An LC miracle? Maybe!

Ken,

Congratulations on achieving a massive turnaround in your health!

It sounds like what has probably happened is that you have reduced your
insulin resistance by losing all that fat. Metformin, a drug that reduces
insulin resistance, is known to reverse fatty liver. So it is not beyond the
bounds of belief that a person who responds as well as you did to low
carbing might similarly bring their insulin resistance down to normal levels
and reverse the fatty liver too.

Plus the massive weight loss has got to help too.

Whatever it is, your challenge now is to keep it going once the initial
thrill has worn off. Unfortunately, all the bad stuff will come back if you
let your blood sugars rise again.

--
Jenny - Low Carbing for 5 years. Below goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.7 .
Cut the carbs to respond to my email address!

Jenny's new site: What they Don't Tell You About Diabetes
http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/

Jenny's Low Carb Diet Facts & Figures
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

"Ken Bessler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 9 Jan 04 I started a total diet/excercise program. I was 39, 5'8",
307 lbs. I had insulin dependant type II diabetes and was taking 540
units of insulin plus 2000 mg of Glucophage per day. My blood pressure
was out of control. My good cholesterol was 18, my bad was 310.
My tryglicerides <sp> were 1495. I wore size 48 jeans. My HBa1C
was 9.8

Plus, to make things worse, I had been diagnosed with Steato Hepatitis
and all my liver biopsies and enzyme tests indicated I was quickly
heading to liver failure.

Now, after 9 months of low carb/cal/fat/salt and lots of bike riding (42
miles yesterday, 22 today), My blood pressure is perfect, my good
cholesterol is up to 61 and bad is down to 174. Trygs are normal. I've
not had one bit of diabetes meds or insulin in 9 months. My latest
HBa1C (8/16) was 4.8. I've lost 110 lbs and now use size 34 jeans.

Today, I got the real stunner - I got back my latest liver function test
results (AST & ALT enzyme).

Completely NORMAL!!!!!! Not only normal but right in the middle of
the normal range! My hepatitis has gone from life threatining to FINE?

All I've done is cut my carbs to <30/day, cut fat & sodium, gotten 1-2
hours of excercise per day and taken flax seed, fish oil and niacin OTC
supplements plus perscription Inderal LA (for BP).

Can this really be happening? My doc was stunned, too - he wants to
order my 5th liver biopsy to confirm the lab results. I dunno - those
things hurt bad!

I guess I'll think about it.....

Ken

Ken Bessler wrote:
|| On 9 Jan 04 I started a total diet/excercise program. I was 39, 5'8",
|| 307 lbs. I had insulin dependant type II diabetes and was taking 540
|| units of insulin plus 2000 mg of Glucophage per day. My blood
|| pressure was out of control. My good cholesterol was 18, my bad was
|| 310.
|| My tryglicerides <sp> were 1495. I wore size 48 jeans. My HBa1C
|| was 9.8
||
|| Plus, to make things worse, I had been diagnosed with Steato
|| Hepatitis and all my liver biopsies and enzyme tests indicated I was
|| quickly heading to liver failure.
||
|| Now, after 9 months of low carb/cal/fat/salt and lots of bike riding
|| (42 miles yesterday, 22 today), My blood pressure is perfect, my good
|| cholesterol is up to 61 and bad is down to 174. Trygs are normal.
|| I've not had one bit of diabetes meds or insulin in 9 months. My
|| latest HBa1C (8/16) was 4.8. I've lost 110 lbs and now use size 34
|| jeans.
||
|| Today, I got the real stunner - I got back my latest liver function
|| test results (AST & ALT enzyme).
||
|| Completely NORMAL!!!!!! Not only normal but right in the middle of
|| the normal range! My hepatitis has gone from life threatining to
|| FINE?
||
|| All I've done is cut my carbs to <30/day, cut fat & sodium, gotten
|| 1-2 hours of excercise per day and taken flax seed, fish oil and
|| niacin OTC supplements plus perscription Inderal LA (for BP).

And you lost 110 lbs.

||
|| Can this really be happening? My doc was stunned, too - he wants to
|| order my 5th liver biopsy to confirm the lab results. I dunno - those
|| things hurt bad!
||
|| I guess I'll think about it.....

Good job!

Hello Ken,

Ken Bessler said:

On 9 Jan 04 I started a total diet/excercise program. I was 39,
5'8", 307 lbs. I had insulin dependant type II diabetes and was
taking 540
units of insulin plus 2000 mg of Glucophage per day. My blood
pressure was out of control. My good cholesterol was 18, my bad was
310.
My tryglicerides <sp> were 1495. I wore size 48 jeans. My HBa1C
was 9.8

Plus, to make things worse, I had been diagnosed with Steato
Hepatitis and all my liver biopsies and enzyme tests indicated I was
quickly
heading to liver failure.

