Diabetes Type 2 is a lifestyle choice

Just because T2 Diabetes has never been cured, doesn't mean in will never be cured. I fully intend to cure mine.

However, I strongly doubt I'll be claiming "cured" with a HbA1c of 6.1%, which is roughly equivalent to an average BG level of 7.8 mmol/l, which sounds very diabetic to me. I'm still very diabetic, and I beat myself up if my BG ever goes above 7.8mmol/l, I couldn't contemplate having that on average.

Anyway, talk is cheap. Are you a betting man Ben? How about we both submit to a DIY GTT and see just how non-diabetic we are?
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Grazer said:

Clippety clop, clippetty clop, over the rackety bridge

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PMSL .. :thumbup: :clap:

BigBenn; Your posts are like someone hitting the replay button on a CD, simply repetitive.

This forum is built on opinions, some we like and agree with, others we don't, it is what it is.

Like Borofergie has said, with an HbA1c of 6.1 your average readings are in the 7's. In this country, people are diagnosed as diabetic with a 7.0 or above, I should know I was one of them, my first HbA1c was 7 on the nose. I am diabetic. I know exactly what is safe for me to eat, I know what exercise I need and I work within those parameters. My BG never goes above 6. That doesn't mean I am not diabetic, I learned a valuable lesson in August when I was on holiday. There was a special occasion and all kinds of home made as well as shop bought goodies were available. I adore banana's but I have not touched a single one since diagnosis, but there was a banana loaf at this party. I helped myself to two rather generous slices. My BG shot up to 9 and it stayed there. I walked, I drank water, but it came down in it's own sweet (pun not intended) time. Lesson learned.

I will try anything safe to keep tight control of my BG. I have done 8 week liquid diets and usually I fast two days a week, not this week as I am a bit under the weather, but this will be the first week I have missed in 6 weeks, having done five weeks of two day fasting. It is because I will try things, because I eat to my meter, and I work hard to maintain a low BG I am where I am.

Like I have said to you before, there is no way I would touch your diet, nor would I want your HbA1c. However, if you came onto the forum with maybe a little more humility and not just to boast and brag, and state your way is the best, which in my opinion clearly it isn't, you would not be jumped on. This forum is a place of equals, and your "I'm God who are you" approach will get peoples backs up, and rightly so. Something to think about perhaps?

Very interested in this quote from your post @1.14am
<quote> including having to pass a Diabetes test each year to retain my drivers license <quote>
I have been a type 2 for 6 years now and the only thing I have ever had to do about my driving licence and my diabetes is to inform the DVLA that I am a type 2 and managing it on medication and diet. If I ever go onto insulin then I am duty bound to inform them and then I would be subject to much more restrictions but for now I will simply have to apply for a new licence when my present one expires (age related only)
Like other my random a/m blood check is averaging at 5.9 BUT if I eat one thing that is not diabetes kind I end up the next day at 6.5 or so. I know I will never ever be 100% cured of diabetes but I do know that I am and will continue to do everything I can to maintain a healthy lifestyle so as to manage my diabetes in the best way possible for me and my life.

You will notice that I have made the IF in my statement a very big IF as that is what it is as I intend to do all that is within my power to avoid it.

Your breakfast alone would have me of a blood glucose level of around 25mmol. Weetabix and Bananas are high GI.
I'm most likely type 1 though.
You seem to have your diabetes under good control.
My readings have been between 3.5 and 6.8 this week, i'm still diabetic, i'm just controlled for now 8)

As far as your diet and exercise regimes goes then do whatever works for you. If you are happy with an hBA1c of 6% then great and as you say that is back under the diabetes diagnosis value. Unless you were diagnosed very early on i.e in the prediabetic or maybe just diabetic stages then it is incredibly unlikely you have cured your diabetes, you have it under control just like loads of us do and to be frank a lot of us have better hBA1c's than you are achieving so rather than preaching a bit of listening might not go amiss.

What really made me angry about your post BigBenn was

Diabetes Type 2 is a lifestyle choice, indicated by a pot belly (although I had mine since birth) and an obese body, as are the many complications which might occur as the disease progresses.

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That is the equivalent of poking a wasps nest with a stick as despite what you may believe the science does not show that T2 is a lifestyle choice. Certainly being overweight may well trigger T2 in someone but a) a lot of people get T2 without ever being obese (me included) and more importantly b) the science increasing shows that it's the initial stages of developing the disease that makes people gain weight rather than those people gaining weight because they have chosen any kind of bad or immoral lifestyle. i.e that they are fat and lazy.

On exercise then yes as a means of keeping yourself healthy some exercise is obviously good for you and everyone should try and do some. Hard physical sustained exercise may not be that good especially if you are attempting to loose weight as afterwards you will end up hungry and by eating to satiate the hunger cancel out the effect of the exercise. In reality something like just walking may well be good exercise as gentle forms of exercise can be driven from body fat and encourage weight loss as opposed to very physical exercise that needs to be glucose driven.

Non of us CHOOSE to have diabetes T1, T2, T3, T1.5, MODY we all have diabetes and would all love to be cured. We don't slate each other with narrowminded opinions and each manage our condition as best we can. Some better than others. some find it easier than others and some struggle to take ownership.

