[Violet73]

I heard an interview with a doc on one of the news stations yesterday....I don't know which one I had it turned to...CNN, FOX? I'm not sure.. But it was just a short segment on how the low-fat diet craze in the last 20 years has caused our country to have a diabetes epidemic. They were discussing several things at once and I barely caught that. Did anyone else catch it? I have heard a lot of doctors lately talking about low-fat diets and diabetes. Its interesting stuff.

[CJZee]

There are numerous studies that are pointing in the low-carb direction for diabetics. There is some good information on this blog that I think is sensible and not slanted too much one way or the other.

[JessicaRT]

Yes I saw that!!!! I think it was on good morning america?? Dr. OZ has mentioned it more than once!

[honeybjones]

Hmm lemee think about this for a minute. Does fat raise blood sugar? Eventually but it takes a while and then the increase is only slight. Does protein raise blood sugar? Uhhhh noooo same deal as the fat. Oh! Right! Its carbs that raise your blood sugar! Hey medical community I have an idea--let's develop a Diabetic Food Exchange that allows 165 grams of the stuff that keeps Diabetics sick! Don't worry about lowering their blood sugar--metformin has zero carbs.

[Violet73]

lol honey! Most of the low-fat foods are high in carbs...so there ya go....

[Deena52]

This is my latest passion/fascination. There is great info in the Gary Taubes book, Good Calories, Bad Calories. Amazing hypotheses for which he cites multiple studies....many from Europe, where they've not swept them under the carpet like they have here:

1. That it's not over-eating that makes you fat....it's being fat that causes over-eating (they have it backwards).

2. That insulin drives fat accumulation and carbs drive insulin...the simpler the carb, the more it does this....esp. high-fructose corn syrup.....which was the main addition to low-fat foods to compensate for the removal of fat (why most of them are not lower calorie than the full-fat version).

3. That frequent surges of insulin...caused by carbs, esp. simple ones...can over-work the pancreas and cause it to malfunction...can cause insulin resistance, resulting in more and more insulin being released....can manifest in hypoglycemia and later, diabetes.

I'm reading the book very slowly and carefully...as some of the biochemical stuff is a bit over my head/advanced for me....so I will keep working on those sections, attempting to understand it and get it straight. It's a great read. There are all sorts of peripheral issues too....that studies are refuting the prior claims....that fat causes heart disease, that fiber prevents all sorts of cancers (it does help constipation but no studies support that it prevents cancers)......and also things like...infertility can be connected, to some degree, to a diet high in carbs.

And when I really think about it, since I'm almost 58, not to mention worked in the health care field for many years......ever since this huge low-fat/high carb push based on a hypothesis promoted as fact....there has not only been an explosion of diabetes and obesity....but I don't remember, several decades ago, so many people having infertility problems. I mean sure, it existed....but it was nothing like the major explosion it's turned into.

And there are many, many more. Like I said, I'm working my way through the book (so grateful to Sarahinparis who recommended it to me). I'm thinking of starting a blog based on the book...sort of explain the book in layman's terms....more of a teaching venture type thing. I am highlighting the best layman's explanations in the book for that reason.

There is a fantastic lecture Taubes gave at Dartmouth...I posted the link to the video on Jason's (Sasknewfie) thread....I'll go and get it and post it here. It would give you a great idea of whether you'd be interested in reading the book.....and has a slide presentation that you can watch while he lectures...which really aids comprehension.

At this current time, I am REALLY into this....big-time!

deena

Here is the link to the lecture:

http://www.dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm

Thank you SO much CJZee for posting that link to that blog on diabetes (the real truth about it). It is awesome and will provide me tons of great reading...not to mention it has links to all sorts of other interesting medical blogs.

One of the big factors in why this so fascinates me is the issue of why, in the US, that not only are those in the medical field entrenched in out-of-date beliefs but that info. is literally swept under the carpet...and even intentionally hidden and/or misrepresented.

Now, I'm not a conspiracy theorist normally...but I DO think that the lobbies of big pharma and the corn industry etc...wield huge influence (money talks) and do factor in....not the only factor, but one of them.

I've been a moderator on another message board that handles a different medical issue....unfortunately, I've become fascinated and spend a great deal of time here now (there are only so many hours in a day) but it deals with an issue and a medication/medications that have been intentionally misrepresented, facts intentionally hidden, etc. with a huge cost/risk to the users down the road...which they have no idea they're signing up for. I so admire those who go against the established status quo.....the guy who runs/owns the message board literally went up against Reckitt-Benckiser in maintaining the message board....despite harassment, etc.

I became very interested in that particular situation and spent years teaching myself all about it...plus the board owner taught me. We are probably the two main people who actually know how to deal with this medication safely.
But now I've become fascinated with this "fat doesn't make you fat/carbs do" and all the health issues related to carbs that have been swept under the carpet or intentionally misrepresented. So now I'm doing the same thing with this issue.

That's why I never shut the heck up about it. Bear with me.

[Violet73]

ohhhh Deena thats great info! I think I will have to order his book off ebay! Most docs are now coming around to advising people with diabetes on a low-carb diet. Simple carbs have made our country fat and diabetic. The only way not to be that way while eating simple carbs is to always feel hungry and deprived cause you arent eating much. But, with me, even something simple as a bowl of cereal can make me feel yucky and I can even swell so I think mine is more of a gluten thing. Also, though the sleepy feeling people get from pancakes? thats the surge of insulin! Casein in milk is another problem. I'm just happy with my low carbin lifestyle but I am gonna follow Dr. Atkins more closely now....cant wait for my book!

[SaskNewfie]

Originally Posted by Deena52

I posted the link to the video on Jason's (Sasknewfie) thread....

