Diabetes: the Echo Effect by Jon Barron

[kebaldwin]

http://www.jonbarron.org/newsletters/07/1-29-2007.php

Diabetes: the Echo Effect
Date: 01/15/2007
By: Jon Barron

Over the years, I've talked about various aspects of diabetes, but never actually devoted an entire newsletter to the subject. Yes, high fructose corn syrup, starches, and added sugars are a problem, but they only scratch the surface of the issue.

The Diabetes Echo Effect

Type 2 diabetes is not like any other disease. Most diseases such as cancer and MS are linear. In other words, you get the disease and it progresses in a straight line, from point A to point B. It may have regressions and remissions in which it backs up on its linear path for a bit, but then it picks up steam and once again proceeds on down the same track to its ultimate conclusion. Diabetes does not do that.

Diabetes actually follows multiple, mutually reinforcing paths -- an echo effect if you will, with each echo reinforcing and amplifying all the other echoes, or "effects". This distinction is of vital importance because it mandates multiple points of intervention if you wish to reverse diabetes and not just slow its progression.

Reversing Diabetes Begins with Understanding Insulin

Despite long intervals between meals and the erratic intake of high glycemic carbohydrates, blood sugar levels normally remain within a narrow range. In most humans, this range is from about 70-110 mg per dl. (Note: a blood sugar reading of 100 equates to about 1/5 of an ounce of sugar (5 g) total in the bloodstream of an average 165 lb (75 kg) male. That's it: 1/5 of an ounce.

The body's mechanisms for restoring normal blood glucose levels when it drops outside of its range (either low or high) are extremely efficient and effective.

High blood sugar levels are regulated by the hormone insulin, which is produced by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. These cells are extremely sensitive to variations in blood glucose levels and, under normal circumstances, respond with extraordinary speed to any variation.

When you eat high glycemic foods, you suddenly increase the amount of sugar in your blood. This increase triggers the beta cells in the pancreas to release insulin, which travels in the blood to cells throughout the body, where it facilitates the uptake of sugar in the individual cells so that it can be quickly converted to energy. If you eat too much sugar, insulin tells the body to store the excess sugar as glycogen in the liver (and also, to a lesser degree, in muscle tissue). When the glucose levels come down to acceptable levels, this triggers the beta cells in the pancreas to stop the production and release of insulin, which allows the process to stabilize. When blood glucose levels drop too low, however, the hormone glucagon is released from alpha cells (located in the pancreas), which triggers the release of sugar stored in the liver as glycogen; thus, once again bringing blood sugar levels back to normal. One important note: release of insulin is strongly inhibited by the stress hormone, noradrenaline, which is why blood sugar levels increase so dramatically during stress.

The Initial "Sound": Insulin Resistance

On the surface of the cells of your body sit insulin receptors. These little "lock and key" chemical gateways act like little doors that open and close to regulate the inflow of blood sugar. After many years of consuming a high-glycemic diet, these cells become damaged by exposure to so much insulin that their "doors" begin to malfunction and shut down.

As a result, the fat cells, muscle cells, and liver cells of the body become resistant to insulin so that normal amounts of insulin are no longer adequate to produce a normal response. The cells require ever and ever greater quantities of insulin to achieve even the most minimal response. Insulin resistance in fat cells results in the breakdown of stored triglycerides, which elevates free fatty acids in the blood. Insulin resistance in muscle cells reduces glucose uptake which keeps sugar levels high in the blood, and insulin resistance in liver cells reduces glucose storage, which also raises blood glucose levels.

The First Diabetic Echo: Increased Production of Insulin

To continue the "door analogy" we started above -- with fewer doors open, as we mentioned, your body needs to produce ever more insulin to "push" the glucose into the cells. More insulin causes even more doors to close and as this vicious cycle continues, a condition called "insulin resistance" sets in.

This is a primary cause and effect response by your body. If normal insulin levels are not enough to make the cells behave properly, the beta cells in your pancreas continue to sense high levels of glucose in the blood; they thus go into overdrive to pump out ever greater quantities of insulin in an attempt to bring blood sugar levels back to normal. In most cases, this extra insulin is enough to bring things back under control -- for a time -- but with two significant side effects:

It puts undue stress on the beta cells in the pancreas. They can only operate in overdrive for a limited period of time before they burn out. At that point, not only can they no longer produce sufficient levels of insulin even under prodding, they have effectively lost all ability to produce insulin under any conditions. They are burnt out.

