My husband has type II diabetes and was recommended by his Doctor to quit Atkins and go on low fat diet due to his diabetes and having a greater risk for heart disease. Hubby has been doing this for a few months and is tired all the time, he is hungry all the time, and has severe mood swings. He wants to go back on Atkins.
My question is: How can we incorporate his doctor's wishes for low fat, but also keep the low carb part? Are there any books out there for the Type II diabetic's need for low carb and low fat diets? Anyone with any suggestions please respond. In the mean time, I will be digging through my low carb cook books and counters to find all the recipes and food that he should be eating on his "Low Carb, Low Fat Way of Eating"

Hi, I am worried about this dr of yours. You are posting this on the Dr Bernstein thread, have you read his book? especially the appendix entitled "what about dietary restrictions on fat, protein and salt?" if you haven't you can read it online at http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com. Atkins says you cannot do lc and lowfat. Dr Bernstein is even more emphatic, you CANNOT keep bg's under good control without low-carb. You cannot fill up the rest of your diet with protein, that leaves fat. Here's the good news - "Independent studies in Texas and California demonstrated lower levels of blood sugar AND IMPROVED BLOOD LIPIDS when patients were put on lower-carbohydrate, high-fat diets. It was also shown that for every 1% increase in Ac1, total serum cholesterol rose 2.2% and triglycerides increased 8%." "the evidence is now simply overwhelming that elevated blood sugar is the major cause of the high serum lipid levels among diabetics, and more significantly, the major factor in the high rates of various heart and vascular diseases associated with diabetes." In other words his doc is asking him to forget about good bg control, for the dubious benefits of a lowfat diet, which in my own case lowered my good cholesterol to the danger point, put the triglycerides through the roof, and put my ac1 at 7.2. Let this dr earn his money, read the chapter, he/she won't want to spend off hours doing that, but if she can refute any of what he says, and he's got the studies and his clinical experience, then go low fat. In most cases of diabetics going lc, and you can read cases here and on the Dr B page, blood sugars improve, people take far less meds or sometimes none, and lipid profiles improve to. the standard ADA diet just doesn't do that, oral meds, insulins, statins, blood pressure lowering med, weight gain, no thanks. I wish there were more drs following Dr B's approach, as it is, we have to go against them, show them our good ac1 readings, they know in their hearts they could never get us there even with industrial doses of meds.Also read the site called "Cholesterol Myths" by Uve Ravsknov, you will quit worrying about fat. Best wishes,Bill P.S, I 've posted it before, but if you like I will tell you about MY experience with the Ornish lowfat "treatment"

Hello

I to am type2 diabetic I just had a heart attack 2 weeks ago
While in the hospital they fed me the lowfat diabetic-cardio diet
needless to say every night when they took my bg it was into the 200s
and I would require a shot of insulin.

On our way home from the hospital we stopped at walmart and bougt Atkins book and I started LCing that very day
The next morning I checked my bg and it was down to 140(that was good for me since it was usually 160-180)

I had an appointment with my GP that day so I took the book with me and informed him that I wanted to try it,And I showed him the chapter about diabetes. He took a good long look at it thumbed through the book some then said(rather reluctanly) sure give it a try and he would start checking for ketones and watch for my results.

Any way my results are this I now check my bg 4 times a day
when I wake up and 2 hours after meals.
I have been documenting my numbers in excel and they have never been better my morning bg runs average 142 breakfast 124 lunch 117 dinner 111
I cant ask for better than this.
Also My meds have decreased from 4 glysets a day(hospital cardiologist added 1 gloucovage to my intake)
to just 3 metformin a day and I think after my doctor sees my results he will drop it down some more(fingers crossed)
The thing is I quess I'm lucky to have such a supportive Dr and I will sure be proud to so him the results (Maybe I will convince him that low-carb is the way to go for diabetics)

