Atkins Advantage Bars...gotta clear this up!

[Nonerz]

Cro Magnon, I admit, I don't know jack shit about ketosis or even BSL's for that matter, so I won't be much help. It seems that just about everything you eat will raise your insulin level...so it doesn't seem to be unreasonable that the Atkins bar would do the same.

kidville, that was really cool what you did...all those different tests...sounds like something I would do (I'm really into analyzing things to death).

okay, so compared to other protein bars...how do they rate? I was told that the balance bars are supposedly the "best" for you. my ideal requirements are: moderate calories, high protein, low carbs, moderate fat, high fiber (a real bonus).

 

[kidvilla]

you'll want to monitor your glucose over 30 minute periods for 4 hours over a while (like a week) to get a good idea of how your glucose fluctuates... i typically take my readings at an hour after a meal because like you, i will also get a glucose depletion at about 30 mins sometimes (usually about 5-10 points), which leads me to believe that at least for me, the spike afterwards is my body attempting to compensate rather than actual glucose (the same thing that puts you in a shitty mood if you eat too much candy).... but since glucose fluctuates madly anyways, it's a good idea to buy a ton of strips (i get mine from canada to make it cheaper, or i ask a diabetic friend of mine to get them for me) and test yourself like crazy and graph it...... if you'd like, i might include a graph of some tests i took, which might show how i did it ..

but suffice it to say, test yourself alot ... i know the strips can be expensive, but there is nothing like knowing your body better ...(which is probably why i can't exercise without a heart rate monitor either, well i could, but i looooove knowing what my heart is doing )

 

[Nonerz]

I have a HR monitor too...love it!

So the strips are the ones that diabetics use? My mom is diabetic, so maybe I can get some from her...

So 30 minutes for a period of 4 hours...do you test it right before you eat, then start the 4 hour period 30 minutes after you eat? Is there a different scale for men and women...any good links?

I know this is a bit off topic and I really should do a search...thanks for your help!

 

[Cro Magnon]

No need to consult your mother, Nonerz. You can order everything you need online (diabetic supplies are perfectly legal). Here's a decently priced website:

www.hocks.com

Test strips run about $.50 a piece.

CM

 

[kidvilla]

well, i can't say what i do is ethical, but i have a friend who is on medi-cal who can get me the glucose testing strips for free (all i do is buy her dinner and repair her computer once in a while), and occasionally also gets me bottles of Glucophage (tastes like ass, but is the worlds best appetite suppresant on an empty stomach, and i have a ravenous appetite, so i use it mostly for that). since i use the Precision Xtra (the one that measures both glucose and ketones in blood), that alone saves me tons of money.

the way i concluded how my glucose fluctuates was i got a pack of 100, then i just started testing myself almost every half hour.... and graphed the glucose levels and compared them to my ketones on ketostix. eventually i started noticing that whatever i ate, i would get a dip in glucose about 30 minutes later then the spike would happen about an hour later (my guess again is insulin reacting to food or sweets), and this was fairly consistent with most foods.

again, what you should do is invest in a bunch of test strips, then test yourself till you get a good idea of your glucose patterns... it took me about a week and a half to trace out a pattern, and by then, my fingers were all holey from the lancet stings (ouch, uncomfortable, but you get used to them quickly if you don't think about it), oh, and about the lancet stings, learn from me and carry alcohol prep pads (the ones the nurses use to prepare for injections)... it seems your lancet stings will heal much quicker if you use these (common sense, yes, but some of us forget)... even if you don't use them you won't scar due to the small stings, but its better to use them anyways....

as for testing foods, always test one food on an empty stomach (at least 4 hours). this is why its good to test while dieting as you are already eating very little anyways... remember, you're trying to eliminate as many variables as possible, and the body is already variable enough as it is (which is why you need to test yourself a bunch of times to see where and how it varies), you don't want to mux up your results by mixing foods...

 

[kidvilla]

although my precision xtra measures ketones, i tried to avoid using it as the ketone test strips are rare and expensive, and even my friend couldn't hook me up with those to frequently, so this is why i used ketostix ... they are not nearly as reliable, but can be useful if used wisely ....

as always, test yourself , there are no true graphs for women and men as glucose is one of the most volatile (in terms of levels) liquids in the body....

as for balance bars, they are good on a low calorie diet, but poison if you want to maintain ketosis as they contain enough glucose to knock you out of ketoneuria (ketones in blood as opposed to ketones in urine ) for most of your time you use them because your body will burn up the sugars in them as fuel (instead of using up your body's stores of fat, and also for athletes, arresting the anti-catabolic effects of ketosis....

this is not to say they are bad... it just depends on your goal... if you just want to go low cal, then they are great (and tasty and inexpensive), but if you want to go low carb, then they are counter-productive....

but all diets return to one basic premise, whether low carb or low cal...

calories in < calories out = weight loss

simple law of thermodynamics, no diet can escape this... it's just that some diets work better for some folks (and ketogenic diets suppress my hunger better and spare my muscles better than high carb low cal diets), and some may not, so decide your goal, test yourself, and follow it.....

 

[Nonerz]

No need to consult your mother, Nonerz. You can order everything you need online (diabetic supplies are perfectly legal). Here's a decently priced website:

www.hocks.com

Test strips run about $.50 a piece.

CM

I know they aren't illegal...I'm just a cheap ass (notice the hint of Chinese in my avatar) and my mom gets all her Rx's for $1! I think she even has an extra glucometer...hmmmmm

kidvilla...you are the man! thanks for taking the time to post all that info! Very helpful.

 

[BodyByFinaplix]

cro-mangan, hmmm...perhaps I'll try the adkin's bar next.... I have an active thread right now where I ate a few low carb snack foods to see how they impacted my blood glucose levels if you want to check it out...I'll post the link in a minute... I used carb solution bars though, just because I had some around.

 

[BodyByFinaplix]

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239082

 

[Euphanasia]

So does splenda actually affect insulin levels or no ?