Unfriended... because I wouldn’t do a Michael Moseley diet!

[charliebarker]

As a newcomer to this forum the information that I took and acted on has helped me so much. Being told to get a meter and test to see what effect food has on my bg and also to TRY the low carb diet has improved my life so much. I was ill because of my high bg and I was exhausted, very obese and really unable to walk very far, up stairs or uphill.

Because I found this forum and it's members I bought a meter within days of being diagnosed and one of the first meals I tested was a nice healthy wholemeal cereal and my bg was 17.9. 2 days later I had a jacket potato with beans and cheese and I can't remember how high it went but it was over 9. IF I hadn't been told about low carb'ng then I'd have been lost and wouldn't have understood what had gone wrong, I'd have been left panicking and maybe in despair. Instead I thought 'eat to your meter', you've learned something and don't eat them again. (I do love a jacket potato so might have one of those again).

IMO It's empowering to be able to make decisions about what to eat and also to see what effects those foods have. So advice that I got from forum members empowered me and it was good that I got that advice as replies to my first post as it started me getting control over my bg quickly.

hear hear!!!

 

[RFSMarch]

I discovered a new word yesterday. My partner said these people on-line are called platformers.
They want to platform their views/opinion but when you do its bullied down or treated with distain.
Was your 'friend' doing that @RFSMarch ?

Quite possibly. The ironic thing is just the day before she responded to some post I had shared from Very British Problems, but in the past (I can’t remember the circumstances) we got into a huge debate about fasting. I said quite firmly that with the job the only meal of the day I could guarantee was breakfast but that it was impossibly to integrate fasting around that because of the hours, the location, the scheduling etc... and it was just seen as an excuse not to want to lose weight!

We all know people get extremely evangelical about things that work for them.., but I was surprised by the curt ‘I’ll shut up then’ when I didn’t want to consider it again. I made the point this was NOT about weight but that fell on deaf ears. Honestly she is no loss and a throwback to the days when I used to have a “real” job.

 

[RFSMarch]

Apologies for posting on this thread. I'm not T2 nor do I do low carb.
My reason for posting though, is I believe @RFSMarch you have raised something often overlooked.
Often I see " newbies " post on the forum and the first point of contact and information is the importance of diet, usually low carb. Sadly I never see anyone actually ask questions of the newbie, no one asks about lifestyle, other conditions both mental or physical.
A 40 yr old mother of 3 teenagers ,with a BMI of 23 and working 60 hrs a week is probably going to need different dietary advice compared to a 65 yr old male, retired, living alone with a BMI of 30+.
I appreciate the same diet may work for both, but might be totally different for either to incorporate into there lives.
It needs people to be more aware of others circumstances as proven by the OP.

100% right, she is retired, lives in Luxembourg and potters about to her heart’s content, I get the same from my cousin’s husband (who thankfully is a lot more bearable) who reversed his pre-diabetes, but he is retired and bangs on at me about walking as the only legit form of exercise, when he KNOWS I have no cartilage left in my knees after years of being sporty and so I choose to combine cardio with rehab for the knees. To me ANY form of exercise that gets your heart rate elevated for at least 30 mins is exercise. And since doing more my BP came down from stratospheric to pre-high, and at the time I was also dealing with a bereavement so it was always going to be high. He is not the kind of person that goes to/enjoys the gym, so for him walking is perfect. For me it is deathly dull unless it is for a purpose, and I have no issue booking AirBnBs when I am away with a good walk to the metro and the venue.

They see the “glamour”of being on the road, press conferences with the stars. What they don’t see is long hours, trying to cram 48 hours a day into 24!!!

 

[RFSMarch]

But both if Type 2 would get great benefits by reducing their carb intake don't you think? Without knowing that the carbs have a negative impact on their blood glucose then they won't know what to do. Their doctor or DN is highly unlikely to have shared this particular nugget of info with them so that is why most of us let them know. The amount by which they reduce their carb intake is up to them but without the knowledge how can they take action?

The original post on FB was to let friends know how the blood test had gone - the first after my diagnosis. At no stage in that post had I mentioned being unhappy with my weight, or anything of that ilk, but I specifically said things had stabilized in three months. Pretty much every other friend who responded understood the purpose of the message.

