When I went to a VA diabetes nutrition class (which goes along with the ADA) it was hard to keep my mouth shut. Here were all these overweight, unhealthy people (including myself), and we were being told we should eat whole grain bread, brown rice, beans, even the occasional dessert! And of course, almost all fat is evil. The instructor said that a very low carb diet was "unrealistic." I should have told her about this site!

And I was told to not check my BG more often than first thing in the morning. I agree with Dr. Bernstein - you can't have tight control if you don't know what your blood sugar is.

I've mentioned before a dying acquaintance who no longer has his legs. He says "no one told him" about the affects of uncontrolled diabetes. I believe him. I wasn't told either - not by medical people at any rate. It was our mechanic's wife who told me about low carb and advised reading Dr. Bernstein's books. Her husband has a disease that will eventually kill him, but a strict low carb diet has kept him alive and active for many years longer than his relatives with the same disease.

Bonnie,
I ran into this problem as well when I was referred to the Diabetes Clinic. Part of their 'program' is that you have to attend nutrition classes and, if you aren't compliant, they kick you from the program. I told them up front that I would not be compliant on their diet because I'd be taking massive doses of insulin and still have difficulty controlling my BG. This was after doing 3 months of Bernstein and watching my numbers go from over 300 to around 100 without medication.

Yep...constantly. I have a number of diabetics in the family who, based on some of their neuropathies, have been undiagnosed for years...and who still say they can't do low carb because they 'can't live without their pop, lattes, cupcakes, etc.'. I simply say, "you will one day because your lifestyle will end up killing you" and then move on because until it is important to *them*, nothing I say will make a bit of difference.

Elfie and Bonnie.

I just saw my niece classic weight gain of insulin resistance all around the mid section, legs are skinny.

She had blood work done and the doctor said her FBG was 140. That she was not diabetic and just needed to change her eating. But I guarantee he advised her wrong. going to send her a link the low carb and dr b's book, so she cna be better informed.

He is right she needs to change her eating, but she is at least insulin resistant, if not diabetic. She ordered her own A1C.

We will see what it comes back as.

But after discussing this with her the next day she had one of those big cans of Monster drinks? how many carbs in those?

Aren't some of those drinks no calorie?

hey papa,

Yeah they are. But the ones I saw they had in their hands didn't say low carb or sugar free or zero, which I think are the versions out there for low/no calories.