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Reversal of T2 by Vegan Diet


Fortunately I don't have a starvation mode.
 

Yes, I have often likened it to being on a seesaw - where the most challenging thing is finding out where your personal tipping point on the fat v carbs seesaw is...

Don't worry, I didn't take what you said as criticism - nowadays I just get wary whenever people start throwing 'calorie theory' around. Mainly because the people who get the calorie ideology shoved at them the most (serial dieters, menopausal women, etc) are the ones who have been testing the calorie theory on their own bodies, for decades, and have found that it doesn't work.

I will shut up now.

(and apologies to you, @seadragon if your comment was not aimed at me - I have several people on ignore at the moment, and have just noticed that there are gaps in this thread for posts I cannot see so if you were replying to someone else, please disregard my comment!)
 
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No it wasn't aimed at you but no worries. After extensive reading I am very much of the opinion that calories in being less than calories out does not necessarily lead to weight loss nor vice versa - although I would have very much believed that a year ago. I know the LCHF diet works for many including me (especially if carbs are below the apparently magic 10% of intake) but was surprised to read on Phoenix' link about the success of some on the opposite of high carb low fat (but I still can't believe that is the best way for diabetics). Anyway I'll take my 9kg weight loss and much lowered BGs and run.
Good luck to everyone on their quest for what works for them.
 
SunnyExpat said:
Fortunately I don't have a starvation mode.
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Didn't you say earlier that you weren't losing weight even on less calories in than out - and you are starving - seems like that would be starvation mode no? Did I misunderstand your earlier post?
 
seadragon said:
Didn't you say earlier that you weren't losing weight even on less calories in than out - and you are starving - seems like that would be starvation mode no? Did I misunderstand your earlier post?
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No, I lose weight when I eat less calories, I gain weight when I eat more.
Very consistent, very predictable, it doesn't matter if the calories are fat, carbs, or protein, they all make no gain weight beyond my personal threshold.
However, fat doesn't make me satiated, I could keep eating way beyond the point where I should stop.

My metabolism doesn't change, I don't have a starvation gene, when I eat again, my weight will still start to rise, (or fall), at my consistent calorie tipping point.
 
Don't forget that carbs will increase blood sugar whereas fats will only by small amounts, hence for many of us as diabetics it makes sense to go towards reducing the carbs rather than fats even if the weight effect for you is the same.
 
Daibell said:
Don't forget that carbs will increase blood sugar whereas fats will only by small amounts, hence for many of us as diabetics it makes sense to go towards reducing the carbs rather than fats even if the weight effect for you is the same.
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That wasn't the question in this thread though.
It was for a response from those that did a vegan diet to reverse T2.

I did actually do a very low fat,vegetable based diet, I won't claim it was entirely vegan, but it was lacking in fat.
It was reduced calorie, as I know personally, if my calories go up, I don't lose weight.
Fat has twice the calories of the carbs in veg, so for a low calorie diet, leaving out fat is a no brainer.
I lost weight on this diet, so for me, it was a very good result. I kept my calories lower, my BG was good, my weight went down, and my insulin resistance shows a marked improvement still.
I won't claim to have 'reversed' T2, maybe I need to lose more weight, but I do have normal HBA1C, and fasting level in the 5's.
However, unless I exercise, I do see spikes from 'bad' carbs, (bad meaning those which predictably give me high readings on my meter), but these do fall reasonably well.

All carbs are by no means the same, to me.
 
All Carbs Are Not Equal. I seem gradually to have become unable to eat processed carbs yet stuff myself with non starchy veg to the point that yes I have consumed more than the 9g in that toddler size corn snack.
 
Celeriac said:
All Carbs Are Not Equal. I seem gradually to have become unable to eat processed carbs yet stuff myself with non starchy veg to the point that yes I have consumed more than the 9g in that toddler size corn snack.
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I'm the same way. I can eat cabbage by the head which has a surprisingly amount of carbs but low cals - 50g of carbs should be 50g no matter what food. But because of the fiber or low calorie density, my BG rises normally and falls quickly too.

If I eat a hunk of cheese before bed, my FBG is much higher in the am unless I give myself insulin. Eating veggie snack ( or 2 cups of popped popcorn ) before bed FBG on average is much lower
 
I think it's something like 7% of the protein consumed is used for muscle growth and repair etc and the excess as runner2009 says can be turned into glucose. If unused it gets stored as fat. Protein takes longer to digest than carbs though so a rise in BG is much slower. Lots of T1s bolus insulin for protein.

Beans. pulses, legumes - they are all pretty carby. They do supply amino acids but they're obviously deficient in fat soluble minerals. It's quite possible to be an obese vegan if you eat a lot of bread, beans, pasta, muesli with carby fake milks, starchy root veg and vegan cupcakes for example.
 
Celeriac said:
It's quite possible to be an obese vegan if you eat a lot of bread, beans, pasta, muesli with carby fake milks, starchy root veg and vegan cupcakes for example.
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The old 80/20 rule takes over:

Being overweight = ( (laws of thermodynamics )* .8) + ((individual variations )*.2)

For me veggie diet with minimum processed foods such as bread and pasta and low natural fats makes difficult to over eat at anyone time thus my BG is better overall and my weight is lower also keeping better BG control with less insulin
 
Celeriac said:
I think it's something like 7% of the protein consumed is used for muscle growth and repair etc and the excess as runner2009 says can be turned into glucose.
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No, typically much more than 7% of protein intake is used that way. What I think is probably confusing you here is that for an average person about 7% or 8% minimum of their calorie intake needs to be protein because it's used for those vital functions.

This really is a minimum and very active people need more. And of course that function of protein (cell repair) is so critically important to our health that no one recommends this minimum as the actual daily intake, so most of us will (quite rightly) eat around double that minimum.

This of course means that typically we have about 50% of our protein intake not needed for cell repair and available to be converted to glucose for energy. Hope that makes sense.
 
I can imagine that a zero fat diet will cause enough weight loss to unblock those beta cells
SunnyExpat said:
I can only lose weight by eating less.
The balance doesn't really come into it for me, in fact I lose more weight on low fat, low calorie, I increase the fat to maintain my weight.
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Low fat, low calorie, low carb and exercise. Weight comes off quickly at first but then the rate slows down.

But patience is a virtue here. As a diabetic you're in it for the long duration, not just trying to get in shape for a holiday.

I find cooking curbs hunger pangs. The act of preparing food seems to take your mind off it. Mind you, it doesn't work if you're making rhubarb crumble and custard!
 

That is very true.
If I feel hungry, I usually start to prepare the meal as well. Then I have a target point to focus on, and can manage not to eat until meal times.
 
 
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