Hi, All. I am new on this board. I started the CAD/Atkins diet a few days ago. I dont have a scale but will get one soon. After my reward meal, my ketostix register large amounts of sugar in my urine. During the rest of the day it shows small to trace amounts of ketones but no sugar. I am type 2 diabetic. Also, i have been lethargic since i started diet. I do think im eating enough and not to much carbs. Any ideas what could be wrong? Thanks in advice for any help.

Viv

Hi Viv

When you say your ketostix are showing a large amount of sugar how do you know this? Ketostix only measure ketones. You need another form of stix to measure levels of sugar excreted.

One of the tell tale signs of being a diabetic is sugar in your urine and so having this after your reward meal seems quite reasonable to me, given that you are a diabetic, as that is when you are getting a higher level of carbs which your body has not got sufficient insulin to process.

If for the rest of the time they register a trace of ketones, then that is fine. You do not want them to go purple as that means that you are dehydrated.

During the first few days your energy levels do go up and down. I remember it was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me. After a week things had evened out and I have never looked back since.

Every success.

Viv...

Are you testing your blood sugars after your reward meal too? If you're spilling sugar in your urine following your reward meal, that probably means that your blood sugars are elevated too. It could also mean that as a diabetic, CAD may not be the best plan for you. It could also mean that you are eating too many carbs at your reward meal, even if you don't feel like you are. The goal for control as a diabetic it to avoid big spikes in your blood sugar. I know for myself as a diabetic it doesn't matter how fast I eat those carbs; my blood sugars are going to spike if I eat too many.

I have Keto-Diastix that measure both ketones and glucose in urine. I lost alot of weight with the atkins a while back. and I thought I would try the cad because they allow that reward meal. Otherwise I would probably not stay on one. This is my last opportunity to lose the weight by myself. I was thinking for my health sake to ask my doctor about gastric surgery. Ive been obese all my life, im a compulsive and emotional eater and I dont want to end up on dialysis when i get older. I guess ill have to give the atkins another shot without the reward meal that cad teaches. thanks for the help


viv

Hi Viv. Don't give up yet; gastric bypass is really drastic. Just be sure to make your diabetes the top priority - if your blood sugar is too high, I would reconsider CAD and that reward meal. Do you have an endocrinologist you can discuss it with?

Kristine, I dont want to give up, but ive been trying all my life. Isnt the definition of crazy doing the same thing but expecting different results? I feel like im an addict and im tired of thinking i can do it and then feeling ashamed and defeated when I cant. Im just at the end of my rope. At least I can admit I cant do it myself, even though at the start of every diet I have such hopes in myself. Anyways, Im doing to try to stick to the atkins until I get to see my doc. I just got health benefits from my work and Im going to see a regular doctor, which i never had the opportunity to do before. thanks for your encouragement.


viv

Viv...

Have you thought of giving Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution or The Schwarzbein Principle a try? Dr. Bernstein's is a bit higher on the carbs than Atkins induction...more like 2 or 3 weeks into the OWL phase and I've found it to be very effective for both weight loss and blood sugar control. Unfortunately as diabetics we can't have our cake and eat it too, not matter how fast we eat it or what we eat it with if we want to keep our blood sugars in line.
If you've lost the weight before, you can do it again. Gastric bypass surgery is a very drastic solution that is life-changing for most people who undergo it...not always for the better. I agree with Kristine that right now getting your blood sugars under control should be the top priority. Losing weight will help, but those carbs have to be cut too. I think CAD may be a good plan for some people to lose weight on and may help prevent some from getting diabetes by controlling their insulin response, but once you have diabetes it may not be a great way to go.
I know it's hard to cut way back on the carbs, but it can be done and it gets easier the longer you stick with it (trust me, I've been doing this for going on 2 years now). Check out the recipes forum; there's a TON of great recipes there that could satisfy practically any craving in a low carb way.

No, Lisa, I had not even heard of those diets before. I read a little on them right now on web, but which do you reccommend I try? Bernstein seems less complicated. Im willing try it. Should i expect the same fast results as I did on the atkins?

viv

Viv..

We have a subforum here on the board for those who are following Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, although I have to admit that it's not terribly active. There's also another subforum for Diabetes under the "General Health" forum that gets more posts and has a lot of good information.
I can't say whether you'll lose weight just as fast on Dr. Bernstein's plan as you did on Dr. Atkins, but it's likely that weight loss will be similar since the plans are so similar.
Dr. Bernstein's plan is very uncomplicated; you drop your carbs to 30 grams per day and that's where you stay. Besides the 30 grams of carb which should come mostly from veggies, you eat enough protein and fat to satisfy you but not leave you stuffed. It differs from Dr. Atkins' plan in that you are not allowed to have fruit, although I have found for myself through testing that small amounts of some melons and berries are okay for me. You'd have to test that one for yourself.
Just to give you an idea on how well you can eat, tonight we're having boneless sirloin pork chops baked with a little onion along with some celery and mushrooms and topped with a sauce made from heavy cream, mayonnaise, sour cream and cheese. Cover and bake for an hour or until meat is completely done. We're also having what my kids call "smushed cauliflower", but the recipe makes simple cauliflower taste very similar to twice-baked potatoes. We're also having mixed green salads with bleu cheese dressing. That whole meal will keep me at less than 12 grams of carb and isn't likely to raise my blood sugar more than 30 points.
If you do decide to follow Dr. Bernstein's plan, I'd really like to encourage you to get the book and give it a thorough read. You can also get a lot of information including several downloadable chapters from his book from his website: www.diabetes-normalsugars.com