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Managing the Bernstein eating plan

LucySW said:
Yes but remember we have to be able to sustain it, Runner. I get very keen too. But it's a long l-o-n-g race.
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Thx you @LucySW you are so correct. Yes I get keen on things too.

I'm going back to basics, calorie / carb counting for every meal - also I upped my animal fats and weight gain.

I think I do best with more vegan diet and plant base fats - though I love heavy cream in my coffee and tea.
 
@Paul1976 did a glucose tolerance test with a group of Type 2s on another forum a couple of years back and it was really shocking to see how high his BG went compared to the Type 2s. Paul is a very well controlled low-carb LADA on basal only.

Smidge[/QUOTE]

@smidge I do a homemade glucose tolerance test about every 3-months.
It is always an eye opener ( and depressing too ). Just mix 75g of glucose tabs in water at 5am and test every 15-minutes until 8am. The 15 minutes helps smooth out the errors.

Oh be sure to wash hands before each test help immensely with aurate readings. Make a graph and take it to the next visit to the diabetic clinic they are always impressed.
 
@Ian DP, what's your recipe for the nut porridge? I can't find it. Improvised some yesterday but wasn't right.
 
My pre breakfast (as I call it) consists of a mixture of flaked almonds, crushed walnuts, linseed, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sprinkle of cinnamon all mixed up with 75ml double cream. The seed mix quantity is around a handful.

I would rather swap the double cream for Greek yoghurt, but the carbs are less in cream, and the fat / calories more.... Because I want to maintain / put on weight.

This pre breakfast I take immediately I get up in the morning, it seems to stabilise my bg levels and allows me to have bacon and egg breakfast say an hour later.

I used to add a few berries into it, but Dr b says no... And I am following his guidelines.
 
Thanks! I love nuts so much now. And you don't heat that.
 
The other really good breakfast I've started after a week in hotels in Cairo is a one-egg Spanish omelette (two eggs is too big) with ALL sorts of stuff in it: crumbled feta, a cut-up cherry tomato, grated cheddar, bit of minced onion, cooked very slowly in olive oil and eaten with extra white cheese (the soft Middle Eastern type white cheese, not interesting on its own but great with things like this, or with chilli and extra olive oil). Totally delicious and satisfying. I know tom and onion are carb but it's a low amount, 4g carb for the whole thing.

Lucy

PS The seeds part sounds SO nutritious. You're probably bouncing with über-energy Ian!
 
My main breakfast for the last 8 weeks is a bacon omelet (2xegg, 2x chopped bacon, 75ml double cream, 4x slices chopped courgette, 1xsmall tomato, with a sprinkle of turmeric).

Followed by a butter and coconut bullet proof coffee.

Before the bulletproof coffee I had a couple of low carb sausages (with bacon & eggs).... The coffee has less protein and more calories than the sausages.... Ideal if you are looking to put weight on, like me.
 
My main breakfast for the last 8 weeks is a bacon omelet (2xegg, 2x chopped bacon, 75ml double cream, 4x slices chopped courgette, 1xsmall tomato, with a sprinkle of turmeric).

Followed by a butter and coconut bullet proof coffee.

Before the bulletproof coffee I had a couple of low carb sausages (with bacon & eggs).... The coffee has less protein and more calories than the sausages.... Ideal if you are looking to put weight on, like me.
 
I know, it's more than the basic book and £20 is quite steep. I didn't get it when I saw it couple months ago for that reason. Then I forgot about it, and today I just got it. Bleaghh experience with patronising absent doctors - and frustration at same - very motivating.

Christmas present? Early Christmas present? For someone magnificent?
 

Not for me at £20..... But would love to hear more
 
runner2009 said:
I've heard it really doesn't break much new ground
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A lot of it is repetitive, but I want detail about Metformin plus insulin. I'll report back.

It's a transcript, so you're very much hearing his voice. Which is nice.
 
Ian,

Can I ask what your carb and protein amounts in the day look like? I'm going to try consistent amounts this week as he says, in the hope that will make a difference to my too-high sugars thing. My daily totals have been right, bit when I eat them has been all over the place.

I'm shooting for 80g a day protein divided roughly 20 - 30 - 30; then the 6 - 12 - 12 of carb. How does your protein look?
 
On a typical day:-

.....................carb cal prtn fat
Pre breakfast 2g 418 3 43g
Breakfast. 4. 702 32 62
Lunch. 20 1181 48 91
Dinner. 11 746 10. 73

Breakfast an dinner are very consistent. Lunch varies (above is for lamb chops salad, but it maybe steak, gammon, chicken or salmon). Sometime I swap dinner for lunch, if we eat out in the evening.

All the things below seem to reduce my BG levels a little. If I can do all, my readings will be a hole point lower. Two weeks ago we were ravelling for a week in different hotels, within 3 days my BG were a point higher and took 3 days once home to get them down again.

* Exercise. Twice per day, Enough to make you sweat, but too much and I have seen my BG rise. 1hr fast walk is great, 30 mins on the exercise bike (in front of TV) is great, especially late at night before bed.... Seems to trick the body into low BG when asleep.
* Fatty meat. My BG readings are always a little lower when I eat lamb chops, and higher if I eat chicken breast. More fat, less protein. But protein effect on BG reading is often delayed by a day or so. The more fat less protein the better!!
* test early. My pre breakfast reading is always lower the earlier I get up and the quicker I test when I get up. If I get up late, but have been awake for some time in bed my BG reading is always higher.
* between meal eat and drink. I never now eat between meals, and also try to only drink water between meals, thus eliminating all carbs between meals.
* alcohol always lowers my BG readings. I always have a pint of Guinness whenever I can over a meal, 3 glasses of red wine in the evening also always lowers my BG readings, but I tend not to drink much alcohol, so now use it as an emergency measure when away, when I can't get much exercise in.
* if not able to exercise at all during the day, I try to cut back on protein... One bacon instead of two for breakfast, fish instead of meat, or reduced meat portion.

Hope this helps
Ps lunch carb is high because of the pint of beer. But my meter says ok (to 1 pint, it says no to 1 1/2 pints!), so I drink it!!.... Dr Bernstein says the same.
 

Thx for sharing this Ian. My BG drops with me drinking a Stout for me its like my new dessert.

I totaled up your calories and comes to over 3,000. My belief is that part of the reason Dr. Bernstein is so affective is that he eats in the under 1,500 range.

IME if I really cut back on the total calories a day I can increase my % of low density carbs and actually eat grains without the negatively impacting my BG.

I believe part of the secret to Bernstein is his personal low calorie diet.
 
There are all sorts of benefits recorded for lifetime low cal diets, so I generally agree with your comment.

But he is also a not-very-tall slightly built man. I think we have to allow for different physiques and energy requirements (says the VERY tubby type 2, not on insulin, and not really Bernsteining, so I ain't preaching, honest!)
 
Lol Brunneria your post made me chuckle.

Yes I agree with what you say. If you look at Dr.Bernstein's pic he always has a short cap sleeve shirt and his arms look very toned not skinny for man in his 80s and he seems to have absolutely no fat on him.

I'm on insulin and I've used it to help build muscles but the minute I stop muscle building exercise I start adding fat.

Since I hurt my back I've not been exercising and have been reducing my calories and for me I am coming to the conclusion that the generally accepted base calorie requirements are for most of us way to high.

I can see 3 strong correlations; low carbs = better BG control, low calorie 1500 or less = better BG control plus ability to eat higher % carbs and finally more muscle mass = really good BG control and ability to eat more at same time provided you continually stimulate muscles.

I understand the strength exercises are problematic look at my back. And 1500 calories a day for me is difficult always
 
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