My doctor wants me to eat low fat, not low carb

[Heidi Bowen]

I went to the doctor today.
My doctor asked about my weight loss. She asked what I was doing. I said low carb.
My doctor said that low carb isn't healthy. The only way to lose fat is to eat low fat.
She printed out a list of foods I should be eating to lose weight. She said I'd start losing weight in about 6 to 8 weeks.
Pasta is okay. I asked if whole wheat pasta was better. She said it didn't matter because pasta is low in fat. Low fat lunch meat. No red meat. No butter. No cheese. Only low fat salad dressing. Cereal with skim milk for breakfast. Only egg whites, no yolk.
She also wanted me to join Weight Watchers online and to stay away from doing low carb.

Does low fat really work better than low carb?

I tried to explain to the doctor that since I've started low carb I felt so much better. I also told her when I stopped eating sugar that first day it felt like I was withdrawing from the sugar. She said that doesn't happen.

I'm just confused about what to do.

[FloridaShell]

Yep, my doc too! I can't wait to see him this month. Last time I had my check-up, I was a lot heavier. He asked me what I was doing, and my reply was...Um, eating! He laughed, cause he knew I was telling the truth!

[LowCarbRachel]

You should start losing weight in 6-8 weeks? Oh come on. Who would go on a diet with the intention of not losing any weight for the first two months?

Do you have a specific condition that medically requires a low fat diet?

[Heidi Bowen]

No, I have no reason to be on low fat.
The doctor wants me to lose weight because I'm overweight. No other reason.
I have no trouble with cholesterol or blood pressure or anything.

[sugarless4life]

Originally Posted by Heidi Bowen

I went to the doctor today.
My doctor asked about my weight loss. She asked what I was doing. I said low carb.
My doctor said that low carb isn't healthy. The only way to lose fat is to eat low fat.
She printed out a list of foods I should be eating to lose weight. She said I'd start losing weight in about 6 to 8 weeks.
Pasta is okay. I asked if whole wheat pasta was better. She said it didn't matter because pasta is low in fat. Low fat lunch meat. No red meat. No butter. No cheese. Only low fat salad dressing. Cereal with skim milk for breakfast. Only egg whites, no yolk.
She also wanted me to join Weight Watchers online and to stay away from doing low carb.

Does low fat really work better than low carb?

I tried to explain to the doctor that since I've started low carb I felt so much better. I also told her when I stopped eating sugar that first day it felt like I was withdrawing from the sugar. She said that doesn't happen.

I'm just confused about what to do.

FIND AN EDUCATED DOCTOR.

Betty

[MouseGal]

FIND AN EDUCATED DOCTOR.

Betty

What she said...
My doctor was thrilled with my initial loss, and when I showed her my Fitday, she was so impressed she wrote the site down to share with some other patients.

Love, love, love my doctor!!! She found the cure for my migraines three years ago, and just this month has helped me over an allergy problem that I let drag on for FAR too long!

[LowCarbRachel]

If you feel better eating low carb and have no medical conditions that require a low fat diet, then I think you should think about what seems healthiest to you and what you are mostly likely to stick with in the long run.

Also, if she wants you to lose weight for your health, then why would she put you on a diet and tell you to expect it to take up to two months to start working? <<puzzled>>

[Heidi Bowen]

So, how do I find a doctor who is more accepting of low carb that is still in my HMO group? I had no idea until today what my doctor's view on weight loss was.

[ItsNot2L8]

No yolks? Perish the thought.

Originally Posted by Heidi Bowen

I'm just confused about what to do.

Send her a copy of Good Calories, Bad Calories. It sounds like she could use an information update.

Humans survived for thousands and thousands of years without Spaghetti-Os and Rice-a-Roni. Even in more recent millenia, stone-crushed grains were one thing but finely milled grains and refined sugars weren't available in great quantities to the general population. Not to mention all the chemicals that a lot of high-carb foods are processed with, the transfats, and all the sugar and high fructose corn syrup that's added to non-fat stuff to make it edible.

