Weight Loss... blood glucose (a.k.a. "blood sugar")

[Ellis2ca]

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen... I will introduce myself briefly: I am Ellis Toussier, The Incredible Dirty Old Man Who Does Not Grow Older... I am 63 years old, or should I say: my birth certificate is 63 years old... I am about 45 years old, born in August, 1945...

I am a lifetime member of TUG... I own 7 weeks of timeshares in one of the best timeshare developments in the world (see TUG TOP 10 if you think I am exaggerating...) in Can Cun, I wrote an article that is now in the "expert advice" section of TUG, and I spend most of my time on TUG in the Mexico section...

But today YOU got lucky, and I found the weight loss thread, which strikes a chord with me... so I will spend a few minutes to add my two cents.

I consider myself to be AN EXPERT in anti-aging therapies. I am not a doctor, but I TEACH doctors medicine, so don't dismiss me only because I am not a doctor.

The idea of anti-aging medicine is to ANTICIPATE what is GOING TO HAPPEN to our body as we grow older, and to try to prevent it from happening, or to slow it down as much as possible.

And here is where this thread strikes a chord with me, because CORRECT EATING is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ANTI-AGING THERAPY.

So... I will give you the single most important way to decide if your food is correct or incorrect for YOU.

BUY A GLUCOSE METER, and start to MEASURE YOUR BLOOD GLUCOSE every time you eat... before you eat... and after you eat...

The next step of course is to INTERPRET what the blood glucose meter is telling you.

And here is one place where I have taught doctors medicine. Most doctors have it all wrong, they are much too lenient. I am much more strict than most doctors... I am even much more strict than most DIABETES doctors.

But there is NO DOUBT at all that I AM RIGHT. There is NO GOOD in high blood glucose, and there is NO HARM in learning to control your blood glucose.

In short, it is as follows:

50 is too low
60 is a bit low
70 -85 is perfect
100 is a bit high
110 is high
120 is bad
140 is terrible
160 is horrible
180 is deathly
200 and more is attempted suicide

But here is the punch line: ONE GLASS OF ORANGE JUICE will shoot MY blood glucose up to 160 ! And I feel fine if it is 160... I don't feel BAD, I feel very well...

And one glass of orange juice PLUS a small piece of Bread PLUS a small bit of FRUITS will shoot it into the Deathly or Attempted Suicide zone...

AND YOU DON'T FEEL BAD while high blood sugar is killing you.

THAT's THE PROBLEM. You don't FEEL bad when it is HARMING you, but it most certainly is harming you.

SO... YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO EAT CORRECTLY, or you will be harming your body for many years, AND YOU WON'T EVEN KNOW IT until you are DEATHLY SICK. (I mean: deathly sick... most people die of a cause related to high blood glucose for many years...)

My short suggestion is: BUY A GLUCOSE METER... LEARN TO USE IT... USE IT... and then learn to eat in such a way that you keep your blood glucose between 70 and 100 mg/dl as much of the time as you can...

I hope this knocks some sense into everybody that reads it.

Ellis Toussier

 

[mecllap]

Got any hints about what kind of meter isn't going to cost $100-$200 a month to do that? (If it's not prescribed, the money comes out of my pocket). Not that I want to encourage you to advertise (reducing my weight lowered my blood glucose -- which unfortunately has gone back up again, so I need to get a grip and go back to being more careful about waht I eat).

 

[dwsupt]

Meter Help

As a diabetic, I have several. The cheapest is one from WalMart. The Meter was $20 and the strips are about 60 cents each compared to a $1 for the others. It seems to be as accurate as my name brand.

 

[swift]

Got any hints about what kind of meter isn't going to cost $100-$200 a month to do that? (If it's not prescribed, the money comes out of my pocket). Not that I want to encourage you to advertise (reducing my weight lowered my blood glucose -- which unfortunately has gone back up again, so I need to get a grip and go back to being more careful about waht I eat).

E-mailing each other might be a better way of getting Ellis' advice on this.

 

[Rose Pink]

You may want to check with a diabetes educatior regarding meters. Seems to me there was a study awhile back about which meters were more accurate than others--and some were nearly useless. I don't know if this study has been updated to reflect new products. Many diabetes centers will give you a meter for free. The companies that make them will give them to you free because then you buy their strips.

You can also check to see if there is a diabetes specialty store in your area. They will have more variety to choose from--supposedly--and someone who should be able to help you navigate through the choices.

www.diabetes.org may also be a source that can help you.

I found the numbers posted in Ellis' OP to reflect what is taught and recommended by the diabetes specialists that I know. Tight control has been the recommended norm for many years. However, most patients don't comply.

Be aware that glucometers only check your blood sugar level. They do not test your insulin level. I can eat supposedly high glycemic foods and not have the huge spikes that Ellis gives. However, that does not mean my insulin isn't spiking. I suspect it is and that is why my blood glucose remains in reasonable ranges. However, if my insulin is spiking high to cover the glucose, the insulin itself may be causing inflammation. The point is, just because your blood glucose is acceptable doesn't mean the foods you are eating are not causing problems.

Stick with whole foods as much as possible. Eat small portions 4 to 6 times a day. Keep your weight down. Exercise moderately--that will help lower blood sugar and regulate insulin.

Both excessive insulin and excessive blood sugars are harmful to the circulatory system.

