Why do some fat people not get diabetes

[borofergie]

OK, so in ladybird64's opinion I have rubbish HCP's and it's my fault I am diabetic..

Sue,

Don't get upset. Your HCPs gave you a model of diabetes that works for you. It doesn't matter (very much) whether it is technically right or wrong, as long as it helps you deal with your condition. It's probably worth noting that all of us have an incomplete understanding of diabetes, and rely on simplified models to some extent.

(Having said that, you don't run out of insulin).

Stephen

 

[SueR]

Thanks Catherine..

I have had a bad experience with Byetta and am now on insulin. I am swamped by a minefield of info, totally confused by the various theories and know that I do have to make major changes.

But.. Until I sort through it all and work out what's best for me, then I'll stick with the advice my HCP's give me and above all else, trust them.

 

[Dillinger]

I think the whole sloth/greed explanation for being overweight is very damaging, is very hurtful and is nonsense. But that is the orthodoxy; 'eat less move more'. It is the simple answer to the complex problem of weight gain. Like all simple answers; it's elegant, short and wrong. If you think about it there is no 'sin' related explanation for being short is there?

No-one is to blame for their diabetes any more than they are to blame for their eye colour.

We are all on a spectrum of insulin sensitivity; some people (the naturally slim) are very sensitive and have very low amounts of insulin sloshing around, others on the other end of the spectrum are very insensitive and have more insulin, and therefore put on more weight and enter into a vicious circle of increase weight increased insulin and thereby increased weight.

That's my model and it seems to make sense to me.

Best

Dillinger

 

[catherinecherub]

Thanks Catherine..

I have had a bad experience with Byetta and am now on insulin. I am swamped by a minefield of info, totally confused by the various theories and know that I do have to make major changes.

But.. Until I sort through it all and work out what's best for me, then I'll stick with the advice my HCP's give me and above all else, trust them.

Makes sense to me Sue. Nobody else is in your shoes and if you cannot sift through everything on here to your advantage then you are using the best approach for you. "If it ain't broke then don't fix it." At a later date when you feel the time is right there might be something here to help you. Take it in step by step. This isn't a race and you will get there.
Keep learning and keep posting.

Take care.

CC

 

[borofergie]

I think the whole sloth/greed explanation for being overweight is very damaging, is very hurtful and is nonsense.

I agree, almost. I love a bit of Taubes as much as the next man and I think that most of us (chunky) T2s are a victim of carbohydrate led glucose intolerance. However, not all obese people are glucose intolerant or insulin resistant, so there must be another mechanism driving their obesity.

It is at least technically possible to force feed yourself to obesity (even if it isn't the most common reason why people are obsese). See Supersize Me for example.

No-one is to blame for their diabetes any more than they are to blame for their eye colour.

I agree 100%. Apart from blue eyed people who deserve everything they get.

 

[AdrianBaughan]

Never blame oneself for becoming diabetic - it's simply genetic. Being overweight can exacerbate the health issues or perhaps bring it on earlier, but it's not a root cause. My grandfather was and my father is diabetic and I was diagnosed at 41 years old quite by accident really, just by testing with my fathers monitor a few times over a few months until I finally had to conceed that my BG was often very high - I have never had any associated symptoms and hadn't been to a doctor in 20 years!!

I have to object to classifying contracting diabetes as unfair based on a size comparison :thumbdown: - this will only lead to bitterness and stress which we can all do without - concentrate on ones own condition and never wish ill on others. I myself have always been active, eaten healthily and have a normal BMI of 23. Everything in my body is functioning well (apart from my pancreas), I have low cholesterol etc etc. I had to come to terms with my diagnosis of course, but have put it in perspective and I am thankful that it appears I have been diagnosed quite early and it is treatable. There are far more unfortunate people who are also basically healthy but contract very horrible and terminal illnesses - no one deserves it, it's life, it might be unlucky, but it's not unfair.

 

[Dillinger]

However, not all obese people are glucose intolerant or insulin resistant, so there must be another mechanism driving their obesity.

I'm not sure but isn't the fact of obesity indicative of a level of insulin resistance/glucose intolerance, it's also combined with the type of food you are eating; i.e. the good old carb content? Force feeding oneself can only really happen in the movies or at Christmas. I have a friend who is skinny as anything and spends his entire time eating like a horse. The swine.

I agree 100%. Apart from blue eyed people who deserve everything they get.

I think it goes without saying that those 'blue eyes' are hardly deserving of anything but scorn. What is it that they are trying to hide? :***: Oh, wait a minute my vanity mirror tells me that I have blue eyes; how did that happen? :shock:

 

[Patch]

At your age you could be MODY. That's genetic, not weight related. A lot of MODY types are mistaken for type 2s if they are overweight or obese. They respond to different drugs. So it is worth asking your doctor if it is possible.

