What Would Count as a Cure for Type 2?

[bangkokdiabetic]

I have normal blood glucose levels and am not on any meds. I consider that cured.

If you stop eating the way you did to get to normal blood sugar they would go back up . a cure would be if that did not happen and they stay normal if you return to your old ways,
Congratulations on having normal readings, but its not a cure

 

[Hotpepper20000]

I strongly believe that besides the modern diet that has made us sicker there are also pollutants in our environment that affect our health.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

If you stop eating the way you did to get to normal blood sugar they would go back up . a cure would be if that did not happen and they stay normal if you return to your old ways,
Congratulations on having normal readings, but its not a cure

Yes it is.

 

[CherryAA]

Yes it is.

As far as I'm concerned, if I can eat what I like to eat, and I now like eating things that are good for me , if I acn have the occasional treat of something that is not quite so good and still get blood sugar reactions better than the 10 healthy athetes I posted about, whilst at the same time my medical insurers cannot find any trace of diabetes in their standard testing for diabetes. I consider myself cured of two things a) diabetes and b) the inclination to eat c**p foods .

Edited by moderator for language.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

As far as I'm concerned, if I can eat what I like to eat, and I now like eating things that are good for me , if I acn have the occasional treat of something that is not quite so good and still get blood sugar reactions better than the 10 healthy athetes I posted about, whilst at the same time my medical insurers cannot find any trace of diabetes in their standard testing for diabetes. I consider myself cured of two things a) diabetes and b) the inclination to eat c**p foods .

Yes, that's what I meant to say.

 

[Deleted member 371625]

Most people of your dad's generation ate carbs @donnellysdogs What they did not eat was the modern Western diet comprising ready meals, take-a-ways, processed food, nasty industrialised vegetable oils, and not forgetting grazing, snacking, and huge massive portions.

My 2 grandmas lived to their mid 90's, all their many siblings did likewise, so did great grandma, my mum lived to 89, dad only managed it to 72. None had diabetes as far as they or I were aware. They ate carbs - home made pies were almost a daily occurrence. They just did not have all the rubbish that is available today, and ate 3 square meals and maybe a small light supper at bedtime. This is most likely a reason all of them lived long and healthy lives, not even a glimmer of arthritis either.

Whilst I agree with what you say, it is not the whole story. The biggest difference is that nowadays we sit on our backsides all day on the way to work, at work, on the way home, then sit on our a***s watching TV all night. All the time we are in warm houses, offices, and cars so we aren't even burning fuel to keep warm, and probably only need 1000-1200 KCal/day to keep us going.
With more exercise, people could possibly even cope with todays c**p diet, it would certainly give people more chance!

Edited by moderator for language

 

[Robinredbreast]

Virtually everyone who lived to be 94 ate carbs. But so did the people who only made it to 60.

And the difference is 34 years !

As I personally knew what he was like and ate, I hope to live to a long life like him. This will be last time I will talk about my father on this thread, I have said what I needed to say about a very dear and lovely person..

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

And the difference is 34 years !

As I personally knew what he was like and ate, I hope to live to a long life like him. This will be last time I will talk about my father on this thread, I have said what I needed to say about a very dear and lovely person..

If you have taken offense to any of my posts, then I apologize. None was intended.

 

[cristis]

I'm a prediabetic, possibly with diabetes type 2 already. I've got anxiety as well, and sometimes depression, which are considered mental illnesses today. I quit drinking, but I may carry this sickness of being an alcoholic all my life. I've been also diagnosed with hypothyroidism a while ago, and I have other "imbalances" and "deficiencies" in my body.

It's interesting, but none of this existed just few years ago. There was no "prediabetic" concept, and most diabetics were type 1. Anxiety was just a way you felt, not a "mental illness". Drinking was mostly a habit, not a sickness. Hypothyroidism is still considered rather a state, not an illness. And I could go on and on...

To conclude, most of us on the planet are "sick" today and fit in one or another definition of an "illness". When we consider ourselves sick, is mostly because of this stamp doctors apply on us. Most generations of people have been like us for centuries. Today we just become aware that we can correct some of our problems with better diet and exercise. Or medication.

