Newcastle diet starting Monday, done it once who gonna join me on my journey??

[brettsza]

Hi Guys

I found this;
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/soy-and-diabetes-good-bad-or-what/

Thanks for the link steve. Well I just tested as it had been an hour I had it in my coffee I was 5.2 before and 5.8 after 1 hour not sure if this is good or bad but don't think I spiked, having said that I found it a little more sweeter than normal milk, slightly creamier and tastier but not something I can't live without. It is lower carb than milk too.

 

[Steve50]

I would love to find a low carb alternative to milk. Cant drink tea or coffee without milk!

 

[Eurobuff]

I would love to find a low carb alternative to milk. Cant drink tea or coffee without milk!

Lactofree Milk by Arla, has half the carbs of normal milk 2.7g per 100 ml (that's the Whole milk version). They do semi skimmed & skimmed as well. It's refrigerated just like "proper" milk and tastes just the same. Morissons, Asda, Tesco sell all 3 types, Sainsburys don't sell the whole milk, but sell the other two types. I think the semi skimmed & skimmed have slightly more carbs (as does normal milk), but it still is about half of what normal milk would have, like for like.

I've tried, almond milk & coconut milk and Arla is definitely the best by far as it does taste like normal milk.

 

[Living-by-the-beach]

Day 49 - fasting blood down to 5.4. No more weight loss. All good.

Great to see so many of you guys on this blog.

Re FBG readings - I have found that blood meters vary considerably from one to another. If you can compare your readings using a second meter, it would be interesting to see if they are the same.

Fasting blood readings can also be effected by the DP
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/dawn-phenomenon.html
so - try taking a reading before you go to sleep and another in the morning.
(Apologies for stating what you may already know).

I found that a ridiculous amount of water during the day really flushed out the system and gave me a low reading the next morning. We have one of those filter jugs - I think it is about 1ltr. I emptied it 3 times - and had other drinks as well. Constant peeing - but it seemed to really work for me on the FBG.

I also understand that the effect of the ND is not in the weight loss itself - but in the 'rapid' weight loss. It's not so much about losing weight - but where you lose it from. The liver and pancreas - in particular, need to be cleared out to below your 'personal' fat threshold. While I have banged on about BMI etc...that is only a goal for me because I can see it. I cant see my liver or pancreas - but I can read the numbers on the scales. But I do not want to fall foul of the MacNamara fallacy;
http://chronotopeblog.com/2015/04/04/the-mcnamara-fallacy-and-the-problem-with-numbers-in-education/

The point of the ND for all of us, is to clear the liver and pancreas - and reverse T2. (again apologies for stating the bleeding obvious). I know I have been guilty of losing focus and talking about food, weight loss and side effects - but I did have a moment just two days ago when I had a rather odd feeling that I had crossed my personal fat threshold. Cant explain why I had the feeling, but my bloods have been relatively stable and not spiking since that moment. And interestingly still lowering over time. I doubt very much that it is as simple as this - not a sudden change - like flicking a switch - that may have just been an epiphany.

So - maybe, just maybe, the ND has worked for me. I do plan on getting this confirmed by my DN - then - if I'm right - celebrating with a bottle of something cold and bubbly! (followed by a few brandy and diet gingers!!!!).

End of thought stream......

Keep going everyone - and keep telling us how you are getting on.

I had a FBG this morning of 6.77 / 122 mg/dl. I now have data that goes back a week or so. My ranges over that time period go from 5.19 to 7 in millimols. @Steve50 Thanks for your input here. I'll up my water consumption. Professor Taylor said that it was all about weight loss not about the quickness of the weight loss. I've taken 1 year +/- to get to 58lbs off my frame. Yet I should be seeing similar numbers to your own. I was diagnosed T2D in March 2014. I'll do longer fastings (Dr Jason Fung style) to consume the fats in the liver & pancreas. Had I gone more hardcore(=ND) when I had 20 more lbs on me I may have gotten to the weight I am now and be symptom free. Alas I am here where I am because of my yesterdays.


Here in the US one can't get support for ND (= too radical a protocol / no medical supervision / support. Its perceived as quackery in all probability!) Big pharma / doctors clinics want you sick.. They want you coming in repeatedly for co-pays / big pharma don't want you well they want you not to die but that you become their income stream. Not like the NHS, Not saying that the NHS is a shining example of how the world should behave but if you were paying 1000 quid a month for family health care as I do you'd probably have a similar view of which way is up. Everyone is after my wallet.

