Dr. Bernstein's Plan...and Some Adjustments

[shunsweets]

ph is very complicated. Our normal blood ph should be around 7.4. Acidosis starts at 7.2 and below 7 is dangerous. Alkalosis starts at 7.6 and 7.8 is dangerous. So it's quite a narrow range.
Both exercise and a high protein/animal products diet can contribute to acidosis. Exercise causes respiratory acidosis and diet contributes to metabolic acidosis. The good news is our bodies respond quickly to buffer the blood and bring levels back into homeostasis. Ofcourse if our kidney's, lungs, or heart are not working properly or we are in diabetic ketoacidosis we may need emergency medical intervention. People die from acidosis but generally our bodies automatically initiate chemical processes to release bicarbonate and expel CO2 and bring everything back into balance. Sorry so technical (I'm a nurse and this stuff is just way to hard for me!).

Bottom line our bodies should be able to handle the "normal" acidosis that occurs with exercise and dietary changes. If blood tests reveal a ph>7.4 then it might be advised to try some alkaline foods or bicarbonate to help maintain homeostasis. Fluids, sodium and calcium also figure prominately in all these chemical processes. So avoid dehydration. Guess these rambling thoughts aren't really helpful but I share your concerns as I exercise a lot, take metformin(lactic acidosis anyone?), and eat an acid producing diet. I do use bicarbonate 1/4 teaspoon in 4 oz of water if I need an antacid (rarely)and take calcium daily. I'll try to ask one of the Drs at work and see if they can offer any helpful information and sorry for the boring post!

[dewdrop_mealine]

Funny thing: my delivery guy . . . have truck will travel Tim, was so pumped when he delivered my piece of the Caribbean. He wants to buy some gizmo that converts water to alkaline or acidic but swears he has lost 30 lbs in 3 months drinking the alkaline water.

He was walking on air and finally asked me if I didn't notice something different about him. Well it had been almost a year since I used his services. I thought he was like me and got ahold of some good drugs.

It's a multi-level marketing thing and I guess he plans to bring me a gallon to try. I'm sure it's no worse than my soda habit (always with Splenda.) He takes some to our mutual friend Chris at the consignment store. (Okay another cat outta' the bag . . . I am a furniture uu8or3.)

I really overdid today but have a beautiful piece of beef, medium rare with asparagus for din-din. I had cottage cheese for lunch and I think I forgot to eat breakfast. I did chug quite a bit of caffeine. I've been on the run all day.

Hope you have a healthy and happy weekend.

[girondet]

I'm with you, Dogman,happy with what lc has done for my weight, my bg readings, and I no longer have joint aches and pains that I think were due to overdoing wheat & other grains.

Thank you Shunsweets, for the quick and detailed reply. It's not boring at all, and I sort of understand what you said, maybe because I keep reading over and over, what you said and what else I've read. LOL! I have some strips that I bought to test my ph and it can be done with a saliva and a urine test. Saliva shows maybe little more about diet and urine testing shows how the body is managing with the ph balancing act it is performing...so...mine are both a bit too acid....more than they were a couple of months ago...my diet is highly acid; low carb is generally. Some of the problems I've read about being associated with a high acid level are ones I have. Being too acid can precipitate an attack on the insulin beta cells. I DO have that.

I guess I'm going to eat more of the alkaline veggies listed that are also low in carbs. I wonder if I should take a higher supplementation of calcium and magnesium. Too much acid in the body leaches those minerals away. I stopped taking extra calcium after recent reports that people taking calcium supplements have an increased mortality due to heart attacks. Maybe that's why my ph is now lower. Should I take a bit of bicarbonate of soda daily?

I used to need Tums and things like that on occasion. I haven't needed antacids in quite a while. Do you think I should take some bicarb? to balance things out?

We must all have a bit more trouble being alkaline enough if we aren't eating as many fruits and veggies as we used to...? I think I needed antacids more back then!

Yes, please DO let me know what you learn about this, and thanks again!!

I hope what I've read is just scare tactics to sell alternative health products...well, that sounds like a strange hope to have....but it's better than if the scary stuff is true!

[girondet]

Well, I read that about the alkaline diet DEW, that it can make you lose weight while being too acid causes us to gain....it might be worth a try, maybe?....I want some of that water!
It must be low carb! LOL!

