I am wondering how some of you started Dr.B's diet, did you immediately start going to 30 carbs a day or did it take some time to wean yourself into it? I find I have no problem low carbing it for breakfast, I find it harder during lunch and dinner. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Also, I prefer more vegetarian options (not vegetarian just more "flexitarian") I would like to hear some opinions on high animal protein vs. higher vegetable consumption. Thank You again and Happy Holidays to everyone!
I jumped right in at 30 carbs. Dr. B isn't high protein, but it is high fat. I was vegetarian for decades before diagnosed T1. It's near impossible to stay within his guidelines without animal protein. To get sufficient protein, you'd be eating a lot more carbs from vegetable sources. For lunch & dinner, I eat protein & low carb vegetables. There's an amazing array of low carb recipe sites to help you with creative & delicious meals. People think I live on meat & salad because that's what comes to mind:)
I am not strictly following Dr. B -- sort of using his philosophy as a guideline. It's partly because I'm a picky eater, and partly because I just can't bring myself to give up milk. So I'm aiming for 60g of carbs a day instead of 30, but so far, it's working quite well for me. I haven't had any trouble cutting out the grains and sweets, as long as I get enough protein. The body can use protein, carbohydrates and fats as sources of energy, but processed carbs (and even "whole" grains are very processed) are the easiest to digest, so it makes sense to me that if you're trying to eat low-carb and feeling a craving for carbs, your body is not getting enough energy from protein. This may be my theory only, but in my own experience, if I'm getting enough protein, I don't crave carbs at all, but if I slip on protein, I start craving carbs. The other thing that makes me crave carbs is when I'm depressed, which also makes sense, because carb consumption leads to increased dopamine in the brain, and dopamine stimulates the pleasure center, which would also explain why some people are literally addicted to carbs.
At any rate, I don't see anything wrong with getting your carbs from vegetables that have other good nutrients in them. I never heard of anyone pigging out on carrots, anyway! :-) I just really think it's important to get adequate protein, or else you'll be sabotaging yourself. You really don't need to go overboard on the protein foods, and there is enough variety to choose from that you shouldn't get bored. And our friend Gerri is a whiz at low-carb cooking, and can point you in various directions if there are foods that you really crave and would like a substitute for. Me, on the the other hand -- I would be perfectly happy eating Purina People Chow if it was tasty, so I eat only a very few foods, and manage pretty well on that.
So the real point is that you have only to try it out, and see what you can do -- lots of people to talk to you and give you their views, and you WILL figure out what works for you! :-)
Hi Kelly. as many know here I started my low carb diet 2 weeks ago. Came on this site a broken a frightened man! I food habits were a nightmare, and my BS would frequently go towards and over 200! I started on 1.000 Carbs a day. Just to have a starting bench mark. A point I my diet I would measure from that was not challenging. Three days I was down to 600-700. 400 is my goal for the new year! I'm enjoying eating healthier, but you look so slim. I have a lot of stored fat, so seems I have a safety belt, oh that's a terrible pun. But I guess you know what I mean! People here are so kind, knowledgeable, and generous with their time. Happy New Year.
I went cold turkey when I went low carb. Fast acting carbs like grains, potatoes and sugars cause cravings to eat more, due to the dopamine effect mentioned by Natalie. It only took a few days to get over the cravings by just stopping all at once.
Having said this, others take the opposite tack and also do well.
I started out by cutting food types. Right after I started reading Dr B’s book I modified what I ate. I also do follow his plan precisely and do not count every bite, but try to stay with salad, fruit, veg and meat. I could also eat pretty much the same thing most every day, in fact, I have had the same breakfast for most of the last year and a half. Pretty boring, but easy. I don’t make food a major focus in my life. I try to stay away from Reward food. I like my results and feel good, dropped significant weight and lowered my BG. Good luck and listen to experts like Gerri.
Thanks for all the replies. I don't think it will be as hard to follow on a day to day basis - holidays are going to be the challenges! I am just not used to eating a lot of meat, most days I don't eat breakfast and if I do it's eggs or yogurt. Lunch and dinner is either a salad or just a plain vegetable dish if I am cooking at home. I love butter so the fat part won't be bad! I only eat meat 3 or 4 times a week (1x a day) for one meat is so much more expensive than produce and I don't like dealing with marinating and seasoning it. Even though I do eat more vegetarian I avoid rice and pasta and bread.
I should really go through and read the book again, I quickly skimmed through pages over Christmas at the chapters that I was interested in at the time. It's kind of ironic that I when I read his book 6 years ago I thought it was impossible but in reality it makes a lot of sense and it's too bad not as many people at least try and follow his advice.
I eased into lower carb a few years ago, which for me has now become somewhat of a modified Paleo diet. Low carb, lots of lean protein, good fats, etc as others have stated. In addition, I also try to eat little to no processed food (this was a big adjustment but has more than paid off) I cut out breads and most starches (pretty much anything high on the glycemic scale). I try to work out 5-6 times a week. For me, I found I could workout 20 hours a day with no results when I wasn't eating well, it's all about what I put into my body that made the difference. About once a week I do go off it completely and have whatever I want for a meal or two, which helps with the mental aspect tremendously. After 3 years I find I get plenty to eat, don't feel deprived, and have cut my insulin needs in half. We are all different and 'd' affects us all differently, but it's working for me. There is a Paleo group here on TU, but here are some additional resources...