 

[Living-by-the-beach]

Lactofree Milk by Arla, has half the carbs of normal milk 2.7g per 100 ml (that's the Whole milk version). They do semi skimmed & skimmed as well. It's refrigerated just like "proper" milk and tastes just the same. Morissons, Asda, Tesco sell all 3 types, Sainsburys don't sell the whole milk, but sell the other two types. I think the semi skimmed & skimmed have slightly more carbs (as does normal milk), but it still is about half of what normal milk would have, like for like.

I've tried, almond milk & coconut milk and Arla is definitely the best by far as it does taste like normal milk.

I actually drink full fat milk if anything. In the US we have ½ & ½ half milk / half cream its usually used in coffee. Everyone does coffee over here with ½ & ½ Can anyone remember a tea party in Boston? Lightweight milks have more lactose= sugars in them than full milk so when I make tea I have ½ & ½ which has even less lactose in it than regular milks..

 

[Living-by-the-beach]

I just put 2&2 together and I may get some more input. A cousin of mine lives in the same town as Dr Jason Fung. Alas she's a couple of years old than I but she's a T2D too. I've suggested that she goes in for an appointment (she's told me that her feet are bad) & you never know we may get a channel directly opened to Dr Fung.

As its a holiday 3 day weekend with Monday off, I am long and slow smoking a piece of beef in the smoker in the back yard. Going over my notes of the last week and what @Steve50 has said earlier & I am starving myself till 5 pm today. I'll do a pre-prandial before eating this smoked beef & know that I'll enjoy it all the more if my BG is lower than 5.16 my best number so far (or close thereto). I know now from my feelings my feet feel better now than this morning when I did my FBG I will keep doing this till my FBGs come in south of 100.. Here's to the better health of all of us!

 

[Roytaylorjasonfunglover]

I just put 2&2 together and I may get some more input. A cousin of mine lives in the same town as Dr Jason Fung. Alas she's a couple of years old than I but she's a T2D too. I've suggested that she goes in for an appointment (she's told me that her feet are bad) & you never know we may get a channel directly opened to Dr Fung.

As its a holiday 3 day weekend with Monday off, I am long and slow smoking a piece of beef in the smoker in the back yard. Going over my notes of the last week and what @Steve50 has said earlier & I am starving myself till 5 pm today. I'll do a pre-prandial before eating this smoked beef & know that I'll enjoy it all the more if my BG is lower than 5.16 my best number so far (or close thereto). I know now from my feelings my feet feel better now than this morning when I did my FBG I will keep doing this till my FBGs come in south of 100.. Here's to the better health of all of us!

That is so interesting! Nice that your relative is able to enjoy Jason Fungs services. Ideally who should have been able to clone him and send him everywhere, but luckily he recorded all those youtube videos. Enjoy your beef and keep us updated it is all very inspiring!

 

[Indy51]

Hi Indy

Is soy not good for us, I got alpro soy milk yesterday and just tried it today with coffee. I loved the taste but with what you are saying my meter might not agree with it. Is that right. I know everyone is different but general consensus is soy milk is not good for diabetics?

Sorry, I should have made it clearer - my objections to soy have nothing to do with diabetes or blood glucose control and more to do with other problems caused by soy, especially it's effect on hormones (it contains phyto-oestrogens) and thyroid; not to mention the processing processes used to create it. The scariest thing is that babies are still being fed this stuff in formula.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/soy-scrutiny/#axzz3b0ShYwjY
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/soy-baby-formula/#axzz3b0ShYwjY

If you're only using small amounts in coffee or tea, it's probably not a huge issue - your choice, but the thought of existing on soy based meal replacement shakes 3 times a day for weeks on end is more problematic I would have thought.

 

[Steve50]

Day 50 - Fasting blood 5.3. No more weight loss. Still - all good.

Interesting reading this thread. It tells me something about approaches to healthcare in different places and different attitudes towards T2 and health in general.

Here in the UK - as far as I know, the ND is not 'recommended' by the NHS.

