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Does this sound ok?

Donnadoobie

Well-Known Member
Messages
157
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Right. Back from holiday feeling refreshed, kept pretty much low carb, except for alcohol and only gained 3lbs in two weeks. Ran or walked every morning and evening as well as lots of swimming so feeling very fit at the moment. I have read through lots of the posts here and realise I was panicking about the wrong things before so have sorted my self out.

Back to testing this week, I have decided to do fasting bloods every other day and then on each alternate day rotate after breakfast, after lunch and after dinner and alternate bedtime bloods to correspond with the fasting levels the following day.

Monday bedtime 5.3
Tuesday fasting 5.7
Today 2 hours after breakfast 7.0 and 6.2 after three hours. I forgot to take before breakfast but seriously doubt it was under 5.0

Do these levels seem Ok? I know it will take longer to find out what causes the spikes this way but seems like a good balance so that I don't become obsessive again.

Doing loads of exercise and low carbing all the time now. BMI under 25 for the first time in 12 years.
 
Donnadoobie said:
Doing loads of exercise and low carbing all the time now. BMI under 25 for the first time in 12 years.
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Good work OP. I am also doing the same, but bit apprehensive about gene factor, as I come from family with long history of T2D. So far so good. For me, I regularly check BMI, body fat percentage, Blood Sugar [both fasting and random], Hb1c and lipids, Blood pressure. All under control for now.

I do my workouts everyday; usual daily target 500 calories; alternate running and resistance exercises. Weekends I go on 5k or 10k runs. Sometimes, I indulge in swimming. Am a technical personal in aviation industry usually/ typically stand all day. Been a vegan for life, since birth. Now eating rice only once a week as part of low-carbing diet. Basically I am trying my best as humanly as possible.

Every doctor that I met told me T2D WILL catch me one day or the other as my family has a strong relation both maternal and paternal sides and I am the only one so far not having T2D. Well, i am a human just billions of any other human; we are programmed to die. But.... we need to make every effort to have a good quality life.

Keep exercising and take care of yourself!
 

Hi Mekalu - you know how moved I get by your story, as I get very upset with the medical community for being so lacking in interpersonal skills, and also for leaving out the all-important contribution of environmental factors in getting T2D, and resisting it. (ie the diet and exercise stuff we all know about.) There IS no T2D without that all important environmental factor, no matter how many of those 22,000 genes (i read more than once) we have in play that push us in the T2D direction.

And you are doing everything you can to keep your insulin sensitivity hopping. You are controlling that gene-environment interaction in your (and your liver and your pancreas's) favour.

Anyway, I found a nice research summary in English that puts the science rather clearly:
"A person’s susceptibility to diabetes depends on a combination of intrinsic factors that influence (i) the insulin producing capacity of the pancreatic beta cells, (ii) cellular insulin sensitivity, (iii) the amount of glucose coming from the gut (digestion of food) and liver (gluconeogenesis), and (iv) the extent to which glycogen is degraded (glycogenolysis).

Thus, T2D is caused by a relative deficiency in insulin action, with the primary cause of this deficiency relating to defect(s) in exogenous insulin production, insulin signaling, and/or the overavailability of glucose. In part because T2D is well established to have strong genetic [3] and lifestyle [4] determinants, many have speculated that the disease is caused by gene-environment interactions [5], with the “environmental” component relating primarily to lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity, poor diet, and obesity."

The Complex Interplay of Genetic and Lifestyle Factors in T2D: An Overview http://www.hindawi.com/journals/scientifica/2012/482186/

You can shove the "gene-environment interaction" into overzealous 'patients are just statistics' 'type-of-medical-professionals' gobs perhaps? . When they start opening it to tell you getting it is inevitable. (Shame on them!)

And need I add that "poor diet" is the normal diet nowadays! High in sugar, high in toxins and trans fats. People with the genetic switch 'on' for insulin resistance are on the very fast moving pathway to T2D without even truly knowing it. (Well, at least that is what happened to me.)