So it depends how we look at it: a glass half empty (i.e. as an illness) or half full (ways to get better overall).

 

[Guzzler]

Whilst I agree with what you say, it is not the whole story. The biggest difference is that nowadays we sit on our backsides all day on the way to work, at work, on the way home, then sit on our arses watching TV all night. All the time we are in warm houses, offices, and cars so we aren't even burning fuel to keep warm, and probably only need 1000-1200 KCal/day to keep us going.
With more exercise, people could possibly even cope with todays **** diet, it would certainly give people more chance!

Someone once said 'You can't outrun a bad diet' and that is true imo.

 

[Deleted member 371625]

Someone once said 'You can't outrun a bad diet' and that is true imo.

Maybe true, but on the other hand, if you take no exercise at all, you will be sick whatever you eat.

 

[Guzzler]

Maybe true, but on the other hand, if you take no exercise at all, you will be sick whatever you eat.

I am wheelchair bound, unable to take excercise of any sort. Even resistive bands proved too painful and yet if you look at my signature I havn't done too badly overall.

 

[Deleted member 371625]

I am wheelchair bound, unable to take excercise of any sort. Even resistive bands proved too painful and yet if you look at my signature I havn't done too badly overall.

Whilst your condition is obviously regrettable, it is not typical and most people, even without full mobility can do some appropriate exercise. It is probable that you would get even better figures if this was possible in your case.

 

[Guzzler]

Whilst your condition is obviously regrettable, it is not typical and most people, even without full mobility can do some appropriate exercise. It is probable that you would get even better figures if this was possible in your case.

I diagree, I think I could have achieved the same figures more quickly with excercise but I am happy with my numbers. We are all different and who knows, I may have struggled to reach the 'Magic 42' if I was able bodied. It could be, for example, that if I was able to exercise I may be one of those people whose bg rises after a session at the gym/pool etc. We shall never know.

While I advocate that excercise is a good thing for overall health I know from my own experience that diet is far, far more important.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Whilst your condition is obviously regrettable, it is not typical and most people, even without full mobility can do some appropriate exercise. It is probable that you would get even better figures if this was possible in your case.

Exercise is undoubtedly good for general health, but I am not at all sure of the benefits as far as blood sugars are concerned. Diet (and medication if appropriate) is the key. I am not sedentary as such but I don't "exercise". I take my dog for walks, I do housework when I have to, I walk round the house, I go up and down the stairs many times a day because my office is upstairs. I do not do anything else. BUT I have always done these things. What I haven't done is add anything extra. Yet I am well controlled, lost all my excess weight, and have maintained this status since 2014. Walking actually raises my levels. Goodness knows what a session in a gym would do. Exercise is not the be all and end all in my case. A correct diet is.

 

[AdamJames]

My own findings over the last few months is that if I want to take *quick* corrective action to fix climbing morning (fasting) bgs is that both diet (in terms of calorie restriction) and exercise are excellent tools. One thing I haven't tried yet is long-term LCHF, but I'm just talking about very quick short-term solutions here.

Calorie restriction results in my fbgs falling a bit each morning.

Exercise, if I do enough, is even more rapid. It can solve a problem overnight which would take me say 4 days to solve with big calorie restriction. It also seems to set me up nicely long-term, e.g. after a day of say 3 hours strenuous hill climbing, it then makes it much easier to keep fbgs in a decent range without any calorie restriction or further exercise.

This is not a comment about the LCHF approach, I don't yet have any long-term experience with this, certainly not enough to form a view of how well it works for me.

I can afford to focus on calorie restriction and exercise at the moment because I'm lucky enough to be able to walk and have plenty of weight to lose. The effect they have on me is dramatic, whereas varying carbs from 40g to 300g is surprisingly, relatively speaking, unimportant while I'm losing weight.

