Weight-Loss Diet and Vitamins: Too Much?

[Ianthe]

Shouldn't you see his typical meal plan before you come to that conclusion?

Its not untypical of "low carbers" to nearly cut out all fruits and veggies. In such a case, a "vitamin problem" could very well occur.

Erm, I guess the meal plan was made by the doctor, I dont know any diabetic making their own food plans based on their knowledge (or they shouldnt). And just for you to know, most of the fruits have a low GI, so the vegetables. And dont forget the sugar on the fruits is frutose. I'm guessing the doctor explained that too.
A low carb diet for you not equals the one for a diabetic person.
But yeah, you're right, nothing better than seeing the meal plan, you never know...

 

[Trevor M.]

And just for you to know, most of the fruits have a low GI, so the vegetables. And dont forget the sugar on the fruits is frutose. I'm guessing the doctor explained that too.
A low carb diet for you not equals the one for a diabetic person.

I really don't need any "FYI's" on this topic. I already know all this plus much more. Thanks anyway, though.

Your assuming the best of the doctor. I'm just saying, if your going to say "you should be fine" than ensure that is the case. I've come across many incompetent doctors who have created very poor meal plans for diabetics and more. Nutrition, beyond the basics, is not something of a specialty for most doctors.

 

[Ianthe]

I really don't need any "FYI's" on this topic. I already know all this plus much more. Thanks anyway, though.

Your assuming the best of the doctor. I'm just saying, if your going to say "you should be fine" than ensure that is the case. I've come across many incompetent doctors who have created very poor meal plans for diabetics and more. Nutrition, beyond the basics, is not something of a specialty for most doctors.

Couldnt agree more, I drink to that!
5 years of pure nutrition (my college time) > few nutrition chairs at med school.
But, for example, old people will always trust more the doctor. I dont mind very much because they're exhausting, will all their stories and you have to keep focused to listen to the important details among all that cheep talk and they are so full of myths. Well, I cant say that happens there, here is the common thing...

 

[newborn1]

I didn't see the doctor for a meal plan. I did this all by myself and the doctor approved my exercise and diet by phone. I just sent him some of my glucose levels for the comparison of old and new and he saw I was doing excellent, so he is letting me do what I want. I told him I was off insulin and he didn't say anything, he said keep up the good work. Like I said, I haven't taken the vitamins yet, I don't eat much fruits or vegetables, but I think I am going to start taking the vitamins at least 3 times a week. I have an appointment with the doc in Feb 08, so if my vitamin levels are too high, I will remove them and well vise versa.

newborn

 

[Blancita]

Hi newborn!

What sort of extreme exercising are you doing?

I dont know anything about the supplements, but I do drink a lot of green and sometimes white tea. I've been drinking it every single day for about 15 years, not for any health reason but I just always found it a great comforting drink (I was living around a lot of British people at the time) that is relatively low in calories (I just add some milk or cream if I'm being decedent). Considering I've been up and down in weight over those years, I can say its never done a thing for my weight one way or the other. And when I say I drink a lot of tea, I am not exaggerating, usually drinking a minimum of 4 to 8 large 16 oz cups. I just LOVE the stuff! But not for the WL unfortunately.

As to the carbs, I agree that limiting them is known to take off the most weight the quickest, but I would be careful about totally getting rid of them for a number of reasons, one of them being that the weight will just pack back on the minute you start reintroducing carbs, that seems to happen to everyone whose done low carb and frankly I personally wouldn't relish a life with zero carbs forever. If I had the will power to do low carb, I would definitely still have some at every meal, just maybe the same size portion as the meat/protein portion rather than larger as most people normally do.

 

[newborn1]

I am doing weight training, cardio, abdominal, and boxing. I usually do cardio for about 40 - 60 minutes and reach about 4 - 6 miles; varies on how much time I stay and how tired I am. I do boxing for about 10 - 15 minutes non-stop; I do the same for the abdominal workout. Then I spend about an hour doing weight training routines to work biceps\triceps one day, then the next back\shoulder; I sometimes work the legs but rarely.

newborn

 

[paydirt]

I dunno, reading this thread, it sounds like you want to take the caffeine (gaurana, taurine, Rock Star) as a short cut because you are working yourself too hard. There are no short cuts to good health. It ain't easy. You know that, you're working your ass off. But... what's the hurry? Why risk burning yourself out when you can slow things down a bit and still reach your goal?

