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Mastering Diabetes by Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro


I have plenty of room for alternative views. I don't exactly follow all of the rules - beetroot, carrots, butternut squash and unripe cherries and plums are hardly keto / carnivore. But the discussion goes both ways, the Vegan movement is being shilled by the big producers who have nothing in common with real fruit and veg.
 
Folks.
A polite reminder.
This is is not a discussion on the diet's politics, religion, "agendas" or ethics.
Please stick with, has this MD diet worked if you're living as a diabetic.

Last chance..
 
I second that emotion. From what i gather this plan is aimed at reducing insulin resistance, but does not remove the need for ongoing insulin treatment. Cyrus is still a Type 1 diabetic. In his own words he has admitted that the changes are not guaranteed nor are they permanent.

My concern is the exhortation to eat lots of fruit in the diet. Apart from the sugar content in ripe fruit being a known problem for T2D, the higher intake of fructose will generate excess lipids, that will be atored in adipose tissue unless burnt off by heavy duty aerobic exercise. So the plan necessitates a heavy workout schedule to accompany it else it will be counter productive (like Eatwell).

It is clear that this plan may suit insulin users who are active in the exercise department, it is not useful at all to most T2D and should carry a public health warning to that effect, It is also potentially lacking in essential nutrients that can lead to problems if used on a long term basis. The supplementation suggested is a joke IMO
 
Folks.
A polite reminder.
This is is not a discussion on the diet's politics, religion, "agendas" or ethics.
Please stick with, has this MD diet worked if you're living as a diabetic.

Last chance..
Without wishing to derail the (my) thread, cause arguments or contradict a mod can I just point out my original post was asking for more than just personal experiences.

What experience does anyone have, what are the “good or bad” points? Where is the argument strong and well evidenced? Where does it fall down?

which breaks down as at least :
1.What experience does anyone have, what are the “good or bad” points?
2. Where is the argument strong and well evidenced? Where does it fall down?”
 

There are many many topics discussing certain perceived "agendas" behind certain diets.
Disapointingly.
This thread seems to have become another one forsaking the actual merits or not of anyone who may have had a go at this featured diet?

My PM box is open should you wish to discuss further..
 
Am I allowed to reply to MBaker's reply (I'm assuming it not having been deleted means it's within the spirit of the thread)?

I can keep it within the context of MD, even though it explains a slightly wider perspective
 
Am I allowed to reply to MBaker's reply (I'm assuming it not having been deleted means it's within the spirit of the thread)?

I can keep it within the context of MD, even though it explains a slightly wider perspective

Hi,

You are most welcome to use the PM fuction.

Best wishes.
 
Vegan propaganda pure and simple.. and fairly ineffective for T2 unless you fancy no remission and worsening HbA1c over time.
View attachment 49523
Your chart show conventional diet and a vegan diet. How can this be used as a comparrison when it excludes, for example, specific data on a low calorie diet, and a low carb/high fat (ketogenic) diet...surely your chart and the data therein is bias towards a vegan diet!
 
I'm sorry to have to tell you this but this thread has had a memorial as it died about 1 week and 6 days ago.
 
Well spotted. The author of that chart is a well known advocate for the vegan movement, The inference you draw here is what he intended by doing the research to provide evidence in support. unfortunstely, as has been noted, the graphs both start to rise back up to their starting values even during the trial, and the vegan one only just skims the non diabetic range for a brief instant.
The other weakness is that what he used to emulate the conventional diet is not clear. We believe it to be SAD, but it could be unresricted TAD instead (Typical American Diet)
 
Remember we are restricted to only posting of our personal experiences with this particular diet regime that is why this thread is dead.
 
@HSSS... I have been trying to read through this post, but there is so much going on...


Thanks for sharing some first-hand experience.

Whole-food, low-fat, high-carb diets can make it challenging to hit maintenance or training targets. Of course, that's one of the ways in which it can really work for people to lose weight i.e High-bulk, high-fibre and low-caloric-density (Similar to the ideas of 'Volumetrics', coined by Barbara Rolls).

One of the main issues I have with the MD program (also other similar HCLFPB diets), other than it being expressly sold as 100% vegan, is the preference (Even insistence) on the avoidance of oils and all processed foods. i also think they short-change on their recommendations for protein (certainly, 40 grams, is unnecessarily low). It would only take a scoop of protein--powder, added to a smoothie (Something they prefer to avoid, on the whole), to give quite a significant boost to P intake, without adding more bulk to overall consumption. The same goes for oils. Though they are indeed pretty nutritionally-void, they offer an easy way to bump up the calories if people are finding their deficit too great.

I'm currently on the first month of a four-month (five, perhaps) plan, to lose weight and improve my health-markers. I'm currently blogging it on this site (Forgive the first month; It's being done this way for a very specific reason. And I'm way behind on uploading tracking results ). December will be given over to 'EatWell'. For January, I'll be doing some kind of mash-up of various HCLFPB diets. So if you're looking for an opportunity to re-try a higher-carb plan, coinciding with the New-Year, perhaps we could share ideas, recipes and support.
 


