Any diabetics using the FB?

[llchevy56]

Wondering if there are any diabetics out there who are using the FB and working towards weight loss?  I'm insulin dependent and trying to lose weight but more importantly trying to regain my health and physical strength while balancing everything.  A challenge a day! Love to hear your stories....

[dancefoxtrot]

RayQ,

The brown visceral fat is under the muscles and messes with your liver and pancreas. We also have the layer of fat on top of the muscles and beneath the skin. As you said the deeper omentum fat messes with your insulin. Here is a quote from a good source.

visceral fat a higher proportion of molecules with potentially deleterious health effects. Visceral fat makes more of the proteins called cytokines, which can trigger low-level inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease and other chronic conditions. It also produces a precursor to angiotensin, a protein that causes blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise.

Researchers at Harvard have discovered that, compared with subcutaneous fat, visceral fat secretes more of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), a molecule that increases insulin resistance. As the volume of visceral fat increases, so do levels of RBP4. The connection is so strong that researchers are developing a blood test for RBP4 as a way for physicians to measure an individual’s store of visceral fat.

. Look for an endocrinologist who specializes in Diabetes and is knowledgeable about nutrition. 

Bravo for your weight loss. How many more lbs. until you reach a healthy weight? As you lose more keep a close eye on all your medications as often they need to be adjusted down. Since insulin is a fat storage hormone the right amount and not too much is paramount to weight loss and health.

Keep up your great progress. 

Barb

[dancefoxtrot]

Sugarmama

I have an idea that you may consider. Change your name to healthmama and get that poisonous sugar far away from you. Hope that you stay motivated to move a lot and lose the weight that is making you sicker. The complications of Diabetes stink and are life threatening. Everytime a thought comes in to sabotage your health don't listen to it. You know, "oh just a little won't hurt, it's someones birthday,I had a hard day, I need a treat, etc.". Treat ourselves to better health. Be fierce about it. Don't let lying thoughts keep you down. 

Wishing you the best,

Barb

[nolimitluck]

I named my fitbit the "shackle".....

[EmersonFitbit]

Hah! @nolimitluck I hope you meant that in a good way.

[Elendili]

I don't want to lecture anybody, but I have had T2 diabetes for more than 20 years.  I am not using insulin.  I do use metformin.  There are some things that I hear you all saying that I need to let you know are incorrect.  I visit diabetic educators several times a year and through them as well as my own research, I get all the latest answers.

          First:  Don't think that being fat caused your diabetes.  It did not.  T2 Diabetes is an autoimune disease.  Like all autoimune diseases, it is genetic.  You are fat because of how your body processes glucose because you are diabetic; not the other way around.

          Second:  You cannot cure diabetes.  You can reduce the symptoms.  Losing weight helps reduce the symptoms for awhile.  It  will also help reduce your chances of getting diabetic related secondary illnesses like heart disease.  This is because your body is still producing insulin at the higher rate you needed when you were fatter.  Eventually (the doctors say between 5 and 10 years) your body will readjust to the lower weight and your symptoms will return.  It is not your fault! 

           Third:  Because your body produces insulin in three different places (that is the current count that scientists can verify) standard drugs like metformin may not always be the best solution for you.  If your T2 diabetes is caused by the insulin being produced in your intestines for example, metformin does not act on this.  There are currently many new drugs out there that work on these other insulin producing areas.  You may need a medicine change.

            Fourth:  Get healthy because it can stop those secondary illnesses.  Because weighing less makes your overall health better.  Because you feel better.  Because your immune system works better at preventing all kinds of disease - including the flu when you are thinner and healthier.

           From one diabetic to another, I know it is not easy.  I am far from my goal right now.  But I am still working on it.  I will work on getting or staying healthy the rest of my life.  Please don't give up.  Please hang in there.  And don't beat yourself up about being diabetic.  And don't think you can cure it either because you can't.  Accept that you will be working on this all your life or until someone comes up with a real cure.  Use your fitbits to help you get or stay healthy.  Keep track of your stats and note your blood sugars on the food log and you might see trends that will help you.  Good luck to you.  All of you.  I understand where you are!

       Elendili

[Mikey1234]

Type two diabetes is still considered a metabolic disease, not an autoimmune disease. There are studies right now to see if it actually is autoimmune, but right now the jury is still out.
I'm a cured diabetic on no medication for the last two years. Yes, I said CURED. No one could ever prove I was diabetic in the past unless they looked at old records.

Thanks for the lecture on how it can't be cured.

[Elendili]

I must have more upto date information than you do.  I am glad your symptoms are in remission right now!  Good for you!  But when things change again in the next 5 to 10 years, don't blame yourself.  Just get back in there and keep fighting.

Elendili

[Mikey1234]

I won't ever have diabetes again.  I have changed my lifestyle for the better, and now my cells no longer reject the insulin.  My cells are repaired, the disease is not in remission, it's GONE.  I'm almost 65 years old.  If for some reason I don't get diabetes again until I'm 80, I don't think I would really care, but I would be willing to bet that I won't.

[Mikey1234]

This will be my last post on this board.  I should have left long ago because I no longer own a fitbit.  I threw it in the garbage when they wouldn't support apple health.

