IT IS THE CARBS THAT ARE KILLING YOU.

[Bill T]

Upon returning from a business trip last night, was surprised to see so many posts on this thread. Would like to revisit some of those comments later but right now want to reply to suedehead's (Doug's) inquiry about other books of the genre.

Doug, in my opinion, diabetics and nondiabetics alike should put Dr. Bernstein's "The Diabetes Solution" on their emergency, right-this-minute reading list. Would like to comment more on the matter another time, but for now suffice it to say that after receiving my diabetes diagnosis, I launched into diligent research. After studying dozens of seemingly authoritative web sites over a three-week period, I carefully lined out a program which I felt sure would enable me to beat the disease.

Of course, what I had launched into was the standard disaster that is the ADA and AMA approach to diabetes. In a nutshell, consume 60% of your calories in carbs. A death sentence. Of course, it is a slow death, taking many years, and along the way the family fortune will be transferred to the medical, pharmaceutical and carb industries. And there is the macabre aspect of surgeries, amputations, terrible sickly feelings which never go away, and fatigue and malaise so severe there are no words in the English language to describe them. And, of course, it is not just the diabetic's life that is ruined; loved ones suffer unimaginably as they watch the black drama play out over . . . oh, half a lifetime, give or take.

Doug, partly because of the advocacy of the ADA and AMA, I initially went on a carefully measured 1200 calorie-a-day diet, 720 calories (60%) of which were carbs. I bought an electronic kitchen scale and was weighing food components to the ounce. 1200 calories a day weighing single grapes! Who can live like that? I GAINED WEIGHT. So what did I do? Simple, I doubled my dosage of glucophage. What the **** . . . if one pill doesn't work, take two. With any luck I'll get to four soon and be well on my way to the total miserableness that characterizes advanced diabetes. And glucophage is strong medicine. The side effects are well known by diabetics. (I threw my glucophage away long ago and feel better than I have in many years. I feel great! I monitor my blood sugar several times a day and monitor the keytones in my urine once or twice a day, but that is the totality of my "medicinal" measures.)

I visited so many sites on the web that eventually the odds had to come up in my favor, and I stumbled on Dr. Bernstein. He turned on the low-carb light for me. At exactly that time, an employee, whose husband had also recently been diagnosed with diabetes, mentioned that he had started Atkins and was losing weight like crazy and felt great. Had I not read Bernstein I would not likely have acted on her comments. Just more diet nonsense, right? But Bernstein had broken the trail, so I bought Atkins, and the rest is history.

Dr. Bernstein's "The Diabetes Solution" is the one I would recommend, for diabetics and nondiabetics alike. Once a person accepts that the high-carb advocacy is a deadly profit-oriented charade, and once that person accepts the truth of the much more natural low-carb way of life, weight loss and health are right there at your fingertips . . . an eye blink away. Truly an eye blink: you have spent years fighting a losing battle, but with the low-carb way of life noticeable life-saving results commence in a few days. Carb cravings greatly diminish. Lab numbers begin immediate improvement, including cholesterol. Before long, every single morning for months you can see in the mirror that you are thinner than you were yesterday. You are light on your feet. You kick the stairs butt. The pounds float away and so do the years -- the improvement in appearance is dramatic. All of this was the case with me and many other Atkins people I have spoken with. But, again, for me Bernstein flipped the switch. Then Atkins defined the way of life.

[suedehead]

Bill, thanks, I will pick up "The Diabetes Solution" from Amazon. Have you read any of the "Protein Power" books, do you recommend them?

I am looking forward to reading your post on Type 1 & 2 diabetes when you have the time. My father has had Type 1 diabetes since he was 19, he is 64 now. Up until the last few years he has enjoyed relative good health. Three years ago he had a heart attack, and last year he had another mild heart attack. Of course, no one in the medical community has ever mentioned Atkins (or low-carb eating) to him, I am hoping to share what I have learned. He is rather stubborn, I am not sure he will listen ... but at least I can try. Ideally, I can get him to read DANDR.

Congratulations on your success doing Atkins.

- Doug

[Bill T]

Doug,

Thanks for your congratulations, and please do get Bernstein. Not too late for you father to benefit. According to what I read, many diabetes symptoms are, to varying degrees, mitiagatable by adopting an Atkins/Bernstein lifestyle.

Your father has survived Type I longer than most. Bernstein has survived longer subsequent to diagnosis than any other known human. He was diagnosed at age 12 and is now in his seventies. When he first figured out the relationship between carbs and diabetes, while in his 30's, I believe, among his symptoms was the classic and crippling "clawed feet." Over a moderate amount of time on a low-carb diet -- I don't remember how long right now -- his feet almost totally reverted to normal. He considers them to be no problem today, according to how I read his comments in the book.

Yes, naturally the medical profession has not mentioned Atkins to you or your father. This has been my principle rant. And, seemingly, it would be the rare doctor who mentions Bernstein. With all the research I did, not once did I come across a reference to Bernstein from the medical or pharmaceutical world. How is this possible? Bernstein knows more about diabetes than anyone else in the world and has a mountain of science behind his low-carb advocacy, just as Atkins does. You connect the dots. Now that the low-carb thing is FINALLY taking off a little, Bernstein had better be careful about icy sidewalks. Me too, maybe.

