The Old Bones Society

Presented by Jo ( Crinkly)

 

Hi All,

PipsMom suggested I do an Old Bones Entry on what it is like being Type 2 diabetic.  so here goes.  I suppose first I should explain that there are different types of D:

Type 1 is usually sudden onset, dramatic, and requires insulin injections to stay alive.  Can happen at any age, but most often seen in children and young people.  They need to inject several times daily to prevent high blood glucose, which would kill them in time.

Type 2 is the most common.  Usually happens in adult hood.  Starts off being controlled by diet and exercise, then as the condition worsens, oral meds are added into the regime.  Then eventually insulin injections.  It usually takes 7-10 years to progress from diagnosis to insulin injections, for the average T2.

Type 3 comes in different forms, and I'm afraid I know little about it.  There is Bronze Diabetes (genetic iron issues causing iron poisoning, and pancreatic damage).  There is 3c which is due to pancreatic failure after an accident, illness or pancreatitis.

I have T2, so that is the one I will be talking about.

 

When we eat, we are eating fats, carbohydrate or protein.  All foods fall into these groups.  Fats are oils and butters, the fat on meat or fish, in nuts and seeds.    Proteins are meat, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu, etc.  And carbohydrate is everything else - bread, rice, potato, salad, veg, pasta.  Most foods and meals are a mixture of all 3.  As humans, we are incredibly creative at coming up with interesting tasty food combinations, and most of those delicious options (donuts, bagels, french fries, cheese burgers, lovely gooey deserts, chocolate, even alcohol) involve some form of processed carbohydrate.  Plus sugar of course.  There is sugar in nearly every processed food now.  We add it to drinks, coffee, soda, even processed cheese.  There is a lot of sugar in fruit too.  Bananas, mangos and grapes are FULL of sugar, berries much less so.   As a race, we humans are eating more carbohydrate than ever before in human history.  We get out of season fruit to enjoy all year, we have takeaways and bakeries, deserts every day, and the real, natural, unprocessed area in the supermarket shrinks every year.

At the same time, standard medical advice is to eat 'healthy whole grains and avoid fat' isn't it?  So we fill up on breakfast cereals and oats, sandwiches, pasta and rice, and cut out the fatty foods.

However, we all have a personal physical capacity to digest and use carbohydrate foods.  Each of us is different, so we each have a different capacity to tolerate carbs.  T2 diabetes happens when our body's capacity to cope with those carbs is overwhelmed by eating too many.  Our body can't cope any more, wee little cells in the pancreas start to wear out.  They have been generating insulin for decades, pumping it out at every meal, every day, to control the amount of carbohydrate (glucose) in the bloodstream, but now they are wearing out, and blood glucose levels start to rise... they gain weight... they often find eating carbs addictive, as if the body is craving the exact foods that are worst for it.   If someone has a low capacity to cope with carbs (like me) they get problems with blood glucose earlier than someone with a better tolerance.  And some people eat a lot of carbs, while others don't.  It is incredibly individual.  But the current statistics are that about one third of the US and UK populations are pre-diabetic.  This means that if they carry on with their current carb consumption a lot of them will end up T2.

And when that starts to happen, the increased sugar in the blood will, over time, poison us.  It causes nerve and capillary damage, causing numb extremities, bad circulation, kidney disease, damage to the retina.  More diabetics get limb amputations, adult blindness and kidney dialysis than all other diseases put together.

- so it is really important to avoid eating more carbs and sugars than your body can cope with.  But it is also important to remember that not everyone has limited carb tolerance.  Some people can live on white rice, soda and white bread for their entire lives, and stay slim, fit and totally non-diabetic.  Genetics and diet and activity levels are what decide your fate.

(sorry for the long intro, but I want to explain WHY I live the way I do.   I want to keep my eyes, kidneys and feet for as long as possible!!! )

So.  Here I am.  The child of 3 generations of T2 diabetics, with a couple of other little health issues which make developing T2 more likely (I have poly-cystic ovary syndrome and a benign tumour in my pituitary gland which mucks up lots of hormones, and makes weight gain and carb intolerance very likely).  I watched my diet and exercise all my life, but still gained weight.  Still became glucose intolerant, and still got T2 by my early 40s.

