QuestionHi, I am a diabetic on a very low carb diet. I am wondering if I should be taking any extra enzymes or what i can take to help me lose weight. I have been following this diet for about 1 month and have not seen any results.
AnswerHello, Karen,
How frustrating to be dieting a month and not see any results! But please don't give up. It is unusually difficult for diabetics to lose weight since the drugs used to control diabetes very often lead to weight gain. And if you are on high blood pressure meds, things are even more stacked against an "easy" weight loss. This is no reason to give up a worthy goal though.
First, you should make absolutely sure that your blood glucose while you are dieting does not go down too far, or even go up too far if you are stressing out about your diet (your liver kicks into gluconeogenesis and will actually make glucose even if you are not taking any in). Remember, your diabetes makes things complicated and you must be extra vigilant.
I suggest that, besides trying to not stress out in case you have an active liver (my mothers diabetes goes through the roof every time she walks into a doctors office!), you should focus on helping energy conversion by the mitochondria. When you are low carbing, especially seriously, fat is your major source of energy instead of glucose. In contrast to glucose, which is tiny and easily gets into the mitochondria, fat requires active transport. Fat metabolites do not cross membranes as easily as glucose so they have to actually be carried in. The most important carrier is carnitine (acetyl-L-carnitine), which is available as a supplement. I would definitely try this. I know it helped my low carb diet. The other way to help your mitochondria is to use alpha-lipoic acid, which is an anti-oxident. This means that it helps diminish the negative effect of free radicals in the mitochondria. Free radicals are a side reaction of energy production and may damage the mitochondria's DNA; this is believed to be one source of ageing. (I apologize if I am slipping into too much biology)
To sum up:
1. Do not give up or pound on yourself for not getting quick results. Everyone is different, and you have diabetes working against you.
2. Keep calm and be happy as much as you can. Keep your liver calm so it won't kick into high-gear gluconeogenesis while you are low carbing.
3. Support your mitochondria during its change from glucose fuel to fat fuel. Try carnitine and lipoic acid to give them a boost. These supplements are expensive. Pay the extra money to buy them from a reputable supplement store. Dieting is too serious to make do with supplements that may have been transported or stored poorly. If you can only afford one, go for the carnitine.
Also, depending on how you are measuring "results", you may be making good progress and not be aware of it yet. Clothes may fit better (your body shape may change in the absence of weight loss), you may feel more energetic. These things matter and may serve as positive feedback for your hard work.
I wish you good health and success with your low carbing. If your diet results do not improve, I would suggest you read a serious discussion, like in one of Atkins' books, to make sure you are not missing anything. Keep in mind, sugar free is not always low carb.
Thank you for your question,
Arlene
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