Will try to get back to you on other subject you mentioned. Got to get back to business, which, by the way, no longer drives me into the ground every day. Love going to work.

Will say this briefly about your protein question -- and please remember I am not a doctor (maybe that's my strongest credential) -- I have found what to me is an obvious connection between protein supplements and overall good health and vitality. As my research in numerous sources pointed out, a good dose of protein is needed to properly metabolize the vitamins and nutrients you consume. Chromium is also considered by some to be good for this purpose, and specifically for helping the body deal with carbs. I believe this is also true. Works for me. I believe both Bernstein and Atkins recommend this, as well as daily multis. That's what I do: Every morning with my bacon and eggs I take a multi, 200 mcg of chromium, 50 mg of zinc and one scoop of Carb Solutions High Protein Shake (a half serving). I feel the last is very important. This based on trying too many combinations to count. I know how I feel, and this works the best for me. Not recommending this exact combination to you and no where was it specified just this way to me. But generally, in the reading, these supplements come up time and again as good things. By the way, it is only very recently, as far as I know, that you could buy protein powder that didn't taste like crap and didn't have lots of carbs. My half serving has only 5g of carbs, and also contains 2g fiber, so, as Atkins points out, it has only 3g carbs that count. I do this half serving of protein mix, in water, with all three meals. Put 4 oz. ice water in the blender, add the protein powder and add a heaping teaspoon of Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal, which has zero carbs that count and provides a nice jolt of fiber and protein. The fiber part is the reason I add it to the mix. Someone in Induction may not be able to use the protein power. Or maybe use half of a half serving.

Think your father, and all diabetics, should know that the addition of this protein mix to my meals seemed to have an immediate positive impact, especially regarding vitality.

I get Carb Solutions at Walmart and Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal at Trader Joes. Probably can get them at many places but that's where I found them.

One final thought: For the first few weeks after being diagnosed I was really, by God, into perfectly balancing my meals according to the ADA and AMA, and that, of course, was, in my opinion, a huge mistake. Part of what I was doing was eating Balance Bars for supplements, sometimes for meals. What the heck, they are 60% carbs, just like the ADA and AMA says is good for diabetics. For one of my early trips to the lab to get all the blood work done, I, of course, did the overnight fast as usual, but during the day before ate three meals consisted entirely of 9 Balance Bars, three each meal. (So I would know EXACTLY how much of what I had put into my system). Ate not a bite of anything else all day . . . except glucophage. Hey, 1800 calories, 60% carbs. How great is that? ADA says it's great. Blood glucose turned out to be 181, I believe, even with the glucophage running amuck in my system. These days, with the glucophage long since thrown away, my BG is routinely in 90s, even 80s. But just one moderate binge of carbs for one meal sents it maybe 180. Maybe more. Bernstein says, as I recall, that anything over 140 is dangerous and will result in permanent cellular damage. If I was to eat a large plate of pasta and a couple pieces of sourdough, as I used to do routinely, I would gain three to four pounds overnight. On Atkins, whatever I weigh at 10:00 p.m., I weigh 3 pounds less at 10:00 a.m.

Just so you know, Carb Solutions has a bar that is sort of like Balance Bar, certainly tastes as good . . . which means it tastes bad . . . but has virtually no carbs. Things are changing, Folks.

[toebee84]

My mom started Atkins in the late-1970s. She lost all the weight she wanted to at the time. She is now 62 years old, 5' 6" tall, and weighs about 125 lbs. So who says Atkins weight losses are not permanent? I only hope that I follow in her footsteps (and I am getting there!).

[Koko]

Bill, I just wanted to pop in and say how amazing I found this thread; thanks for starting it

While I do not have diabetes and it doesnt run in my family, no doubt with my weight I was on my way there - thank G-D I found Atkins and low carbing. I have no doubt that I have literally saved my life and while I still have a long way to go, I am determined to stay on this path for the rest of my life so no matter how long it takes it's going to happen for me.

I tell anyone who will listen to me about this WOL and hope that as I lose more weight and people notice it more, I can help others "see the light" When I see someone overweight, I just want to go and talk to them. I want to let them know that NO ONE could survive on a traditional diet and that they are not weak or lacking in self-control. I'm particularly horrified when I seen an obese child or teen Low fat is a nowhere way to eat and your body isnt satisified...never mind that lots of "low fat" foods are high in HFCS

I'm actually going to print up business cards with the Atkins site and my other favorite low carb sites and hand them out to people who ask. We need to bust the medical industry for killing us for profits! The only way to get people to see this is to be successfull with the weight loss and tell every person you know what you did and how good you feel. We all need to do this and show those who feel hopeless that there is hope.

[Bill T]

Suedehead's request for my opinion regarding my Atkins WOL experience as it relates to my diabetes diagnosis and Type I and Type II diabetes opens up a huge topic area which cannot really be covered in this format, but I will throw out the gist of it and, again, hope it makes sense to some of you who are struggling with weight and/or diabetes.