Doctors tell you that diet and exercise are the best and most important way to slow the progression of T2.  And they are 100% right.  But unfortunately, the diet they advise is one full of all those carbs (healthy whole grains!) that actually help to cause the problem in the first place! 

I did my own research, discovered that there are people all over the world who use diet to control their T2, using a low carb diet, and that is how I now live.  And I LOVE it!  I am rather a foodie, and discovering this way of eating has been liberating and delightful.  Kind of like handing the keys to the toystore to a 5 year old child. 

 

Exercise:

We all know we should be doing it, don't we?  But how many of us actually do enough? 

As I ploughed through my 40s, I realised that for my entire life, I feel better when fit and healthy, and exercise helps with that, but I never keep that exercise up consistently enough, unless I have something to motivate me.

Enter Cato and Tara, hero and heroine, the source and reason and delightful motivation that gets me out 5-6 days a week, walking and exercising.  Bless 'em.

It may not be the kind of intense, resistance, gym based exercise that my doc thinks is best, but it is regular, consistent, fun, and brings me joy.

I am happy with that.

- and so are the mutts.

Since getting them, my back and knees are better, my fitness levels are better, I get fresh air, Vit D (from the sunlight), and I look forward to our walks.  Writing the C&T blog, and doing the photos, has also added to my pleasure.

- and it is all good at keeping my muscles in condition, my blood glucose down, and my immune system up.  ALL GOOD then. 

 

Diet:

This is where the 'Alternate Universe' bit kicks in.  Seriously.

We are all totally programmed with the 'healthy wholegrains and low fat' thinking.  Yet if I, a T2 ate that way, my blood glucose would rocket.  I would need a whole series of medications to try and control it, and I would be on a fast track to insulin injections and diabetic complications.

So I don't eat carbs.  Well, actually I do, it is impossible not to, but the only carbs I eat are the non-starchy veg and a few berries.  No bread, rice, pasta, cereals, potato, parsnip, fruit (except a few berries), sugar, cakes, cookies, pancakes, muffins... etc.  

Instead, I eat lots and lots of veg and salad, with meat, fish, eggs and dairy.  With fat - oily fish, fat on meat, in cheese, butter, cream, coconut oil. nuts and seeds, mayo...

Yes, I know.  Orthodox medical thinking says fat is bad.  Cholesterol is bad.  Yada yada.  But having read a lot of the new scientific studies and evidence, I think that only processed fats, trans fats, over heated fats, and excess omega 6 fats (polyunsaturated veg oils) are bad for us.  The saturated ones, and the omega 3s (fish) are excellent for us.  And since I have switched to this way of eating, my cholesterol tests have improved tremendously.  My cholesterol ratios are all great.  

And I feel sooooo much better.

My blood glucose levels are those of a non-diabetic.  I have more energy.  My skin and eyes are glowing with health, my nails are strong and healthy.  My joint pain is much reduced, and my joint flexibility has improved.  I am slowly losing weight.  I am still not on a diabetic medication over 5 years after diagnosis, and my doc is now claiming that it must have been a mistake, and I am not even pre-diabetic any more.  He doesn't seem able to grasp the fact that if I went back to eating carbs, I would immediately have diabetic blood glucose issues all over again!  I'm just a diabetic with good glucose control due to a low carb diet, and I will have to do this for ever.  No days off, no treats, no holidays.

Thank you so much Jo, I learned a lot. I too am thankful for Tara and Cato keeping you fit and healthy feeling cause we all want you with us for a very long time 

Thanks Crystal!

Thought I had better let you know what I DO eat.

It is perfectly summed up, in 60 seconds in this link: http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

Well, this week, I have had coffee-substitute every morning, with double (heavy) cream in it, for breakfast.  I put half a teasp of erythritol (no cal sugar substitute) in it too.  That lasts me til lunch.  If I do fancy eating breakfast it is either bacon, eggs and sausage (no bread or carbs), or this delicious home made low carb cereal http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2015/03/06/grain-free-cinnamon-crunch/

Lunch is something like mozzarella, olives, salad leaves, tomato, drizzled with olive oil, with a scattering of sea salt and dried kelp.

