The Thirty Day Diabetes Miracle

I am a Board Certified Internist, specializing in weight management. I have treated thousands of patients for overweight problems, over the past 30 years, many of them diabetics. I have visited the Lifestyle Center of America several times to personally evaluate their program. I spoke at length with not only their staff but with many patients actually in the program. I can honestly say it is THE BEST overall program for treating and preventing Type 2 Diabetes that I have seen. I would encourage all Type 2 Diabetic patients who are having any problems managing their diabetes to give the progam a trial. I believe you will see significant improvement in diabetic control even BEFORE "30 days!"

I started the diet on 4/5/08 after spending a week reading the book fully. In December of last year I was taking 110 units of insulin a day. While my doctor was happy with my control (A1c 6.4) and management of the disease, I was not. I felt too heavy and I felt I was getting progressively weaker. My heart was not doing well and I had frequent and painful angina. I was taking a lot of heart medicine (Norvasc, Benicar & hydrochlorothiazide). I have severe neuropathy in both feet, including a wound in my left foot that will not heal and a diabetic foot disease called "Charcots Arthropathy". I suffered a "focal neuropathy" that paralyzed my right side for 3 months and has left my right leg weak. My walking is very restricted. Diabetes has also taken my left eye. I suffered several hemorrhages, due to retinopathy, and now I am blind in my left eye. I only bring these symptoms up to show that my diabetes was advanced and acute. I was forced to retire and go on disability at age 49. I found the recipes easy to prepare and delicious. The closer you follow the diet the better your results will be. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. It only works if you stick with it for the long term. If you return to the same diet that brought about your diabetes in the first place the diabetes will come back. A word of caution on this point, your blood sugar level may come down very fast. I took my regular dose of insulin on day 1 and by 10:00 pm I was at 57 and beginning to feel the effects of low blood sugar. Test your blood often and have your doctor reduce your insulin dose before you start. I stopped taking insulin altogether on day 15. I have not taken an injection of insulin in the past year. My blood sugar level has stayed in the normal range. My doctor was amazed at the results. He tells me that he is telling all of the other doctors that one of his patients was able to cure his acute type 2 diabetes. He took down the information about the book and he says he is going to buy and read it and recommend it to his other diabetic patients. I have lost a total of 36 pounds in the 90 days. My blood sugar is normal without insulin and I have never felt healthier. I no longer take any of my heart medication. My cholesterol panel is now 143 without Crestor and all sub panels are optimal. Good luck and best wishes. John Butler

My dad has diabetes and has struggled with it for years. It was awful to watch his health deteriorate in front of my eyes. I wholeheartedly believe that this program saved my dad's life. He went through the program in Oklahoma and came out a changed man. What my dad learned in OK has been invaluable. He's followed the program and lost fifty pounds. His cholesterol has dropped 500 (yes FIVE HUNDRED) points. He went off almost all of his diabetes medication. He had more energy than I'd seen him have in years. He was thinking clearer, making more money (he claims) and was just happier in general. Having struggled with weight issues since childhood (and the constant fear that I would be the next to be cursed with diabetes) I finally went though the LCA program myself at 25. Since then, I have dropped thirty lbs, my triglyceride level dropped 100 points. I have energy like I didn't know existed- friends noted how I never complained of being tired anymore. I had debilitating headaches prior to my visit- gone. My skin is clearer and tighter. I feel SO much better in general. The results in the three weeks I was there were literally amazing. I like to work out now because they taught me how to exercise without hurting my body. They taught me to enjoy foods I wouldn't have otherwise considered. I am not going to be diabetic only because I followed this program. I honestly owe my dad's life and my healthy future to this program. If you're overweight, diabetic, pre-diabetic or if you just don't feel healthy, I strongly recommend this book and its ideas.

So I've been following the lifestyle recommended by these authors for about 7 years. My dad was a diabetic and I have been pre-diabetic (if there is such a thing...). Having two small boys at the time, my wife and I decided to move to this type of healthy lifestyle so that they could have the best shot at health as they grow up. What their choices will be after they are grown is up to them. Like Khalil Gibran says, "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. ... For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable." While we changed our lifestyle primarily for the sake of our boys, the benefits that we experienced were amazing. I lost 30 pounds. My wife didn't need to lose any, but her severe monthly cramps simply stopped. Both of our boys (2 and 4 at the time) no longer had chronic ear infections. Almost all of my allergies went away. My blood pressure dropped. My sugars dropped to normal levels. Over time, my cholesterol dropped to 147(!) We were amazed! I can certainly understand why the book has the word "miracle" in it. The physiological changes in the body seem miraculous when a healthy lifestyle is adopted. What is really amazing to me is that the medical industry is still relying almost exclusively on medications to treat the symptoms of diabetes instead of focusing on the cause of diabetes like these authors do- our lifestyle choices and habits. By the way, one of the things I appreciated in this book was the large number of scientific citations throughout the book. The information presented is credible. I also liked the fact that this book and program comes from a non-profit organization and is not written by some docs looking to make a quick buck. This is clearly not your typical "diet" book, but advocates and lays out a step-by-step plan to take responsibility for our health back and start making better health choices. My family has honestly enjoyed our health adventure. It's now fun to go to restaurants and pick out foods from across the menu that are healthy. However, we learned that changing habits is hard. But in our experience, it is so worth it. I really wish that we had had a book like this when we first changed to healthier lifestyle choices. It would have made things so much easier to have had a documented program like this to get us started on the right track.

I hope everyone who's struggling with diabetes or a weight problem will buy this book. I went through the program at LCA in Oklahoma, and although I don't have diabetes, my health and lifestyle has changed for the better in so many ways. I watched as people in wheelchairs literally walked out the door at the end of the program, many having stopped or lowered medications. I lost 45 pounds, have so much more energy, and can look forward to a longer, more enjoyable life because I've learned how to take care of myself, body, mind and spirit. If you're feeling hopeless, this is the book for you! Go for it! You can take control! :) This has also been very helpful in relieving my symptoms of depression.