[shunsweets]

Now that alkaline water does sound like a great idea. Bet 1/4 tsp. bicarb in 8 oz of water would be about the same. Only thing bicarb is so high in sodium. I'm going to get some test strips and see what my ph is - hoping for 7.4!

I do take tums and magnesium every night so maybe that helps. I guess we could go crazy trying to balance all these supplements.

Went to a health fair at DH's work today. My cholesterol was 299 but triglycerides were only 44! BGL was 77 (I hadn't eaten since breakfast at 7am and it was 3:30pm). My bone density was bad - osteopenia. Everything else bp, ASI, BMI and lots of other tests were all great. Then we had turkey rollups ( I ditched the tortilla) and then I messed up and ate a nice crisp fall apple - the whole darn thing. It tasted sweet as sugar and BGL was up to 130 when I got home oops. ****** says an apple is 19 carbs. Darn it but it was good.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

[dogman]

I'd probably drive myself batty with body ph... I have enough to think about .

Have you tried eating half an apple early in the day and then eating the other half later in the day? Might take some will power, I've done it that way for snacks. That way you may not get the full effect of the carbs all in one whack.
Maybe some whipped cream on that half an apple heated up,Yum. You probably didn't sustain much damage, sounds like you're aware of cause and effect when you go off plan. Were your trigs numbers bad in the past?

[girondet]

Maybe Shunsweets your cholesterol was high but it was the good fluffy kind. It would be good to know what your HDL is....your Tri's are awesome! Too bad about the apple, but you won't be doing that all the time! My own nemesis is peaches. They have been so good this year and I can only have a slice or two!

Good idea Dogman, on how to eat a piece of fruit and minimize the effect! If only the fruit and extra sugar didn't make me crave more and more though! And more and more bad-for-me stuff....Most of the time I just let fruit go. Ever notice how sweet red peppers are? They do ok by me!

I'm on vacation and drinking lots of mineral water! And I found out I still remember how to ride a bike!

[shunsweets]

Yes girondet I've been craving fruit since that apple on Saturday. May pay for that for a week. May have to do a meat and egg day to shut down the cravings.

Dogman you are so right! If I'd had some fat with that apple it would have been much better but all they had at the Health Fair was turkey rollups, water, and apples - trying to be low fat no doubt but some whipped cream or almond butter would have been great! I have no willpower once I start on fruit so its best to avoid it completely so I don't buy it but do eat a serving out of the house on occasion - usually berries. My trigycerides used to be very high so I know the lc diet has helped them tremendously. Everyone in my family has very high cholesterol so I suspect that is familial.

Today I did well. Carbs came from nuts, a bit of cauliflower, eggs, and cheese. Kept them <30 and walked 4 miles. Hopefully FBS will be under 100 in the morning.

[dewdrop_mealine]

I am doing quite well at sticking to a low-carb diet. I have been thinking about ways to make meals more interesting. I've lost 20+ lbs and am not taking insulin . . . I hope I don't slip. I'm still taking my BGs.

I got some Greek yogurt. I didn't know if I'd like it and I could only get the large container. It doesn't taste any different to me than plain regular yogurt. I have finished about half the container.

I made four hamburgers today. I seasoned the meat and put mozzarella cheese in the middle. I fried two and froze two. I used celery leaves as a micro salad on top and some dill pickle relish on the side. I do watch too many cooking programs. I have jumbo shrimp tonight . . . I have a stick of butter with their name on it.

I tried to go back to my regular volunteer hours yesterday. They almost killed me. Today is the annual charity auction and I was sitting putting packets together. Ouch! My back is killing me and my hand was completely numb when I awoke at 4AM. I don't usually have to do anything that intense. I like just sitting and smiling and answering the phones. Sigh! Hope to try it next week again.

How's the PH research going? Anyone figure that out?

[dewdrop_mealine]

I try to use a few pieces of chopped up fruit as a garnish . . . along the lines of a salsa but made mostly of very low carb veggies. I am trying to convince myself that 'bread' is a portable (think paper) plate, to be used to hold the real deal and discarded.

Originally Posted by shunsweets

Yes girondet I've been craving fruit since that apple on Saturday. May pay for that for a week. May have to do a meat and egg day to shut down the cravings.

