Hi!
I am stage 4 & have put in a couple of stone in the last 2yrs since I had to give up work. My LFT enzymes are high, but bilirubin & albumin levels are both normal so I'm told my liver is holding its own (even if I do feel like poo!!). I'm just wondering - Has anyone tried the Atkins Diet? Is it ok for us to do?
Thanks for any input.
Ooh I'm not expert but I didn't think the Atkins Diet was any good for anyone .
The new Atkins diet doesn't really advocate 'bad' fats, ie no sausages etc. but you can still have cream.
Have you tried slimming world, red days, I lost 3 stone on this, it is similar to Atkins but not as restrictive, I did the Atkins diet a few years ago, lost weight, but put it ll back on again could not manage the maintainence part of that diet. I'm very happy doing the slimming world diet, I keep a food diary and log everything I eat. I try to eat protein along with veg and fruit, try not to have starchy carbs, the only time I don't is when I'm on holiday or over Christmas, I do indulge on those occasions 
Personally I'd not consider most diets with a title! The Atkins as far as I understood it years ago (saw a documentary on tv) is that it is based on high protein where you simply eat red meat for a spell.
Given one with PBC struggles to break fats up as that is what bile does and with bile duct damage we have compromised bile flow thus taking urso to put additional bile into the system to aid bile flow and digestion, I don't think a wise idea.
I am pretty certain if one was to give the Atkins a go to lose weight, I expect with PBC you'd start to feel extremely fatigued somehow and suffer a temporary setback, if not make yourself worse for awhile.
Since I started itching in 2010 and started on urso at diagnose Dec 2010 I've found I have actually lost around 8 pounds in the last 2yrs. I don't put it down to not eating roughly same as what I did prior to taking tablets, I think with me it is because I am a night only itcher and most nights with fidgeting about I probably burn off a lot of calories that way (who needs the gym??). Given I don't eat anything after tea suppose that adds but I feel better in not retiring to bed of a night still feeling as it's not long since I ate as find that can be uncomfortable. Seems to work ok for me.
I'd also say that if you state you are a couple stones overweight would it be deemed necessary in fact to actually diet? At the end of the day I think when there is some condition a slight bit of excess weight might just be better than someone who starts to become underweight? After all as I understand it, in PBC if you start to drastically lose weight then it is possible that your system is burning muscle to use as opposed to fat or an adequate daily intake and I think it fair to say that people with PBC can have aching bones and muscles so to me it would be far healthier with a little bit of weight.
PS I checked out online the new amended BMI chart last mth., I was coming up as normal range weight but now it is stating I am ''overweight'. I'm 5 ft 2 inches tall and I am round about 8 stones 9 pounds these days.
I agree Peridot, I cannot eat one bite of red meat for pain and nausea. I miss it, loved steak and hamburgers. But the last two times I tried it, it cost me an endosopy to find out what the problem was, and ended up me having to use another med called Carafate for a few weeks. I have to get my protein from other sources.
hi im new here but ive been doing the atkins doet for about a year with the supervision of my specialist ive lost over 7 stone! ive loved being on the atkins never feeling hungry however over the past couple months ive been getting lots of abdo pain more than usuall and now ive been taken off the diet by doctors who said my liver has had enough of too much protein and fats ! im gutted but now following a low fat diet slimming world but my hunger is back. slow going now ! i try to stick to the red days so not as many carbs but in truth still intake lots of carbs now. i loved the atkins and was hoping it would be a permanant lifestyle for me rather than a diet fad once id finished the weight loss but this is now not possible. id say if you want to try it see how you like it just keep an eye on tests etc.
It didn't do Atkins much good!
I think as long as you are sensible and have lean protein you should be OK. Good luck with whatever you do as losing weight is a huge battle even without PBC.
I certainly feel far better of an evening after eating chicken or fish.
Also in the past chicken in particular was a food that was given to invalids as it is easily digestible like rice. Fish is also the same but where someone rather sick is concerned, expect it is the issue of the bones. As much as I love fish, have to say that certain ones with tiny bones simply puts me off.
I think I might be also right in saying that red meats can take that longer to digest in the system unless one has a good fibrous intake so it sort of makes sense to me anyway that if that is the case then the digestive system is working that bit harder.
I think the secret is a little bit of what one fancies goes here.....
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