I've been away for a bit but I thought about everyone a lot. I need some advice badly. I went to the dietician as my doc referred me and asked for "diabetic diet". The dietician is not keen on very low carb. Her idea is around 200/day.
And with my strong history of heart disease I have to limit my saturated fats (she wants low fat diet). She wants me to eat lots of fruit and veggies, 2 -4 oz meat 3 times a week, lots of good grains daily (oats, brown rice etc). So, now I'm afraid and confused. Afraid about the high fat and the heart disease then there's problem number 2 (literally) and if it wasn't for this one I'd ignore the dietician all together...
After being on low carb for 6 weeks (also eating fruit daily) I was so constipated (I mean weeks without) I had to get medical intervention for impaction. How can I stay low carb when my body needs 40 gms of fibre a day to go?
I trust your advice and experiences, ladies. Please help me clear my head and figure out the bowel thing. Thanks so very much.
FYI Right now I'm on low fat but avoiding sugar, white flour etc. Feeling ok but not as good as when on LC!

Jen

I really don't think you need to give up the low carb WOE, just use a different model of it. Have you tried Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program by the Dr.'s (Rachel and Richard) Heller? Very simple plan really. 2 meals a day are completely low carb. One meal is your "reward" meal, in which you can eat an even portion of veggies, protein and a carb. You can eat your reward meal any time of day, but it must be completed within one hour. And of course water, water, water. The plan is excellent for maintenance but will allow you to lose weight and keep your triglycerides in check. The carb allowance should keep the dietician happy and you can be low carb!

Jen,
This is a tough one. I am not a doctor nor am I medically trained, but here are a few thoughts:

I think avoiding Sugar and other "White" foods is a good idea. It is these things that make us crave more!

Fiber does not affect "Net" carbs, or you don't have to count fiber grams... So you could take fiber supplements to help your bowels.

Also there are other LC programs that are not as restrictive as Atkins that even allow fruit.

I say do some research. You may find a good fit for yourself.
Gina

Jen - you might also want to look into the Zone. I don't really know that much about it but maybe another alternative. I am by no means a medical professional either but I can't imagine that be encouraged to eat foods that make you feel bad and cause weight gain can be good for your heart either. Dr Atkins claims that when you low carb, saturated fats are not obsorbed by the body as it burns it for fuel so theoretically saturated fats should not have an adverse effect on your heart. Maybe try some research to see if that theory can be validated.

I am a bit concerned over the very small amount of protein your dietician is recommending. Did I read it wrong? 2-4 oz. meat 3 or 4 times a week? That's 6 to 8 ounces per week. It sure seems low to me.

Are you diabetic or is that just the diet she recommends? In Canada the diabetic diet is under review by our CDA as it is now thought to contain too many carbs. In my opinion, dieticians will be the last people in the world to admit that low carb is a good diet!

Constipation is no fun but is often the result of not enough fat in the diet. We need 20-30 grams per day to absorb nutrients properly. Are you using fit-day to track?

Keep in touch, Jenni - you'll get through this!

There are many doctors who are "pro" low carb, is there any chance you could try another dietician? This one isn't God, you know? Maybe you could check.

If you take flaxseed oil or psyllium husk or some such supplement, that should help with your bowels. Magnesium and zinc, too, I think??

Good luck to you, no matter what you eat, your health is the most important!

I'm feeling a little yuckier each day so I know I have to find a way to make LC work for my body. I'm going to try Flax and see if that works for my bowels. I'll talk to my doc and have her monitor my triglycerides etc and see if any negative changes occur while LC'ing.
Thanks again everyone.

Don't forget to eat your full allowance of LC veggies, Jen. They will certainly help to keep you regular even if you don't add the fruit and grains.