Renaming the list (WAS: Losing weight)

[Guest guest]

Teri R

> Maybe this list should be renamed diabetes_int_lowcarb.

> That's virtually all that's on it anymore. I'll tell you that I

> hesitate to post anymore because about the only suggestions

> given are to low-carb.

I am puzzled that you attached your statement to my posting because I have

made as many postings as I can in recent days and I am NOT in favor of a low

carbohydrate diet. In fact, I am trying hard, after many years of eating

about 30% energy as carbohydrates and being well overweight to get my

consumption UP to the 55% carbohydrate energy recommended in Germany. I am

not there yet but I have been losing weight consistently in this way since

mid-January and my BG is well under control (HbA1c steady at 5.6). Almost

all my postings recently have included remarks about the possible dangers of

extreme diets and I have made an effort to include source information for

the recommended limits.

It should not be all that surprising that diet raises the emotions. Our

problem is our disfunctional metabolism. It no longer has the ability to

regulate our energy budget which keeps us alive so we are compelled to take

over a part of the regulation manually and restrict certain inputs to the

system so as not to overload it. What is disturbing to me is that medical

science is so uncertain about nutrition that there is even room in the 21st

century for dissenting opinions. It is such a basic function that I feel

entitled to expect that they had it all sorted out long ago. Well, they

haven't and we are left to experiment on ourselves. The officially

recommended Food Pyramid has such a murky history that it can't hurt to

question its validity, not only for complete healthy populations but also

for individual disfunctional small metabolic samples, e.g. the set of all

diabetics.

I must agree with you that a long series of uncritical songs of praise for

the low-carb way of life can be irritating unless it is supported by some

solid data now and again. Maybe that is what you miss? How about restoring

the balance and making more postings showing the not-so-low-carb side of the

coin? Surely, if 'low-carb' really is 'all that's on it anymore' then that

is the fault of the others who don't post rather than of the low-carbers who

do?

> Experts shouldn't be written off as " so-called " just because

> they advise different methods of management.

I agree with that. That is an emotion-loaded word that defeats all attempts

at rational argument or discussion. It is covered by the old e-mail list

rule about attacking the ideas and not the person.

Regards

Thornton

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

Von: Teri

An: <diabetes_integroups>

Gesendet: Samstag, 27. Mai 2000 16:23

Betreff: Re: Losing weight (WAS: An appeal for moderation)

> You know, seems to me that on a list such as this one, we shouldn't have

to DEFEND our viewpoints or our ways of dealing with our diabetes. Experts

shouldn't be written of as " so-called " just because they advise different

methods of management.

>

> Maybe this list should be renamed diabetes_int_lowcarb. That's virtually

all that's on it anymore. I'll tell you that I hesitate to post anymore

because about the only suggestions given are to low-carb. I used to feel a

part of things. That's certainly not the case recently.

>

> Teri R.