Ok...first I'll give a little background about myself. I was an obese sedentary carb consuming machine weighing in at 330 lbs. Yeah I gobbled down carbs all the time...potato chips, pizzas, donuts, cookies, sweetened tea, glasses of chocolate milk, Mountain dew all the time I was drinking something sugary...disgusting yes...but that is how I was.


Anyway I went to the doctor in March of this year because my feet had started to dry out and crack open and wouldn't heal. My doctor did bloodwork because she suspected I had an underlying diabetic problem. Well my fasting level blood sugar came in at 300 from the lab and that was that. Diagnosed as full blown type 2 diabetic because we also did the finger stick in the office and the meter read 400 blood sugar on the finger stick.

Needless to say I was pretty depressed. I knew I had nobody to blame but myself and that I had done it to myself eating and living the way I was. I knew about all the awful things diabetes cause in people...amputations, blindsness, kidney failure (I could go on and on) and I certainly knew I didn't want any of that. I was given an ADA food pamplet and told to follow it along with taking metformin, glipizide, statins, and blood pressure medicine. You know the awful 45 grams of carbs a meal and 15 carbs a snack on their carb up and shoot up diabetes treatment plan.

Anyway I went online to try to find out what things a diabetic should be eating because I wanted to do everything I could to deal with this and to tell you the truth I didn't want to be taking medications for life and especially starting at 35 years old. I was determined to do whatever it took to get my health back.

Anyways I found out about low carb eating and it made total sense to me more than the ADA way...if carbs are what I have a problem processing it makes sense to ration them as much as you can. Why would you want to keep adding fuel to the fire...yet thats what the ADA wants you to do.

I ended up ordering Dr. Bernsteins diabetes solution book and I have followed the meal plan since then. 6-12-12....somtimes a little less sometimes a little more but I'd say never going much over 30 grams of carbs a day. Anyway I have stuck to the diet along with getting out and starting to walk every single day almost since then in addition with some exercise on cardio machine and some weight lifting I've added in now too.

Anyways I'm skipping a whole lot here but to tell you where I'm at today health wise...about 7 months later...my weight is down to 207 lbs from 330 lbs and my A1c on my last lab was 4.6 reversed down from 11 percent. All of that is good along with getting off all the metformin and glibizide. The fact my blood pressure has come down is good.

Two questions though. My cholesterol on my last lab was sky high. Triglycerides were ok but not cholesterol. I'm happy with the sugar being down but any ideas on the cholesterol? I admit I've been eating 4 eggs for breakfast everyday, cooking with oils like cocunut oil, eating plenty of pork and beef. This has me puzzled. I thought with losing this much weight and being healthy that all my health markers would come back in line and I've read where people have just fine cholesterol markers on a diet like this? I've quit eating the eggs, and am sticking to chicken, turkey, and fish right now and little to no red meat cause I'm not sure what else to do.

The other question is this...how do you stop losing weight without adding carbs back in... I'm still droping and don't want to lose any more really. I don't want wind up anorexic....I have no problem eating only 30 carbs a day for the rest of my life if I have too and if I could without becoming anorexic but I'm afraid if I start eating too many carbs my bs is gonna go right back through the roof and not to mention if I've done damage to my pancrease the way I used to eat I don't want to overwork it. I want it to last me the rest of my life without needing meds or insulin to control my blood sugars.

Anyways I'm rambling on some more here...I did do a test one day to see if I could handle eating a baked potato because in my mind I was wondering if I was still diabetic or how much diabetic I was...my fasting level blood sugars in the morns run anywhere from 68 to 77 almost always and my post prandials are usually in low 90s or 80s...I can't remember the last time I saw a triple digit number eating the Bernstein way. So I had a baked potato with breakfast one day and my 1 hr post prandial was 91...I couldn't believe it so I though maybe I hadn't processed the carbs yet...but 2 hrs post prandial was also 91...really suprised in a good way. I tested out a bowl of oatmeal with a bannana on top of it another day. Well that one wasn't so good...144 post prandial 1 hr after eating it...95 2 hrs post prandial...yes I was glad to see that my body brought it back under 100 two hours later but I don't like my blood sugar running over 100 at all anytime. My goal is 100 or less 24 hrs a day 7 days a week...lol. Anyway what I'm saying is I probably am a lot less diabetic insulin resistant than I was but to what degree I don't know...and frankly I don't want to eat any way but the low carb way...But what about the continued weight loss when I don't want to lose anymore weight and the high cholesterol? Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

okay 8 views but I see no one wants to answer me...thanks anyway.

Hello, nice to meet you!

There are a actually a lot of new studies that are out now de-bunking the lipid-hypothesis, which (in essence) states that ingesting fat makes you fat and ingesting cholesterol raises your cholesterol, which in turn, leads to heart disease.

