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Diabetes Type 2 is a lifestyle choice

Treat diabetes is lifetime job, you do that so well, but I think some things as follows are also very important

Food, we can avoid more carbohydrate content food, as carbohydrate content change into polysaccharose, and then polysaccharose can enter blood for change to blood sugar

Food with sugar, if that food is few carbohydrate content, we don’t worry about that, as sugar cannot change blood sugar totally and we also need some nutrition from sugar

Inject right insulin

Take right medicinal to prevent complicating disease of diabetes
 
Im 43 and 5 foot 8 and weigh 10 an half stone no diabetes in my family never eat sweets no drink fizzy pops but diagnosed type 2 last september with a Hba1c of 52mmol now down to 48 and I agree with everything you have said.

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Absolute claptrap that T2 is a lifestyle choice. No one in my family has ever had diabetes, my younger brothers have lead unhealthy lifestyles & have been grossly over weight and have had a variety of health problems. I was an athlete as a young man, I've lead a busy very active life with plenty of exercise at work and outside work.
I'd not taken added sugar in drinks or on food for over 40 years before being diagnosed. My diet had also been very healthy from childhood and my wife had been
T1 for many years & I always kept to her diet.
Don't ever believe that T 2 is a lifestyle choice.

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I have never had a sweet tooth.
Cakes biscuits sweets fizzy drinks all alien to me.
Never been over weight till I started taking medication that warned might cause weight gain at the same time as stopping smoking.
I hardly ever touch alcohol.
I hardly ever eat junk food or frozen meals.
I'm now overweight and T2.
 
bigbenn said:
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.

If you take medication prescribed by your Doctor, continue to do so.

2 years ago I weighed 118kg, a random blood test showed 10, where the line which determines Diabetes free, from Diabetes Type 2, is 7.0, I was progressing towards Type 1 Diabetes which would have eventually meant sticking myself with a needle and injecting insulin presumably and other procedures I prefer not to think about.

I decided at a specific point in time to stop the progression of Diabetes, to reverse the process and if I could, get rid of Diabetes altogether – I have been Diabetes Type 2 free, for over 2 years so far.

Either way, my diet below, is simple and effective when you fast walk, for 20 plus minutes, daily, as well, which is a must and you lose weight automatically, you simply can’t help yourself from doing so.

In the medical updates which I have read with interest, it seems that my diet is also a way of protecting my body also, against heart and brain related diseases, especially as I get older than my 65 years.

The lighter you, the better control over your Diabetes and the longer your life.

I settled on the enclosed diet of 2,500 Calories each day.
Breakfast:
2 x eggs raw.
2 serves of 2 biscuits of Weetbix = 4
1 Tablespoon of low fat dried milk powder, mixed with water.
3 pieces of fruit (Advocado, Apple & a Banana) I liquidise the fruit into a smoothie which I drink with my tablets – prior to my morning fast walk.

Snack 10am (after the daily morning walk).
Handful of nuts
1 piece of fruit,
Sticks of Celery.
Mug of water

Lunch 12.30 pm
1 x 130g to 200g can of raw fish in brine: Salmon, Herring, Sardines, Mackerel, Tuna, etc
1 x piece of fruit, as above.
Mug of water

Afternoon snack
2 mugs of juiced carrots with Apple or celery sticks.
Piece of fruit, as above
Mug of water

Dinner:
Usual meal, minimise portions to reduce amount of food the body needs, however without salt, fat or sugar related products

As an alternative to water, I drink Coffee with “Coffeemate”, which gives it a creamy taste – but is not milk and I do not use sugar at all.

If you enjoy a drink, try to drink sugar free drinks

I used to get fatigue around 2pm through to about 4pm and could never work out why I always felt tired then. The solution was quite straight forward. Eating the 1 x 130g to 200g can of fish in brine, at lunchtime, recharged my energy banks for most of the afternoon and made me awake and aware of what was happening around me, even when I felt physically tired and that has in itself, changed my life and my enjoyment of life enormously.