I wouldn't recommend guarana or taurine. They'll work for a little bit but then you will stop feeling it. Caffeine before workouts can help, but it can also hurt if you are pushing yourself near your maximum heart rate.

Here's all you need to do to get a vast majority of your daily vitamins and minerals: 10 oz. steamed spinach (many vitamins and folates), 1 orange (C), 1 apple (or 1 berry serving) (A), 1 meat serving (minerals), 2 servings of dairy (calcium). That's all you need. You can substitute a pound of broccoli for the spinach, but that's really hard to get down.

You're not taking short cuts with your workouts. Why do it with your nutrition?

 

[newborn1]

I don't eat much fruits and vegetables, so some of that you said, I wont like also trying to keep calories down, so fruit is off. I am taking those supplements for better health not to increase any performance. If I don't get what you call a "kick" before exercising, I won't make it, I will get tired right away. I don't take rockstar anymore, that was an example.

newborn

 

[paydirt]

Not sure I understand what you're saying about fruit. It's out because of high calories, or you need to keep higher calories so fruit being low in calories doesn't work? or?

Your average medium orange is gonna have 70 calories, 3 grams of fiber, buncha vitamins...
medium apple 95 calories, 4.5 grams of fiber, not as many vitamins (I think)

 

[James2]

If I don't get what you call a "kick" before exercising, I won't make it, I will get tired right away.

In my experience (both in myself, and in working with others), your mind gets trained right along with your body. After awhile, if you use your mind to push your body to its limits, it gets easier and easier for your mind to do, and for you to keep concentration.

What you are talking about doing by artificially boosting yourself through the tired end of your workout is not an enjoyable experience. I used to use a big dose of weight loss pills before workouts to try to do the exact same thing that you are trying to do. It sounds like a win/win scenario.

I am being completely serious here: You will strip your gears.

Obviously, do what you want. If you didn't listen to a doctor, why would you listen to a computer engineer. I'm just hoping to save you some heartache later.

 

[maleficent]

08-JAN-2008
Cinnamon Does Not Control Blood Sugar Or Fat Levels

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Cinnamon does not appear to have any impact on blood sugar or cholesterol levels in people with diabetes, Connecticut-based researchers report in the journal Diabetes Care.

"The preponderance of evidence currently available does not suggest that cinnamon has the ability to decrease a person's risk of heart disease by helping them control their diabetes or lower their cholesterol," Dr. Craig I. Coleman, of Hartford Hospital, who was the principal investigator, told Reuters Health.

Several studies have looked at the impact of cinnamon on blood sugar and lipids (fats) in patients with diabetes but had only modest sample sizes and yielded mixed results, Coleman and colleagues note in their report.

This led them to perform a large review, or "meta-analysis," of five studies in which a total of 282 type 1 or type 2 diabetic patients were randomly assigned to receive cinnamon or a placebo and were followed for up to 16 weeks.

All five studies used cinnamon cassia, "the same cinnamon most people have in their spice racks at home," Coleman noted. Doses ranged from 1 to 6 grams daily.

As mentioned, the use of cinnamon did not significantly alter hemoglobin A1C -- a marker of blood sugar control. It also had no effect on fasting blood sugar levels or lipid parameters. Analyses by subgroup and sensitivity did not appreciably alter these results.

Coleman told Reuters Health that the inspiration for conducting this specific analysis came from one of his research fellows, Dr. William Baker. "He works in a chain pharmacy as a pharmacist, now and then, and he was asked by a patient whether cinnamon was useful in treating diabetes."

"As pharmacists, we want to be able to provide patients ... with the best information about these over-the-counter treatments, which are often readily available but under researched," Coleman said. Based on the current study, "we would not recommend its use to patients," he said.

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, January 2008.