However, if you happen to be lucky enough to live in an area where your surgery support you (both through the GP's and the practice/diabetic nurses) then you may get support if you choose to try the ND. You generally have to take the idea to them. The support you get is monitoring, testing and adjusting your meds - as well as encouragement. In the UK diabetics can be exempt charges for medications. Prof T is now undertaking a new study with the long term goal of testing if it can be a recommended treatment.

So - our care is not dominated by pharmaceutical companies - as far as we as patients see it. However, as it is such a large and powerful industry, I have no doubt there is a lot that goes on in the background that we don't see. The NHS, being publicly funded and does look for ways to deliver cost effective healthcare - and this includes finding ways to reduce meds. This leaves the door open for local GP practices to consider approaches such as the ND - and to listen to patients ideas in general.

I also lived in Australia for most of my life - and saw the care provided to my family. While there was some costs involved in health insurance I don't recall my mother paying anything - except for meds. The doctors there were constantly adapting to the latest research, changing meds and diets.

What all three places seem to have in common is an emphasis on research. While some may be looking for ways of managing the condition - what I really like about Prof T and the ND is that it is attempting to reverse T2. This is not influenced by pharmaceutical companies (while the ND project may have been funded by the food supplement company) - but by Diabetes UK. Therefore we can consider T2 as a symptom of the bigger problem.

I think the problem is more about our education towards food and the food industry in general. Many schools and education systems have withdrawn 'cooking' from the curriculum. We have a generation of young people who do not know enough about food or food preparation. A faster moving lifestyle is looking for convenience and faster food preparation and availability. The supermarkets and food manufacturers and fast food outlets are where we should be focusing - not on the pharmaceutical companies. It is what we eat - and how much of it, that is the problem. Prof T, Doc Fung, Doc Eenfeldt et al all talk about carbohydrates - more than medicines.

Then - it's about amounts of food. I went through an interesting dilemma recently. Our dishwasher broke and we needed a new one. We then noticed that our plates did not fit into the new dishwasher. We went looking for smaller plates (rather than adjust the shelving). It was almost impossible to find a 9 inch dinner plate.

http://www.vegkitchen.com/nutrition/how-the-size-of-dinner-plates-affect-portion-control/

Then - it is about what we put on our plates. Do we cook from scratch or buy ready made? I remember visiting a supermarket in America when I was working there a few years ago - and in the fresh veg department I saw sliced mushrooms. I had to ask - what is the problem with slicing mushrooms? - they are after all quite soft. But of course it is more to do with time saving. And we are all looking for ways of saving time. This is why we don't make our own bread or pasta or chips (not that these are the best low carb examples!) - or salads . Our supermarkets everywhere are moving more towards ready made and heat and eat options.

I think we need to start moving towards cooking from scratch in our homes - using fresh ingredients, controlling the salt, sugar and any additives. And amounts!

Then I think we should consider how we socialise around food. Taking time to sit and eat - more like the French;

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/apr/07/france-food-ritual-meal-tradition

And in this tradition - I have moved towards not plating up meals. I put the food onto the table and let people take for themselves. I have found that meals take longer, are more social - and people eat less.

Sorry if this all sounds a bit preachy - but I really believe the problem is staring us in the face - it is about the food we eat.

The ND - being almost entirely without food - has given me plenty of time to think about it. I have been able to recalibrate not only my taste buds - but also my attitude towards food. I have found myself thinking about tastes. For example - I have never liked fish - but on passing a fish display at the market the other day I started thinking about how I would prepare it, serve it and what I would serve it with.....my mind has been opened to the possibilities - (no doubt fanned by the flames of starvation where anything vaguely edible looks attractive!). I also passed a butcher and found myself thinking that a big chunky rare steak would actually feel heavy and uncomfortable inside - the way my stomach is feeling at the moment. Not that I am not going to give it a good try in 6 days time (have I mentioned yet I have 6 days to go )

So for me - the ND has also provided a chance to review my diet - and to think about sustaining my weight through diet in the longer term.

This brings me to the matter of time-frames. And to the question 'How long does it take to 'resocialise?'. When I was in the navy - we had a 12 week basic recruit training course. The content of the course could possibly have been learned in less time - but the psychologists told me it took 12 weeks to adapt to the military lifestyle - essentially to rescoialise. The 'rapid' weight loss element of the ND forces us into an environment with radical changes, over a period of time that allows us to rescialise. If we did this gradually - we may not benefit from the opportunity to 'wipe the slate' and rebuild our patterns of eating.