Is this true? I was diagnosed at 19 (years of age, and stone...), and MODY has never been mentioned to me...

 

[craigj]

Personally, I think it depends on how you accumulate your fat. My dad for example has had quite a large belly for over 15 years now and it's still getting bigger. He's 60 now.
I tried to work it out how he never got Type 2 , and I came up with 3 thoughts -

1. All his life he has never been a fan of a potatoes, pasta, bread, noodles. Only very occasionally. However he LOVES a good biscuit. This makes me think that it's the heavy GI load carbs that do more damage than the lighter higher sugar ones.

2. He has always been very active. NEVER a sedentary person.

3. His body fat was accumulated mainly from alcohol and animal fat. This has raised his cholesterol. But hey, taking stats is better than Sulfs.

 

[ladybird64]

What?? Where did I say that you caused your own diabetes Sue? I didn't and I wouldn't deem to suggest such a thing. There are plenty of diabetics here that are slim but I feel that excess weight doesn't help diabetes, I certainly never said that it causes it..

I disagree with what your HCP's say. They are not mine, they are yours so it doesn't matter a jot what I think. If you are happy, trust them then that is all that matters.

Same with diet. Unlike some people here, I am make damned sure that I am do not pour scorn on what people choose to eat be it low carb, high carb or nuts and seeds. If it works for you that is all that matters.

I still think that if someone is obese and chooses not to make any changes to their health or diet then they are putting themselves at risk of complications, again only my personal opinion but am I not entitled to that as you are to yours?

I choose to do something about it, other may choose not. Individual choices for the best possible personal outcome is what I think we all want and I choose not to take insulin IF I can avoid it. My choice again, others such as my daughter may not have that choice so from a personal perspective, yes it is a touchy subject for me.

I wish you well Sue but will bow out of this as I have obviously offended you.

 

[anna29]

Hi all.
Both my grandmother AND my mother were borderline diabetics and staved it off with a keen and deliberate eye on their diet and foodplans, eating carefully homegrown and home made foods and meals.
It took effort and careful thought into what they ate 'daily' to prevent it escalating into 'fixed and permamnent diabetes'
I too watched them both do this, and followed suit...! Cooking carefully chosen " NON " beige foods !!!!! [cant tollerate them]
Used to watch my grandmother pour bran onto her veggies then we would all duck as when she spoke we got sprayed with the bran !!!! :lol:
I was and still am 'tiny' in body frame and size , YET following an pneumonia and septis infection in 2008 , plus menapause! I was diagnosed a diabetic .... Was gobsmacked , then [was livid for 6months afterwards] as I really did think and believed I could stave it off as both my grandmother and her daughter [my mother] had managed to do so. . . .
Have always been tiny and eat litttle portions as have bowel diseases [my grandmother/ mum has the same!]
In my family history genetically there IS a thread link clearly displaying the same song with the females on my mothers side!
Anna.x

 

[claymic]

I know that my great grandmother was diabetic and she used to be on insulin....that's from my mum's side, from my dad's side my grandpa developed diabetes in his 80's and one of my uncle is diabetic.

Guess from the 20 odd cousins and two siblings I have, I drew the short straw. And now I realise that after 6 1/2 years since I have been diagnosed I have never really accepted it. Since I have been on this forum I now realised what a fool I have been and as I read more and more that it is likely that after 10years of mismanaged diabetes one start having complications, I just hope and pray I am not too late.

Was I the most genetically predisposed of getting diabetes....maybe.... once I read that an indication could be a low birth rate. I was born weighing only 5lbs something. But yes I have always had dodgy relationship with food and have been always a big girl so obviously did not help. Wish there was someone at that time who told me what I was letting myself into - maybe growing up i would have made better choices.

Still again...I just hope it is now not too late......

 

[didie]

I think the whole sloth/greed explanation for being overweight is very damaging, is very hurtful and is nonsense. But that is the orthodoxy; 'eat less move more'. It is the simple answer to the complex problem of weight gain. Like all simple answers; it's elegant, short and wrong. If you think about it there is no 'sin' related explanation for being short is there?

I wasn't dissing anyone in my posts. As I have said in previous posts every diabetic is very different. I was merely voicing my opinion about myself. Whether I have a genetic disposition or not towards diabetes I don't know as apart from a paternal grandfather rumoured to be diabetic, who died in the mid-1930's, there is no diabetes in my family at all. My father was incredibly overweight and had major health problems, but was never diabetic.