The increased insulin comes with a whole host of its own side effects. See Echo Three below.

The Second Diabetic Echo: High Sugar Damage

Too much sugar in the blood leads to increased thirst in the body's attempt to get rid of the extra sugar. This leads to increased urination and starts putting an extra burden on your kidneys. Too much sugar causes the small blood vessels throughout the body to narrow as your body tries to abate the damage caused to organs by minimizing the ability of the excess sugar to reach them. The higher the blood sugar level, the more the small blood vessels narrow. The blood vessels thus carry less blood, and circulation is impaired. Poor circulation in turn results in complications such as: kidney disease, poor wound healing, and foot and eye problems. This sugar imbalance also alters fat metabolism, increasing the risk that cholesterol-laden plaque will build up in the large blood vessels. Finally, sugar also sticks to proteins, in effect carmelizing them, causing their structural and functional properties to be changed. It is a primary reason that wounds don't heal since they have trouble making quality collagen, the connective tissue that is the major structural protein in the body.

The bottom line is that people who have diabetes are at considerable risk of multiple "complications."

In addition, as we mentioned earlier, stress results in the adrenal glands pumping adrenaline into the bloodstream which increases free fatty acids in the blood and shuts off the release of insulin. In obesity, less and less insulin is able to reach the insulin-responsive muscles. In the end, there is not enough insulin to meet the demand.

Diabetic neuropathy (damage to nerves caused by diabetes) affects the peripheral nerves, such as those in the feet, hands and legs. Symptoms include numbness, tingling and pain.

The Third Diabetic Echo: Excess Insulin Damage

Excess sugar is not the only problem associated with diabetes. Excess insulin is also a killer. Insulin is the master hormone of your metabolism. When it is out of balance and your insulin levels are consistently elevated, a long list of deadly complications are created:

Heart Disease
Hardening of the Arteries
Damage to Artery Walls (elevated insulin levels are directly implicated in the damage done to arterial walls that leads to atherosclerosis)
Increased Cholesterol Levels
Increased Triglycerides
Elevated Blood Pressure
Vitamin & Mineral Deficiencies
Kidney Disease
Fat Burning Mechanism Turned Off
Accumulation and Storage of Fat
Weight Gain -- Obesity

The Fourth Diabetic Echo: Destruction of the Beta Cells

This is the big echo in which all the other echoes get ramped up to catastrophic levels.

When blood sugar levels rise even slightly above 100 for as little as two hours, beta cell failure is detectable. People that maintain blood sugar levels of as little as 110 can lose as much as 40% of their beta cell capacity in as little as two years.

In other words, the very cells of your body responsible for keeping blood sugar under control are destroyed by the excess blood sugar that they are unable to control, which echoes back on the beta cells in the pancreas, destroying them and thus causing blood sugar levels to rise even further. This then reverberates through the body once again, echoing back once more on the pancreas, killing even more beta cells -- on and on until there are no beta cells left to destroy.

Echo Five: Breakdown of the Body

At a certain point in the process, when your body can no longer produce any insulin and resists even the insulin you take through injection, you begin to experience the ravages of diabetes. At that point, you're looking at:

Neuropathy
Amputation
Kidney failure
Dialysis
Heart disease
Blindness
Death

Summarizing the Diabetic Echo Effect

Let's say you start developing the early signs of diabetes and you decide to clean up your diet. The problem is that you've already started the echoes. So although your diet may now have lower amounts of sugar, your pancreas is compromised so that it can't produce enough insulin to handle even normal amounts of sugar, and the cells of your body are now resistant to insulin so that even if your pancreas weren't damaged, it couldn't produce enough insulin. This means that sugar levels remain high in your bloodstream even though you've corrected your diet, and the diabetic damage continues apace.

But it doesn't stop there. Remeber, an entirely separate echo has also been set in motion. As a result of the higher than normal levels of sugar and insulin in your blood, you've damaged your kidneys so that they can no longer fully cleanse your blood of waste. That means that even if you are able to reestablish normal blood sugar levels, the toxins not cleared by your kidneys continue to damage the organs of your body -- including the pancreas and the kidneys, which means the damage continues apace and eventually your pancreas and kidneys will fail.

