Viv's Modified Atkins Diet

suffolkscouser said:

Hmm. I know what you are saying about this diet. I have stopped anything sweet (apart from a very rare treat - about 2 per month) eat wholemeal granary bread, shredded wheat for breakfast with a small glass of grapefruit juice and a normal evening meal with some pasta, rice or potato. I have lost nearly 2 stone, BG is usually between 5-6 2 hrs post meal and 5.1-.3 the morning after a couple of glasses of wine.
Does it make that much of a difference cutting out lots of these carbs and does it cost a lot more to eat this atkins type diet as finance is a problem?
Cheers!

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You seem to be doing pretty well on your present diet - well done!

I couldn't tolerate the amout of carb you seem to have in a day, but we are all different! Grazer (if he's still around) manages very well on about 150g carb per day, has lost weight, and has very good control. Sid Bonkers also has good control - eats more daily carbs than me and relies on portion control, particularly of his carby foods, to keep on top of his blood sugars. So unless you have lots more weight to lose, you could perhaps keep carb-reduction for later - should you need it.

As for cost - I am a single pensioner living on a total income of around £180 per week. This has to cover rent, household bills and petrol as well as food. I eat eggs for breakfast, lots of tinned tuna and fresh chicken, and rely a lot on various casseroles and mince dishes for variety. My veg/salad bill is quite large. I find I don't eat as much on this diet as I did before I "abandoned" carbs, which keeps the cost down. My biggest expense (not really allowed on the diet, if you're after weight loss) is red wine! I don't think it would be as easy for me if I was budgeting for a family. I don't have holidays except for occasional weekends away, and I'm not extravagant with clothes and so on.

Hope this helps

Viv 8)

Sue32 posted:

When I saw a dietician she told me to follow a high carb diet, which included between 7 and 14 rounds of bread a day!!! When I told her I preferred cream crackers etc, she said I can have between 3 and 21 a day!!! How mad is that????

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In my case, totally mad! I've been eating more like "NHS recommended" over Christmas - probably no more than 150g carb daily - and my blood glucose went up to the high 5s, fasting. I know there is nothing "wrong" with this as a level, but I prefer to be within the non-diabetic range (below 5.5). If this condition is progressive, I want to be starting from the very bottom.

Viv 8)

I eat the Atkins Day break bars - Chocolate Crisp flavour - and the ingredients for them are on the back of the packet, tucked in under the fold of the seal in very small print. The chocolate bar's list may be in the same place.

I keep them for emergencies, because they are very expensive, and because they have things in them eg maltitol which can cause you to run to the loo if you eat too many! :shock: But they're handy for breakfast or lunch, if I'm pushed for time.

The sweeteners are maltitol and sucralose, in the Day Break bars.

Have you tried very dark chocolate? For example, Tesco Swiss 85% plain chocolate has 18.2g of carb per 100g. Two squares (20g) have 3.6g carb. Green & Black's 85% is similar, and organic. Sweetener is just "sugar".

Just a thought! though a whole bar will have a similar "to the loo" effect!

Viv 8)

Hi Carol

It may be better for you to reduce your carbohydrate intake slowly, rather than dropping down to 25g immediately. Try working your way down from, say, 100g carb daily, dropping 5g or 10g every week. Go for low-GI carbs - as you say, much fruit has too much sugar - apricots, plums, all berries (except grapes :wink: ) are fairly low-GI and won't hit too fast. I can manage a small apple, but some people can't.

I also think you should discuss your change of diet with whoever monitors your diabetes and prescribes your medicine. As you are on the maximum dose of Gliclizade it will be too much as you reduce your carbs, and it does cause hypos. Unless you are pretty sure about his/her reaction, don't tell the doctor that you are trying Atkins! many of them still think that all Atkinsers eat is cheese and cream :roll: . If you say that you want to try to control your BGs by controlling your carbohydrate intake, and you are concerned about hypos caused by the Gliclizade, you should get help and advice about lowering your dose as you lower your carbs.

My reason for low-carbing is: as all carbohydrate is turned into glucose by the body, and as my body cannot cope properly with glucose (which is why I have Type 2) it seems sense to me not to eat stuff my body can't deal with. If you meet resistance from your doctor, try that one. I hope, like me, you have a sensible GP who understands where you're coming from. If not, you may have to prove it works.

Have you got a meter and strips? I suggest you monitor your BGs before and 2 hours after every meal, and keep a food diary with your test results, for at least 2 weeks. That's good evidence to show your doctor.

Good luck with your eye specialist. I think you've done brilliantly to come through 42 years with minimal complications. Try mentioning low-carbing to the eye specialist. Some of them are very enlightened.

Viv 8)

The diet gives 25g of carb derived from its vegetable content. Anything else (including the fruit, crispbreads and cereal I mention - those are the modification) should be added on.

Atkins suggests that you only follow his Induction Phase - this diet - for 2 weeks. It can be done, quite safely, for longer. Using it for weight loss, you add 5g carb weekly until you stop losing weight - then you drop back down 5g or 10g carb to a level where you keep losing. For blood glucose, you could do similar and drop back down when your levels get higher than you like.

It's all a matter of finding what works for you. Keep testing and you'll soon find out what you can't eat.

Viv 8)