Why don't some people get it?

[PenfoldAPD]

Note (added 02/04): this post was never intended to offend anyone. I'm just trying to understand and manage my diabetes. LCHF works for me, I'm not saying everyone has to follow it. We all learn what works for us - and I only wish for better health for all of us.

So I'm a newbie here, please forgive my ignorance if this post hits a nerve. Before going on I should say this forum is awesome!

My story - I was diagnosed early January. SHOCK
HORROR. I've already survived life threatening cancer (I lost a leg when 19), now this??? So I came on here, read read read, learnt about LCHF - changed my diet, stopped eating pizza pies and sticky toffee pudding, learned to love green vegetables (spicing them up helps), I'm up at 6am going to the pool to fit it into my diary, haven't eaten a cake since diagnosis - I've adapted. And you know what, life is better now - yep, even though I have diabetes!

HbA1c down to 6.7 from 9.9, and cholesterol now at 3.7. Doc happy.

So why do people complain they can't get to grips with LCHF and their diet. They are still eating bread - and say they only had one slice of pizza! They hate vegetables - really? All vegetables?? I just don't get it - why don't folks take their own health seriously?

This is the 'soapbox' section so I guess I'm jumping on mine. I love love love this forum and it has helped me enormously, I just don't understand why some people don't get it?

 

[ladybird64]

Not always as straightforward as that I'm afraid. There can be many reasons why, it's at odds to what they have been told by their doctor/DN, they can be dragged down by other things in life, they can be occupied looking after someone else - apart from the occasional "I don't like this so I'm not going to eat it".
It's personal choice. Sometimes I don't get it either, but then I have been that way with other health issues in the past, serious ones. It happens, all we can do is hope that people can be open-minded, and find the way that works for them.

 

[PenfoldAPD]

Ok thanks @ladybird64 I wanted to hear other opinions so I really appreciate your response. Maybe I am taking a simplistic view and should shut up? I just want us all to be in control of our own health and get better and healthier (where possible), the advice for GPs seems outdated sadly.

 

[zand]

Speaking for myself I struggle with LCHF when I am ill and when I am on holiday. Mostly I'm OK with it, but then I was discovering my own version of it before I became diabetic so I had already made a lot of changes before diagnosis.

 

[ladybird64]

Ok thanks @ladybird64 I wanted to hear other opinions so I really appreciate your response. Maybe I am taking a simplistic view and should shut up? I just want us all to be in control of our own health and get better and healthier (where possible), the advice for GPs seems outdated sadly.

Course you shouldn't shut up! It's a valid question and it's great that you have the mindset of being as healthy as you can - I do understand that. I believe that lower carbing is beneficial too but like I said, some just won't accept it. Good on you for caring though

 

[Mike d]

Part of the human condition @PenfoldAPD

The alternatives are not so good for those who cannot change their habits. A million reasons for not doing so, most illogical, some outright denial and others simply giving up.

Good to have you here as you have a positive message for many

 

[Stallen]

@PenfoldAPD no I tend to think like you, but I guess people are wired differently, my particular soapbox would be......

I find it annoying when people are critical online about the medical profession their GP, Nurses and other healthcare professionals for how badly their BGL are, but will talk about stuffing a whole sized pizza, chocolate bars, entire box of chocolates, cake and various other carp processed foods the night before and pitch the whole woe me. It delusional and the fact its then blamed on others rather than confronting their own inabilities and seek help for that they go on to excuse themselves some more cake/sugary carp.

On that note I let myself go mad today, I have a eaten 1/4 of a cheese and onion pasty this evening and froze the other portions, but I won't be seeing my GP if my BG goes mad on it.

It's people that will consistently do this several days a week, they are blatantly lying to themselves and it obvious reading online the real reason to Why they have high BGL.

I went on a diabetes awareness course and one very overweight guy said all the right things to the questions, but come lunchtime he was in the supermarket checkout line with a dozen iced buns for his lunch and full fat 2ltr coke bottle.

Worth noting I'm Vegetarian but not fond of greens, but I need to eat them so I blend them, would I prefer some carp bar of chocolate of course I would, but I know it's bad, so blended greens it will be for me.

 

[Finsky]

So I'm a newbie here, please forgive my ignorance if this post hits a nerve. Before going on I should say this forum is awesome!

My story - I was diagnosed early January. SHOCK
HORROR. I've already survived life threatening cancer (I lost a leg when 19), now this??? So I came on here, read read read, learnt about LCHF - changed my diet, stopped eating pizza pies and sticky toffee pudding, learned to love green vegetables (spicing them up helps), I'm up at 6am going to the pool to fit it into my diary, haven't eaten a cake since diagnosis - I've adapted. And you know what, life is better now - yep, even though I have diabetes!

