[ramack]

Hi,

I was diagnosed last November as being a T2. My doctor didn't really give me much information about diabetes so what I've learned is basically off the web (Mayo Clinic, About.com and ADA's site) and a couple books.

I've been on a low carb diet since January and have been able to bring my high numbers down and my spikes are less frequent and lower in amplitude.

Is anyone else on a low carb diet? What have your results been?

Rich

[mg_2204]

I'm T2, on Metformin since last October. I tried a low carb diet but have seen my cholesterol shoot up from 5.9 to 6.7 in a matter of a few months. Since people with diabetes are supposed to keep their cholesterol under 5, the low carb diet is out of question for me. I had great BG results on a low carb diet though. After a good satisfying meal, BG was 6.2 after two hours. But I certainly don't want to end up with clogged arteries! I must underline the fact that going on a special diet must always be discussed with your health care team. I didn't. Now I regret it. Each person is different and in my case, a low carb diet isn't recommended. Check with your doc first. Now I'm back on a low fat diet, I follow the GI index, and I have great results, all mostly under 7. I'm also what I could call a part time vegetarian. I eat meat only when I crave it or when I start to find tasty looking the sheeps in the fields...

[MarkMunday]

Rich,

I reduced carbs to about 60grams a day about 8 months ago. I now eat eggs, cheese, sausages etc every day and fats have become my main source of energy.

Glycemic control has improved enormously, the HBA1c having come down from 8.3 to 6.2. Cholesterol increased from 4.9 to 5.7, which is getting high. But HDL increased from 1.8 to 2.1, and the HDL:total cholesterol ratio improved. This ratio is the real predictor of heart disease. Apparently LDL, which increased from 2.5 to 3.1, normally increases initially but declines over time with a low-carb diet. So I am not too concerned yet.

All the "experts" on this subject seem to have a different opinion. And I suspect Marie is right about different people responding in different ways. I am persevering with the reduced carb diet for now. I will test the lipid profile again in 5 months and decide then what works best for me.

Cheers,

Mark

[mg_2204]

... that's right Mark. We all respond in different ways. And not only that, but you have to look at the whole picture. In my case, with heart disease in my family, living with high cholesterol is too risky. Even with a HDL within the nomal range, it worries my doc. But it is possible to reduce the amount of carbs. It's not necessary to eat bread with pasta. And 1/2 a cup of pasta is plenty for me now. And I have it for lunch instead of dinner. There is always a way but as long as it's monitored.

[may]

Some are really getting neurotic about the low-carbing.
I do watch my carbs, that's for sure!
I do consider it very important, as I don't like spikes!!

But, letting the cholesterol rise in exchange...oh my... That gets another issue going.
I "hear" people say that will only be for awhile, and then it will go right back down. It didn't work that way for me. I have to consider heart health and healthy eating also.

I don't follow the ADA entirely...but I certainly think they are quite reliable.

[Lynne]

My lipid panel has improved since I began to ingest fewer than 50 carbs a day.
LDL is slowly dropping, HDL is level, and triglycerides are way down, I'm within a heartbeat of a normal target.

My blood pressure is inside the 135/85 target 90% of the time and improving. My diastolic is usually in the 70's.

I've lost 15 pounds, put on muscle from strength training and my blood glucose readings are declining (see below). If I ever need meds, it should be a lower dosage, I'll watch my lipid panel carefully long-term.

It's worth noting that the first 3 months can give mixed results and that one should keep a close watch on lipids and blood glucose whatever method is used. I figure my first concern is the sugars because I don't want my blood to affect my eyes, heart, kidneys, nerves, etc. Also, you must define what LOW- carbing is. If you don't get down low enough, and keep each meal or snack within 12 grams or so, you may have too many carbs in your system and they will be changed to fat.

[KittyAtlanta]

Hi, I have to low carb. Most days I keep it under 30 per day. I have good blood readings on those days. If I go above 30, my BGLs go crazy. I must be very sensitive to carbs. I must say, my doctor does NOT approve of low carb anything, so I haven't told him. I know, I know.... I feel good eating lo carb, when I feel bad, I don't take care of myself. BTW, I used to be a vegetarian, then balanced diet, then veggie again. While doing the veggie/balanced diets, I gained 90 lbs - now its hard to remove.

[BeadieJay]

I low carb, but I don't count carbs as such. Over the last few months I've learnt what works for me, though I'm constantly checking to see that my numbers stay low (usually under 7 (126) 2 hours after eating). Hubby and I are both eating low GI foods, and my doctor is fully supportive of what I'm eating.

I just got my A1c result today - it's gone down to 6, which I'm thrilled with. My last one was 6.7 (3 months ago). My cholesterol has gone down from 5.2 to 5.0 - which I'm not so pleased with. I want it to be below 5, and it seems to be taking too long to bring the number down. I guess that's because I'm eating too much protein/fat. Also, I'm losing weight, but too little and too slowly - just over 2 pounds in 3 weeks....it should be 2 pounds every week. Guess I need to talk to my dietician again, but it's difficult to see what else I can do if I don't want to go on a starvation diet I'm still scared of hypos, which I get despite the doctor telling me that's not possible on Metformin.

[AnnieKel]

They're still lying to themselves in my opinion. They know that what they recommend is way to many carbs. Although lately I noticed that they don't really give a number, guess they don't want it to come back and bite them in the a$$! Here is the thing. Most doctors know how damaging carbohydrates are to your health. In excess, I should add.

