| frustratedieter
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I'm winding down on Phase 1...with only 2 more days to go. I weighed in today and have lost 6 lbs and I'm thrilled!!!
To chronicle this...I'm insulin resistant and had been doing a lo-fat food plan through my gym without alot of success. Typically "if" I did have a loss on that plan it might have been a lb or 2 at a time then the next week I'd go to weigh in and I'd be up a lb or 3 sometimes, then would re-lose. It would hover like that and gradually I did manage to lose about 20 lbs. over about a 6 to 8 month time frame. Then I broke my ankle badly and literally was off my feet for 10 weeks and longer if you count that I needed to regain strength and stamina, and couldn't manage my program with the food BUT MAINLY the exercise and I regained a good portion of this. Then out of my frustration I did a bunch of research and found that South Beach should be the way for me to go and the rest is history. I'll be really interested to see how my progress goes---I am approaching this with caution just due to my metabolic history. But with this forum to go to--I think I'm finally on the right track!!! |
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Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:14 pm |
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| RedRox
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| Congrats on the progress! It really is helpful for IR types! (although there are some who might be super metabolizers of fat and then it is still perhaps not a great choice.) Anyway, keep moving forward!! |
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Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:47 pm |
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| frustratedieter
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Redrox...not sure what you mean about "some" being super metabolizers of fat and "it" might not be good for them! Do you mean South Beach wouldn't be good??
So what would you then suggest??
I do intend on keeping on!! I'm sure that at some point I'll plateau but then that's what this forum is for...for the encouragement and tips! Thanks for responding!! |
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Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:27 pm |
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| lhilbert65
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| I turned to SB cuz I WAS DOING Weight W..the other diet for 6 weeks with only a 2 lb loss....am I insulin resitant?How can I find that out? |
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Tue Mar 18, 2008 10:44 pm |
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| frustratedieter
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I was told I was insulin resistant by my doctor. You know, I'm not sure how she could tell that....it was about 3 or 4 years ago. A blood test??
One way I'd consider that possibility would be is...do you "diet" (6 weeks wouldn't be a good indicator...a "much" longer time would be considered) and exercise and not lose weight? Have you been a yo-yo dieter most of your life? This is mostly how I began to question things. I'd done several types of diets (Weight Watchers was one) without much success. Then about a year, or better, ago I was told I'm also pre-diabetic and this came from a fasting blood-sugar test. I did alot of reading and investigating too (online) and found South Beach to be mentioned quite alot to be a good plan for insulin resistance.
I've been told that WW is good...however for diabetics and insulin resistance "CORE" is the best and not "Points". I did the points because I thought it kept me more accountible. CORE seemed too loose in theory to me. In chatting with a friend today...she said that if one eats alot of what WW teaches about (their pre-prepared foods and also the "treats") you will find alot of sweetner in them and other things that "might" be detrimental to weight loss. The white carbs that we're to stay away from as well!! I wouldn't diss WW as it's been beneficial for alot of people it's jus that I didn't have good success with it and I went to meetings for way over a year and stuck to program!! |
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Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:27 pm |
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| lhilbert65
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| Well actually Ive been doing Ww for over a year...it worked in the past but since turning 40 I cant lose anything....when I said I did it for 6 weeks I actually should of said that I strictly followed the flw points to the T and worked out agressively for 6 weeks...5 times a week....only lost 2 lbs the first week and that it. I am going to the Drs thursdays for a fasting bloodwork and I will definately raise my concerns with her as well. Its been bothering me for some time no...almost 2 years of losing 3 gainning 2 to lose 1 then gain 1...very hard to stay on track with results like that. I find the SB diet easier and not stressing over every morsel I put in my mouth.....day 2 done...on to day 3 yea!!! |
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:17 am |
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| frustratedieter
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Your experience "does" sound familiar! Yes, I would ask the doctor what she thinks about insulin resistance. I found out a plethora of information just by "googling" insulin resistance helps". As with most things you'll read alot of opinions on what's the best way to approach it. But it's something that does come with age, heredity and like me--the yo-yo dieting.
