My doctor wants me to do low carb; need advice

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  • dittmarml
    dittmarml Posts: 351 Member
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    PS - I eat 10% fat, 15% protein (which I'd like to drop a bit more), 75% carbs.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    How low does your doc want you to go?

    Most full diabetics can achieve fine control with as much as 40% carbs (zone). You don't have to go as extreme as atkins or other ketogenic diets to achieve blood glucose control.
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
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    I think your best bet is to see / get a referral to a nutritionist, if you can. They should be able to give you some pretty solid advice in terms of specific changes that you can make... Things like carbs per serving, specific foods & ingredients to choose & avoid, saturated fat limits per meal, etc.

    In general, what you want to stay away from is probably white flour, processed foods, and added sugar... If the ingredients list has sugar, cane sugar, honey, corn syrup, high fuctose corn syrup, etc. then you want to avoid it, or minimize it.
  • Anaconda62
    Anaconda62 Posts: 181
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    Watch the movie Forks Over Knives on Netflix, or rent it on Amazon. That movie will open your eyes to other options.

    Remember...Dr Atkins died of a heart attack....he's the same dr that promised eating fats and meats would prevent heart disease.

    No -- he didn't. He had a heart attack, yes. But that was way before his death. He died because he fell on icy pavement.
  • TheDreadPirateRoberts
    TheDreadPirateRoberts Posts: 225 Member
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    Personally I would follow your doctors advice and I would not ask for a second opinion from a bunch of untrained people on an internet web site.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    Watch the movie Forks Over Knives on Netflix, or rent it on Amazon. That movie will open your eyes to other options.

    Remember...Dr Atkins died of a heart attack....he's the same dr that promised eating fats and meats would prevent heart disease.

    You might want to google Dr Atkins, I did....this is what wikipedia had to say...

    Heart attack
    Atkins suffered a cardiac arrest in April 2002, leading many of his critics to point to this episode as proof of the inherent dangers of the consumption of high levels saturated fat associated with the Atkins diet. In numerous interviews, however, Atkins stated that his heart attack was not the result of poor diet, but was rather caused by a chronic infection.[7] Atkins' personal physician and cardiologist, Dr. Patrick Fratellone, confirmed this assertion, saying "We have been treating this condition, cardiomyopathy, for almost two years. Clearly, [Atkins'] own nutritional protocols have left him, at the age of 71, with an extraordinarily healthy cardiovascular system." According to reports on CNN at the time of Atkins' convalescence, Dr. Clyde Yancy, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and a member of the American Heart Association's national board of directors reported that "despite the obvious irony, I believe there is a total disconnect between [Atkins'] cardiac arrest and the health approach he [Atkins] popularizes."[11]
    [edit]Death

    On April 8, 2003, at age 72, a day after a major snowstorm in New York, Atkins slipped on icy pavement, suffering severe head trauma. He spent nine days in intensive care, before dying on April 17, 2003 from complications from his head injury.[12] Atkins' work inspired a whole new tendency in dietetics, and many companies released low-carb diets and low-carb foods.[13]
  • Amy_B
    Amy_B Posts: 2,323 Member
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    Thank you for all the advice! I think I will check out more clean eating books and the South Beach Diet to see what will fit best with my lifestyle. I know I've not done too well with sugar this past year (eating more than I should), so either or both of these should help. I'm sure they'll help with my waist line too.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    Thank you for all the advice! I think I will check out more clean eating books and the South Beach Diet to see what will fit best with my lifestyle. I know I've not done too well with sugar this past year (eating more than I should), so either or both of these should help. I'm sure they'll help with my waist line too.

    I LOVE COOKBOOKS! If you're looking for just some nice, clean eating ones, check out Everyday Paleo, Paleo Comfort Foods, and Make It Paleo. I love the jambalaya in the PCF book!
  • konerusp
    konerusp Posts: 247 Member
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    As long as you are on low glycemic foods you should be fine.My dad had diabetes,he cut out white rice and all white flour/bread etc.He switched to brownrice/wheat bread etc.he could turn it around within 2 months of diagnosis. Low GI is the key for persons with risk of diabetes.
  • healthybabs
    healthybabs Posts: 531 Member
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    Another reader suggested seeking out the advice of a nutrtionist. I did that a couple of months ago and working with her has been very eye opening. She did a full assessment including consideration of "my life"... what can i realistically do. Like you I have heart disease in my family as well and sadly last year lost my brother at age 56 to a massive heart attack. I am fortunate my local YMCA has an excellent nutritionist on staff, check at your local Y if you have one. Their services are included in the price of membership.
    One size does not fit all, you need to find what is going to work best for you. A good read for you might be Dr. Furhman's Eat to Live and also look into the DASH diet plan which is recommended for heart risk folks like us. Good luck in whatever you choose, you have come so far already!! Congrats.
  • blandwriter
    blandwriter Posts: 50 Member
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    My doctor specifically recommended South Beach. It's good to read one of Arthur Agatston's books to understand the underlying principles behind the low (or, in my case, lower) carb way.