HbA1c down to 6.7 from 9.9, and cholesterol now at 3.7. Doc happy.

So why do people complain they can't get to grips with LCHF and their diet. They are still eating bread - and say they only had one slice of pizza! They hate vegetables - really? All vegetables?? I just don't get it - why don't folks take their own health seriously?

This is the 'soapbox' section so I guess I'm jumping on mine. I love love love this forum and it has helped me enormously, I just don't understand why some people don't get it?

I do understand what you mean...but many people don't dare to go against doctors 'instructions' or think 'out of box'....they might try to have conversation with their care providers, but many of the health professionals are still parroting what is the official diet advise...and we know it is not the best approach for diabetics.
For decades we have been 'brain washed' to eat low-fat and good carbohydrates and made to think that fat and cholesterol is bad....it will take loooooong time to get that jargon out of people's brains..including doctor's!
Many still don't 'do' internet and have access to all the 'good' info...or haven't yet come across it, never mind trusting it is right thing to do.
It is true, many don't take it seriously, some because they choose to live in denial...but I'm sure equally as many because they just don't know better. We just have to talk about it when we meet fellow diabetics and pass the word around..until official channels pick up on it and start education their patients properly

 

[ElkBond]

I was told by my specialists to not limit what I eat and drink and try to eat what I normally eat (save for orange juice and any other quick absurd carbs I used to). Maybe that was in part to put some of the weight back on.

I have adapted anyway, lucky for me I don't have a sweet/ bad tooth, hate cake (sponge texture is like a thick paste in the mouth.. ergh) prefer rice (although thats nearly off the cards now!) to chips and chocolate has always been ok in small quantities. But I have definitely limited my carb intake. However I do like my good food and have had a few treats, one was a nightmare (hit 12!) but the other ones have been fine. Using my cgm I have found the ideal time to jab (usually 20 mins before, not the 5-10 mins I was told) and the rise is minimal if anything.

In fact today with easter eggs and all, I managed to hover between 5.3 and 5.6 most of the day following some chocolate (not a lot to be honest). I carb count and keep it low most of the time (around 20-40g per meal) and snacks only for hypos. I used to try to keep my levels low 5s high 4s but I noticed my hypos symptoms started to drop to the lows 3s. Since I kept them higher (few weeks) I have resumed feeling them at high 3s.

I don't follow a LCHF diet but I don't take the mick, if I shovelled biscuits and other junk down my face then I would expect no sympathy but a controlled splurge with a good diet is my happy medium.

 

[Brunneria]

People can have some very complex and very emotional relationships with food.

Plus, carbs are very addictive - particularly to people who are insulin resistent and whose bodies crave them.
Lots of T2s have been unwittingly self medicating themselves with food for years, in unconscious efforts to try and balance their high/low blood swings, stay awake, go to sleep, last the work day... I've been there, and when I was 'carbing' if someone had told me to cut off the supply I would have struggled like an addict.

Edited to correct a typo.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

I don't eat any vegetables (or any plants for that matter). I take my health very seriously and I'm quite healthy now. I ate lots of vegetables before I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. They didn't do a thing for my health.

 

[Mep]

I guess just take the view that everyone is different... one diet doesn't fit all I'm afraid. I have various health conditions I'm living with and I've had to eliminate a lot from my diet as it is. Also as it turns out what is good for one condition isn't good for another most of the time. I did do the LCHF diet myself for about a year and after getting sky high cholesterol readings whilst doing that I decided to stop that diet and go back to eating what I can in moderation. I have heart disease that runs in my family and all of them have high cholesterol as a health problem, so telling me that high cholesterol doesn't causes heart problems doesn't cut it as my own grandfather had 2 heart attacks and naturally high cholesterol even though they were strict with diet, my father died from a heart attack, my Nan had heart problems, my aunt has heart problems... all of them have high cholesterol. So I'm pre-disposed to high cholesterol as it is... why would I risk putting my cholesterol higher? I'm not in the camp of it causes no problems as I haven't seen proof of that for myself. I'm still adjusting my diet from time to time as if I eat any food that causes me pain, I eliminate it. It what you're doing works for you, then keep at it. If you find it suddenly isn't working for you, change it.... that's my view on the matter. Also reminds me I need to get my cholesterol checked again as I've had to eat more fats lately as have trouble getting things down at times.

 

[PenfoldAPD]

Thank you for all the replies - I'm glad I appear not to have offended anyone, that was never my intention. I'm here to learn (I've spent hours on here since diagnosis!) and part of that is understanding how many here, the experts against my newbie status, manage their diabetes.

@NoCrbs4Me amazed at your results, I've been reading your posts since I joined - you were one of the first who inspired me to realise LCHF was good thing to try.

@Mep the cholesterol thing scares me most as GP put me on pills for that. But amazingly mine came down! Let's hope it stays that way, I just love cheese and dairy.