Don't worry. Although the situation may sound grim, it's not hopeless. It does, however, present the limitations of the medical approach, and it does show why the Baseline of Health program, which deals with the whole body all at once, is likely to produce significantly better results than the medical approach.

So What Can You Do About Diabetes?

Standard medical treatment offers several flawed approaches:

Drugs like metformin seek to inhibit the absorption of high glycemic carbohydrates in the intestinal tract and enhance insulin sensitivity in the body, thereby reducing the need for extra insulin.
The major problem with metformin is its effect on the gastrointestinal system, ranging from a mild loss of appetite to nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, cramps, flatulence and diarrhea. Many patients find these symptoms impossible to cope with and discontinue the tablets within days.
Lactic acidosis is a rare but dangerous side effect of metformin. This is a serious condition where the cells of the body do not get enough oxygen to survive. It is caused by a build up of lactic acid in the blood. Most of the cases described have been in people whose kidneys were not working well (as we've already seen, an inevitable problem with diabetes).

Drugs like glyburide work by stimulating the pancreas to release more insulin.
Glyburide is so effective that you need to carry glucose pills with you in case you produce so much insulin that your blood sugar drops too low and you fall into a diabetic coma. Although this rarely happens, it is indicative of the larger problems with glyburide:
It raises insulin levels so high that your body faces all of the problems of high insulin levels discussed above.
It doesn't repair beta cells; it just forces them to work harder -- thus speeding up the day when they break down and become dysfunctional.

Extra insulin in the form of pills or injections cover you when the beta cells in your pancreas have burned out and can no longer produce sufficient insulin by themselves or even when stimulated by drugs such as glyburide -- until, that is, your body's insulin resistance is so high that no amount of insulin is adequate for the task at hand. At that point, your body goes into rapid decay.

A Diabetic Alternative: Stopping the Echoes

Obviously, any viable alternative needs to address the problems that medicines do not. They also need to work "with" the body so that they can work long term -- not squeeze your body dry until it eventually breaks down. And finally, any viable alternative needs to stop all of the echoes -- all of them without exception -- so that nothing bounces back to retrigger the problems.

With that in mind, in addition to changing your diet (no more sodas and high glycemic snack food), you will want to explore the following options:

Inhibit absorption of high glycemic foods, without creating unwelcome responses in the intestinal tract, such as those experienced using metformin. This can be accomplished with the following herbs:
Nopal cactus
Gymnema sylvestre

Naturally reverse insulin resistance so less insulin is required through:
Konjac mannan
Cinnulin PF
Chromium GTF
Omega-3 fatty acids

Repair beta cells in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas to optimize insulin production reserves as opposed to forcing the cells to dramatically overproduce as with glyburide, which leads to inevitable burn out.
Gymnema sylvestre
Alpha lipoic acid or R lipoic acid

Lower blood sugar levels through proper diet and herbal supplementation:
Fenugreek extract
Momordica charantia
Corosolic acid
Mulberry
Reduce stress. Remember, adrenaline suppresses the release of insulin.

Protect organs and proteins from damage caused by higher than normal levels of sugar through a mixture of antioxidants and nutraceuticals such as:
L-Carnosine
Acetyl-l-carnitine
DMAE
CoQ10
Alpha lipoic acid or R lipoic acid
Benfotiamine

Protect organs from damage caused by higher than normal insulin levels by cleaning the blood and by using:
A blood cleansing formula
Proteolytic enzymes
Omega-3 fatty acids

The bottom line to preventing and reversing diabetes is to do everything, and do it all at once. Since diabetes is not a single straight line progression disease, you need to stop every single "echo" so that no aspect of the disease can reverberate and start the whole process moving downhill again. You need to stop it all or it will all start again.

[kebaldwin]

Let me add ...

Many people say "I've never been diagnosed by my doctor with type 2 diabetes". When in fact you don't just develop type 2 diabetes over night. It usually requires 15 to 20 years to work its bad magic.

If you are overweight and have health problems -- most likely you are on the glide path to type 2 diabetes.

Research terms and symptoms such as:

pre type 2 diabetes

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=pre+type+2+diabetes

syndrome X

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=syndrome+x

metabolic syndrome

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=metabolic+syndrome

[Maerow]

Wow, good info. Thank you!