I'm pleased you are in the forum Mekalu, as a superb example of someone being very pro-active to prevent getting T2D. (Although I might be a bit worried about the 500 cals thing - are you saying you survive with all that exercise on only 500 cals a day? Or that is what you are burning off?) I know I have quoted you to my own adult children, and I follow your lack of progress into insulin resistance with great interest. .
 

Re 500 cal daily target: I do my workouts everyday; burning up to 500 calories on average. My diet calories are about 1800. If I run, it is easy burn 600+ in 45 minutes, but if I do resistance exercises then I need to spend like 80minutes. Both forms of exercises are very demanding on the body. But the after-burn effect usually lasts up to 12 to 18 hours, improves insulin sensitivity. To reduce the impact, I rotate the exercises one day running (600+ cal), and one day resistance (250+ cal). But really diabetics should walk and jog at a very mild pace to burn fat only. If we run more speeds, then heart rate goes up, body will spend stored sugars (or carbs) and then protein, and then muscle mass. So in our gym, we say - one day for the blood sugar and another day for the heart. Generally burning around 300 cal daily is very good achievement, but one has to be consistent.

AloeSvea said:
I know I have quoted you to my own adult children, and I follow your lack of progress into insulin resistance with great interest.
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- Thanks and much appreciated. I hope my daughter follows me, she is now 16+, putting on loads of weight, now beginning to realize the issues, but it is to maintain her physical outlook. But she is young , so no hurry.

I will reply for other aspects later. Thanks again
 
mekalu2k4 said:
I hope my daughter follows me, she is now 16+, putting on loads of weight, now beginning to realize the issues, but it is to maintain her physical outlook. But she is young , so no hurry.
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I was overweight at that age and I didn't do anything about it until I was 40. I hope she decides to lose weight soon
 
CatLadyNZ said:
I hope she decides to lose weight soon
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Well, I do not want to blame my daughter completely, but have to blame the parentage. I lost her custody in a legal battle, but not the weekly visit rights. But again, the access was restricted - I don't want to wash any linen here on this forum. But my baby never had proper opportunities to engage in outdoor sports like football or hiking etc. Then she likes to watch TV and downs colas, popcorn and pizzas - the usual stuff. Studies keep her busy too; then smartphones, computers and what not? the modern life is not about getting fit or getting anything right. From next year she will be with me, forever according to her choice. [I want to keep the info to the point - T2D].

My baby, just as any other young lady is interested to get into shape not because of any health concern. Even she is not aware of health complications out of being 'chubby', 'cuty', 'curvy' etc. She is now realizing that her oversized body is not really looking attractive to anyone; her selfies not getting more likes etc. So her questions generally - 'dad, how can I reduce my belly weight and fat in one week'? 'how to get hour glass shape in 2 weeks'? what exercise I need to do? 'Look at Kim K - great bod'!! So I have to bear with all those questions.

I feel that 'young are stupid, will have to reach the tipping point, to turn themselves onto right path'.

Few days back I came to know my senior (60+) in my office who is about to retire had a botox jabes and boasting that he had no negative reaction. He is T2D, hyper-tense and on daily medication. Am not sure what he is going to do with his new avatar.

Yes, for modern folks beauty comes first. They do not care about T2D or hypertension etc. they believe that docs and medicines are there to help them out, and life is for enjoyment; hell with workouts, dieting. They do have a lot of sympathy for me as I am mostly seen working out, sweating out and eating carefully.
 

I'm very relieved to hear the 500 cals burning off thing . I thought it was! Just had to make sure.

