Hi I am a type 2 diabetic. I was on Glyburide for 1 year then added Metformin trying to control sugars. Of course I followed the traditional 60% carb, low fat diet. I excercised alot! 6km power walking every day and weights everyother.

After 2 years of of that I still was not in great control and was made to feel at fault. I have been through two doctors who reacted the same way when my sugars went high "What are you doing wrong?"

Well I got severely depressed and felt so incredibly guilty. I was also convinced that nothing would help and would therefore die sooner rather that later. So...

I gave in and ate anything I wanted. I nearly killed myself as a result. My fasting sugars were running at 32 and up. So high that a monitor did not register. I was turning into a skeleton.

The doc (we call him doctor D'oh) put me on insulin and needless to say my weight jumped from 120 to 160 in 1 1/2 months.

I have managed to get the weight down to 148 but my sugars are still bad.

Does anyone out there eat a no carb meal, only protein such as eggs, bacon, canned tuna, and still have their sugars go up by as much as 10 points. ie. I can be at a normal 5-6 reading and jump to 18. I don't get it?!~%$

I have been following low carb on and off for a year. Yes I cheat on a regular basis but even when I don't I find the sugar readings are still out of whack.

No, my new doc is not wildly enthusiastic. I have searched and found no doc who is. So I am doing this solo so far.

Anyone got any ideas? I sure could use some.

Is Dr. Bernstein's book as good as everyone says it is? I don't want to fork out more money on books that are utterly useless.

Hi AJ!

Yes, Dr. Bernstein's book really is that good. I literally credit it with saving my life. Something you should know about cheats when you're a diabetic...they can mess your blood sugars up for a couple of days afterwards, not just right after you cheat. I'd suggest that you get the book and follow the plan exactly for at least two weeks...NO CHEATS! It may take some time for your blood sugars to stabilize and once they start coming down, be aware that your medications will likely need to be adjusted. It's best to have your doctor on your side with this, but for sure let him know if your blood sugars start dropping too low.
IMHO most type 2's who are insulin really don't need to be on insulin...they need to be on low carb. I've been doing this for about 18 months now and have taken my HgA1C from 11.8 to 5.6 and my post meal blood sugars rarely go up more than 30 points (I think that would be about 2.5 on your meeter). I was on 1000 mg. of Glucophage daily, now I need none. Not all diabetics can get off their medications following low carb, but they can certainly reduce their need for them if they can stay away from carby goodies.
If you blood sugars are jumping that much after a no carb meal, how much protein are you eating at one time? Excess protein CAN be converted to glucose. You may want to experiment with increasing your fat intake (fat has no effect on your blood sugars) and lowering your protein intake just a bit or check carefully for hidden carbs. Protein power suggests a minimum amount of protein to be about 0.6 grams of carb per pound of lean body mass. Good luck!