Re: Is this the typical type 2 person?

On 3/16/2010 12:01 PM, MaryL wrote:

"Michael" <micoder@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:rVNnn.45340$Bs1.13732@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 3/16/2010 4:12 AM, Alan S wrote:
On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:25:13 -0500, Michael<micoder@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

I found myself talking to a woman at the checkout counter at our
supermarket in town. She commented on my purchases which were meat,
eggs, fish, cream, and fresh vegetables.

I told her that I had type 2 diabetes and there was not a whole lot
more
that I could eat and not get bad numbers.

She asked what numbers? I said my BG numbers. She had never measured
her
own because the meter was too intimidating for her. She also said that
she did not need to eat a special diet because her doctor prescribed
pills that allow her to eat whatever she wanted.

I mentioned that carbohydrates may not be too good for her. She did not
know what carbohydrates were. She had no idea whatever about which
foods
contained carbohydrates and which ones did not. But, I guess it did not
matter since she is taking magic pills that allow her to eat anything.

At the end of the conversation she said that it would be just way to
complicated to try and figure out what foods had high carbohydrates and
which ones did not.

WOW! If this is typical, we have a whole boomer generation that is
going
to get very sick very quickly.

Michael

The answer to your question is YES.

I wrote a travel blog post on the Nile this morning. This was the
final sentence:

"For my friends on the diabetes forums, I actually woke one morning
with a dream fresh in my mind of all the newly diagnosed diabetics
floating past my cabin in De Nial..."

The microscopic percentage of the world's diabetics that we meet here
and on dLife, the ADA forum and several other good forums are the
pro-active ones - and half of them arrive saying "I can't possibly
give up my [fill in the favourite food]".

The lady you described is representative of the majority, by her
actions if not her ignorance. There are many who do know what carbs
are and do own a meter but who act exactly the same as her.


Alan
I think it would be productive to know what percentage of T2s are
proactive and aggressive in their treatment. Of that percentage which
percentage of them use very low carb diet and exercise.

My wife and I are very aggressive in our treatment. She is a little
less aggressive than am I. Her last A1c was 5.5 and mine was 5.0.

We need a study that demonstrates the outcome of using a very low carb
diet plus exercise versus simply relying on pills or insulin.

If all the boomers could see this study, they could make an
intelligent decision on what to do. As it is, these boomers are
relying on Pharma and the ADA to make their decisions. We desperately
need an outcomes study.

And yes, giving up our favourite foods is tough for some of us. I
believe that a lot of people are dying a slow painful death because
the thought of giving up these foods produces denial. The really ugly
truth is that the ADA helps feed this denial with their recommended
"balanced" diets. So, if you want to keep eating your hash browns in
the morning, you only need quote the ADA to justify this decision to
yourself.

There is a number that we don't know of the people that the ADA has
killed. I believe this number is large. And yes, I know this is an
inflammatory remark to some.

Michael



I am not on a very low carb diet, but it is much lower carb than before
I was diagnosed. I am rather "rigid" in what I will *not* eat. When
eating at home, I have not eaten *any* potatoes, rice, pasta, flour, or
added any refined sugar (and not even any stevia or artificial
sweeteners) since I was diagnosed. When dining out or with friends (not
often), I realize that I do get some sugar or flour involved in cooking.
Even then, I am very careful and avoid all of those items as much as
possible. However, I do get carbs and natural sugar because I eat lots
of fresh veggies and some fresh fruit. I started out on South Beach
after I was diagnosed. My current diet is generally like the SB diet
except that I modified it to *completely* eliminate the items I listed.
My BG (and also cholesterol/trig) plummeted when I changed to my current
diet. I have not needed any diabetic medication since March 2005, and my
A1c is always in the 5.1-5.2 range.

I used to go to a diabetic support group at one of the local hospitals.
However, they serve a free meal at lunch, and there was never anything I
could eat because everything was *very* carby. I questioned the
dietician, and she said they were trying to teach us how to eat *at
least 65 carbs at every meal! Yes, 65 carbs--that was not a typo. Now I
only go on the rare occasions when the program sounds especially
interesting, and I just take baggies with cut-up veggies, a couple of
slices of cheese, and a few nuts.

I read somewhere (but can't verify it) that the ADA does not recommend
reduced carbs "because they don't think anyone would stick to it." What
a ridiculous thought that is, if there is truth to it.

MaryL

Congratulations Mary,

You are one of the few who have decided to actually change. Your success at this should be a model for us all. I think you eat quite a bit more carbs than I do. I am certainly not criticizing. You are eating to your meter. You happen to be lucky enough to be able to eat more carbs than I can eat. Your A1C is clear evidence that you are serious about staying well.

It is outrageous that your diabetic support group is feeding you all a diet that is guaranteed to cause complications. "Complications" seems like a sanitized word that really represents a slow horrific way to die.

I think that the carb gravy train that we have all been on has an almost addictive quality. We often lie to ourselves and others in order to justify continuing to feed this addiction.

I actually seriously considered going straight to insulin so that I could eat more of the foods I like. I finally decided that my addiction to carbs was clouding my judgement. I will not take insulin unless I have no other option. I can control my BG with diet and exercise.

Feeling sorry for ourselves is another way to justify eating carbs. I certainly have spent some time feeling sorry for myself, but I did not use that to eat carbs. I finally put the state of my health in perspective. I am 67 and have many friends dying and dead from cancer, and T2 "complications". My wife and I both feel healthy. It is a blessing to be as well as we are at this age.

Michael
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Vet Tech Journals: Good and Bad News
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    (rec.pets.cats.anecdotes)
  • Re: Is this the typical type 2 person?
    ... I told her that I had type 2 diabetes and there was not a whole lot ... that I could eat and not get bad numbers. ... percentage of them use very low carb diet and exercise. ... I do get carbs and natural sugar because I eat lots ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Surveys
    ... other survey result, often with the words that "it disproves the ... But they will also have a diet listed in there and they will boast of it ... They eat far more carbs ... They pretty much eat what they want, ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Surveys
    ... survey result, often with the words that "it disproves the commonly held ... the cake diet in them. ... They pretty much eat what they want, ... She then replied that she thought it was high in carbs. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: My intro
    ... It goes like this: If we eat ... our system fails to respond to the carbs initially. ... out a ton of insulin which drops the blood sugar very quickly. ... I had gestational diabetes and it didn't go away. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)