Dogman you are so right! If I'd had some fat with that apple it would have been much better but all they had at the Health Fair was turkey rollups, water, and apples - trying to be low fat no doubt but some whipped cream or almond butter would have been great! I have no willpower once I start on fruit so its best to avoid it completely so I don't buy it but do eat a serving out of the house on occasion - usually berries. My trigycerides used to be very high so I know the lc diet has helped them tremendously. Everyone in my family has very high cholesterol so I suspect that is familial.

Today I did well. Carbs came from nuts, a bit of cauliflower, eggs, and cheese. Kept them <30 and walked 4 miles. Hopefully FBS will be under 100 in the morning.

[girondet]

I'm back from my vacation and a bit tired, I gained a little bit of weight back and ate a few too many carbs. I'm just about back to normal and expect I will be by the end of the week anyway.

For now I'm giving up on the ph thing. It fluctuates (I use some strips for testing urine and saliva). Blood tests, urine, and saliva tests all have different values that can fall within normal limits. Your body compensates for diet and so on, to achieve ph stability,all like Shunsweets has already said, but what scared me is that I read that to compensate for too much acidity, your body will break down bone and some other undesirable things....however, it seems like a scare tactic to sell supplements and get a following to sell books to as well.....I have not found medical journals that back this up with research....just commercial and alternative med sites.

I have started drinking some mineral water, just because I like the taste of some for a change from regular water, and it does happen to have a ph of 7.7, which is alkaline. I'm sure if I'm out of balance it would be on the acid side, as I think low carb generally is. I'm also eating more almonds for the same reason.

Anybody tired of hearing about ph yet?

[eske]

So nice to see this thread! I have followed Dr. Bernstein's WOE in the past with great success. But need to get back to the good eating, AND lots of exercise, too.

I would love to see this thread continue!

[shunsweets]

that fruit salsa sounds good dewdrop I sometimes add just a bite or two of apple to may salad then give the rest to DH in his. Fruit is definitely the thing I miss most. Bread and grains I don't miss at all, I only do an occasional bit of cheese and no other dairy, but fruit is tough.

[girondet]

Welcome Eske

Yes, I want to see the thread continue too...just don't always know what to post....i can be boring about details....going on too long about little stuff...

I saw Dr. Bernstein on DLife the other night. I'm glad to see that there are low carb experts on that show from time to time. I have to admit that when I first looked at Dr. B's book and eating plan I was in a state of shock! I had been thinking that diabetics can eat whatever everybody else can as long as they 'cover' the carbs with insulin. (sigh). I did not realize insulin is such a fat-making hormone. The public does not know so many necessary things. All the money that is spent on trying to lose weight and it's so hard to separate the good info from the awful!

Oh, well...don't want to get started on hopeless stuff.....not today

[dogman]

girondet: did you go anywhere exciting on you vacay? I went to Penn Dutch and OBX . Happy to say I didn't gain weight. I'm a real fanatic and brought the scale so my wife and I could weigh ourselves daily. I'm not perfect though since I went off plan here and there but when I do it's very calculated you might say and I'm very aware of how it effects my BG.
I got a real hankering for a Cortland apple so if I'm going to blazes I'm going for a good reason, so I plan on the half now and half later plan.Those apples are almost in season here!Yummy...
I need to check Dr.B on DLife. His books are really eye opening to say the least.The other thing that's eye opening is when you see really overweight people in the grocery stores buying all those high carb "healthy" foods, you just have to wonder to your self.

P.S. Does this have anything related with ph? I've been experimenting with ACV and I'm noticing that when I take a Tbsp before I go to bed my FG appears about 4 points lower, consistently.

DEW that's so funny about bread being a portable plate. That's what I do too just fling the stuff in the trash...

[dewdrop_mealine]

Hey Dogman,

I know how you feel. I can almost cry for some families shopping together and even their little ones are huge. My Momma was diabetic and she fed us a very high sugar diet . . . strange of the 5 of us; I am the only diabetic. Carbs just don't have the same effect on some people.

I wonder if there is a major discovery awaiting researchers when they find out why that is.

I got two huge kohlrabis from my friend's garden. Now all I need to do is find the right recipes. I am going to try something on the order of caulifatatoes. I really like them. I had never even seen this veg, though I had heard the name.