Dinner is usually meat, fish or eggs on 1/4 of the plate, with 3/4 of the plate as veg - broccoli, cauliflower, courgettes, salad, coleslaw, green beans, aubergine, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, peppers... no root veg because they are too starchy.  I add oil or cheese or butter to the veg.  Desert is optional and may be a few berries with cream, or full fat Greek yog, a choc mousse, or a home made low carb cheesecake.

There are an amazing number of fabulous low carb recipes out there.  I will add some links, so you can see just how incredibly well and decadently I eat!!! 

This week we have eaten:

Baked wild salmon steak with huge green salad and home made horseradish mayo (used avocado and olive oil and GARLIC in the mayo)

Chicken breast baked with pepperoni in a Mediterranean tomato sauce, with cheese on top, with courgette and mushrooms

Atomic Buffalo Turds (yes, that is their actual name) with cauliflower cheese http://www.djfoodie.com/Atomic-Buffalo-Turds

And now that we have finished eating up the last of this chocolate cake, I am about to bake this divine strawberry cheesecake.  Both need to be served with cream, of course.

Hahahaha!

Did I mention how great my life is?  

 

Your new way of eating (I don't like using that diet word in any way! ) sounds great and I sure wish I could get us to eat more veges.. Noticed you said that your joint pain was much better too! We have started eating a lot more fish for just that purpose and it's helped a lot! Am going to relook at what you eat now and see what other changes I can make! 

Am soo glad all your changes have helped so much and especially glad Cato and Tara have joined you, they're the best helpers!  

Glad you found it interesing!

One thing it is absolutely VITAL to remember if you start going low carb - you need to lower your carbs, and raise your healthy fat intake in direct proportion!

Think of it like a seesaw.

Fat on one side, carbs on the other.  High fat, low carb works, and high carb low fat sort of works.  But the worst possible and most unhealthy combo you can achieve, is high fat and high carb - it is that which causes the massive weight gain, heart disease etc. etc.  Common sense really.  I mean, a diet of donuts, pizza and processed cr$p is obviously gonna kill you, isn't it?  The trick is to adjust your fat to balance your carb intake, whether higher or lower...

Hope that helps.

Is tuna ( canned) in spring water a good source of omega's Jo. I've been on a binge and can't get enough of fish and tuna suits my craving. You just gave me a idea for tea...love my plate of veggie's  

Tuna is oily fish, so yes. it will be good.

I buy the tuna in olive oil, cos, well, I eat a lot of healthy fats.  There were some health scares a while back about levels of mercury in tuna and in farmed salmon, so I try not to have the tuna more than once a week, and the salmon I try to buy wild, not farmed.

Other excellent fish are herring, sardines, whitebait and mackerel, whether tinned or fresh.

I am currently LOVING smoked mackerel, with a salad, for lunch.

Fantastic! Love fish of any kind 

Very good information and what better then from someone who lives with this daily. Were you in your 40's when you realized you had T2 ?  I was just curious other then you know this is in your family what were your symptoms?  I commend you for taking charge....most people rely on their doctor as what my MIL did and would not listen to any of the suggestions we gave her and being in her 80's at the time she went from a healthy looking women to a skeleton.....and she went down hill from there.......my step son was 3 when he was diagnosed and has been wearing a pump for the last 6 years and he is in his 40's......does he follow his diet as he should......NO.

I've known so many diabetics that don't take it seriously then years, then  down the line suffer from leg circulation and ulcerations. So unnecessary when simple alterations to life style and food are available. 

If we have closet diabetics among us .....I do hope they read Jo's Blog 

Awesome,Jo!

T2 diabetes runs in my father's family -- he and his sister were T2. It worries me because he got it even though he was always thin and active. And since I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism my fasting glucose level has edged up -- not into worrisome territory, but several points higher than it used to be. And it's stayed there despite me having lost weight and lots and lots of walking. I'm already a moderate carb eater and I'm hoping to not have to go lower. I don't care for sweets much at all (thank goodness!), but I do love me a few salty crackers or pretzels a day and the occasional splurge on some really good french fries.

