[Hollylane]

Originally Posted by girl_dee

i am a lazy *dieter*.

i don't like to have to count things, that's why i like Atkins, less than 20 carbs a day and that's all. i no longer stay in this plan for a long long time but my body responds well to it.

So even when i am just watching it i know to stick to low carb options.

but dang, i love bread!

i need to do well because having to answer to Syr as to why i am not eating well is a powerful deterrent to eating junk!

Atkins style eating has always worked for me. I have a carb limit set, because anything over that impacts my blood sugar, weight, and makes other medical issues that Atkins has helped control, resurface with a vengeance.

Since the onset of my gastroparesis, every day has become a balancing act. Recently, I went vegetarian with Atkins, which became a gigantic problem. It was extremely difficult to get the fat and proteins I needed, while controlling my carb intake, and with gastroparesis, I had to make most of my vegetables low in fiber(high fiber means less carbs, the one concession I make is with asparagus). Vegetarianism was virtually impossible for me, my gastroparesis quickly began to worsen, and I started gaining weight again.

I had to give in, and choose to become a pescatarian. This opened up a lot more options, and I can do everything in my power to purchase seafood that is sustainably caught (bonus: when I catch my own fish, I know for a fact, that they are quickly and humanely dispatched). My weight/blood sugar has already started to go down, and eventually the current severe flare up of gastroparesis will start to fade (it has already, with treatment over the weekend) back into just the usual background noise.

Past primary physicians, gastroenterologists, and endocrinologists only saw that I was fat, and insisted all of my problems were related to a need to reduce my caloric intake, and eat less meals per day (gastroparesis makes it nearly impossible to get enough calories per day, or even eat at all most days. On the days you can eat, you can only have about 1/4 cup or less food per meal, and it is recommended to do this 5 times per day to avoid food literally rotting in your stomach, which can lead to the development of phytobezoars). My blood sugar, at the time I was seen by these doctors, was averaging 370, and this was with two types of insulin (6 injections per day), metformin, a "diabetic diet", and regular exercise.

Luckily, I found one of the very few gastroparesis specialists in the country, as well as a primary physician who actually understands my unique nutritional needs, who in tune I am with my body, and has a good grasp on the relatively small amount of gastroparesis information available.

I know this is a lot of information about my personal health choices/issues, but I feel it is relevant, especially when any documentary suggests that healthy weight loss is simply about changing basic elements of your eating habits to (whole grain etc), and that these changes may work for everyone. For me, carbohydrates above 20 grams per day, vegetables that are not low in fiber, and a diet not rich enough in fat and protein, are an absolute recipe for disaster. I do not eat low carb to reduce my size (though this is always a welcome outcome, and it helps me maintain current weight), I do it to remain free of the need for insulin, metformin, statin drugs, prilosec etc (blood pressure returns to normal, lower blood sugar, cholesterol returns to normal, acid reflux disappears).

I watched the entire series, The Weight of the Nation. I understand the findings of the studies done, and do not disagree with the likely outcomes of being obese throughout a lifetime. I am really excited about attention being drawn to the disease, without the usually attached shaming. I really love what cities are doing to change the environment to encourage exercise and fresh food consumption (bike paths, walking paths, adding corner stores with fresh food options).

One segment really annoyed the hell out of me though. There was a study done, on persons who had a family history of diabetes, or were pre-diabetic, and the study was done using metformin prior to a diabetic diagnosis, in combination with diet and exercise changes, to prevent type 2 diabetes. WTF?? I know for a fact, that dramatically lowering consumption of carbohydrates and moving towards a diet comprised of fresh foods, in combination with regular exercise, can prevent most pre-diabetic patients, from advancing to type 2 diabetes (evidence of this has been around for years). In fact, for me, it reversed the type 2 diabetes diagnosis entirely (until I went vegetarian, and it reared its ugly head again). I just cannot get on board with medicating for something that does not currently exist.

Okay, I think I've rambled on long enough...Sometimes I get a little too passionate about a subject.