In the year before I was diagnosed I was really busy at work doing masses of extra hours to cover for a colleague who had breast cancer which was really stressful (maybe that had something to do with it as I know that stress really spikes my blood levels). I didn't exercise at all and I did eat too much (the perils of having a coffee shop directly opposite work), I spent way too much time on the internet in the evenings and I piled on the weight. I'm only 4 ft 11 inches tall and when I was diagnosed I weighed 13 st 10 lbs and was a size 22/24. It only seems logical to me that in my case I sparked my diabetes into life by not taking care of myself. Now I've lost 4.5 stone, my sugar levels have come right down to what could be considered normal levels and this morning I bounced up Arthur's Seat for the first time.

I'm not disrespecting anyone, just saying what cause and effect seems to be for me as an individual, but everyone is different.

 

[Dillinger]

I wasn't dissing anyone in my posts.

Hello Didie; I wasn't having a go at you; sorry if you thought that was the case. I think it's all to easy to play the blame game; and that means blaming ourselves as well; I just don't think it is appropriate. Please give my regards to Arthur's Seat - it's been a long time since I have been up there!

 

[bearMedicine]

Well I do rather blame myself for becoming diabetic because in my case the simple truth is that I became diabetic because I let myself become horribly overweight. If I'd taken better care of myself I wouldn't have developed undiagnosed diabetes and had a stroke. Every diabetic has their own situation and one thing I've learned is that no two diabetics are the same, but that's the situation for me.

Hi Didie.

I'm struggling with the same thing. I was massively obese for many years. Now slimming down slowly but I am terrified of the consequences of this disease long term. I have liked what I have read elsewhere in this thread about not blaming yourself, but I find it hard not to feel guilty about "wrecking" my body. Both my parents are Type 2 so I can only assume that I might have developed diabetes even if I hadn't gotten so overweight but I just can't help thinking I have caused this! I was diagnosed about 5 years ago and have been struggling to keep my BG in check with oral medication (Januvia and Metformin), diet and exercise but recently have been feeling the beginning signs of peripheral neuropathy which is scaring me stupid! So I'm now taking it seriously (hence why I joined this website)

I am just trying to live each day now, enjoy my wonderful loving relationship (I am so luck to have met someone who 'gets' me and accepts me unconditionally) and work hard on getting fit. But I'm still pretty scared!

Does getting fit and losing weight improve type 2 and insulin sensitivity? I really hope so. What are people's experiences?

 

[borofergie]

Please give my regards to Arthur's Seat - it's been a long time since I have been up there!

:shock:

 

[chocoholicnomore]

Dillinger wrote:
Please give my regards to Arthur's Seat - it's been a long time since I have been up there!

You won't understand unless you are Scottish.

Should I explain it-no, I'll keep you guessing :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Dillinger]

Please give my regards to Arthur's Seat - it's been a long time since I have been up there!

:shock:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[chocoholicnomore]

I strongly believe that, although I am not 100% responsible for getting diabetes, I did have alot to do with it and might have been able to delay or avoid it if I had looked after myself better.

My dad and his dad both developed T2 diabetes in later life. We all know diabetes is hereditary and, if it's meant for us we'll develop it no matter how much we look after ourselves. However, there are other groups of people prone to developing diabetes and being overweight is one of them.

As I piled on the pounds over the years my dad kept warning me I was heading for diabetes-not just because I am overweight but also because it is hereditary. Basically I fit into most categories. I stupidly thought "It's inevitable. I'll deal with it when it happens and enjoy as much chocolate as I can in the meantime" Oh how I wish I had approached it differently.

My dad is fully dependant on insulin now but he still keeps warning me that if I don't watch what I am doing I'll end up on it too and possibly with more complications. Am I listening to him? My brain is, but emotionally I can't-still eating the chocolate.

My dad has been really very strict with himself ever since diagnosis. However, he is of the old school and follows all advice from HCPs etc. He will not join the forum or delve any deeper than what he has been told. Since my diagnosis and finding this forum I often wonder if my dad had followed the advice re carbs etc on here instead of NHS advice, would he still have had to go on insulin? He has alot more willpower than me and never eats any sugary things. He still believes that he has to eat carbs with every meal as he is on insulin and follows DAFNE.

Anyway, back to the original point. We live in a blame culture today and no matter what happens we are always looking for somebody else to blame. I cannot blame anybody for diabetes other than myself. Yes I might have developed it if I had been skinny as it runs in the family but I doubled my chances of developing it by not watching my weight. My sister is 2stones heavier than me and my brother is skinny. Neither of them have developed it yet and maybe never will. But I would bet that my sister has more chance of developing it as she is overweight and, like me, has doubled her chances.

 

[chocoholicnomore]

Does getting fit and losing weight improve type 2 and insulin sensitivity? I really hope so. What are people's experiences?

Sorry. Meant to reply to this but forgot.

Yes, in my experience it definitely does help. I lost over a stone since diagnosis and have changed my diet drastically. My hba1c reduced to under 7 in only 3 months and my average daily reading now is normally about 5.5 2 hours after evening meal (unless I have been bad )