It has been difficult - and I don't want to underplay the risks. I have found this thread useful to hear about what others have done and to encourage me to keep going. I am not looking to blame any particular field (medicine) or industry (drugs or food). I can only blame myself for getting here (T2) and I am going to get myself out of here....... For me it has been about learning and relearning.

End of thought stream.....

 

[Miss_Dior]

I had a FBG this morning of 6.77 / 122 mg/dl. I now have data that goes back a week or so. My ranges over that time period go from 5.19 to 7 in millimols. @Steve50 Thanks for your input here. I'll up my water consumption. Professor Taylor said that it was all about weight loss not about the quickness of the weight loss. I've taken 1 year +/- to get to 58lbs off my frame. Yet I should be seeing similar numbers to your own. I was diagnosed T2D in March 2014. I'll do longer fastings (Dr Jason Fung style) to consume the fats in the liver & pancreas. Had I gone more hardcore(=ND) when I had 20 more lbs on me I may have gotten to the weight I am now and be symptom free. Alas I am here where I am because of my yesterdays.


Here in the US one can't get support for ND (= too radical a protocol / no medical supervision / support. Its perceived as quackery in all probability!) Big pharma / doctors clinics want you sick.. They want you coming in repeatedly for co-pays / big pharma don't want you well they want you not to die but that you become their income stream. Not like the NHS, Not saying that the NHS is a shining example of how the world should behave but if you were paying 1000 quid a month for family health care as I do you'd probably have a similar view of which way is up. Everyone is after my wallet.

My understanding is that Prof. Taylor did say that the quickness of weight loss was part of the success of the program - it was (my analogy) like unscrewing a jar about to explode. Where did he say that slow weight loss was just as good?

I'm American too and I can second what you are saying about the medical profession here being in the dark ages about Newcastle. I have had to educate my own doctors about this. None of them even heard about Newcastle. Perhaps it's because the "quick weight loss" aspects were the only things that were highlighted here, briefly, and then dropped. I'm careful to refer to it as The Newcastle Study and not The Newcastle Diet because the latter sounds so faddish. Perhaps what I should do is print out the study and take it with me to my doctors.

It's galling. The US medical profession is controlled by the insurance companies and celebrity doctors.

 

[Steve50]

Just to be clear - The ND came from the study.

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal.htm

This link also contains handouts for your Doctor.

This study was time bound - hence the 56 days. The study was attempting to replicate bariatric surgery. The message is clear;

A crucial point is that individuals have different levels of tolerance of fat within liver and pancreas. Only when a person has more fat than they can cope with does type 2 diabetes develop. In other words, once a person crosses their personal fat threshold, type 2 diabetes develops. Once they successfully lose weight and go below their personal fat threshold, diabetes will disappear.

My point about time frames is two fold. 1 - the ND (coming from the study) is a controlled time frame. and 2. Time frames can create an advantage for people (like me) who need a structure to work within.

Hope this clarifies things - and good luck with reversing T2 - tell us how you get on.

 

[Miss_Dior]

Day 50 - Fasting blood 5.3. No more weight loss. Still - all good.

Interesting reading this thread. It tells me something about approaches to healthcare in different places and different attitudes towards T2 and health in general.

Here in the UK - as far as I know, the ND is not 'recommended' by the NHS.

However, if you happen to be lucky enough to live in an area where your surgery support you (both through the GP's and the practice/diabetic nurses) then you may get support if you choose to try the ND. You generally have to take the idea to them. The support you get is monitoring, testing and adjusting your meds - as well as encouragement. In the UK diabetics can be exempt charges for medications. Prof T is now undertaking a new study with the long term goal of testing if it can be a recommended treatment.

So - our care is not dominated by pharmaceutical companies - as far as we as patients see it. However, as it is such a large and powerful industry, I have no doubt there is a lot that goes on in the background that we don't see. The NHS, being publicly funded and does look for ways to deliver cost effective healthcare - and this includes finding ways to reduce meds. This leaves the door open for local GP practices to consider approaches such as the ND - and to listen to patients ideas in general.

I also lived in Australia for most of my life - and saw the care provided to my family. While there was some costs involved in health insurance I don't recall my mother paying anything - except for meds. The doctors there were constantly adapting to the latest research, changing meds and diets.

