Hello,
I am new to this forum. I am T2 and have been for maybe over 10 years. Diabetes support has sure grown since then. When I was diagnosed I was told it wasn't curable and that it was forever. I accepted it and ignored or was oblivious to to the fact that perhaps a dietary change was in order. Things got worse for me as my dosage increased to the point where I was shown to an endocrinologist, where without testing, informed me that I needed to take insulin. I accepted that as well and started off with 30 units of long lasting insulin a day along with metformin and glyburide.
When I lost my job, I lost my insurance. I had to decide to change my life or die due to diabetic complications. My BS was always around 400. With insulin, I was able to manage my BS to normal. But insulin costs $175 a month and so it was no longer an option. Live and change, or die--not a fun outlook but I decided to change my life.
I encountered a few diet doctors, McDougall, Furhman, Barnard, Lustig, and Atkins. I learned that their diet treats diabetes, perhaps even reverses them, but they all have something similar--and Lustig cued me in--it was the absence of added sugar and fiber in the diet. Now, I do not claim that is the answer. I have not reversed to normal, rather, only to prediabetic levels so far.
People get so angry at me. They do not know what to say to me because I did something that all diabetic counselors told
me not to do, and that was to limit my carbs. That's right, I first read McDougall and his observations/solutions of a starch based society pre Western diet resonated with me. See, I am of Korean ethnicity, rice is my comfort food. So I did something silly, and asked my parents and my landlord (who is also Korean), what they ate prior to the Western diet and if the folks suffered from chronic diseases, like diabetes. They told me what they ate and they didn't know what diabetes was until well within their senior years and through their dietary change. They both started to eat more fatty and sugary foods. That, along with reading and researching the others mentioned led me to believe I can eat carbs via McDougall but I was to watch my sugar and cut out processed foods. I eat potatos and brown rice and vegetables for lunch and dinner and oatmeal for breakfast. My highest weight and BMI was 210 lb and 31 respectively. Now, I am 159 lb and 26. My BS hovers between high 90s to low 130s without any insulin, metformin and glyburide. I walk, try to walk, everyday and I continue to try to understand diabetes.
My goal is to get my BMI to normal and to develop lean muscle mass, while ridding my adipose fat, as per Barnard and McDougall orders (in their book and videos). I am not here to fight with low carbers, whatever works for them is fine with me. Like I stated, I am here to learn but I am happy with my progress so far. Just to be clear, I do not eat meat, dairy, fish, added sugars and added sodium. I have found reading The Pleasure Trap by Lisle, very helpful rationalizing my new dietary changes. I am here to support and ask for support. I am also non-judgemental because I get judged, we all here share a goal, together.
Nice to meet you all.
I am new to this forum. I am T2 and have been for maybe over 10 years. Diabetes support has sure grown since then. When I was diagnosed I was told it wasn't curable and that it was forever. I accepted it and ignored or was oblivious to to the fact that perhaps a dietary change was in order. Things got worse for me as my dosage increased to the point where I was shown to an endocrinologist, where without testing, informed me that I needed to take insulin. I accepted that as well and started off with 30 units of long lasting insulin a day along with metformin and glyburide.
When I lost my job, I lost my insurance. I had to decide to change my life or die due to diabetic complications. My BS was always around 400. With insulin, I was able to manage my BS to normal. But insulin costs $175 a month and so it was no longer an option. Live and change, or die--not a fun outlook but I decided to change my life.
I encountered a few diet doctors, McDougall, Furhman, Barnard, Lustig, and Atkins. I learned that their diet treats diabetes, perhaps even reverses them, but they all have something similar--and Lustig cued me in--it was the absence of added sugar and fiber in the diet. Now, I do not claim that is the answer. I have not reversed to normal, rather, only to prediabetic levels so far.
People get so angry at me. They do not know what to say to me because I did something that all diabetic counselors told
me not to do, and that was to limit my carbs. That's right, I first read McDougall and his observations/solutions of a starch based society pre Western diet resonated with me. See, I am of Korean ethnicity, rice is my comfort food. So I did something silly, and asked my parents and my landlord (who is also Korean), what they ate prior to the Western diet and if the folks suffered from chronic diseases, like diabetes. They told me what they ate and they didn't know what diabetes was until well within their senior years and through their dietary change. They both started to eat more fatty and sugary foods. That, along with reading and researching the others mentioned led me to believe I can eat carbs via McDougall but I was to watch my sugar and cut out processed foods. I eat potatos and brown rice and vegetables for lunch and dinner and oatmeal for breakfast. My highest weight and BMI was 210 lb and 31 respectively. Now, I am 159 lb and 26. My BS hovers between high 90s to low 130s without any insulin, metformin and glyburide. I walk, try to walk, everyday and I continue to try to understand diabetes.
My goal is to get my BMI to normal and to develop lean muscle mass, while ridding my adipose fat, as per Barnard and McDougall orders (in their book and videos). I am not here to fight with low carbers, whatever works for them is fine with me. Like I stated, I am here to learn but I am happy with my progress so far. Just to be clear, I do not eat meat, dairy, fish, added sugars and added sodium. I have found reading The Pleasure Trap by Lisle, very helpful rationalizing my new dietary changes. I am here to support and ask for support. I am also non-judgemental because I get judged, we all here share a goal, together.
Nice to meet you all.
