Itv The Fat Fix: Diabetes

[Guzzler]

Watched Wednesday's episode did not get much that was new. I would be interested to know what the shakes were or how to make healthy ones.

I think I got more out of last weeks BBC's The Truth about Carbs which showed me how I could make real food changes and get benefits.

Yes it is lovely to see results and I get that you need to monitored, but you also need to given appropriate information. I have tried to stay off medication, even though the GP says I should have them with little explanation. Staff are not as well trained as they should be, so as well as trying to get people to make changes which is the most important, there also needs to be staff who know what they are talking about and are willing to explain the results fully. Whenever I have asked I am only told their too high or borderline. What does that mean and how do I make changes?" I will ask, to be told medication is the only way, obviously not, hence my thought that staff also require better training.

Let us see what tonight brings!

I must agree. Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

[RobertaTaylor]

Well, it has just finished and my first thought was how accusatory it was. All the participants were made to feel massively guilty about being 'fat' and having type 2 diabetes and fatty livers. Not once did the Presenters explain how a person might come to get diabetes, ie their body's inability to process carbs properly being the primary factor (otherwise all people of the same size would get it!). I felt so sorry for them, they looked thoroughly ashamed and NO effort was made to alleviate this 'shame'. They basically were told 'You are fat and that is why you have diabetes and might die'. Just the once, with the bloke with the dreadlocks, did they say his race might have attributed to his propensity to store fat around his liver, he was the one who wasn't even that fat anyway. When they showed the dead man's inner workings, again no effort was made to explain why he might have had a fatty liver and organs. Sorry, I'm not sure what the purpose of this experiment was and although it did show not eating properly for a month reduced glucose and fatty livers (well it would wouldn't it), it did NOT address the causes of type 2 or provide any useful information as to how type 2 develops.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. I’m curretlly struggling and feeling bad about myself and the whole diabetic thing! Have been diabetic 16 years but reacting badly to Metformin at the moment have thrown all my toys out of the pram. Having a bit of a diabetic meltdown.
I watched this hoping to gain information and build belief that I can reverse it. Did the programme help me do this? No!
All it did, IMO, was to confirm to the viewing public that it’s baducally our own fault for being fat & eating junk food! I’ve lost 3.5 stones through joining SW & healthy eating but still not getting my levels into the non diabetic range . I just can’t seem to enjoy meals without some carbs & def would not live on those disgusting liquid ‘meals’.
I’m really hoping the next programme will be more positive, less judgemental & more informative.

 

[Guzzler]

Could members help, please, I seem to remember that the cost of these shakes is or would have been £50 per week. I may be misremembering, though. But if I am right then someone is going to be kachinging it all the way to the bank whilst buyers would end up either curled up in bed or raiding the hamsters food bowl.

 

[Guzzler]

I wholeheartedly agree with you. I’m curretlly struggling and feeling bad about myself and the whole diabetic thing! Have been diabetic 16 years but reacting badly to Metformin at the moment have thrown all my toys out of the pram. Having a bit of a diabetic meltdown.
I watched this hoping to gain information and build belief that I can reverse it. Did the programme help me do this? No!
All it did, IMO, was to confirm to the viewing public that it’s baducally our own fault for being fat & eating junk food! I’ve lost 3.5 stones through joining SW & healthy eating but still not getting my levels into the non diabetic range . I just can’t seem to enjoy meals without some carbs & def would not live on those disgusting liquid ‘meals’.
I’m really hoping the next programme will be more positive, less judgemental & more informative.

Hello and welcome, Roberta. Well done on the weight loss front. As to your bg levels perhaps if you make a stand alone thread we could help you tweak your diet to improve your numbers.

 

[Prem51]

I agree with all the criticisms of the program, but at least it did give more publicity to the growing problem of Type 2 Diabetes, and raise awareness that it can be dealt with with by means other than medication, and that T2 does not have to be a progressive disease.
There seems to be a number of new forum members posting today. I think many people with T2, or knowing they are at risk, will have been motivated to do some research which must be good.

 

[Guzzler]

I agree with all the criticisms of the program, but at least it did give more publicity to the growing problem of Type 2 Diabetes, and raise awareness that it can be dealt with with by means other than medication, and that T2 does not have to be a progressive disease.
There seems to be a number of new forum members posting today. I think many people with T2, or knowing they are at risk, will have been motivated to do some research which must be good.

I agree with you but if I am honest if I had seen the programme before finding this forum and hearing about other approaches I would not have chosen the shakes way. It will be interesting to see how the participants get on IRL on shakes and whether the carrot is sweet enough to stave off the stick.

 

[briped]

I felt so sorry for them, they looked thoroughly ashamed and NO effort was made to alleviate this 'shame'. They basically were told 'You are fat and that is why you have diabetes and might die'.