Some carbs are good, eat lots of veggies, some fruits, yogurts and nuts (depending on the stage of the plan you're following). No need to eat all that other dreck.

[Heidi Bowen]

Originally Posted by LowCarbRachel

Also, if she wants you to lose weight for your health, then why would she put you on a diet and tell you to expect it to take up to two months to start working? <<puzzled>>

Yes. She said most people get too frustrated when they don't lose weight as quickly as they want to and give up. It takes that long to start seeing any results. Then slowly it will start coming off.

Although I doubted low carb after my doctor told me it wasn't good I'm still wanting to do low carb because I feel a lot better. My nose doesn't drip. I can smell a lot better. I just feel a lot better since taking away the sugar and carbs from my diet.

[sugarless4life]

I'm not sure how to go about finding a LC supportive doctor, but I know this much: any doctor who endorses eating a high carb/low fat diet is NOT educated in metabolic issues AT ALL. Lowfat (i.e. high starch/sugar) will wreak havoc with your blood sugar, make your ravenously hungry and in all probability you will end up gaining weight. At least that's what happened to me for YEARS before I met up with Dr. Atkins. I ate FAT FREE everything and ended up fatter than ever, and cranky to boot.

More and more doctors are actually endorsing LC as a lifestyle these days. Perhaps instead of saying you're following a LC plan, how about breaking the ice with a new doctor by telling him/her that you have given up processed foods/sugars, etc., and are focusing on eating whole foods ? I can't imagine an educated physician who would scoff at that.

Do yourself a favor and keep searching for a LC supportive doctor. Trust me, they are out there !

Betty

[travelingmama]

Originally Posted by Heidi Bowen

So, how do I find a doctor who is more accepting of low carb that is still in my HMO group? I had no idea until today what my doctor's view on weight loss was.

You could always continue LC and don't tell your dr until they notice how healthy you have become. Then hand the dr. a copy of DANDR....'nuf said

[lindsay7]

Just do your own thing - whether that be low carb or not. And at your next checkup when you've lost weight, just say "I listened to what you said." It's not a lie and everyone is happy. I've found it's best not to argue with doctors over this since many of them think low carb diets are evil, period.

On a side note I highly recommend reading Real Food by Nina Planck. Whole foods, including fats, are good for you and what humans are designed to eat.

[micki]

What???

I wouldn't ask a dietician to perform surgery, and I wouldn't ask a PCP about nutrition. Your doctor is just plain wrong! Nobody is following low fat diets anymore. Even Ornish has relented a little bit.

White pasta is ok? Maybe in 1995.

[sugarless4life]

Originally Posted by micki

What???

I wouldn't ask a dietician to perform surgery, and I wouldn't ask a PCP about nutrition. Your doctor is just plain wrong! Nobody is following low fat diets anymore. Even Ornish has relented a little bit.

White pasta is ok? Maybe in 1995.

I'd much rather leave my nutritional advice to a cardiologist (i.e. Dr. Atkins) than Dean Ornish ... besides, Dr. A was cuter at 72 than Ornish!

Betty

[smoky]

FIND AN EDUCATED DOCTOR.

Betty
__________________ What she said All i can tel you is if i eat low fat more carbs i gain. If i eat low carb hig fat i lose.

[Charski]

Most doctors, unfortunately, are woefully behind the times when it comes to nutritional matters. They spend very little time on it in school and to follow it closely, with all ELSE they're expected to follow closely, is just too much to expect, with most doctors.

What I'd do is write down my daily menus for a few weeks (actually I do mine every day, always, and have for years!) and then make another appointment and show it to her, along with your current weight loss stats - IF you like this doctor otherwise, that is. Don't say you've stopped doing low carb, just show her the eating plan you're doing and ask her opinion. If, after seeing that you're eating plenty of fresh veggies and good fats and so on, and seeing your results and hearing that you FEEL much better - she still insists on pushing the low fat mantra - then I'd most definitely look elsewhere.

