OK. Indeed, I hear you. The different kinds of diabetes need to be addressed, when one such as I make such proclamations - fair enough.
In my defence - I was referring to T2D, springing from metabolism syndrome. And I wasn't using 'diet and exercise' and 'The Newcastle Diet' synonymously, although I can understand why it could seem so, in this thread. And I promise - I was not saying that all T2Diabetics are overweight - absolutely not at all! (Richard Doughty, Arab Horse et al.)
I understand, I just needed to clarify because it could certainly be understood that way.
About the gist of what you are saying - I really hear you. I am very careful, to myself, and to others, to make a difference between "getting better" and "reversing T2D". It is a crucial difference for me, as well as reflecting reality, it acts to keep impatience, and expectations in check. Something I personally, can have problems with. I don't know if I can reverse my T2D. But I do know I can get better - to what extent I do not know.
And I agree 100%. Most of us can get better. Cured? That's a different claim. I don't think I can be cured without changing my genetic composition. But, I insist, maybe some people can, why not? If their environmental factors and not a genetic predisposition are to blame for their type 2 I think that sound perfectly possible to me. And to be really honest, I want it to be like thatbecause that means that are least for a certain amount of people things will get much better and that's a good thing for everyone.
But saying all this - my understanding is that producing higher levels of insulin is not sparked off without the initial too high level of blood glucose, which is sparked off by nutritional input, and degree of fatty liver and pancreas - which can and does occur in slender people who are highly sensitive to carbohydrate levels/insulin promoting foods. That IS the genetic component, I thought - one's tendency to get hyperglycemia (and over-producing insulin in response to higher levels of blood glucose in the first place) which leads to, and, and, etc. And yes, that genetic tendency never goes away.
Yes, I too became that fat by becoming immobile following a spinal injury that affected my ability to be as active as I had always been. Added to that the stress of losing my career, having responsibility for the care of parents with cancer and dementia, rearing family, and following the NHS guidelines of good carbs with every meal. So definitely stressed for several years. I never did eat junk food, yet still became huge, and diabetic. Interestingly, although I was feeding the rest of the family the same low fat high carb healthy NHS recommended diet it was only me who became an obese T2. The rest of them stayed healthy.One of the first things I said when I signed up to the forum here was how galling it was that I was not diabetic when I was nearly 100kg (a third heavier than when I was in my late teens) in 2006 but despite losing 12kg via a low fat, low calorie and supposedly healthy diet gradually over three years (which was supposed to be a 'sensible' way to lose weight) I still became T2.
Stress may have been a factor and my diet was definitely high in carbs - although I thought at the time these were 'good carbs' like wholemeal bread, skin-on potatoes, etc. I also ate a lot of fruit and veg plus salads. Large portions and then compensating by missing meals probably didn't help either. I was definitely a lot less active compared to my earlier adult life. I used to ski, ride, jog and walk a lot but getting married and bringing up kids and work changes definitely made me more sedentary. Many members of my mother's family got T2 in mid to later life, including my mother.
Luckily I am extremely motivated and verging on being a bore here at home
Yes, I too became that fat by becoming immobile following a spinal injury that affected my ability to be as active as I had always been. Added to that the stress of losing my career, having responsibility for the care of parents with cancer and dementia, rearing family, and following the NHS guidelines of good carbs with every meal. So definitely stressed for several years. I never did eat junk food, yet still became huge, and diabetic. Interestingly, although I was feeding the rest of the family the same low fat high carb healthy NHS recommended diet it was only me who became an obese T2. The rest of them stayed healthy.
This suggests to me that it was a combination of factors that tipped me over into T2. My father had been diagnosed in his 40s, so perhaps a predisposition due to genetics. I have since informed my now grown up children who have readjusted their diets to remove much of the 'healthy' carbs.
I hope my late teens daughters are getting the message; they are both likely to have the same genetic factors I suspect I have inherited from my mother's side of the family but fortunately both are very active and far from being overweight. One of them has a bit of a sweet tooth, though!
Hell, and for some of us, that indestructible feeling carries right through adulthood up until the point where we get diagnosed! I'm embarrassed at this point, thinking back over all the symptoms I ignored, my cavalier attitude towards smoking, my crazy eating habits . . . Always talking about how "my grandpa smoked until his 90's" and "my overweight in laws are medically healthy as a horse" and thinking I was some sort of special snowflake that would live to 100 no matter what.Late teens can probably get away with that, but habits they develop now could impact later. Good and bad habits, that is. No use trying to tell teens in my experience. They think they areindestructible.
There are three generations of diabetics in my family - my maternal grandfather, my mother and my brother all had, or have, T2. I always ate what I considered healthily ie fruit, jacker potatoes, pasta, brown bread etc etc but I guess there was a likelihood that I would get it. Ironically enough my sister, who has always been bigger than both my brother and myself, has recently been tested and is still non- diabetic!
Yes, I too became that fat by becoming immobile following a spinal injury that affected my ability to be as active as I had always been. Added to that the stress of losing my career, having responsibility for the care of parents with cancer and dementia, rearing family, and following the NHS guidelines of good carbs with every meal. So definitely stressed for several years. I never did eat junk food, yet still became huge, and diabetic. Interestingly, although I was feeding the rest of the family the same low fat high carb healthy NHS recommended diet it was only me who became an obese T2. The rest of them stayed healthy.
This suggests to me that it was a combination of factors that tipped me over into T2. My father had been diagnosed in his 40s, so perhaps a predisposition due to genetics. I have since informed my now grown up children who have readjusted their diets to remove much of the 'healthy' carbs.
