Diabetes

[Gale Hawkins]

Because it eliminates visceral fat.

Over time that too can happen but in some the surgery can make them non diabetics in the matter of a week or two. There is a lot that we do not understand about the human body.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

If carbs spike insulin and high levels of insulin cause the body to store fat and increased fat leads to cellular insulin resistance thus requiring more insulin to reduce blood sugar which leads to more fat storage, then the solution is to avoid eating starches and carbs.

So I don't eat starches or carbs. Instead I eat some protein with a lot of fat. Dietary fat intake doesn't spike insulin, so the body doesn't take dietary nutrition and use it to make and store fat. Meanwhile the liver is conditioned to take fat and turn it into the sugars the body needs to run (because the entire body must run on sugars). When the liver runs out of dietary fat to use to make sugars, it switches over to using stored body fat to make blood sugar without spiking the hunger response.

As a result, a low-carb, high-fat diet (LCHF) is a dietary hack that allows for reduced caloric intake that leads to reduced insulin. Reduced insulin leads to cells becoming less insulin resistant which is all diabetes type 2 is: insulin resistance. If cells become less insulin resistant then type 2 diabetes is reversible.

In my case, I eat one calorically reduced meal a day because I want to my liver to use my own body fat as the means to make blood sugar rather than nutrition from dietary fat. So far using this strategy I've lost over 70 pounds and it has been relatively easy.

Those are awesome results. I have been on LCHF way of eating for two years now. While total cholesterol jumped up the first year it is back normal after two years. HDL started out at 38 and now is 63 and triglycerides started out at 209 and last week were down to 36.

Pain manage was my major goal initially and just the first 30 days of LCHF (low carb high fat) Way Of Eating my joint and muscle pain dropped from a 7-8 level to only 2-3 and needless to say two years later I am still eating LCHF. It is giving me back my life so far.

 

[Mysfyt]

When I was diagnosed with Type 2 fifteen years ago, they gave me a new toy called a blood glucose meter. I started testing everything I ate and over time, the LCHF diet is what I adopted. We've been so brainwashed that fat is bad. I tell everybody when the subject comes up that the reason we are getting so fat as a nation, is because we don't eat enough fat. I probably won't live long enough to see this attitude adopted, but it is coming.

Another thing I learned is that a LITTLE bit of alcohol with a meal that is dangerous, such as pizza, will slow down the absorption so you don't spike up as high. You didn't hear that from me, though.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Another thing I learned is that a LITTLE bit of alcohol with a meal that is dangerous, such as pizza, will slow down the absorption so you don't spike up as high. You didn't hear that from me, though.

So a pitcher of beer and an large meat lover's pizza is good for me???!!! I'm sure glad to hear that!!!.....Let's all go on a pizza and beer diet!!

 

[Gale Hawkins]

The doctor I saw last week was in her 40's (has 7 kids now) and I do not think she pushes LCHF but she said it was clearly working for me and to keep eating LCHF and she retest next year. She said now the clinic does not even look at cholesterol medication until Total Cholesterol hits 290 which is a higher level. At my age premature death risks start to slightly increase when Total drops below 200 or goes over 240 per my research so 257 does not concern me especially since it was 404 last year up from 230 two years before.

We do not know why but a few people will see a big jump in total cholesterol numbers the first year when moving to a Low Carb High Fat Way Of Eating then it settles back down. Our cholesterol numbers are not really related to the cholesterol that we eat but what the body produces naturally.

Since we die without cholesterol it is my guess before I cut out the sugar and all grains to kill my joint and muscle pain my body was pumping out a lot of cholesterol to help protect me from a body full of inflammation and the feedback system lagged and did not automatically slow down producing cholesterol as fast as it had been producing it to protect me.

It seems like eating processed food is about the only thing that leads to low HDL and high triglyceride levels in humans in most cases.

For those who do not know about LCHF is basically we replace most carbs with calories from fats.

Carbs increase the risk of cancer and heart disease the most.

Protein somewhat since about half of protein is converted into glucose in the body. This is why carbs are not required by humans to be healthy in a technical sense.

Fats have no real impact on cancer risks and in my case my risks of heart disease have fallen like a rock after I ditched foods with added sugars or any form of any grains.

The human gene pool varies greatly so NEVER or ALWAYS should be used with caution when talking about human diets. One just has to try and see the test results. What may be good for one may be bad for another.

Many doctors will say ditch LCHF or want to start you on statins as they tried last year when I hit 404 but I knew to expect it so I just told that doctor NO and we would see the test results of 2016 first. It did not put a smile on the face but knowing I hold and OD degree took them off the hook if I dropped dead.

 

[Mysfyt]

Interesting info on the cholesterol numbers. I like what I am reading. My doctor put me on statins because of the diabetes even though my numbers were 190 (total). According to their literature, they want to see diabetics have total cholesterol numbers less than 100! I achieved this initially when I first started taking statins, but I hated the way it made my joints so sore. So I backed off and am living with numbers around 150, but I've always been skeptical when it comes to cholesterol. My life would be better if I didn't take statins.