I see my doctor (for medical purposes, she's also a friend) maybe once or twice a year, so IF she disagreed with my eating plan (which she doesn't, she actually endorses it) I'd probably just ignore that part because I like her so much for everything else. Otherwise I'd be on the prowl for someone else.

If you're dependent on an insurance plan roster, it can be tough. But maybe ask other people who have your plan what they like or dislike about THEIR doctor - I wouldn't tell them that you're doing LC, just get some general info - then maybe call the offices of a few of the ones others like and ask the office manager what the doctor feels about a low-carb lifestyle. If the OM doesn't know, they can find out and get back to you. If they're not willing to do that, keep looking elsewhere - you want to go where they will value you as a patient.

Good luck to you, and congrats on coming to Atkins - the best WOE around, IMHO! (Not that I'm prejudiced or anything...having been on it over 5 years now... )

[steady]

I just told the doctor what I DON'T eat (no sugar or processed foods)...and then they see it as a very healthy diet. Unfortunately doctors are no better informed about nutrition than the average lay person. This burns me up...

[myanv]

Isn't weight watchers a lower carb diet now? I notice a lot of their yogurts are low carb

[CrzyCatLady]

If you feel better eating LC then that's what you should do. Personally, if I felt better I would keep going. You can always just tell your "doctor" that you have decided to cut sugar and processed foods. Or, don't bother telling her anything. Are you seeing her regularly for a medical reason? I would say that if you aren't just keep doing LC. Use your best judgment. My belief is that if it isn't broke don't fix it!

[BrookJay]

I have to say I completely and totally disagree with not being 110% honest with your doctor about what you are doing, how you are doing it and why. Your doctor can not be your doctor and properly advocate for you and your health if you are not honest with him/her. You are short changing them in doing so and are not getting what you pay for- thereby short changing yourself.

That said, if you have a doctor you can not count on, be honest with and get support from you have a doctor you shouldn't. You don't have to see eye to eye on everything, but for things like diet and nutrition, the proof is in the sugar-free pudding. Write down what you're eating and bring it in to her and show her. If you feel better and what you're doing works for you, she can debate the method till she's blue in her face but she will not be able to argue the results.

I have to agree with Betty as well. If your doctor is planting her feet and singing the praises of low-fat and has nothing but bad to say about low-carb, you are dealing with a doctor that is making a choice to stay ignorant. When she spouts about how horrible low carb is, ask the following question:

"Have you read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, Protein Power, Lean for Life, Schwarzbien Principle, South Beach, Neanderthin, Good Calories/Bad Calories, or anything of the like?"

After she answers your question make a determination on your own so far as who is better educated in the subject

Be honest with your doctor and if you can't be...GET A NEW DOCTOR!

I wish you success
~Brook

[ItsNot2L8]

Originally Posted by myanv

Isn't weight watchers a lower carb diet now? I notice a lot of their yogurts are low carb

They seem to be on the same "separate the good carbs from the bad carbs" as Nutrisystem advertises. But compare the ingredients in their nonfat strawberry yogurt

INGREDIENTS: Milk Fat and, Milk Non-Fat, Fruit Base [ Strawberries, Crystalline Fructose, Inulin Fiber, Strawberry Flavor (and), Other Natural Flavor(s), Food Starch Modified, Citric Acid, Sucralose, Potassium Sorbate (As Preservatives), Red 40], Inulin, Whey Protein Concentrate, Food Starch Modified, Gelatin Kosher, Sodium Citrate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Cultures, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3

To plain Greek yogurt, throw in some fresh strawberries and it's a thousand times better:

Strained yogurt made from Grade A pasteurized milk and cream, live active yogurt cultures (L.Bulgaricus, S.Thermophilus).

[sugarless4life]

Originally Posted by BrookJay

I have to say I completely and totally disagree with not being 110% honest with your doctor about what you are doing, how you are doing it and why. Your doctor can not be your doctor and properly advocate for you and your health if you are not honest with him/her. You are short changing them in doing so and are not getting what you pay for- thereby short changing yourself.

