Struggling with losing weight and my type 2

I find fat most helpful slowing down digestion and keeps intestines roaring through the simple starches and carbs creating a huge spike.

I agree with Brian (bsc) and Consumne Jan.

Your experience with diet and diabetes is completely different than mine. For decades I pursued the high carb low fat regimen endorsed by almost all of the mainstream medical community. It was a slow motion train wreck for me.

You write that you do not eat "unprocessed carbohydrates." I take this to mean that you do not consume bread, crackers, cereal, pasta, cookies, chips (corn or potato), pretzels, and a host of other processed carbs. When I followed a high carb low fat diet, I still ate some of these foods, at least in moderation.

I also ate unprocessed carbs like beans, peas, lentils, bananas, pears, apples, and mangos. I discovered, however, with repeated testing that I had to eliminate some of these "good" carbs because they weren't good for me. Mangos are not processed carbs but they send my BG too high.

Your way of eating will not and has not worked for me. I trust that your personal experience is valid for you but I don't think that it will hold for many PWDs.

When you describe the action of fat as "sludging up" your metabolism it reminds me of the "fat-clogged kitchen sink drain" metaphor so often used to sell the discredited "diet-heart hypothesis." I don't believe this hypothesis; the science does not support it.

I congratulate you for finding a system that works for you. Diabetes is hard and you appear to have found some techniques that work for you.

The Spectrum of Health: An Integrated Approach to Whole Food, Plant-Based Diets

You are correct, Terry; I generally do not eat breads, crackers, pastas, etc. The staples in my diet include oats, potatoes, corn, etc. I should have said minimally processed instead of unprocessed, as cooking and cutting are processing to some degree. I'm sorry for not being more clear.

As for the science not supporting the idea that fat and cholesterol lead to heart disease, I disagree. Please see the link I referenced above for Brian.

Thank you. This site as well as my dietary changes have been extremely beneficial to me. I happened to pop in during a discussion in chat about types of insulin and I came to find out about an insulin I didn't even know was on the market. I have since switched to said insulin and it has been extremely helpful in greater blood glucose control.

Thanks for the response. I'll follow the links and see what I can learn.

I am presently out of my wits as how to control both blood sugar and weight at the same time.

Dr. Greger has a number of research reviews on his nonprofit website too: Michael Greger, MD: Discusses Diabetes and the Dangers of Low Carb Diets

Could you explain this direct attack on Michael Greger? I really want to make choices that are based on my own health and are grounded on science. He seems a bit scary.

I should first say that while I feel that largely avoiding animal products, among other things, in one's diet is health promoting, I do not live a vegan lifestyle; though I have no issue with those that do.

The article primarily utilizes the analysis of Harriet Hall. Both the originally referenced article and Dr. Hall's analysis seem to be clouded with a distaste for veganism rather than leaning in the direction of objectivity for a plant-based diet. She calls certain studies flawed that I have found to be anything but flawed, including that of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. Most criticize his study based on the small number of subjects, but the reason for the small number was justified and he has more recently accumulated data from working with a much larger population with similar, if not, better results. She goes on to criticize Dr. Greger by misquoting him regarding the grenade issue, where he had been quoting, in order to criticize, what most would consider to be a ridiculous statement by Nelson Cox of the USDA. The article further references a Yahoo article, inaccurately titled in my opinion, that upon my reading does not indicate that vegetables are a greater source of food poisoning than animal products overall. Furthermore, a lot of the plant foods that have been contaminated can be sourced back to livestock.

If you are uncomfortable with those that others assume have a bias based on animal welfare, I would suggest focusing on the work of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. and Dr. T. Colin Campbell. I would also caution against taking to heart the "analysis" of those that get overly agitated with those that live a vegan lifestyle. I have found Dr. Greger's reviews to be very useful and don't find him to be at all scary.