 

[Rose Pink]

Brownies and curiosity

This thread got me curious. I just ate an ooey gooey brownie about 30 minutes ago. It had chocolate chips on top and caramel topping over that. Very rich, very high in sugar. I don't feel very good. My blood sugar is only 119 after that high carbohydrate treat. Checked it on two different meters and got the same result. Just because my blood sugars are not shooting through the ceiling doesn't mean that brownie isn't doing some damage. Controlling blood sugar is not the complete answer. People can eat nothing but Twizzlers and have normal blood sugar but they'll still die from malnutrition.

If I remember, I'll check my BG again in another 30 minutes to see if it goes up further.

My fasting BGs are below 90.

 

[Rose Pink]

If I remember, I'll check my BG again in another 30 minutes to see if it goes up further.

Checked about 45 minutes later. It was down to less than 115 average. One meter consistently said 101 (two different strips and blood samples). My older meter (with slightly outdated strips) showed values of 128, 121, and 116 with two different blood samples. Anyway, the point is, the BG is not continuing to go up as it would if I were insulin impaired. In other words, no sugar spikes.

 

[UWSurfer]

Wow,to think of all the things we eat here in the name of TUG science.

 

[Rose Pink]

And now I am back below 100 just as a normal post prandial curve would predict. Can somebody give me a bandaid?

 

[JoAnn]

DH is a diabetic and has been for many years. A couple of years ago our Nephrologist told us about a class for diabetics at our local hospital. We signed up (yes, you can take a friend/spouse/whatever). It was 2 days and went from about 9-3 with an hour for lunch.

We learned about diet, how the various diabetic pills/shots worked, which were the best for our needs. And the RN's found out what meds everyone was on and told them just how and when to take them. DH found out that he was taking his Glipizide at the wrong time! No one had ever told him that before. Now he takes his blood sugar before he takes his pill. If the reading is low, no Glipizide, if it's high, he takes one, then has breakfast. We also learned to count the carbs and how many to use up in a day, depending on whether you were man or woman.

When we shop we look at the carb (in grams) and have found breads can be quite high, and we've found some as low as 12 gr. per slice. And we have eliminated most salt.

I suggest any diabetic find out if there are these types of classes in their area and take them.

Unfortunately, he did not get treated correctly in the early stages, and he developed high blood pressure and now he is on Hemo dialysis 3 times a week. So, IF you are a diabetic get to the right doctor and do what they say!

 

[Rose Pink]

Excellent advice, JoAnn. Most hospitals will have a diabetes clinic. Even the smaller towns and rural areas may have a traveling diabetes team come once a month or so. If you have to travel to a larger city for a few days to take advantage of these types of classes, it is well worth your time and money. Diabetes is a deadly disease and far too many people are walking around not even aware that they have it. If you are overweight (and definitely if you are obese) have your doctor order an A1C test. This gives you an "average" blood sugar for the past 3 months (give or take). It measures the amount of glucose bound to red blood cells. A simple fasting blood sugar may or may not be helpful. A person can have a normal fasting blood sugar and still be running high after meals. Then they gradually drop back to normal. An A1C is a much more valuable screening test for indicating overall values. In my opinion, it should be part of every yearly physical examination for those over 50.

 

[Ellis2ca]

This thread got me curious. I just ate an ooey gooey brownie about 30 minutes ago. It had chocolate chips on top and caramel topping over that. Very rich, very high in sugar. I don't feel very good. My blood sugar is only 119 after that high carbohydrate treat. Checked it on two different meters and got the same result.

Just because my blood sugars are not shooting through the ceiling doesn't mean that brownie isn't doing some damage. Controlling blood sugar is not the complete answer. People can eat nothing but Twizzlers and have normal blood sugar but they'll still die from malnutrition.

If I remember, I'll check my BG again in another 30 minutes to see if it goes up further.

My fasting BGs are below 90.

I want to point out to everybody that I have NOTHING TO SELL to you... no glucose meter, no book... nothing at all... I am not richer or poorer for writing what I did and I have no economic interest in any glucose meter or test strips.

I AGREE with you that just because your blood sugar is not shooting through the ceiling does not mean that you aren't doing damage... First of all, don't feel so safe: ONE brownie put you up to 119... but TWO brownies will put your blood glucose up further. Or one brownie, after a plate of spaghetti, will also put your blood glucose up further...

119 is close enough to 120 so that you should consider it is "BAD"... Why BAD? Because in the long run it will cause some complications of diabetes, even if you are not a diabetic.

When you ate the ooey gooey brownie you forced your pancreas to release a lot of insulin to bring blood sugar down... You are fortunate that your pancreas is still producing a lot of insulin as evidenced by your 119... but if you continue to do this for more years, this will eventually burn out the insulin-producing beta cells and at that point the same brownie that you eat today that only got you to 119 will shoot your blood glucose to 150 or higher...

It takes a lot of eating incorrectly to become noticeable, but that is not a reason why you should eat incorrectly, because you are burning cartridges... This is why most diabetic type II begins after age 40 or 50...

In other words, if you would start to avoid ooey gooey brownies and other high-carb foods starting NOW, you might get to age 40 or 50 or 60 without becoming a diabetic. If this doesn't scare you, then continue to enjoy your brownies...