What all three places seem to have in common is an emphasis on research. While some may be looking for ways of managing the condition - what I really like about Prof T and the ND is that it is attempting to reverse T2. This is not influenced by pharmaceutical companies (while the ND project may have been funded by the food supplement company) - but by Diabetes UK. Therefore we can consider T2 as a symptom of the bigger problem.

I think the problem is more about our education towards food and the food industry in general. Many schools and education systems have withdrawn 'cooking' from the curriculum. We have a generation of young people who do not know enough about food or food preparation. A faster moving lifestyle is looking for convenience and faster food preparation and availability. The supermarkets and food manufacturers and fast food outlets are where we should be focusing - not on the pharmaceutical companies. It is what we eat - and how much of it, that is the problem. Prof T, Doc Fung, Doc Eenfeldt et al all talk about carbohydrates - more than medicines.

Then - it's about amounts of food. I went through an interesting dilemma recently. Our dishwasher broke and we needed a new one. We then noticed that our plates did not fit into the new dishwasher. We went looking for smaller plates (rather than adjust the shelving). It was almost impossible to find a 9 inch dinner plate.

http://www.vegkitchen.com/nutrition/how-the-size-of-dinner-plates-affect-portion-control/

Then - it is about what we put on our plates. Do we cook from scratch or buy ready made? I remember visiting a supermarket in America when I was working there a few years ago - and in the fresh veg department I saw sliced mushrooms. I had to ask - what is the problem with slicing mushrooms? - they are after all quite soft. But of course it is more to do with time saving. And we are all looking for ways of saving time. This is why we don't make our own bread or pasta or chips (not that these are the best low carb examples!) - or salads . Our supermarkets everywhere are moving more towards ready made and heat and eat options.

I think we need to start moving towards cooking from scratch in our homes - using fresh ingredients, controlling the salt, sugar and any additives. And amounts!

Then I think we should consider how we socialise around food. Taking time to sit and eat - more like the French;

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/apr/07/france-food-ritual-meal-tradition

And in this tradition - I have moved towards not plating up meals. I put the food onto the table and let people take for themselves. I have found that meals take longer, are more social - and people eat less.

Sorry if this all sounds a bit preachy - but I really believe the problem is staring us in the face - it is about the food we eat.

The ND - being almost entirely without food - has given me plenty of time to think about it. I have been able to recalibrate not only my taste buds - but also my attitude towards food. I have found myself thinking about tastes. For example - I have never liked fish - but on passing a fish display at the market the other day I started thinking about how I would prepare it, serve it and what I would serve it with.....my mind has been opened to the possibilities - (no doubt fanned by the flames of starvation where anything vaguely edible looks attractive!). I also passed a butcher and found myself thinking that a big chunky rare steak would actually feel heavy and uncomfortable inside - the way my stomach is feeling at the moment. Not that I am not going to give it a good try in 6 days time (have I mentioned yet I have 6 days to go )

So for me - the ND has also provided a chance to review my diet - and to think about sustaining my weight through diet in the longer term.

This brings me to the matter of time-frames. And to the question 'How long does it take to 'resocialise?'. When I was in the navy - we had a 12 week basic recruit training course. The content of the course could possibly have been learned in less time - but the psychologists told me it took 12 weeks to adapt to the military lifestyle - essentially to rescoialise. The 'rapid' weight loss element of the ND forces us into an environment with radical changes, over a period of time that allows us to rescialise. If we did this gradually - we may not benefit from the opportunity to 'wipe the slate' and rebuild our patterns of eating.

It has been difficult - and I don't want to underplay the risks. I have found this thread useful to hear about what others have done and to encourage me to keep going. I am not looking to blame any particular field (medicine) or industry (drugs or food). I can only blame myself for getting here (T2) and I am going to get myself out of here....... For me it has been about learning and relearning.

End of thought stream.....

At least in the UK they've heard of Newcastle. That puts you one leg up on us in the US. None of the doctors I've spoken with here has even heard of it. I should say that the docs I've spoken to about it so far have been GPs. I'm to see an endo in September and I'll bring this up to her.

IMO, the weight/metabolism disaster has to do with 24/7 food surplus (especially cheap junk carbs and sugary ***t) and near complete sedentariness.