 

[General Lee]

If carbs spike insulin and high levels of insulin cause the body to store fat and increased fat leads to cellular insulin resistance thus requiring more insulin to reduce blood sugar which leads to more fat storage, then the solution is to avoid eating starches and carbs.

So I don't eat starches or carbs. Instead I eat some protein with a lot of fat. Dietary fat intake doesn't spike insulin, so the body doesn't take dietary nutrition and use it to make and store fat. Meanwhile the liver is conditioned to take fat and turn it into the sugars the body needs to run (because the entire body must run on sugars). When the liver runs out of dietary fat to use to make sugars, it switches over to using stored body fat to make blood sugar without spiking the hunger response.

As a result, a low-carb, high-fat diet (LCHF) is a dietary hack that allows for reduced caloric intake that leads to reduced insulin. Reduced insulin leads to cells becoming less insulin resistant which is all diabetes type 2 is: insulin resistance. If cells become less insulin resistant then type 2 diabetes is reversible.

In my case, I eat one calorically reduced meal a day because I want to my liver to use my own body fat as the means to make blood sugar rather than nutrition from dietary fat. So far using this strategy I've lost over 70 pounds and it has been relatively easy.

So you're basically on a Keto diet? Sending the body into a state of Ketogenesis where it learns to burn fat for energy instead of carbs. Like the Atkins, Paleo and Mediterranean diets.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

So you're basically on a Keto diet? Sending the body into a state of Ketogenesis where it learns to burn fat for energy instead of carbs. Like the Atkins, Paleo and Mediterranean diets.

Keep in mine Keto is NOT high protein because high protein will kick most people out of a state of nutritional ketosis because about half of the protein converts to glucose after eaten.

 

[General Lee]

Keep in mine Keto is NOT high protein because high protein will kick most people out of a state of nutritional ketosis because about half of the protein converts to glucose after eaten.

Ahh, good point.

 

[buickanddeere]

Diabetes would be a relatively uncommon health concern if we all exercised, were at out ideal weight and did not consume excessive amounts of refined sugar in pop, snack foods, jam, candy, cake, pie, cookies, tarts and deserts in general.
Foods that should be only a once a week Sunday treat in small portions are now eaten several times a week in large portions, hence the problems. High fructose corn syrup places much stress on the pancreas.

 

[brown40]

Diabetes would be a relatively uncommon health concern if we all exercised, were at out ideal weight and did not consume excessive amounts of refined sugar in pop, snack foods, jam, candy, cake, pie, cookies, tarts and deserts in general.
Foods that should be only a once a week Sunday treat in small portions are now eaten several times a week in large portions, hence the problems. High fructose corn syrup places much stress on the pancreas.

It's hard to convince a body with weeks or months of calorie reserves strategically placed to stop the practice. We evolved to sock away times of plenty to get us through lean times... the grocery store just never seems to fail to keep a steady stream of calories available. Forks kill waaay more people than guns.

 

[daugen]

Forks kill waaay more people than guns.

the good news is, usually..., we can eat our way out of the mess we ate our way into.
But I for one don't have the willpower...I would need a life changing event to scare me into doing more.
Bread is my downfall, and even though I eat healthy 12 grain bread, still lots of carbs. And I have twenty extra pounds around my middle
to show for it.
For most of us it's about choices, and yes the deck is stacked against us with processed foods now, so we have to make good choices.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I wish I only had 20# extra Daugen. I'm losing weight for hip and knee replacement hopefully in January of 2017. Been watching everything I eat along with moderate exercise that includes mostly swimming. Started lifting weights on my upper body Monday. Almost down to where the surgeon wants. I've had weight issues all my life but luckily no issues yet with insulin resistance and diabetes. As I've aged my appetite is not that great. I guess it is just part of the aging process. Luckily the research on diabetes and dietary intake is finally catching up to reality. Fat is not bad. Processed carbs are. I've never had a sweet tooth and can do without the bread, but gosh do I love potato's. That is the hardest thing for me to cut down on.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Forks kill waaay more people than guns.

the good news is, usually..., we can eat our way out of the mess we ate our way into.
But I for one don't have the willpower...I would need a life changing event to scare me into doing more.
Bread is my downfall, and even though I eat healthy 12 grain bread, still lots of carbs. And I have twenty extra pounds around my middle
to show for it.
For most of us it's about choices, and yes the deck is stacked against us with processed foods now, so we have to make good choices.

That was true in my case. After I was to start Enbrel injections for joint and muscle pain manage I finally left off sugar and all forms of all grains cold turkey 30 days before the start date of Enbrel injections. In just 30 days my long term pain levels of 7-8 dropped to 2-3. Then I was ticked I had waited until I was 63. Basically that cut out about 99% of all processed foods in my case but it is giving me back my life. I lost 50 pounds without effort or going hungry ever. Well the first two weeks was hellish then the cravings just faded away. I can maintain at 200 pounds on about 2500 calories a day which keeps me stuffed.

 

[dmccarty]

... I finally left off sugar and all forms of all grains cold turkey 30 days before the start date of Enbrel injections. In just 30 days my long term pain levels of 7-8 dropped to 2-3. ... Basically that cut out about 99% of all processed foods in my case but it is giving me back my life. I lost 50 pounds without effort or going hungry ever. ...