Lucy.

bigbenn said:

Diabetes Type 2 is a lifestyle choice

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The above quote kinda contradicts the quote below, don't you think...? :roll:

bigbenn said:

However, Diabetes was not my choice either

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I don't think ANYONE would make the life choice to have diabetes of any kind.
Please don't make sweeping generalizations like that, it just causes unnecessary upset and offense to some people.
I know I haven't chosen to have diabetes, just like I didn't choose to have the accident that's left me in a wheelchair for the foreseeable future and just like I didn't choose to suffer with M.E or a chronic skin condition that leaves me in blisters.
:?

bigbenn said:

I would wish, with all of my heart, that I could cure the Diabetes that each of you has

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But according to your posts you have cured yours, right?
So of course we wouldn't need your wishes, we'd just need to follow everything that you've done and we'll all be magically cured...!
:crazy:
I think I'll stick to what I'm doing, thanks.
What works for you (as others have said previously) may or will not work for someone else. It's great that you've found something that fits your lifestyle and something that has helped you; but like many others a sniff of Weetabix or banana and my levels would go through the roof.
As would my IBS and acid reflux as I'm wheat and lactose intolerant.

bigbenn said:

My diet, because it is sugar, fat and salt free, as much as possible that is, will not harm you in any way and might improve your health overall

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How in the Void do you know that?
Unless you have some kind of medical background or training OR you know each and every one of us personally and know exactly what kind of foods and/or diet can be tolerated or would be appropriate then you can't just say "my diet won't harm you at all".
To someone who is newly diagnosed and doesn't know how to help themselves lower their blood sugar and gain control of their diabetes your post could be really confusing; not to mention potentially dangerous.

Sigh, thanks for telling me it's my lifestyle choice. cry cry

He he

BTW I do have a choice I can live life to the full and bloody well enjoy it or exist on that diet, though I do suspect not for very long.

All of you- stop feeding the (blatent) troll !

bigbenn said:

Hi,

You have Diabetes and fortunately for me, I don't any longer.

BigBenn

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Ben, I read a book not to long ago, the title of which was something like "Their is a cure for diabetes" I read the book and all of the information in it supported the idea that you certainly have the ability to control many aspects of your diabetes, as many people on this site do day in and day out, but in my mind, the fallacy in writing books like this is the yardstick by which they measure the word 'cure'. In the book she presented 11 case studies where people got and kept their BG numbers low and reversed many other metabolic symptoms that were occurring in their life... I.E. IBS, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol.... and proclaimed from this that they were 'cured' but the one thing I find missing from all of the case studies is a simple Glucose Tolerance Test. The ability to recover from that test in a way that would be considered 'normal' is for me the only conclusive test that shows that the insulin production is proper and the resistance to insulin has been put right. Tell me the results for your most recent Glucose Tolerance Test. If you can't pass that... then in my non medical opinion, you haven't cured anything, only found your way to manage it.

Kenny

Hi Bigden.

Well done for getting your T2 under control. We are never actually free of this condition I believe. Just managing it. Your diet works for you & that's great. We are all different. For me. I wouldn't touch the coffee mate or any other highly processed similar product. What's the problem with milk? It's not that high in carbs & the nutritional value is phenomenal for all sorts of reasons. My diet follows a 'proper food' regime & excercise. I avoid any highly processed foods or condiments & believe in eating the full fat stuff such as butter/milk in moderation as opposed to eating do called healthy living & low fat stuff which has largely had the nutrients removed & numerous chemicals added. I believe good quality protein from fish, chicken, free range eggs etc are critical to our diet as are good quality carbs from veg (excluding white potatoes) & wholemeal products. I followed my principles for 3 years, 7 stone literally fell off me & my body responded well to excercise. I now run marathons for fun in below 4 hours & enjoy a balanced life. I'm never complacent about my condition & treat this with the greatest of respect. All the best & good luck for the future.

BigBenn

You still have diabetes, you have just managed to get the symptoms under control through diet and exercise - well done you, but you are factually incorrect in saying you no longer have the disease...if you stopped the diet your high bloody sugars would return.

You do not progress from type 2 to type 1 - as many have said. Type 2 is essentially a disease of insulin resistance, many type 2s take insulin either to boost the levels which their own body is producing to overcome the resistance in cells, OR because they have had type 2 for a long time and their pancreas has become exhausted and ceased insulin production. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by their own body attacking these cells - thei usually happens over a relatively short space of time. Insulin is the ONLY way that type 1s stay alive.

Your diet, if you'll forgive me for saying, looks rather prescriptive, there's no harm in alcohol in moderation - and coffee mate...no benefit over milk - I would actually suggest full fat milk or cream is better than skimmed milk as it has lower carb levels, which are what cause the blood sugar levels to rise in a diabetic, anyway, your breakfast of 4 weetabix is enough to sink a ship.....

I'm so happy that you've informed people that they should continue taking prescribed medication, very kind of you that was..

Oh by the way, I'm not writing this "just" as a type 1 diabetic - but also as a diabetic nurse....

