[MontanaRocknReefer]

Hi Everyone! As you know I am a diabetic and currently having been watching my sugars very closely and I attribute that to my recent weight lost of 43.7 lbs!

I have recently been reading and hearing so much about the Atkins diet of strictly meat and no carbos! I really do love meat of all types and have pondered using this plan!

Currently I stay away from most sugars especially those that are of very little or no value(mostly candy bars, cakes, pies, etc. ). I do love pasta, bread(home made for sure) and fruits which you can not have on the Atkins diet or very little of it!

I may talk to my diabetes doc and see what is views are on this subject but wondered what some of you may have as far as suggestions, views or experiences with eating properly or pros or cons on the Atkins plan! Thanks for reading!

P.S. I know stick with what's working now as it's hard to argue against that!:beer:

 

[beach bum]

Many people have success losing pounds with the Atkins diet, but it is not a long term healthy way to eat. The goal should be sound health more than losing weight, which will be a by-product of healthy eating anyway (as you are already discovering).

Optimal diets are generally the most varied, not the most restricted like Atkins is. Think more small meals, 3-5 a day, moderate DAILY aerobic exercise (walking, hiking, biking, swimming, relaxed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, playing frisbee without a dog, golf without a cart, etc...) interspersed with anaerobic or resistance training (something like yoga (this is a hands-down no lose activity, all around good stuff), pilates, sports that make you sweat, or weight training (any of these 2-4 x a week, even one day a week is great if you have low energy levels right now)), and a variety of foods - fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, nuts, oils, dark leafy greens, restricted dairy, high quality protein (love that seafood, always a good option).

Two good rules of thumb to recalibrate your stomach/appetite are A) eliminate artificial & processed foods from your diet, as much as possible anyway B) drink water like it's going out of style, a dehydrated body has trouble knowing when it is or is not hungry, tis can easily manifest in sugar cravings it also helps with the oral fixation phenomenon. Coffee and alcohol use and/or abuse make this doubly important, not for appetite reasons but for simple detoxification and basic body chemistry.

And I can bet the bank you are not going to like this last one. No booze, anything more than say 3-5 drinks A WEEK is taxing, and none at all is best (imho of course). It affects many more organs in the body than just the liver, and no, just switching to light beer makes no difference...

food for thought, pun optional,
bb

 

[Mrs Smith]

I'm biased, as I'm a carb queen. I do know many people who have used the Atkins diet. The toughest part for them is giving up the carbs in totality...

I could never do it. I love bread, and pasta, and potatos, and... um, pretty much my entire diet, and all of my favorite foods, now that I think about it. (I don't ever crave chocolate - I crave bread.)

Also, drinking a lot of water is essential (on that diet, in particular!) Amen on the alcohol part, too. Pure carbs there.

Personally, I'd check with your diabetes doc - messing with carb intake is going to mess with your blood sugars. If he/she can't answer your questions, or you want some more in-depth info, you could also ask for a referral to a nutritionist/dietitian.

Good luck, congrats, and keep it up!
Danielle

 

[Casey]

I have to have my pepsi and breads or else!