I don't know that the French are doing so well with diabetes. If this website is to be believed 9.4% of the French have diabetes. That's about the same %age as the US (40M); while UK the %age is 7.3. Click around the site, it's interesting. I think the French we tend to focus on are thin Parisian fashionistas.

 

[Steve50]

HI MD

Certainly T2 is an international problem. My point about the French was more to do with their eating habits and relative BMI - they spend longer at the meal table - and yet have the lowest average BMI of all West Europeans.

I take your point about the American diet - with my limited experience (I lived in Chicago for 6 months) the real issue was about the size and sugar content of the soft drinks. While you use a lot more ice than do the British - you also seem to have a lot more soda!

There are some very good American food hero's who seem to be making a great argument for diet control - I found a lot of them through this web site;

http://www.dietdoctor.com/

 

[Living-by-the-beach]

My understanding is that Prof. Taylor did say that the quickness of weight loss was part of the success of the program - it was (my analogy) like unscrewing a jar about to explode. Where did he say that slow weight loss was just as good?

I'm American too and I can second what you are saying about the medical profession here being in the dark ages about Newcastle. I have had to educate my own doctors about this. None of them even heard about Newcastle. Perhaps it's because the "quick weight loss" aspects were the only things that were highlighted here, briefly, and then dropped. I'm careful to refer to it as The Newcastle Study and not The Newcastle Diet because the latter sounds so faddish. Perhaps what I should do is print out the study and take it with me to my doctors.

It's galling. The US medical profession is controlled by the insurance companies and celebrity doctors.

@Miss_Dior

I met the face of the US medical profession when I met the endocrinologist. A thin stick like woman from the Ukraine, who suggested that I need statins (when I was marginally over the limit) told me to become a vegetarian and enjoyed her life choice of being an endo. A couple of drug breakthroughs brings the end to her business model. After meeting her I have moved to getting myself in shape. I am now officially 60 lbs lighter. My FBG came in at 6.0 so that is encouraging. I'm staying with the program

 

[Miss_Dior]

HI MD

Certainly T2 is an international problem. My point about the French was more to do with their eating habits and relative BMI - they spend longer at the meal table - and yet have the lowest average BMI of all West Europeans.

I take your point about the American diet - with my limited experience (I lived in Chicago for 6 months) the real issue was about the size and sugar content of the soft drinks. While you use a lot more ice than do the British - you also seem to have a lot more soda!

There are some very good American food hero's who seem to be making a great argument for diet control - I found a lot of them through this web site;

http://www.dietdoctor.com/

And my point about the French is that their supposedly better eating habits do not translate into better diabetes rates.

I could go on an on about American eating habits. It's not just the supersized sodas. Go into a chain drug store and they have massive candy bars, for $1.79 right near the pharmacy! The irony! Eat the candy today, go to the pharmacists counter tomorrow. And for those who say, it's the portion size I respond: does anybody really put a candy bar away for tomorrow, or do you eat the whole gigantic bar?

From my visits to UK it appears to be the exact same problem. Weight is significantly correlated with class and region. And in neither country do people move much, this is just a modern phenomenon and has nothing to do with country or culture. What I mean by exercise is not 1 hour in the gym. It's good old fashioned manual labor. And that ain't coming back. No one does manual labor if they can find something else, I speak from experience. (Unless you are a ballet dancer, or an athlete.) That means we have to find a diet that suits us in some way, and move as much as possible.

In my own case, low carb was a disaster and low carb high fat an even worse disaster. I'm doing OK with starches. Chana dal produces a very small increase in my blood sugars, but sugar is off the table, for now and I hope, ever. I even have to ration grapes. I now look at candy bars with horror. I look at one of them and I think of my glucose meter and I shudder.

 

[Miss_Dior]

@Miss_Dior

I met the face of the US medical profession when I met the endocrinologist. A thin stick like woman from the Ukraine, who suggested that I need statins (when I was marginally over the limit) told me to become a vegetarian and enjoyed her life choice of being an endo. A couple of drug breakthroughs brings the end to her business model. After meeting her I have moved to getting myself in shape. I am now officially 60 lbs lighter. My FBG came in at 6.0 so that is encouraging. I'm staying with the program

Glad to hear you lost 60 pounds. I love hearing success stories. S***w that endo.

