Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution

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okulyd
okulyd Posts: 147 Member
Anyone read Dr. Bernstein's book? Anyone ever tried to follow his plan?

I just read the book last night. Its very good especially if you are new to diabetes. Dr. Bernstein is type I himself so lots of what he writes is what has worked for him. Anyway...he recommends cutting carbs to nearly nothing. Just wondering if anyone is actually able to do this? If so do you feel better? Do you have better control?

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  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Personally, I'm not a fan of ketosis diets. I noticed that I develop ketones very easily when I'm not receiving insulin (I had a 219 BG a few months ago with moderate ketones after a bent cannula). All ketosis diets will do is make it more difficult for me to identify whether I am peeing out ketones because of eating low-carb, or if I am peeing out ketones because of a pump issue.

    I prefer to keep my carbs/boluses to about 35-40% of my TDD (about 150g of carbs).
  • tycoon460
    tycoon460 Posts: 28 Member
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    Wouldn't that be an Atkins type diet? I would think without the carbs it would be much easier to fill up on foods high in saturated fats which could lead to higher risk of heart disease.
  • okulyd
    okulyd Posts: 147 Member
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    Dr. Bernstein claims that high protein low carb diets actually caused improved cholesterol thus reducing heart disease. I think probably everyone is different and you have to try to see if your numbers improve or get worse. I haven't tried ketosis but I have had good luck keeping carbs to 45g per meal.

    I haven't been concerned about ketones mostly because every time I check they are negative. Abatonfan brings up a good point. I wouldn't want to have to worry about the cause of them if I were to ever get them.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    Since LDL cholesterol comes from animal products, I can't imagine why LCHF would improve cholesterol. I once had a cholesterol test that was off the charts (I don't remember exactly, but I want to say close to 400). So the doctor asked what I had eaten... the answer was chicken. I had a whole lot of chicken the day before the test. Since then, I don't eat so much animal products prior to a cholesterol test and it all works out well. Last September, my LDL was 26... best it's ever been.
  • carolinatx
    carolinatx Posts: 58 Member
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    I have tried the Low carb diet - and by low carb, I mean 90 or less per day - maybe that's not truly low by the LCHF standards, but I personally don't enjoy it. I like to have carbs, I feel healthy carbs are a good thing to have in your body - including fiber rich foods, that by nature - have carbs. I have found that I can still control my diabetes by having the usda recommended 50/30/20 macros most days and I'm a much happier person this way.
  • jamie_lee80
    jamie_lee80 Posts: 176 Member
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    i've been researching the crap out of this book lately and I finally broke down and ordered it. I am not very far along yet but I have to say, I am really taking what Dr. Bernstein says to heart. The man is 80 years old and in incredible health. He was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 12 back before people even had glucometers and the tools that we have to manage our condition today. I find it incredible that he is still alive and kicking when T1D was a death sentence for most back then. For the past few days i've managed to keep my total carb count for the day under 60 grams, once I finish the book I am going to give his plan a shot for a few months and see what happens. I am so frustrated with my unpredictable highs and lows that I have to do something drastic, calorie counting is not working for me. I'll check back with you guys and tell you how my numbers are trending. I have an appointment with my endo at the end of this month so i'll have a good comparison of my numbers now vs my numbers after following this plan for a few months.
  • brittster52
    brittster52 Posts: 28 Member
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    Hi! I've been a type 1 diabetic for 20 years and between all the different diet plans I've tried I have to say low carb is by far the easiest form of control for me. I'm down to about 3 shots a day. I don't get bloated anymore. Now if I have a low of course I go to the usual peanut butter crackers and I have noticed that I tend to crash quicker during a low but all and all its the best option for me