If we can play some small part in turning the lights on about the toxicity and deadliness of carbohydrates then we have accomplished something. Once again, this is not medical advice but merely experiential knowledge picked up as a result of diligent research and my real-life health-improvement miracle. And I have experienced tremendous health improvements, including the astonishing improvement in ALL my lab numbers, to back up my opinion. I owe it all to Atkins. Atkins and Bernstein, who is my diabetes guru. (Suedehead, I will get to the Type I/Type II thing in a moment, but first. . . .)

The reason for this spread-the-word mission is simple: the medical profession has failed us miserably, in my opinion, and they know it, and they continue to pretend the mountains of lifesaving science behind Atkins and Bernstein do not exist, and they continue to "prescribe" a diet that is guaranteed to make America obese and diabetic and to generate gargantuan profits for the medical, pharmaceutical and processed-food industries. It's quite simply, Folks . . . in my nonprofessional opinion, when the whole country goes on Atkins for life many of our most evil health problems radically diminish. Please note toebee84's post above. There's the core of it right there. And, toebee, just do it . . . full immersion. Look what it did for your mom.

And Koko's post, just above, is the core of the evangelical spirit that is needed to force the issue. And forcing the issue is the required mentality. It is not necessary to spread the word. We have to force the issue. ****, I had heard of Atkins, what, a zillion times before the coincidental circumstances in one of my prior posts caused me to finally try it. Until then I had believed what the anti-Atkins commandos work so hard to make everyone believe: That this utterly natural way of eating may well kill you. Do you know that some doctors . . . medical freaking doctors . . . commonly tell obese patients, patients who are suffering terribly, patients whose lives would dramatically change for the better, that Atkins will kill them. They use those exact words.

Koko, I am going to have my next batch of business cards printed up with the Atkins URL on it, and thanks for the idea. Now, fellow low-carb travelers, I am going to offer you a little proof of the existence of the anti-Atkins commandos. This just popped into my head and goes something like this: If you will ponder for a moment the concept of printing up your next batch of business cards with the Atkins info on it, and really ponder it for a moment . . . think about what happens as you begin passing out your "Atkins-equipped" business cards . . . think about giving one to a key customer . . . does some negative little thought sort of slip in? Well . . . I'm guessing you experienced just a twinge of apprehension about being perceived by that key customer as some sort of wild-eyed radical who advocates a diet everyone knows will "kill you". . . .

Suedehead, let me gather my Type I/Type II thoughts and put them on the immediately following post. This one's getting long.

[Bill T]

Type I/Type II, Obesity and Atkins

All of what follows is my nonprofessional opinion. It is based on extensive research, which I undertook to combat my diabetes when the medical profession seemed to offer no advice and then bad advice. The following reflects my experience and acquired knowledge and is not intended to be dietary or medical advice. I'm a retail store owner, not a doctor.

At Suedehead's request, following is my nonprofessional opinion about what I regard as a link between Type I and Type II diabetes. Link is the wrong word. I regard them as being essentially the same disease but with a key difference which causes one form (Type I) to onset early in life and require insulin injections from the start (because of the pancreas' inability to produce insulin) and one form (Type II) to onset later in life and to initially not require insulin injections.

Suedehead, when I have spoken of my intense research, I am referring to research that primarily has to do with diabetes, the biomechanics of of diabetes, its causes and effects. Remember, my cousin and my best friend both died of diabetes, and it wasn't pretty for either of them, and my life was on a very bad downward health spiral, and I could not figure out why. Thought I had passed 50 and life was over. Then I learned I had diabetes. Then I took the bull by the horns, but only after making the mistake of following the AMA and ADA advice to, essentially, go on a highly toxic diet -- a carb- based diet. Remember, this was not my M.D.'s advice, he offered virtually no advice except to "lose weight" and go on Glucophage. "Thanks, Doc. See you in three months, and yes, I'll enrich the lab's coffers, as usual, before I return."

Part of the research, of course, included dietary research, and most of what I found was presented authoritatively by reknowed medical and nutritional experts and was hideously bad advice, in my opinion. Certainly it was terrible advice for me. On a 1200 calorie-per-day diet with 60% of those calories in the form of carbs, I was gaining weight. Eventually, on Atkins, after Induction, I now eat 1800 - 2000 calories a day, approximately 8% of which is carbs. I lost 50 pounds, am in great shape, all lab numbers including cholesterol are greatly improved, and I feel fantastic. Think about that. The AMA and ADA says a diabetic should consume 60% of his/her calories in carbs and take tons of powerful medicine and live the life of a fat, pasty-white, semicomatose, blob. This is not an overstatement. If you think it is, go to a monthly diabetes group meeting at the local hospital. The blobs I just described will make up the large majority of the attendees. Terrible . . . terrible. An Atkins WOL would help them all. By the way, I raised that issue at such a meeting and was abruptly told by the Registered Nurse leader that the Atkins approach was foolish for most people, and she absolutely cut me off and quickly went on to something else. Guess who the guest speaker was at that meeting? The druggist at the local pharmacy located within a national supermarket chain. I just now almost called him a pharmacist . . . but druggist is a better word. Held back from saying pusher. And there's this: the room full of blobs mainly wanted to know what new silver-bullet medicines were coming up that they could take to achieve a cure. See what we're up against? There is a silver bullet all right -- Atkins.