I will not be so niave that I will be taken off my meds right away but hopefully as my weight goes down I will.
Also my Blood preasure Is way down too. Finally saw my diastolic under 80 yesterday on my blood pressure monitor(usually measures high compared to Drs)

To sum this up If I never lose another pound I will continue this WOL just because of the BG control it gives me

And as a finale thought I tried all the eating plans givin to me by various Drs and dieticians and they never worked

Maybe you might try another Dr more open-minded to LCing

Good Luck on whatever you decide to do

Wow Kevjol,
What an amazing story. So sorry for your heart attack. I know that you will find your BS going down over the course of your LC WOL. Atkins is a good place to start, I started on PP but have, read Dr B's book as well. The really great thing about DR B is he has been T1 for over 50 years and he has formulated his plan with himself being his trial patient. The only reason I mention this is that although plans like Atkins and PP can work well for diabetics, it is interesting to compare what Dr B has to say about certain areas regerding good control, and how to achieve it. (for example both previous plans mentioned don't really tell how sugar alcohols can still cause BS to rise, in some ppl). Dr B touts achieving a very small varience of BGL around the clock, 85-90 is the figure he recommends for TII's. It is a process of trial and error and can take months to achieve which I have yet to achieve myself. I urge you to browse his book online atleast, as well there is a forum there if you have any questions.
Congratulations for taking control of your diabetes care, I hope your health continues to improve.

The only fats your husband (and the dr ) should be worried about are TRANS fats, which are made from processed and hydrogenated oils. Natural fats from meat, egg yolks, real butter, olive oil, avocadoes, raw nuts and seeds and their unrefined oils have proven health benefits beyond simply providing caloric energy.

Low-fat and low-carb do not mix.

Please check out the links in alaskaman's post .. especially to Dr. Bernstein's http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com site. There are chapters from his book posted there, and numerous scientific articles and research papers. You may also wish to check out his book "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution" ... your library may have a copy which you can borrow. The newest edition, updated and expanded, has been published very recently as well .. and worth every penny, IMHO



Good luck to you and your husband


Doreen

Yes, you can. And you must. To quote Dr. Bernstein:

"I have long maintained that diabetics are entitled to the same blood sugars as nondiabetics. But it is up to us to see that we achieve this goal." -Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, Chapter 24.

Normal blood sugars will reverse complications, even long term ones, and even mildly elevated blood sugars will create diabetic complications over the long term.

Hi kevjol...I hope by this you have managed to find time to visit DR B's site..if you want more encouragement/views join his forum as well. Everything said previously is good advice..sounds as tho' you are doing well now. I wouldn't be in a hurry to get off metformin as it's sole job is to make your body more sensitive to your insulin..and that has to be a big plus. Don't have a 'guilt trip' if you don't always meet DrA's/DrB's carb counts...no need to rush things !!

2onAtkins...I hope you both have made acquaintance with Dr B as well...I am T1 and have found it very useful. To date I haven't met all his targets, but they are sure a lot closer than when I started..and the best thing is, they are pretty reasonable targets. If low fat High carb was good for us, the world wouldn't be in this much trouble healthwise...been plenty of time to prove it.

Eve

I agree w/ you 100% Eve. I think Kevjol is doing amazingly well, what a difference from b4. We all have this disease for life, so making slow steady changes is not unwarranted. Those low numbers are easier said than done, so best to march on in the right direction.

Here is an article, that I'd like to share:

http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/diabetes.html

Especially note the segment highlighted in red under the subheading But the Evidence Says

Thanks for all the advise everyone. I do need to read Dr. Bernstein's information regarding Diabetes. I admit that I am not familiar with it.
My husband does think he is sensitive to the sugar alcohols and should watch them. I agree that he needs to find a doctor that agrees with the low carb way of eating. Does anyone know a good way to find out about a doctor's preferences regarding low carb diets? My doctor, who is a different doctor than my husband's, admits to not knowing much about the low carb diet, but did not discourage me from staying with it. We would both like to find a doctor that is knowledgeable about low carb lifestyles.

