plate for portion control. "You want me to eat less salad, less green vegetables? Why would you want me to do that?"

She then made a fist to demonstrate portion control. I was tempted to make a fist myself.

 

[Totto]

I had been following lchf for a month before I saw the dietician. On hearing what food I ate, she suggested I use a smaller dinner plate for portion control. "You want me to eat less salad, less green vegetables? Why would you want me to do that?"

She then made a fist to demonstrate portion control. I was tempted to make a fist myself.

I still don't get the thing with portion control. How is it done? Is it about eating less than you want and starve for the rest of the day?

 

[ItalianKitten]

Thank God! You've said everything that I wanted to say! Well said that woman!

Aw, thank you.
You made me blush pink. Will that raise my BG?

 

[Scandichic]

Quite right. I was told I wasn't going to get a meter, so I bought my own, and I pay out of my pockets for the strips.
Hadn't I done that, I would have continued on my 'moderate carbs' lifetime habit.
Not realising, of course that moderate portions of carbs would push my BG to stupid levels, and keep it there for a while.
We're not even talking about yum yums here, but "holy" wholegrains, the NHS's golden standard of diabetic nutrition.
Eh, no, thanks. Somehow I'd like to live past my 60s, if you don't mind.
Now my readings follow this average pattern: pre prandial 5.1, post prandial (1hour) 6.0, post prandial (2hours) 5.3.
But of course I wouldn't know this unless I had done some nutritional research and bought my own meter.
Still, worth it as it has kept me off medications, at least for now.

I agree whole heartedly! Have just tried to encourage the consultant at the hospital to explain why it's good for me to eat moderate carbs and raise my bs when I'm taking metformin to help reduce them and I could get my energy from fat. He ummed an arghed a bit, said it was the wrong energy source and then changed the subject. I told him that I will not be adding rice, potatoes, pasta and bread to my diet as I believe they are harmful and serve no purpose. I thought I might as well be honest. He sent me to the dn to have a chat who looked at my diet and was surprised that it was so healthy. She asked me if I could sustain it. I said that loss of lim bs was usually enough of an incentive! I had a sliver of cake today - baked one for the kids lunches next week and came to the conclusion that I wasn't missing much and would rather have nuts or cheese - bonus!

 

[Charles Robin]

I felt I couldn't afford strips so threatened my DSN with never eating a carb ever again if I didnt get a meter and strips, So I got one, immensely helpful. So now I know what to eat to keep my bg in normal levels as in below 6 or so. The answer is LCHF as you know and works fine.

I feel sick thinking about how the NHS deprives type 2s of test strips. As a T1 I could not be without them, and I believe it's the same for most T2s. How can someone know they are doing the right thing if they can't measure the result? I think this needs to be addressed in the House of Commons.