I was very interested to read your regime. Does the pace good for a diabetic depend on the body type? I'm a muscle-y body type, as a middle-aged sheila, which I think is how I am supposed to be (not just lean which is probably a bit too hard for me to achieve). I do a pretty brisk walk these days, which I like. But some days I do get 'diabetes-fatigue' as I call it, lately anyway (along with a sinus infection or allergy - drat it), and then it is a very mild pace indeed. Do you recommend every second day for resistance training? I do it maybe 2 or 3 times a week tops. And nothing like yours of 80 mins. I don't run, but have been thinking about it. (As part of a H.I.T. regime, which I heard about by the great Brit Mosley on the tele.) Is there a link for the wonderful sounding 'One day for the blood sugar and another for the heart', that I can peruse? Or do I just keep perusing you? .
 

Thinking about the next generation, and our own personal next generation, is a huge concern for us indeed. (And very interesting about your diabetic senior coworker and the botox! Good lord!)

I would say, give your daughter time to get really tuned into the importance of her own probable personal carb-intolerance/tendency to get insulin resistant in today's food environment etc. My daughter (21) has given herself a time-line in which to get particularly concerned, and has blood tests in the meantime, a gentle adjustment I give the nod to. (But as if our parental nods really matter too much lol.) She loves pasta and french bread (a love I shared, sigh), and is loathe to let it go just yet. So we discuss how to lower the insulin raising impact (resistant starch stuff for the pasta - cooking it, letting it get cold, and recooking it for instance), and bread - well. My paleo alternatives don't really cut it, but she has gone gluten free, which is someway there.

My daughter is massively into the body beautiful stuff too. I know this is a bit, well - a lot! - like a woman's magazine tip - but using great sports clothes gear buying as an incentive to play sports or as rewards for working out is very popular with women. Something a sporty dad can get in on with his teenage daughter for sure. There are some gorgeous sports clothes for women out there. (Some very snazzy training tights on the park lanes of Stockholm just now.) It's not my thing, but it is many women's thing . And as you are so athletic - might she be into playing tennis with you? For instance? You could teach her to yourself? Such a social game. And gee Mekalu - those tennis outfits for women are super cute. (As you might realise this is what my own daughter and I have been talking about and perusing - tennis outfits - online.)
 
AloeSvea said:
And as you are so athletic - might she be into playing tennis with you? For instance? You could teach her to yourself? Such a social game. And gee Mekalu - those tennis outfits for women are super cute
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Yes you are right. But my daughter is not into sports, she never had any opportunity. Definitely, she cannot start tennis, with her current body weight. My ex neglected her, raised with hate; my in-laws took good care of her. My ex is obese, from a ultra rich family, she is now T2D+hypertense, and a lazy person. And mother and daughter do not go that well with each other - very strange. My daughter is good at maths, on full scholarship, preparing for university, might become engineer. Only since 2 years she started coming to me, that too without knowledge of my ex. She knows that she has to start a new life when staying with me, but seems she is fully prepared. For example, I have no TV at home, should sleep by 9pm, hit the gym by 4am. She has all my upstairs, a brand new laptop, got furniture whatever she wanted. She likes my Indian cooking, but I stopped eating the usual stuff; always on diet But I will cook for her, what she wants. I cannot control my emotion, the day she starts jogging with me; but I have no plans to push her. She spends hours on her iphone, I really do not know to stop that. She started dieting last year, only to give up soon. So in a way, she knows what it is like to lose weight. First I have to put her on a specific exercise + diet regime to get rid of her abdominal fat; then she can hit the road. So, it will be a long way for her and she knows that.
 

Yes correct - 500 cal / per day in exercise. My routine: this morning got up at 4am, ate a cup of red beans and hot chocolate. Clean my front drive way/ garden, check emails and stuff. By 6am I went out for walk + run (for the heart); have garmin vivofit and heart rate monitor on me; spent 570 cals over 70 minutes. The last 10 minutes will be at max speed I can hit (to get into lactate tolerance zone). Came home at 7.20am; took shower, downed a glass of protein shake and slept for good 1 hour - this sleep after exercise is based on recommendations of a medical doc - will explain it later about it. Then breakfast. Rest of the day, it will be usual activity. Tomorrow it will be resistance exercises like push ups, pull ups, bicycle crunches, burpees etc (for improving insulin sensitivity) only.

