Is there a support group on Facebook for people with a food addiction? Does a low-carb diet work for everyone? And how do you handle not-so helpful friends and their concerns, when you're trying to stay low carb?
These and other questions are answered this week by our food-addiction expert, Bitten Jonsson, RN:
Is there a good support group on Facebook?
I remember you saying in one of your courses that there is a support group on Facebook. What do I search for on the website to participate? I am desperate.Mary
Hello Mary,
Look for a closed group named " Sugarbomb in your brain ". Ask for support and we'll guide you.
Welcome,
Bitten
Does low carb work for everyone?
I wanted to say am not experiencing any progress.The first six months, 2 years ago, was the golden age when I lost 7-10 kilos in 6 months, my waist went down from 42 inches (107 cm) till 36 inches (91 cm) and my diabetes type 2 started to reverse and reached almost normal at 5.9 while maintaining medications. At that time I was more on an Atkins diet (eat as much as you want while eliminating carbs and sugar).
In Feb 2016, I switched to LCHF and tried occasional fasting and at the same time stopped DT2 medications and stopped blood pressure medication while monitoring twice a day as my blood pressure improved and I also stopped statin and cholesterol medication.
The result after 18 months: NO IMPROVEMENT.
- No further weight loss is seen. The last four weeks I have been doing daily 24-hour fasting with one meal a day but I put on about 5 kilos (11 lbs) instead of losing weight by reducing meals from 2 to 1 meal a day. When I was fasting five days a week, I lost 3-4 kilos (7-9 lbs) only to put it all back two days later. Such a cycle repeated itself with no further weight loss.
- My DT2 is no more reversing and maintaining the dawn effect and daily glucose range between 160 mg/dl (8.9 mmol/L) in the morning to 125 or 130 mg/dl (6.9-7.2 mmol/L) in the evening. Is it true that 75% of people on low carb end up with the dawn effect while trying to reverse type 2 diabetes?
Things are not going as they should. Can type 2 diabetes really be reversed in my case?
Regards,
Emile
Dear Emile, I do understand your frustration. All this work and no improvement. What I need to know is: are you a food addict? I can only help you there, I am not a diabetes expert, there are others here that are more skilled with that. It is not clear from your email if you are overeating, but I know that fasting does not sit well with us.
I wonder if fasting has somehow slowed down your metabolism and do you overeat on other days? Yo-yo dieting can really be a problem. I would go back to eating three normal meals a day and nothing in between.
Could other problems be present? How is your thyroid? Age? Menopause? There are many factors that can be at stake here? If you are interested in doing an assessment with one of my trained counselors send me an email at info@bittensaddiction.com.
My very best wishes to you,
Bitten
Helpful comments for not-so helpful friends?
I have been eating low carb for four years now. I relapsed last year but the carbs caught up with me (weight creep, migraines, aches and pains etc). I've started back to ketogenic eating in earnest and already it has begun again, friends and associates questioning me and then lecturing me with their concerns. I'm tired of this and need some polite, quick, socially acceptable responses.Carol
Hi Carol,
This is so common. I like to point out that the ones who usually are the worst are sugar addicts. It is threatening to them when we change somehow. This can be good to keep in mind. I think your letter is giving the answer: Ask them why do you think I should eat stuff that makes me overweight, have migraines and aches and pains? And ask if they have read up on what LCHF is all about. So many have opinions and no insight.
State firmly that your choice is your business. If they do not back off I use this, OK, I see that you are very interested in my eating, but I am not interested in yours. In the support groups I run, we discuss this a lot. But your health is more important than other people's opinions. A very quick response is "no thank you" to food we should not eat.
Good luck, stand tall,
Bitten