Let us know what you find out at your appointment! |
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:11 am |
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| RedRox
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Insulin resistance is also sometimes known as Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X. There really is no single indicator or specific test for "it" but a blood test that combines a full lipid profile and fasting blood glucose can reveal a number of the factors that could collectively be taken as a good indicator that you have developed this condiiton.
This source from the National Institute of Health has a pretty complete review of the topic and should be worth the read of the complete article if you are so inclined. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/ , but here's a relevant excerpt:
Quote: What causes insulin resistance?
Because insulin resistance tends to run in families, we know that genes are partly responsible. Excess weight also contributes to insulin resistance because too much fat interferes with muscles' ability to use insulin. Lack of exercise further reduces muscles' ability to use insulin.
Many people with insulin resistance and high blood glucose have excess weight around the waist, high LDL (bad) blood cholesterol levels, low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, high levels of triglycerides (another fat in the blood), and high blood pressure, all conditions that also put the heart at risk. This combination of problems is referred to as the metabolic syndrome, or the insulin resistance syndrome (formerly called Syndrome X).
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program as the presence of any three of the following conditions:
* excess weight around the waist (waist measurement of more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women)
* high levels of triglycerides (150 mg/dL or higher)
* low levels of HDL, or "good," cholesterol (below 40 mg/dL for men and below 50 mg/dL for women)
* high blood pressure (130/85 mm Hg or higher)
* high fasting blood glucose levels (110 mg/dL or higher)
Source: National Cholesterol Education Program, Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, May 2001.
Note: Other definitions of similar conditions have been developed by the World Health Organization and the Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.
What are the symptoms of insulin resistance and pre-diabetes?
Insulin resistance and pre-diabetes usually have no symptoms. You may have one or both conditions for several years without noticing anything. If you have a severe form of insulin resistance, you may get dark patches of skin, usually on the back of your neck. Sometimes people get a dark ring around their neck. Other possible sites for these dark patches include elbows, knees, knuckles, and armpits. This condition is called acanthosis nigricans.
If you have a mild or moderate form of insulin resistance, blood tests may show normal or high blood glucose and high levels of insulin at the same time.
frustrateddieter: I wasn't suggesting that SB isn't right for you. It really was perfect for me and hopefully you will see good bloodwork improvements and weight loss with it as well. What I was referring to was a different set of blood tests I took this past summer analyzed by Berkeley HeartLabs, Inc. who have developed a more refined set of cholesterol testing that looks at density and size of the LDL and HDL particles to get a better assessment of future coronary artery disease aka CAD or simply the larger umbrella term of "heart disease". One of the tests is for a genetic protein marker called ApoE which has 3 different genetic variations. This means that it is what it is and the test simply determines which version you have been genetically coded with. When I reviewed my diet with their staff nutritionists, I told her I had been doing SB for a few years at that point and she didn't have a problem with it for my ApoE type and basically once I described what I eat on a regular basis, she just said, "keep doing that" and we don't need to talk anymore. Basically, I had already adopted virtually every guideline they had for changing your diet to reduce the risk for CAD by adopting a SB style of eating which should come as no surprise since it was designed by a cardiologist expressly for this purpose. (weight loss was just a nice bonus along the way really.)