In addition, you are also damaging your KIDNEYS, which have to clean up the mess in your blood. And you are also damaging your circulatory system, which gets damaged by high blood sugar. And you are also damaging your nervous system... That means you are losing neurons, in your brain and also in the rest of your body...

so... have fun for longer... Avoid SUGAR. SUGAR = 100% carbohydrates... SUGAR is just another word for CARBOHYDRATES, and CARBOHYDRATES is just another word for SUGAR.

- Ellis

 

[M. Henley]

Remembering Correctly?

I seem to remember a time from grad school when there was a story about Godchaux (or some other sugar company) commissioning a study on the benefits of sugar. The story was put under raps b ecause all it showed was newgative effects from the congestion of sugar-containing products.
Could havbe been an early urban legend.

 

[Pat H]

I'm in big trouble. All I eat is sugar and carbs. I like veggies too. What do you eat? Just meat and veggies?

 

[suesam]

I want to know what you eat as well. Like what do you eat for breakfast? I am thinking no bread, pasta, potatoes?
I definitely have been reading more and more about the horrible effects of sugar on your brain as well. Of course today MSN has a article about how good pot is for your brain as you age. HA! I have been telling my teenagers about how bad pot is for their brains and now this?

Sue

 

[Ellis2ca]

What do you eat?

I'm in big trouble. All I eat is sugar and carbs. I like veggies too. What do you eat? Just meat and veggies?

I want to know what you eat as well. Like what do you eat for breakfast? I am thinking no bread, pasta, potatoes?
I definitely have been reading more and more about the horrible effects of sugar on your brain as well. Sue

As I said... you have to eat in such a way that you keep your blood glucose levels low... in fact, you should eat in such a way that you keep your blood glucose levels low today, but NEXT YEAR too, which means, you should eat in such a way that you are not also burning out insulin-producing beta cells in your pancreas.

The problem is: WHO SHALL I BELIEVE? Shall I believe Dr. Atkins, and eat high fat and high protein and low carbs... Shall I believe Nathan Pritikin or Dr. Dean Ornish and the U.S. Dept of Agriculture and eat high carbs and low fat? Should I believe Barry Sears and eat a little of everything, in moderation?

Or should I believe Ellis Toussier (me) ???

WHO SHOULD I BELIEVE in this overabundance of conflicting advice?

DON'T BELIEVE ANYBODY.

You can ONLY believe THE GLUCOSE METER. The glucose meter does not lie. It tells it to you like it is.

And what it has told ME is that I can eat anything that comes from animals, such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk or cheese or yoghurt (without added sugar) or vegetables... I can eat A SMALL portion of fruit... I can eat A VERY SMALL PORTION of beans and nuts. I can eat boiled oat meal and barley...

I cannot eat PIZZA, POTATOES, RICE, BREAD (or anything that looks like bread, such as pie crusts, pizza crusts, etc. tortilla, pita bread, whole wheat bread, white bread, black bread, brown bread... any color or variation of bread...) and of course not candies, chocolates, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, etc... I cannot eat packaged breakfast cereals such as Corn Flakes, Honey Smacks, Corn Pops, etc... and of course I cannot eat the devil himself: SUGAR...

But... I DO eat some of the foods I wrote above... I love chocolate. If I die someday, it will be because I love the taste of chocolate...

But... I USED TO EAT chocolate CAKE. Now I have stopped eating chocolate cake almost 100%, I think the last time I had chocolate cake was more than a year ago... and then, only a small piece... Now, I eat chocolate ICE CREAM... not perfect, but the lesser of two evils...

I can eat THE TOP of Pizza, but not the crust, not the bread... I can eat the cheese and the meat or vegetables and the tomato sauce... NO PROBLEM... but I can't eat the bread part, I leave it on the plate.

I can drink water... and I can drink DIET sodas... but I don't drink normal sodas, with sugar in them... 7 out of 8 sodas sold are normal soda, with sugar in them... those are the people that will be diabetics someday... and 1 out of 8 sodas are diet sodas... those are the people that found out they already are diabetic, so they learned to take care of themself after the damage has been done.

I myself never ate this way until I was 56 years old... And I didn't learn about it from DOCTORS, I didn't learn about it from READING ANY BOOK... I learned about it by serendipity, pure accident... I bought a glucose meter out of curiousity, and it turned everything I had learned before UPSIDE DOWN. Everything I had learned was MISTAKEN.

THAT is the reason why I get 160 with ONE GLASS OF ORANGE JUICE... because I never had a teacher like me to teach me. My body suffered for 56 years, because I was eating incorrectly, but I didn't know it until I bought a blood glucose meter... I didn't learn this from any expert, because all the experts are probably mistaken.

The only expert who I think is correct is Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, author of a book that you might want to read: Diabetes Solution. But a blood glucose meter, and my table above to interpret the results, is all you need.

For breakfast: eggs... turkey ham... yoghurt... a small amount of fruit, or no fruit... definitely NO BREAD, NO PACKAGED BREAKFAST CEREAL, NO HONEY,
NO PASTA, NO POTATOES...

For lunch: chicken or fish, vegetables, maybe a small amount of fruit... maybe a very small amount of beans and or nuts...

