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I'm well aware of the low carb/high fat diets such as atkins, but I have high cholesterol and my Dr wants me to watch my saturated fats but I suspect in the long run that lc/lf is not sustainable due to being in ketosis.
Since I was just diagnosed this week, I'm planning on staying very low carb and not eating the really fatty foods like bacon for the time being. Once I get my metformin prescription filled and lose a few pounds, I will gradually work up to real excersizing from simply walking.
When I see my Dr for a followup in 3 months I plan on having him do a ldl particle count.
I've studied the cholesterol issue for years. My MD is more concerned about homocysteine and fibrinogen and these levels were elevated so I've been working to lower them.
I don't deal with diabetes and watch my health carefully and eat very low carbs, refined for sure and moderate fats...never buy low fat, non fat stuff. Eat in moderation, we need good fats.
I am type 2 diabetic and eat a lot of saturated fat, and my cholesterol keeps getting better and better. At my last exam, doc told me my "good" cholesterol was TWICE as high as the average!!! He says my #s are great - He is amazed, I did this all through diet (and exercise). Natural, saturated fat is good for you.
I've been using Coconut Oil ever since I was introduced to Weston Price. I attended a support group in our town sponsored by the Weston Price folks. That's been about 10 yrs now. I use it for cooking, on veggies, by the spoon, make my own toothpaste with CO, add a light tsp to my morning coffee...CO is a very healthy saturated fat. No canola oil for this gal. I've used olive oil too for years but CO the most now.
Low carb and low fat made my bad cholesterol levels rise. My cholesterol was good before I started losing weight, then it went up.
When you're diabetic, they want your cholesterol levels to be lower than the guidelines for non diabetics.
Metformin will probably help you lose a few pounds. If you eat high fat foods while you're taking it, you're likely to end up with diarrhea. Same goes for foods with a lot of carbs. And most people have diarrhea for a couple weeks while they're getting used to metformin, no matter what they eat.
I am type 2 diabetic and eat a lot of saturated fat, and my cholesterol keeps getting better and better. At my last exam, doc told me my "good" cholesterol was TWICE as high as the average!!! He says my #s are great - He is amazed, I did this all through diet (and exercise). Natural, saturated fat is good for you.
I'd like to do the same but can you give me an example?
I'd like to do the same but can you give me an example?
Well, for one thing, I watch my portions. I do eat carbs but I also watch the amount. I eat bacon, real butter, coconut oil, lots of nuts and cheese. Again, i watch my portions. And I eat very little processed food. Real foods like bacon, eggs, butter or nuts are NOT the enemy - they are healthy (in reasonable amounts of course).
Along with the above I eat two or three small servings of fruit each day, and usually a small salad and/or serving of veggies. This works for me.
I have been taking cholesterol-lowering medication for some 40 years, and even then my readings usually exceeded 200. I developed insulin-dependent diabetes some 20 years ago, after an illness that apparently harmed my pancreas.
A few years ago, I read the book by Richard Bernstein*, "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution". He apparently was the original proponent of the low carb diet, adding that IF one truly gets low carb, then they need not worry about fat and cholesterol.
It has worked for me. My last reading (two months ago) was 160 (but yes, I still take the medications).
Now, I have seen people speak of 'low carb' diets, all while having 75 or more carbs per day. Yet, the good doctor advocates no more than 36 carbs, total, during the day (6 at breakfast, 6 more for a snack, and 12 each for lunch and dinner).
I still try to eat low fat when eating meat, including lots of chicken. However, I do eat a lot of real eggs and butter (previously, I would avoid butter like the plague, having been brought up to believe that fake butter like margarine was better for you; it isn't).
Carbs can show up in surprising places, like that dab of ketchup. When I use cream cheese in a recipe, it turns out that the lower fat kind has almost no carbs, while for sour cream the opposite is true. I also avoid any fruits (Dr. Bernstein claims he has not had fruit in 40+ years; since he is 80 or so, I guess it has not hurt him) and I am very selective in vegetables. I do not remember, seemingly, what rice, bread or potatoes taste like. However, the diet has helped me tremendously, even reversing the diabetic neuropathy I was developing in my fingers.
*The bio of Dr. Bernstein is interesting: he developed diabetes when he was 12 years old. He managed to survive for years, even going to college and obtain, and then working, as an engineer. However, it was obvious that diabetes was wrecking his body. He thus began experimenting, in the late 1960s, with various diets, including trying to determine which foods affected his blood sugar. When he managed to reverse much of the ravages caused by diabetes, by following the ultra-low carb diet, he tried to get the medical community to listen to him. They would not (since he was an engineer, not a doctor). Hence, he went to medical school and obtained his M.D.
Dr. Bernstein has barely concealed contempt for the 'guidelines' promoted by the ADA, as well as treatments advocated by fellow medical doctors. He noted in his book that when a pharmaceutical company developed the first 'home test' kit for testing blood sugar levels (in early 70s), the medical doctor group opposed it: they wanted patients to come to the office once a month for checking, so they could collect a fee. Dr. Bernstein says that he got one of the first home test kits, which helped him determine what foods are acceptable to eat, and which are not.
low carb/high fat = lower cholesterol and lower trigs
And when I say high fat that includes saturated fat. I know this sounds counter intuitive to what most people believe but these have been my results and to many others.
It's the carbs that cause problems with lipids (fats), not fats. The high carbs when combined with high fats cause even more problems. (Think Ice Cream). The fats by themselves are not a problem.
The types of fats you should avoid as much as possible are polyunsaturated fats which are contained in vegetable oil, corn oil etc. If the oil stays liquid even when chilled this is a sign that it is not a good fat.
Doing a low-carb, low-fat diet is a challenge. You will be pressed to get your calories from some source. The LCHF works well, but you need to be aware of what fat sources you use. Healthy fats from coconut, avocado, and olive oil will not up your cholesterol. Coconut milk and parmesan cheese (low in lactose) are good ways get healthy fat.
A common pitfall of some LCHF diets is relying heavily on dairy. While cheddar cheese is delicious, it does contain lactose and will encourage weight gain. Ditto with heavy whipping cream. Pork rinds, chitlins are fatty but deep fried in oils that are not the healthy medium-chain triglyceride.
Good luck.
Best,
Frank
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Example of what you did -