Doug, let's say, just for conversation sake, that lots of people are born with the genetic predisposition to get diabetes. Why not? You and I and nearly everyone else on this planet was born with the genetic predisposition to get colds. Right? And flu. Right? And pneumonia and cancer and on and on and on. Some of these diseases are harder to get than others, even with the predisposition. Some are easier. Some require really strong environmental influences to blossom, others not so much. And some, like diabetes, blossom not because a virus or bacteria or some other foreign agent came in from outside and set up destructive residence. A disease may just be the result of a congenital condition in some bodily subsystem. This is, of course, a common occurrence.

Now let's say that the genetic predisposition to suffer diabetes ranges along a make-believe scale of 1 to 100. If you're a 1, there's virtually no chance you will ever suffer the ravages of diabetes. You could eat 1000 grams of carbs a day and your blood sugar would never go aboe 100. You're bulletproof. (Let's ignore for the moment the fact that if you consumed 1000 grams of carbs a day your pancreas would be producing so much insulin nonstop that you would likely be critically obese and die early of obesity related problems. Remember, insulin is the #1 fat producing hormone in the body. You produce insulin, you facilitate the accumulation of fat. Furthermore, with such dramatic insulin production, at some point you would likely wear out your pancreas' ability to produce insulin.)

If, just for conversation sake, you were born as a 20 on our make-believe scale, you "have diabetes" at birth but only to a degree of 20, so until the last several decades, when America has gone on a carb orgy, you would live a healthy life diabetes-wise. That is because until the last several decades your diet would be mostly protein and fat. Carbs were a rare luxury. Maybe there was enough flour to cook up one biscuit for each family member at dinner. Maybe. I was born in 1945 and there was not a single soft drink in our house until I was about 8 years of age, and that was the norm. A rare soft drink at the soda fountain, where the guy with the funny hat would actually mix it up was the way we got soft drinks until the mid-50s. My parents had both grown up with very little, and World War II had just ended and our family didn't have much for a number of years. We resided in a government housing project until I was five and lived on bacon and eggs, ground beef, hot dogs, chicken, fish, some bread and some fresh fruit and vegetables. Fruit Juice, which is every bit as evil as Coca Cola in terms of carb content, was never in our house until the mid-50s. We were all rail thin, athletic, active and healthy as horses. If you want a real awakening, go to the library and get a 1940 issue of the local high school yearbook and look at the group scenes of the kids. Then look at a 2002 yearbook's group scenes. The increase in rolly-polly is astonishing. (The 1950's is THE critical era in our current disease-ridden state of obesity, and I would like to address what happened at that time in another post. It was the start of this country's health demise.)

A given amount of consumed food-energy in the form of protein causes only about half the amount of blood sugar to enter the blood stream as would be the case with the same amount of carbohydrate food energy. Maybe a little more than half, depending. And it enters the blood stream far slower than does the blood sugar resulting from carbs, so there is no spike in blood sugar, and that is a good thing, health wise. Carb-produced blood sugar starts entering the blood about 20 minutes after the carbs are consumed. Protein takes up to about 8 hours. And, THE PANCREAS BEGINS PRODUCING INSULIN THE MOMENT CARBS ENTER YOUR MOUTH. And for the benefit of the anti-Atkins commandos, kindly allow me to point out that the consumption of dietary fat results in the production of virtually no blood sugar.

Here's what will happen these days, on the typical American diet, if you are a 20 on our make-believe scale: From birth you will follow what is, in my opinion, the spectacularly stupid dietary-pyramid and eat and drink tons of carbs. So, for years your pancreas is pumping out tons of insulin, the #1 fat producing hormone. Since you are not a 19th century farmer working full-out all day long, every day, you will start accumulating that fat on your body at an early age. (And remember that those hardworking 19th century farmers consumed far fewer calories than a typically sedentary 21st century teenager, who slops down what should be, in my opinion, 4 days worth of carbs in a single giant soft drink from the minimart. It's no wonder Americans are a bunch of BFPs -- Big Fat Pigs. Hey, I used to be one and am at all times just a temptation or two away from being one again. But I will never revert. Neither will you. Atkins saved us.)