For supper: chicken or fish, vegetables, maybe a small amount of fruit...
- Ellis

 

[Rose Pink]

I'm not trying to start an argument here but I do want to repeat that blood sugar readings are not the sum total of what is healthy and what is not. A person with normal insulin function will not likely see unhealthy sugar spikes. This is because the body's insulin is doing its job and the body is responding to the insulin appropriately. However, as I said in my first post on this thread, that does not mean the foods you are eating are not doing you harm. In other words, you are not free and clear just because your blood sugars are in an acceptable range.

A person with insulin-resitance will see sugar spikes if they eat too much carbohydrate or even smaller amounts of unaccompanied high glycemic carbs. Obesity is a primary cause of insulin resistance. As the body's fat cells become more and more engorged they tend to resist the effects of insulin and the blood sugar remains high.

Perhaps I should back up a bit and explain some very basic physiology. Each cell in our bodies is surrounded by a cell membrane. In order to nourish the cell, nutrients must cross that cell membrane.

Glucose (a sugar) is the body's primary fuel (energy) source. Although most cells can use amino acids (from protein) and fatty acids as fuel, the body is designed to burn glucose. The brain can use only glucose as fuel--but that's another story.

The food we eat is digested in our mouth, stomach and intestine. Digestion means it is broken apart into smaller molecules--not just smaller pieces. Starch (a polysaccharide) is broken apart into glucose, for example. The molecules of digested food are then carried across the intestinal membrane into the bloodstream. The blood stream then carries those nutrients throughout our bodies and the cells can take in what they need.

Glucose cannot get across the cell membrane without the help of insulin. You can think of insulin as a carrier that takes glucose out of the blood stream, crosses the cell membrane and takes the glucose inside the cell where it can then be used for fuel. In the absence of insulin (type one diabetes) the cell starves while the blood sugar rises higher and higher. The glucose can't get into the cells so it just stays in the blood stream. The body starves in the midst of a banquet, so to speak. But the diabetes epidemic we are speaking of is not Type I but rather Type II.

In Type II diabetes and in pre-diabetes (and many people are walking around not aware that they even have it until something bad happens like failing eyesight, neuropathy, nephropathy, etc) the body is still producing insulin--in fact, it may be producing alot of insulin. What is happening is the body's cell membranes are not responding to the insulin to let the glucose into the cells. This is what is called insulin resistance. The cell membrane becomes resistant to the insulin. The glucose continues to build up in the blood stream because it can't get into the cell. As the blood glucose rises higher and higher, the body pumps out even more insulin in response. Eventually, the blood insulin level rises high enough that it overcomes, at least in part, the cell membranes' resistance. It is in this scenario that we will see blood sugar spikes and excessive insulin as well. You can measure the sugar with a monitor but there are no insulin meters. It can be done in a laboratory but is not a common test.

As I mentioned before, both excessive blood glucose and excessive blood insulin are inflammatory agents to the capillary walls. Many scientists believe this is one of the primary causes of blood vessel disease. Since all of our organs are supplied by blood vessels, we get heart disease, kidney disease and so on.

So what causes insulin resistance? We're back to obesity as a primary cause. The incidence of insulin resistance also increases with age. It's been said that we will all get diabetes if we live long enough. Genetics play a part, of course, but you can improve your chances of keeping your insulin mechanism working properly by keeping your body free of excess adipose tissue.

Exercise also helps the insulin response in a positive way.

I mentioned unaccompained high glycemic carbs but should have just said unaccompanied carbs. Carbs are aborbed quickly into the blood stream and will thus increase blood sugar quicker than fats and proteins which take longer to digest. You can slow down the absorption of carbs by eating mixed meals. Put some peanut butter on that bread or add some lean protein. Keep total available carbs to about 45 grams or less per meal. (Play with that number to see how it affects you. You will need more or less depending on your size and activity level.) Fiber also slows digestion so replace refined carbs (sugars and white flour) with whole grain products. Eat whole fruit rather than juice. Juice is one thing that can be used to raise blood sugar quickly in a hypoglycemic crisis--which you are only likely to have if you take insulin or another hypoglycemic agent. Normally, blood sugar does not drop to dangerous levels because of another hormone our bodies make--glucagon.

Bottom line: eat whole foods in modest portion sizes. Keep your body fat in check. Increase your activity level.

If you are insulin resistant, you may need to be on a structured meal plan that takes into account timing of meals as well.

Checking your blood sugars with a glucometer is important if you have insulin resistance or full out diabetes. It is a good idea to check even if you aren't sure. However, it is only one tool in the tool box and you should not depend solely on your blood sugars as a mark of health. Like I said, with appropriate treatment we can keep even a Type I's blood glucose within acceptable ranges on nothing but Twizzlers but they will still die from malnutrion.

Hope this rather long post provided an understandable explanation. If you want to learn more or get more technical you can find science-based links at www.diabetes.com.

 

[Ellis2ca]

Blood glucose... more...

I'm not trying to start an argument here but I do want to repeat that blood sugar readings are not the sum total of what is healthy and what is not.

No, but it is the EASIEST and LEAST EXPENSIVE blood test you can take, and it is VERY USEFUL to know your blood sugar. I have taken perhaps 15,000 tests in 8 years (5 or 6 times per day, for 365 days x 8) and I am NOT a diabetic.