That said, if you have a doctor you can not count on, be honest with and get support from you have a doctor you shouldn't. You don't have to see eye to eye on everything, but for things like diet and nutrition, the proof is in the sugar-free pudding. Write down what you're eating and bring it in to her and show her. If you feel better and what you're doing works for you, she can debate the method till she's blue in her face but she will not be able to argue the results.

I have to agree with Betty as well. If your doctor is planting her feet and singing the praises of low-fat and has nothing but bad to say about low-carb, you are dealing with a doctor that is making a choice to stay ignorant. When she spouts about how horrible low carb is, ask the following question:

"Have you read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, Protein Power, Lean for Life, Schwarzbien Principle, South Beach, Neanderthin, Good Calories/Bad Calories, or anything of the like?"

After she answers your question make a determination on your own so far as who is better educated in the subject

Be honest with your doctor and if you can't be...GET A NEW DOCTOR!

I wish you success
~Brook

Brook, you are the absolute BOMB !

Personally, I wouldn't waste another nickel of my health insurance money on a doctor who didn't understand why high carb/high sugar foods are bad for you.

I believe the old saying "wipe the dust off your feet and move on" is appropriate here. You know what's best for YOU....remember this: doctors "practice" medicine.

Betty

[WendyK1974]

Oddly, I never had a doctor say anything negative to me when I told them I was on low carb. I would consider looking for another doctor.

[ljh150]

You really need to find another doctor ASAP! Furthermore, you need to take charge of your own health, you know yourself better than any doctor. If you feel better on LC, than you already know that's the plan for you. Numerous scientific studies prove that your doctor is sadly lacking in any kind of nutritional knowledge, as are many doctors.

[fawn]

I too would be 100% honest with my Dr. After you've educated yourself. The trick here my friend is to know your plan better than the Dr. That won't be difficult of course because they all tout low fat.
Guess what? In about 8 weeks, I will have graduated from a holistic nutrition program with a certification in Nutrition Education. Tell her you're seeing a nutritionist and I will commit to personally helping you along with all of the valuable advice you can obtain from these wonderful people.
First and foremost, your body needs fat my friend. Start with this article from a respected lipid researchist.....http://http://www.westonaprice.org/k...wfatdiets.html

http://http://www.westonaprice.org/m...nutrition.html

http://http://www.westonaprice.org/t...n/fatfear.html

http://http://www.westonaprice.org/b...fbrochure.html

This should help you decide. Do know that Dr's are quite mis-informed right now and you're doing the right thing with a low carb whole fresh foods lifestyle

[Magicsmom]

This thread makes me want to give my Dr. a big fat smooch! He and his wife both low carb and she is a nurse practitioner specializing in nutrition. She was thrilled that she didn't have to convince me not to eat starches, flour, grains, etc. Heidi, I wish you luck in finding a doctor who supports your WOE.

[LowCarbRachel]

My "doctor" is whoever can happen to see me at my HMO! If you have a physician who you consult on a regular basis, then I agree, it's probably good to discuss your diet and etc. For me, "my doctor" is always different--I might go in once or twice a year to be treated for an illness, and at those moments in time, I'm always willing to take the first appointment with the first practioner or physician's assistant who can see me that day.

So, I do my best to train myself on what's healthy for me, and I make the decisions on how I should eat, exercise and so on.

[Bethanyblondie]

You can always word things to sound good to everyone. I always say I'm "cutting out junky foods," and people can interpret that to whatever they want to think. I know in my own mind that junky foods are high in carbs!

[Lynda99]

OMG

Don't you wish you had a nickel for every time we've heard this!...

Anyway, if you don't have a health problem that's critical to diet, I don't agree that it's necessary to share your way of eating with a doctor!

"Here, eat this low fat crap and take this nice pill that may destroy your muscles in 20 years". Grrrr!!! Read Weston Price, read Good Calories, Bad Calories".

Don't buy the doc a copy. The struggle to reprogam the brainwashed is sooooo not worth it. Look at the date I joined this board and ask me how I know. Experience!