Recent scientific research which supports low carb for Diabetes type 2:

http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16701&catid=1&Itemid=17

Good morning, all. Been a happy D2 for almost 16 years now, and before that I struggled to lose my weight for over 30 years. I have to admit that the only controlling I did when I started was to still lose the weight, AND take my medications. I was a VERY uncompliant diabetic. Five years later, and having only lost about 10 lbs...I started to count my carbs....I looked at it like a game and I was going to win each and every day. My first dietician gave me a plan of 30 - 35 carbs for meals and 15 - 20 for snacks. Pretty tight.
BUT I started to lose the weight more on a steady track, AND my numbers both dailies and AlC's were lowered from 13.8 to 5.0's in a short period of time. I wasn't starving, I wasn't not eating my favorites, we developed that part of the plan where by I could have those things that I yearned for but in minimal quanties, so basically it was all about portion control...and trade offs. If I had to have 5 M&M's then I was going to have to swim an extra 1/2 hour to compensate. AND I could only have those 5 M&M's once a week...Todate,I have lost over 100 lbs, and my numbers are in the low 6's which is great for a woman my age with the other health risks I have. BUT I'm not done, I have 30 lbs left to go, and a long way to feel compliant and controlled. YOU have to find what works for YOU. Reading research is important, very important, however, please don't get sold on one idea that this is the ONLY way I can control my sugars and lose the weight...it's got to be a way YOU can stick to and YOU have to prove it works for you,.
Good luck!

Or maybe you are not eating enough fat. Its the fat that fills you up, and makes it easy to stick to low-carb. (If your body doesn't get its fuel from glucose, it needs to get its energy from fat).

Make sure you get it -- butter, full fat dairy, eggs, chicken WITH the skin, marbled meat. You can take a small spoon of coconut oil..

As an alternative approach to consider:-

I am now using intermittent fasting (restrict eating to about an 8 hour period each day), short periods of High Intensity Exercise (HIT) several times a week (this consists of body weight exercises: jumping rope, squats, sit ups, pushups, burpees, just started parcour), and low carb (I am not counting exactly how many - but typically no grains, no added sugars and very limited fruits), high fat, moderate protein. I usually don't snack but I eat 2 substantial meals each day (mostly built around meats and non-starchy veges. I do drink wine or beer in moderation as they don't seem to affect my blood sugar, particularly when taken in the evenings).

being hypothyroid and diabetic weight loss is extremely hard. But the above approach is finally (though slowly) working for me and I've lost about 3 kg in the past 3 months (and it seems to be staying off, and people are finally noticing). Still have about 9 - 14 kg to lose... but will see how I look as target gets closer.

I believe it is the combination of calorie restriction (though intermittent fasting), exercise, and the low carb approach that is working. High fat, means one doesn't get hungry.... Won't work for all, as some people find intermittent fasting doesn't work for them (they get hungry), but for me it is ideal, I usually have my first meal by lunch time, and I can control my blood sugar at fasting levels for most of the day (giving me better overall hba1c). I am noticeably stronger and getting some visible muscle definition.


I do use insulin - about 20 units of basal / day, and usually 0 - 8 units of fast acting (depending on what I eat /timing and intensity of exercise).

My dear friend, I was 252 lbs when I was diagnosed. Losing weight was vital to my success, I had started and quit many programs to lose weight, and never succeeded. I had tried drinking my meals as in protein drinks,,,,nothing worked, I finally tried counting my carbs, 30, 15, 30, 15, and 30....meals were 30; snacks were 15.....I started to swim for exercise....and the weight started to come off, I will swear by counting carbs and exercise to control sugars and weight....I have lost 80+ lbs to date and my sugars are controlled. You have to find some thing that you will stick with; you will be able to do; and it healthy for you to work,

Everyone has different experiences, and I am only going to share my own. I successfully lost weight and tremendously improved my A1C eating 60 grams of carbohydrate. I was not happy with my C-Reactive Protein and cholesterol numbers (both were somewhat better on my LC diet, but still not very good). My decision, after lots of research, was to switch to a Whole Foods Plant Based (WFPB) diet. WFPB is what some folks call Vegan, but with almost no processed foods--what in some communities are called Frankenfoods. My results were that my diabetes control remained excellent, my blood pressure improved enough so I was taken off all my high blood pressure meds, and my cholesterol and CRP numbers were just amazing. For me, both ways of eating succesfully controlled my Type 2 Diabetes. The heart related stuff was much better, in my case, on a WFPB diet.

Since we have long found out -- well many of us--- that our diabetes although the same is very different depending on our bodies reaction to how we treat it. I have "slightly" given up on telling people what they "should" do, as it worked for me, but might not give them the same results. I couldn't do vegan and stick with it, but counting carbs was easier for me. I am glad that you got the results you did doing what you did....yea for your team!