Fentanyl is still kicking my b*tt. I need to nap a bit and then go get those leaves rolling toward the utility trailer. It's a beautiful but slightly chilly day here in the Pacific NW.

Originally Posted by dogman

I need to check Dr.B on DLife. His books are really eye opening to say the least.The other thing that's eye opening is when you see really overweight people in the grocery stores buying all those high carb "healthy" foods, you just have to wonder to your self.

[eske]

Girondet, I think the details are never boring, always enlightening! I hope to be back to the details soon. I need to start the Bernstein eating and lots of exercise tomorrow.

[girondet]

Dogman, I did go to a beautiful place....Hilton Head Island, SC.....lots of giant oaks with spanish moss dripping from them, many dark lagoons and wildlife, including alligators, and of course the beach. We go there almost every year. We rent a condo, typically for a week, and I had both my grown children there, and my grandchild as well as daughter in law and another guest. I found out I still remember how to ride a bike, lol.

The first few days were fine, then my behavior deteriorated gradually. I had 1/2 of two pieces of bread at dinner for a couple of evenings before I left; they were specialty type breads, I ate a few hushpuppies....little bites of sweetened, fried cornmeal....I had some chinese food that was breaded, not what I ordered but was part of another person's order, oh and 1/2 of a crab soup that was not the best I've had anyway and I could tell had added flour in it. Oh, and a few bites of regular dessert one night, a few tortilla chips, a few bites of pound cake, and some cheese straws. Good grief! It sounds so bad when I list it all here. They were just bites here and there, but add up of course.

Why? And now my bgs are up and only coming down slowly. I know I should not do this kind of thing. Anyway, that's my confession...I had a significant amount of alcohol too; part of it was dealing with frustration I think. I had a strong reaction to sunlight that resulted in some sun poisoning and I took Benadryl to help me sleep and to minimize that a bit. The alcohol helped my nervous system calm down too. It's an autoimmune thing with me, I'm pretty sure. I have taken to breaking out in hives when my nervous system feels assaulted by temperature change, bright sun. I feel prickly all over a lot just in general. I have been losing my hair, altho' some is coming back now. One of my sisters has this too, and she doesn't low carb. She also is a latent type 1 diabetic on insulin and has pernicious anemia. These are mild things compared to some autoimmune disorders, and manageable, but I'm scared. When is this going to stop? But ok, none of this is helped by eating stuff that's not good for me.

I'm back in the groove now, and no alcohol or Benadryl or foods that are bad for me. Unless I just have to have the Benadryl. I'm not sleeping well again and am prickling all over. I get restless leg syndrome too. I've decided I'm a nervous system mess, and part of my research into ph had to do with trying to address the immune thing....could it be out of balance ph....there is some evidence gluten is a culprit.....it takes a long time to find out if any work in those areas will help..Dogman.I have tried apple cider vinegar before with no change iin my bgs, but will try again. I have heard it helps ph be more alkaline.

See, Eske....I can ruminate in great detail and am a worrywart....for people who have far more serious problems than I do I'm sure I'm annoying.Thank you for saying you don't mind details

In my pictures of myself at the beach I look like a person who has a hard time with sun and light (photosensitive). It's not a good look. I do not take any medications that cause this kind of reaction.....only synthetic thyroid for autoimmune thyroiditis.

Dew, let us know about the kohlrabi...I have not tried that....I did try a few potato-like veggies from central America....boniato, name (might be the same thing) and yucca. They don't spike as much as a potato, for me, but still the small amount I ate did not seem worth it. Except maybe a little bit in beef stew. It was just fun to try a taste of new things. I like rhubarb too.

How is everyone doing with their woe? Believe it or not, I do like the Bernstein plan, just fell off for a few days......Oh, Dogman, Bernstein is not on DLife regularly, he was a guest, but they do rerun it...he was so adamant, as is his way, about low carb and tight control while the other, opposing guest Dr. was so much more about being relaxed and not making his patients feel bad or like a failure, no matter how bad their bgs. I feel safer in Dr. B's camp!

[girondet]

I too feel sad for families with lots of very heavy people trying to eat right and most likely what they need to do is low carb. They are not getting good advice. Some of us just don't metabolize carbs well and it's most probably the reason we got overweight in the first place.