Of course and it goes without saying, I must eat and drink no sugar related products which includes no alcohol of any type and although I have never smoked, giving up smoking, is a must too.

If you think that giving up alcohol, sugar drinks and smoking is too much – then remember you are doing so for your life and continuing to live for as long as you possibly can vs an unpleasant, slow and perhaps, un-necessary death.

So what’s the upside? For the last 2 years I have been Diabetes Type 2 free with a normal blood sugar reading of 6.1 from my 3 monthly blood tests. My body organs have regenerated to full health, including my eyes which were failing.

I am in my mid 60’s and I intend to never have Diabetes Type 2 again.

I hope my diet and exercise plan, which is simplicity itself and the cure, automatic, will help those of you willing to give it a try and I would be happy to support and encourage everyone willing to give themselves a second chance with my diet, through this forum.

BigBenn
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I'm fairly new to diabetes and finding it confusing enough as it is without incorrect stuff like this post to have to deal with.
 
Yes there are many reasons and causes to getting t2 ....think the media should be more educated or is that the NHS :/
 
HpprKM said:
I go for coffee and or when eating out I cannot help noticing just what some people eat
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I have always put weight on easily. When I was a young man I used to watch how some of my mates could down several pints and then have a big curry with all the trimmings. Skinny as rakes they were. It always was a mystery to me.

I now read a lot on genetics and see how complex the matrix of genetic triggers are just for something as simple as hazel or grey/green eyes. When it comes to diets, I bet there are hundreds of triggers involved, all interacting like a complex bank of logic switches with many possible outcomes. I feel sorry those who accumulate fat in and around the organs but not on the outside. They don't even know they are getting it and diabetes must come as a massive shock. At least, when it's on the outside and for the 5th time the trousers don't fit anymore, you get a clue.
 
Yorksman said:
HpprKM said:
I go for coffee and or when eating out I cannot help noticing just what some people eat
Click to expand...

I have always put weight on easily. When I was a young man I used to watch how some of my mates could down several pints and then have a big curry with all the trimmings. Skinny as rakes they were. It always was a mystery to me.

I now read a lot on genetics and see how complex the matrix of genetic triggers are just for something as simple as hazel or grey/green eyes. When it comes to diets, I bet there are hundreds of triggers involved, all interacting like a complex bank of logic switches with many possible outcomes. I feel sorry those who accumulate fat in and around the organs but not on the outside. They don't even know they are getting it and diabetes must come as a massive shock. At least, when it's on the outside and for the 5th time the trousers don't fit anymore, you get a clue.
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Yes, and not forgetting the errors (mutations) that occur randomly and sometimes corrected and sometimes not to add to the complexities.

I think you've raised a very good point about weight, I hope. Some people talk about hitting a weight loss plateau. I have had these, but, as you say, fat from hidden places is also used up and doesn't necessarily show up on the scales. I can also feel a change in body shape, again without any apparent weight loss. I am now at the stage where my **** aches when sitting on a hard seat, because I have lost some padding, but the scales aren't telling me so as yet. But I know they will. Weighing every two weeks or so is sufficient for me as my weight loss is not a straight line and is up and down like a *****'s drawers, although it is tempting to jump on the scales every day. My other half likes the 'clothes test' as an indicator of weight loss, e.g. when you can miraculously do up your jeans without a safety pin!The other good one is being able to run up and down the stairs without the 'man boobs' jiggling around.
 
gezzathorpe said:
My other half likes the 'clothes test' as an indicator of weight loss, e.g. when you can miraculously do up your jeans without a safety pin!
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I didn't keep my old trousers but did keep a lot of shirts, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL and 5XL. I'm working my way down now. The 3XLs are still in fashion thank goodness.

Think I'll give the paisley shirts and kipper ties a miss when I get to those though. Maybe for a fancy dress party with a 70s theme.
 
