<p>"I have been diagnosed with T2 diabetes for almost 3 years. I maintain excellent blood sugar control "
-My H. has had desease for many years. The only thing that affects his Blood Sugar level is his weight and absolutely nothing else. His weight goes up and so do his Blood Sugar and BP, both. Since he is measuring both at home, I do it also. I also have noticed over a period of time that is much longer than 3 years that my (non-diebetic) Blood Sugar and BP fluctuate in synch with my weight (my weight is within normal range). More so, my H. was told by his doc. that he would not have diebetese and he would not have hypertension if he looses weight down to certain point. He just would not do it. At the same time he never was told to be on low carb diet.
So, apparently, general assumption about what influence Blood sugar and Blood Pressure is not correct. We are not built the same. The way we store fat is crucial and it depends on genentics and nothing else. The blessed ones store fat in their hips, the unfortunate ones (like my H. and me) store our fat on our belly. This belly fat is very dangerous.</p>
<p>Aren’t they also saying now there are two kinds of belly fat? Visceral and Subcutaneous?
I am not sure if that has any bearing on the conversation.
I find the lack of clear concise information frustrating at times</p>
<p>I have no idea. I tend to analyze what is happenning with my own body instead of listenning to everybody else. It does not matter how it is all called. You just figure out for yourself and go from there. Exercise makes me feel very good and boost my energy and I will stick with it for as long as I could. Eating meat and such makes me feel like a blah and having some kind of stone in my stomach, so I eat it rarely and it is better be perfectly the way I like or I would not eat it at all. I love fruits and they make my system work and I will never deprive myself of having as many as I wish which is so much more than average person that looking at my every day consumption, I can easily say, that it is primarily fruits and a little bit of other food in between. I believe that everybody should listen to their body and figure out what works for them instead of blindly following one diet or another, we are not all exactly the same. But again, if you love all that beef, chicken, turkey…etc., why not?</p>
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<p>I don’t know if this exactly true. I am living proof that you can do everything right - diet, exercise, etc.etc. - and still have your diabetes progress rapidly and inexorably towards insulin dependence. Low-carb diet, 45 minutes of exercise a day, BMI of 22: maybe YOU can tell me why I developed diabetes in the first place (at age 48) or why I progressed so rapidly, despite my obsessive focus on control.</p>
<p>I gues my point is this: there’s a lot we don’t know about diabetes and its treatment (after all, a great many overweight/obese people never get the disease). It’s really not “just” weight and/or inactivity. Genetics play a huge role. And there aren’t just two kinds of diabetes either - there’s LADA and MODY and type 1.5.</p>
<p>My other point is this: using insulin is not some kind of “mark of shame.” In many cases, diabetes IS a progressive disease that leads to the use of exogenous insulin. It’s not a punishment or a sign of failure - it’s treatment for a disease. And diabetes itself is not a punishment or a sign of failure, either. I hate that attitude that “oh, you have diabetes, you did it to yourself.” Um, no - I didn’t.</p>
<p>And just to get back to the OP: I’ve been low-carbing for 10 years now (I have diabetes). I find that it’s easier to do once you stick to a routine for some/most meals. I always have low-carb greek yogurt for breakfast and then a huge salad for lunch (no croutons; no carrots or other starchy veggies; but lots of greens and a protein thrown in). Dinner is usually lean protein and lots of veggies again. No bread, no rice of any kind, no potatoes. (Oohhh, I miss potatoes more than cake!!)</p>
<p>It looks kind of sad, written down like that, but it’s not really. I find that I can still eat modest amounts of dark chocolate without a problem, which is a real blessing.</p>
<p>When I first started really low-carb eating I felt hungry a lot. Gradually that feeling of hunger disappeared, though.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP I don’t think anyone on this thread is doing anything “blindly” . View -points in this thread seem to be pretty well thought out to me. </p>
<p>Scout59 -so frustrating to be doing everything you can do and not have the result you expect.