So dismaying is the scientific community. Obviously testing is not really being done, just the same old tired information being passed on like it is a religion. And we spend so much money as a society to keep these people in their jobs to give us their advice.

[girondet]

Dogman, where is Penn Dutch and OBX?

Eske, tell us about yourself! Please....

[shunsweets]

girondet - you are so hard on yourself! A few slipups on vacation are just human! Sounds like you had a nice visit with your family.

I have a few autoimmune problems too - seems to be very common with diabetes. I have severe gluten intolerance, alopecia, thrombocytopenia, and arthritis. I don't think diet has much to do with my immune system but sure do know it if I've been "glutened". Most of this stuff happened in the last few years - feel like I'm falling apart but everybody in my family has autoimmune problems so I don't think I've really done anything wrong.

I agree that one of the reasons I like Bernstein is he is strict, no nonsense. Just this works so do it. I don't have the greatest discipline so I try to borrow his strength. I take metformin but want to keep meds to a minimum so right now Bernstein is best for me but some days it's very tough.

My menus are quite limited meat, eggs, a bit of cheese, nuts, and salad veggies. Any body got any ideas of other vlc foods that might fit in. I'd love a little more variety. I can't do sugar alcohols but liquid splenda is ok.

I hope we can keep this thread going and support each others in our efforts to do Bernstein.

[girondet]

True, Shunsweets, I am being hard on myself. Blaming myself for my autoimmune stuff, when it runs in my family too, and with everyone eating and living various different ways it most likely was going to happen no matter what I did or didn't do.

Wow! you are handling yours well and kudos to you! On your weight loss and your exercise and sticking to the Bernstein way of eating. That's how I want to be!

I do better when I concentrate on the beautiful veggies and fresh herbs i can cook and that I can use in my salads. Also, I can make sure I use a variety of meats and fish. And spices. I like to use nut oils for a change sometimes, in cooking and on salads. I like hazelnut oil and sesame oil and peanut oil. It really gives foods a different taste that is exciting when I feel a need to shake my palate up a little. Maybe a quiche would be different and something you could eat for a change? I make a pie crust with almond meal and butter and have read that a very nice, lower carb one can be made with crushed pecans and butter. I won't do this often anymore, because as Bernstein says about nuts....it's so easy to overdo them....

Dogman, I see OBX is Outer Banks! I would love to do an exploring trip there!

[dogman]

girondet, Whew, sounds like you went to the dogs there for a while...LOL
The Penn Dutch area is very concentrated in the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania. I think its very nice to visit especially at this time of year not too hot just right.
The Outer Banks didn't really impress me all that much though maybe it's just me but it was on my list of places to see. Some very impressive and expensive homes there too. One good hurricane and their a gonna. Unfortunately, way too overbuilt on the northern half of the island. We did the dune tour to see the the "wild" horses that in the area too. The light house at Hatteras was very beautiful and I "climbed" it to the top. Can't say I'll go back, for me California gets the award for return visits.
Just finished a book called "Life Without Bread" pretty interesting read.
Going to the library to get George Stella's cook book. He sounds like a very interesting person who's cooking the LC way. (Yes, I do cook...). I bought one of Dana Carpender's
1001 recipes books but after trying some of them, they for the most part just don't make the grade, maybe 1 in 10. I made a pumpkin cheese cake and that one is very good.

Now, I'm getting hungry just thinking of it...LOL

[eske]

Hi! Sorry to have not popped in for awhile. Time to hit this health thing hard! Has anyone been watching Jackie Warner's Thintervention on Monday nights? It motivated me to get my lazy self off the couch and start exercising again. I found her website, and she offers an online diet and exercise program. I have just started it, they send me a food plan for the day, and exercise as well. It is interactive, so I can change the food and all that. It is not low carb, but I am making it low carb Bernstein style for me. What I really need is the exercise part, someone giving me a weight training program and all that. I have committed to the program for six months, my goal is to lose 25 pounds in that time frame. I am down the first pound.

[girondet]

Hi Dogman, yup I got out, although the dogs didn't want to let me go!!

California is wonderful, yes. My heart is on the east coast though; at least for living. I have not seen Lancaster PA, but my son used to date a girl from there while in college; right near the Amish, although she was not. Anyway, I have seen Philly and the historic stuff and loved it; realize there is much more to see in PA and will have to go back. I've always wanted to visit all the fishing villages possible....heheh....not sure why...picturesque? I wish I could just get in the car and drive all over with no timetable. Husband and dog in tow. Maybe someday.