As I was loosing weight the need for smaller sizes of clothes became apparent. I am too tight to just buy clothes as and when needed, so I carried on wearing the same old things. When the time came for me to buy some new clothes I was amazed to discover that I had gone from xl right down to m, I have bypassed all the sizes inbetween. I still wear some of my old xl clothes(tight, don't forget) and most working cardigans (I am a builder) are miles too big. A suit, cheap thank goodness, bought in 2011 now looks fashionably baggy. Do you you remember the pop stars of the 80s? Something like that but without the mullet. Hmm, a mullet, I think I could pull that off. My baggy suit and a mullet. Pop stardom awaits.
 
lrw60 said:
As I was loosing weight the need for smaller sizes of clothes became apparent. I am too tight to just buy clothes as and when needed, so I carried on wearing the same old things. When the time came for me to buy some new clothes I was amazed to discover that I had gone from xl right down to m, I have bypassed all the sizes inbetween. I still wear some of my old xl clothes(tight, don't forget) and most working cardigans (I am a builder) are miles too big. A suit, cheap thank goodness, bought in 2011 now looks fashionably baggy. Do you you remember the pop stars of the 80s? Something like that but without the mullet. Hmm, a mullet, I think I could pull that off. My baggy suit and a mullet. Pop stardom awaits.
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Did you notice the clothes phenomenon even when your scales weren't reflecting it?
 
My scales showed a steady weight loss of 2 to 3 lb per week. I did notice the baggy clothes and so did some of my friends who even asked if I was OK! Most of my tidy going out clothes are now one that fit. Most of my sloobing around working on the garden and cars are the old ill fitting clothes. The only thing bout somewhere in the middle of big me and new me is the suit. I could buy another jacket to go with the trousers, which fit, but how often do I wear a suit? About twice a year. My working coat now has so many holes in it I don't know where the pockets start anymore. I did and still do keep an accurate record of my weight from when I started dieting. Each time I went to my db nurse I would wear clothes that showed off my weight loss! And I didn't wear my steel reinforced boots, such a nuisance to take off just to get weighed. I wish I had kept a record of the medication I was on and the way it was reduced and gradually stopped over two years. I haven't read all the posts in this section, just the gist of it. So I don't know how serious he is about his claim. But for me, it wasn't a 'choice' it was a mistake. By losing weight and cutting down on carbs/sugar I lost my diabetes.
Lee.
 
lrw60 said:
My scales showed a steady weight loss of 2 to 3 lb per week. I did notice the baggy clothes and so did some of my friends who even asked if I was OK! Most of my tidy going out clothes are now one that fit. Most of my sloobing around working on the garden and cars are the old ill fitting clothes. The only thing bout somewhere in the middle of big me and new me is the suit. I could buy another jacket to go with the trousers, which fit, but how often do I wear a suit? About twice a year. My working coat now has so many holes in it I don't know where the pockets start anymore. I did and still do keep an accurate record of my weight from when I started dieting. Each time I went to my db nurse I would wear clothes that showed off my weight loss! And I didn't wear my steel reinforced boots, such a nuisance to take off just to get weighed. I wish I had kept a record of the medication I was on and the way it was reduced and gradually stopped over two years. I haven't read all the posts in this section, just the gist of it. So I don't know how serious he is about his claim. But for me, it wasn't a 'choice' it was a mistake. By losing weight and cutting down on carbs/sugar I lost my diabetes.
Lee.
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Yours is a very similar experience to mine. As I may have said I am not low-carbing, but I am eating a little less which is enough to lose weight ... very slowly but that's what I want. About 6 years ago I was 18st and got down to 13.5st (32 inch jeans ... at a push) after about 7-8 months. That seemed to be my ideal weight and I didn't lose any more. I held that weight easily for at least 2 years. Even neighbours further down the road, whom I had never spoken to, stopped me to say how healthy I was looking (they would have seen me passing by regularly on the way to the pub!). But it does make one feel good and helps to keep it going.

But I did stop drinking alcohol for the whole period of 2-3 years. Then, I became confident and started on the 'pop' again and slowly but surely I crept up to 16st again. I am now back down to just above 14st after 3 months and off the booze.

I suspect that sensible drinking wouldn't have made much difference, but give me a glass of wine I would drink the bottle, then the next etc. so it's better for me to have none at all.