I cannot, nor will I ever be part of the hum glum negativity about having type two diabetes.  The "you cannot cure diabetes" gives people no hope about the future.  The "you're in remission" bullcrap is ridiculous.  How long do you have to be in remission before you're considered cured?  Do you have to wait unitil you're dead?  One thing I do know, is that I no longer have it.  You can say it's in remission, but I say I worked my ass off exercising, and changing my diet for the better.  It was hard work for four years.

People think this disease is like being an Alcoholic.  You're just one drink away from becoming one again, or in diabetic terms, "one bowl of spaghetti" away.   It's not like that at all, or at least it doesn't have to be like that.  We all shoved processed foods into our mouths, and in general had poor diets.  Most of us led sedentary lifestyles.  If you don't walk at least 10,000 steps a day then you are still leading a sedentary lifestyle.  You will probably never improve. If you don't start eating lots of fruits and vegetables with a high amount of nutrients, you probably will never improve.

Type 1 diabetes is genetic.  Just because type two diabetes runs in your family does not mean it's genetic.  Have you ever thought you just might be a product of your own environment?  Chances are you eat the same foods your parents ate, which may, or not be healthy, and then added more soft drinks, and processed foods.  That's not genetic, that's lifestyle.  In order for something to be genetic, there has to be an actual gene identified as the culprit of your diabetes.  To date, that gene(if there is one) has not be found for type two diabetes.  If it makes you feel better that type II diabetes runs in your family, and therefore it's genetic, then by all means keep lying to yourself.  I don't see how it can make you feel better.  I would rather feel like I can do something about this disease, than to succumb to it.

Anyway, a sincere good luck to all.  Stay positive, if that's possible.

[dancefoxtrot]

Bye Mikey1234,

I really have enjoyed your posts and we can cure ourselves approach. I will miss you as you are a model that many people can reverse type 2 D. I agree that it is environment and habits mostly and DrFuhrman is my hero as he has documented reversals of diabetes. We have to understand that we can do it by losing the viseral omentum fat under the muscles in our bellies. This fat messes up the insulin cycle and has a metabolic function. Some people have so destroyed their pancreas that it no longer functions normally after decades of untreated diabetes type 2.  This is a minority of type 2 people as most people have their doctors detect the disease in time to reverse it. 

Best of luck to you and enjoy your good health. 

Hopefully others will get moving and give up simple carbs & sugar filled junk. We make our bodies so much healthier through exercise and healthy eating and losing weight. 

Barbara G

[dancefoxtrot]

Elendii

PLEASE read DrFuhrman's book based on research. D2 is a metabolic disease not an auto immune disease. Your information is not correct. 

Barbara 

[Elendili]

I have read some of his books.  Eat To Live comes to mind.  However my information comes directly from a group of researchers who are working with the CDC.  They are getting ready to reclassify T2 diabetes as autoimmune just like T1 diabetes is.  Please note that T1 and T2 are not related.  I expect you will see that reclassification in the next two years.  In the mean time, I did not post this to get you all upset.  I am sorry that I did.  I posted because I am tired of people with T2 being told that if they eat exactly right and loose enough weight their diabetes will go away.  It will not.  What happens is it goes into remission.  This is a good thing.  But if you have ever been in remission thinking your T2 is gone and then your A1C goes up or you start getting high blood glucose again, you feel horrible because you must be doing something wrong.  I know, I've been there.  I was in remission for 7 years.  I want you all to understand that you are doing nothing wrong.  This is how the disease progresses.  We have to keep trying to improve our lives, and that is a good thing, but please don't blame yourselves for your condition.  That is why I posted what I did.  I want us all to be as healthy as possible, but I also want to be realistic.

Elendili

[Elendili]

@Mikey1234  I am not negative about T2.  I am realistic.  Please accept my apology for upsetting you.  I think you missed the tone of my post if you believe that I am being negative.  If I were negative, I'd be dead by now.  I've had T2 for over 20 years!  I continue to work with it.  I always will.  I hope you don't give up on yourself.  And again I'm sorry I upset you.

Elendili

[Mikey1234]

@Elendili This is my second last post. 🙂

If I had the attitude that I would always have diabetes no matter what I did then I would have never had the motivation to do what I did to reverse my diabetes.  I think anyone who says there is nothing you can do about type 2 diabetes is doing a terrible disservice to the diabetic community.

My endocrinoligist told me I would be on medication for the rest of my life.  He has been wrong for the last two years, and he will be wrong for the next ten years.  Thousands of people have reversed their diabetes.  Maybe you were just too late, but others who were recently diagnosed have legitimate chances to succeed.  Why tell them they have no chance to cure their diabetes WHEN SOME PEOPLE CAN??? Why take hope away from people?  Does it make you feel better, because you couldn't do it?

Will I become diabetic again?  Absolutely yes, if I go back to my old lifestyle.  Type II is on the rise.  It isn't rising because people all of a sudden are predisposed to diabetes, or genetics.  It's rising because of our lifestyle.  As long as your organs are not damaged you can reverse type II.  People need to quit raining on other people's PARADE!!! 

