With its National Health Service, it is British taxpayers who are paying for all the drugs & insulin & extra doctors' appointments, so it will save the NHS money if simple dietary changes can wean people off diabetes meds and they live healthier lives.

Here I have a dear friend that pays zero into his health care. This last year he has spent many weeks , many times in the hospital and in ICU. All on taxpayers dollars. ALl his health issues are directly related to diabetes and weighing about 400. Hoping he hears me about Dr Atkins program. FIngers crossed.

Ms. Arielle, Even tho your friend isn't paying for his health care, I rather doubt he enjoys spending time in the hospital and in ICU... and I KNOW he doesn't enjoy being 400 lbs! Nobody wants to lug around that kind of weight, to say nothing of the social ostracism that he probably experiences. He probably has just lost hope that there is anything he can do about his weight and has been convinced that the only thing one can do about diabetes is take insulin and pray that one's disease gets worse ONLY slowly. <sigh>

Perhaps you could tell him about some of the success stories here on this forum and send him links to the British National Health articles supporting that low carb is not a crazy fad like we keep being told! If you gently suggest that there might be a better way to deal with his diabetes and weight, he MIGHT be receptive.

You are exactly right.

He does want to change, and finally called me to ask more about the Atkins. We met and I showed him the thread listing the program basics. And I have over and over talked to him about the success that Ken has had.... as KEn's starting weight is in line with my friend. HOWEVER, he was planning to take the info to his doctor for approval.... and I warned him that the doctor is likely to nix it. The next step is to see him and find out how that appointment went.

The whole doctor system here has failed my friend. AND he has been slow to latch onto other options--- just following what the doctors tell him what to do. WHich has NOT been a LC diet. Just keep down salt and keep down fluids.

My point is that he would have jumped to better health options faster IF all the hopital expenses had to come out of his pocket.... I know this influences MY choices. His insurance is FREE. His hospital stay is FREE. This did NOT help him make better choices.... IMHO it kept him on the diabetes path.

When he is in the hospital, I get to drive his family around as none of them drive. He is the only driver. So my life stops, my dogs schedule is upset, my duties at home are delayed and backed up.....

I am praying he is willing to do Atkins without his doctors blessing. I know that is what I did. I never discuss my eating with any doctor. They are all death to any of my efforts, as I fall for their dis of anything LC.

Sorry for the long story.

Yeah, I've got tons (pun intended) of relatives (cousins, aunts and uncles) in exactly the same boat as your friend! They're grossly overweight, diabetic, and unhealthy.

They've all seen my success with losing weight and my husband's success with both losing weight and getting his T2 under perfect control. But even tho, for the most part, my relatives pay their own health insurance premiums, they always want to get their doctors' approvals first.

Being diabetic costs them directly bu they're still afraid of changing their diets without their doctors' approval. They've all been deeply conditioned to believe that "doctor knows best."

Their doctors (mostly aging, small-town docs who care about their patients but haven't the time or energy to keep up with the latest research0 instantly phoo-phoo LC as a "dangerous fad diet," give them the standard "go/stay low-fat, cut salt intake, eat-less and exercise more" advice and send them out the door with another Rx for their latest ailment.

Makes me sad and ANGRY... but at least THEIR health problems don't affect the quality of MY life on a daily basis.

You are a kind and amazingly generous person to put your life on hold to take care of your friend's family every time he goes into hospital. Kudos to you. BUT, have you considered what is going to happen to his family when his diabetes and health complications kill him? At 400 lbs it is very unlikely that he will live out a normal life span!

Unless you want to spend the remainder of your life taking care of his family, you may need to INSIST that he make some sort of change and very soon. At least insist that someone else in his family learn to drive AND that he purchase a significant amount of life insurance to take care of his family after he dies. And believe me, as a 400 lb diabetic, he's going to find life insurance premiums are extremely expensive!

I'm hoping that having the UK National Health Service give the green light on low-carb will eventually have a domino effect that will get the small-town doctors that my aunts/uncles/cousins go to finally see the light. Until my family members' own doctors say "low-carb is okay," my aunts/uncles/cousins are going to keep on suffering with diabetes and dying younger than they should.