Re the weight record ... if I drew mine on a chart it would not be a straight line or 'steady' unless I plotted fortnightly or monthly. There were too many blips in between to make any real sense of them. Sometimes I would appear to lose a couple of lb during the week then put on 4-5lb after the weekend. But I guess it was things like water retention, slow pace at the weekend etc. So I try to weigh myself every couple of weeks and ignore the ups and downs in between. That also stops the disappointment or false hope caused by weighing daily.

You have done fantastically well...but I'm chasing you! :D
 
Hi gezzathorpe,

I have just checked my carbs for the day, about 140g. On that level I hope to stay db free (I sound like an Aston Martin!) and still maintain my weight or maybe lose a bit more. An accurate graph of my weight loss would have shown blips up and down, but caused more by work/no work than good food/bad food. I lost 7lb working hard one week which amazed the WW people, but I knew it was mainly water loss and I had put 5lb back on by the next week. But, still a weight loss of a few pounds. Last year I was at a vintage car event in Warwick and I saw a friend 50 odd feet away and called to him. He didn't recognise me as we hadn't seen each other since I started to lose weight! It took him several seconds to figure out who I was. Great fun. It's a shame we have to cut down on things we enjoy. But for me the things I enjoy are probably what made me diabetic. Chocolate digestive biscuits (whole packet, but one at a time!) dipped in hot tea during the winter months, or dipped in cold strawberry milkshake (1 pint mug) during the summer months. I do have 1, 100ml, glass of wine each day, but I daren't start on the biscuits again. I know I can't cure my diabetes, the best I can hope for is to control it by diet. Now, I reckon that to get within the right weight bracket I could stand to lose another stone. I don't want to, and people who know me say I don't need to, but that stone lost sometime in the future could keep the db at bay for a few more years. It's a shame that there aren't charts where you could determine your ideal weight to control the db. Mine was at about 13-13.5 stones. I weighed in at 12.5 stones this morning because I had a good day gardening and also went for a walk on the beach. I still can't believe I have lost 5.5 stones, I did nudge 18 stones at one point. I shouldn't be this size. Keep going gezzathorpe, it's worth the effort, most of the time!
Lee
 
lrw60 said:
Hi gezzathorpe,

I have just checked my carbs for the day, about 140g. On that level I hope to stay db free (I sound like an Aston Martin!) and still maintain my weight or maybe lose a bit more. An accurate graph of my weight loss would have shown blips up and down, but caused more by work/no work than good food/bad food. I lost 7lb working hard one week which amazed the WW people, but I knew it was mainly water loss and I had put 5lb back on by the next week. But, still a weight loss of a few pounds. Last year I was at a vintage car event in Warwick and I saw a friend 50 odd feet away and called to him. He didn't recognise me as we hadn't seen each other since I started to lose weight! It took him several seconds to figure out who I was. Great fun. It's a shame we have to cut down on things we enjoy. But for me the things I enjoy are probably what made me diabetic. Chocolate digestive biscuits (whole packet, but one at a time!) dipped in hot tea during the winter months, or dipped in cold strawberry milkshake (1 pint mug) during the summer months. I do have 1, 100ml, glass of wine each day, but I daren't start on the biscuits again. I know I can't cure my diabetes, the best I can hope for is to control it by diet. Now, I reckon that to get within the right weight bracket I could stand to lose another stone. I don't want to, and people who know me say I don't need to, but that stone lost sometime in the future could keep the db at bay for a few more years. It's a shame that there aren't charts where you could determine your ideal weight to control the db. Mine was at about 13-13.5 stones. I weighed in at 12.5 stones this morning because I had a good day gardening and also went for a walk on the beach. I still can't believe I have lost 5.5 stones, I did nudge 18 stones at one point. I shouldn't be this size. Keep going gezzathorpe, it's worth the effort, most of the time!
Lee
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It sounds to me that you have got a really good balance between weight loss and lifestyle. I deduce that you lost weight gradually as opposed to shocking your body with a dramatic diet change which you would probably want to come off at a later date (extremely difficult ... I know from the Herbalife (Atkins-type diet) I did a few years ago). I know what you mean about that last stone. When I got to my lowest weight that I could manage, my face had caved in,I had a 'Cliff Richards' neck and 'bingo wings'! Good for my diabetes but I felt a bit self-concious. Some people thought I was ill but most, including my partner, thought I looked well (genuinely). Ideally, I would prefer a bit of 'meat' on me, but I guess the diabetes comes before vanity! Also, with less alcohol and weight loss I had much more energy and wanted to do those laborious things around the house so I naturally did more exercise.