SO, please stop trying to convince people that you can "cure" diabetes, you CAN'T!!!

I cured my diabetes once. It was about 10 years ago, and it was the first timeI'd tried teh atkins diet. My fasting bg was between 3.8 and 4.4 for 2 or 3 months after I'd lost a couple of stone.

I'm still looking for another cure.

duranie said:

BigBenn

You still have diabetes, you have just managed to get the symptoms under control through diet and exercise - well done you, but you are factually incorrect in saying you no longer have the disease...if you stopped the diet your high bloody sugars would return.

You do not progress from type 2 to type 1 - as many have said. Type 2 is essentially a disease of insulin resistance, many type 2s take insulin either to boost the levels which their own body is producing to overcome the resistance in cells, OR because they have had type 2 for a long time and their pancreas has become exhausted and ceased insulin production. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by their own body attacking these cells - thei usually happens over a relatively short space of time. Insulin is the ONLY way that type 1s stay alive.

Your diet, if you'll forgive me for saying, looks rather prescriptive, there's no harm in alcohol in moderation - and coffee mate...no benefit over milk - I would actually suggest full fat milk or cream is better than skimmed milk as it has lower carb levels, which are what cause the blood sugar levels to rise in a diabetic, anyway, your breakfast of 4 weetabix is enough to sink a ship.....

I'm so happy that you've informed people that they should continue taking prescribed medication, very kind of you that was..

Oh by the way, I'm not writing this "just" as a type 1 diabetic - but also as a diabetic nurse....

SO, please stop trying to convince people that you can "cure" diabetes, you CAN'T!!!

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Good post :thumbup:

duranie said:

BigBenn

You still have diabetes, you have just managed to get the symptoms under control through diet and exercise - well done you, but you are factually incorrect in saying you no longer have the disease...if you stopped the diet your high bloody sugars would return.

You do not progress from type 2 to type 1 - as many have said. Type 2 is essentially a disease of insulin resistance, many type 2s take insulin either to boost the levels which their own body is producing to overcome the resistance in cells, OR because they have had type 2 for a long time and their pancreas has become exhausted and ceased insulin production. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by their own body attacking these cells - thei usually happens over a relatively short space of time. Insulin is the ONLY way that type 1s stay alive.

Your diet, if you'll forgive me for saying, looks rather prescriptive, there's no harm in alcohol in moderation - and coffee mate...no benefit over milk - I would actually suggest full fat milk or cream is better than skimmed milk as it has lower carb levels, which are what cause the blood sugar levels to rise in a diabetic, anyway, your breakfast of 4 weetabix is enough to sink a ship.....

I'm so happy that you've informed people that they should continue taking prescribed medication, very kind of you that was..

Oh by the way, I'm not writing this "just" as a type 1 diabetic - but also as a diabetic nurse....

SO, please stop trying to convince people that you can "cure" diabetes, you CAN'T!!!

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:thumbup: Like your post a lot!!

If even the diabetics don't know the difference between the types of diabetes and how they develop, what hope do we have of anyone else properly understanding the differences?!

Media has a lot to do with Type2 being a "life Style Choose".. This makes me very cross at times because I know of other's with Type 2 and they are very skinny and do all the right things and have it... Unforunatley for people like myself mine is genetic. I found this out 3 weeks after I was diagnosed.

Good luck on your journey where all in this together.

Yes - the media encouraged nby the NHS and the government! They link obesity with diabetes and cancer. It is not PC to go on oo much about cancer so diabetics get all the flak.

I can remeber a ime when T2 was not linked to weight but to age . That was because i was normally only diagnosed in the elderly .
This was incorrect of course but probably a genuine mistake . The weightt issue is on a diffferent level. Of course there is a LINK but is it cause or effect. They know this. The genetic link has been est ablished for many years and is not disputed .
It is something Drs always ask about.

I think we are treated disgracefully. I wonder what he reaction would be if they started using cancer victims in his way.
It is one thing to warn people about he consequences of poor lifestyle choces - quite another to label - and libel- all sufferers of a paricular disease as having caused it themselves.

If they are concerned about obesity and diabetes and cancer etc why not advise them to seek help if they seem o gain weight more easily than others just as they do for those who lose weigh rapidly. Ought they to be demonised as well?

What you've lost a stone without dieting? You should see the Dr . Things like that can bring on cancer or diabetes you know .
Really, you should look after yourself better. Let it be a warning o you ,,, ec. I don't think so!

I think cathrine cherubs idea of a poster with the two contrasting ypes on it warning that diabetes could srinke anyone was he best I have hears for a public campaign of awareness about the condition.

But that's not what the media campaigns are all about its it?

No, diabetes is a lifesyle disease as the OP claimed. Not.

I haven't read all the posts, so sorry if someone has already said this...

You are not cured...if you go back to your previous lifestyle you will be back where you started...simples!

Sorry but BigBenn's post is riddled with ignorant, possibly delusional, and perhaps dangerous advice. it needs a very big health warning from the moderator and shouldn't have been featured on the forum newsletter as a serious discussion thread. We get enough wacky diet advice from the NHS.