Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nyxks on September 27, 2009 at 8:54pm

What a crak-pot ... had to do a paper on him for a diabetic class a while back .. talk about a joker 30 grams max of carbs, ya right don't think so - that isn't even close enough for what the brain need to function and be healthy! 30 grams max at a meal fine, with 15 grams for snacks works well enough for many type twos, not all but many.

My mom was diabetic for 25 years and she had average of 200 grams of carbs a day - she isn't considered to be diabetic anymore ... after 25 years of watching what she ate and everything her numbers are now normal.

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Permalink Reply by Cynthia D on September 27, 2009 at 9:31pm

Thanks for the quick response -- I think I'll go have a cup of Food for Life cereal so I don't pass out :)

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Permalink Reply by dino on September 28, 2009 at 2:54am

Nice try Nyxks, but it's gonna take more than a little name calling to debunk one of the greatest diabetic thinkers of our time.

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Permalink Reply by Kristin on September 28, 2009 at 1:06pm

Also, we should add that Dr. Bernstein has type 1 diabetes. The extreme low carb diet may not be necessary for all people with diabetes.

But what Dr. Bernstein shows is that it is possible to have NORMAL blood sugars and that should be all of our goal. I tried the Bernstein plan and I had normal blood sugars for a week. That low carb of a diet is the only way that I can achieve that.

What works for one, might not work for all.

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Permalink Reply by John Smith on September 27, 2009 at 9:36pm

Hi Cynthia,

This issue has been discussed many times before, and most of the people familiar with Dr. Bernstein's book will vouch for the efficacy and value of his advice. Please don't pay attention to people like Nyxks who don't really add anything to the discussion. You can also read up reviews of his book on amazon.com.

Here's are a few threads which I found that discusses this issue on this site:

http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topics/583967:Topic:176307

http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topics/583967:Topic:47936

http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topics/583967:Topic:43454

All the best!

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Permalink Reply by Cynthia D on September 27, 2009 at 10:14pm

Thanks for the links, John, very informative discussions. I'm also interested in dual wave bolusing. Have you seen detailed instructions on that in the archives? Thanks!

Cynthia

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Permalink Reply by John Smith on September 27, 2009 at 10:32pm

Glad that you followed read the threads I linked. A few dual-wave discussions can be found in the following threads:

http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topics/dual-wave-bolus

http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topics/things-you-like-the-most-about

http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topics/583967:Topic:43419

http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topics/dual-wave-square-boluses

http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topics/583967:Topic:6599

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Brigitte on September 28, 2009 at 2:26am

yes , thank you John for the links. But I just want to write that I read Dr Bernstein, I try to follow but I can't live with 30g of carbs/a day. So I think we can adjust. Now I eat 30 g of carbs at meals and it's well for I. Before my Endo told me to eat 120g of carbs each meal and I was so high after meal!!!! Now my A1C is at 7,1 %. I'm an old type 1.

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Permalink Reply by Lucile K. on September 28, 2009 at 5:55am

I try to restrict my meal carbs to 30g daily but go over on the snacks of 42-45 daily. For example, my fasting bs = 123 this morning at 7:24am. So I ate 1/4 cup of Post Raision Bran cereal with a splash of milk for breakfast. A serving size of 1 cup cereal contains 46g carbs plus 8g dietry fiber. After I walk for 45 minutes or do yardwork or housework and my bs comes down, I'll have 1/2 apple or pear with a tablespoon or two of peanut butter. Later but before lunch at 1pm, I'll need an additional snack of 1/2 container low carb yogurt with 2T flaxseed. So I try to follow Dr. Bernstein diet of restricting carbs but I need additional snacks or I'd feel weak and fatigued. I'm wondering if maybe I need more B-12 for energy as I've been on Metformin for the past three months.

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Permalink Reply by FatCatAnna on September 28, 2009 at 9:02am

I have a friend who follow Dr. B's way of living religiously to a T. To the point that she's injecting every 1/2 hour with small increments of insulin (she uses 4 types of insulin) - testing her BG's every hour. She manages to attain a constant BG of 80 mg/dl by doing this. Now, she doesn't follow the 30g of carbs - she said that's abit difficult, but the result is that her A1C's are 5.1%. Her goal is to get to 4.9%. My only worry is, that she does have lows, which is often what happens when you are trying to attain "perfection" - this means she cannot drive long distance (e.g. over an hour is difficult for her). She becomes fatigued easily (she has difficulties walking/standing for long). I worry sometimes that maybe her wish to attain perfection of BG's to what a nondiabetic has is maybe ruining her quality of life - but that is my opinion.
I mean, maybe for her she will live an extra 6 months on our big blue marble, but for myself, knowing that I wasn't a slave to what I can eat is fine for me. She always tells me fruit is evil - and that it's either her kidneys or watermelon. Not sure if this is a quote from Dr. B - but heck - a slice of watermelon can't be that evil for a diabetic's BG's if eaten in moderation. Moderation is the big factor in how I control my BG's/diabetes, and it can be applied to nondiabetics as well.
I just know that I try to eat less carbs (average 30g per meal), use the combo bolus (wave) option in my Animas pump for most of my meals, try to attain a BG between 80-120 mg/dl.
Anna from Montreal - aka FatCatAnna - The Trials and Tribulations of a Diabetic

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Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on September 28, 2009 at 12:30pm

I found that a low carb diet made a huge difference in my blood sugar control. While I am not currently at the 6-12-12, I have followed a low carb diet over a several years and you have to realize that your body goes through a dramatic shift when you low carb. Most people live on an energy system driven by carbs and glucose. As you shift to a very low carb diet, your body makes adaptations to burn fat and is in ketosis for much of the time. This is perfectly normal, but in the first week or two it can drive you crazy as your body adapts. This is the so called 'Atkins Flu.' You feel tired, sleepy, groggy, irritable. It is less about withdrawal and more about waiting for your body to wake up and generate ketones. Many people find that after two weeks, you start to have normal energy and the symptoms are gone.

Hang in there. You will feel better. Although Dr. B does not discuss this "break-in" period, it is well know in the low carb/Atkins community.

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Permalink Reply by Kristin on September 28, 2009 at 12:58pm

I don't follow Dr. Bernstein's diet, but I learned more about diabetes from reading his book than almost any other. I consider him to have some of the best advice on how to live a long and healthy life with diabetes. I read and re-read his book and some day, I hope to get my act together and follow his lifestyle (more than just a diet!).

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