Your friend needs a new doctor and a swift kick in the butt.
OK, let me get this straight, your friend can't live without bread and pasta but can live with diabetes, current or oncoming obesity, high blood sugar and heart disease. Is it just me or does this sound ridiculous to you. Of course a person can live without carbs, especially on the FAT TO SKINNY eating plan where we have low sugar low carb replacements for both. What she is lacking is what I term the “WANT TOO” It's that simple. She either wants to
lose weight or she doesn't. It's all about priorities and how important her health is to her.
You're right Jo, you can bring a horse to water but you can't make them drink. I have a friend just like this and I've been watching her die over the past 10 years. Nothing I say can dissuade her from her course. It's sad and it breaks my heart but I found the the best thing to do was to quit trying, it's like talking to a brick wall.
There is no magic pill Jo, carbs are carbs and they are the problem.