More and more experts are beginning to find that there is NO CORRELATION between your total cholesterol # and heart disease.

They two things that are true health markers are
(1) Triglyceride #s – how were those? you didn't state.

(2) LDL particle size. Even when it comes to the bad cholesterol (LDL), they are finding that it's not the total #, but the actual particle size that matters. You want more of the 'fluffy' LDLs than the small, dense ones. There are new tests out now to distinguish the two.

I'm not sure which pod cast I heard it on, it may take some digging, but on one pod cast out there, I heard that ''TOTAL cholesterol will initially go up and, even on liquid diets, total cholesterol has risen as much as 800!"

So, in short, I wouldn’t worry about the total cholesterol # too much:

Quote:

Per Jimmy Moore: ...So why does particle size matter so much? Well, it’s elementary my dear Watson. The smaller, more dense the LDL particles are, the easier it is for them to slip behind the arterial wall, build up plaque, and eventually become inflamed to the point that serious problems develop. That’s why you want more of the large, fluffy kind of LDL particles because they cannot penetrate the arterial wall. Wanna know how to prevent your LDL from becoming predominantly the small, dense and dangerous kind and transform them into the large, fluffy and protective ones instead? Yep, you got it — eat a high-fat, low-carb diet. When you choose a nutritional approach that puts the emphasis on consuming high levels of fat as a percentage of total caloric intake, moderate amounts of protein, and very few carbohydrates, then three things almost assuredly always happen: 1. Your HDL “good” cholesterol will rise above 50. 2. Your triglycerides will dip below 100. 3. Your LDL particle size will be mostly the large, fluffy kind. These three indicators are a tell-tale sign if someone is eating low-carb correctly or not. If you are consuming too many carbohydrates, then your triglycerides will bear that out by remaining above 100. If you aren’t eating enough fat, then your HDL will dip below 50. And if both of these numbers are significantly off course, then you better believe your LDL particle size will be leaning in the direction of more of the small, dense ones.

I would suggest start listening Jimmy Moore's podcasts, or others in the LC blogosphere to be educated on the cholesterol #s that matter. Here are some good links on cholesterol!

The Truth About Cholesterol – blog post/pod cast


LipoScience's NMR LipoProfile Test: A Revolutionary, More Accurate Lipid Profile Particle Size Screening – blog post


All Things Lipids (Cholesterol 101) – blog post/pod cast


Cholesterol Lies - - $TATIN NATION Documentary – blog post/pod cast


Saturated Fat Is Good For You? | Dr. Jeff Volek – blog post/pod cast

I hope this info helps a bit! There are others on this board that, who are much smarter and more articulate than me, and may be able to explain this better, but I definitely don't think you need to stop eating eggs/meats, because that theory is now proving false!

Those links will give you a good start!

Julie

Thanks for the reply...I guess I was impatient and was want some answers right away...lol.

Well my Dr. put me on Niacin and Crestor for my cholesterol and gave me one of those American Heart Association pamplets that tell you what to eat. It says for me to eat lots of fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, grains, and beans...yeah right. I'm gonna eat a lot of fruits and breads and cereals and grains and beans as a diabetc my butt. Thats just ignorant like the ADA's advice...it suggests replacing meat with legumes for some of your protein...yeah and how am i supposed to control blood sugar eating enough legumes to make up for the protein I wouldn't be getting in meat which animal protein does very little to raise my blood sugar... Dumb....thats what irks me about all this stuff...so much conflicting and bad dietary information its hard for people to know what to believe.

My total Cholesterol was 360, LDL 235, HDL 51, Triglycerides 109 (thats a big improvement from 7 months ago they were over 400 along with the high sugar) Anyway 235 LDL is very concerning to me and of course the lab sheet says I'm at high risk of heart attach pointing to the high LDL number.

I second all the things Julia posted. Good place to start to learn about cholesterol.

According to Dr. Bernstein you adjust your protein intake to control weight loss/gain, so to lose weight eat less protein, to stop losing eat more, to gain eat even more. Don't increase carbs or fats. But don't worry, you won't become anorexic.

Also, trigs will be higher while actively losing because the fat is in transition on its way out of your body. My blood lipids look bad on paper, too, and I admit it is hard not to worry about it without having a VAP or NMR test for reassurance, but I still refuse to go on a statin based on everything I read. If you could get either of those tests, it might put your mind at ease, but not while you're on the niacin or statin, as they would get you the "on meds" results. In my state I can't get them w/o a doctor's script and I can't find one that will write it but a lot of people can just order it online and then go to a local lab.

Oh, and congrats on your progress with your blood sugar & weight loss! Great job!

