pre-atkins doctor's appointment and bloodwork
 

i just made an appointment to see my doctor next friday. i'm going to talk to her about my consideration of the atkins diet. i expect to get some resistance from her on this one. i plan to come with some articles for her to look at. can anyone reccomend anything specific? does anyone have any tips about how to deal with the doctor in general?

my first thought is to make a deal with her: let's get bloodwork done (cholesterol, etc.) and then i'll do the diet for 6 months. at the end of that time, we'll do the bloodwork again to make sure things haven't gotten out of control. i know she wants me to lose weight, i'm just expecting her to think this might not be the best way to do it.

as for the bloodwork, i havent gotten to that place in the book. what all does dr. atkins reccommend you get checked out before starting? i know that i want to make sure to have a baseline cholesterol reading, because i am concerned about that, but i wonder if he reccomends anything else.

thanks in advance!

You don't need your doctor's permission
 

Has anything else worked for you? If she says Atkins stinks, are you not going to try it? I've never been able to lose weight for anyone else--I'm here for me.

I think there are some fancier blood lipid tests that aren't in the CBC--homocystine, (which I think is not a lipid, actually) but I don't know their names.

i'm hoping to make MY decision before i see her next week. if *I* decide yes, i'm doing it regardless of what she tells me. i'll hear her concerns, etc. but i'm already pretty convinced that it works for some people and that it doesn't present significant health risks.

i would like however to be able to educate her about it if she's got objections. that's why i'm wondering how other people have handled doctor's objections before, you know? i'm not super-atkins-advocate yet.

nothing has worked for me so far. i've done reasonable calorie restriction of my own design, WW, etc. and i haven't been able to stay with it long enough to see real results. i'm reading up on this, because i'm hoping this might be the thing i can stick with. not to mention it seems that it might address some things that i KNOW are issues for me (carb addiction, i'll have to cut out fast food, etc.).

Good for you for getting a check up first. :cool: You don't have to say the "A" word: you could just say you're going to start eating a lot more veggies and a lot less sugar, starch and processed food...

so, kristine, what should i be looking for? i've never "checked up" with a doctor before starting a diet or excercise regime. what should we be looking for?

Hi Curly!

You might find these links helpful in preparing for your upcoming doctor visit:

http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/14-368169.html
http://atkins.com/Archive/2002/6/17-1515.html

Fortunately, I didn't encounter any resistance when I told my doctor what I planned to do. His response was "If you think it will help, go for it!" Of course, I didn't say "Atkins", either, just that I planned to try low carb to help manage my diabetes. For some doctors, just the mention of the name Atkins elicits the same response as waving a red flag in front of a bull. If you really want their honest opinion, it would be better to phrase it as Kristine suggested; that you're going to cut out sugar and eat less starches along with more veggies and adequate protein.

Good luck!

lisa, thank you so much! those links were VERY helpful! :)