[MizKitty]

Let's say you start developing the early signs of diabetes and you decide to clean up your diet. The problem is that you've already started the echoes. So although your diet may now have lower amounts of sugar, your pancreas is compromised so that it can't produce enough insulin to handle even normal amounts of sugar, and the cells of your body are now resistant to insulin so that even if your pancreas weren't damaged, it couldn't produce enough insulin. This means that sugar levels remain high in your bloodstream even though you've corrected your diet, and the diabetic damage continues apace.


There are degrees of diabetes. I know my diabetes is much worse than a lot of other diabetics. So bad, that even though I eat a cheat-free low carb diet of 30 net g of carbs per day or less, inject insulin, and take metformin and actos, my blood sugar numbers are still too high, ranging in the 115 - 175 range daily.
Some diabetics, especially those controlled by diet alone, wonder how that can be. Why my results aren't as "good" as their results. I've wondered myself. This paragraph, and this article, although frightening, at least explains why. Thank you.

I do take vitamins and supplements, chosen to target the needs of diabetics, but there are some mentioned above I've never heard of.

Despite weight loss, proper diet, medication and supplementation, I see now I still may not be doing enough to "save" myself. I plan to look more into these topics and check out more of Jon Barrons writings.

Thanks again.

[AuntJoyce]

Well, I guess he is a nutriceutical supplement salesman.

In my search for the holy grail or magic pill to get my diabetes under control, here's what I've found.

1. Eat less carbohydrate.
2. Eat less food -- smaller portion sizes.
3. Eat less often -- no snacks, try IF
4. Exercise more and hard.

[kebaldwin]

Well, I guess he is a nutriceutical supplement salesman.

I would not write it off that quickly. I have had great success with much he has written. Especially chromium for blood sugar control and mega multivitamins and mega fish oil for overall health. The antioxidants are hard to measure -- however I can tell when they bring my inflammation down.

1. Eat less carbohydrate.
2. Eat less food -- smaller portion sizes.
3. Eat less often -- no snacks, try IF
4. Exercise more and hard.

be careful that you get enough and often enough that you don't crash your blood sugar. I think they want you to eat low carb snacks so that your blood sugar does not crash.

[Mary1967]

My husband has type 1 and it is a very different disease then type 2 which you are addressing. He has to eat carbs diff. and at diff times to maintain a good BG level and it is tricky.
He is actually underweight and trying to gain 10 pounds.
I have been loosing weight by eating less carbs with him and we monitor his over all health closely.

[dina1957]

I've found this article vey interesting and thought it is worth sharing. it explains why the same diet and exercise regimen do not provide similar results in T2 diabetics. At least, it explains why I don't need an alarm clock, DP wakes me up.

"BRITTLE" DIABETES

by Peter J. Nebergall, PhD



One of the most prominent features of diabetes is its uniqueness. No two diabetics respond in exactly the same way to their food, insulin, or exercise, and no two individuals, even if they show the same glucose test results, will experience precisely the same complications. The disease is, by definition, unpredictable. Still, making allowance for surprises, we know the effects of more insulin, less insulin, more exercise, less exercise, more food, etc.

For most diabetics, most of the time, the "rules" work. "If I do this, or do not do that, I can expect this result." But there is a body of individuals for whom the rules do not appear to apply, and to them is often applied the adjective "brittle."

The problem becomes separating the truly "brittle" diabetics from the non-compliant, the poorly-controlled, or those whose unstable sugars have other explanations. Some have insisted that if all diabetics diligently practiced "tight control" (as described by the DCCT), none would be "brittle." They're partially right; the numbers would go down, but some diabetics can do everything right and still remain "brittle."

These are the diabetics, even practicing tight control, whose blood glucose level "over-reacts" to minute changes in diet, exercise, and/or insulin. These individuals experience unpredictable rises and swoops in blood glucose, within very short periods, as the result of very small departures from schedule. Small changes "break" their control, and they are thus said to be "brittle."

If you are practicing tight control, are in good compliance with your schedule, and are still experiencing rapid, out-of-proportion blood glucose changes, talk to your doctor. You (or more correctly your diabetes) may be "brittle," but your instabilities may well be a sign of some other problem.