I think this is too few... I could have checked more times, but I don't want anybody to think I'm crazy. (I do OTHER things that I won't even MENTION here, because then YOU WILL think I am crazy... but the proof is in the pudding: I am 63 years old and I am in a young and ultra-healthy body...)

A person with normal insulin function will not likely see unhealthy sugar spikes. This is because the body's insulin is doing its job and the body is responding to the insulin appropriately. However, as I said in my first post on this thread, that does not mean the foods you are eating are not doing you harm. In other words, you are not free and clear just because your blood sugars are in an acceptable range.

I agree. You should eat correctly anyways. You should learn to eat AS IF YOU ARE A DIABETIC already.

A person with insulin-resitance will see sugar spikes if they eat too much carbohydrate or even smaller amounts of unaccompanied high glycemic carbs. Obesity is a primary cause of insulin resistance.

I say it is the opposite. Insulin resistance is caused by incorrect eating, and then obesity is just a roadsign on the Road to Diabetes...

As the body's fat cells become more and more engorged they tend to resist the effects of insulin and the blood sugar remains high.

What is happening is that previously you have eaten incorrectly for a long time, and you have forced great amounts of insulin into your blood stream. You have also filled the storage bins... All cells are full of glucose... there is no where to store glucose, so insulin cannot open the doors to the warehouses.

Perhaps I should back up a bit and explain some very basic physiology. Each cell in our bodies is surrounded by a cell membrane. In order to nourish the cell, nutrients must cross that cell membrane.

Glucose (a sugar) is the body's primary fuel (energy) source. Although most cells can use amino acids (from protein) and fatty acids as fuel, the body is designed to burn glucose. The brain can use only glucose as fuel--but that's another story.

The food we eat is digested in our mouth, stomach and intestine. Digestion means it is broken apart into smaller molecules--not just smaller pieces. Starch (a polysaccharide) is broken apart into glucose, for example. The molecules of digested food are then carried across the intestinal membrane into the bloodstream. The blood stream then carries those nutrients throughout our bodies and the cells can take in what they need.

Glucose cannot get across the cell membrane without the help of insulin. You can think of insulin as a carrier that takes glucose out of the blood stream, crosses the cell membrane and takes the glucose inside the cell where it can then be used for fuel.

I see it slightly different. You can think of insulin as the KEY that OPENS THE DOOR of the warehouse where glucose will be stored.

In the absence of insulin (type one diabetes) the cell starves while the blood sugar rises higher and higher. The glucose can't get into the cells so it just stays in the blood stream. The body starves in the midst of a banquet, so to speak. But the diabetes epidemic we are speaking of is not Type I but rather Type II.

In Type II diabetes and in pre-diabetes (and many people are walking around not aware that they even have it until something bad happens like failing eyesight, neuropathy, nephropathy, etc) the body is still producing insulin--in fact, it may be producing a lot of insulin.

What is happening is the body's cell membranes are not responding to the insulin to let the glucose into the cells. This is what is called insulin resistance. The cell membrane becomes resistant to the insulin. The glucose continues to build up in the blood stream because it can't get into the cell.

As the blood glucose rises higher and higher, the body pumps out even more insulin in response. Eventually, the blood insulin level rises high enough that it overcomes, at least in part, the cell membranes' resistance. It is in this scenario that we will see blood sugar spikes and excessive insulin as well.

You can measure the sugar with a monitor but there are no insulin meters. It can be done in a laboratory but it is not a common test.

But "common" has nothing to do with it. You can get it done in a lab, and it is a cheap and very useful and important test.

As I mentioned before, both excessive blood glucose and excessive blood insulin are inflammatory agents to the capillary walls. Many scientists believe this is one of the primary causes of blood vessel disease.

There is ZERO DOUBT in my mind about this. Excessive blood glucose and excessive blood insulin are both primary causes of blood vessel disease. This is why I say YOU MUST keep your blood glucose under control.

Since all of our organs are supplied by blood vessels, we get heart disease, kidney disease and so on.

So what causes insulin resistance? We're back to obesity as a primary cause.

No, no... I disagree... Obesity is A RESULT of THE SAME process that caused insulin resistance. Insulin resistance was caused by eating high carbs, and obesity was caused by eating high carbs. Insulin resistance is one sign that you are on The Road to Diabetes... and obesity is a sign that you are on The Road to Diabetes... You can reverse obesity by eating correctly and exercise, and you can reverse insulin resistance by eating correctly and exercise.

The incidence of insulin resistance also increases with age.

The passage of TIME is not a cause of insulin resistance. It is THE ACCUMULATION of insults to your body that causes insulin resistance.

It's been said that we will all get diabetes if we live long enough. Genetics play a part, of course,

I disagree: Genetics does NOT play a part "of course..."

YOU LEARN TO BE A DIABETIC... and YOU CAN LEARN NOT TO BE A DIABETIC.

You learn to EAT as YOUR PARENTS ATE... And you can learn to eat as your parents should have eaten...

If you are still not diabetic, you can LEARN how NOT to be a diabetic.

If BOTH your parents had diabetes, and even if your parents both died of diabetes, and if you are already a diabetic: YOU CAN LEARN TO EAT SO THAT YOUR DIABETES WILL NOT KILL YOU... soon...

but you can improve your chances of keeping your insulin mechanism working properly by keeping your body free of excess adipose tissue.