Suspect the same is true for you friend.

Ms. Arielle, you are so kind to help your friend and his family. Do you think there is any way you could convince him and his family to watch The Magic Pill or at least a short video by Dr. Ken Berry (Diabetics Beware- ADA Guidelines Will Make Your Diabetes Worse)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuwIn2Z2zRY

Hope your friend will listen to you and make changes to enhance & extend his life.

Teresa

lol, I have a list for him to watch-- the benefits and how easy, to start.

You know the old phrase, you can lead a horse to water......

The whole family is very over weight--and neither parent works. They often talk about what to do to keep their benefits, and it usually means staying sick, or not fixing issues, to keep the benefits.

If nothing else I am hoping that if the dad can make the change, he might pull his whole family along for the journey. A long shot as they depend on free meals for most of their food needs, and as you probably know, it is not quality food.

I help because they helped me when I needed food assistance. I learned where all the free food was and the pantry schedules. The amount of veg and meats is low, but still helpful. I see them for the struggles they have, and like most of us, we have contributed to the circumstances we are in.

Trying to lead a horse to water.

But it is easier to not change.

I try to encourage the kids to want to learn how to drive. THen out of the blue, influenced by someone else I am sure, the son (25) is studying to drive. He has some learning disabilities, but I think he could drive better than many I experience. Then the sister wanted to learn. Yeah!!!

I do get frustrated when I become a taxi service, with times changing to fit thier convenience and no thought to me. I have started to put my foot down. TIme for them to step up and make changes.

He has almost died. They keep getting wake up calls, but do not take action to change. I realized I cannot "enable" but keep ( kindly) mentioning the need for change in food.... as wife selects the crappy food a food pantry and is gobling it down because she is hungry. She doent beleive me that dieting can be without hunger....

So I keep working on the dad. .....I left him a text. He has not returned a message.

But again, the free system has enabled this situation to kaboom into affecting even the adult children.

For friend and his doctor...I really like the little tri-folder low carb brochure now at DietDoctor. I keep a copy in my purse, gym bag, etc in case Diet ever comes up. Enticing photos of real food, simple enough for a doctor to see as not dangerous

https://www.dietdoctor.com/wp-conte...folder_1803.pdf

Nice and concise, a great handout. Love that guy.

Thank you Janet!

Reached out to friend yesterday via text.... he said he is not interested. Not sure how to proceed. I have an opportunity today to "run into him" at a community dinner.........

oh dear Arielle, If your friend is "not interested" in even hearing about how to improve his health, it might be time for some tough love. i.e. next time he needs you to set aside your routine to help him out because he's in hospital - or whatever - you may need to tell him something like: "Since you are 'not interested in improving your health,' this is the LAST time I'm coming to your rescue. I do want to HELP you but its becoming increasingly clear to me that what I am doing is ENABLING your poor life choices. Ultimately, that will hurt you far more than if I do nothing for you. So, if you want my continued help in any form, you have to start paying attention to and ACTING on available information about how you can improve your own health and get yourself out of the hole you're in! If you are comfortable, satisfied, and "happy" with your life as it is, then I am DONE."

Don't be surprised if you friend blows up at you...maybe even call you horrid names. Or falls apart and cries and says nobody cares about him. Or tries to say that you're trying to control his life. (All standard "manipulation" techniques.) Stick to your guns tho and either he will 1) stay mad at you and find someone else to enable him or 2) maybe - just maybe - he'll think about what you've said, realize the truth in it, and come back to you ready to at least try making some changes.

Will pray for the latter.

Thank you. I will try again to pursuade him. I think I will take a few minutes to write down websites he can quickly access.

I am not fazed by an animal blowing up at me--so I hope I can handle this.

I am wondering if his nutritionist put the breaks on LC. He had planned to talk the plan over with her.

Two new award nominations for Low Carb Program

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/201...m-98064916.html