Maybe You're Not Brittle

Many diabetics whose sugars seem to run unpredictably, "all over the map," have heard their diabetes described as "brittle." Sometimes it is; but there are other possible explanations, such as the dawn phenomenon, and the Somogyi Effect. If your sugars are unexpectedly high in the morning, one of these may be the explanation.

We all have our normal "sleep cycles." When the human body becomes used to a schedule, it releases hormones, including glucagon, into the blood on schedule, to help you wake up. Your sugars rise, in the expectation of activity. How many times have you opened your eyes, looked at the alarm clock, and found it was one minute short of going off? That hormone and blood sugar rise is the dawn phenomenon. It is very normal, and perhaps your morning glucose monitor test is catching it.

Problems come either when this response, the dawn phenomenon, fools you into thinking you need more insulin, when you don't, or when it gets out of hand, excessive, requiring you to readjust your diet/medication balance.

There is also the Somogyi Effect (named for the researcher who first described it in the 1930s). Your body naturally seeks balance, what the doctors call homeostasis, in all things, including blood glucose. After you eat, a healthy, non-diabetic pancreas will secrete more insulin, to bring the numbers back down. If you have a "low," your liver will release stored glucose, to bring you back up. But this "rebound" is imprecise; and when you have a low, and your body rebounds, it'll often take you way up into the high range. Then, if you happen to test your blood sugars, you'll see you're high, get worried, and perhaps add more insulin to bring your numbers back down. BUT--you're only high because you're having a rebound from a low, so that extra insulin just points you back into another low, which will likely trigger another rebound, making you think you're high again... You're not brittle; you're in the midst of the Somogyi Effect!

So what should you do about this vicious cycle? Slow down, and do some tests. Are you having unrecorded night-time "hypos?" If your early morning high is regularly preceded by a night-time low, treat the cause of that low; perhaps you need to lower your afternoon insulin dose, and/or add a bedtime snack. If you can eliminate the "low," you'll eliminate the body's rebound. You may need less insulin.

If your sugars are not running low at night (and a week's late-night tests should let you know), but you're too high in the morning, it could be the dawn phenomenon, and if it is, you may need more insulin. You can see how important it is to tell which phenomenon you're dealing with.

Real "brittle diabetes" doesn't follow patterns. Individuals who'se diabetes is "brittle" experience unpredictable, out-of-proportion rises and swoops in blood glucose, within short periods of time, as a result of very small deviations from schedule. Talk to your doctor, and to your health care team. They should help you set up an individualized testing program that will reveal what's going on--and then give you the tools to deal with it. Good luck!

http://www.nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/vod/vsum9906.htm

[dina1957]

In my search for the holy grail or magic pill to get my diabetes under control, here's what I've found.

1. Eat less carbohydrate.
2. Eat less food -- smaller portion sizes.
3. Eat less often -- no snacks, try IF
4. Exercise more and hard.
No offence, but how fist three make #4 possible for you? If i eat very low carbs combined with 3-4 ounces of protein per meal, and eat less in general (I eat 3 meal a day and one bedtime snack), I have no energy to exercise at all! I am not even doing IF, skipping meals puts me in zombi-like state. Also, "more and hard exercise" becomes a challenge for me at this point of my life, so not sure how you can pull this off. I currently swim, walk and do weight training. While 2 -3 years ago I could lift almost daily (90 minutes session), now it takes almost a week to recover from 40 minutes session, and I see this trend as my body loses gonadal hormones, it may take even longer. Swimming is the only exercise that makes me feel good nowdays rather than like being run by a train. Also, eating little carb and little food, makes my liver wanting to do overtime, so I end up with even higher BGs.
Just my 2 cents.
ETA: I just looked at your profile, I am 5 days older than you are, so we are in the same "shoes" age wise. Now you have to share your secret.;)

[AuntJoyce]

I don't know, Dina. I think you are an exception though. I'm just following all the advice given by Dr. B, Drs. Eades, Dr. Mary Enig, Dr. Barry Sears, Dr. Jonny Bowden, Poloquin, Cosgrove, Robb Wolf and others. They have many stories of people like me who have more energy when they follow the plan. And I'm still fat! But I sure am trying to get rid of that. I do eat probably 2-4Tbsp of fat (mayo, butter and olive oil) a day so my calories are never lower than 1400.