Correct. But I agree for a different reason: You can improve your chances of keeping your insulin mechanism working properly BY FEEDING YOUR BODY THE PROPER FOOD, STARTING NOW. This will also prevent you from getting excess adipose tissue.

Exercise also helps the insulin response in a positive way.

Of course. Exercise burns some blood glucose, therefore you need less insulin to do the same job. Less insulin is always better than more insulin.

I mentioned unaccompained high glycemic carbs but should have just said unaccompanied carbs. Carbs are aborbed quickly into the blood stream and will thus increase blood sugar quicker than fats and proteins which take longer to digest.

You can slow down the absorption of carbs by eating mixed meals. Put some peanut butter on that bread or add some lean protein.

Don't eat the bread at all... Eat the peanut butter from a spoon.

Keep total available carbs to about 45 grams or less per meal. (Play with that number to see how it affects you. You will need more or less depending on your size and activity level.)

Fiber also slows digestion so replace refined carbs (sugars and white flour) with whole grain products.

Whole grain bread will raise your blood sugar just as badly as any other bread... Let us not quibble about details... it might take 110 grams of whole wheat bread to raise blood sugar to the same height of 100 grams of regular refined flour bread, but they are essentially just as bad one as the other.

Eat whole fruit rather than juice.

I agree... It takes 6 or 7 apples to make one large glass of apple juice, so of course it will raise your blood glucose more than one apple...

And I suggest you shouldn't even eat one whole apple... you can eat half an apple... Eat the other half after your body has had a chance to process the first half apple.

Juice is one thing that can be used to raise blood sugar quickly in a hypoglycemic crisis--which you are only likely to have if you take insulin or another hypoglycemic agent. Normally, blood sugar does not drop to dangerous levels because of another hormone our bodies make--glucagon.

Bottom line: eat whole foods in modest portion sizes. Keep your body fat in check. Increase your activity level.

I agree, 100%.

If you are insulin resistant, you may need to be on a structured meal plan that takes into account timing of meals as well.

Checking your blood sugars with a glucometer is important if you have insulin resistance or full out diabetes.

Checking your blood sugars is important whether or not you are insulin resistant... and it is extremely useful even if you are not a diabetic... Nothing at all will give you as much insight into the food that you are eating and the possible changes that you should do as will checking your blood glucose before and after a meal that you think is good for you... You will be surprised at how much you think is good for you, and the glucose meter tells you it is bad for you.

It is a good idea to check even if you aren't sure. However, it is only one tool in the tool box and you should not depend solely on your blood sugars as a mark of health.

I agree it is only one tool in the tool box... but it is the easiest tool to use and it is one of the best...

What other tools do you suggest we should use?

Like I said, with appropriate treatment we can keep even a Type I's blood glucose within acceptable ranges on nothing but Twizzlers but they will still die from malnutrion.

What is "Twizzlers"? I suppose you mean: junk food. I agree. We have to EAT CORRECTLY... that means you must give your body what your body needs, and that is: protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber... You can eat LOW CARB and get all of the protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber that you need if you avoid the list of foods that I avoid for myself... (see above...)

Hope this rather long post provided an understandable explanation. If you want to learn more or get more technical you can find science-based links at www.diabetes.com.

Thanks for your great post. I would give you three stars on my forum.

Ellis Toussier
The Incredible Dirty Old Man Who Does Not Grow Older

 

[cgeidl]

Diabetic type 2 for 20+ years

I have been a diagnosed type 2 for 20+ years and also had a couple triple by pass operations starting at 45.
I really did not think I would live to be 60 but next year I will be 70.
MyA1C has been very high-11 or 12 and until recently-two months ago really abused my body with too many carbs. At a recent doctors appointment I was told if I continued I would have kidney failure in a year. This woke me up a bit and over 70 days I have my Blood glucose down to 170 average versus 350.
Lost 25 pounds in about 45 days but have stabilized. I eat about 120 carbs a day and 1300 calories.From 110 to 1500 max.Gave up eating white bread and only eat a small amount of other starches like potatoes,rice,etc.
I wish to lose another 30 pounds in the next year and wonder what would help do the trick???

 

[donnaval]

Ellis, thanks for your provocative posts. We're going to get a glucose meter and my DH is going to test virtually everything he eats to see if we can figure out what the heck causes him to have high bp. Along with the high bp, he has suffered from chronic insomnia for almost 20 years. Now, this is a guy who is your age and also looks and generally feels much much younger than his age--eats very well, exercises every day, and is overall very fit and healthy. So why the high bp and the insomnia? All doctors say is "must be in the family" which is such a bogus reason, in my opinion.

We've tried so many things. He even did a 12-day water fast, during which his bp dropped like a rock but the insomnia was not alleviated. As soon as he resumed eating, the bp went back up. He generally eats like a vegetarian but due to my problems with carbs we very rarely eat wheat, rice or sweets. He does, however, adore fresh fruit and eats lots of it, and like you is a chocoholic. He limits himself usually to the 70% cacao, and a square or two a day.

Anyway, we joined your forum and plan to start the glucose testing soon. We're debating whether he wants to start now or not, because we will be leaving Monday for three weeks in timeshares. We don't go nuts foodwise while we are away, so we should probably just get him started!

Thanks again for offering another option for exploration.