As our 20-on-a-make-believe-scale-of-100 typical American carb hog passes early adulthood, things are happening in her body. Bad things. And she hasn't a clue. Oh, she knows the pounds are piling up in the form of cottage cheese on her butt, but she is unaware of the fact that she is working her pancreas nonstop and wearing out its ability to produce insulin over the full course of a normal life span. Big trouble is waiting a decade or so away. But that's only the start. She is also pounding to death with insulin and blood sugar the little gizmos on her body's cells that are designed to work in conjunction with insulin to allow her massive overproduction of blood sugar to enter those cells to be used as energy. The gizmos are called receptors and as our 20-on-a-make-believe-scale-of-100 typical American carb hog, and hypothetical diabetic-in-waiting, porks along through life, she batters the receptors so badly that they become more and more unable to accommodate the insulin flood. They go from 20 to 30 to maybe 40 on our make-believe scale. Let's give the gizmos' progressively deteriorating capacity to handle insulin a name. Let's say the gizmos are becoming more and more "insulin resistant." The problems are backing up now, and soon the price will be paid, and it's a heavy price.

Eventually she goes from a 40 on our make-believe scale to a 50, then a 60. Now she feels like crap all day and night long, every day and night. Terrible fatigue, malaise, constant headaches that feel like a 6-inch- wide steel band across her forehead, perspiration problems, inability to get through the afternoon without naps that begin taking on the personality of a coma and from which she finally wakes feeling like a train ran over her. No energy. Stairs are a nightmare. The bathroom scale becomes Satan. Her skin takes on the limp pallor and wrinkled early aging of a heavy smoker.

Her doctor, who for years has been ordering her to "lose weight," orders a fasting blood-glucose test and it comes back 250. Bullseye. Type II diabetes! So he orders her to go on a STRICT HIGH-CARB diet and prescribes powerful pills designed to interact with the gizmos and allow them to utilize the insulin, which will enhance the cells' capacity to accept blood sugar. Of course, her high-carb diet will produce so much insulin that no amount of the pills will take care of the problem in the long term. But, and here's the really sadistic part . . . that won't be a problem for too long because she is quickly wearing out her pancreas' ability to produce insulin. And what's this she has been noticing for a couple years now? A tingling in the toes? On bad days it feels as if someone has outlined her toes with a tingle Magic Marker. And is that a little numbness in addition to the tingling? And what's up with the resting heartbeat in the 90s? And how come she routinely perspires under her arms so badly she can't go to parties and is even embarrassed to take her stuff to the dry cleaners, who has seen it all? And the bad cholesterol and blood pressure are on the moon and the good cholesterol is missing in action.

Now the fun really begins. Insulin shots. Insulin pumps. Insulin, insulin, insulin. Pills, prescriptions, nonstop lab tests and doctor visits. Try everything under the sun. Herbs, potions, prayers, change doctors, rose petal salads, massive vitamin doses, cursing and pleas for help from any stranger who will listen. Don't believe that last one? Read some of the pleas for help to strangers on this board and on, especially, a diabetes board. It's tragic and heart rending.

If she moves to 90, then a 95 on our make-believe scale, that tingling becomes more numbness than tingle, and what's this? . . . it's moving up her legs? The liver finally surrenders and goes to sleep forever. The heart is in really tough shape now, and the whole, sad list of problem areas reads like an organ dictionary. The scalpel salesman is making a . . . uh . . . killing. The surgeon will be busy.

They are going to lose, a piece at a time, this extreme consumer of medical and pharmaceutical products and services soon, but what the heck. . . . She contributed her entire economic capacity to the cause for 30 years, and, hey, those obese kids hanging out at the minimart SELF-SERVE CARBOHYDRATE ATOMIC-BOMB MACHINE are coming along nicely.

Quite nicely.

The difference between a Type I and a Type II? In my nonprofessional opinion, the Type I was born at maybe an 80 on our make-believe, nondefined scale, and the Type II was born at maybe 5 or 10 or 20 but then our carb-bomb diet began the slow process that causes the disease to blossom later in life, and since the receptors had some ability to function, insulin-dependency does not become an issue for years. Did you realize, Doug, that today only about 5% of diabetics are Type I? Atkins early on, across the board in our population, in my nonprofessional opinion, could prevent most of the health disaster.

Also, Doug, in anwer to your other question. No, I have not read Protein Power but I have read considerably about it and most of the other diet stuff. As far as I know PP is good but seems to suffer a little from what other low-carb imitators suffer from more than a little -- it really just follows onto Atkins and Bernstein's coattails. Although, as I point out, and as does Atkins, I believe, when someone says they are "on Atkins," they using what has beome a generic term to say they are on a low-carb LS. If Protein Power enables you to make the life long commitment to LC, that's wonderful, and it, therefore, becomes just a useful as Atkins.

[Koko]

Bill, GREAT post - I've actually bookmarked this thread to come back to frequently.

Something occurred to me as I was finishing up your last post. Being a litigious society, what do you suppose would happen if it came out full force that the USDA and medical establishment had been killing us with their flawed science and diet? The ramifications would be astounding.

People laugh at the McDonalds lawsuit as well they should but what happens when the truth is generally understood? Not that much is said about the biggie, sugar-filled soda or the sugar-enhanced bun...it's all about the "fat" WOW - that's going to be a huge explosion! Another reason to vilify Dr. Atkins and a low carb lifestyle, I'd say.