 

[Steve50]

Good debate.

I think we agree diabetes knows no boundries. There is something to be said about culture though. Not so sure about the 'class' issue. (I did mention I have spent most of my life in Australia)

I do visit my daughter in New York and have noticed far fewer overweight people living there. I presume it has something to do with the logical street design and relatively flat landscape. Not to mention the complete nightmare of trying to drive around. Much quicker to walk depending on time of day or catch the Metro. All very good exercise walking and climbing stairs. Not to mention the whacking big park slap in the middle.

In England we too have our share of oversize portions and ridiculous sales of chocolate and sweets. I mentioned earlier in this blog about an experience I had at a newsagent outlet where I was offered cheap chocolate at the till. This was an outlet at a hospital.

However in England ( where I live) there is no particular reason to own a car. It is such a small place and very accessible by public transport. I know Brits like to have a bit of a moan about it but everything is relative. Try living somewhere where there are only one or two busses a day! So I don't own a car. This keeps me moving more getting too and from places.

Lifestyle changes can be made but they are often good reasons not to make them. It really comes down to priorities. If we eat at the table or in front of the TV. If we eat alone or in company. If we walk to the bus or train or drive. If we use large plates or small one. All choices we are capable of making.

 

[Steve50]

At least in the UK they've heard of Newcastle. That puts you one leg up on us in the US. None of the doctors I've spoken with here has even heard of it. I should say that the docs I've spoken to about it so far have been GPs. I'm to see an endo in September and I'll bring this up to her.

IMO, the weight/metabolism disaster has to do with 24/7 food surplus (especially cheap junk carbs and sugary ***t) and near complete sedentariness.

I don't know that the French are doing so well with diabetes. If this website is to be believed 9.4% of the French have diabetes. That's about the same %age as the US (40M); while UK the %age is 7.3. Click around the site, it's interesting. I think the French we tend to focus on are thin Parisian fashionistas.

Hi MD

In the UK there is broad acknowledgement of the fact that a large rate of diabetes remains undiagnosed. I would not rely on the stats too much. They may suggest the French are slightly better at diagnosing.

 

[Living-by-the-beach]

If I can chime in here, for me it goes back to my friend Phil Jeremy's ABCDEF diet.

A-No ALCOHOL
B-No bread rice pasta or potatoes (starches which metabolize to sugar)
C-No cereal
D- Careful on the dairy no lightweight milks
E- Plenty of exercise
F- Careful on the fruits (Pineapple bananas etc) Apples are okay!

I sense what has caused a great deal of the obesity in the world is HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup. This affect leptin levels and numbs the system that homo sapiens had to stop eating when full. In days of yore when I was non diabetic I'd enjoy a toasted muffin for breakfast with Roses Lemon & Lime marmalade. What I didn't realize is that 2½ hours later after the sugar spike of breakfast had subsided, I'd be hungry again (between meals) and I'd be snaking. Allow that to go on for 20 years, and you've put on 50 lbs. Even though I've now lost 60 lbs I still have jeans I struggle to get into.

The HFCS was introduced by its creators in mid 1970's if i am not mistaken so fast forward 10 years and the obesity epidemic started. It didn't need much but a marginal change + time took care of the rest. In 2006 my wife & I had our official annual corporate meeting at a water park in California. The obesity there at the time was horrendous, I was relatively skinny back then at about 16st 6 lbs or 230lbs. I almost looked svelte-like if you will, yet fast forward 8 years and 22lbs & bam! Diabetes! What a nightmare. Still we are where we are because of our yesterdays! Funny I just got back from church and someone noticed and said "I look the picture of health!" LOL.

I think though its really HFCS that crept into people diets via sodas ketchup you name it. Over time HFCS changed the balance of people's waist lines. There is a young girl I know probably not even 20 years of age who's BMI is approaching 30-35 and she won't listen to gentle counseling of some exercise and weight loss! Alas most don't want to hear it..Nor did I until diabetes showed up! I hope I've not diverted the theme of this thread with my ranting..

 

[Living-by-the-beach]

Glad to hear you lost 60 pounds. I love hearing success stories. S***w that endo.

@Miss_Dior

The endo didn't get a second look at me. Not been to one since. Get on the plan, lose the weight, lose the endo's, lose the medication.. End of story.