 

[Emily]

First . . I in no way disagree with what Ellis is saying



The body takes all food molecules . . all and turns them into glucose to use for fuel. Without going into the processes of cellular respiration, glycolysis, ATP production and the mitochondria, anerobic and aerobic . . I can add this -

it takes less energy to convert sugar, carbs to fat and without exercise (aerobic - oxygen) you end up producing pyruvic acid which is toxic.

The body does well with a moderate exercise (walking, low impact) and a balanced diet with adequate hydration. Protein is used by the body to synthesize antibodies and support the immune function. This function becomes depeted as we age.

The liver reduces in size with aging and cannot detoxify the amount of stuff it did in the younger years.

Also, as you age, instrinsic factor (required for B12 absorption) is greatly reduced. B12 is need for adequate synthesis and to metabolize carbs among other things.

Carbs and sugars are not handled by the body the same way they were when you were 5, 12 or 20 yo. The diet has to be modified to adjust to the changes or it creates poor health.

 

[Ellis2ca]

I have been a diagnosed type 2 for 20+ years and also had a couple triple by pass operations starting at 45.

I really did not think I would live to be 60 but next year I will be 70.

My A1C has been very high-11 or 12 and until recently-two months ago
I really abused my body with too many carbs.

At a recent doctors appointment I was told if I continued I would have kidney failure in a year. This woke me up a bit and over 70 days I have my Blood glucose down to 170 average versus 350.

Lost 25 pounds in about 45 days but have stabilized. I eat about 120 carbs a day and 1300 calories. From 110 to 1500 max. Gave up eating white bread and only eat a small amount of other starches like potatoes, rice, etc.

I wish to lose another 30 pounds in the next year and wonder what would help do the trick???

You are still going to have kidney failure unless you get your blood glucose down BELOW 100. You have to get it below 100... not below 170, which is what most diabetes doctors are happy with. 170 is close to "deathly" according to me... and the reason why it is close to "deathly" is because it is going to kill you... slower than 350, but you are still damaging everything, including your brain and nervous system. You have to decide which you like more: do you prefer to be alive, or do you prefer to eat potatoes and rice? It is your choice. You decide what goes into your mouth.

You did not mention that you are using insulin, so I assume that you are NOT using insulin. My advice to you is that you should learn to use Lantus (slow acting long lasting insulin) and also Humalog (fast acting - short lasting insulin) as soon as possible.

You should go to a doctor who is diabetic himself and who uses insulin himself, otherwise most doctors know ZERO about diabetes or about using insulin, even though they say (and they really think) they know a lot... Most diabetes doctors will give you incorrect advice concerning the use of insulin.

Ellis, thanks for your provocative posts. We're going to get a glucose meter and my DH is going to test virtually everything he eats to see if we can figure out what the heck causes him to have high blood pressure. Along with the high blood pressure, he has suffered from chronic insomnia for almost 20 years.

Now, this is a guy who is your age and also looks and generally feels much much younger than his age--eats very well, exercises every day, and is overall very fit and healthy. So why the high bp and the insomnia?

All doctors say is "must be in the family" which is such a bogus reason, in my opinion.

When doctors don't know what to say, they say it anyways...

I am glad you joined my forum... Ask me there, and I will answer you there.

We've tried so many things. He even did a 12-day water fast, during which his blood pressure dropped like a rock but the insomnia was not alleviated.

As soon as he resumed eating, the blood pressure went back up.

He generally eats like a vegetarian but due to my problems with carbs we very rarely eat wheat, rice or sweets.

He does, however, adore fresh fruit and eats lots of it, and like you is a chocoholic. He limits himself usually to the 70% cacao, and a square or two a day.

The MYTH is that FRUITS are GOOD FOR YOU... In FACT, fruits are a mixed bag...

On the one hand, they are GOOD because they have vitamins, minerals, fiber, and enzymes...

On the other hand, they are BAD because they contain TOO MUCH SUGAR...

That is precisely why they are so delicious. And since they are delicious, and the MYTH is that they are GOOD FOR YOU, then many people think they should eat A LOT of fruit...

If ONE GLASS of orange juice is GOOD (according to myth) then TWO glasses of orange juice is probably better... all that vitamin C ! Wow!

But ONE large glass of orange juice contains about 50 grams of SUGAR!!!

And TWO large glasess of orange juice contain about 100 grams of SUGAR... Can you imagine what is ONE HUNDRED grams of SUGAR? it is about one half cup of sugar... Try to fill half a cup with sugar, then think of what all that goo will do inside your body if you drink it...


And have you ever drunk TWO glasses of orange juice?

You bet your life, I DID (...before I learned it is POISON for my body...)

And I also ate TWO buns of bread, fresh out of the oven...

All these things we THOUGHT are GOOD FOR US because that is what Dr. DEAN ORNISH and NATHAN PRITIKIN and the U.S. Dept of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid have been preaching to us for years... they said "high carb" is GOOD for us. (according to Food Guide Pyramid, 60% of your calories should come from carbohydrates such as MUFFINS, BREAKFAST CEREALS, BREAD, SPAGHETTI... ) (absolutely CRIMINAL advice...)

But the GLUCOSE METER is the ONLY EXPERT I believe anymore... and the glucose meter tells me without any doubt: I can die from too much mangoes, or grapes, or papaya, bananas, figs... (yummmy... my mouth just salivated to think of it. )

But that is precisely what KILLS.

