Type 2s - what do you think caused your diabetes?

[Brunneria]

Absolutely. My maternal grandmother developed it in her early 40's and apparently she was slightly curvy but certainly not overweight. But I can only surmise that the huge amount of rubbish I was eating was my cause.

Or your need/desire for the huge amount of rubbish was a symptom of glucose tolerance issues, leading to carb cravings and binge eating.

Been there, done that.

And in my case, the cravings and binge eating was definitely a consequence, not the cause.
I know this because as soon as I reduced my carb intake below an almost magical number, the cravings all disappear.
As soon as I get above that above that magic number, the cravings all reappear.

It is just unfortunate for me that my personal magic number is low enough that a 'normal' uk diet trips my switch.

 

[Brunneria]

Maybe it's whatever you manage to convince yourself your personal 'forbidden food' is, and your mind takes it from there.

Your body works differently from mine.
You have had success with low calorie diets, fat restriction and exercise.
If such simplistic tactics had worked with me then I would probably have been slim, with normal glucose tolerance since the 80s.
I would probably also have your attitude.

However, experience has taught me to have a more open mind.

 

[pavlovsdog]

I agree @Brunneria. Since gaining weight I have tried all kinds of diets which have been successful for a while but then failed due to hunger/cravings and binging. Since reducing carbs these feelings have dissipated, I can only eat so much and I don't feel hungry

 

[douglas99]

Your body works differently from mine.
You have had success with low calorie diets, fat restriction and exercise.
If such simplistic tactics had worked with me then I would probably have been slim, with normal glucose tolerance since the 80s.
I would probably also have your attitude.

However, experience has taught me to have a more open mind.

Indeed, as you say, my body, and mind, is certainly different, I guess?
I really have had excellent success from a restrained eating habit.

I appreciate you have an open mind to your un- restricted eating, and as you say for HF.
I've tried all diets, including a brief period of LCHF.
Unrestricted fat doesn't seem to hit it off with me.
It wasn't really my mind, more my digestive tract.
But I certainly see how fat can be very addictive for me, without restraint in my diet.
Been there, done that.

Maybe the unrestrained idea of simply finding a diet that lets me eat fat, in an uncontrolled amount isn't for me.
I can see the amount of calories in a plateful of food, and balance them against the energy expenditure I will envisage doing.

So I can keep a mental tab, and work my diet out as a long term goal.
But , as you say, it does require some personal restrictions, and a balance against the exercise.

Not for all.

We're all different, and we need to find the diet that suits us, and get the results we want, the way we can.

But, I've also said, my past diet was bad, and maybe I can build on that to improve my diet now, so that works for me, and I can work the restraint in to my lifestyle.
I'm also a very simple person

 

[zand]

Personally I don't find unrestricted fat addictive at all. It was the carbs that were addictive and therefore fat with carbs was not a good idea because it simply made the bland carbs taste better and made me eat more of them. However fat without the carbs hasn't been a problem for me at all.

 

[AndBreathe]

It's interesting how we all have a different view., and different reactions.
I can pick up and put down carbs at will.

But, fat seems to be more addictive, particularly a mega bag of pork scratchings.
Then again, I have no issue with that particularly, as I'll just eat less over the next few days, so even gorging out on fat isn't a major issue to me.
(I'm eating cheese as we speak, so I'll be on the scales again soon )

Maybe it's whatever you manage to convince yourself your personal 'forbidden food' is, and your mind takes it from there.

Douglas - I agree we are all different.

To be absolutely clear here; I am not saying we should censor what we say or do, nor what we report on here, but, I do think we have to consider how some of all of our statements are being viewed - particularly by those who are either new or particularly struggling with their regime. You also seem to believe that your pre-diagnosis lifestyle was a significant factor in your journey to diabetes, but it's not always that straighforward for others.