[Bill T]

Yep . . . Sugar drinks are #1 killer

Koko, you are absolutely correct. The biggie is the saturation of our population in sugar drinks. But the rest of it is also over the edge. The chips, the pastry, the pasta, the bread, the fruit juice . . . Americans consume all of it in far greater quantities than any other population on Earth does and in far greater quantities than is sensible.

As for the McDonalds lawsuit, I also agree it is ridiculous. People are being made fat by the carbs, not the dietary fat, but beyond that, people should be responsible for their own actions.

It sounds, KoKo, as if you understand why I rant about the anti-Atkins commandos. The necessity of not allowing our culture to become aware that it is the carbs that are killing us is overwhelmingly important to the medical, pharmaceutical and processed-food industries. Vast economic forces are at work.

[Becky Sue]

Thank you, Bill T for this information. It is to late for my dad, he died in 95 . He had diabetes, type II, I now realize that his doctors advice on his diet helped to bring his death prematurely(heart attack). If he was still alive I would sure try to get him to eat the Atkin's WOL, but to late. My dad has a brother that is following in my dad's foot steps, so I forwarded this thread to him. I can only hope he sees the light and is willing to try this change and improve his health. I guess time will tell. I sent him pictures of me (before and during)and told him that I have lost 22 lbs. in less than 2 months. I can sure see a difference in me, in pictures, in so many other ways too. I still have many lbs. to loose, but I am motivated for success .
I realize that if I don't get my health in better shape, I could be a diabetic, because my family come from a line of diabetics. I did have blood workup before I started this diet and so far no diabetes.
Once again, Thank You, for all the information. I will be reading up on future post to this threat.

[bykerdruid]

Bill, I've printed up some of your posts and handed them out to a few people at work. One is an MD who is on a low carb lifestyle and is really excited that the low carb idea is catching on. She's amazed at my increasing knowledge, but I'm quick to tell her, I learned it from the DANDR and the ADBB.

The other is a vegetarian, supplemental vitamin/mineral powerconsumer, who blames high fat on just about all ailments, and agrees with the lawsuit against McDonalds. However, she finally had an epiphany and realized glycemic index and carbohydrate levels work hand in hand. If a potatoe is high glycemic and bad for diabetics, and it's high carb and bad for Atkins dieters, well...if a=b and b=c then a=c. Duh???? She's forever a vegetarian, and hooray for her, I support her completely. But she's got a new view on carbs and their part in obesity/health. And me, loosing weight, feeling better, lab numbers improving is proof positive that it's not the fat, "it's the carbs that are killing us"

Works good and bad for me. Bad=I'm living in a glass house. I HAVE to succeed because so many people are watching. Good=I'm living in a glass house. I HAVE to succeed because so many people are watching.

[Bill T]

Heart Attacks, Fat and the Commandos

Becky Sue,

Sorry about your father. It's obvious it hurts. It would be a good thing if you could help your uncle . . . and yourself. Jeezzzz . . . There are 17 million diabetics in this country, and that's going to be considered a small number 10 years from now. Heart disease is one of the major players in the world of diabetes. Diabetics are something like 4 times (think I've got that right) more likely to die of a heart attack than the rest of the population. But think about this: Those are sterile clinical numbers. In reality, those numbers tap into a data base that goes back decades. I would be surprised if the heart attack ratio within the diabetes population who is on Atkins for life is anywhere near that 4x figure.

Take this to the bank regarding diabetes and the heart -- before I figured it out, my resting heartbeat was in the 90s, every single morning, and with any exertion at all it went badly erratic, sometimes skipping 5 or more seconds between beats. If you've never experienced that you've missed a thrill. Sometimes it would beat in little weak beats so rapidly and erratically you couldn't really count the beats but it might equate to 140. Don't know how I made it through. Had little pains in my heart many times a day. Sometimes sharp stabs. Now it beats strong and slow, with a resting rate in the 60s, every single morning. Had a treadmill stress test and the heart doctor asked why the G.P. had sent me to him. Heart and arteries now strong and true. Not a single sign of blockage in this 57 year-old daily bacon-eater. On my typical carb-based diet I must certainly have been right on the edge. Have absolutely zero of those heart pains now.

Your weight loss thus far is impressive. Keep it going.

Bykerdruid,

Regarding your logic: if a=b and b=c then a=c. It's flawless. I think we called that a modus ponens in college, or something like that. I have found, however, that logic means little with the medical profession in these matters. Nice that your doc friend is a believer, but that is rare in her profession, and that is the challenge. Becky Sue's dad could be one of your relatives, or mine, or anyone's. Let's spread the word. As for your veggie friend? Wow. She is apparently not your typical veggie. Good for her.

[jujuB]

Bill, this is such a fantastic thread. Thank you!

I wanted to share a story that my father shared with me. He was diagnosed with diabetes two months ago and has been attending meetings sponsored by the ADA to learn how to control his diet. At his first meeting, after the person leading the class had discussed the importance of controlling the intake of carbohydrates, a member of the class raised her hand. "Excuse me," she said, "but isn't controlled carbs similar to the Atkins diet?"

"Next question," said the teacher.