Hi Psowen,

I am new, too, so for what it's worth, here are my thoughts on the matter. I think you are going remarkable things and having remarkable results. Congratulations. You are amazing!

I agree that you might want to have a VAP and an NMR to see what's going on with your blood lipids in more detail. If your doctor won't order them, you can order one yourself from a vendor which has a contract with a lab. I use mymedlabs.com, but there are many others. The tests cost less than $80 each and after you pay, you make an appointment with a local lab and get a blood draw, and the results will be viewable online within a few days.

Keep doing what you are doing

I can't help much about the numbers but I do know some people have mentioned that the foods you eat before these tests (even up to 24-48 hrs) can affect your results. Maybe somebody else could clarify this or you may find some answers searching through the forums.

I'm not sure what Dr. Bernstein suggests but could you up your calories while keeping carbs low to try and slow/stop weight loss. I don't count calories (simply because I don't want to and haven't needed to) but many others find that they need to keep calories low along with carbs to lose weight, soooo you may need to up your calories in order to stop losing weight.

Good luck and congratulations on your amazing accomplishments so far!

Dr. Bernstein had patients he was trying to help gain weight and he added olive oil to their diets, I forget the amount but it was many, many calories worth, and they did not gain any weight. The only thing that helped them gain weight was adding protein. I'm not sure if that exact part is in his book online at http://www.diabetes-book.com/readit.shtml but you can look down the right hand side for the topic of "obesity / weight gain" and there are several links, one of which should include it.

In answer the second part of your question. LC dieting will not let you waste away to nothing. It will get harder and harder to lose weight as you get closer to the weight you need to be.

You have an amazing story. Major congrats on that a1c of 4.6... wow! I bet your doctors are blown away.

I'd recommend some skepticism about the cholesterol stuff. If your triglycerides are low (under 100) it will throw off the calculation of your LDL and total cholesterol and overestimate it.

Some good books you might want to read include:

The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable

And...
Wheat Belly

Don't sweat the cholesterol and I personally wouldn't take statins for ANY amount of money unless I was a man over 56 who had had a heart attack.

You can read the collection of articles in my signature to see why.

Best of luck to you!

Oh yes, I wouldn't worry about anorexia as long as you're eating fine. It usually involves people starving themselves, binge eating and purging, that sort of thing.

Lets put it this way...I'd like to see a type 2 diabetic do it eating the ADA's high carb grain based meal plan without the help of insulin or medication to get that low. Its impossible to control blood sugar on their meal plan without a lifetime of more and more medicines and insulin...in my opinion. You keep eating high carbs on their plan and a type 2 will eventually blow out their pancrease by burining out their beta cells and then essentially wind up a type 1 dependent on insulin cause you don't produce enough anymore. I give all the credit to Dr. Bernstein and his plan...helping to halt and reverse my diabetes...its likely saved my life...and by that I mean quality of life too not just duration...hopefully duration too though...thats why I wanted to get healthy I wanted to live some more...I was not ready for my health to fall apart at the age of 35.

I'll credit this to the previous posts, because of them, I went to Dr. Bernstein's site and while reading for my own benefit, I stumbled upon this.....

"Elevated Serum Triglycerides During Weight Loss

When you’re losing weight, fat is “mobilized” for oxidation—i.e., to be burned—and it will appear in the bloodstream as triglycerides. If you see elevated serum triglyceride levels as you’re losing weight, it’s not something to worry about. Your triglyceride levels will drop as soon as weight loss levels off. "

so, again, no stress..... your body is figuring it out

Sorry we were slow responding. Impressive job you have done. Previous posters have given great answers.

First congratulations on your amazing improvements in health.

Dr Westman suggests as esam has already pointed out, that you wait until after your weight has stabilized a while before having the lipids drawn. I have the classic LC profile now, very low trigs, a high HDL, and LDL particle number by the NMR test in a good range. Yet the total cholesterol, calculated off those other very good numbers, looks high. Another good source for LC, heart and diabetes info: http://www.nmsociety.org/

As others have mentioned you should add more good fats, not carbs. Managing your blood sugar is number one priority. Nancy mentioned a good book by Phinney and Volek...look at their graphs for nutrient composition by phase. When you get to maintenance, protein and carbs stay about the same, but while you have been sourcing your energy needs from body fat these past 7 months, you now have to source it from dietary fat. Their book is the best one I've read how to make low carb work for a lifetime.

Your story reminded me of Steve Cooksey, someone who journals his health improvements on a blog. You may have run across his site as you searched the Internet for information, as he remains low carb but has added some aspects of the Paleo lifestyle to his lifelong plan to control diabetes. http://www.diabetes-warrior.net/.
Some of his maintenance meals and recipes may help you plan how to eat going forward.