I've been looking too at books that describe all the troubles grains can cause...it's interesting....I can't eat them anyway...lol....I search online for lc recipes and there are many good ones. I also look at the forum here for recipes and some diabetes forum web sites...there are plenty of good ones, thank goodness! I'm ready for some low carb gingerbread tasting stuff, and pumpkin stuff.....

ESKE! Good for you! Let us know how that program works for you! A good plan is everything and every once in a while I find a strong need to change things up for myself. Especially exercise-wise! Will look into Thintervention....

[dewdrop_mealine]

Originally Posted by eske

Has anyone been watching Jackie Warner's Thintervention on Monday nights?

Type 2 Hi Ya'll

I got to go to the beach yesterday it was great. We went to two lighthouses though I couldn't take the tour and climb to the top. I used to climb the Astor Column when I was a 'youngun'. I walked a lot more than I usually do.

I have Thinervention on my DVR but haven't watched it yet. I saw the ad and thought it might be motivating. She is way to 'physical' for me (I'm disabled) and she isn't nearly right on my nutritional needs.

I wanted to see her interact with the clients. I did watch a program on eating disorders this AM that I had recorded. I don't remember what it was called or what channel it was on. I have it set for all episodes. The girls were both 21; one was anorexic and the other bulimic. They really had bad attitudes and I was trying to see myself in them but it was very difficult to empathize. I'm hoping they will talk to some obese people but often that is overlooked as an eating disorder.

Anyway with little effort other than avoiding grains and thinking about what I am eating, planning ahead; I've lost 26 lbs in the last two months. I'm sure it will slow down as I get close to goal. And remember, I have had surgery to alter my digestive system.

I just grabbed a peanut sauce recipe off this site. I really like it on just about anything. I use Adams pre-stirred chunky PB without added sugar. I don't know why PB needs sugar. I still haven't cooked the kolirabbi. I'll try to talk myself into tackling it tonight.

Jackie Warner "When you hate yourself and you perceive yourself as failing again and again, it's difficult to fall in love with yourself, and that's what has to occur to change your body and your life."

[eske]

You are right on target. Jackie Warner's eating plan doesn't work for me, either. But the calorie count is a good one for me, my plan is to stay around 1500 calories each day, more or less, and try to stay within Dr. B's 30 carbs per day. So I just change what I ate and submit it, it is just keeping me accountable for what goes in my mouth. I certainly know what I should be eating, just need more accountability for doing it! Same for exercise. I surely can't and won't do what she has those people on her tv show do. But if it gets me out of the house to walk every day and start doing some light weight training, it will work for me. Again, something to keep me accountable, but do it my way so I suffer no injuries! This is only day 4 of the first week for me. Apparently I can quit anytime the first two weeks, so I am going to see how it works out for me.

If anyone goes to the site, I had to put my email address in to get pricing kind of info. I did not purchase it then, thought even the least expensive plan was way more than I wanted to spend. Within a day or two I had an email offering me 40% off that price. It came out way cheaper than online Weight Watchers if I signed up for six months, so I decided to give it to myself as a Christmas present!

Dinner tonight was chicken and summer squash. I add in a salad with blue cheese. I haven't done my exercise yet, it calls for a 20 minute walk/run where I walk a few minutes, run a few minutes, slow walk, then repeat a few times. Don't know if I am going to do that or just do a longer walk with no run. But my goal is to do some kind of exercise every day.

[dogman]

eske, Did you say ,Dinner tonight was chicken and summer squash and a salad with blue cheese? I'll be right over ,LOL...
I went to "Five Guys" hamburg joint, pretty good I must say. Just fling the bun in the trash and dig in.I had the bacon Cheese with almost all the fix' ins.
That restaurant chain seems to be getting more popular. There's one that opened locally here where I live. Looks like that it'll be a weekly thing for me.

[shunsweets]

OOOh that burger sounds good dogman. We don't have "five guys" here.

We had roast beef slices over lettuce with a bit of cheese and mayo. Yummy.

[eske]

I love 5 guys! But the willpower is lacking there with the fries for me.