She made her suggestion (which is fine), but when I pointed out to her (again) that the job means following an IM or an 8-week plan was impossible as already I would have 20 days left this year where I would be unable to follow it, she got upset and took my rebuff of her advice extremely personally. It is not like she even came back with a suggestion just to try it when I am home or use the recipes. Her assumption was .. to fix your diabetes you have to do this. To my knowledge neither her or her husband are diabetic, but they are overweight and have been for all the years I have known them.

Meanwhile the mother of a unit friend is diabetic, and she responded that stabilizing was the best start I could have made to get a handle on things and hoped it gave me the confidence to adapt, going forward. No mention of weight loss, no mention of low curbing. Just a positive reinforcement of my results.

Again it is very different to maybe coming on here (or even MFP or FB) and moaning that I have been low carbing and haven’t lost a bean yada yada. And it is not like she doesn’t knows I left the corporate world to become a sports journalist.

I mean I have said here many times that when I am home I will dip my toes far more into LC now that I have things on a more even keel. Again, I think it would be a different kettle of fish if I was steadfastly refusing to change even the smallest habit. The tweaks I have made in the last three months have been small... but significant.

Compare and contrast... spending the weekend with a friend who, when I arrived, wanted to learn more about the condition, and we found somewhere for lunch that did a full English brunch, and she walked to the store to get in bacon and eggs for breakfast tomorrow, because the croissants and pain au chocolat while lovely, is not going to be terrible healthy! I would have been perfectly happy to have them and put down the inevitable spike as a treat one-off, and now I don’t have to!

 

[Snapsy]

Compare and contrast... spending the weekend with a friend who, when I arrived, wanted to learn more about the condition, and we found somewhere for lunch that did a full English brunch, and she walked to the store to get in bacon and eggs for breakfast tomorrow, because the croissants and pain au chocolat while lovely, is not going to be terrible healthy! I would have been perfectly happy to have them and put down the inevitable spike as a treat one-off, and now I don’t have to!

She's a keeper!

I had a horrid experience on FB with someone I'd considered to be a close friend. I avoid it now.

 

[ickihun]

The disappointment when a friend or very close family member doesn't support our hard work is soul destroying, for some too.
Some need therapy.

Only a fellow diabetic could really understand the pain of managing diabetes, either type.

I had to stop shift work in the end. They just weren't compatible for me.
A very very tough job managing diabetes with staying in hotels for work and no guaranteed time for yourself.
Self time is the answer.......for me.
Without that your just muddling along.

Diabetes is an epidemic because so is shift work! We are expected to be awake or without routine food adhoc.
To be honest I liked the excitment of working such jobs but were h@ll for diabetes management....... for me.
I mourn for those exciting jobs but with 2kids now I have to be full of routine......I find it boring to be honest. I like being amongst it all. (Free).
I adore my children so do what they need, which in turn gives me routine.
Sleep is being blamed for diabetes.....I heard recently. I guess shiftwork and lack of sleep come hand in hand.

 

[RFSMarch]

The disappointment when a friend or very close family member doesn't support our hard work is soul destroying, for some too.
Some need therapy.

Only a fellow diabetic could really understand the pain of managing diabetes, either type.

I had to stop shift work in the end. They just weren't compatible for me.
A very very tough job managing diabetes with staying in hotels for work and no guaranteed time for yourself.
Self time is the answer.......for me.
Without that your just muddling along.

Diabetes is an epidemic because so is shift work! We are expected to be awake or without routine food adhoc.
To be honest I liked the excitment of working such jobs but were h@ll for diabetes management....... for me.
I mourn for those exciting jobs but with 2kids now I have to be full of routine......I find it boring to be honest. I like being amongst it all. (Free).
I adore my children so do what they need, which in turn gives me routine.
Sleep is being blamed for diabetes.....I heard recently. I guess shiftwork and lack of sleep come hand in hand.

Haha well I am screwed then because I have also just started freelance shifts as well! This is my second career, so alas I do not have the flexibility of changing jobs again. So I will just find a way to manage, and actually will be piloting the cup soup option that I think will save my skin in a couple of tournaments for sure. Looking at YOU, Indian Wells!