There is a huge range of attitudes here in the UK. I was diagnosed because of early retinopathy indications (now thankfully clearing up) and the ophthalmologist was quite positive about getting sugar levels under control to improve the situation. The first doctor at my surgery was also encouraging; "lose weight and control your diet and the diabetes will go awayt" but the second doctor I saw who was basically tasked to oversee my treatment (and the youngest, ironically) was rather severe informing me it's a condition for life and I should consider going on a statin (my blood lipid profile is not at all bad for my age) - talk about trying to motivate me to beat this thing, not! My DN has been better, initially towing the line if moderating my carbs (rather than drastically reducing) and choosing low GI carbs, but by then I had already started a VL calories LCHF (Newcastle style) diet and a month later she was very pleased with my progress as I had lost almost 8kg (about 16 pounds) in 5 weeks and I also passed the foot sensitivity test. My next appointment is in just over a month's time and I'm really hoping there will be more substantive progress to report.
Hell, and for some of us, that indestructible feeling carries right through adulthood up until the point where we get diagnosed! I'm embarrassed at this point, thinking back over all the symptoms I ignored, my cavalier attitude towards smoking, my crazy eating habits . . . Always talking about how "my grandpa smoked until his 90's" and "my overweight in laws are medically healthy as a horse" and thinking I was some sort of special snowflake that would live to 100 no matter what.
Talk about silver linings. This diagnosis has sparked changes in my life that were desperately needed, and a thinner, healthier me has consequences far greater than just maintaining better blood sugars. Just going up and down stairs, or vacuuming the house, have become markedly easier (and make me cringe all over again thinking about how I used to get winded just bending over, on account of all the belly fat compressing).
I'm not as old as many who are diagnosed Type 2, but I'm gaining more and more appreciation for the phrase "youth is wasted on the young"
@Glitterbritches
How do you define "passing" an OGTT?
1) have suitable BG at "fasting" and +2hr ?
2) as 1) but maintain peak below certain level ?
I can start a fasting BG at 5.0 and come out at +2hrs with a BG below fasting.
My problem is that my initial insulin response is goosed, so i spike to ~10, but once my secondary insulin response kicks in, my BG drops to below fasting levels, usually overshooting.
So yes I am still diabetic, yes I class it as management rather than reversal. if you want your " pancreas/beta cells appropriately respond to glucose" then ensure that your initial response is "appropriate" as this is usually the first to fail.
I have some questions for all the people that managed to "reverse" or "manage" their type 2.
1) Did you ever track to which foods you spike to, did you spike the same to all starchy/carby/sugary foods before and after "reversal"?
2) Did you ever see (and tracked for that matter) an improvement on that initial first insulin response? By that I mean, if you noticed that although spiking the spike became smaller (the first insulin response one).
I don't track as such, but when I have included pasta, rice, etc in diet I gain weight. Gain weight also if I include too much fat, so perhaps I just need to keep calories intake low.
The reason for my question is that I don't seem to spike the same to all starchy foods.
As I am at early stages of weight loss I wonder if this might improve (by increased insulin sensitivity, unclogging of the liver etc) even if it isn't possible in some cases to sort it out I wonder if it might get better somehow. And how people on different diet approaches that had achieved "reversal" (understood as constant non diabetic BGs) had responded to it.
Therefore following this thread, to see what results will glitterbritches in these sort of terms since he seems to had been spiking on low carb whenever he touched carbs. So if it improves, even slightly it would be something positive to look at.
Stress, definitely I believe that in my case is a massive problem with my insulin resistance but I have no way to prove it, however I imagine there is a correlation with excess cortisol in the system?
I have read that stress doesn't affect BG's but I keep thinking it does. I don't seem to deal with stress in the same way as other people seem to do, and I wish I understood why..
I have some questions for all the people that managed to "reverse" or "manage" their type 2.
1) Did you ever track to which foods you spike to, did you spike the same to all starchy/carby/sugary foods before and after "reversal"?
2) Did you ever see (and tracked for that matter) an improvement on that initial first insulin response? By that I mean, if you noticed that although spiking the spike became smaller (the first insulin response one).
My understanding is that stress is definitely one of the risk factors in T2D, and yes, to do with the cortisol system, and how it affects the BG/leptin/insulin system - involved in getting T2D in the first place, and then in terms of one's BG levels.
One way to check is to meter your blood glucose immediately after stressful situations. Even though I had read, repeatedly, that stress affects your BG/insulin system - because of the cortisol connection, I was still blown away when I 'stressed and metered' and saw how stressful situations affected my own BG level. (Examples - when I accidentally set my kitchen alight with burning coconut oil! And another occasion when I was disoriented by heavy peak hour traffic - noise, lights, too many people, too many cars - when walking somewhere.) Bizarrely - it was the peak hour traffic that spiked me the most! (Something like to 14 from 7.) I have read since that heavy traffic, even as a pedestrian, is in fact a common source of stress - who knew?!
Stress relief and adopting effective stress relieving practices is definitely one of the ways to manage diabetes, and is one of the 'lifestyle factors' involved in getting healthier.
The reason for my question is that I don't seem to spike the same to all starchy foods.
As I am at early stages of weight loss I wonder if this might improve (by increased insulin sensitivity, unclogging of the liver etc) even if it isn't possible in some cases to sort it out I wonder if it might get better somehow. And how people on different diet approaches that had achieved "reversal" (understood as constant non diabetic BGs) had responded to it.
Therefore following this thread, to see what results will glitterbritches in these sort of terms since he seems to had been spiking on low carb whenever he touched carbs. So if it improves, even slightly it would be something positive to look at.
I don't track as such, but when I have included pasta, rice, etc in diet I gain weight. Gain weight also if I include too much fat, so perhaps I just need to keep calories intake low.
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