I also have PCOS.  From the articles that I've read, it is the reason why I've went into menopause so early.  How does your dr treat yours? 

I've been taking metformin and spironolactone for many years for the PCOS.  The metformin usually keeps my blood sugar levels down.  The spironolactone is for hirsutism (nice word for saying excess hair).  It has helped a lot with the excess facial hair and hair on my arms.  

 

5 hours ago, Sophie's Haven said:

Very good information and what better then from someone who lives with this daily. Were you in your 40's when you realized you had T2 ?  I was just curious other then you know this is in your family what were your symptoms?  I commend you for taking charge....most people rely on their doctor as what my MIL did and would not listen to any of the suggestions we gave her and being in her 80's at the time she went from a healthy looking women to a skeleton.....and she went down hill from there.......my step son was 3 when he was diagnosed and has been wearing a pump for the last 6 years and he is in his 40's......does he follow his diet as he should......NO.

Thank you!

i always had glucose problems, even as a child.  One of those kids that got sugar highs and then floppy lethargic pale lows.  My mother learned to always have a snack handy to perk me up again.  The rest of the T2s in our family are all on my father's side - uncle, father, grandfather and (we think) great grandfather.  They were all slim, fit and active, but got T2 in their 60s and seventies.  Symptoms were sleepiness after meals (high blood glucose) and blank foggy thinking.  Lost words, no concentration or brain power.

me. I get the brain fog and excess widdling if I have too many carbs.  Even 2 slices of toast will do it for me.  So I avoid things like that as much as possible!

for me, with the pcos and the tumour, and the weight gain, I think it came on quicker for me than them.

we actually thought my father was developing alzheimers, but turned out to be T2.  If he stays on top of his diet, he is fine.  If he 'carbs up' the alzheimers type brain fog and memory issues come back.  Also lots of bathroom trips in the night.

sorry to hear about your step son.  I think child onset D carries its own exceedingly difficult challenges.

5 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

Awesome,Jo!

T2 diabetes runs in my father's family -- he and his sister were T2. It worries me because he got it even though he was always thin and active. And since I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism my fasting glucose level has edged up -- not into worrisome territory, but several points higher than it used to be. And it's stayed there despite me having lost weight and lots and lots of walking. I'm already a moderate carb eater and I'm hoping to not have to go lower. I don't care for sweets much at all (thank goodness!), but I do love me a few salty crackers or pretzels a day and the occasional splurge on some really good french fries.

There's a sub group of T2 (i think they are now calling it 'age onset') which comes on with age.  Often slim, often fit and otherwise healthy.  I think that is really what runs in my family.  Seems like staying slim and active delays the onset, but as we age, so do our organs, and they just get less efficient at coping with carbs.  Doesn't mean that it will happen to you!  But the more you look after yourself, the better chance you have.   and it sounds like you are doing all the right things.

have you considered getting a blood glucose meter and testing to see if your blood glucose rises after your crackers?  It might inform your choices (it does mine!)  it is called 'eating to your meter'.

and in case it is bad news, there are some great low carb cracker recipes.

http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2016/01/29/fathead-crackers/

4 hours ago, Amy0515 said:

I also have PCOS.  From the articles that I've read, it is the reason why I've went into menopause so early.  How does your dr treat yours? 

I've been taking metformin and spironolactone for many years for the PCOS.  The metformin usually keeps my blood sugar levels down.  The spironolactone is for hirsutism (nice word for saying excess hair).  It has helped a lot with the excess facial hair and hair on my arms.  

 

They tried me on metformin years ago, but it didn't agree with me.  And sadly spironolactone did wonders for my swollen ankles! But nothing for the hair, so they took me off it.   Now, i have found that dog walks are just as good for my ankles. 

i would like to try metformin again (it would mean i could ease up on the diet a bit), but they won't let me have it, because my blood glucose is normal.  It is a good drug, and the best of the ones available.  Its a good choice.  