I'm in Denmark, so couldn't watch the program, but I wouldn't be surprised if being treated like that would make for other and rather more directly self-inflicted causes of premature death than diabetes. I'm sorry, but it makes me so angry, and we hear it over and over!
I could link to a great radioprogram on the Danish radio, presented by a guy who's an entertainer as well as a brain researcher and, of course, doctor. Whenever I come across ill-informed posts about obesity and diabetes on Facebook I'll throw a link to that very show. His name is Peter Lund Madsen, and in this 1½ hour long show he talks about different aspects of obesity and how to help and support the obese. One of the aspects is the stigma attached to obesity, and how it makes it even more difficult to 'just' lose weight from a scientific viewpoint.

 

[briped]

Nope, apparently it will only work with sludge.

That makes sense, doesn't it? They're lazy slobs and have to be punished for their sin of gluttony. If the element of punishment is absent then it's just not morally right that these people would have a chance of improving their health.
Wow, I'm angry this morning, even if I've had my morning chai.

 

[cmor16]

I've just had a google of the ingredients of Exante shakes (if it was those they used) and as I thought they are just a load of chemical muck. To be honest, apart from the shakes bit and the lack of any education regarding carbs, I really enjoyed the show. I am happy to be shamed as I know my bad choices all my life have got me where I am today (Prediabetes and Hashimoto's). BUT thank God I found this forum instead of thinking shakes were the way to go!

 

[KK123]

I've just had a google of the ingredients of Exante shakes (if it was those they used) and as I thought they are just a load of chemical muck. To be honest, apart from the shakes bit and the lack of any education regarding carbs, I really enjoyed the show. I am happy to be shamed as I know my bad choices all my life have got me where I am today (Prediabetes and Hashimoto's). BUT thank God I found this forum instead of thinking shakes were the way to go!

Now I do understand what you are saying and although I don't think you should feel ashamed, it's clear that you know you have made bad choices with regard to your lifestyle, I get that but I think my point is that many people have followed a good lifestyle and still have type 2 diabetes. It's the way they portray diabetes that annoys me, as if every single person has followed a life of gluttony, no exercise, smoking, drinking and so on and therefore deserve their punishment. Of course, many people with diabetes know full well that eating complete rubbish (outside of the so called 'healthy' carbs) has made them unhealthy in exactly the same way non diabetics have got themselves overweight or unhealthy or whatever, BUT somewhere in all of that there is a propensity towards type 2 and this is never mentioned. I am sure that many on this forum know that eating obviously sugary things to excess makes them fat but how many knew that wholemeal this that and the other was also bad for them? You can almost divide it into two issues, one is the diabetes (random and bad luck if you get it and NOT your fault) and the other is your lifestyle choices (follow the wrong one and you will make your diabetes worse and it is this bit that you could actually 'blame' someone for if they don't do it).

 

[shelley262]

Now I do understand what you are saying and although I don't think you should feel ashamed, it's clear that you know you have made bad choices with regard to your lifestyle, I get that but I think my point is that many people have followed a good lifestyle and still have type 2 diabetes. It's the way they portray diabetes that annoys me, as if every single person has followed a life of gluttony, no exercise, smoking, drinking and so on and therefore deserve their punishment. Of course, many people with diabetes know full well that eating complete rubbish (outside of the so called 'healthy' carbs) has made them unhealthy in exactly the same way non diabetics have got themselves overweight or unhealthy or whatever, BUT somewhere in all of that there is a propensity towards type 2 and this is never mentioned. I am sure that many on this forum know that eating obviously sugary things to excess makes them fat but how many knew that wholemeal this that and the other was also bad for them? You can almost divide it into two issues, one is the diabetes (random and bad luck if you get it and NOT your fault) and the other is your lifestyle choices (follow the wrong one and you will make your diabetes worse and it is this bit that you could actually 'blame' someone for if they don't do it).

I agree - my excesses were low fat products, fruit and lovely cold orange juice and wholemeal varieties of every carb not a white or beige product in sight. Healthy hey? I also hiked miles. Ps the thirstier I got ( didn’t know this was down to diabetes) the more cold orange juice I drank - ah so that’s one of the reasons I got an hbaca1 of 97 and a bmi of over 30 an excess of fruit and orange juice! I eat more calories now with a bmi of 20.1 and hbaca1 of 30 than I ate at that time when I was miserable and hungry and of course obese!

 

[james11]

Don't forget that they also mentioned how much they were costing the NHS as well.

Lol..the cost to the nhs is pure guessstimating....also known as bull****ing

 

[Wendy18480]

I may be in a minority but I found the programme fascinating.

