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So I have been at risk of diabetes for 8 years ... started tracking actively since I had a cardiac incident. My first 2 years of cardiac recovery were whole foo

So I have been at risk of diabetes for 8 years ... started tracking actively since I had a cardiac incident. My first 2 years of cardiac recovery were whole food vegetarian with zero added sugar and they were awesome. But then the discipline slipped and it has been one thing after the other with degrading health (mostly A1c, still not diabetic, and weight gained 30 pounds in the past 6 years). Went back to Whole Foods plant based diet since January 1st and have cut down sugar significantly. This time I am prepared by having a fridge stocked with fruits and other alternatives when I get tempted to eat. But based on what I am reading in the interview, and the other comments on this post, am I chasing a fool's errand? My personal experience says that any diet works as long as you are disciplined, and although in my social circles (work and family), it is hard to be sugar free, it is still possible (along with vegetarianism) as compared to low carb. However, I do not see any advocates for that here, are there? Btw I am planning for a modified version of something called LMK diet, LMK is not a doctor and is probably at the extreme edges of selling veganism, and I am definitely not going that far, but going as close as I can. Mentioning it just in case someone wants to counter or support it.

zargon 3y ago
Gary Taubes is not a good source of information. Someone else posted this [1] review of another of his books. If you define "work" as losing weight, then sure any diet can indeed "work" if you're able to stick to it. But personally that wouldn't be my sole criteria, especially if I had had a cardiac event. I have never heard of LMK. I couldn't find any actual description of what that means except for a graphic at the bottom at lmkhealth.com, which needs clarification. Why are you wanting to follow LMK and not any of the usual WFPB doctors (Greger, Essylstyn, Campbell, McDougall, Ornish, Barnard, Fuhrman, etc.)? [1] https://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/good-calories-bad-calories-a-critical-review-chapter-1-the-eisenhower-paradox/ https://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/good-...
- kshacker 3y ago
  > Why are you wanting to follow LMK and not any of the usual WFPB doctors (Greger, Essylstyn, McDougall, Ornish, Fuhrman, etc.)? No reason. I was ready for a change to vegetarian lifestyle anyways and a friend independently added me to whatsapp group run by him. He follows all the names you mention anyways so it is all the same to me. And I am familiar with all of these names since I followed them for a while but then got confused by the alternatives. He has a few youtube videos which repeat what he says on whatsapp just that whatsapp morphs into local support groups on completing first 2 months. Not yet there. Although he is a vegan killjoy, reason to prefer him would be indianized recipes.
  - zargon 3y ago
    If you know people who are already in his support groups that makes sense. What does he mean when his logo says "1% Fruits & Berries" and "1% Vegetables"?
    - kshacker 3y ago
      He says > Eat a minimum of 1% of your body weight in fruits (must include berries) and a minimum of 1% of your body weight in vegetables (half in green leafy vegetables) daily. But there is lot of nuance and adjustments available by juicing but that's the high level pitch
      - zargon 3y ago
        Ahhh, that is actually consistent to the rest of the diagram. I was so very confused because I couldn't figure out what that percentage could possibly be that made sense in context. Juicing isn't recommended much any more now that we understand the importance of fiber and fiber-bound nutrients. As long as it's greens and not fruits, and only offsets a part of the cruciferous veggie intake, it could still be a healthful part of a WFPB diet. I have heard some of the nutrition intervention type retreats do that, as their guests may need the extra boost.
        kshacker 3y ago
        For my body weight, 4+ pounds of fruits and veggies is a lot to chew every single day. So I might juice the greens, and he suggests doing that too, because the alternative of slipping into some other food is a bigger problem. But juicing is recommended by him only for Greens. BTW when I was googling a few days back, I found this ... from 2 years back, and is the first few posts from his whatsapp group: https://groups.google.com/g/1982batch/c/vdjlMpTe84w https://groups.google.com/g/1982batch/c/vdjlMpTe84w
sn9 3y ago
As long as your diet is built mainly around plants and whole foods, and you maintain an appropriate energy balance to maintain a healthy weight and body composition, you should be fine. It's the common factor in every healthy diet. If you enjoy a sweet treat on special occasions or social gatherings, just enjoy it. Being good 90% of the time allows you to indulge 10% of the time. A sufficiently good diet combined with regular strength and endurance training will be the most powerful levers at your disposal to drastically improve your health and quality of life. I'd check out the Barbell Medicine podcast for more reliable information.

zargon 3y ago

Gary Taubes is not a good source of information. Someone else posted this [1] review of another of his books. If you define "work" as losing weight, then sure any diet can indeed "work" if you're able to stick to it. But personally that wouldn't be my sole criteria, especially if I had had a cardiac event. I have never heard of LMK. I couldn't find any actual description of what that means except for a graphic at the bottom at lmkhealth.com, which needs clarification. Why are you wanting to follow LMK and not any of the usual WFPB doctors (Greger, Essylstyn, Campbell, McDougall, Ornish, Barnard, Fuhrman, etc.)? [1] https://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/good-calories-bad-calories-a-critical-review-chapter-1-the-eisenhower-paradox/ https://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/good-...

kshacker 3y ago
> Why are you wanting to follow LMK and not any of the usual WFPB doctors (Greger, Essylstyn, McDougall, Ornish, Fuhrman, etc.)? No reason. I was ready for a change to vegetarian lifestyle anyways and a friend independently added me to whatsapp group run by him. He follows all the names you mention anyways so it is all the same to me. And I am familiar with all of these names since I followed them for a while but then got confused by the alternatives. He has a few youtube videos which repeat what he says on whatsapp just that whatsapp morphs into local support groups on completing first 2 months. Not yet there. Although he is a vegan killjoy, reason to prefer him would be indianized recipes.
- zargon 3y ago
  If you know people who are already in his support groups that makes sense. What does he mean when his logo says "1% Fruits & Berries" and "1% Vegetables"?
  - kshacker 3y ago
    He says > Eat a minimum of 1% of your body weight in fruits (must include berries) and a minimum of 1% of your body weight in vegetables (half in green leafy vegetables) daily. But there is lot of nuance and adjustments available by juicing but that's the high level pitch
    - zargon 3y ago
      Ahhh, that is actually consistent to the rest of the diagram. I was so very confused because I couldn't figure out what that percentage could possibly be that made sense in context. Juicing isn't recommended much any more now that we understand the importance of fiber and fiber-bound nutrients. As long as it's greens and not fruits, and only offsets a part of the cruciferous veggie intake, it could still be a healthful part of a WFPB diet. I have heard some of the nutrition intervention type retreats do that, as their guests may need the extra boost.
      - kshacker 3y ago
        For my body weight, 4+ pounds of fruits and veggies is a lot to chew every single day. So I might juice the greens, and he suggests doing that too, because the alternative of slipping into some other food is a bigger problem. But juicing is recommended by him only for Greens. BTW when I was googling a few days back, I found this ... from 2 years back, and is the first few posts from his whatsapp group: https://groups.google.com/g/1982batch/c/vdjlMpTe84w https://groups.google.com/g/1982batch/c/vdjlMpTe84w

sn9 3y ago

As long as your diet is built mainly around plants and whole foods, and you maintain an appropriate energy balance to maintain a healthy weight and body composition, you should be fine. It's the common factor in every healthy diet. If you enjoy a sweet treat on special occasions or social gatherings, just enjoy it. Being good 90% of the time allows you to indulge 10% of the time. A sufficiently good diet combined with regular strength and endurance training will be the most powerful levers at your disposal to drastically improve your health and quality of life. I'd check out the Barbell Medicine podcast for more reliable information.