And if that is not enough to shoot your blood glucose out the roof, then it certainly is enough to make your pancreas overwork and release a whole lot of INSULIN, which is going to eventually burn out beta cells, and make you diabetic. And uncontrolled diabetes is the bottom cause of heart disease, food for cancer, senility, end stage kidney disease, etc. . - Ellis

Anyway, we joined your forum and plan to start the glucose testing soon.

We're debating whether he wants to start now or not, because we will be leaving Monday for three weeks in timeshares. We don't go nuts foodwise while we are away, so we should probably just get him started!

Thanks again for offering another option for exploration.

Start now. Don't put it off. You will learn something now, you will learn something while you are on vacation, and one month from now you will know more about how to eat correctly.

But you never really stop learning. You can't test yourself a few hundred times and then decide you are now an expert. Blood glucose feels fine when it is killing you. You can never trust it. The only way to know it is high is to test it and catch it. If you know it is HIGH, then you can make it come DOWN faster... and you can learn to avoid the food that made it go UP in the first place.

First . . I in no way disagree with what Ellis is saying

Smart girl... You will live a long life.

The body takes all food molecules . . and turns them into glucose to use for fuel. Without going into the processes of cellular respiration, glycolysis, ATP production and the mitochondria, anerobic and aerobic . . I can add this -

it takes less energy to convert sugar, carbs to fat and without exercise (aerobic - oxygen) you end up producing pyruvic acid which is toxic.

The body does well with a moderate exercise (walking, low impact) and a balanced diet with adequate hydration.

Protein is used by the body to synthesize antibodies and support the immune function. This function becomes depleted as we age.

Which function becomes depleted as we age? The thymus gland is the master of the immune system, and the thymus gland withers and atrophys... but we know what is the cause of this, and we can reverse it and strengthen our immune system... I have not gotten A BAD COLD in more than ten years, and I used to get bad colds at least once a year... when I was an old man... now I am a young man again, so I don't get sick anymore.

The liver reduces in size with aging and cannot detoxify the amount of stuff it did in the younger years.

The liver can be kept its size, if we don't cause it to get smaller... The thymus gland (master of the immune system) also withers with age, but we can reverse that and make it bloom again... (find out how, at my forum...)

Also, as you age, instrinsic factor (required for B12 absorption) is greatly reduced. B12 is need for adequate synthesis and to metabolize carbs among other things.

Carbs and sugars are not handled by the body the same way they were when you were 5, 12 or 20 yo. The diet has to be modified to adjust to the changes or it creates poor health.

In general, I agree with you that the body changes as we age... but it doesn't change because of the passage of TIME... it changes because we damage it slowly...

We damage our body as steadily and as predictably as an atomic clock shoots out electrons.... that is why we can predict that MOST PERSONS will be DEAD by age 80... which is pretty young, I think... I don't want to be dead by age 80, that is only 17 years from now!

But we can SLOW down the damage... and we can help our body to REPAIR a lot of the damage that occurs...

There is NO SIGN OF AGING that I can think of that cannot be SLOWED DOWN, or actually REVERSED. There is a remedy for everything, BEFORE IT HAPPENS, before we LOSE our good health. Once we have lost our good health, then it is much more difficult to recover it again.

The problem with dying at age 80 is that if you die at age 80, you are probably pretty OLD and SICK at age 79... and not so great at age 75... If you can live to be age 100, then you will still be YOUNG at age 75 and 80... And if you can live to be 120, then you will still be young when you are age 100...

Whatever age I live to, I want to be YOUNG until I die. I want to still be smart enough and awake enough to be able to play chess at age 100 and give interviews and teach people how I stayed young until... whatever age I am at... I have been LOOKING AT MYSELF in the mirror for more than 10 years, and I KNOW I have not gotten 10 years older in 10 years... in fact, in my opinion I have gotten maybe five years YOUNGER in ten years. So... from 52 to 47... and now my birth certificate is 63...

You can't beat that.

If you are still interested you can search Google for more information.

Ellis Toussier
The Incredible Dirty Old Man Who Does Not Grow Older

 

[Miss Marty]

Abracadabra...

[Marty - the link to his website was removed because it is a commercial link and self-promotion is not allowed on TUG. - DeniseM Moderator]

 

[Miss Marty]

Bayer: Taking Charge of Diabetes and Heart Health


February 26th, Thurs. 7:30-8:30pm EST
Taking Charge of Diabetes and Heart Health

Don’t miss out on our upcoming 1 hour on-line seminar designed
to help you learn something new about diabetes management.

If you haven’t already, register today at
www.bayerdiabeteswebinars.com

 

[MuranoJo]

Ellis,

I totally agree with you, but why is this different from Atkins, who pioneered this whole way of life many, many years ago?

I lost a bunch of weight and felt the best in my life when I followed his book.
Yet, I am surrounded with a bunch of friends or relatives or nurses or medical professionals who just cringe at the 'low carb' diet. I gave up trying to convince them: They are very stubborn with their thinking low carb or Atkins means NO carbs or obnoxious levels of saturated fats. Yet, I ate better, got more veggies, on Atkins than my typical lifestyle before. Yes, I had carbs, but they were good carbs. There's a difference.