Re the workout regime for you: It is important that you need to evaluate yourself first taking up any exercise regime. For example, what is your upper body weight? If it is too high do not think of running - period. Knees and joints will be damaged. First do resistance exercises like weight lifting etc to cut down upper body weight. From your HbA1c readings you should be having normally weighted body? but you need to evaluate yourself. Again - running is only on alternate days; or once in 3 days; rest of the days it can be brisk walk. If you are fit and have no problems with knees/ joints, then you can consider running or HIIT. Both are good for improving insulin sensitivity in a very solid way. Always use heart rate monitor, never exceed your limits - in fact you might harm yourself if you exceed.

One way to evaluate - measure your Blood pressure, body fat percentage, BMI, waist, hips and chest measurements. You can see my BP is 110/65, but it used to be 150/90 very bad. Go to http://www.bodybuilding.com/ and try to register; that site will ask so many measurements. Once you have all those measurements then the best strategy can be formulated for desired targets. Read, read, read and then only decide. Take your time, be consistent, set realistic fitness goals. You wrote that you do brisk walks, that is good. But how long you do? do you sweat? You need to sweat profusely at least weekly twice.

one more interesting fact: resistance exercises at home (loads of them are on youtube, can follow anyone you like) are quite powerful than running in shaping up the body in a very systematic way. If you get them right, like doing 10min HIIT at home for 3 times in a day; you can magically push your fat out.

What happens with T2D folks? the body changes as exercises impact in various ways. It is always safe to 'eat to meter'. Exercises or high protein diet may deplete vitamins especially B and C in some cases. Then carb intake may have go up a little bit - dont be fearful.
 
I'm confused! How can you lose weight on a low carb high fat diet? I seem to be stuck in a groove
 
Osming said:
I'm confused! How can you lose weight on a low carb high fat diet? I seem to be stuck in a groove
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I am not an expert in LCHF, which is generally recommended for T2D folks. There are several threads, videos to explain the process. Though experimented with LCHF, I prefer the LC part, but not HF part. I am more into rigorous exercises. So read, read....before you can experiment. Be moderate in experimenting. Good luck
 
Thank you for your kind reply. I have done a lot of reading lately and its becoming clearer. My FBS was gradually reducing but then I had a series of high ones which made me think the LC diet would not work. And then I developed a chest infection which is nearly better and Heigh ho the FBS is back on track.Will persevere with the LCHF for a bit to see if I can tolerate it and will heed your advice.
 
Infections often raise BGs regardless of what we are eating. I don't so much eat LCHF but eat low carb with full fat options such as yoghurt, and a little cream instead of milk. Milk is fairly high in carbs whereas cream is not, and the fat content helps me fee satisfied and not have carb cravings. Whenever I eat something high carb I start having cravings again.
 

Hi, I did not answer to some of your questions though they are very specific. However I have asked you to 'read and evaluate first'. Hope you are reading and trying to take some action.

Let me respond to some of your questions:

  1. "Does the pace good for a diabetic depend on the body type? I'm a muscle-y body type, as a middle-aged sheila, which I think is how I am supposed to be (not just lean which is probably a bit too hard for me to achieve)." -

    Yes, pace of course is good. But you need to understand your current heart's condition, upper body weight, strength in the legs, any injuries or pains etc before doing this. If any doubt is there, then go for HIIT/ body weight exercises at home for 6 weeks on alternate days. These exercises will definitely improve your body strength. Then you are ready to hit the road and do aerobic type with higher intensity. Then You should know your max heart rate [which is approxly 220-your age; if you are 40, then you max heart rate: 180]. Get a garmin vivofit with heart rate monitor [HRM]. with these two devices, you can monitor your heart rate while 'pacing'. If you reaching around 170+ BPM, you should slowdown. Take 2 to 3 minutes of rest and start again. So this routine is for the heart. On the next day, you should jog at very slow pace for 40minutes with taking rest in between up to 5 to 6 minutes - this is of lesser intensity; which will eat away your body fat. This routine should last up to 10 weeks.

