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Type 2 Diabetes.

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enigmaticfreak

Ex-Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 20, 2011
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176
I am type 2 diabetes. I sleep about 12-14 hours a day, and then I'm usually on the cpu, I am about 30, nearly 31, live with parents. Can someone tell me how to get rid of this? I am on about 7 different meds for it, including high blood pressure. I just want to be thin and feel great. I tried walking on the treadmilll for a month but lost interest.
 
That's the major challenge with any exercise when you're trying to lose weight - keeping yourself interested and MOTIVATED is tough!

Have you tried thinking outside the aware in terms of physical activity? You might not enjoy walking 'nowhere' on a treadmill, but would you prefer joining a walking or hiking group that would allow you to do your activity in interesting places with interesting people?

There are so many options for getting physical, you just have to find the right fit for you. :)
 
^ Seconded.

In addition to exercise, you need to revamp your eating habits. Post back with exactly what you eat in the typical day (or PM me)--We'll give you suggestions. A few to start off with would be to cut refined white flours and products containing them (white bread is a biggie), cut out overly processed foods (you know, the stuff you just add water/milk to to make), and cut back your calories to what your body truly needs, not wants. All of this is not to be taken on over night, let alone in a week--Any change you're going to stick with has to happen gradually when it's this big and life-altering. :)

I'll post back later when I have some more time, but I'm sure others will be along with info. :)

OH, before anyone says it: You cannot cure or get rid of type II (or type I) diabetes. You can put it into "remission" so to speak, you can make it so you don't have to take the pills, but the moment you revert to unhealthy ways, it'll rear it's ugly head again.
 
I think that Type 2 diabetes can be cured the same way that dehydration can. Type 2 diabetes is not a permanent or genetically induced disease, it partly an insensitivity of the insulin receptors to insulin. The insensitivity can be reversed by lowering blood pressure, weight, and other factors that hinder the insulin receptors.

OP: Obvious advice but, lose weight, eat healthier, and try eating a lot of cinnamon throughout the day. It has been shown to improve fasting blood glucose significantly.

How am I wrong addictivepersona?
 
Giog said:
I think that Type 2 diabetes can be cured the same way that dehydration can. Type 2 diabetes is not a permanent or genetically induced disease, it partly an insensitivity of the insulin receptors to insulin. The insensitivity can be reversed by lowering blood pressure, weight, and other factors that hinder the insulin receptors.

OP: Obvious advice but, lose weight, eat healthier, and try eating a lot of cinnamon throughout the day. It has been shown to improve fasting blood glucose significantly.

How am I wrong addictivepersona?
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It's not that you're wrong. It's the idea behind it: once it's been broken, it can't be "cured" or "fixed". It's like breaking a bone. If you break your leg, your leg will never be back to normal. It'll function and might seem like it's exactly the same as before the break, but your leg is still hurt.

Same thing with your inner body. If you get diabetes, even if you take steps to get it back within range and keep it there, your body has still been hurt and the "injury" is still present.
 
^I disagree, I think your analogy is incorrect. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by its symptoms, and therefore it is implied that you can't be "fixed" because the "broken" state is present in all of us if we let it get to that point (disregarding genetic predispositions). If I go back to my dehydration analysis, dehydration is a condition and not a disease. I feel that type 2 diabetes is similar in that it is not a disease but a temporary condition that can be reversed with effort and support. A doctor will not be able to tell a post-diabetic patient from a pre-diabetic patient UNLESS the post-diabetic patient was diabetic for so long that renal and vascular damage occurred.


(very poorly worded, but I hope you can understand what I am trying to say)
 
^ I get what you're trying to say, Giog, but unfortunately, Diabetes Mellitus is not a temporary thing. You can fight it tooth and nail but all the studies and documentation points towards what I am saying, in that once you have diabetes, you have diabetes. It can become latent and you can have it under control, but once you slip up and gain back the weight, you will "reactivate" it. It doesn't just go away. It's a disease that most times you give to yourself, and it is a gift that cannot be ungiven.

Also, it is not a guarantee that you will put it into remission if you lose weight--There is a high likelihood that your symptoms of the disease will go away once you have a manageable weight, but it is not a given. Many people have type II diabetes ("adult on-set") and are within a healthy weight range (BMI under 25).

Lastly, the type of cinnamon that you reference in your post is not the common cinnamon that is available in the US--The cinnamon that everyone totes as improving your fasting blood sugar is a different variety (from South America, I think), and it also has not been shown to lower fasting blood sugar on a large scale.
 
Very interesting addictivepersona, I learned a lot from your post. What type of cinnamon are you referring to? Because although it could be placebo, since I have started to have my fruit with cinnamon, I notice a reduction in what I percieve to be a insulin spike.
 
enigmaticfreak said:
I am type 2 diabetes. I sleep about 12-14 hours a day, and then I'm usually on the cpu, I am about 30, nearly 31, live with parents. Can someone tell me how to get rid of this? I am on about 7 different meds for it, including high blood pressure. I just want to be thin and feel great. I tried walking on the treadmilll for a month but lost interest.
Click to expand...

Fact. Exercise and dieting is tedious. As someone who hates exercise but loves how I feel after it, I came to the conclusion that I had to change my outlook so here are my thoughts:

Find something you enjoy. Play music or watch a TV show which motivates you if you're exercising at home. Music works really well for most people. You might prefer swimming or going to the gym a couple of times a week combined with some exercise at home (for example).

Mix it up a bit (don't do the same exercise every day).