The day after a fast, I have so much energy I cannot contain myself. I even worried about driving one day because it was hard to focus! I hardly ever take naps. When I was in my 30s and early 40s with diabetes more out of control, I was tired all the time and napped a lot on the weekends.

Maybe it is my german heritage. My grandma worked a farm and plowed fields with horses. I'm built like her with a broad back and thick legs.

[dina1957]

I don't know, Dina. I think you are an exception though.
I am not so sure about it, I saw many posts when ppl complain on not being able to carry heavy workouts on a very low carb regimen combined with low calories. I'm just following all the advice given by Dr. B, Drs. Eades, Dr. Mary Enig, Dr. Barry Sears, Dr. Jonny Bowden, Poloquin, Cosgrove, Robb Wolf and others. They have many stories of people like me who have more energy when they follow the plan.
I have read Bowden's articles, and don't recall that he advocates ketogenic diet, although carb controlled certainly.
And I'm still fat! But I sure am trying to get rid of that. I do eat probably 2-4Tbsp of fat (mayo, butter and olive oil) a day so my calories are never lower than 1400.
Well, apparently, this regimen is not too godd for weight loss. I have noticed that weight comes off only when I drop fat % and eat more protein and low GI carbs, I am gaining weight on 6-12-12 plan. I don't think dropping calories too low helps in a long run, I eat plenty of food and enough fat but definetely not 70%, around 40%: cheese, plain yougurt, EVOO, and butter on ocation, but I watch the amount.

The day after a fast, I have so much energy I cannot contain myself.
This is all adrenaline diabolic work, I know what you mean, and it gives me horrible jitters but then I get a rebound fatigue after couple days of this kinda of energy. For me, there is difference between having lots of energy but at the same time being able to relax and to sleep at night, and I hate this state when I am "tired and wired'", exausted but yet not being able to to fall asleep. My body can't handle this ketosis- induced -adrenalin-driven energy. I even stopped drinking coffee at this point, since it gives me bad jitters and anxiety, and no, my BGs are still in good control, except of the FBG, but still below diabetic cut off point. I hardly ever take naps. When I was in my 30s and early 40s with diabetes more out of control, I was tired all the time and napped a lot on the weekends.
I never napped in my life, I aim for 8 hours of night sleep and never felt tired or like I need to nap in the afternoon. I worked and still do full time and used to take care of my family with 2 kids, keep full time job, cooked, cleaned, etc. Now it is just DH and I, so not much to do. But my 23 yo DD is tired 24x7 and takes a nap every chance she has.
What I meant, after a hard and long workout (in my book it is 90 minutes session with at least 25 # dumbells) combined with reduced protein (3-4 ox per meal) and reduced food intake (only 3 meals) and very little carbs, my muslce do not recover as fast as they should and used to, so I feel sore for much longer than before. I aklso have very littel motivation to work out, just don't have the stamina. This is why I asked how much and how hard you exercise to begin with on this regimen!
regards,
D.

[AuntJoyce]

I'm sure it must be hard for you -- I'm guessing you haven't found a doctor or naturapath that has been able to help you?

Here's my workout:

I do the 'New Rules of Lifting' Fat Loss workout by Schuler and Cosgrove on M/T night. I squat about 90#, press 35# and deadlift with 40# db plus the other things like lunges, stepups, crunches. I'm sweating bullets at the end of that and feel like I'm being punched in the stomach.

Sometimes a short, 20-30 min, but high intensity cardio on Tue night as recommended by Cosgrove.

Friday morning I do a 1-hr weight training with a trainer and 2-3 other girls.
Friday afternoon, I hike for 1.5- 2hrs. Last week it was 1300ft elevation gain and I made the uphill climb in 60 minutes which was a little better than the 90 minutes it took me last year.

On the weekend I may do yardwork, bike ride or just a 2-4 mile walk.

The rest of the time I'm a mouse/couch potato. :)

PS: Bowden's latest CDs are pretty good. My food menu follows his 2-week bootcamp, but I extended it.

PPS: Dina, maybe you could post a question to Dr. Bernstein so he can answer in his next teleconference?