Personally, I also appear to be able to tolerate some carbs, well. Last night we had sausages with mash and onion gravy for dinner - we just needed something simple (that didn't include turkey!). I was 3.9, but felt like I was dropping fast before eating and 4.3 after, so clearly I didn't have any issues with the food, but I am mindful that I have given myself a decent year of strict control before much experimenting, and I certainly wouldn't encourage anyone, who hasn't achieved a decent (undefined) period of good control, to go off-piste, with the "baddies". Actually, I still haven't eaten the chocolate eclair/profiteroles I regularly promise myself, because when it comes to it, I simply don't really want or need them. I have some quality profiteroles in the freezer, so can act on a whim, if necessary. It just hasn't felt necessary.

Personally, I wouldn't be too thrilled by some of your "after" consumption figures, but that's me, and you might see that as frailty of mind, but, I don't actually care.

I think it's great there have been a number of successful approaches on these boards, I'm not in the ultra LCHF, or any other camp, but I would ask you to consider how you express yourself sometimes.

@vit90 - I apologise if you feel I have derailed this thread, but I couldn't sit on my hands any longer.

 

[douglas99]

4.3 after a plateful of carby mash and onion gravy?
To be honest if someone new was posting those figures, I'd be more worried over such a low number, or if they were posted as a target to newbies even, as they are startlingly low, and very much out of the bottom of my comfort zone.

Maybe my previous amount of food ingested was part of my problem, maybe it wasn't.
Certainly, my restricted intake is part of my answer, so I don't think it hurts to see both sides of the coin.
And you're right here, we shouldn't censor people from admitting what they did before they were diagnosed, that was the question raised in this thread.
As you say we're all different, we didn't all get diabetes the same way.

 

[douglas99]

Personally I don't find unrestricted fat addictive at all. It was the carbs that were addictive and therefore fat with carbs was not a good idea because it simply made the bland carbs taste better and made me eat more of them. However fat without the carbs hasn't been a problem for me at all.

I think you are absolutely right with this.
The combination of fats and carbs seem to trigger a response in me to simply keep eating, that either in isolation doesn't.

 

[jack412]

thanks, but I think I'll take notice of an expert
Dr Eric C. Westman, MD and president elect of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (weight loss doctors), has 15 years of experience helping patients lose weight and improve their health using low carb. He has also helped do several high-quality scientific studies on low carb.

"Don't do low fat " @4.00 minutes into video

 

[AndBreathe]

4.3 after a plateful of carby mash and onion gravy?
To be honest if someone new was posting those figures, I'd be more worried over such a low number, or if they were posted as a target to newbies even, as they are startlingly low, and very much out of the bottom of my comfort zone.

Maybe my previous amount of food ingested was part of my problem, maybe it wasn't.
Certainly, my restricted intake is part of my answer, so I don't think it hurts to see both sides of the coin.
And you're right here, we shouldn't censor people from admitting what they did before they were diagnosed, that was the question raised in this thread.
As you say we're all different, we didn't all get diabetes the same way.

I don't believe I have ever, knowingly, suggested anyone follow "my way" of doing things; aside from reducing carb intake, where they evidence consuming high carb levels. Indeed, if I suggest a way forward, I am more likely to link to others than myself, as I believe my approach has always been somewhat hybrid, due to circumstances, location and a myriad of other factors. In fact, mainly I will just post the target numbers from this website.

My numbers are low, and indeed sometimes very low indeed, but I am not someone new, and my signature details suggest I have been around a little while, trying to find my own way forward. As I feel and function well at those numbers, I don't see any point trying to push them up to mean anyone else's perceived "perfection". There are quite a number of us who return numbers like my own, but maybe I'm more "visible" on the forum than some of the others.

 

[cairnlady]

No family history of diabetes. Slightly overweight with a fondness for chocolate! No symptons when diagnosed. Had underactive thyroid since 1991.
However, worked in a stressful job (now retired). Eleven years ago Dr stopped me having HR tablets for menopausal sympton that had been on for over five years, my skin broke out in a rash that was eventually diagnosed as Nodular Purigo (now almost gone) and was on steroids for 6 weeks and amoxillin for two weeks for some of rash being infected. Six weeks later had severe jaundice and liver shut down taking longer to regenerate than should have done but did so thank goodness. Consultant decided the amoxilin had caused liver problem. can never have penicillin again.
Couple of years later was classed as prediabetic, then few years after that T2!

