Lower carb. question

[fergus]

Redirected from the Success Stories thread:

Hi PRINNY,

I'm sorry I missed your post on the Success Stories thread - took my eye off the ball there I'm afraid!

I think your looking in exactly the right place for a chief suspect for your weight gain problem. As you have probably already read on the forum, insulin is the principal fat building hormone in the human body. At raised levels it also prevents the body from accessing fat reserves as a source of fuel.
When insulin levels are reduced, the body can't create as much fat and can also begin to burn stored fat reserves for fuel instead.

Interestingly, I've recently been reading on the subject of cancer and was intrigued to learn that, while the body's cells can use glucose or fatty acids for fuel, cancer cells can only use glucose. There is speculation that diets high in refined carbs are therefore more likely to create a bodily environment suitable for cancers to grow.

If you're using 68(?) units per day, that's quite a bit and will be used partly to address your insulin resistance and also to metabolise the carbs in your diet. If you reduce your dose it will make you less insulin resistant in time and help to lose a few excess pounds in the process.

What does a typical day's diet look like for you? I'd be glad to give you some advice if I can.

Best wishes,

Fergus

 

[fergus]

Diverted and re-posted from the Success Stories thread:

Re: Success stories
by PRINNY on Sat Feb 28, 2009 5:10 pm

hi fergus i managed to read your message this afternoon with help from my son who told me what to do, it sounds like i may be fighting a losing battle i so want to get the weight off, my daughter gets married in september and i dont want to look like the fat mum in the photos! my typical diet goes like this-breakfast porridge or a small amount of sugar free musesli which i make myself, mid morning a piece of fruit like an apple or bannana but i am cutting down on those as i think they are high in carbs, lunch a mixed salad with some kind of meat ham or chicken i also have fish like mackrel if i am not having meat, a yoghurt and another piece of friut like a plum or orange, afternoon i have about half a dozen brazil nuts, for tea i have either meat and veg, or a casarole or fish with veg or salad a yoghurt for pudd, for supper i have a small bowl of cereal as my diabetes nurse said i should have some to help me through the night, i didnt have any a few weeks ago and had a terrible hypo in the night my bs levels went down to 2mml, i hope this helps obviously my diet does vary from time to time but i am trying to keep to a healthy regime, i am out tonight my son is celebrating his 30th birthday so i am feeling quite ancient at the moment, just going for a drink though not eating! thanks a lot, all the best from prinny.

 

[fergus]

Hi PRINNY,

Your diet looks very good in many ways. If you're looking to reduce your insulin needs, and yes I think that is crucial for healthy permanent weight loss, there are a few items that stand out.

Foods such as porridge, muesli and fruit are still relatively high in carbohydrates, which require very much more insulin than proteins and fats. For example if you were to have eggs for breakfast instead of porridge you might notice a significant drop in your insulin needs.

Fruit also is high in fructose and occasionally glucose. Glucose needs insulin of course and fructose is processed by the liver which makes triglycerides as a by-product. The beneficial aspects of fruit (vitamin c etc.) can equally be found in vegetables but without the same demand for insulin.

Cereal for supper isn't a great idea to be honest. Again, lots of carbohydrate which is feeding the insulin and promoting fat storage. The other way to look at it might be to use less insulin so that you don't ned the cereal?

So you aren't fighting a losing battle at all! There's much you can do to reduce your insulin needs and hopefully the weight loss will follow.

All the best,

fergus

 

[PRINNY]

hi fergus thanks for your reply, i will try having scambled eggs for breakfast ,any suggestions for mid morning snack are nuts ok? i will get bernsteins book it sounds like that will help me on my way, is it safe for me to reduce my insulin, i know my nurse said as i reduce weight i would need less insulin so is it a matter of testing to see how my bs levels are and if they stay at a low level keep taking my insulin down, or should i start by taking a couple of units off and see how it goes? sorry to be a pain but all this is new to me it was so much simpler when i was just on metformin but we cant help what happens to us, if we could predict our future health would it be a good thing or would most of us not want to know? i wonder, that poses a question that would make good debate! all the best,prinny

 

[fergus]

I think baby steps are the way forward when you have insulin injections to deal with. Where you know you are eating less carbohydrate - scrambled eggs instead of muesli for example - you can reduce your insulin to suit. Then test afterwards to see how your blood sugars respond. Gradually you can make these small changes to your diet and reduce your insulin doses accordingly.
When I first started out, it took me a few months of small changes to get from 80 units per day to 20 and it isn't something you want to try and change overnight.
Nuts are a great choice as a snack by the way, just be careful with peanuts and cashews as they are a bit higher in carbs than the others (macadamias are a favourite!)

