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

[RFSMarch]

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.

 

[ickihun]

Name and shame?
How dare anyone try and bully you into something you have clearly said no too.

I hope it hasn't put you off from one day trying less carbs/low carb.

I wish you every success getting your levels right.
Have a look in successes if you hit a difficult patch? That will be my only suggestion as it sounds like your determined to get your levels right anyway.

Good luck.
We are here for you, unlike the dum facebook friend.

 

[RFSMarch]

Name and shame?
How dear anyone try and bully you into something you have clearly said no too.

I hope it hasn't put you off from one day trying less carbs/low carb.

I wish you every success getting your levels right.
Have a look in successes if you hit a difficult patch? That will be my only suggestion as it sounds like your determined to get your levels right anyway.

Good luck.
We are here for you, unlike the dum facebook friend.

Hahah no I firmly believe Friend come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Guess our season was up!

And it definitely won’t be deterring me from trying to cook at the very least a low carb meal most evenings once I get back from latest travels. I am embracing my self imposed age of austerity this week and eating my way through the freezer so that I don’t leave tons of perishables in the bin while I am away as our dopey binmen tend to leave bins in the middle of the road to collect so if mine sits there in its ownsome for 10 days that is not great!!

I guess what was really frustrating was it was in response to a post where I had said that moving from high GI food to medium and low GI foods had made a real difference in my levels, cholesterol was normal, and BP was getting there. At no stage in the post did I moan about not having lost weight as had been told to stabilise that sudden weight drop prior to getting the first bloods done. I wasn’t even asking about low carb!

I know plenty of people on MFP who want me to try Intermittant fasting but it just cannot work at a tournament. I have been amassing a ton of LC recipes so as soon as I get back I am jumping in and where I am not on a sports desk shift, I am aiming to have 2 meals a day and sticking to my berries and Greek yoghurt for brekkie.

I aim to adapt to my circs. I have some lowish carb cup soups (9.5g per serving) from Waitrose that I am going to pilot in Singapore and I have my eye on using those in Indian Wells and Madrid for sure next season.

 

[ickihun]

Oh the ignorance of fb strikes again!

We need to teach kids how to manage ignorance. So many teenagers especially are soooo influenced by it.

I've heard fb is becoming unpopular with the kids coming up, so hopefully only trolls will be sending ridiculous posts.
I stick to school friends and a selected few on my account. If I don't befriend then your no friend of mine. Simple!

My partner calls fb the brag-athon e- book. Mostly fictional for some twisted minded posters. As when he posts the truth no one of his old friends believes him. His life is a fairytale to some but been a horror for us. We've adapted, we've had too.
Theres always someone out there upset when they see you happy - on facebook. I find that strange considering they are suppose to be friends.
They get unfriended by me! I try to be particular in chosing my 'friends'.

 

[Guzzler]

We all have to find our own path and make adaptations to fit our individual circumstances. Your priorities are sound, getting your numbers down and stabilised is the most important so, as you say, the weight issue is secondary and let's face it, many people find that good numbers result in weight loss anyway.
The person who unfreinded you is the loser because his/her mind is closed off to the concept of individuality. You've lost nothing. Good luck on your travels both physically and figuratively.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

That's a coincidence since I have been writing elsewhere and I said that the biggest experts on diabetes are the people that don't have it themselves but seem to know exactly what I am doing wrong.

 

[ickihun]

That's a coincidence since I have been writing elsewhere and I said that the biggest experts on diabetes are the people that don't have it themselves but seem to know exactly what I am doing wrong.

My sister is critising her mother-in-law who has had bariatric surgery. My sister is apparently watching everything she eats. Poor woman. My sister needs bariatric surgery too but is too scared to admit her obesity is making her depression worse. Luckily she isn't diabetic.
I dislike critisism from people who wouldnt understand it even if you put it in baby talk. Her poor M-I-L is a lovely woman and has done her weight loss programme all on her own. No support from my sister, that's evident.

 

[ickihun]

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 ?

 

[RosieLKH]

I guess diabetes is very much NOT a one size fits all thing. We all react differently to different drugs, foods, other illnesses like colds, stress - well life really. So we all have to find our own special path, with the kindness of others who have gone before sharing what worked for them, on the understanding it might not end up being our way.

I have 2 Slimming World sisters, and I dog walk with yet more Slimming World friends. My sisters have been going to SW for about ten years - losing and gaining the same weight. They can't understand that, even though I a very obese, my main aim is to control my BS, with the added advantage that the weight is slowly coming down on a low carb diet. I've stuck to it, mostly, for a few years now. I've lost 4 stone since my heaviest point, which was heading towards the 20s. I can do it this way, where I've never managed to keep doing it any other way, but they still question me not having pasta, or other stuff they can have, yet I might have cream in my coffee and biggest sin, I buy whole milk and butter.

I do have trouble with travel though. When faced with French bread and cider in Brittany, I crumbled completely. After 3 weeks there I came home to find my DN had called me in for an Hba1c. I'm sure you can guess what we found. Yes, it had gone up a bit. I argued I could get it back down now I was home, but the DN has started talking about different drugs, which I don't want. I've just given blood for a kidney function test, but I don't like the sound of the drug she's suggesting, so we'll argue that out when she come back from her holiday. I wonder what her HBa1c will be like?

 

[Brunneria]

I find the belief that weight loss is a greater goal than blood glucose control is the biggest concern.