Before I was diagnosed, I got from 18st to 13.5st in about 8 months just with minor tweaks to my diet and held it at that with no effort for over 2 years. The killer for me was risking going back on the wine (Open University residential school) ... considerably more than your glass I might add (2 bottle per day!!!). Your intake won't make any adverse difference. It is good to speak with someone who is like minded.

Until recently I was only testing myself randomly and occasionally (last test was 4 months ago), but, since getting active on this site, I have been testing myself to buggery so I have some figures to talk about. The problem with frequent testing is that it can turn one into a hypochondriac, equivalent to weighing yourself every day!! I am seriously wondering if it is necessary for the likes of you and me. I can do no more than reduce my carbs further but, since I am losing weight, I must have reduced my carbs, and I have a whole body which requires energy, but just my pancreas. Our bodies have to prioritise with the energy available and other, less critical, bodily functions will suffer if there is insufficient energy, without us necessarily knowing.
 
The Weight Watchers diet taught me that you can eat any type of food that you want. Nothing is forbidden. What you learn is that there are some things you shouldn't eat a great deal of. So basically on the WW diet I was eating a normal choice of food, just less of the bad things. After a while I realised that I wasn't on a diet anymore, I had a different lifestyle, a different mindset. I had lost 2 stones by then and also realised that I didn't need WW anymore so I left them. With grateful thanks believe me! It has been posted in a different section of what a woman who lost 17 stones said her secret to her success was. 'Eat less, move more' WOW! Such a simple elegant lifestyle to live by. It should be something all of us should follow. Having said that, it's out to the garden for me, then either a walk on the beach or fix my friends 1930 Austin Seven and go for a drive. Maybe with the top down!
Lee
 
lrw60 said:
The Weight Watchers diet taught me that you can eat any type of food that you want. Nothing is forbidden. What you learn is that there are some things you shouldn't eat a great deal of. So basically on the WW diet I was eating a normal choice of food, just less of the bad things. After a while I realised that I wasn't on a diet anymore, I had a different lifestyle, a different mindset. I had lost 2 stones by then and also realised that I didn't need WW anymore so I left them. With grateful thanks believe me! It has been posted in a different section of what a woman who lost 17 stones said her secret to her success was. 'Eat less, move more' WOW! Such a simple elegant lifestyle to live by. It should be something all of us should follow. Having said that, it's out to the garden for me, then either a walk on the beach or fix my friends 1930 Austin Seven and go for a drive. Maybe with the top down!
Lee
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I am doing the same thing but did not specifically following WW. It's just a coincidence for me. Fortunately I have been eating that way for many years and so I probably picked up hints and tips along the way. My other half who is size 6 followed the Rosemary Conley's GI diet then carried on that way and can still wear the belt she wore at 18 years and in the same hole!She is now almost 54 but won't thanks me for telling!
 
Yorkshire man - I am almost dkinny aoart from tummy, all eeight hoes there, people call me sjinny which is frustrating as my tummy isn't and I wish I knew how to correct that as is what causes T2, at least that seems to be clinical diagnosis.

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type 2 with no choice.never been overweight, dont smoke,drink in moderation, eat a healthy diet.first finger prick test 14.2 bingo.my pancreas decided for me.
 
type 2 with no choice.never been overweight, dont smoke,drink in moderation, eat a healthy diet.first finger prick test 14.2 bingo.my pancreas decided for me.
 
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