@Mike D thank for kind words, I'm intending to stick around

@zand yep, holidays are bad. I struggled while traveling yesterday - didn't take Metformin as didn't want a dodgy tummy on the plane, registered a 9.9 at one stage! And supermarket shopping in France took forever ... what's French for carbs was my first question!

@Stallen sounds like we are on the same page, read a few of those 'oh just a few treats' posts follows by complaints of high BGL. Er, doh!!!

@Finsky so true about the brain washing - I do worry though I'm become a food bore telling friends what they should be eating. Interesting though a friend who has been type 2 for years responded to my Facebook post about my results and asked for help. That made me happy.

@Brunneria I'm in France, it's carb city at the supermarket! I hear what you are saying about the addictive qualities, it might be a tough weekend

@ElkBond I like your approach, ultimately I hope for LCHF with occasional treats - if that keeps me in the 5s I can live with it. I bought Jelly Babies yesterday (just incase I need them I told myself!), ate half the packet and my count is up this morning. Back to good stuff today.

Again, thanks to everyone who replied - I've learnt that I need to realise we are all different, and maybe I'm more driven and focused on health due to a result of surging cancer early in life. I'll try not to get annoyed at the 'I ate 3 sticky buns and now feel awful' posts - and contribute here in a positive manner.

And maybe not waffle so much

 

[Squire Fulwood]

There was a TV program that opened my eyes a bit on this subject. It was a fly on the wall show where they followed people who were obese and trying to lose weight. One woman in particular said all the right things to the doctors about how she was dieting until the doctors told her that it was not physiologically possible that she was telling the truth. With what she claimed to eat she should have been losing weight and not putting it on.

Her job was a road sweeper and so the producers found it easy to follow her around all day and film her. Every time she passed a convenience store she bought a baton sized sandwich and ate it before she carried on working.

She was lying to the doctors, to the TV producers and even possibly to herself. She was behaving like two people. One of them must have wanted to lose weight to get on the program but she was gorging on bread all day. That's when I took a different view of people on slimming diets.

In addition I had a friend that joined Weight Watchers. She went to the meeting once a week to get weighed. Before she left for the meeting she always cooked a large plate of scones and ate them when she got home. The subject of diets, particularly slimming diets is indeed complex.

 

[zand]

re not wanting to go against our doctor's advice.....I had an advantage there because I had followed diets given to me by my doctors and they didn't work. My GPs also weren't too good with some of my other health problems. For instance when I had tennis elbow I got more help and advice from a young lad on work experience in a sports shop than I did from my GP. So I had no qualms about finding out what worked for me on my own.

@Squire Fulwood The problem with these programs is that HCPs watch them and assume all of us fatties do the same thing. We don't. As my son said when he and I watched one of those programs - "The clue is in the title 'Secret Eaters' , if the film crew followed you Mum you wouldn't be included in the program, they would scrap the footage".

 

[PatsyB]

Haveto watch what I eat every day wish I could have an easter egg but sadly no such luck... Hope have a greateaster though

 

[zand]

I have an amazing Easter Egg! Given to my son, and he has passed it over to me . It's 70% chocolate and bitter. It's wonderful. Just 2 grams of that is enough for me at one time. Even better, the rest of the family don't like it.

 

[PatsyB]

laughs at zand that is why I liked thorntons chocolate no oen else would eat it cos of the runs it gave them looool

 

[PenfoldAPD]

@zand @PatsyB totally agree on the chocolate - I buy 85% stuff, everyone says 'no thank you', I love it - and just a couple of pieces satisfies that chocolate need!

 

[Prem51]

I always trusted GPs to know best when it came to medical problems and would follow their advice. I never thought I would get diabetes although I was in almost every high risk group and my mother had T2 diabetes. I knew I was putting on weight after I retired, became more sedentary and was eating more sweet sugary stuff during the day because I had the time, but I justified it to myself on the grounds that I had always been quite physically fit and not overweight so could afford to put on a few pounds.
It came as a huge shock when I was told I was diabetic. I have a very real needle phobia and I was terrified that I would have to start injecting.
I was fortunate that I got a place on a DESMOND course within a few days of being diagnosed due to a cancellation. The warnings about complications scared me more. Although I now know that the Eatwell Plate advice wasn't good, the DN did mention that we should look at this forum. It was the best advice I could have got.
I distrust herbal treatments, 'faddy' diets and 'miracle cures', but the advice given by people who had diabetes themselves and seemed to have controlled it seemed sensible. So I thought I'd give it a go. What did I have to lose?
Anyway it has worked for me, I think if I hadn't found this forum I'm sure I would be on medication by now. But I can understand why others would distrust non-medically qualified people on online forums suggesting ways to control what is a serious and life threatening illness.