Now, after 9 months of low carb/cal/fat/salt and lots of bike riding
(42 miles yesterday, 22 today), My blood pressure is perfect, my
good
cholesterol is up to 61 and bad is down to 174. Trygs are normal.
I've not had one bit of diabetes meds or insulin in 9 months. My
latest
HBa1C (8/16) was 4.8. I've lost 110 lbs and now use size 34 jeans.

Today, I got the real stunner - I got back my latest liver function
test results (AST & ALT enzyme).

Completely NORMAL!!!!!! Not only normal but right in the middle of
the normal range! My hepatitis has gone from life threatining to
FINE?

All I've done is cut my carbs to <30/day, cut fat & sodium, gotten
1-2 hours of excercise per day and taken flax seed, fish oil and
niacin
OTC supplements plus perscription Inderal LA (for BP).

Can this really be happening? My doc was stunned, too - he wants to
order my 5th liver biopsy to confirm the lab results. I dunno -
those things hurt bad!

I guess I'll think about it.....

Congratulations and keep it up. You're one of the folks with a body
that'll behave well - given a decent chance. You said above that "all
you do is..." but it's a *significant* lifestyle change for the
better. No "all" about it. As far as the liver biopsy I hate to say
it but you probably ought to go for it. It'll put your mind at ease
as well as give the most accurate picture of hepatic health. And the
doc will freak. <G>

Take care,
Carmen

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Today, I got the real stunner - I got back my latest liver function test
results (AST & ALT enzyme).

Completely NORMAL!!!!!! Not only normal but right in the middle of
the normal range! My hepatitis has gone from life threatining to FINE?

All I've done is cut my carbs to <30/day, cut fat & sodium, gotten 1-2
hours of excercise per day and taken flax seed, fish oil and niacin OTC
supplements plus perscription Inderal LA (for BP).

EXCELLENT news, Ken! You truly ARE an inspiration!

--
Saffire
205/149/125 - 5'1.5"
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

"Carmen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello Ken,

Congratulations and keep it up. You're one of the folks with a body
that'll behave well - given a decent chance. You said above that "all
you do is..." but it's a *significant* lifestyle change for the
better. No "all" about it. As far as the liver biopsy I hate to say
it but you probably ought to go for it. It'll put your mind at ease
as well as give the most accurate picture of hepatic health. And the
doc will freak. <G>

Take care,
Carmen

He's already pushing me to show off at Weight Watchers - today he
started musing about using me as a case example for a paper he wants
to write to the AMA and JAMA and maybe even the ADA.

Too bad I'm moving to KS on friday - He's a great doc. It's OK, though
because I've self educated myself to the point that I know what to do
to keep up the progress. My old Dr. In KS wanted me to stay on insulin
permanatley - no thought to low carb or excercise. He believes you can't
go below 125g of carbs per day and still have normal brain function.

Idiot.

Ken

Ken Bessler said:

Today, I got the real stunner - I got back my latest liver function test
results (AST & ALT enzyme).

Completely NORMAL!!!!!! Not only normal but right in the middle of
the normal range! My hepatitis has gone from life threatining to FINE?

Congratulations, Ken.

I know how stunned you feel. LC did the same for me, with my kidney
problems caused by complicated pregnancies and made worse by the high
carb, low protein and fat 'kidney protection diet' recommended by my
medical team.

They still call it a 'spontaneous remission' and dismiss my certainty
that LC was the cause - but I know that I made no other changes in my
life right then.

My tests went from 'well, when they fail this is what the situation
will be for you' to 'borderline normal' 6 months later, to 'mid-point
normal' 12 months down the track. My 6+ years of LC have been
punctuated by regular bloodwork and my last tests (done last month)
confirm that I'm STILL at mid-point normal for kidney function.

Congratulations on turning your life around, your magnificent weight
loss and your proof that for YOU, LC is a healthy lifestyle.

Aramanth

"Ken Bessler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Can this really be happening? My doc was stunned, too - he wants to
order my 5th liver biopsy to confirm the lab results. I dunno - those
things hurt bad!

The more I see myself and others losing weight (through whatever mean), the
more I gain huge respects for the design of our body. I mean, ever after
pushing it through extremes, it seems to snap back to normal as soon as we
let it some room to recover. With super-obesity becoming more common, we are
pushing it farther than we ever did, but it still seems able to recover in
many cases. I'm under the impression that even doctors did not credit it
with that amazing capacity for recovery...