    I'm not ever going to be the kind of person who can cook cauliflower and pretend its mashed potatoes. So I focus on taking what I like and adapting it. I've been doing this since January and had my four-month check up in mid-May, my doctor was extremely pleased with my progress. Not just on the scale, but my cholesterol and A1C improved substantially.

    Read up, then try making some incremental changes.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    I would do as he suggests. Check out Atkins and South Beach forums (there are many) since those are the ones he recommended specifically. Read everything you can. Of course you could go buy some books that the diets are based on, too. (Guiltily promises to buy an Atkins book sometime in the near future). But you can definitely get started with information already out there for free.
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
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    What is the basis as to why he wants you to make this change? Is it temporary? Never be afraid to ask. You could be borderline Diabetic and he may want to see how your 1AC test results come out with the change.

    Diabetes is a b!tch. And the simplest of carbs can through you out of whack.
  • newme34209
    newme34209 Posts: 1
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    Low carb doesn't mean no carb. It was how I started with my weight loss. After being on low carb for a year ALL my labs were improved. Its really not as hard as you might think. Eat lots of veggies - non starch types. Cut out ALL bread, rice, potatoes. Limit fruit to 2/day. Here is an example of what I ate:
    Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs and 3 slices of microwaved bacon
    lunch: Hamburger pattie with large salad loaded with veggies
    Dinner: Grilled asparagus, chicken breast
    Snacks: 1 oz cheese, celery with light cream cheese, porkskins, Atkins low carb bar

    There are LOTs of low carb options out there now. Go to the Atkins website for more information and support. They will send you the plan and sample products for FREE. There's no membership cost for their website. They also have a facebook page that is very helpful. Good luck!
  • Amy_B
    Amy_B Posts: 2,323 Member
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    Thanks for all the advice.

    He said he wants me to start doing this now (I think forever) since I am young (31), and it's easier to make that change when younger. Plus, then I won't end up with all those health problems later on.
  • ABaggett2010
    ABaggett2010 Posts: 33 Member
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    Amy I just started keto Friday and was kinda tired and run down at first. But today I went back to Zumba and had a great workout. I have my carbs set for 5% but you may not want to go that low. Get into it gradually and see how it affects you
  • Alisha_countrymama
    Alisha_countrymama Posts: 821 Member
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    Howdy! I've lost all my weight doing Low Carb. I follow the Atkins diet and I love it, so does my doctor. If you have any questions I'd love to answer them! :)
  • sailorsiren13
    sailorsiren13 Posts: 460
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    I have been mixing South Beach with the Perfect 10 and when i'm following very strict i feel amazing right now i'm struggling because i like to have my sweets after dinner. But i don't have pms, cramps, or migraines. Hope this helps and good luck to you.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    Watch the movie Forks Over Knives on Netflix, or rent it on Amazon. That movie will open your eyes to other options.

    Remember...Dr Atkins died of a heart attack....he's the same dr that promised eating fats and meats would prevent heart disease.

    No -- he didn't. He had a heart attack, yes. But that was way before his death. He died because he fell on icy pavement.
    After he had a heart attack a year before.
    Robert Atkins was in terrible health.
  • jojojo909090
    jojojo909090 Posts: 205 Member
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    Remember...Dr Atkins died of a heart attack....he's the same dr that promised eating fats and meats would prevent heart disease.

    Err. no he didn't:

    On April 8, 2003, at age 72, Dr. Atkins slipped on the ice while walking to work, hitting his head and causing bleeding around his brain. He lost consciousness on the way to the hospital, where he spent two weeks in intensive care. His body deteriorated rapidly and he suffered massive organ failure. During this time, his body apparently retained an enormous amount of fluid, and his weight at death was recorded at 258 pounds. His death certificate states that the cause of death was "blunt impact injury of head with epidural hematoma".

    In 2000, Dr. Atkins developed cardiomyopathy, an incurable heart condition which has quite a few different causes. His was thought to be from a viral illness, and his physician stated at the time that there was no evidence that his diet contributed to the condition. His coronary arteries were reported to have been checked at that time and found to be free of blockages.

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