Is this true:
I am not trying to play victim… But I didn’t know this:
That Type 2 can only happen to you if you have the Diabetes gene and that’s why this happened to me, besides being a fat and exercising off and on throughout the years instead of daily?
As i’ve said before I exercised when I could it wasn’t often ( very here and there no rhyme or rhythm ) but I would exercise during the spring and summer months. And I would loose a few pounds too!
Type2 does have a genetic component.
It means you are more likely to be resistant to insulin.
Extra weight makes this worse because carrying excess fat makes you even more insulin resistant.
That’s why type2 people who lose weight can see normal sugars, almost like a cure. However it’s still there just managed.
Eating a lot of sugar and carbs can overwhelm your system esp if it is over many years. You can train your body to be resistant to it.
They only way to really get a handle on it is to lose weight to bring you back into an average weight. Exercise because exercise reduces insulin resistance. It also lets you burn more calories.
I am type 1, and still I use exercise twice a day to help manage my blood sugars.
At work, I walk a mile to lunch. And back.
After dinner I walk to Starbucks for a coffee. That’s another 3 miles.
Once you get in the habit of exercising, you might actually enjoy it.
Genetics is only one part of this disease, we need to go after it in several ways to stay healthy
True that type 2 requires the diabetes gene – parent or grandparent. Don’t blame yourself!
Counting carbs and exercise minutes will help manage it. Keep an eye on your BG meter, and weight should normalize, too. (That was my experience.)
How are things going, so far, CWM?
There a constellation of about 30 genes that can make one prone to insulin resistance. Not all who have this set of genes will become type 2 diabetic, but all T2DMs have some or all of them.
Type 2 diabetes both causes fat accumulation and increasing fatty tissue especially on or around the liver increases insulin resistance.
Exercise is tough when insulin resistance is high, because without insulin receptors accepting it fuel (glucose) is not transported into cells.
This lack of energy is another two edged sword, increasing insulin resistance while causing fat accumulation.
In my experience over the past 30 years since diagnosis, reducing dietary carbohydrates is the first step. This alone can increase insulin receptor sensitivity, reduce fatty tissue accumulation, decrease a sense of fatigue and reducing blood glucose levels.
It is not enough, That extra energy needs to be put to work with daily regular exercise. I am a big proponent of aerobic/cardio type exercises in the main. Things like brisk walking, hiking and cycling will improve heart function, circulation And deplete glucose stores in the liver and skeletal muscles. Both will soak up glucose like a sponge.
Resistance exercises are good but, in my opinion, should not be the mainstay exercise of the diabetic. During intensive weight lifting, BG tends to rise, but increased muscle mass is a better sink for glucose.
At 71 I tend to do 2 days of resistance, while doing as much as 7 days of aerobic/cardio.
The best explanation I have read on exercise and all types of diabetes mellitus is from Sheri Colberg’s “The Athlete’s Guid to Diabetes.” The first half of the book is a great explanation of the how of glucose, exercise and insulin work together.
The second half is from diabetic athletes of all types doing all types of sport. Their methods and experiences really illustrate how varied we all are.
You got to keep moving and breathing, that’s key.