Keep active throughout the day - don't just sit around all day after you've done your 40 minutes of exercise a day - studies are starting to point to that habit being largely pointless in fitness in health. I exercise but I also use stairs in stead of elevators or escalators, walk to the shops instead of drive, take my camera out a few times a week and walk, climb up on fences etc to get a good shot, combined with the usual day to day walking to bus stops and so forth, this means I'm active for a few hours a day on and off. What you also need to do, is be active in a beneficial way - don't just stroll along if you're walking to the shops or exercise, stand up tall, swing your arms, walk briskly and breathe well. When I'm doing any mobilising these days, I make it count by doing those things - you'll burn up more calories, lose weight faster and will become fitter.

If I'm at home during the week or on the weekend, I wear exercise clothes which puts me in exercise mode and automatically makes me work or walk faster even if I'm just washing clothes and hanging them out on the line - this really works!

Also, I read somewhere it takes 28 days to change a habit. I'd never heard of this until quite recently but when I did, I realised how true it is. That really put things into perspective for me - it's such a short time on the scheme of things.

See a nutritionist to discuss an appropriate low GI diet plan and follow it. It's the diet we should all be on, not just diabetics and these days, a diabetic diet is far more flexible than it used to be.

When you start losing weight you'll feel great and it doesn't have to be much - if I even lose 1 or 2 kilos I feel great, lighter, fitter and more motivated which then encourages me to continue with good habits. Losing a small amount of weight also has a positive impact on blood sugar and blood pressure.

It must be difficult to be diagnosed with a chronic illness but it doesn't have to define you. Look at your condition as something you need to beat, not something which will take over your life.

Hope that helps.
 
^ Excellent post, Ms. Vanillia. :D You should come to HL more often. ;)

If anyone reading this skimmed the last post, go back and read it. :P

The only thing I could add is one simple thing to do to burn more calories and give your life some more activity, is to find a place where you can set up a standing desk. Right now, I'm typing this while standing at the kitchen counter. It'll take some getting used to, standing while doing homework/computer work, but after awhile, you won't want to sit for extended periods of time. The next desk I buy when mine finally bites the dust will be a standing workstation/desk, or at least one that can be adjusted.


Giog said:
Very interesting addictivepersona, I learned a lot from your post. What type of cinnamon are you referring to? Because although it could be placebo, since I have started to have my fruit with cinnamon, I notice a reduction in what I percieve to be a insulin spike.
Click to expand...
I don't remember the exact type of cinnamon, but I know where I have the notes on it. Give me a week or so to look it up and I'll get back to you on that. Like I said though, I think it's one from South America, and it has not been proven in a large enough study to be confirmed that it lowers fasting blood sugar.

Also, lowering fasting blood sugar is different from the insulin spike after eating--Those are two totally different things. Fasting blood sugar (FBS) is what your blood sugar is when you haven't eaten for at least eight hours (well, according to many doctors)--I've gone for three or four lab tests to check my FBS as I've shown numerous classic signs and symptoms of type II diabetes over the years, and the doctors always tell me to not eat anything for at least eight hours. I even did a lab workup where I couldn't eat or drink anything for twelve hours prior--That one was hell because at that point I was drinking upwards of 10 liters of water a day. But, I digress.

I'll look up the info. on the cinnamon for you. If I haven't posted back here within a week, give me a PM or bump the thread saying something like, "Yo, Addi, where's the info?" :P I need to dig out the binder from that class anyhow--Has some other information in it that could've benefited me yesterday. 8)
 
I recently was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, close, but not quite there and if I didn't change my eating/drinking habits I would be Type 2 very soon as my mother was. I decided to go on a low GI diet, bought a good book to guide me as to what to eat and started boxing and walking seriously, some heavy duty music is necessary. I eat more regularly now than I ever did and I've lost 5kg...I only weighed 63 but in all my life have never gone over 59, so I was worried when I wasn't eating but still putting on weight. Doc says I have delayed Type 2 for a good 10 years :) P.S. The exercise gear definitely puts you in the mood.
 
^ So glad to hear you decided to take the reins and not accept the diagnosis!

How tall are you? 59kg isn't a lot for an average-height female. I'm right around that--But I'm 160cm.
 
The type of cinnamon that some studies have indicated a a positive effect on blood sugar is cassia, also called Cinnamomum aromaticum or Chinese cinnamon. Its the kind you'd usually find in a grocery store in the US and many regions around the world.However there have been warnings about using more than a culinary amount of cassia on a regular basis because the high levels of coumarins are thought to be likely to worsen liver problems for some people. It should also be said that studies have had mixed results, some showing benefit while others did not.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-cinnamon
http://diabetes.webmd.com/cinnamon-and-benefits-for-diabetes

A lot of studies indicate coffee has a positive effect on insulin resistance-not recommending it as a treatment but if you tolerate coffee it seems like it is definitely OK, likely even beneficial.
 
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addictivepersona said:
^ So glad to hear you decided to take the reins and not accept the diagnosis!
How tall are you? 59kg isn't a lot for an average-height female. I'm right around that--But I'm 160cm.
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Sorry I couldn't find this thread :) At the moment I'm 58kg. My height is 160cm approx. I've always been thinnish but not through dieting and when I put on weight it's to the mid section only, nowhere else :p when I changed my diet, and started exercising, I noticed I wasn't getting stomach upsets anymore, no more bloating or bowel problems. This is a lifestyle change and it's not difficult to stick to :)
 
Your weight is going in the right direction. For your height, ADA standards say you should be about 47 to 57.5 kg. But ADA standards are kind of flawed... And you're in another country, so they don't apply. ;)
 
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