OVER AND OUT

[dancefoxtrot]

elendii

If a close look is taken at the changes in diet, stress level and exercise that have occurred prior to their A1c and bg rising, for the large majority they fell ill and therefore stress increased or there was slippage in diet and exercise. I am not talking about you just the large majority of D2 people whose A1c rises.  It is very common that people aren't aware of subtle changes to the amount of carbs, sugars & calories they are consuming and not burning. Lot's of people decline in activity over years. Maybe they had knee surgery and didn't adjust intake of carb levels for a more sedentary life. We can get complacent, make many excuses and slide into less vigilence of our bg levels after many years of great A1c results.

Let us all focus on doing what we can which is exercising every day, removing refined carbs from our diet, increase non starchy veggies, beans, lean protein and eat some whole fruit and no soda, limited alcohol if any and lots of water. I don't think we should blame ourselves but instead look at what we can do to bring down that A1c. Walking more, eating healthier or changing meds often can get that A1c back in line. Let's empower ourselves to do all we CAN do to control this deadly disease and it's complications. Read about omentum or visual fat messing with our metabolism!  Getting to a healthy BMI is critical to help control this disease.

All the best to my fellow health conscious pals on the journey to better health,

Barb

[Lightsinger]

---

@Elendili wrote:

I don't want to lecture anybody, but I have had T2 diabetes for more than 20 years.  I am not using insulin.  I do use metformin.  There are some things that I hear you all saying that I need to let you know are incorrect.  I visit diabetic educators several times a year and through them as well as my own research, I get all the latest answers.

          First:  Don't think that being fat caused your diabetes.  It did not.  T2 Diabetes is an autoimune disease.  Like all autoimune diseases, it is genetic.  You are fat because of how your body processes glucose because you are diabetic; not the other way around.

          Second:  You cannot cure diabetes.  You can reduce the symptoms.  Losing weight helps reduce the symptoms for awhile.  It  will also help reduce your chances of getting diabetic related secondary illnesses like heart disease.  This is because your body is still producing insulin at the higher rate you needed when you were fatter.  Eventually (the doctors say between 5 and 10 years) your body will readjust to the lower weight and your symptoms will return.  It is not your fault! 

           Third:  Because your body produces insulin in three different places (that is the current count that scientists can verify) standard drugs like metformin may not always be the best solution for you.  If your T2 diabetes is caused by the insulin being produced in your intestines for example, metformin does not act on this.  There are currently many new drugs out there that work on these other insulin producing areas.  You may need a medicine change.

            Fourth:  Get healthy because it can stop those secondary illnesses.  Because weighing less makes your overall health better.  Because you feel better.  Because your immune system works better at preventing all kinds of disease - including the flu when you are thinner and healthier.

           From one diabetic to another, I know it is not easy.  I am far from my goal right now.  But I am still working on it.  I will work on getting or staying healthy the rest of my life.  Please don't give up.  Please hang in there.  And don't beat yourself up about being diabetic.  And don't think you can cure it either because you can't.  Accept that you will be working on this all your life or until someone comes up with a real cure.  Use your fitbits to help you get or stay healthy.  Keep track of your stats and note your blood sugars on the food log and you might see trends that will help you.  Good luck to you.  All of you.  I understand where you are!

       Elendili

---

I agree with you completely.  It's not what people want to hear, but denial isn't just a river in Egypt. 

People want to believe that diabetes can be cured with lifestyle changes, and you know what?  As long as they maintain those lifestyle changes, I would say let them believe it. They are living their lives exactly as a diabetic should, so what's the harm?    The harm is that it's a dangerous belief; it tempts people into thinking that diabetes is something to which they no longer have to pay attention.  They revert to their old lifestyle.  I'm one giant plate of pasta away from full blown diabetic symptoms every day of my life, and I know it.  Even though I maintain very strict control, I have experienced some illnesses/disorders that are common to diabetics, and I understand, that even with the best controls, even though I have been in remission for years, I can still have those issues.  I'm in great shape, excellent health, and I have a happy, full life at 67.  Still diabetic. 

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but to take a serious condition and treat it as if it's nothing is a disservice to people.  Yes!  Absolutely, you CAN beat the demon down and take control of your life.  You can improve the way that you feel, your over all health and longevity, and total quality of life by making lifestyle changes, and that should be sufficient motivation to make those changes.  It shouldn't be for empty promises of a "cure"....it should be because you want to live, and live well.

[Elendili]

@Lightsinger Thank you so much for stating what I could not!  I agree with you.  All of us are hear because we want to be healthy.  I want to be healthy with my eyes open.  Thanks agan @Lightsinger!

Elendili

[Elendili]

@dancefoxtrot  I believe you said the key words "getting control".  To a worthwhile extent you can do that.  And I mean it is truly worthwhile.

Thank you.

Elendili

[sinch]

Lighsinger, I agree with you 100%.  Diabetes cannot be "cured" but can be "controlled."  Mikey has done that and I applaud him.  To him I say, "Let people believe that.  Then they will not slack off, but continue to eat healthy and exercise in an effort to stay in remission."  If you let them believe it's cured, many will go back to their poor lifestyle and start the whole mess over again."