Ken Bessler said:

On 9 Jan 04 I started a total diet/excercise program. I was 39, 5'8",
307 lbs. I had insulin dependant type II diabetes and was taking 540
units of insulin plus 2000 mg of Glucophage per day. My blood pressure
was out of control. My good cholesterol was 18, my bad was 310.
My tryglicerides <sp> were 1495. I wore size 48 jeans. My HBa1C
was 9.8

Plus, to make things worse, I had been diagnosed with Steato Hepatitis
and all my liver biopsies and enzyme tests indicated I was quickly
heading to liver failure.

Now, after 9 months of low carb/cal/fat/salt and lots of bike riding (42
miles yesterday, 22 today), My blood pressure is perfect, my good
cholesterol is up to 61 and bad is down to 174. Trygs are normal. I've
not had one bit of diabetes meds or insulin in 9 months. My latest
HBa1C (8/16) was 4.8. I've lost 110 lbs and now use size 34 jeans.

Today, I got the real stunner - I got back my latest liver function test
results (AST & ALT enzyme).

Completely NORMAL!!!!!! Not only normal but right in the middle of
the normal range! My hepatitis has gone from life threatining to FINE?

All I've done is cut my carbs to <30/day, cut fat & sodium, gotten 1-2
hours of excercise per day and taken flax seed, fish oil and niacin OTC
supplements plus perscription Inderal LA (for BP).

Can this really be happening? My doc was stunned, too - he wants to
order my 5th liver biopsy to confirm the lab results. I dunno - those
things hurt bad!

I guess I'll think about it.....

Ken

Congratulations and well done. I assume you were overweight because of
eating too much of the wrong foods in response to real or perceived
hunger and craving. What specifically, if anything, did you do or eat
to eliminate hunger and craving?

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 20:25:11 -0600, Ken Bessler <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Carmen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello Ken,

Congratulations and keep it up. You're one of the folks with a body
that'll behave well - given a decent chance. You said above that "all
you do is..." but it's a *significant* lifestyle change for the
better. No "all" about it. As far as the liver biopsy I hate to say
it but you probably ought to go for it. It'll put your mind at ease
as well as give the most accurate picture of hepatic health. And the
doc will freak. <G>

Take care,
Carmen

He's already pushing me to show off at Weight Watchers - today he
started musing about using me as a case example for a paper he wants
to write to the AMA and JAMA and maybe even the ADA.

Too bad I'm moving to KS on friday - He's a great doc. It's OK, though
because I've self educated myself to the point that I know what to do
to keep up the progress. My old Dr. In KS wanted me to stay on insulin
permanatley - no thought to low carb or excercise. He believes you can't
go below 125g of carbs per day and still have normal brain function.

Idiot.

Ken

That's a common misconception that you'll see repeated a lot.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

YES, it can and has happened for you ken!
congrats on the reward of all your efforts!

--
rosie

"I think Senator Kerry should be proud of his record. No, I don't
think he lied."
.....................................................GEORGE W. BUSH
(8-25-04)
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/USfatalities.html

"Ken Bessler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: On 9 Jan 04 I started a total diet/excercise program. I was 39,
5'8",
: 307 lbs. I had insulin dependant type II diabetes and was taking
540
: units of insulin plus 2000 mg of Glucophage per day. My blood
pressure
: was out of control. My good cholesterol was 18, my bad was 310.
: My tryglicerides <sp> were 1495. I wore size 48 jeans. My HBa1C
: was 9.8
:
: Plus, to make things worse, I had been diagnosed with Steato
Hepatitis
: and all my liver biopsies and enzyme tests indicated I was quickly
: heading to liver failure.
:
: Now, after 9 months of low carb/cal/fat/salt and lots of bike
riding (42
: miles yesterday, 22 today), My blood pressure is perfect, my good
: cholesterol is up to 61 and bad is down to 174. Trygs are normal.
I've
: not had one bit of diabetes meds or insulin in 9 months. My latest
: HBa1C (8/16) was 4.8. I've lost 110 lbs and now use size 34 jeans.
:
: Today, I got the real stunner - I got back my latest liver
function test
: results (AST & ALT enzyme).
:
: Completely NORMAL!!!!!! Not only normal but right in the middle of
: the normal range! My hepatitis has gone from life threatining to
FINE?
:
: All I've done is cut my carbs to <30/day, cut fat & sodium, gotten
1-2
: hours of excercise per day and taken flax seed, fish oil and
niacin OTC
: supplements plus perscription Inderal LA (for BP).
:
: Can this really be happening? My doc was stunned, too - he wants
to
: order my 5th liver biopsy to confirm the lab results. I dunno -
those
: things hurt bad!
:
: I guess I'll think about it.....
:
: Ken
:
:
:

"Martin W. Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Ken Bessler" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Congratulations and well done. I assume you were overweight because of
eating too much of the wrong foods in response to real or perceived
hunger and craving. What specifically, if anything, did you do or eat
to eliminate hunger and craving?

