Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by SueSzy80 on June 30, 2010 at 8:51pm

Welcome Patty! It's nice to know I have someone to travel on this journey with. I can't wait to see if I notice a difference after some time on the plan. I usually walk 5 miles a day, so I'm hoping the diet gives me enough energy to keep up with that. I tend to get down without exercise. It's the best anti-depressant there is!!

Please feel free to get in touch with me anytime if you need support or just someone to talk with....;)

Health=Happiness,
Susan

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Permalink Reply by Patty on July 1, 2010 at 3:19pm

Thanks for the welcome. Im learning so much just from the responses on this thread. I just need to learn to have the right balance. I have not been weighing or measuring my veggies. I have been on weight watchers for 4 years and am so use to being able to eat as much veggies as I wanted to. So many changes at once is hard. I have just gave up on diet sodas too so I look all the time for new drinks as well. I am on the pump now for 11 years and have reduced my basil insulin to only 15 units a day. and am bolusing around 1 unit per meal. I was doing 3 to 7. Huge difference, I'd say.I get blood work done end of July so if I see big drop in my a1c then I will continue. If not, then I will go back to the carbs, just not as much. Well I think I will just keep reading and learning. Hope this works for us.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on July 1, 2010 at 3:25pm

Wow, Patty. That's a great reduction in insulin.

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Permalink Reply by SueSzy80 on June 30, 2010 at 9:02pm

Welcome Patty! It's nice to know I have someone to travel on this journey with. I can't wait to see if I notice a difference after some time on the plan. I usually walk 5 miles a day, so I'm hoping the diet gives me enough energy to keep up with that. I tend to get down without exercise. It's the best anti-depressant there is!!

Please feel free to get in touch with me anytime if you need support or just someone to talk with....;)

Health=Happiness,
Susan

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Permalink Reply by Baby Tee on June 30, 2010 at 7:15pm

Not sure if you realize it is there, but here is a link to the group Hypothyroid Diabetics.

Someone there might be able to answer the medication question. Sorry, but I cannot help with the other questions.

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Permalink Reply by SueSzy80 on June 30, 2010 at 8:26pm

Yup, I realized this right after I posted! Better late than never....;)

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on June 30, 2010 at 7:24pm

Welcome!

I've been following Dr. Bernstein's recommendations for a little over two years. I had to increase protein because I lost too much weight. I've been thin my whole life until I ate according to ADA guidelines. Only time I gained weight.

I'm hypothyroid also--Hashimoto's. Thyroid supplementation increased my insulin needs. This is common, but I don't think changing brands is the cause. Having an increased thyroid dose may be the reason for needing more insulin.

Does your endo test for free T3 & free T4 in addition to TSH? TSH isn't enough.

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Permalink Reply by SueSzy80 on June 30, 2010 at 8:37pm

Hey! Thanks for the reply!

My endo seems to be anti-T3, T4 theory. I am more than willing to change my endo for this very reason. It seems like every person I know with Hashimoto's agrees with you about the T3 and T4. I'm wondering if I would feel much better if it was added. What medication do you take for your Hashimoto's?

Also, if you don't mind me asking, did your insulin dosage go way down being on the Bernstein plan? When you have the time, I would REALLLLLY appreciate more details about your "Bernstein Journey." It's motivating to know that it has done well for someone with both Type 1 and Hashimoto's. I'm willing to do anything HEALTHY to get my BG's and weight down!

Health=Happiness,
Susan

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on June 30, 2010 at 8:57pm

I disagree with your endo about free T3 & free T4 testing. I take levo, like you. Some people do need added T3, which is not in levo. Synthroid & levo are the same. Synthroid is a brand name.

There's a hypothyroid group on Tu D you might want to join,

Oh yes, my insulin doses went down significantly eating low carb according to Dr. B. But, thyroid supplementation does increase insulin needs. When diagnosed, I was taking 35 units of Lantus & I only weighed 96 lbs at the time. I take 12 units now & weigh 105 lbs. I've since changed to Levemir, but the doses are the same.

I'm happy to share my journey, but not sure there's that much to tell. I simply started eating low carb & changed my doses on my own. Ask anything you'd like to know.

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Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on July 1, 2010 at 4:44am

I have not been diagnosed as a T1, but I have followed low carb and Dr. B for a number of years. There is a specific Dr. B forum on his site (www.diabetes-book.com). It would be seem to be obvious that your total dose would go down since you total daily glucose load is so much smaller and you bolus levels would become very small, but most people also report some drop in the basal insulin requirements. I've never been really clear why this occurrs.

Since this is already a thyroid challenged population you should also understand that there is some belief that a low carb diet, whether Atkins or Dr. B over the long term can cause low thyroid (see http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2009/11/effect-of-atkins-diet-lo...). I've been fortunate and not experienced any problems after about 5 years of low carb.

ps. I follow an adapted Dr. B plan. The majority of people that follow his teachings modify his diet targets but directly follow his ideas (i.e. "law of small numbers").

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Permalink Reply by Leo2 on July 1, 2010 at 3:14pm

Sue,
Bernstein's recommendations got me in target when the book came out. I don't stick with 6 carbs in the a.m., but sometimes I go a couple weeks with only 6. Sometimes 10 grams.
My lunch and evening include Healthy Life bread sandwich (5 grams each slice). Otherwise veggies, about 10 grams, and meat for a meal. Low on tomatoes. Almost no fruit - oh yes, when I'm serving strawberries, honeydew, watermelon, grapes to my husband, I'll have one. I eat 4 meals a day, not 3. Keeps my weight up since I'm an active person. My Lantus is 8 u/day in divided doses. My Humalog is on a 1:5 basis. One unit drops me 45-60.
Bernstein's a way to get centered. I'm at 5.4-5.9 on A1c for several years now. I do eat a pizza slice at 8 grams and double dose for it. I eat Dreamfields and again have to double dose.
Since I'm forever driving somewhere or on the go, I use cereal bars, too, but less than 22 grams at a time.
So I call it modified Bernstein.

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Permalink Reply by Jan on July 4, 2010 at 7:08am

My niece has Hashis and endo will only prescribe Synthroid now as her endo told us she feels the generic, Levothyrox. does not work as well. Taking Synthroid, she needs more insulin than if she did not have to take Synthroid. Seems like about ten to fifteen percent more insulin needed when taking thyroid meds (this was true with Levothyrox. as well; she has used both drugs). If thyroid is not regulated properly with the Synthroid, you can gain weight. The weight gain is related to hypothyroidism or Hashimotos, symptoms of that. She uses quite a bit of insulin as she is a young teen, just through puberty. I have noticed weight gain but only going from super thin to slender; and I thought due to increased appetite that comes during the teen years. I did buy Bernstein's book about a year into her dx years ago. I believe the Bernstein diet would work at normalizing blood sugars and losing weight, but there is radical carb restriction, 6 grams breakfast, 12 grams lunch and dinner. I doubt if my niece would choose to follow such a restrictive diet even as an adult, so not for her. But many adults do restrict carbs, maybe to a lesser degree, with much success. If it were me, I would probably try something like the South Beach diet instead. But if you want to try Bernstein, go for it.

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