All the best,

fergus

 

[PRINNY]

thanks fergus i have ordered bernstiens book so look foward to receiving it and making a start on the diet ,i am beggining to make small changes but want to read the book so that i know what i am doing, will keep you posted ,all the best, prinny

 

[hanadr]

Good Luck Prinny
It's Bernstein and David Mendosa who got me low carbing and broke my weight gain spiral. And I'm not on insulin. I've lost 2 1/2 stones and got stuck there. My daughter's wedding was a spur to me too.
How tall are you and what dress size?
I have a pretty sage green Chinese silk brocade "mother of the Bride" frock here. Worn only once :lol:

 

[PRINNY]

hi handr, thanks for the good wishes and for making me chuckle, just for the record i am 5foot 4inches tall and wear a size 16 to 18 depending on fit etc, some high store shops seem to only make clothes for mice, have already been looking around for wedding outfits, my daughter is having purple so i am looking along the dusky pink colourway! but thanks for the offer. will keep you posted on how the low carbing is going, all the best, prinny

 

[hanadr]

I'm a shade under 5 feet 8 so my long column dress probably wouldn't fit you. I had real problems with colour too. I love to wear pink, being a pale skinned blonde, but daughter decided on 6 pink satin bridesmaids. 3 different shades. It looked lovely,but I went with the soft sage green. Strong colours drown me. I bought the silk from a Canadian website, but it came by post from China and it's lovely heavy stuff.

 

[PRINNY]

hi hanadr, the dress sound lovely but i will keep on looking, the low carb diet is definately working my bsl levels are dropping and i am slowly adjusting my insulin so i am on my way, i know it will be a while before i see a difference in my weight as my insulin dose is quite high but i am determined to get there, need some ideas for breakfast though, any suggestions? i dont think i can eat eggs every day, best wishes, prinny

 

[PRINNY]

hi fergus just thought i would up date ypu on whats happening with me, the low carb diet is bringing my bs levels down and i have already reduced my insulin down to 30 units twice a day, i went to see my gp this morning as i am unwell it turns out i have a chest infection, she was looking through my records and said that the insulin was only meant to be a temporary measure while i was having treatment for the cancer, i told her what i was doing and she was very supportive she is going to talk to the doctor who deals with all the diabetic patients and also the diatician to help me reduce the insulin and hopefully come off it altogether so i was really pleased about it, we shall see what happens, watch this space, meanwhile i will carry on with the diet, can i ask you any suggestions for breakfast, eggs dont always agree with me and can upset my tummy if i have too many but i am not sure what else i can have apart from the usual cereal, all the best, prinny

 

[hanadr]

I bake a loaf of Fergus's bread and sometimes have a piece of toast. Otherwise I have German breakfast. Ie sliced cold meats. Ssometimes I just stuff a bit of cheese in my mouth and today i had nothing. I was wanting to vacuum the living room before my son-in-law brought my granddaughter round for the day and had trouble with replacing the bag. so there wasn't time for break fast. Had fish fingers ( with the crumbs removed) and peas with baby granddaughter for lunch

 

[Aadrgon]

Had fish fingers ( with the crumbs removed) and peas with baby granddaughter for lunch

Is your name Hanadr or Hannibal :lol:

 

[Trinkwasser]

More breakfast ideas

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/ ... fasts.html

 

[PRINNY]

hi hanadr thanks for the tip must try fergus bread recipe, the trouble with me is i am very fussy about what i eat in the morning and cant face some things, i just like plain and simple, mind you its the only time of day that i am fussy, the rest of the time i will eat most things including things i shouldnt like all of us from time to time, its my birthday on saturday and we are going out for a meal, i am careful when i eat out but i intend to enjoy myself, as long as you get back on the diet the next day it cant do any harm, hope not anyway! all the best, prinny, ps hope you had a lovely time with your grandaughter

 

[PRINNY]

hi trinkwasser thanks for the breakfast ideas, its a help all the best, prinny