Requesting BASIC diet/weightloss advice and support

DreamStalker wrote:... I would urge you once again to get a copy of "Dr. Berstein's Diabetes Solution" as he provides a great easy to understand discussion on this subject as well as others important to diabetics. ...

While I may purchase the book, I tend to be very cautious with any book that offers a "solution" (cure) for a chronic condition such as diabetes. You need to understand that I have read a lot on this subject. I tried to learn as much as possible. While I agree that blood sugar control is very important, the very tight control proposed in his book has been shown to cause problems. But then I try to do a better job than many diabetics I know.

That's not to say I don't have a long way to go. With better sleep I am doing better than I have in months. It's a shame it took me several years to get a machine that actually helps.

JohnBFisher wrote:

DreamStalker wrote:... I would urge you once again to get a copy of "Dr. Berstein's Diabetes Solution" as he provides a great easy to understand discussion on this subject as well as others important to diabetics. ...

While I may purchase the book, I tend to be very cautious with any book that offers a "solution" (cure) for a chronic condition such as diabetes. You need to understand that I have read a lot on this subject. I tried to learn as much as possible. While I agree that blood sugar control is very important, the very tight control proposed in his book has been shown to cause problems. But then I try to do a better job than many diabetics I know.

That's not to say I don't have a long way to go. With better sleep I am doing better than I have in months. It's a shame it took me several years to get a machine that actually helps.

He has some of the chapters available online for free here -
http://www.diabetes-book.com/readit.shtml

Even if you don't agree with his method/"solution" to managing diabetes, you may still be able to glean some information or new perspective about blood sugar and insulin.

Best wishes with your OSA and diabetes therapy.

A good low carb diet can be a good hedge against type II diabetes.

You see a number often batted around in discussions like this, called the 'glycemic index'. This is a rating of how rapidly a given carbohydrate food is metabolized. 100 is high and 0 is lowest. Wood would be right around 0-- undigestible. Rice is very high, as is sugar, etc., near 100. High fiber, low sugar/starch carbohydrates rate low, more sugary carbs rate higher. The best carbs for a low fat or carb diet are the lower glycemic index carbs. They cause less of the insulin spike Dreamstalker talks about.

Oddly enough, alcohol is considered a carb, and has a glycemic index of 105!

And yes, not all carbs are bad. Just the ones most people like

Has anyone used hypnotherapy in addition to better diet and exercise?

jabbered wrote:Has anyone used hypnotherapy in addition to better diet and exercise?

I have tried it. It didn't really work for me. That is not to say it won't work for others. The main problem I see with it is that it has to be a customized session for you.

A lot of the CD's or MP3's on the web are pretty generalized and IMO not always containing good suggestions (like to eat whole grains).

Also, you really need repetitive sessions I think for it to embed into your subconscious.

Finally, the hypnotist voice needs to be one that you feel very comfortable with.

So if you could find a hypnotist with a voice you are drawn to who would record suggestions of what you want to be programmed for and then listen to the recording on a daily basis and then to weekly or whatever for maintenance ... I think it could have potential for folks conducive to being hypnotized.

jabbered wrote:Has anyone used hypnotherapy in addition to better diet and exercise?

I have/am attempting to use it.
You need to learn self hypnosis to make it really work because you need to really re-enforce it daily.

The biggest problem is that the emotional eating is the tip of the iceberg. As you keep pushing the iceberg down it is growing and pushing from under the water so to speak. Unlike alcohol you can't avoid food, you have to keep eating it every day. Alcoholics who try to have a small drink every day are usually not successful at maintaining sobriety.

I have no problem maintaining good eating habits during the day but as soon as the sun sets ......

JohnBFisher wrote:...tend to be very cautious with any book that offers a "solution" (cure) for a chronic condition such as diabetes. You need to understand that I have read a lot on this subject. I tried to learn as much as possible. While I agree that blood sugar control is very important, the very tight control proposed in his book has been shown to cause problems....

Bernstein has been diabetic most of his life. Waaay back when, he dicovered that low carb works for better blood glucose control, he tried to share it and came up against a huge wall. He became a doctor to overcome the resistance to his message; with those letters (MD), he was listened to and has helped a huge number of diabetics come to a better solution to their diabetes problem.

About the glucose spike -- remember, the longer glucose levels are higher than normal, the more glycation occurs. I dare say a short spike that drops quickly produces less glycation than an extended period of time with glucose levels 140+ where cellular damage occurs.

Muse-Inc wrote:

JohnBFisher wrote:...tend to be very cautious with any book that offers a "solution" (cure) for a chronic condition such as diabetes. You need to understand that I have read a lot on this subject. I tried to learn as much as possible. While I agree that blood sugar control is very important, the very tight control proposed in his book has been shown to cause problems....

Bernstein has been diabetic most of his life. Waaay back when, he dicovered that low carb works for better blood glucose control, he tried to share it and came up against a huge wall. He became a doctor to overcome the resistance to his message; with those letters (MD), he was listened to and has helped a huge number of diabetics come to a better solution to their diabetes problem.

About the glucose spike -- remember, the longer glucose levels are higher than normal, the more glycation occurs. I dare say a short spike that drops quickly produces less glycation than an extended period of time with glucose levels 140+ where cellular damage occurs.