It sounds like you have great self control</p>
<p>“If T2 diabetics “frequently” progress to insulin injection” - Big news to me about “frequently”.</p>
<p>“Low-carb diet, 45 minutes of exercise a day, BMI of 22: maybe YOU can tell me why I developed diabetes in the first place (at age 48) or why I progressed so rapidly, despite my obsessive focus on control”
-I believe that you have answered your question - “obsessive focus on control”, got to have fun with everything, with your food, with your exercise. In addtion, I do not think that 45 min. is significant enough, it depends on what else you are doing during day. If you are construction worker, you might not even need those 45 min. If you sit for whole day, then 45 min. is not significant at all. And your diet might not fit your specific needs at all, again, it all depends. In your case, it sounds like it all stress related, you seem to be very “intense”. In our family case, it is very straight forward. We all eventually get it and all die from it, simple as that. I do not have it so far, but I exercise much more than 45 min., no BMI=22, not even close, but I am not overweight. I still believe that eventually, maybe in my 70s or 80s (if I live that long), I will get it. My H. has it, the entire side of his father’s family die from it. He can loose weight and get rid of it, but he would not do it. Pretty simple in our cases. We are more or less very relaxed about everything in our lives, do not watch closely what we eat besides we practically never go out, we historically do not consume bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, but we both eat huge amount of fruit on a daily basis. My H. would prefer to have beef every day, but since I am not crazy about it, we have it about 2 times / month, chicken maybe ones / month, fish unfortunately almost every day, I was not able to cut this one down, I know it is too much mercury and I might pay for it later, but it just taste so good. Well, at the end, we all die from something.</p>
<p>scout, thanks for sharing your experience. I think it is very important to point out that yes, you can be doing everything right and not have the same results others assume you should. It is beyond annoying when “well-meaning” people give advice without having a clue. So sorry you are dealing with this frustrating situation, but have to believe that with your discipline you likely have staved off a far more serious situation.</p>
<p>^^ Oh, brother. Actually, I am one of the least stressed (and least intense) people you would ever meet, and my “obsessive focus on control” was partially tongue-in-cheek (although I do believe that diabetes is a serious disease that deserves serious attention, not “fun with my food.”) Then again, I don’t think you’re a medical doctor, so I’m not too concerned with your misdiagnosis</p>
<p>And if you must know: that 45 minutes of heavy exercise (heart-pumping, sweat, the whole works) is in addition to the hour of moderate exercise I get every day.</p>
<p>And thanks, CJane and Veruca. I usually don’t let this stuff get to me, but I’m really craving some potato chips right now!</p>
<p>CDC</p>
<p>Among adults with diagnosed diabetes (type 1 or type 2), 12% take insulin only, 14% take both insulin and oral medication, 58% take oral medication only, and 16% do not take either insulin or oral medication</p>
<p>Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. </p>
<p>Treating diabetes
Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose by following a healthy meal plan and exercise program, losing excess weight, and taking oral medication. Medications for each individual with diabetes will often change during the course of the disease. Some people with type 2 diabetes may also need insulin to control their blood glucose. </p>
<p>Robert Tanenberg, MD, FACP
Mar 20, 2009 </p>
<p>Starting Insulin
The overwhelming majority of type 2s eventually require insulin to obtain or preserve satisfactory glucose control and an A1c of 7% or less. Research clearly shows that achieving good control early on prevents diabetic complications, including nerve, kidney, eye and heart disease, up to twenty years later.
Deciding exactly when to begin insulin therapy is problematic for physicians who treat type 2 diabetes. Patients’ misguided fears about needles, hypoglycemia, and weight gain often lead to reluctance and physician inertia. A recent survey found that fewer than half of all physicians made any change in diabetes therapy even for patients with A1c’s of over 9%.</p>
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<p>Yes, so true. There are actually conditions which are highly influenced by genetics or other factors which are beyond a person’s control. One can only do the best one can to mitigate these factors, but sometimes nature does override one’s self- “nurture.”</p>
<p>Scout, “I don’t know if this exactly true. I am living proof that you can do everything right - diet, exercise, etc.etc. - and still have your diabetes progress rapidly and inexorably towards insulin dependence. Low-carb diet, 45 minutes of exercise a day, BMI of 22: maybe YOU can tell me why I developed diabetes in the first place (at age 48) or why I progressed so rapidly, despite my obsessive focus on control.”</p>
<p>Here is my wildly speculative hypothesis:
Genetics. You were born with the lowish side of working pancreas islet cells. So despite all efforts, they pooped out on you and now you are virtually a type 1 diabetic. Possible causes of pooping out? Age, inflammation, who knows.</p>
<p>Agree with nrdsb4: health, disease, body types etc have to do with a combo of nature and nurture. You can only control 1 of these. Unfortunately, you can’t select your parents.</p>
<p>Lastly, how does one work best to ensure living to a very ripe old age? Choosing one’s parents correctly (based on theirs and your genetics). This is the wildly hilarious joke that many MDs tell their patients. Yes, we are the life of the party!!</p>