I found that hunger and cravings sometimes come from boredom so I try
my best to distract myself when I get a craving. If that fails, a mouth
treat
will suffice until the craving passes. Sugarfree gum, coffee, cheese or what
really seems to work good is a 1/2 tsp of peanut butter (<1/2g).

I've actually had days where my only dietary intake was coffee, diet soda
and diet iced ted - no food - 0 carbs! And I'm not just sitting on my ass
around the house, even on those days I ride, fast, hard & long.

A year ago, the 1.5 mile trip to my endocrinologist was a major undertaking
and my average speed was 6 mph. Now, I do 30 miles without a thought
and cruise at 16 mph and hit top speeds near 40 mph. I have a cadence
meter on my pedals. Tour de France racers try to hold 90-95 rpm. When
I started, anything above 60 was a sprint. Now, I cruise at 95 and sprint to
115 or more.

What I'd love to know is this: I've lost 110 lbs but how much have I gained
in muscle and how much fat have I lost? It'd be nice to know.

Ken

Ken Bessler said:

"Martin W. Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Ken Bessler" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Congratulations and well done. I assume you were overweight because of
eating too much of the wrong foods in response to real or perceived
hunger and craving. What specifically, if anything, did you do or eat
to eliminate hunger and craving?

I found that hunger and cravings sometimes come from boredom so I try
my best to distract myself when I get a craving. If that fails, a mouth
treat
will suffice until the craving passes. Sugarfree gum, coffee, cheese or what
really seems to work good is a 1/2 tsp of peanut butter (<1/2g).

Good info. So one of the habits you developed is to take some kind of
action, either immediately upon thinking about eating, or in advance
in anticipation of eventual hunger pangs. The action taken is not so
important as long as it is sufficient to distract you from the hunger
until the hunger subsides.

I, too, use peanut butter and cheeze.

Quoted message said:

I've actually had days where my only dietary intake was coffee, diet soda
and diet iced ted - no food - 0 carbs! And I'm not just sitting on my ass
around the house, even on those days I ride, fast, hard & long.

A year ago, the 1.5 mile trip to my endocrinologist was a major undertaking
and my average speed was 6 mph. Now, I do 30 miles without a thought
and cruise at 16 mph and hit top speeds near 40 mph. I have a cadence
meter on my pedals. Tour de France racers try to hold 90-95 rpm. When
I started, anything above 60 was a sprint. Now, I cruise at 95 and sprint to
115 or more.

What I'd love to know is this: I've lost 110 lbs but how much have I gained
in muscle and how much fat have I lost? It'd be nice to know.

Ken

I wish he wouldn't. The OP low carbed, not used Weight Watchers.

Peace,
Pen

" rosie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Ken Bessler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
:

:
: He's already pushing me to show off at Weight Watchers - today he
: started musing about using me as a case example for a paper he
wants
: to write to the AMA and JAMA and maybe even the ADA.

i wish he would!

Penelope Baker wrote:
:: I wish he wouldn't. The OP low carbed, not used Weight Watchers.
::

All the more reason to show up at weight watchers.

:: Peace,
:: Pen
::
:: " rosie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
:: news:[email hidden]...
:::
:::
::: "Ken Bessler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
::: news:[email hidden]...
::::
:::
::::
:::: He's already pushing me to show off at Weight Watchers - today he
:::: started musing about using me as a case example for a paper he
:::: wants to write to the AMA and JAMA and maybe even the ADA.
:::
::: i wish he would!

An intrusive test to verify that things are better makes no sense to me. I
can understand being curious, but if there is nothing you can do based on
either a good or bad test result, the test isn't worth it.

Sometimes doctors do tests, so that if something goes wrong nobody can say
they failed to do the test....

"Ken Bessler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 9 Jan 04 I started a total diet/excercise program. I was 39, 5'8",
307 lbs. I had insulin dependant type II diabetes and was taking 540
units of insulin plus 2000 mg of Glucophage per day. My blood pressure
was out of control. My good cholesterol was 18, my bad was 310.
My tryglicerides <sp> were 1495. I wore size 48 jeans. My HBa1C
was 9.8

Plus, to make things worse, I had been diagnosed with Steato Hepatitis
and all my liver biopsies and enzyme tests indicated I was quickly
heading to liver failure.