I actually sat and watched the whole thing...very interesting...thanks!

[Deena52]

Oooh, goody, Leslie Lou! Another person who's getting interested in this topic.

I mentioned this on my own thread some time ago but the main problem I'm having with this is.....that it causes me to have difficulty controlling what I post when I'm on other forums on the board here. For instance, a young gal who appears to be no older than 21, possibly younger (18-20) was upset that she'd become extremely hungry....and from the way she wrote it, this was real hunger, not that boredom eating thing. She's almost 160 lbs. (down from about 30 lbs. higher) and she's restricting to 1400 calories plus exercising. One thing that precipitated this unexpected ravenous hunger was that she'd gone to an event and let herself enjoy a nice meal...then apparently seriously restricted for dinner.
Another poster there had written about a philosopher and about how refusing to acquiesce to hunger, sex, aggressiveness....was what made us human...or something along those lines...okay?

Seriously....I had to back away from the computer and walk away....back over to here.

First of all...if you are TRULY hungry...there is a physiologic problem. Secondly, 1400 calories is too low for a woman of her age, weight and activity. Thirdly, if you seriously restrict yourself and then have episodes of allowing yourself to eat a nice-sized meal, you can stretch your stomach and it can take several days of restricting to get it shrunk back down again and to stop screaming for food.
Not to mention...what ARE you eating and is every calorie nutritious? Especially if you are seriously restricting? And how much of it is carbs? And how much is simple carbs?
And finally...how in the heck are you gonna maintain this for the long-term? When you're already having deal with significant challenges due to it?

The first thing I thought of when I read the great philosopher thing about refusing to bow to your (real) hunger...was "I can just see Gary Taubes' face if he read this"....

That's just one example. I've had one heck of a time trying to control what I say when I post regarding this issue.....especially to those who are having serious craving and binging problems like I did on carbs, those who are doing Fat Smash or Crack the Fat Code...when they do great their first week of their low-carb induction-type thing but then stall as soon as they allow the bread, etc. back in (and maintain the low-fat regulations to boot) and to those who keep going off plan repeatedly.

I've really had to wrestle with what I write, not to mention multiple episodes of having to step away from the computer...or at least, that particular post...in order to control my fingers on the keyboard.

JASON!! Where in the heck have you been? And how in the heck is your weight loss program going?
So glad you enjoyed that lecture.

deena

[thistoo]

I tried Fat Smash once. I lasted a day. Not even, really, because I was SO HUNGRY. It was awful. I mean, I've been hungry on Atkins a few times, but it was nothing like that starvation feeling. In one day! Crazy.

[Violet73]

Crack the Fat Loss Code just really seems to complicating..almost like a science project lol! I was going to follow this plan but the first week limiting carbs changed my mind and led me back to low carbin as I felt great! I also have found that people doing the Crack the Code plan didnt lose a lot of weight and actually had gains sometimes. I never feel hungry on Atkins...it is very satisfying!

[Deena52]

If I recall, when I read about those two particular plans here a few weeks ago or so....they both had this first week thing where they restricted carbs but also restricted fat....and even forms/amounts of protein/meat. Most lost some weight from that particular week....but then they added carbs back in and they were in the form of bread, etc. (which would spell doom right there for me) and many, if not most, began to stall. And extended stalls can lead to getting frustrated and giving up

Plus....it seemed like most of them gained it all back....likely because they felt deprived and hungry on it.

And....you would think more of them would be clever enough to figure out that if the low-carb first week worked and then adding the carbs back in caused stalling or slowed them down in a major way, they would put 2 and 2 together and at least investigate and consider trying low-carbing/Atkins.

deena

Oh, also...it's not as if they shouldn't be able to figure out that it was the low-carb that was responsible the first week because even when they add the carbs back in, they continue the low-fat, somewhat restricted protein regimen. So it should be clear that it was the low carb.

The problem is....because the fat and protein are restricted so much, most of them are wailing that they can't wait until they get to the 2nd week because they are so hungry and miserable. So then they assume that low-carb makes you hungry and miserable. When the reality is that it's the additional restricting of the fat and protein that's causing this. And if they checked us out, they could learn about this.

[honeybjones]

Has anyone (i.e. research scientists) examined the link between an increase in low fat diets and an increase in Autism diagnoses? I don't know if there is a cause and effect link or not but there is at least a strong coincidence. People started eating low fat in the 80s and kids were coming up Autistic all over the place in the 90s and the 00s. Thoughts?

[Deena52]

Shoot....here's the thing...there is SO much in this book...so i checked the index and there's no autism...HOWEVER, I was recently reading a section showing links between carbs and infertility....and infertility is not listed in the index either.

SO...you'll have to wait until I either get to info on that topic (if it's in there) or finish it in order to get info from THAT book. And since they've swept so much of this under the carpet, I'm thinking there might not be a whole lot on the internet...info. wise. Now blogs....that might be another story. Like a mom of an autistic child investigating the latest cutting-edge research and writing about it on her blog.

deena

[thistoo]

Originally Posted by Deena52

but then they added carbs back in and they were in the form of bread, etc. (which would spell doom right there for me)

Me too. Bread and I parted ways a looong time ago.

IIRC, the first week on Fat Smash you only take in about 900 calories a day. So it IS a starvation diet, and it's no wonder people can't sustain it. Talk about setting people up to fail, Dr. Ian. My activity level is higher now than when I tried it, granted, but even then I probably needed at least 1600 calories a day to sustain my workouts, let alone fend off the starving feeling.

I don't know anything about the other diet you referenced, but if it's anything like Fat Smash, no thank you.