 

[ickihun]

Haha well I am screwed then because I have also just started freelance shifts as well! This is my second career, so alas I do not have the flexibility of changing jobs again. So I will just find a way to manage, and actually will be piloting the cup soup option that I think will save my skin in a couple of tournaments for sure. Looking at YOU, Indian Wells!

You have my full admiration. Can I tag you if another poster struggles to get good control in similiar circumstances? I admire your ability to get good results in 3 mths with all your work commitments. It is very very good. Neither wonder you wanted to share it with your friends on fb.
Well done @RFSMarch . I'm impressed.
A great role model, for sure.
Keep us updated with any developments on cup-a-soup changes and what other foods helped in such difficult circumstances.
Do you chose low carb in a 3-5 course hotel meal?
I know a few threads requesting help to chose better when out for a luxurious meal. (In hotels or expensive restaurants.)
Maybe you could help when the query arises again?

We all help each other here. We all have valuable input to offer.
Please share.

 

[RFSMarch]

You have my full admiration. Can I tag you if another poster struggles to get good control in similiar circumstances? I admire your ability to get good results in 3 mths with all your work commitments. It is very very good. Neither wonder you wanted to share it with your friends on fb.
Well done @RFSMarch . I'm impressed.
A great role model, for sure.
Keep us updated with any developments on cup-a-soup changes and what other foods helped in such difficult circumstances.
Do you chose low carb in a 3-5 course hotel meal?
I know a few threads requesting help to chose better when out for a luxurious meal. (In hotels or expensive restaurants.)
Maybe you could help when the query arises again?

We all help each other here. We all have valuable input to offer.
Please share.

Thank you for your kinds words, and absolutely tag me. I am only in the hotel in Singa for a couple of days and then staying with friends for the rest of the stay. She is super healthy so if I am at the apartment for lunch (and not grabbing some sightseeing time before the tournament matches start in the evening) I am sure it will be all pretty good wholesome stuff.

Next year at IW, I want to stay in an AirBnB with friends who can DRIVE me to a grocery store oherwise it will just be the Best Western so it will be either yoghurt or bacon & eggs in the morning, and then everything else will be on site.

By my reckoning - next year's agenda:
Australian Open (AirBnB, good media restaurant/local places to buy stuff)
Indian Wells (Either AirBnB with friends, Hotel, breakfast only, cup-soups and then more expensive options in evening on credential)
Stuttgart (Hotel or AirBnB - All meals at venue, good choices)
Madrid - AirBnB, cup soup could be an issue because the entire country is devoid of kettles! Tournament director often gives me restaurant vouchers, concessions all unhealthy)
Roland Garros - AirBnB - restaurant horrible, nice staff Epicerie and cafe bar, bit carb heavy but cup-soups and sushi
Birmingham - AirBnB - plates of sandwiches for media and concessions a disaster so cup-soups to the rescue
Eastbourne - AirBnB - meal tickets and some healthy choices - cup-soups at the ready and we usually eat out as a bunch at the Belgian cafe!
Wimbledon - generous on credential and decent restaurant
Montreal - Probably Airbnb, no idea what they have as it will be a first application
Cincinnati - Hotel so breakfast (bacon/eggs or yoghurt) - 50% food card, sushi and gumbo (!) and we tend to eat/drink out extremely late as a group so cupsoups a must
Singapore - last year of the tournament, stay with friends, decent catering but cup-soups for rescue
O2 London, decent caterers, soups, decent food and (yuk) salads

 

[Fleegle]

But both if Type 2 would get great benefits by reducing their carb intake don't you think? Without knowing that the carbs have a negative impact on their blood glucose then they won't know what to do. Their doctor or DN is highly unlikely to have shared this particular nugget of info with them so that is why most of us let them know. The amount by which they reduce their carb intake is up to them but without the knowledge how can they take action?

Yes - give everyone lots of advice - no one has to take it and everyone can do their own research. It took me about four hours to read enough threads to get an idea of where to start and only the reader can decide whether the advice will work for them.