Being diagnosed in January this year my doctor told me that "now the hard work begins, here's a 8 page fact sheet to follow, a prescription and we'll see you in 3 months" 5.5 months later I've not heard anything from them, I'm taking 500mg of metformin per day and feeling reasonably comfortable. Let sleeping dogs lie!

I'm a bit of an anorak when it comes to medical things, I like to try to understand everything, this site has been a lifeline in a minefield but I did find the programme interesting and the autopsy was fascinating. All that fat inside me, yuck. And a pale pink liver, yuck again.

There is no way that I could follow their diet plan with shakes but have worked out a simple diet plan for me which is about 1200-1400 calories a day which seems to suit (that's plan A)!!

What it gave me was some insight into the way our blood sugars work, my doctor didn't tell me anything about testing (how do you know if what you are doing is right) so I've signed up to the T2T programme which is really good. I can see what is happening, when it is happening and more importantly what causes BS to rise, chocolate, bread, idleness etc.

And what really hit home is how much T2 is costing the NHS. If I can do my little bit to help I will try my very best.

The people that signed up to this programme knew it was going to be hard, I don't think it was the intention to shame but that's the way we do feel when our faults are pointed out to us, be it on national television or the local slimming club.

I'm looking forward to the programme tonight to see what more I can learn, or be completely grossed-out by!

Wendy
xx

 

[james11]

It always amazes me when watching all the medical 'documentaries ' on tv how they can always manage to find plenty of GPs etc to be there....no wonder its so difficult ģetting an appointment to see one

 

[Guzzler]

I may be in a minority but I found the programme fascinating.

Being diagnosed in January this year my doctor told me that "now the hard work begins, here's a 8 page fact sheet to follow, a prescription and we'll see you in 3 months" 5.5 months later I've not heard anything from them, I'm taking 500mg of metformin per day and feeling reasonably comfortable. Let sleeping dogs lie!

I'm a bit of an anorak when it comes to medical things, I like to try to understand everything, this site has been a lifeline in a minefield but I did find the programme interesting and the autopsy was fascinating. All that fat inside me, yuck. And a pale pink liver, yuck again.

There is no way that I could follow their diet plan with shakes but have worked out a simple diet plan for me which is about 1200-1400 calories a day which seems to suit (that's plan A)!!

What it gave me was some insight into the way our blood sugars work, my doctor didn't tell me anything about testing (how do you know if what you are doing is right) so I've signed up to the T2T programme which is really good. I can see what is happening, when it is happening and more importantly what causes BS to rise, chocolate, bread, idleness etc.

And what really hit home is how much T2 is costing the NHS. If I can do my little bit to help I will try my very best.

The people that signed up to this programme knew it was going to be hard, I don't think it was the intention to shame but that's the way we do feel when our faults are pointed out to us, be it on national television or the local slimming club.

I'm looking forward to the programme tonight to see what more I can learn, or be completely grossed-out by!

Wendy
xx

"Faults"?

Edited to ask. Can you clarify your 'idleness' comment, please?

 

[Wendy18480]

"Faults"?

Edited to ask. Can you clarify your 'idleness' comment, please?

Yes, I can be pretty idle at times, combine that with eating all the wrong things and hey-presto T2 is an unwelcome visitor!

 

[lucylocket61]

Yes, I can be pretty idle at times, combine that with eating all the wrong things and hey-presto T2 is an unwelcome visitor!

you neither ate nor idled your way to type 2 diabetes. Please read this link
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php

 

[Guzzler]

Yes, I can be pretty idle at times, combine that with eating all the wrong things and hey-presto T2 is an unwelcome visitor!

I strongly disagree.

 

[briped]

combine that with eating all the wrong things and hey-presto T2 is an unwelcome visitor!

These were the eating recommendations when I first moved away from home, and I followed them closely. I kept gaining weight, but since this food pyramid must be right, I must be wrong, right? Years later the inventors of this food pyramid admitted that it probably wasn't the healthiest way of eating, but it was the cheapest! I imagine it's not that different to official recommendations in the UK ...? I'm not ashamed. I wouldn't be if I went for a skiing holiday and broke my leg either, even if it was my own fault.
The file is called 'madpyramiden', which you might think means 'the mad pyramid'. However 'mad' simply means 'food'.

 

[LooperCat]

These were the eating recommendations when I first moved away from home, and I followed them closely. I kept gaining weight, but since this food pyramid must be right, I must be wrong, right? Years later the inventors of this food pyramid admitted that it probably wasn't the healthiest way of eating, but it was the cheapest! I imagine it's not that different to official recommendations in the UK ...? I'm not ashamed. I wouldn't be if I went for a skiing holiday and broke my leg either, even if it was my own fault.
View attachment 27069 The file is called 'madpyramiden', which you might think means 'the mad pyramid'. However 'mad' simply means 'food'.

I think Mad Pyramid is spot on