Any type 2 diabetics using Atkins?

I'm a type 1, which is quite different really... and I don't do Atkins as such, but I do stick to low carb. Not drastically low (under 100g per day, generally 50 or less). It's a VERY good thing to do to help your pancreas!! It does need to be a way of life though, not a diet.
Once you know your pancreas is struggling, as you do when you've been diagnosed with type 2 or pre-diabetes, it makes sense to go easy on the carbs.
Lots of people don't get it, some see it as a fad diet or whatever, but it's what your body needs - so yes, I highly recommend it.

I know how overwhelming being diagnosed can be (I've been there). You're still trying to get used to the fact and wanting to do anything you can to reduce your blood sugar. What you need to do is think long term. After a while, believe it or not, you may not be as motivated to control your blood sugar as you are now and whatever strategy you commit to needs to account for that and to become a daily routine that happens without mental effort.

Atkins is a good way to control your carbs and lower your medication doses. Weight loss is another (some cases even go into remission after serious weight loss). Try it out for a month or two and re-evaluate. Do you see yourself eating this way comfortably for the rest of your life? If yes, then you've found what works for you long term. If not, then you may need to change your strategy to something that may be easier to turn into a mindless habit because consistency is the most important thing for diabetes management.

One thing to keep in mind if you do decide Atkins is a viable lifelong commitment: if you end up on insulin, don't count carbs the way Atkins does for your insulin dosing. Atkins tends to ignore quite a few carbs in the form of fiber and call it "net carbs". While that works for a person who is looking to lose weight it could create dosage problems for a diabetic on insulin.

professionalHobbyist wrote: »

GemmaMcErlean wrote: »

I'm looking for more effect on the diabetes, though weight loss will come from that. Honestly I haven't been prescribed any particular way of eating as yet.

Thanks for the link:)

Over a 2 year span I have reversed my type 2 diabetes.

In a nutshell I did what some would call a clean sensible version of the Paleo diet.

Eating lots of good healthy vegetables, no bread, pasta, rice of any kind, and very little grain based food.

The meat I ate was lean, lots of fish and chicken

That diet got me off high blood pressure medicine, total cholesterol under 130, and reversed my diabetes.

And as a side bonus lost over 115 lbs in 15 months. 20 more to go!

It can be done.

Remember, all carbs turn to sugar once digested. Don't believe the "good carb" hype. For non diabetics that is true. For a diabetic vegetable based carbs are most efficient and still limit them.

Also check out a topic called digestive burden of food. It takes more calories to digest and process some foods than others. Some fibrous vegetables are almost net zero calories after digestive burden is factored in

You can do it!

Feel free to friend me if you would like to get a little more detail.

I'm in this for life!!

I'm glad you did well for yourself and found a way that helped you lose weight and improve your health, but it's the weight loss that got you off your medications, not being Paleo. I corrected my blood sugar and cholesterol eating a moderate carb diet (between 120g and 220g) that included sugar and starches in moderation and consisted mostly of grains and dairy. The reason my blood sugar is in the normal range now is because I lost a lot of weight. The way I did it had nothing to do with it. I did have to be careful not to consume more than 40 grams of carbs at one setting to avoid high spikes, but it was more sustainable for me than cutting out high carb foods all together.

What people need to understand is that sustainability is everything when it comes to diabetes. A diabetic can't afford to "fall off the wagon" because "the diet is too stressful". That's why it should be a personal quest to find the most sustainable way instead of this diet or that diet.

It should also be mentioned that not everyone will go into remission after losing weight. Although there will be improvements, a lot of people will still be diabetic at goal weight. So, OP, if you happen to be one of them don't feel like you've done something wrong. Your prognosis as a diabetic normal weight person is still much better than an overweight diabetic.

Yes, extreme carb restriction can cause you to lose weight quickly. Yes, it can make your blood sugar numbers appear better. But, eating below 40% carbohydrates for a long period can also damage your health in a big way, and you won't know it for a long time. Got a family member who did it.

I was prediabetic for 35 years, finally tipped over this year. I picked up a book called the 2-day Diabetes Diet, read it, found it sensible and tried it. It requires 4 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of fruit, and 2 servings of dairy every day. The other groups (protein, fat, and starches/whole grains) are changed depending upon which of two phases (fast or non-fast) you are in that day. I am losing weight at about 1-2 lb a week, but the biggest change has come in my fasting blood sugar. My 30-day average has dropped 3 points in the last week. When I started, I just wanted to get it back below 110 (been 134 for 5-6 years). Now I want (and expect) to get it back into the normal range (below 100).