There are plenty of people out there who are T2 who may be able to get non-diabetic blood glucose if they lose fat from their livers and pancreases. That is a different thing from subcutaneous fat (which has more impact on insulin resistance, so it IS relevant, but not for the reasons these know-it-alls think). Having said that there are also cohorts of T2s* who have other things going on who will not necessarily manage to 'reverse' by losing subcutaneous or don't have visceral fat.

There are also many, many of us T2s who can get non-diabetic blood glucose with diet and/or exercise and no weight loss at all.

I think - at root - this focus on Slim-Is-Right is just another way for people to judge each other. And if someone is of a judgemental frame of mind, then fat-shaming and fat-bullying is a easy, socially 'acceptable' way of doing it.

*I think there are a lot of people lumped in the T2 designation whose diabetic blood glucose readings are due to other things than visceral fat and subcutaneous fat induced insulin resistance.

 

[oh_dear_me]

Oh goodness I have the same thing. My mother seems to be in a weight loss competition with me that I didn't realise we were having! I have lost a stone and a bit low carbing but now have a bmi of 23 I'm happy with that. It's my blood sugars I'm concerned about! My mother however is constantly going on about eating low fat food even though I keep telling her it's the carbs that are the problem. If we eat out she likes to make sure I (and everyone around us) have seen all the LOW FAT choices and to make sure I chose one of those....sigh.......
My mother in law won't stop going on and on and on about weight causing type 2 at every conceivable moment she gets!
Pretty fed up with it all right now but what can you do....I'm having enough battles with this without them.
I shall plod on in my own merry way with a fixed smile on my face!

 

[kokhongw]

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.

If it is any consolation...I have not lost any weight after 2 years of carbs lite fats friendly diet and regular intermittent fasting...I only managed to keep my HbA1c around 5.5%...but I am happy with that...

Basically there is the assumption that weight loss = fats loss....but that is not always true...

 

[serenity648]

I think, in my case, people have been brainwashed into believing that if i lose weight, I wont be diabetic. And that diabetes is caused by weight gain. Which, as we know on these boards, is not accurate. The fact that I am controlling my blood sugar levels to virtually normal levels seems irrelevant to them. They just see the excess weight and think that loss is the one and only method of control.

Nowadays i just tell that them when they get their Harley Street consulting rooms as qualified diabetic experts, let me know. Until than, I am the only expert in the room lol

 

[therower]

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.

 

[bulkbiker]

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+.

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?

 

[therower]

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?

They may or may not benefit from reducing carbs. My point is they both live vastly different lifestyles with different challenges.
Assuming that someone can just offer advice regarding diet is wrong, you need to know the full circumstances before giving advice.
Example the elderly gentleman in my post. He may be eating 300g carbs daily and has been since his wife of 40 yrs passed away 5 yrs ago. Having someone tell him to reduce his carb intake to below 50 g daily probably isn't going to cut much ice with him. He needs more than dietary advice. People on this forum and elsewhere should ask questions before giving advice.

 

[Alison Campbell]

Having someone tell him to reduce his carb intake to below 50 g daily

I really don't recall seeing things like this on the forum, even when people ask what level of carbs they should have. As I don't personally go that low carb I think I would notice.

Most days on the forum people with Type 2 are encouraged to get a meter and test to seewhat works for them. Many like me will post my own goals/targets and what has worked for me or not but that is not the same as prescribing a diet for people they don't know.

Unfortunately, most of the people who are trained to advise on diets, are not able to provide their patients with the full range of options under the NHS guidelines as they stand.

 

[Kristin251]

My lovely 87 year old mother STILL doesn't know what a carb is. She thinks if it's a fruit or vegetable ( including root veggies) or juice from a fruit it's fine. She thinks frackers are fine because they're small.
We're visiting her around the holidays and I told her about a melted Brie I make. She of course, as she always does asked me what kind of crackers or chips I eat it with. I haven't eaten them in 25+ years so I patiently said, just a spoon please.

The point is, lots of people don't know what foods are carbs. The important thing is to say the most relevant. And most of the posts that say to reduce carbs include the biggest offenders like pasta, sugars, potatoes, rice, etc. I personally did research for years and tweaked along the way. I wish I had found a forum like this where people with bg issues just cut to the chase and told me what to do.

It would be wonderful if we could get a look at everyone's lifestyle, history, family history etc but this is, afterall, a diabetic forum and if they are here, they need to reduce bg most likely. So why shouldn't we tell them the easiest way and let them decide have far they want to take it? We are after all trying to help them improve their health and possibly stay off meds.

 

[Resurgam]

The last diabetes education session I went to was after the drop below diabetes range of Hba1c and the 'apprentice' educator was baffled as I had lost about three pounds from the first session, but gone from 91 to 47 on the bloodtest.
Was I smug.
Totally.
Yes I am overweight, but I had by then found that all the things which made me gain weight - all the 'healthy' foods I'd been told to eat time and time again, were what increased my blood glucose into the teens.
Smug. Smug. Smug.
I did tell the educators what I had lost quite a lot of weight - which I had done, but they didn't believe me, as they had not got a record of my highest weight, which was almost 19 stones. I'm about 15.7 stones now, without even trying. I too just concentrate on my BG as I feel so much better this way. There is some resistance to deliberate weight loss, having been told that it is the cause of all my health troubles all my life - I was not diagnosed with a failed thyroid for years as I was so obviously not eating properly that the symptoms were self inflicted - now where have I read that before?

 

[woodywhippet61]

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.