Even non-diabetics are overdoing it to the extreme, hence the type two problems we are seeing an explosion of. This is not normal. Most doctors eat a low carb diet. They're not stupid. My uncle, for example is seventy-four yrs. old. He is a retired biologist, worked for NIH for 40 yrs. He was low carbing it in the sixties, along with most of his fellow co-workers. He tried to get my mom and dad (his brother) to adopt his way of eating. My mom did it for a while. Now my father is dead and my mom is frantically trying to make up for lost time. She has been low carbing for 5 yrs. now She is a type two, on no meds and in good control. She is not overweight at all and only about 20 pounds upon diagnosis. My mom says she wished she would have taken my uncle's advice years earlier.

The funny thing is that if you look at nutritional guidelines they are still trying to tell even non-diabetics to eat 300 grams of carbs a day and that it is needed for the brain???? What? That is kooky talk. I guess the food/drug/farm industry is such a huge lobby that no one wants to be left out of the money train. I think it is criminal that the medical industry won't even tell people how bad it is to eat that **** and the weight people gain is a hundred times worse that smoking will ever be. I know it is a hard pill to swallow but I can't figure out why when doctors are questioned about this all they can say is, "patients don't want to hear that" It is to hard for people to change their way of eating. At least give us the facts and let us decide for ourselves. Then if we continue to cram in the carbs we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

[camjen1]

Yeah Right Low Carb? Never heard of such a thing. LOL

[MarkMunday]

camjen1,

I couldn't find a definition as such when I searched for it. But, essentially, a low-carb diet involves reducing carbohydrates as a percentage of daily calories from 50%-60% of total calories, as suggested by the ADA, to 10%-20% of energy requirements. For someone on a 1500 calories a day diet, this means reducing carbs from, say 200 grams a day to 30-50 grams a day. Obviously, you need to get your energy from somewhere else. So protein and fats in the diet are increased to make up the shortfall.

The whole idea is to reduce upward pressure on blood sugars. This reduces the need for pills/injected insulin and stabilises control. The ultimate objective is to achieve near-normal blood sugars and avoid diabetic complications.

As other posters have pointed out, it definitely works. But you won't find much support for low-carbing from mainstream doctors and dieticians. The high-carb low-fat mantra has been too heavily drummed into them. The risks of kidney disease and cholesterol problems are overstated. And you really have to experiment to find out what works best for you, using HBA1c, renal, function and lipid profile test results for guidance.

Cheers,

Mark

[may]

Mark,
Basically I agree with you on the low carbing.
It works for me also.
HOWEVER, I would be very careful about continually harping on it to people...only because it goes against what most Dr.'s ARE telling their patients. I don't pretend to know more than Doctors..although it is easy to get into the grind of "thinking" we know more!
It takes energy to function.
The more l low carbed the higher my lipids were getting...so the casual say, oh well they will come down after a few month. MINE DID NOT. To get them down again...and get the urine tests good again...I had to add some carbs back, and lower the fats. Often diabetics have more issues to consider than just the super low readings. The AMA is now saying <6.5.
So, when I see people having that I say hip hip hooray...and perhaps the low low carbing is not the way to go for everyone. I am not going to worry about a 4.5 or a 5.0 and have my lipids high because of the fat substitude for energy, nor be getting a ton of proteins in my body and have my kidneys in trouble.

[mg_2204]

... Ever heard of 'God's Diet'??!


Basically, you eat and drink what God created only. Meat is ok, veggies, fruits, nuts, and you can drink water, milk, and that's about it. Ah! Herbs.

Bread, and pasta are man made. Just like wine. And coffee Cookies, cakes, fizzy drinks, cheese jams, peanut butter, sauces, cream, and the list goes on and on...

That 'God's Diet' is quite low carb come to think of it. And low fat. And low enjoyment because no coffee........................

[may]

Marie,
I've heard of close to it. I haven't read anything.
However...I have found that wheats, and pasta being man made are as hard on me as sugar! And I wouldn't touch any sugar substitute with a ten foot poll.
I think I may be doing this without trying! I fix nearly everything from scratch so I know my ingredients.
But, I do love my morning coffee!!

[AnnieKel]

I never eat a lot of fat. I have fish, skinless chicken breasts, shrimp, tons of vegtables, salads and a small amount of red meat...maybe once every two weeks. I eat a small amount of lower carb. fruit. Lentils, soy beans, egg beaters and non-fat/sugar free yogurt and of course fat free cheese. You can get cheese that is low in fat and in carbs. I have to say that chicken broth is my best friend. I use it for soups. I make big pots of a mexican chicken soup which is delicious and low in fat and calories and most of all....carbs.

In case anyone is interested:

Chicken breast (4 boneless/skinless cubed or shredded)
three cans of chicken broth (no carb brand)
three cups of water
2 cups of zuchinni
2 cups cabbage
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup salsa
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. taco seasoning
1/4 cup onion
1 tsp. garlic or garlic powder
salt and pepper
Actually I add whatever veggies I have around. Sometimes I add cauliflower or spinach...It is delicious. Also I have even added a few tablespoons of unsalted peanuts to give it some crunch. I also use lentils and soybeans for my mock chili. You can add the pre-cut and cooked chicken breast strips to your salads and such...there really is a lot of choices but I have found that making the stuff myself really lets me control the calories, fat and carbs.
Cheers everyone,
Annie