 

[Sue192]

My mother, who kept her T2 diagnosis quiet (she's 87 and is now (I think!) pre-diabetic), has an absolutely wonderful doctor. When he went through her diagnosis and 'plan of action' with her, she was alarmed at the exercise recommendation in the bumf. He said: "you walk around the shops, don't you? Walk around the supermarket? To and from your car (away from her house), to the post box, to your friends? Well, that's exercise." There's a perception that when exercise is mentioned, we must suddenly run 10k, join the gym, climb Everest (which reminds me of a fabulous quote on here - was it @Guzzler? - about skiing down said mountain with a carnation stuck in a certain place) whereas actually, only small amounts, and ones that can be done if one is able to, can be beneficial. But as @Guzzler and @Bluetit1802 have mentioned, it's not the be-all and end-all.

 

[bangkokdiabetic]

Exercise does not mean you have to become an athlete or gymnast or indeed mountain climber, and yes it may or may not be needed to reduce your sugar levels. I do however think that Gentle exercise keeps you healthier than no Exercise. I am 77 and I have problems with my joints and when I use my Exercise Bike. it helps now If I do 1 hr daily I can walk better and further when I go out and it helps me lower the amount of Lantus I use. it also makes me feel healthier. Now you do not have to cycle like your in some bike race and you can Exercise in 10 - 15 mins. segment spread throughout the day every now and then perhaps 4 times in 1 hr. I do sprint on my bike and keep this up for as long as I can Some days 1min some 4mins Do What you can don't kill yourself you will find it gets so you can start at 5 or 10 mins ten 15 then 20 over weeks if needed

 

[Deleted member 371625]

When you exercise muscles demand glucose, so glycogen is broken down and

Exercise is undoubtedly good for general health, but I am not at all sure of the benefits as far as blood sugars are concerned. Diet (and medication if appropriate) is the key. I am not sedentary as such but I don't "exercise". I take my dog for walks, I do housework when I have to, I walk round the house, I go up and down the stairs many times a day because my office is upstairs. I do not do anything else. BUT I have always done these things. What I haven't done is add anything extra. Yet I am well controlled, lost all my excess weight, and have maintained this status since 2014. Walking actually raises my levels. Goodness knows what a session in a gym would do. Exercise is not the be all and end all in my case. A correct diet is.

When exercising, muscles demand glucose which is supplied by breaking down glycogen. Insulin resistance/ metabolic syndrome restrict the uptake by muscles causing fatigue and a rise in BG (and insulin). However, over time the exercise can reduce or eliminate IR/MS which would stop this happening.
By avoiding exercise and carbs, the problem is being avoided rather than 'cured'. Whilst it is a moot point whether diabetes itself can be 'cured', for many people insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome can be cured through exercise and weight loss.

I have no problem with people following their own path in life. However, many people arrive at this forum for the first time having just been diagnosed. For most (not all but most) T2s, they are at diagnosis overweight and not physically active. It may be dangerous for them to be told that the key is to cut out all/most carbs, eat more fat and that exercise is not relevant. This doesn't improve the body's ability to deal with carbs or increase physical health, it just avoids the problem.

 

[bulkbiker]

For most (not all but most) T2s, they are at diagnosis overweight and not physically active. It may be dangerous for them to be told that the key is to cut out all/most carbs, eat more fat and that exercise is not relevant. This doesn't improve the body's ability to deal with carbs or increase physical health, it just avoids the problem.

I'm afraid I will respectfully disagree again. There is a whole psychology of exercise leading to the "I've been to the gym I deserve a treat" way of thinking which is in my view far more dangerous than an ultra low carb diet which should lead to weight loss and a general feeling of having extra energy.
These states of mind are what I experienced for the 30 years before my diagnosis when I went to the gym 3-4 times a week then stuffed my face afterwards "because I had been good".
However when on my ultra low carb diet and after significant weight loss I had so much extra energy that I re-joined a gym. Unfortunately the enthusiasm lasted about 4 months before I lapsed but I was well out of the "deserving a treat" way of thinking so had no adverse effects.
Exercise may be beneficial to general health but has been shown to be pretty useless for weight loss. Its far better in my opinion to get people in control of their way of eating and then recommending exercise rather than both at the same time.