T2 in the family. What are my chances

[marcmercier1]

Hey everyone, glad to be a part of this online community. I joined to interact with everyone and support my mother as uch as possible. Mom was diagnosed a years ago at 52, it's very common on her side of the family. We are all extremely active people but nutrition habits need to improve. Of course i'm on here mostly for Tina but I'd also like to pick up habits that will give me the best chances to avoid T2

 

[GrantGam]

Hey everyone, glad to be a part of this online community. I joined to interact with everyone and support my mother as uch as possible. Mom was diagnosed a years ago at 52, it's very common on her side of the family. We are all extremely active people but nutrition habits need to improve. Of course i'm on here mostly for Tina but I'd also like to pick up habits that will give me the best chances to avoid T2

You have a very positive attitude, both towards your own health and also that of you Mum's

If genetics is a big part then you can't avoid the possibility of developing T2 entirely. That's unfortunately a factor well out with our control... What you can do though is the two following things which will help you so much in stemming/completely avoiding T2 diabetes (outwith genetic predisposition):

-Diet
-Exercise

It sounds so simple, but for a lot of us - it's not so easy to exercise as much as possible and eat the right things. It's human nature really...

Exercise is self explanatory in its own right, you simply can't get enough exercise! As for diet, well that's a fairly complex matter. Many pre-diabetics, diabetics and those in fear of developing diabetes, tend to follow a reduced carbohydrate intake, sometimes supplemented with higher levels of fat providing that they are reducing their carbohydrate intake drastically.

You may want to check out the LCHF (low carb high fat) section of the forum to see what you think and speak to those with T2 who are managing their condition very well on that approach.

I don't entirely support the LCHF approach, but prefer more of a moderate carb dietary approach. But as a T1 my needs are slightly different, as are my needs through the lifestyle I live. What I do know for a fact however, is that LCHF diets seem to be working wonders for many T2 diabetics who control their condition through diet and exercise.

Further to LCHF diets, there are also high fibre and low GI approaches that work equally as well. You may want to look into those too.

Good luck to you
Grant

 

[Art Of Flowers]

It is possible for many people to reverse Type 2 Diabetes by adoption the Low Carb High Fat diet. If you watch the video by Sarah Hallberg, she explains how it works.

 

[Resurgam]

Although I was only diagnosed last November, I thought that I had no symptoms of diabetes, but since going back to low carbing I now am thinking - oh - that's gone. Plus I feel a lot younger. I have low carbed for a long time, but met a lot of opposition from my doctors.
I was a fully fledged diabetic, now my numbers are just under the diagnostic level - and annoyingly my cholesterol has improved from those I was getting on the cholesterol lowering diet I started almost two years ago.
I suspect that I have been close to diabetic for a very long time, but the low carbing stopped it being as bad as it might have been. If I'd stuck to doing Atkins I'd be a lot better off. I was really ill during my second pregnancy, 30 years ago, but went back to low carbing and got better in a week.
I find that eating low carb is easy, and enjoyable, not like any other diet I have tried

 

[Alison Campbell]

Hi @marcmercier1 welcome to the forum. My grandmother was and my dad is type 1/lada. I never made the effort to really learn about diabetes and thought if it happens it happens.

I never saw type 2 coming although luckily I was caught early on the borderline between normal and prediabetes 6 years ago.

I have no idea of your chances but to help your mum and for prevention try to learn as much as possible about diabetes, don't miss check ups and get and compare your test results.

 

[marcmercier1]

It is possible for many people to reverse Type 2 Diabetes by adoption the Low Carb High Fat diet. If you watch the video by Sarah Hallberg, she explains how it works.

Thank you so much!! I'll be sure to watch it when I get home

 

[Prem51]

Hi @marcmercier1 and welcome to the forum. My mother was diagnosed as T2 in her 50s and my family is from South Asia so more genetically predisposed to T2 diabetes. So I was aware that I was in high risk categories.
When I was working I did exercise regularly, in the gym at work and by walking 3 miles to work every day. But after I retired I turned into a couch potato and ate more sweet sugary stuff as I had time on my hands. And I was going to the pub most nights for a meal and 3-4 pints of beer. Which caused me to put on weight mainly around my middle, and then the T2 diagnosis.

You have done well to recognise you are at risk at an early age. You need to keep your guard up and avoid becoming diabetic by controlling your weight by diet and exercise. A lot of us on here control our T2 by adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating. Have a read round the threads and ask any questions you want, the people on here are friendly and supportive.