Now, after 9 months of low carb/cal/fat/salt and lots of bike riding (42
miles yesterday, 22 today), My blood pressure is perfect, my good
cholesterol is up to 61 and bad is down to 174. Trygs are normal. I've
not had one bit of diabetes meds or insulin in 9 months. My latest
HBa1C (8/16) was 4.8. I've lost 110 lbs and now use size 34 jeans.

Today, I got the real stunner - I got back my latest liver function test
results (AST & ALT enzyme).

Completely NORMAL!!!!!! Not only normal but right in the middle of
the normal range! My hepatitis has gone from life threatining to FINE?

All I've done is cut my carbs to <30/day, cut fat & sodium, gotten 1-2
hours of excercise per day and taken flax seed, fish oil and niacin OTC
supplements plus perscription Inderal LA (for BP).

Can this really be happening? My doc was stunned, too - he wants to
order my 5th liver biopsy to confirm the lab results. I dunno - those
things hurt bad!

I guess I'll think about it.....

Ken

You are a perfect example of how the body will heal itself if we stop
contaminating it with all the chemical [censored] that the food industry puts out.
Your doctor should present your case at a symposium on the benifits of good
nutrition, exercise and supplements.

Awesome!!

--
Lori
220/15? got to get batteries today/144
LC since 1/17/03
Devoted wife of Curtis, Stage 4 Prostate cancer at age 40
http://community.webshots.com/user/lorismiller-date

"Bob in CT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 20:25:11 -0600, Ken Bessler <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Carmen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello Ken,

Congratulations and keep it up. You're one of the folks with a body
that'll behave well - given a decent chance. You said above that "all
you do is..." but it's a *significant* lifestyle change for the
better. No "all" about it. As far as the liver biopsy I hate to say
it but you probably ought to go for it. It'll put your mind at ease
as well as give the most accurate picture of hepatic health. And the
doc will freak. <G>

Take care,
Carmen

He's already pushing me to show off at Weight Watchers - today he
started musing about using me as a case example for a paper he wants
to write to the AMA and JAMA and maybe even the ADA.

Too bad I'm moving to KS on friday - He's a great doc. It's OK, though
because I've self educated myself to the point that I know what to do
to keep up the progress. My old Dr. In KS wanted me to stay on insulin
permanatley - no thought to low carb or excercise. He believes you can't
go below 125g of carbs per day and still have normal brain function.

Idiot.

Ken

That's a common misconception that you'll see repeated a lot.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

I had a unit coordinator at work, who is also a nursing student, lecture me
one day how the brain cannot function below 400 carbs per day. yeah, right.

On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 15:17:33 GMT, Lorelei <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Bob in CT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 20:25:11 -0600, Ken Bessler <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Carmen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> Hello Ken,
>
> Congratulations and keep it up. You're one of the folks with a body
> that'll behave well - given a decent chance. You said above that "all
> you do is..." but it's a *significant* lifestyle change for the
> better. No "all" about it. As far as the liver biopsy I hate to say
> it but you probably ought to go for it. It'll put your mind at ease
> as well as give the most accurate picture of hepatic health. And the
> doc will freak. <G>
>
> Take care,
> Carmen

He's already pushing me to show off at Weight Watchers - today he
started musing about using me as a case example for a paper he wants
to write to the AMA and JAMA and maybe even the ADA.

Too bad I'm moving to KS on friday - He's a great doc. It's OK, though
because I've self educated myself to the point that I know what to do
to keep up the progress. My old Dr. In KS wanted me to stay on insulin
permanatley - no thought to low carb or excercise. He believes you

can't

Quoted message said:

go below 125g of carbs per day and still have normal brain function.

Idiot.

Ken

That's a common misconception that you'll see repeated a lot.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

I had a unit coordinator at work, who is also a nursing student, lecture
me
one day how the brain cannot function below 400 carbs per day. yeah,
right.

Now, 400 is getting ridiculous. (Not to mention that that's 1,600
calories, which is above what some people eat.)

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

"Ken Bessler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What I'd love to know is this: I've lost 110 lbs but how much have I

gained

Quoted message said:

in muscle and how much fat have I lost? It'd be nice to know.

Ken

It's hard to guess this without having a BF% taken at the start. I think
there are some very rough calculations available based on weight and waist
size but I imagine they could be off by a huge margin.

Go get your BF measured now. If you are curious about these kind of things,
you'll be glad you did so that you can compare your progress. Kudos to you,
btw, for your amazing transformation.

Loser
287/261/233
1June2004