Do you supplement with vit B12?  This link suggests it is a good idea when on Metformin for a long time.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/719043

4 hours ago, Crinkly said:

There's a sub group of T2 (i think they are now calling it 'age onset') which comes on with age.  Often slim, often fit and otherwise healthy.  I think that is really what runs in my family.  Seems like staying slim and active delays the onset, but as we age, so do our organs, and they just get less efficient at coping with carbs.  Doesn't mean that it will happen to you!  But the more you look after yourself, the better chance you have.   and it sounds like you are doing all the right things.

have you considered getting a blood glucose meter and testing to see if your blood glucose rises after your crackers?  It might inform your choices (it does mine!)  it is called 'eating to your meter'.

and in case it is bad news, there are some great low carb cracker recipes.

http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2016/01/29/fathead-crackers/

I have thought about it, and it's kind of Plan #2 right now. I have an appointment with an integrative medicine doc on Thursday. I want a more holistic opinion on whether or not my hypothyroidism is being treated optimally and how it may be affecting my blood glucose (and cholesterol). Depending on what I find out there I may get a meter.

Interesting Jo..thank you. The low carb food..that was the Atkins method to loose weight wasn`t it years ago? I made the oopsie bread (dietdoctor)..very nice! 

1 hour ago, Jo-Anne said:

Interesting Jo..thank you. The low carb food..that was the Atkins method to loose weight wasn`t it years ago? I made the oopsie bread (dietdoctor)..very nice! 

It is a bit like the old Atkins, but lower protein.  

They re-wrote the Atkins book a couple of years ago, taking into account new diet research and stuff.  So yes, basically it is similar to what everyone knows as Atkins, but with more veg. 

As a rough kind of guide, 1/4 of the plate is protein, and 3/4 is veg, whereas people used to stuff themselves with steak in the Old Atkins, didn't they?

57 minutes ago, Crinkly said:

It is a bit like the old Atkins, but lower protein.  

They re-wrote the Atkins book a couple of years ago, taking into account new diet research and stuff.  So yes, basically it is similar to what everyone knows as Atkins, but with more veg. 

As a rough kind of guide, 1/4 of the plate is protein, and 3/4 is veg, whereas people used to stuff themselves with steak in the Old Atkins, didn't they?

Oh yes those  steaks  I remember my mom bought the Old Atkins book when it just came out..and she followed the diet..omg those steaks..that was not healthy at all what she ate..she had to stop with that diet because she fainted one morning she turned real weak..wow the rules in that book   Don`t count calories.. eat as much as you need to avoid hunger well you did`t have to say that twice to people who needed a diet..

I remember trying that back in the day........sounded good - right?  Meats, bacon, eggs, butter, cream, cheese.  I'd never had chitlins......but there was something like potato chips.  I think they were chitlins.

I quickly felt sick, nauseous and light-headed.  I can see why your Mom fainted Jo Anne

The goal was to go into "ketosis" (sp?).  You tested your urine and your breath took on a sickly smell.

Chitlins ...oh gross 

30 minutes ago, PipsMom said:

Chitlins ...oh gross 

Deep fried - no less.  And there were recipes using crushed chitlins as  "breading" for fried chicken etc.

Can't go there without wrenching...lol....Saw my grandfather as a child do a home kill pork....no way could I put those things in my mouth without flashbacks.....whole kernel corn and all ....Yack

16 hours ago, Marlene said:

I remember trying that back in the day........sounded good - right?  Meats, bacon, eggs, butter, cream, cheese.  I'd never had chitlins......but there was something like potato chips.  I think they were chitlins.

I quickly felt sick, nauseous and light-headed.  I can see why your Mom fainted Jo Anne

The goal was to go into "ketosis" (sp?).  You tested your urine and your breath took on a sickly smell.

Yeah that was it Marlene..it sounded real good! And boy did I remember..those chitlins..  she had those urine sticks indeed and a bad breath    Me and my brother always thought she just had done her nails when she had those chitlins..we smelled a strong nailpolishremover, Atkins then said..drink a lot of water and chew on parsley..that didn`t help though. It wasn`t healthy it really wasn`t..