It sounds like the ADA won't even let their representatives DISCUSS Atkins. What a shame! So far the ADA guidelines have worked well for my father, but I think that's because he was consuming way in excess of their carb guidelines per day. I just hope it continues to work for him and that he doesn't stall... or worse, change course.

~jubs

[Bill T]

The ADA/AMA Nonsense

Again, for the record, I am a clothing store owner, not a doctor. None of the following is medical or dietary advice. It's based on my personal research and experience, and on the experience of the many other diabetics and Atkins people I have spoken with. It is also based on my interpretation of the writings and research of Dr. Atkins and on my interpretation of the writings and research of Dr. Bernstein, who knows more about diabetes than anyone in the ADA, in my lay opinion. And it's based on common sense.

Yes, as jujuB points out, and as I made vague reference to much earlier, there is, in my opinion, an informal -- and probably unspoken -- agreement between the AMA, the ADA, all other medical and pharmaceutical professionals, the processed-food industry and the media to demonize Atkins and the LC lifestyle. In each of these professional arenas there are, of course, some nonconspirators, but their voices are downed out by the others.

Let me quote this, a current policy position of the ADA (quoted from a Neil Sherman article on the Health A to Z site:
"Typically, people with diabetes should get about half their daily calories in the form of carbohydrates, the new ADA guidelines suggest. "One carbohydrate serving is equivalent to 15 grams of carbohydrate, and, generally, the goal is three to six carbohydrate servings per meal and one or two servings for snacks."

Astonishingly, the above advice not only goes severely against Dr. Bernstein's far wiser advice, and the principles of Atkins, but, and hold on to you hat for this one . . . it equates to as much as 300 grams of carbs per day! In our contemporary sedentary society, only a minority of nondiabetics need that many carb calories. For the overweight and for diabetics it is astonishingly bad advice, in my clothing-store-owner opinion. I can't help posing the question: If the ADA wanted to put out a statement ensuring diabetics will perpetuate their health problems and reliance on nonstop medical and pharmeceutical treatment forever, what would they have said differently?

If I consume more than about 50 grams of carbs (200 calories) per day, tiny little signs of trouble peak out. If I consume 100 grams on a given day my morning blood-glucose reading will be around 180 -- a significantly dangerous level, and one that results in that terrible trainwreck feeling, numb toes, inability to focus mentally, clammy perspiration, rapid heartbeat, diminished sight, not enough energy to take on much of anything, afternoon coma-naps, and more. But the ADA wants me to consume THREE TIMES THAT AMOUNT! And I'm one of those nuts who takes a blood glucose reading 8 or 10 times a day. I KNOW exactly what foods do what to me, and, as always, It's the carbs that are killing us.

Again, and very slowly, At 40 - 50 grams a day I am on top of the world. Walk the golf course, bound up the stairs, mental sharpness, on and on. ALL MY LAB NUMBERS, WHICH TWO YEARS AGO WERE A DISASTER, ARE GREATLY IMPROVED, AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM IS IN THE NORMAL RANGE. SOME OF THEM JUST PLAIN OUTSTANDING, AND I HAVE THE OFFICIAL LAB REPORTS TO PROVE IT.

And their math is fuzzy. The above official ADA policy could result in a diabetic living on about 1300 calories per day at the low end of their recommendation. This is absurd. This is a fad diet; no one can stick to that for life. It's an officially sanctioned ADA recipe for LS failure, and every one of you who has failed on a 1300-calorie-per-day diet, and the majority of Americans over the age of 30 have, knows you can't stick with such a low caloric intake for life. Or is the ADA saying that 1300 calories is good only for the advanced diabetics who have no need for more than that because they have spent a lifetime following ADA advice and are deathly ill, bedridden and only marginally alive? In that case, they have a point. But since they don't clarify the position, I assume this is advice for the general diabetic population.

There is also this, quoted from the Neil Sherman article on the Health A to Z site:
"Carbs are only one piece of the puzzle, Daly says. The new guidelines warn about the ineffectiveness and dangers of fad diets focusing on one entire category of food - such as low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets, which have proven ineffective and can cause kidney damage - or high-fat diets, which increase the risk of heart and cardiovascular disease, conditions especially common in people with diabetes."

I would love to see the science behind this statement. Not hollow policy hyperbole, ADA, actual Scientific-Method, hard documentation conclusively proving your point and based on serious research of a large sampling of a cross section of diabetics over decades. Bernstien has such science behind his claims. He is the world's leading authority, and if you follow the Atkins lifestyle, your are following Bernstein, in my opinion.

The medical professionals also habitually misrepresent the Atkins LS. They say things like, on Atkins you eat UNLIMITED amounts of fat. As I previously recommended, just read the first 93 pages of DANDR and your life will change for the better. And look at the great carb-counting tool. If you do this, you will find Atkins has a virtually unlimited array of fruits and veggies and other carb stuff you can eat. But you gotta it in the correct amounts, although the correct amounts seem pretty generous to me. I love blueberries and strawberries. That and a little Cool Whip (very low in carbs -- but never consume more than 2 tablespoons!) is my dessert. What the heck's wrong with that? Actually Bernstein turned me on to Cool Whip. Believe it's okay with Atkins too. It is certainly allowable within the philosophy of the Atkins lifestyle.