If you want to do a special diet to help your diabetes, do yourself a favor and pick one based on science rather than anecdote like Atkins. Losing weight by calorie restriction with sensible macros will help diabetes in most individuals, but it won't happen overnight.

Clinical experinece by a doctor - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pdi.1835/abstract or full text

yarwell wrote: »

Weight loss doesn't guarantee improvements to diabetes


from http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/5/1/36

I beg to differ. Although weight loss does not guarantee a lowered blood sugar, especially for those who have had it for years (already progressed from insulin resistance to insulin insufficiency), it does improve many health markers and complications related to diabetes as well as mortality. A short study which only lead to modest weight loss (less than 10% of weight) does not prove anything regarding weight loss in relation to diabetes, and the design of the study was not focused on this outcome anyway.

amusedmonkey wrote: »

yarwell wrote: »

Weight loss doesn't guarantee improvements to diabetes


from http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/5/1/36

I beg to differ. Although weight loss does not guarantee a lowered blood sugar, especially for those who have had it for years (already progressed from insulin resistance to insulin insufficiency), it does improve many health markers and complications related to diabetes as well as mortality. A short study which only lead to modest weight loss (less than 10% of weight) does not prove anything regarding weight loss in relation to diabetes, and the design of the study was not focused on this outcome anyway.

Well there were 15 subjects losing weight with no improvement (or decline) in HbA1C, about 20% of the study population (presumably a bigger proportion of the completers). This included the three "biggest losers" at 20 kg+ of loss.

It may have been complicated by a large number of the subjects reducing medication, but the focus on weight loss for diabetics seems a bit myopic.

yarwell wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

yarwell wrote: »

Weight loss doesn't guarantee improvements to diabetes


from http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/5/1/36

I beg to differ. Although weight loss does not guarantee a lowered blood sugar, especially for those who have had it for years (already progressed from insulin resistance to insulin insufficiency), it does improve many health markers and complications related to diabetes as well as mortality. A short study which only lead to modest weight loss (less than 10% of weight) does not prove anything regarding weight loss in relation to diabetes, and the design of the study was not focused on this outcome anyway.

Well there were 15 subjects losing weight with no improvement (or decline) in HbA1C, about 20% of the study population (presumably a bigger proportion of the completers). This included the three "biggest losers" at 20 kg+ of loss.

It may have been complicated by a large number of the subjects reducing medication, but the focus on weight loss for diabetics seems a bit myopic.

Something must be lost in translation here. Blood sugar reduction is not guaranteed, which I addressed earlier even before your post. Those who have been diabetic for a short period and are overweight are more likely to experience reduction and even remission. Those who have already passed the threshold from resistance to insufficiency will not experience blood sugar reduction, and even if they did it would be negligible. What I'm trying to convey here that diabetics who were diagnosed when they were obese experience an improvement to their condition in terms of life expectancy and quality of life if they lose weight regardless of their blood glucose improvement (or lack of).

Note I'm no way disputing that carb control is essential for diabetics, but my earlier points were meant to highlight that consistency is more important than attempting to adhere to a diet that is too stressful or hard, hopping on and off the wagon. Inconsistency and yoyo carbing can produce huge blood spikes which are pretty dangerous. A slightly higher but steady baseline sugar reading which is well-controlled with medications is far better than wild variations.

ImitatetheSun wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

yarwell wrote: »

Weight loss doesn't guarantee improvements to diabetes


from http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/5/1/36

I beg to differ. Although weight loss does not guarantee a lowered blood sugar, especially for those who have had it for years (already progressed from insulin resistance to insulin insufficiency), it does improve many health markers and complications related to diabetes as well as mortality. A short study which only lead to modest weight loss (less than 10% of weight) does not prove anything regarding weight loss in relation to diabetes, and the design of the study was not focused on this outcome anyway.

Hear! Hear! Studies with small sample sizes, short durations and small changes in weight are more like thought experiments than hard science - you can use them as inspiration to try new things, but not to tell someone else that what they're doing is wrong.

Exactly. I remember a study done on about 5000 or so overweight people with type 2. The non-control lost an average of 30% of their body weight. They followed them for 10 years (if I'm not mistaken) which showed something in the neighborhood of 25% lower mortality rate in those who lost weight. Although no single study is a "proof" of anything, it appears weight loss is important for type 2 diabetics.