Lo

I have yet to find one in this metro area (I live in Gaithersburg, MD) who's on board. My physician is slowly coming around, but it will take a while. At least I got her to read the book.

I even called Dr. B's office in an effort to get a recommendation of any colleagues of his practicing low carb treatments in this area. I was told that they know of no physicians in any area espousing his methods.

I'm going for my yearly checkup next week. I'll let you know how she's progressing.

I got a new doctor (primary care) last week. My old one was the one who recommended that I have oj, skim milk, and cheerios for breakfast. My new one says it would be extremely difficult to eat too few carbs when you are type 2 and trying to lose weight. He said he remembered being taught the old high carb diet back in med school and wondering "why would we give carbs to a diabetic when that is what causes the high blood sugar?" He says cholesterol, weight, and blood sugar can all be taken care of by low carb. He had not heard of Dr B.
I found him by asking around among friends and acquaintances for a doctor who is open to new info, has actually read something since graduation, and cares. This one seems to fit the bill perfectly.
You have to be specific when asking about a doctor. Some people think a doctor is great if he just pats them on the arm and tells them evething is great. Other people like to be more involved in their own care and want a more informed doctor. It took me a year of asking around to find this one but I think it was worth the effort.
PS - He nodded and wrote down when I told him I was taking ALA and EPO - like he had heard of it and approved!

I have been studying this board and have been to Dr B's
website. I will be ordering his book this payday and am looking forward to reading it.
Also my wife heard Dr B on on of our local TV stations today and was impressed enough to tell me about him.
She didn't know I was already on the case.

I figure I will read his book and incorporate his advice into my life, after all every little bit helps and knowledge is power.

Thanks for all the advice and rest assured it did not fall on deaf ears(or eyes)

I've went on the Atkins maintenance diet 4 months ago without knowing that is what I was doing as my hubby just bought me the book last week. I was using my blood sugar monitor and eating what kept the numbers good. My A1c never got better and cholesterol and triglycerides were too high. I've battled high cholesterol for 8 years and have been on Lipitor for 2 years and my A1c was 6.1 with medication. I was eating by the ADA diet for diabetes and very low fat. Since changing my eating to include fats mainly, my lab work just came in and my cholesterol has dropped to 147 from 188 and A1c dropped to 5.6 from 6.1. My HDL is nearly above normal and LDL has dropped. I wish I had known about this before and hadn't tried to follow the ADA diet.

I am on diabetic groups and some of them tell me I'm killing myself eating this way. The say "It's like peeing in your pants in a blizzard. It will keep you warm for a while but cause worse problems down the line." They tell me I'm destroying my kidneys which are a problem area for most diabetics eventually.

So punt! All my numbers are good now but I'm scared.

I'm following low carb because it keeps my blood sugar down. Keeping your blood sugar down also keeps your triglycerides down (except when you are actively losing weight)

Will my relatively high protein and fat diet cause heart trouble? I don't think so based on the latest studies. HOWEVER, it is a proven fact that high carb and the resulting high blood sugar causes blindness, heart disease, loss of limbs and all around horrible quality of life - just for starters. I'm not a gambler and I'm really not willing to gamble on my health so have studied and learned as much as possible about diabetes and make my choices based on the latest info available - not something learned forty years ago in med school.

Everyone with diabetes owes it to himself to study everything he can find and make his own decisions based on knowledge. A lot of people eat high carb because in the beginning it can be very difficult to make the switch to low carb. It is easier to eat high carb and if that is what floats their boats, so be it. Those people are generally willing to accept higher blood sugars than most of the people here. You owe it to yourself to do what you believe is best for YOU based on facts.

I have a friend who is thrilled with a FBG of 140. He is not willing to give up carby foods. I do not bug him about his diet. He is a grown man and has not asked for my advice - and I do hate a food Nazi!

Keep reading and studying until you know you are doing what is best for you.