Type 2 Dibetes - Resistance to Atkins Approach?

[Patch]

Hi - I'm a new member here . I'm 27 years old, male, 6'1", and currently 243lbs. Just trying to get some info from people with Type 2 diabetes.

When I was first diagnosed (at a weight of nearly 280lbs) I was put on a low fat, high carb diet, and lost over 30 pounds. My cholesterol went down, my triglycerides went down and my blood sugar was nearly always in control. Great I thought - I was eating lots of baked potatoes, lots of rice and lots of pasta. After about 2 years on this high carb, low fat diet the weight started to creep back on, and even more worryingly my triglycerides had rocketed and my doctor warned me about the dangers. His advise was to stay on the high carb, low fat diet and be more strict.

I ignored this advice and went on the Atkins diet. In 1 MONTH i had again lost about 30lbs and my diabetes was in control better than it had ever been before. Atkins seemed like some kind of miracle cure - I had loads of energy, I went to bed at night tired and woke up in the morning refreshed. It gave me the motivation to start playing Basketball again, and this helped greatly with my weight loss. I was lighter that I'd ever been and all was great - for about a year. Once again the weight started creeping back on and my blood sugar is getting more eratic. I have great trouble sleeping and wake up completely drained. My blood sugar levels, though, do not go that high.

It feels like deja vu...

It seems to me like my body wants to be fat. And has twice now adjusted to me losing weight.

Have any other type 2 diabetics had this experience? I have never felt as good as I did when I lost the weight on Atkins, again, for about 2 years - and try as I might I cannot get that feeling back. My body seems to have adjusted - and will not be happy until I put all the weight back on. I first tried to treat it as a "Plateau" - that didn't work. So I went back onto Induction for a month - that didn't work. I CANNOT get back into Ketosis...

I seriously think that my body has adjusted to this eating regime. Anyone have any similar experience of this? How did you get over it?

I really like eating the Atkins way - I was very rarely hungry and do not eat anywhere near as much as I used to. This was the biggest boost for me. Before Atkins I thought I deserved to be fat, because I could not stop eating. I was never full. Then with Atkins - I was missing meals because I was just not hungry - this was completely new to me, and made me feel great.

Any help/input will be greatly received...

[girl next door]

Patch, I can imagine how frustrating that must be for you!

Maybe the first thing to try is to keep a detailed food diary for a couple of weeks, to make sure you are not a victim of the "Carb Creep". Measure everything you eat, it is easy to add a quarter cup of cream to your coffee, thinking you are only adding a tablespoon. You can post your menues here if you want a second opinion.

If that's not the problem, read the chapter in the Atkins book with ways to break a stall. Unfortunately, it's been a while since I last read it, so I can't give you any specific tips, maybe there are others here with better memories than mine. I know he goes into how to tell if you have a food allergy or a yeast overgrowth, both things that can prevent weight loss. Also there are instructions for the fat fast, a last resort only!

Good luck, I really hope you can get that good feeling again. Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing, there is a lot of great support on this board.

[Bliss Pirate]

My mind went right to keeping a food diary too. I use fitday.com when I'm being serious about loosing weight. Takes awhile to get used to their online interface, and it also takes awhile to get all the "custom" foods you eat entered into it...but I find it is well worth the effort.

I'd buy their software, but it does not run on my OS.

[firelady]

I has Sydrome X (beginning of blood sugar problems and high blood pressure) and was in serious condition 2.5 years ago. I was put on a low fat diet and my BP went so high I was hospitalized. I then started a low carb diet. I lost 40 pounds (sometimes pop up 5 pounds but it has stayed off) and was able to stop all meds (HemA1c went to 5.8 and stayed there and BP to 110/58). I now eat 20-100 net carbs (carb-fiber). I do take Metformin if I slip and eat a pastry or something like that. Otherwise I get a spike in blood sugar.

In my opinion this is a great WOE for Type II diabetes. I am so much healthier now than before.

So what happened to you? I think probably slips in eating and your body getting used to a routine. Here are some things to consider:

1. Are you drinking plenty of water? It really helps weight loss and
the immune system.

2. After an initial weight loss moderation is important. As you add back
carbs it is important to be more moderate with calorie dense foods esp bad fats. (P.S. uncooked olive oil is great for you, I would go easy though on fatty meats, pork rinds etc.)

3. Vary the foods you eat. Make sure you get Omega 3s through fish and flax (great for Type II) and Omega 9 (olive oil). Eat lots of fiber (flax, dark green veggies and nuts. Vary the lean meats you eat and eat only small amounts of processed meats. Eat cruciferous veggies (cauliflower and brussel sprouts).

4. My metabolism works best if I go a few days at 20 carbs and then a few at 100. Everyone is different so you need to find what works best for you.

5. You need not a diet but a way of eating that you can live with forever. It shouldn't be a death march. Find things you really like to eat and invent new ones. I love to bake but now use a nut/soy/whey/gluten mix sometimes with oat flour for sugar I use Splenda, erythritol and sometimes molassas for flavor.

6. Avoid the sugar alcohol Maltitol. It has a higher glycemic index and did not work for me.

7. There is one supplement that I think all diabetics should take. It may also help with the diet. That is a combo CoQ10, alpha lipoic acid and Acetyl-L-Carnitine. This helps blood sugar stability so is good for diabetics and it will also moderate hunger pains.

Good Luck.

P.S. It is my opinion from reading the real literature (MEDLINE) that low fat is bad for type II esp as you get older. Nerve damage is a common problem with diabetes and good oils (Omega 3 and 9) actually help moderate this effect.