Posted by Aadika on December 18, 2002, at 11:04:11
In reply to Re: DON'T restrict carbs. Restrict GI for less anx, posted by highanxiety on December 18, 2002, at 10:16:56
Actually, I've read up quite a bit on the anti-epileptic carb-restricted diet for children, and that's what first sparked my interest in low-carb dieting. I mean, it's no secret that many drugs that are useful in the treatment of epileptics are also useful in the treatment of anxious individuals (Neurontin, Valium, Klonopin, Depakote...), and vice-versa. Another deciding factor was that my mother went on this diet seven years ago and dropped from 230 on her 5'2" frame all the way to 120-- her body fat is at 14% (very healthy for a woman), her triglycerides dropped to an extremely healthy level, and her cholesterol went from 189/33 to 125/45. In fact just recently her doctor was able to take her off her blood pressure medication (clonidine)! He was absolutely amazed at the results she presented him with at her six month checkup; what's more, whereas before the diet she was on her way to becoming diabetic, now she's (in the doctor's words), "the healthiest patient I've ever had the pleasure of having in my care". So I went on the diet two months ago, dropped from 244 to 199 (well on my way to my normal weight of 165), body fat at 12%, triglycerides way down, and cholesterol from 152/25 to 130/40. Even though it's not absolutely necessary on a restricted carb diet, I make it a point to jog every morning and work out on the weight system I just bought every other day. And now that I've heard about those recent studies comparing the Atkins diet to the diet recommended by the American Heart Association... well, I just hope that hushes some of the critics up. :-)
Finally, you voiced your concerns about being on a diet that's nutritionally restrictive... well, it's absolutely a MUST that anyone on this type of diet, though I myself don't consider it "high protein", or "high fat" for that matter-- I eat no more protein than I did before starting the diet, as the diet is quite a superior, natural appetite suppressant. And as far as fat, I get about 70-80% of my dietary fat from mono and polyunsaturated fats... I try to avoid the sat-fats and trans-fats wherever possible. Most of my protein comes from fish-- this should make it easier for me to switch over to some form of Mediterranean diet once I reach my goal weight. But I digress..... As I was saying LONG ago (LOL), anyone following some form of this diet should be sure to take plenty of supplements. Myself, I take a natural-food high-potency multi-vitamin / mineral formula called "Green Source" which contains all the flavonoids, carotenoids, etc. that you're missing out on by giving up the fruits and skimping on the veggies. I also take 1200 IU natural vitamin E tocopherol, coral calcium, a chelated calcium, magnesium, and zinc formulation, 100mcg selenium, 1,000mg L-Carnitine (which I've found to be a HUGE help in losing weight), and 2,000mg L-Glutamine (an amino-acid that helps curb carb cravings-- in fact, it's so useful that it's often administered to alcoholics on an inpatient basis in rather large doses to rid them of their desire for alcohol).
And as I mentioned in my last post here, since starting the diet my anxiety level has plummetted. It was literally an overnight transformation from not being able to leave my front door without my usual 10mg Klonopin straight to not thinking twice about popping any pills before leaving the house. (I'm not going to mislead you though, I still do take medication.) I fall asleep at night within minutes instead of tossing and turning for hours, I never wake up in the middle of the night, and I wake up bright and early every single day at 5AM to do my exercise. While the medications have surely been a godsend, the diet did something for me that all the current medical literature deems impossible for someone with avoidant personality disorder-- I actually became an extrovert!
Anyway, I hope I've been of some help... feel free to ask away if you have any questions. :-)
~ Aadika
poster:Aadika
thread:132232
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021217/msgs/132314.html