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Two weeks on low carb

hankers

When I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2015 I was offered the medicine cabinet as the control method. Metformin, blood pressure tablets, statins - was the surgery on some sort of commission?

The internet is a wonderful tool and I used it to find out as much as I could about this terrible disease that is affecting an increasing number of the UK population. Diabetes UK estimate up to 11.9 million people in the UK are at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

I discovered that there is conflicting views on the permanency of the disease, that there is no cure and how it will progress, and others who suggest that a change to better eating and a healthier lifestyle will send it into remission.

I am an advocate of the latter view, having seen my blood pressure, blood sugars and weight all drop significantly to levels similar to a non-diabetic. following a strict adherence to calorie counting, running, cycling and karate. Within just 12 months I had lost 3 stones and felt the fittest I had been since I was at school (and to demonstrate how long ago that was, the height of tech was a BBC computer!!).

The unfortunate aspect of changing your lifestyle to such an extent is that you need to keep it up. It's no good putting all the effort into achieving good health only to introduce an attitude of "it's only one packet of crisps", or " if I miss my rides this week I'll double my efforts next week." It doesn't work, believe me.

For me the start was a holiday in Orlando in 2016. I had recently completed the Ride London-Surrey 100 mile ride and was fit, lean and healthy. So, two weeks in Florida shouldn't be a problem should it? Well, actually, yes. For the first time since my diagnosis (April 2015) I abandoned any regime I had previously adhered to and ate and drank what I liked. It should be said however, that such was the change to my tastebuds I didn't have any sugary soft drinks for the whole fortnight, preferring water, coke zero or starbucks coffee - starbucks is everywhere!

When we got home the weather was changing, it was starting to rain, frequently, and it was getting colder as the darker nights were drawing in. The cycling became intermittent and I had noticed painful twinges and aches in my back. By January I was seeing a consultant who confirmed after various scans that I had slipped two discs and I should cease all exertion. This, according to an NHS physiotherapist, had made matters worse. The consultant was actually a private surgeon intent on injecting me with three course of cortisone so it was a relief when I visited the physio to be told that I needed to go and have a round of golf to loosen me up, his theory being that I had spent so many months protecting my injury that I had seized up! The golf worked and although tired felt more freedom of movement than for the past 4 months.

I started training again and managed to complete a 60 mile cycling event.

During the months laid up I had started to gain weight so dug out the running shoes and went out for the occasional run. Another injury in February 2018, this time my knee put paid to any further aspirations of entering a half marathon and another physio suggested ligament tear. So, a brief lay up then back on the bike.

Feeling good I attempted running again in September only to suffer further pain in the knee. So back to the physio to be told the muscle had decreased in the area and I would need to carry out a series of regular exercises to build it up.

The nights were getting darker again and frustratingly I had not taken advantage of one of the hottest summers on record. Life was becoming too sedentary and once Christmas was over I needed to get back into a routine, but first I needed to lose some weight, and fast.

This is when I decided to have a go at a low carb diet.

The low carb diet involves a dramatic decrease in the amount of carbohydrates consumed and is often recommended to diabetics. Carbohydrates are found in sugary and starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta and rice and as such are "loaded" by athletes in preparation for events where sustained levels of exertion require additional fuel in the body to maintain performance. Unfortunately, this is bad for diabetics as the pancreas can't, I have read, handle the increased sugar levels that cause long term medical problems. Diets such as Atkins have received mixed reviews and while there is evidence to prove that such low or no carb diets assist with dramatic weight loss, on the other side of the coin there have been reports of such changes in eating habits can be damaging.

I know some people who have had a go at the Atkins diet and it had worked very well for them in just two weeks so I thought I'd give it a go before returning to the usual calorie counting method I had previously undertaken, the idea being to give myself a good start.

So, to the shops we went, my wife and I, armed with a list of food items we would need to stock up with for two weeks worth of low carb meals. A warning to anyone who wants to try this is that it doesn't come cheap, despite what you read on the internet, and this is even when shopping at the budget outlets such as Lidl and Aldi.

The idea is that all meals should be vegetable based with a mix of friendly fats contained in fresh meats and dairy products. Increasing protein intake is supposed to take away the feeling of hunger but beware the withdrawal symptoms when cutting out the pasta, rice and bread. Seriously! I was craving bread for days!

So what are the good foods? Well, vegetables of course, but not any vegetable. Root vegetables are no good if you want to keep the carb levels low and certain fruits are no good either due to the natural sugar content. Fresh meats such as chicken, turkey, beef and pork are all good and I was amazed to discover how little carbs there are in a Tesco Finest low fat pork sausage! Dairy is also good. Cheese has virtually no carbs! So into the basket went red leicester, cheddar, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and creme fraiche. Lots of eggs, fresh milk, natural greek yoghurt, strawberries, salads and fish were also bought.

I must admit, many of the meals we had over the fortnight were tasty and filling but always left me with a sense that something was missing - oh how I missed the bread!

After the first week, success! 5lb gone in a flash but then an immediate plateau. Also of concern was that my blood pressure was raised significantly and blood sugars had actually gone above the max level of 7 for the first time in 3 years. Not to worry, it was only the first week and was bound to settle in the second. However we had already used up much of the previous weeks shopping and buying fresh means things need to be used quickly or risk it going off. More expense! And in the second week my blood pressure and blood sugar levels continued to increase. I wasn't enjoying the food anymore either, it had all become a bit repetitive and monotonous. By the end of the second week I had lost another 1lb, but I was also back on the bike so couldn't really tell if it was the diet or the cycling that was helping.

I needed to do a bit more research. the large weight loss in the first week is apparently a loss of water and is to be expected in the first few days of embarking on a low carb diet before a more regular pattern emerges. But if the low carb is supposed to reduce blood pressure and blood sugar levels I needed to know what was going wrong. According to the Diet Doctor some dairy products contain carbs so eating larger amounts than usual can mean that you are not strictly following a low carb diet. Also, the milk proteins in found in these foods can create a high insulin response. So I was actually adding to my problems rather than reducing the amount of sugar I was consuming. For me, a low carb diet with reduced dairy intake would be intolerable so at the end of week 2 I called it quits and went back to calorie counting and exercise.

Low carb diets have been proven to work for many people but it is not a fit for everyone. Certainly, anyone with a busy lifestyle and a family of fussy eaters will find adhering to such regimes practically impossible. If I was ever to try it again (which I won't!) I would definitely undertake a great deal more research and planning to give myself the best chance of achieving positive results. It should be noted however that many of the advocates of low carb on the internet suggest that the decision should be for the long term and not a quick fix. I am by no means an expert or in any way an authority on food and diet so my advice would be to seek assistance from your doctor or dietician first before trying the low carb diet.

I am now two weeks into calorie counting and have lost a further 2lbs. I am exercising regularly and now the better weather has returned for a brief period I am also getting some miles in on the bike. I'm hoping I can get back down to the weight of 2016 but the challenge will be sustaining once I get there.

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