Ah yes! Good point Muse. Momentarily forgot about the glycation damage associated with elevated glucose. Another reason for Dr. Falcon to add grains and starchy carbs to his garbage dumpster.

Falcon1 wrote:The plain and simple truth is this: All whole grains are HEALTHY for us, and we can feel free to eat as much of these as we care to.

That depends. I recommend reading Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Elaine Gottschall. If one has Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, IBS, or other gut disorders, the standard recommendation for lots of fiber is, in my opinion, and backed up by the science of Dr. Sidney Valentine Haas and Elaine Gottschall, a very poor one.

I have eaten no grains since 2001 -- and I'm the healthiest I've ever been. At the time I went to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I was "eating healthy," with lots of whole grains and plenty of fruits and vegetables and so forth -- and my weight was utterly out of control, along with uncontrolled urgency and diarrhea.

Now, I have lost 180 pounds. I have another 100 to go -- and most of the overweight was gained while exercising regularly and eating what most people consider healthy, with limited calories. The urgency is mostly gone, and movements are normal.

I've seen people with Crohn's, UC, and over issues go from being very ill to healthy. All by eliminating polysaccharides from their diet.

The whole "calories in-calories out" all you need to do is "eat less and exercise" idea is laughingly simplistic. It's like telling someone with sleep apnea to just "remember to breathe when they sleep". It's like telling an alcoholic to "drink in moderation". People vastly overestimate the amount of rational control they have over diet, weight gain/loss, and "willpower".

The bottom line is that almost all obese people have their hormones in complete disarray.
Can you easily go several waking hours without eating? The hormones controlling appetite are whacked, and you need to rigorously count calories and force yourself to eat regularly.
Are you the "apple" body type with the vast majority of your weight in your abdomen? You probably have cortisol issues due to stress (like sleep apnea) and you need to fix those stress conditions to help lose weight.
Is your blood glucose high (diabetic or prediabetic)? Then you have insulin issues, and you need to really control your carbs (grains, sugar, sugary/starchy fruits & veggies).
Are you "pear" shaped, with a lot of extra weight in your butt and thighs? You probably have an overabundance of estrogen and need to avoid foods that can mimic or increase estrogen levels.

And the bad part is that when one of these things goes out of whack, it can drive others out of whack. There are so many conditions that can get you out of kilter and prevent you from "eating right and exercising". If you have one of those conditions, then weight loss will be an epic battle. If you solve those obstacles, weight loss will be much easier.

Even the emotional rollercoaster of periods of high-anxiety "must. lose. weight." mania followed by depressed periods of "nevermind, I'll always be fat, why bother" are hormonal. When you pig out on a food that you know is bad for you, it's hormonal (not a character flaw). It's no different than a smoker having a cigarette or a pregnant woman craving food. If you're obese, you have to find out what the imbalances are in your body and restore them, then weight loss will be much easier.

If you're obese due to estrogen dominance or thyroid problems...going low carb will not be a good longterm solution. If you are insulin resistant/diabetic...then a "low-fat" diet is doomed to failure.

People say go see a dietician/nutritionist? I say go see an endocrinologist first, so you know what type of diet you need.

If it were so simple to lose weight, there wouldn't be millions and millions of fat people (like myself) in America.

Dang Sleepy! ... you took the words right out of my mouth. Very well put!

Clever is the human body. As accurately noted above. It is our hormones which determine the state of our health and the range of our longevity. It is a new science known as epigenetics that is showing us that hormones are the interface between our cellular activities (re: health and disease) and our environment. That environment includes the foods we eat, how we move, how we sleep, how we deal with physical and mental stress ... and basically where and how we live.

Master your hormones and you master your health.

EDIT: You may also want to Google nutrigenomics, also a very new developing medical science based on epigenetics.

DreamStalker wrote:...where and how we live...

I can blame my hormones for making me move to Atlanta where there's no ocean?

My goal this year is to lose 100 lbs (it's a goal, not a guarantee) and after addressing my OSA last year and now having more energy, I have been trying to figure out why I weigh so much, no matter how carefully I try to count calories, etc.

Last week I found one of the other root causes of my health woes - I have celiac disease. For those not familiar with it, celiac is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to react to the proteins in gluten and basically destroy your small intestine lining which will cause malabsorbtion and malnutrition. Some people with celiac lose weight uncontrollably and some gain weight because your body is trying desperately to get more nutrients. It leads to a huge host of health problems, many very serious.

I had thought it was rare but the current estimate is actually 1 in 100 people have celiac and over 90% are undiagnosed.

There is no cure for it but the quite effective treatment is to stop consuming any gluten for the rest of your life. I went off gluten when I was diagnosed last week and the difference is amazing. Every day I feel better and have more energy.

It does sort of speak to the issue that there is no one true way and each person's body is unique. You have to find what works for you and see if you can figure out if there are underlying issues as well.

Maura, you might want to PM Kiralynx about the SC diet. It's gluten-free, and there's alot of online support for it. You can also google Selective Carbohydrate Diet+celiac.

Good luck!
B.

Thanks, Babette.

I may do that in a month or two. I'm giving myself time to get adjusted to what I can and cannot eat before I try to make further adjustments. I do know a bit about SCD and tend mostly toward it anyway when all the gluten-containing items are pulled away so I may well pursue it later.

I'm amazed at how much better I feel!