That is interesting you mention the paleo diet, I was doing the Warrior diet pretty heavily over the summer and i felt great but have been following a less restrictive version of it lately. Warrior is basically low carb and and fresh uncooked vegetables during the day. It's more of a light fasting diet during the day and a big meal at night. I like it and it works for me because I don't take a lunch hour during the day. As far as exercise, I love to work with kettlebells and I usually walk/run with my dog or cycle as other forms. Are there any TU members who like kettlebells too, I like trying new complexes.
Hi, Kelly! I've been on a low-carb diet for a couple of years. Something I found really helpful at first was shirataki noodles (also, kelp noodles). They are calorie-free and maybe take a bit of getting used to, but if you need to avoid pasta, they are a good way to get the FEEL of having noodles without the carbs.
You can buy them in many Asian markets (kelp noodles are easier to find in co-ops or hippie stores - I mean that lovingly). The off-putting thing about the noodles include a slight fishy smell at first, but if you rinse them and then par boil them or just cook them long enough, it goes away.
I was a vegan for a long, long time, and I have to admit, I struggle constantly with the ethical issue of my current diet, which is very meat-focused. I do enjoy egg whites, some cheese, and lots of chicken (I eat other meat, but in smaller amounts) and also fish. I try to choose fish that I know is less prone to issues with mercury.
I also found that I do much better on low carb when I eat smaller meals several times a day, SLOWLY. When I first tried out a low carb diet, I ate really big helpings, like a whole 12 oz steak, because Dr. Atkins said I could, and then I would be STARK, RAVING hangry (hungry + angry) an hour later.
I think I started at 30g and then slowly revised downward fron there. I've been doing it for years and I've forgotten the details. However it does get easier and the rewards are GREAT! I ound Atkins recipes useful and I READ ALL food labels. Since I'm retired and also of an older generation [65 just after Christmas] I can cook and do make food rom basic ingredients pretty much all the time. That way I know what I'm eating. Snacks are the most difficult thing, so I try not to snack. I use minimal mediation, so I'm not put in the position of feeding the medicine, which I know happens with insulin therapy.
Hana
I like the shirataki as well, although I find them a poor substitute for pasta. However, stir fried the are wonderful.
I have to say, I started low carb in 2006. I slowly moved down, eventually finding Dr. B's diet and within 6 months getting right down there. In hindsight, I think there is a major reason to jump in cold turkey. That is cravings. The Atkins diet, particularly as described in the "New Atkins for You" has a very specific induction of 20g carbs/day. And they describe a reason, your body has to adapt. And until it does you will crave carbs and you may feel like you have the "Atkins Flu," tired, lack of energy, etc.
So I would just jump in. And another point is that Atkins recommends extra salt, I think you should consider extra salt as well. This is to counteract a natural shedding of salt as your body drops glycogen and water.
Happy New Year, Muleman~ I'm glad we're starting this together. But I don't understand what you meant by "1.000 Carbs a day". And then you referred to 600-700. Are you talking calories?
I like to read while I eat, so it's not the food I focus on, but the opportunity to sit down and read while eating. Now I have only to change the food carb content I set next to my book I guess! :-)
Boy am I glad I discovered tudiabetes!! You members are ALL so knowlegable and helpful. You are all so understanding and patient with new "kids". Years ago I soured on an Eckhart Tolle discussion group cuz it seemed members were very catty with one upmanship. I had thought his group would be a kinder gentler community. I haven't engaged in social networking since because of that experience.
Thanks for the discussion, Kelly. All the replies are so informative for me. And I like that I'm reminded of the Paleo diet. There are so many aspects to the law of small numbers.
Happy Holidays!
Gratefully, Cindy
Cindy, As a T2 my approach was to just cut out the food groups that were causing me trouble, grains, potatoes, fruit, certain dairy and sugars, these are also the foods that cause cravings. In his book Dr. B has a chart of foods to avoid, foods to limit and foods you can eat without causing problems. It has proven to be a perfect predictor for me. That put me at around 40 g/day. I think counting grams of carbs is much more important for T1's or T2's on insulin, because of the law of small numbers etc.
Kelly good for your! As far as I am concerned low carb is the only way to go for Diabetics. I started DR. B last year at Thanks Giving. I know, it's kind of a weird time to change your diet and lifestyle, but I had to change my ways and just went cold turkey. Cold turkey is pretty easy when you just know you are really ready. The only problem I had for about a month was feeling light headed, dizzy and a general feeling of panic attacks. After listening to one of DR. B's live web casts, I did find out that if your Blood Sugars are used to running very high you need to set small goals of bringing them down. I was used to running 500-600 and started trying to average a blood sugar of 90 and really did feel awful. But I never gave up and today a year later have no trouble sticking to his diet. I love it!
Kelly good luck, there is nothing like feeling great! That's what keeps me on the diet.
Kelly, here is a short TU discussion on kettlebells I found.... http://www.tudiabetes.org/main/search/search?q=kettlebells I use them a bit as part of my workouts, all I will say is they are deceiving... and tough! Guess that just means I need to learn more about them and use them more often.
-t
