Comments on: Was it the diet?

By: Pauline

Pauline — Mon, 28 Apr 2003 15:01:21 +0000

Hi
I have been low carbing alittle over 2 years now and have lost 126 pounds and my extremely high sugar count has came down to normal I was on 4 Glucovance a day before now 1 a day.I feel great. love low carbing. I do take supplements and vitamins. I am looking for stores in western Pa. that carry’s a nice line of low carb products if you know of any please let me know?
Thank you
Sincerely
Pauline

By: Pauline

Pauline — Mon, 28 Apr 2003 15:01:05 +0000

By: Jim Pierce, MD

Jim Pierce, MD — Fri, 01 Nov 2002 14:35:53 +0000

I am an internist practicing in western PA, and have been advocating low-carb diets for 4 years. It has been my experience that in the first few weeks of low carb, the diet acts as an extremely powerful diuretic due to at least 2 mechanisms: 1. decrease in insulin levels/reversal of insulin resistance, resulting in reversal of insulin-induced sodium (and concommitant water) retention, and 2. depletion of skeletal muscle glycogen stores, with resultant diuresis secondary to water loss (hydroxl groups in the glycogen had been holding onto water). Therefore, I routinely recommend a Ca/Mg/Zn supplement, and a potassium supplement or Morton’s Lite Salt. Total body potassium stores are severely depleted in the first 2 weeks otherwise.