I did the Atkin's diet last century and lost about 20 pounds. :thumbsup:

Course, I had not modified my diet and exercise PRIOR to the diet so that I was no longer gaining weight, so once the diet was over, I gained the weight back. :thumbdown:

A few years ago, I started to modify the life style to stop gaining weight and start loosing. Basically, I eat smaller portions and stay away from processed foods/carbs. I was going to the gym, not as often as I wanted, but I was doing pretty heavy workouts but it really did not help me loose any fat. The work and home went into chaos/crisis mode so the gym was out. I had lost about 10-15 pounds but by last Christmas I was burned out from work and home issues. I had weeks off at Christmas but the weather was bad so I could not go out to work much and I was mentally and physically burned out so I sat in the house, chilled, snacked, slept, and drank beer.

And gained the weight back.

In January, I went to the doctor for a checkup which I have not had in decades, if ever. :laughing::laughing::laughing: I had put on weight, not bad but more than I wanted to be so I knew I was going to have to do something to loose what I had gained and I wanted to loose more than I had lost. Then I got my blood work back, and while the numbers were not bad, I knew I could do better...

In the past, I have cut out beer to loose weight. Beer, soda, juice, etc are just loaded with carb calories which as SOOOOOOO easy to consume. :thumbdown: What I used to do was to make my own seltzer water to drink instead of beer. This time I am buying it from the store with different flavors and no calories. No beer during the week but I will have a beer or two on the weekend if I want one. Surprisingly, the seltzer water is satisfying since I think the carbonation is part of the reason people like beer and soda.

Last year, I got a Fitbit which is just a fancy pedometer, and I made sure I walked at least 5,000 steps a day but tried for 10,000. 10,000 steps is about 4.5-5 miles. This year, I decided to walk at least 10,000 steps at least 5 days a week which I have done. The last couple of months I have only had a few days were I was under 10,000 steps but I have been over 5,000 steps every day. I have managed a fair number of 15,000 step days and a few 20,000 step days as well.

With the seltzer water, the extra walking, and tweaking my diet just a bit, I have lost 20 pounds. I would likely be down 25 pounds but a Costco opened near us and it is saving us a bunch of money. Unfortunately, they have chocolate with nuts that we love that is really cheap and sold in a bag that has a couple of pounds. :shocked: Before Costco, we would by decent chocolate bars and eat a few squares at night. Now I have to be careful and not just grab the bag of calories. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

While I don't sit there and eat a bunch of chocolate, it has been enough to stall my weight loss. I have fixed this now by putting a few pieces from the bag of calories into a small, wee, itty bitty bowl.

My granny used to talk about the Three Evil White Foods, white flour, white sugar and white rice. I think she was right.

We went to China a couple of years ago and lost at least 4 pounds. I would not say we were walking more than usual, though we did a bit of walking and we were eating pretty good, but somehow we both lost weight. The only explanation was that we were not east processed foods and I doubt we had foods with any added sugar much less high fructose corn syrup.

Early this summer we spent two weeks in in Scotland and Ireland. The food was awesome! Haggis is :licking::licking::licking: Again, we lost at least 4 pounds while on vacation. We certainly were walking a lot, but I don't think more than at home, and we were certainly eating more, yet we lost weight! The only reason I can think of is that we ate less processed foods and foods with added sugar.

The dinner on the plane flight to the UK was full of flour and sugar with very little fat and protein. The return flight to the US, same airline, had some processed flour food but it was heavy in protein and fat.

It will be interesting to see my blood work early next year when I go for a checkup. Right now, by blood pressure has dropped about 10% with the weight loss. The BP was was in the "green" zone but it has now dropped a good bit. I am guessing I need to loose another 10 pounds. Maybe. I hope to do that by the next doctor visit and it will be interesting to see what happens with the BP.

Later,
Dan

 

[Jim Shooz]

Before Costco, we would by decent chocolate bars and eat a few squares at night. Now I have to be careful and not just grab the bag of calories. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

While I don't sit there and eat a bunch of chocolate, it has been enough to stall my weight loss. I have fixed this now by putting a few pieces from the bag of calories into a small, wee, itty bitty bowl.
Later,
Dan

I occasionally have chocolate as a treat but the brand I get claims to be 72% cocoa which I am told is not toooo bad

 

[Ravimor]

Hello guys! Sorry for bumping, but wanted to ask about your experience. Has anything changed for you in these past few years? Can someone share any positive health changes? Is it possible?

 

[daugen]

my other labs were good Ravimor but haven't seen last weeks sugar results. I believe AIC was down to some acceptable level, will check.

 

[m7040]

I have 30 years of experience in managing diabetes going from a high of 12 to 14 A1C to 7 or less by using a combination of diet and exercise to control it. Get tested every 6 months for A1C to check that it stays in control. I will be glad to share and answer any questions you may have.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My wife is an RNCDE, (CDE = certified diabetes educator) I hear her over and over telling her Patiences, diet and exercise!

SR