Thank you for your post. However as an initially misdiagnosed type 1 and not type 2 at all I’m not sure how much I can take as relevant to a type 2. Weight loss might well have been a result of your misdiagnosis could it not?

What makes you and the dr think you also have insulin resistance?
 

Type 1.5 is a variant of type 1, but distinguished by being slow onset from all I’ve read. It’s still an absolute lack of insulin as opposed to the relative lack (ie insufficient to meet the excessive needs) or the inability to utilise insulin as occurs in type 2. It’s very easy to confuse insulin resistance with type 1.5 (aka LADA). As you say though HOMA-IR (and cpeptide) testing is much more reliable at differentiating the two.

anyone avoiding processed foods, seed oils and making a determined effort to eat whole nutritious foods (plant or animal based) are likely to do better than when the same person eats total junk.

I agree weight gain is harder to explain and doesn’t fit the misdiagnosis as type 1 variants tend to lose weight rather than gain. it may have simply been too much food for your needs perhaps it was the extra carbs raising blood glucose and being stored as body fat. Who knows, I certainly don’t and you don’t seem to have been given and definitive answer either. An interesting conundrum for me, I would expect more concerning for you as the person living it. Perhaps you are indeed a rare double diabetic.

One month of keto isn’t really enough to undo undo type 2 and many of those that do feel awful are missing out on fats, electrolytes or hydration which would alleviate the problem.

Ive no problem with your post remaining, documenting your experiences, nor did I feel the need to ignore it. I’m not sure of your points about predictably or ploughing. I suspect they are not friendly or kind though so those I will ignore.
 

Processed can be used to describe a large range of things. Mashing some boiled potatoes is a process. Blending some berries with a banana is processed. These should be seen as different from a beyond burger,
As far as oils go, i guess it's down to personal preference. Might be worth avoiding oil heated at high-temperatures if you're wary. But adding a bit of sesame-oil to tofu in the last few seconds or adding some olive-oil to a salad, are an easy way to add calories for those struggling with calories or who just like the taste.

Of course, there's no obligation. Within general recommendations, they give 30g total-fat as an upper-limit. Within that, it's easy to bump up the calories with avocado, nuts and seeds.

When I do the month of the low-fat thing, I will also be avoiding oils. But then i have no problems hitting my caloric requirements
 
Well you’re the first LADA/1.5 I’ve spoke to or read about that also has a confirmation of insulin resistance. The rest were assumed to have it hence the type 2 assumption in the first place. Rarely are apparent type 2 tested for insulin cpeptide or antibodies until things go wrong or inexplicably fail to improve. Even more rarely for HOMA-IR. I suspect even more are never correctly diagnosed and simply become a “type 2 on insulin”. As I said - slow onset, normal become “insufficient” which to me is the same as “lacking” in meaning. For some, eventually, a total lack/insufficiency. It does seem many initially misdiagnosed suffer from a lack of knowledge in medical staff about this present of diabetes.
To be fair I started this thread more than 6 months ago and didn’t remember a specific word I used back then as there’s been a few in between and I am sadly not a mind reader (I’d be rich if I were) but I am pleased the comments were not as I initially read them to be. Thank you for clarifying.
 
Well you’re the first LADA/1.5 I’ve spoke to or read about that also has a confirmation of insulin resistance.
The most recent letter from my endo to my GP in my records says " ... wants to try metformin, possible insulin resistance". It hasn't been specifically tested but judging from the amount of insulin I need (114 units of basal, anywhere between 18 and 70 units of bolus over the day which is more than a typical T1/LADA needs) on a fairly low carb diet, IR makes sense, especially as I'm overweight too.

I've been needing less insulin over the past week, since starting the metformin, which may be coincidence but more likely is a sign of the metformin doing something for my IR.
 
A primary action of Metformin is to discourage the liver from secreting excessive glucose so you could expect a slightly lower basal requirement. Not sure it would make much difference to bolus?
 
Well maybe two now then. Happy to learn and be corrected. Though I’m sure you’d rather it wasn’t a possibility for you. As you say a “typical” LADA doesn’t have the responses you do though so it seems you are a rarer breed than most. I’m sure there are others and I did acknowledge double diabetes is possible. The same way theoretically there’s nothing stopping a type 2 later get type 1seeing as we don’t exactly know the triggers for all cases.

In fact, as I type so it’s not thought through, I’m now wondering if that’s the order it needs to happen in early LADA ie type 2/prediabetic with insulin resistance followed by beta cell failure. How else would an early LADA not yet on insulin become insulin resistant with ever decreasing amounts of said insulin if it hadn’t already happened. (Obviously once on exogenous insulin then that desensitisation could begin then and afterwards). Oh it’s late and my head is spinning now and I can’t make sense of it. I’ll come back tomorrow and see if I can work out what I’m saying or if anyone else has.
 
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