Discovering I had diabetes was the start of a long journey for me. At the age of 51, work had become an increasing burden. Despite my medication, my blood glucose was erratic and I was tired all the time and fell to sleep easily. If I read anything, I might doze off before a few pages. If I drove, after an hour on the road I could suddenly become sleepy. I knew I had only 5 minutes to pull over. I had to limit my driving so as not to be a danger to myself or anyone else. There then came a great opportunity. My employers wanted volunteers for redundancy. It was a generous package coupled with a good pension. I felt I had no choice but to take it.
Over the two years since diagnosis, I had reduced my HbA1c from 10.2% (very poor) to 7.3% (within guidelines). The main contribution to this was choosing lower glycaemic foods, avoiding all soft drinks, and taking the tablets my doctor prescribed. My doctor commented that an HbA1c of 7.3% was good, but at my age, I should be able to improve on that. He reasoned that the longer you can keep better control, the longer you can stave off the horrible complications, and a greater number of treatment options are available. Of course, he was quite right, but he was unable to tell me how to do it!
I remember thinking, “what was the best thing I could do?” It had to be weight loss. I topped to scales at about 300 pounds. At five foot ten inches, that put my BMI in the morbidly obese category. I cast around for a while looking at various options, tried a few things, but nothing seemed to work. Then quite by chance, a relative gave me a book on how to lose weight. She told me that her and her husband had tried it, but could not do it. Up until then, I had only read technical literature and did not realise how many books were devoted to diet and health. I remember thinking to myself; the book would probably tell me to eat fewer calories and less fat. This was not something with which I was comfortable. As I read, the text seemed unbelievable, it told me to curtail carbohydrate and eat all the fat and protein I wanted. I thought it seemed so outrageous and so different from anything else I had read; I just had to give it a go. What was the book? It was Atkins (an early version). It was about a year before Atkins became a craze in the UK. Within a few days, I had lost ten pounds in weight and proceeded to lose weight steadily until after five months I reached 250 pounds. It is true: Atkins is difficult to sustain. I switched to my own maintenance phase, which suits me better, but regained ten or so of the pounds I had lost.
The result was excellent, but it was the initial impact that startled me. I followed the diet as accurately as I could. That meant some things that people often forget are part of Atkins. He specifies one litre of salad every day and five portions of vegetables. That is a lot of greenery. Some time earlier, I had tried the “cabbage soup” diet. This diet caused me to lose a stone (fourteen pounds) in a week, but it was impossible to sustain the diet for any longer than that, and the weight soon returned. However, I was quite fond of cabbage soup and it has the advantage retaining all the nutrients. This was an easy way of conforming to Atkins “veggies”. Atkins also specified a supplement programme. He sold the supplements himself, but specified their contents. I worked out how to match it with local suppliers. Atkins also specifies exercise, which is why I started swimming. Atkins required me to learn how many carbohydrates were in things. Some things came as quite a shock. Cheese has virtually no carbohydrate! However, what really staggered me was the effect on blood glucose. Within 5 days, it had dropped to the near normal range, and I did not need medication. After three months, my regular blood test showed my HbA1c was 5.5%! My doctor thought I was cured!
That was four years ago now. During that time, I gradually moved into the low GL diet. I discovered it myself, before the diet gurus. In addition, to keep my glucose in the near normal range needs tablets, but at a much lower dose than I was taking originally. My HbA1c now runs at about 6.5%, the lower end of the guideline range for people with diabetes.
Apart from the dramatic effects on blood glucose, nearly all of my other symptoms have gone. My concentration is very good. I can read, study and drive for hours without a hint of tiredness.
All of this made me wonder. Why did Atkins receive such bad press? After all, I had derived so many benefits from following Atkins, what could possibly be wrong with it? After about a year of trying my own research and wandering round in circles, I decided to sign up for the Nutritional Therapy course with Kevala. I’m currently only half way through, so not all the “secrets” are known to me.
Would I recommend Atkins to someone with type2 diabetes?
One must remember that type2 diabetes can have multiple causes, and what works in one case, may not work in another. However, I am now a firm believer in ancestral diets and whole foods. Virtually every food I eat is as close to “whole” as I can make it. The Atkins diet could benefit many people because it is close to the ancestral diet. However, it has several shortcomings that I am aware of, and there may be more. Excessive meat consumption can strain the body. Meat, unless organic, comes with toxins concentrated in its fats. Poorly cooked meat (eg barbeques, char-grilled) can cause toxins to form. Pesticides in vegetables need to be avoided. Atkins does not address the issue of too much salt. Processed meats must be avoided for this reason. Atkins does not address the issue of fat balance. Fats need to be consumed in proper balance, organic sources obtained and not over-heated. Atkins is overly restrictive on fruit and probably overly restrictive on carbohydrate. However, all of these things can be corrected. On the plus side, Atkins eliminates refined carbohydrate, wheat and milk, all of which can have negative effects.
The one thing that I learned from Atkins was appetite and hunger control. I used to have an enormous appetite and could eat until absolutely stuffed. A high meat diet to some extent curbs that, and I found myself eating much less. Atkins advocates eating only until pleasantly satisfied. I ate set portions. Usually I was not hungry when starting to eat, but hungry by the time I has finished. I found the hunger abated after about half an hour after meals. This half hour period gradually reduced until it was not there at all. Having learned there was nothing to fear from hunger, I lost the desire to eat until stuffed. I think this is the Atkins secret: eventually you eat less, but more of the right kinds of foods, such as vegetables. This concept has stayed with me for four years now and I am always careful not to over eat. (Although I do have a portion of Christmas pudding in white sauce following Christmas dinner!)
If anyone asks me now, I generally point him or her at the “GL Diet” by Nigel Denby. No one argues about this diet, and as a registered dietitian, he has based it on sound principles. However, nothing beats a custom diet based on an individual consultation with a Nutritional Therapist.
No comments:
Post a Comment