However, it will not be so straight forward. You might miss a few days, may be many more. Your body changes dramatically after 2 weeks and you may have to adjust your diet - which might not be that easy. T2D, if not under control will slow down the progress to an extent, especially if you want to put on muscle. Work /family related stresses, fatigue and mood swings all will play their part. Some middle aged people take up to 10 months to total transformation; some may get great results, but fail to sustain etc. But it is not at all hard to achieve a leaner body.​


do a pretty brisk walk these days, which I like. But some days I do get 'diabetes-fatigue' as I call it, lately anyway (along with a sinus infection or allergy - drat it), and then it is a very mild pace indeed.


pretty brisk walk – difficult to measure the intensity. If it is 60% to 70% of your max heart rate, then such exercise is great for fat reduction, but have to be done for 40 minutes. At the end, you need to sweat. If you are not sweating, increase the time to 1hour or even 80 minutes, but not beyond. If you read on the internet then you will realize that fat starts to burn after 20 minutes of exercise, best benefits will be obtained with 40 to 80 minutes depending on the body type. Note: on this 'brisk walk day', you are not supposed to run or do any other exercise that takes the BPM to the max. why? On one day you take it up to the peak, on other day, you do 60 to 70%. By doing so you give rest to various muscle groups which is very important. Should have one day rest [no exercise day] per week, which most guys keep that same day as the cheat day. Coming to the fatigue – yes, everybody gets, not just T2D folks or yourself. That is why you need to have rest days and cheat days.


I don't run, but have been thinking about it. (As part of a H.I.T. regime, which I heard about by the great Brit Mosley on the tele.)

You don't have to run all the time. Running is one of many aerobic type workouts. Some guys run only on weekends and other days will be for swimming, weight lifting etc. If you reach a level of confidence, you need to start lifting the weights where you will see rapid improvement of 'insulin sensitivity'. Your muscles can absorb more glucose, that is where folks enjoy their taste buds by trying different foods. Usually it comes after 1 years of rigorous efforts. Brit Mosley - Watching TV or youtube will help in pushing yourself and motivating.

'is there a link for the wonderful sounding 'One day for the blood sugar and another for the heart', ?' - You cannot find it, as I wrote here for the first time; but I do 'talk' this with my gym pals. Not blowing my trumpet, but I coined several of these phrases based on my own research.

do I just keep perusing you? - Nope, each body is different. What works for me, may never work for you. So keep reading, evaluate, train and achieve – all by yourself! Many have done it, so you can. It is easy.
Good luck!
 

With daughters/adult children, and helping them prevent becoming insulin resistant/prediabetic (and worse!).
Ah, OK, re the tennis. I see your point. But then - jogging may be not up her alley and too hard too? I'm not sure, as I walk heaps, do weight lifting and workouts etc, but have never wanted to jog. I have considered some h.i.t. one-minute-runs, but that is after a nearly a year and a half of heaps of walking. (I have always walked, even before diagnosis.) The young are different though, for sure. I absolutely agree re cooking what the young ones want - the point is to have them at your table and eating healthier so any way to get them there is all good. Quite right. Re the iphone and new technology - this is their time! You couldn't stop it even if you wanted to. . And all those helpful aps out there (that I as yet have not utilised for diabetes treatment - like carb counters and so on) may one day be hugely helpful to her, my daughter too, if they should get insulin resistant. (And yes - let's hope they don't!) Good luck with the exercise and way of eating regime. It says a lot that she will do that with her dad - and about both of you! Very nice indeed.
 

Many thanks for the tips and info. I have copy and pasted into my own files. Big cheers.
 
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