And I love the above ADA phrase, "PROVEN INEFFECTIVE?" Have they lost their freaking minds? More people have lost more weight on Atkins than you can shake a barrel of insulin at. And Atkins people, in my clothing-store-owner opinion, are healthy. I am not the exception, in my experience. I am the rule. I meet Atkins people all the time who who have enjoyed the success I have, and much more. Lots of them on this board.

There is a code phrase here, fellow travelers: Fad Diet. The ADA, the AMA, the media, they all love to say "fad diet" when referring to Atkins. They demonize the concept and the lifestyle. They love to attach the dreaded "fad diet" to the word Atkins. It usually reads, ". . . fad diets, such as Atkins."

And again, if you're on this board, you need to worry about diabetes. It's now 17 million and counting, and 17 million will be considered a small number in ten years, and the ADA knows it.

And jujuB, I'll add this, there really does appear to some sort of commonality of purpose behind the ADA/AMA positions regarding Atkins. It's too consistent and too in violation of common sense, and it radically flies in the face of the genuine scientific research of both Atkins and Bernstein. In Bernstein's book he challenges YOUR DOCTOR, who he assumes is rabidly anti-LCLS, to compare personal lab results. He assures the reader his will be better than your doctor's.

And you will remember that Dr. Bernstein has survived Type I longer than any other known person. Diagnosed at 12, he's now in his 70s, is incredibly active and healthy as a horse, as far as I know. He leads a strict low-carb LS and has for decades, and he devotes his life to helping fellow diabetics. His success has been extraordinary. The AMA and ADA pretend he doesn't exist, just like Atkins. So, jujuB, this refusal by the medical professionals to even mention the word Atkins is, in my opinion, a reality and has to be the result of some informal, and probably unspoken, boycott.

In my opinion.

And remember, it's the carbs that are killing you.

[Bill T]

Recently there was a post on this board which pretty much illustrates the misunderstanding the public has regarding Atkins.

This nonsensical and often angry attitude has to originate somewhere, doesn't it? And, yes, once again, I point the finger of blame at the ADA, AMA and the processed food industry. And once again I can come up with only one possible motivation on their part -- money.

Surely it has occurred to all of you that it is somewhat odd that the only weight-loss WOL that works -- the truly natural approach -- is the only approach that is constantly bombarded with ridicule and criticisms that are utterly untrue. This board and the rest of the country is full of people who have lost a great deal of weight on Atkins and kept it off. Every non-low carb program has countless failures. Everyone fails on them. You have failed on those other programs, perhaps many times, as have I. Perhaps everyone you know who has a weight problem has failed on them. Atkins veterans, on the other hand, are mostly far lighter, healthier and happier than before they adopted the WOL.

So how come all these other proven failures . . . all these other programs . . . virtually 100% of the followers of which regain their short-lived weight losses and then some . . . how come all those other programs aren't criticized as being capable of only temporary weight loss? Or why is it their dieters weight loss is not "water loss." Or why won't those programs "kill you."

The reason is simple: the ADA, the AMA and the processed food industries don't give a hoot about all those others because all those others don't work, and they will not, therefore, reduce obesity in America, and obesity is the beast behind the astronomical carb sales, medical treatments and pharmaceutical sales. Atkins across the board would change everything. Diabetes alone accounts for a tremendous income for the above mentioned industries, and, in my lay opinion, resumption of the dietary patterns that existed in this country prior to about 1950 would wipe out the majority of that income for those industries.

I am not the only Atkins diabetic who has lost great weight, thrown away the medication and feels so much better than I did on a carb-based diet that there are not words to express the great improvement. There are armies of us. All my lab numbers are greatly improved and in normal range. My doc at one time said I had one foot in the grave. Now nothing holds me back, not even the anti-Atkins commandos, who can be found everywhere . . . including on this board. Their standard tactics of misrepresentation and obfuscation never change. They are so intent on preserving their cash cow that some of them will misrepresent, distort, throw out all manner of ridiculous criticism about the LC WOL and do their utmost to demonize Atkins, Bernstein, you, me . . . anyone who is a threat. And every time another Atkins follower loses 20 or 50 or 100 pounds, they get a little more nervous because they know there is an good chance that weight is going to stay off.

I suggest we not let them misdirect us or cloud the issues with meaningless patter or trumped up criticisms designed to divert your attention. In DANDR he asks us to "speak up" because the evangelism is needed to combat the distortions. I have suggested to others that we not settle for speaking up, let's force the issue. People who have meant much to me have died young because of a carb-based diet and its toxic effects on diabetes sufferers. Others on this board have related similar personal tragedies. Countless others have died from the same causes in the last 50 years. Twenty years from now, maybe ten, I believe, no reasonable person will doubt the connection between carbs and obesity, disease and illness. But for now, with the high-carb lie just starting its death throes, let's increase the pressure on the beast.

It is the carbs that are killing us.