Dr. Bernstein will be doing another live teleconference call soon. If you would like to ask a question or just register for the free teleconference call, just go to www.askdrbernstein.com and register. There were over 600 people on the last call. More info at www.diabetes911.net

[dina1957]

I'm sure it must be hard for you -- I'm guessing you haven't found a doctor or naturapath that has been able to help you?
I little faith is all drs now, mainstream, naturopaths, alternative medicine. I have been to many drs and spent $$$$ and on visits, hormones, supplements, nothing was found...and nothing helped much. So, I just go with flow now. My guess is that perimenopause takes its toll on my body and I have just to survive the transition.
Here's my workout:

I do the 'New Rules of Lifting' Fat Loss workout by Schuler and Cosgrove on M/T night. I squat about 90#, press 35# and deadlift with 40# db plus the other things like lunges, stepups, crunches. I'm sweating bullets at the end of that and feel like I'm being punched in the stomach.
M/T is it Monday Thursday or Monday/tuesday, and do you separate upper and lower body, and if yes, how many reps/sets/ etc. You workout is very impressive, especially if you use only free weight (bb and db) and same weights for squates and lunges (how your knees take this load). I am not sure when have you started working out but thinking you progressed to higher weights, could be a while ago. Feeling like being punched in a stomach could be your heart telling you something and/or your LES, be carefull with it, I have noticed that squatting heavy weights takse toll on LES, this is how I got acid reflux to begin with.
I can pull off similar weights with longer sets and more reps but I would be recovering for 7-10 days after. But I preffer now to play with my kettlebells, this routine will stretch and work every muscle in your body, whuiwhile burning fat. Check it out, it is much easier on your joints, but works your body as nothing else does, and it is fun. The kettlebells are pricey but they last life time, and take veirtually very little space. I have 2: 18, 27, and 35. try swinging #27 pounds for 5 minutes, and you will feel like you ran 5 miles. ;)
http://www.dragondoor.com/p10.html?kbid=1060&sub=ktggsidebanner

However, I still have hard time to believe that you can do this kind of workout on a regular basis while eating 3-4 oz protein per meal, very little carbs and even IF. I have studied many BB routines and read quite few books on the subject, and they all suggest double protien intake (up to 200 g daily), drinking shakes before and after in addition to 5-6 meals, to gain muscles and speed up recovery time. Also, this kind of routine is hard to recover from for 25 yo, not 50 yo females like us. You probably have some super power, I guess, you are a superwomen!

Sometimes a short, 20-30 min, but high intensity cardio on Tue night as recommended by Cosgrove.
Running intervals?

Friday morning I do a 1-hr weight training with a trainer and 2-3 other girls.
Friday afternoon, I hike for 1.5- 2hrs. Last week it was 1300ft elevation gain and I made the uphill climb in 60 minutes which was a little better than the 90 minutes it took me last year.
I and DH we used to hike a lot, we did in 10 ml hike (up and down together) in 3.5 h, this I still can do. Unfortunately, DH has knee problems after playing soccer from 25 years twice a week, and we don't hike until he gets it fixed.
But I never strain myself after weight lifting, I would rather swim for an hour. I also on my feet most of the days at work, sometime all 8 hours: walking, taking stairs, etc. so I get some acitivties + plus my usual 3 miles lunch walk, unless it is raining. I also do beach walks on weekends when it is not stormy is stormy, my routie is 5.5 mls, take me 1.5 hours. I have noticed that walking on sand and swimming works plus my kettlebells work every muscles in my body, and makes me feel muscles I never knew I had before. ;) I did not lose much weight recently, but I ma down 2 pants sizes just by doing my exercise routine but more because I eat less fat now.
One things puzzles me though: why can't you lose weight consider your strenious lifting routine and very low carb diet combined with IF? I guess we all different, eating less fat with the same # of calories (I eat not less than 1700) makes me loose inches.

PS: Bowden's latest CDs are pretty good. My food menu follows his 2-week bootcamp, but I extended it.
Thanks, i will check them out.

PPS: Dina, maybe you could post a question to Dr. Bernstein so he can answer in his next teleconference?
Thanks, but I am not big fan of his ideas of a healthy diet that is based on the number of carbs only and ignoring healthy food like tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, apples, etc. I used to belong to that forum, and since I am not gang-ho with Dr.B's plan, I have stopped participating. 6-12-12 plan makes feel rotten, can't do it, period.
regards,
D.