The real danger is the responder to the newbie post decides that the advice they would normally give is not relevant due to some pre-perceived demographics. No - that is in the hand of the newbie to decide.

 

[ickihun]

Yes that's right. No gps give this advice because the nhs hasnt the resources.
Most gp nurses just go through the motions. Only recently are more and more becoming diabetic themselves. In early stages metformin carried me along and I was truely oblivious to the risks. They were just words on an info leaflet, for me.
I'm so delighted to be part of an on-line forum which CAN help more.
Very proud.
Unfortunately I haven't yet come across anything close on fb. Even forum places snippets which direct them to forum. Fb is social media and goid as what they do but this forum far out and more than matches fbs interest. Ok not per member, nor reader but per diabetic.
This forum is the platform of more genuine experience and compassion. Hopefully always will.

Sorry fb but stick to social media as your not that good at looking after diabetics.

 

[Alison Campbell]

I think this post says it all, you can be passionate and share what worked for you but don't get upset if someone does not take up your advice and respect them as adults that know and will find their own way.

 

[James2]

i love it when the trash takes itself out on Facebook. For the second time someone decided to ‘tell’ me how I should be managing my life. I have explained before that with the job fasting is just not feasible, and low carb will be challenging enough when I am away, and I am away pretty much every month in the year.

The assumption that the only thing I want to do is lose weight fast drives me crackers! I had already lost a lot of weight rather rapidly before my diagnosis so the last three months had been all about stabilising my bloods and getting everything down from high!

So some former work colleague decided that I was obviously no longer worth knowing if I didn’t do what worked for them. Good riddance, I say. This year has been difficult enough with sudden bereavements, this condition and travelling here, there and everywhere, without having someone sulking because I don’t want to buy the blood sugar diet where, honestly... there are as good if not better lower carb recipes pretty much everywhere on the net.

Why does it always come down to “my way of losing weight is the best so just do it” when actually my focus was more on getting my BG, BP and cholesterol down and if any pounds came off, then great but if not, it was no disaster.

Rant over.

dear woodywhippet61
i am sorry to hear you have had this experience , we are all different and we also finds things that work for us and we all will have different priorities.
there is no one size fits all , This is tough enough without this
for me it has been a process of learning trial and error, i love oranges but they send my sugars through the roof i dont have the willpower to just have a few segments but the market mandarins and half of one causes a slight rise but not off the scale like an orange
best wishes
jAMES2

 

[RFSMarch]

By the way I am not sorry at all I had this experience. Over the years and especially this year I have happily culled a load of people who have shown their true colors in a variety of scenarios. I see this as another scenario that tests their mettle. Like I said... it’s great when Facebook trash takes itself out. Very much their loss. I have great friends who are nothing but supportive, and I have learned so much already just being in this forum.

 

[julie56]

I think this forum is wonderful, full of great and diverse advice. We are all different and we have to experiment and pick and choose how we wish to approach reaching our goal. I started with low gi soon after finding the eatwell plate was more unhealthy than the food I was eating prior to my diagnosis. I slowly came round the the idea of low carbing, which certainly helped with bg levels, but as they started to creep up again I increased the fat and went lower carb. However, I then had a heart attack in June this year and was then given a whole load of new diet advice (help!!). I am now keeping to a reasonably low carb diet but not going mad on the fat - more on the line of a meditteranean diet and if my bgs don't improve then I am prepared to go on the next medication to try and sort it out. By the way, I am active and have lost over 3 stones in weight - now have a bmi of 20.3 and do not wish to lose any more weight as I am now a size 10 (was a 14). I do get frustrated that I haven't "reversed" my diabetes - but it seems it may not always be possible and finding a balance in life is just as important. I think it is wonderful for those who have found a way that works for them and, of course, they wish to share the reasons for their success with other members in the hope that it will work for them too (and I am sure for a lot of people it will work). However, you should never be castigated for trying what may be right for you.

 

[Bill_Tanner]

I have fairly fixed views on the eating regime I follow it suits me my personality and style of life no doubt at odds with many. So I won't even expand on my chosen way.. Everyone has their own circumstances to consider and while welcoming opinion and information each to their own