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Living with Type 2 and denial

A

arunvg63

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Everyone,
With Type 2, why is there the perception that it is self-inflicted disease. I am overweight, but have been like this for a long-time. Hence with both parents type 2 and from a South Asian heritage, it was not totally unexpected. I am concerned by the rise in self-help gurus out there advocating treatments that may be detrimental to my condition. Sometimes in restaurants, I feel that going for the less stodgy foods leaves me out of social gatherings.
 
arunvg63 said:
Hi Everyone,
With Type 2, why is there the perception that it is self-inflicted disease. I am overweight, but have been like this for a long-time. Hence with both parents type 2 and from a South Asian heritage, it was not totally unexpected. I am concerned by the rise in self-help gurus out there advocating treatments that may be detrimental to my condition. Sometimes in restaurants, I feel that going for the less stodgy foods leaves me out of social gatherings.
Click to expand...
Hello, and welcome, @arunvg63

You are right, there is a perception, perpetuated in the media, that people with T2 are somehow to blame for their condition.

Also, many restaurants now list the calories in the items on their menu, but don’t offer info, or choices with less carbohydrate content. It is the carbohydrate that causes problems for most people with T2, especially if they are not on insulin.

Very often, even friends and family members do not understand and seem to want to push the low fat high carbohydrate way of eating, and think they have the right to advise us on diet. When I go to a resturant I tend to ask for main dish to be meat or fish, then if there are things like rice ,mor pasta ask for them to be exchanged for vegetables. Don’t have sweet desserts, but look for cheese (without biscuits or bread) instead.

As a new member, I would ask you to have a look at the info in my signature. Have a read round forums, and come back with any questions you may have. Our supportive members help and advise from their own experiences.
 
arunvg63 said:
Hi Everyone,
With Type 2, why is there the perception that it is self-inflicted disease. I am overweight, but have been like this for a long-time. Hence with both parents type 2 and from a South Asian heritage, it was not totally unexpected. I am concerned by the rise in self-help gurus out there advocating treatments that may be detrimental to my condition. Sometimes in restaurants, I feel that going for the less stodgy foods leaves me out of social gatherings.
Click to expand...
Isn't "common knowledge" lovely? Mainly if it's basically, at it's very core, wrong. You didn't do this to yourself, your genes did, but you can fix it to quite an extent. I know, going to restaurants is hard now, but most are quite willing to change a dish so they don't have to throw perfectly good food out. No need to give elaborate explanations if you don't want to get into a diet-discussion. Just ask for rice, potatoes or pasta to be replaced with veg, salad, eggs, the usual stuff that won't spike you horribly. At one point I'd just order two steaks, but that was over a holiday and a bit of splashing out wasn't going to break the bank, in those pre-covid/Ukraine etc days.

These past weeks I've eaten at McDonalds a lot, being on the road more than I wanted to be, and those being readily available at every off ramp. But I usually ordered a big burger (double McTasty with bacon, dunno if that's available in the UK), and just asked them to leave the bun off. Made it a menu with mineral water and a side salad. No problem with blood sugars whatsoever. So if even a McD's can make it work, then so can other restaurants. Take heart! Oh, and if you go to a proper restaurant, a cheese platter is indeed an idea. But if you don't like those, or are lacose intolerant, or whatever, just do what the Dutch do if they want to skip dessert but want to continue with the social consuming of whatever-is-available: order a coffee.

There are work-arounds. Take it from someone who adores eating out. ;)
 
Rather than worry about explaining, tell them your body is intolerant of carbohydrates, and they cause a health issue. If you said you were gluten intolerant, everyone would accept that and even may sympathise.
Forget the gurus, or if you may be interested ask here, we don't bite, and have been through the same process ourselves.
 
It can be inherited also my mum had it my brothers have it and I got the lergy too smiles
 
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