[AuntJoyce]

I work out on Mon/Wed sorry about that. The workout is a 3 supersets such as squat/row, lunge/press and step up/abs. There is a discussion about The Rules on the Advanced/High Intensity forum and I posted some pictures of my workouts: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=319483

We have kettlebells at the gym and I might give them a try too. Always good to mix it up.

Regarding my protein, I eat about 6oz at lunch and dinner and 3 eggs for breakfast, unless I skip breakfast. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I had used PP to calculate how much I need. And like I said, 1400 calories is my minimum. Some days I might have 1600 or 1800. But I’m not a super woman. :) My workout buddies are all about my age or older and I have a hard time keeping up.

The reason I haven’t lost more weight is cheating. That old ‘food is my friend’ thing. NOT. That’s why I’ve been working on how I think about food. I’m getting better.

[dina1957]

I work out on Mon/Wed sorry about that. The workout is a 3 supersets such as squat/row, lunge/press and step up/abs.
You know, lately I start to think if it is really necessary to push our muslces and joints this hard. I too always thought: the harder and heavier, the better. I don't think now that my body really needs all this stress, I opt for exercise that spares my joints and does not stress my adrenals too much. But everyone is different, so if you feel great after the workout and have no problem recovering, then it is good for you. I know that everytime I lift heavy, not only my Bgs will spike high but I also get too much adrenalin going and then cortisol "to chase it down". But YMMV.

Regarding my protein, I eat about 6oz at lunch and dinner and 3 eggs for breakfast, unless I skip breakfast.
I got so sick of eating eggs that now my M-F BF is either a cup of cottage cheese (no salt /dry curd) or a bowl of plain yougurt sometimes wih bran cracker, and 1/2 grapefruit. I eat eggs on weekend only, and it makes for 2-3 eggs a week. After years of LC diet, I developed some sort of avertion to eggs, I used to eat them almost daily. My workout buddies are all about my age or older and I have a hard time keeping up.
it depends, they may have been working out much longer than you, have no diabetes, and not overweight. it does make a difference, but give yourself a pat in a back, you trying very hard.;)

The reason I haven’t lost more weight is cheating. That old ‘food is my friend’ thing. NOT. That’s why I’ve been working on how I think about food. I’m getting better.
I never thought food is my enemy, I see food as source of energy, vitamin, nutrients, and one of life's pleasures. I eat when I am hungry and I like variety of colors and flavors on my plate. Your "cheating" can be normal eating for someone else, as I finally realized, any long term diet will lead to "cheats". it is normal for us to crave fruits, veggies, fat, dairy, meat, etc. This is why I stopped punishing myself for craving an apple, berries, tomatoe, even mango, berries, nothing wrong with whole unrefined produce just watch the quantity. I also noticed that eating more produce keeps me full with less calories, while strict low carbing produces opposite result, and I constantly overeat protein and fat. I just do not eat refined, fried, and junk food of any kind, even if it is low carb. Food is my friend and always will be. I always plan ahead, always discuss what we will have for dinner tomorrow, eating variety of food daily. All you need to know, is when to stop and put the fork down. I don't think about food much, I just cook and eat, and nothing is wrong with this approach IMO.:) May be if you be less strict with produce, you will eat less overall. Strict LCing for me always results in binging on produce after few weeks, so I just add some every day, and does not make much sense in Bgs control. I just avoid grains, sweets, and most starches.
Best,
D.

[unitydkn]

There are degrees of diabetes. I know my diabetes is much worse than a lot of other diabetics. So bad, that even though I eat a cheat-free low carb diet of 30 net g of carbs per day or less, inject insulin, and take metformin and actos, my blood sugar numbers are still too high, ranging in the 115 - 175 range daily.
Some diabetics, especially those controlled by diet alone, wonder how that can be. Why my results aren't as "good" as their results. I've wondered myself. This paragraph, and this article, although frightening, at least explains why. Thank you.

I do take vitamins and supplements, chosen to target the needs of diabetics, but there are some mentioned above I've never heard of.

Despite weight loss, proper diet, medication and supplementation, I see now I still may not be doing enough to "save" myself. I plan to look more into these topics and check out more of Jon Barrons writings.

Thanks again.
my mother is the same as you