Re: Another newbie here

On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 14:39:16 +0000, John wrote:

Hi all, I've been reading this group for a few weeks now and thought I'd
introduce myself. My name is John, I'm 45 and live in Pennsylvania. I was
diagnosed as T2 in late April after being admitted to the hospital with a
heart attack. Luckily, there was minimal damage done as I got to the
hospital very quickly and received excellent care. The docs placed two
stents.

This has all come as a pretty big surprise as I hadn't been feeling ill and
was not obese. I'm finding out that this doesn't always matter. When I had
my heart attack, I was 5' 8" 175 lbs. I started walking after returning home
from the hospital and am now walking 2.5-3.0 miles a day at a 3.7 MPH or so
clip. I've lost 15
pounds and my numbers are usually in the 86-96 range for my morning fasting
test and 70-85 for my FBG before
dinner. I've only seen two post-prandial spikes above 150 since I've been
testing (approx 2 months) once after eating a banana!

I'm a bit confused about what to eat and have started to worry that I may
become too thin. I've read Dean Ornish's book about reversing heart disease
and he advocates a vegetarian diet, exercise, meditation, dealing with
stress and healing your relationships. I believe it's all good advice and
have been doing all this except for a following a totally vegetarian diet. I
have eliminated red meat, eggs, cheese, most salt and only eat non-fat
dairy. Since, as a diabetic, I've also eliminated processed flour products
and sugary snacks, this doesn't leave much to eat. I've found Wasa crackers
with hummus or tuna salad is good. I eat a lot of salads, veggies, chicken,
fish, nuts like almonds and pistachios and non-fat yogurt. If I drink a beer
now, it's a low-carb Miller light or Michelob Ultra. I love a glass or two
of red wine now and then. Any and all suggestions or comments about diet
will be VERY appreciated.

Although physically, I'm feeling extremely well right now, I'm afraid that
I'm sinking into depression. I think about what bad things the future may
bring excessively. Although I have a loving and supportive wife and a great
family, and I KNOW I'm doing all I can for myself, I find myself on the
verge of tears often and this from a guy who hasn't cried since I was a
little kid. I'll likely start looking for a therapist to help me break out
of this. I'd rather not take antidepressant medication and hope I can
conquer this with time and talking.

Anyway, I have a cardiac stress test scheduled for Friday. My cardiologist
will probably send me back to work based on the results, so wish me luck!

John

I'm not a doc. I've been T2 for two years. Here's my take: I believe that
current research shows that dietary cholesterol plays a minor part in
total blood cholesterol levels. A much bigger factor is saturated fat. It
seems to me that what you're doing is probably good from a heart
standpoint, but somewhat at odds with best treatment for diabetes. In my
case, I have no cholesterol problems or heart problems, so I tend to have
a more pointed focus on the diabetes - I have changed to a very low carb
diet. Bacon and eggs six days per week, lots of dairy, nuts, and low carb
(or at least low glycemic index) fruits. Vegetables, yes. Alcohol is all
low carb - dry red wine and occassionally a martini.

I think you might get some good information from Dr. Richard Bernstein's
"Diabetes Solution". I'm sure his total diet plan would be much more
draconian than you would need, but you might benefit from his
explanations. You should be able to find his book at the local library.

FWIW - I find that, from a diabetic standpoint, I can eat pretty much
anything I want, I just have to limit the quantities. I realize that other
folks would probably not do well on my diet, but my current operating
assumptions are: protein - good; fat - good; carb - bad. It has been
observed that there are necessary proteins and necessary fats, but so far
as is known, there are no necessary carbs (though some carbs are required
for proper nervous system function).

Good luck - you have a tough combination to deal with.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Another Study Vindicates Low Carb
    ... New Hypertension Pills Cut Diabetes Risk by Third ... Statin Therapy Aids Heart Patients With Diabetes ... A low carb diet neither hurts, ... just "eat low carb and lose weight." ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Low-Carb Diets
    ... much of the world's population eat some kind of junk everyday? ... back much more with respect to good nutrition than those who eat lots ... but don't the Eskimos normally eat a low carb diet? ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Low-Carb Diets
    ... How many eat ... lower carbers get more nutrition, much more than their starch eating ... but don't the Eskimos normally eat a low carb diet? ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Carbs encourage over-eating
    ... > Diabetes patients on low-carbohydrate diet eat less and lose weight ... > ultra-low-carbohydrate diet, they spontaneously ate less. ... > During a one-week period when participants were allowed to eat whatever ... > carbohydrates and 3,100 calories each day. ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)
  • Re: When low carb diets fail.
    ... to eat off the $1 menu at say Wendy's, BK or McD's then it is to cook ... or bread because it's cheaper is a lazymans way... ... Adherence to a low fat diet was in the same range, ... One of the claims about low carb is that it is EASIER to follow. ...
    (misc.health.diabetes)
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