So cannot say what caused the diabetes - as Dr about the liver event and was told no connection!

 

[Daphne917]

Grandfather, mother and brother all had/has T2 therefore I think my genes have something to do with it. In addition my reading on diagnosis was 6.8 which you could argue was still prediabetic but went up to 7.2 when I started taking statins so I'm wondering if that had any bearing particularly since coming off statins my latest hba1c was 42. I was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism last year. Although boh my brother and I are overweight the ironic thing is that our sister, who is bigger than both of us passes her diabetes and cholesterol blood tests with flying colours. I am therefore of the opinion that luck, albeit sometimes bad, has a lot to do with it!

 

[douglas99]

I don't believe I have ever, knowingly, suggested anyone follow "my way" of doing things; aside from reducing carb intake, where they evidence consuming high carb levels. Indeed, if I suggest a way forward, I am more likely to link to others than myself, as I believe my approach has always been somewhat hybrid, due to circumstances, location and a myriad of other factors. In fact, mainly I will just post the target numbers from this website.

My numbers are low, and indeed sometimes very low indeed, but I am not someone new, and my signature details suggest I have been around a little while, trying to find my own way forward. As I feel and function well at those numbers, I don't see any point trying to push them up to mean anyone else's perceived "perfection". There are quite a number of us who return numbers like my own, but maybe I'm more "visible" on the forum than some of the others.

It's an interesting point you make, particularly as it does indeed suggest the cause, and indeed the type of type 2 diabetes may be a different and varying beast to some of us.
And the way our bodies react will indeed be different in individual cases.
As you have a very similar HbA1C to me, and consistently so for a similar amount of time, the fact we both have wildly varying spot levels suggests a larger range variance. (Well, I do, yours seem consistently low)
Your 5.1 HbA1c, would imply an average of 5.6%. So clearly, regular readings of 3 and 4's suggest something else could be happening somewhere. But just my opinion.
My 5.3 seems to equate to an average of 5.9. and I like to think this does actually closely track to my reported ranged of occasional 4's to 7's, but then I do chase the high readings on my meter, and do tend to test when I suspect my readings will be maxing out.

Probably not entirely what caused my diabetes then, but certainly with hindsight, I suspect it's very relevant to my particular story of what the solution to it was, and I do believe altering my calorie intake was helpful, particularly with respect to how my BG seems to track my calories now, but still keeping within the 'normal' range. (Mostly )


http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

 

[Pasha]

Just another aspect of metabolic syndrome ? at least thats what I think.

 

[Disky]

Actually have thought about this as there is no family history.

I used to NEVER have breakfast, had fast food for lunch or skipped that also, high pressure job (driving instructor) and not getting evening meal until 10pm sometimes, and at least twice a week it would be a take away

 

[Brunneria]

Actually have thought about this as there is no family history.

I used to NEVER have breakfast, had fast food for lunch or skipped that also, high pressure job (driving instructor) and not getting evening meal until 10pm sometimes, and at least twice a week it would be a take away

I think that missing breakfast (for years) was a large contributing factor.
Of maybe it was that my lack of appetite for breakfast set me up for liver dumps and increased BG control stress.

I will never know.

But I wonder if things would have been different (even a little) if I had eaten breakfast.

 

[sammy1998]

Being overweight for a long time, odd family members have it as well

 

[douglas99]

Missing breakfast, then (over)eating in the evening probably didn't help me either.

And I've just realised, I am slipping back into it this holiday, it's lunchtime now, and I've forgotten to eat yet, so a definite effort will be needed next week, when normally is hopefully re-introduced.

 

[pavlovsdog]

Missing breakfast, then (over)eating in the evening probably didn't help me either.

And I've just realised, I am slipping back into it this holiday, it's lunchtime now, and I've forgotten to eat yet, so a definite effort will be needed next week, when normally is hopefully re-introduced.

I think that's a really good point @douglas99. I tend to not eat much during the day when I'm off, the structure of working at least helps me organise my diet better.