A Diet Change Worth Exploring

If you read my last blog you know that I have been following a slow carb diet for about five weeks now. The great majority of my carbs are coming from beans, legumes, and lentils. Five weeks is certainly not long enough to be conclusive, but I feel great and I've had to significantly reduce my insulin use to avoid having lows.

Since I've started this program (prefer program over diet) I've lost ten pounds. More importantly I have lost 4.5 inches from my waist. I have to believe that this loss of belly fat is having a huge impact on my insulin sensitivity. My goal is to get off of all of my meds. That's only possible if I still have my own insulin on board. My hope is that the insulin I have been taking for the last four years has been necessary due to insensitivity, not because my body has run out. The last five weeks have encouraged me that this may be true.

Here are the top three reasons I think this change in my diet has been successful so far:

1. Slow Carbs Six Days Per Week:
Prior to making the change most of my carbs came from grains, starchy vegetables, and fruit. These relatively high glycemic index foods convert into sugar fairly quickly. As a diabetic using insulin I was trained to use enough insulin to have an acceptable blood glucose level 1 - 2 hours after eating. The problem is that even rapid insulin is still active for up to four hours after being injected. By changing to a low glycemic index carb source the conversion to sugar is slower and the spike is lower. Less insulin is required to keep blood sugar in an acceptable range.

2. Beans Have Lots of Fibre:
My current diet is extremely high in fibre. Meals are filling and satisfying and include lots of vegetables for variety. When combined with the benefits of lower insulin demand and slow release carbs this means that I never feel like I need a snack between meals. I have four meals every day at about four hour intervals and a light snack at bedtime. By not wanting to eat something to curb that empty, low feeling between lunch and dinner, or to have a huge supper, I'm less likely to yo yo. I only eat the food that I planned to eat in a day. My blood sugars are even and predictable.

3. I Eat Whatever I Want One Day Per Week:
Once a week I abandon the bean routine and eat whatever I feel like having that day. This kind of cranks up my metabolism so that when I return to the slow carb diet for the rest of the week I can lose some more weight. It helps stop the urge to cheat on the program.

This is not a program that someone sold me or that I am trying to sell to you. You do it yourself. The most recent and popular literature on this type of diet is the book The 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss, but this diet has been around for a long time. It's a balanced diet that has also been labelled as "Low GI". Whatever you call it, I have seen immediate benefits that have already improved the way I feel and changed the way I manage my diabetes.