But the other thing she mentioned was that for one specific type of ApoE (4 I think) they don't recommend Atkins or SB becuase it tends to be too high in fat because that group tends to metabolize fat much more quickly than the rest of the population. And I forget what percent of the population is ApoE 4, but I think it is in the 15% range, so one in every 6-7 of us. So basically those with this genome break down the fats into glucose that much more quickly and then the body needs to process it by releasing insulin, so it's kind of like them eating high glycemic carbs which only adds to the problem. That's my understanding anyway! ;) Hope that helps! |
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:26 am |
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| lhilbert65
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| Thanks ever so much...that info was so helpful *wink* |
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:44 pm |
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| frustratedieter
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Thank you a HUGE bunch Redrox! What you included re: insulin resistance is what I have read! So that was also helpful to the person who posted on this thread! :-)
But you went further to bring your own experience into it. Not sure I'd have access to the same kind of testing opportunity that you had last summer. Sounds like something to look into though. |
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:59 pm |
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| RedRox
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Just bring money! ;) Seriously it was ordered through my PCP and I think that one was at least partially covered by insurance. My Doc is big on the Berkely testing and carotid artery imaging scans, so I went through both. They did a quick one vial blood draw at the doc's office here and they send it off to Cali for testing. Ask your Doc about it if you are interested and see what he thinks of it. The aspects of the size and density of the LDL and HDL particles is really a better indicator of CAD risk than the simple numbers. BTW, the other thing I learned along the way is that exercise tends to elevate HDL for about 24-36 hours, so if you want to improve your HDL score, be sure to get a workout in during that time frame before the blood draw! ;)
FWIW, my relevant indicators were tri-g's above 300, HDL in the low 30s, and a gut, although I never quite made it to size 40 waist pants, and slightly elevated (Above 100 but less than 110) fasting BG. I've moved the tri-g's down into the 80s I think, HDL into the mid to upper 40s and fasting BG went down to the low 90s for awhile although has been going back up a little lately. That one seems to bounce around the most it seems. Waist is somewhere in the 33 inch range as well! ;) And total weight loss was in the 40-45 lb range and have been pretty stable there for a few years now other than seasonal/holiday variations. So yeah, it did a great job of fixing the indicators for IR for me and I'd recommend it in a heartbeat as your first line of defense (along with exercise) before heading into medication land, although the Berkely results ended up putting me on high doses of niacin to combat one of the sub-components, so maybe that wasn't such a great idea! :lol: |
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:42 pm |
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| frustratedieter
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You're a guy...so I can't compare to some of your stats (weight loss etc.) but you are an encourager just the same.
As an FYI....I was taking niacin (non-flushing) and the doc took me off from it as it can raise blood sugar! : :? I also take supplements of Fish Oil, policosinol and CoQ10. Do you as well take supplements??
As for your statement re: "bring money"....can so relate! Insurance these days seems to be not as it once was. For instance my provider won't cover my chiropractor (at this time). He won't sign up to be in their system as they compensate doctors for NOT providing care. In other words he would need to minimally see me to get paid well. I don't get it!!!! |
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Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:10 pm |
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| lhilbert65
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| Okay so I went to my Dr with my concerns and he didnt seen to care....recently reloacted to Texas and hes a new Dr for me. He rushed me thorugh my appt and didnt seemed to want to listen to my resoning...why do Drs sometmes treat us like we dont know what we are talking about? Anyways...what he told me is youre not 20 yrs old anymore and what u did to lose or even maintain weight at 20 wont work when youre 40ish...but I debated with him that its been a long haul for me...I was doing ww faithfully and working out 5 x's a week...he went on to say I need to wrok out harder and longer and eat less....how frustrating...I already Knew that...dah...which Im doing ....so I will continue on Sb as planned and see if my weight decrease.....I feel so dismissed.....argh!! |
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Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:05 pm |
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| RedRox
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Find a new doc! ;) I kind of like my PCP. He's of a similar age and has similar problems and he usually appreciates that I come in with some level of knowledge and ask good questions. We've had some good discussions and I rarely feel dismissed. And you shouldn't either! So if that's the way he treats you, you can dismiss him and go elsewhere!
And FD, there is an omega oil capsule in multi-vitamin/multi-mineral pack although it might be plant baseed instead of fish based, I forget. I haven't tried CoQ10 yet, as the research seemed to be mixed and inconclusive. I might have to ask about the non-flushing niacin. Didn't know that existed, although the flushing really hasn't been a big deal. I've recently used up the last bottle and been debating whether to renew it or not due to both cost and just not sure it's really necessary. |
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Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:14 pm |
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| wileybosco
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| The best part about my doctor is that he listens and is willing to take time with each and every patient. You deserve better! SWITCH!!!! |
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Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:26 pm |
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