Whats the most annoying comment you've ever gotten about diabetes?

Confused: are you quoting Dean? Those aren't symptoms; they are risk factors. And risk doesn't have anything to do with causes.

And you can control the risk factors to the best of your ability and still get T2. Or not get T2, because you beat the odds of the risk factors.

The one that always gets me is the belly fat one. As if a person could control where their body deposits their fat. I just read an article that purported to prove that T2 WASN'T genetic, but didn't give any convincing evidence about it. I do think that if people were willing to starve themselves, and eat only small amounts of unappetizing food, they could lose weight and become quite thin, and thus remove one of the risk factors, but who are we kidding? I'm just tired of the judgmentalism.

Taubes' books talk about people who starve themselves and don't lose weight. I don't recall exactly what the science behind it is but I think that it's tied into genes. I would bet money that the obesity that's looked at as a cause is a complication of some flaw in food-processing. Sorry I'm not an avid researcher because there's probably links out there to some better proof than "I read a couple of books and have read a bunch of people's posts on message boards..." but that's what I've got. I think that the obesity is likely caused by a medical problem, rather than the food and lack of exercise, as postulated by Dean. I think BSC/ Brian posted the suggestion that this was a "symptom" and I agree with the somantics of that term. I agree with Dean that everyone should eat healthy and exercise but that includes "straight" people without diabetes.

Because of my weight from an unrelated adrenal problem, everyone always says, but you must be a t2, and if you would just lose weight you wouldn’t need medication right? Ugh…

Grrrr.. I've always said to myself, if people would just pay more attention to their OWN badass kids, and their OWN broken marriages, and their OWN lack of judgment in THEIR lives, instead of the relentless badgering of our diabetes, weight, and outright meddling in our business, this would be such a better country. :-(

-Yogi

So many great excuses for your conditions here!! We are not, as humans, designed to be so overweight as we are in this country. Hence the myriad of health issues that go along with being that large! Your assertions that there is nothing people can do about it is a load of crap!! If people went to as much a raw food diet as possible, preferably all raw, drank more water, avoided processed foods and sodas, and moved around a little more, you cannot help but shed pounds and do wonders for your health. Most clearly don't have the ability to make the hard choices to better their health. So much easier to whine about how you cannot heal!!! Well the body is also designed to heal, but you got to treat it right!!

An unhealthy body is a place where disease flourishes! You make a great excuse to not make better choices. But it is just an excuse!! A body that is fed right and treated right cannot help but become more healthy. And that will eliminate insulin resistance in the high majority of people. Not a judgment, just a fact. Be more honest to just say I am too unmotivated to do what it would take to have better health! At least you would own it, instead of acting as though you have no control over your own life and health!!

I've lost 90 lbs since I peaked c. 2005 and run 7 1/2 marathons, 2 marathons and earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and generally am running 15ish miles/ week, since it's the "off" season here in Chicago. My doctor said, in response to me saying "well, maybe I could drop 10 more lbs.", "you don't need to lose weight, you've got a lot of muscle..." perhaps since I lift and do pushups, etc. on days I don't run. My A1C was 5.2, my StdDeviation is in the low 20s/ high teens and my HDL 77 > my LDL so I think I'm controlling my health pretty well. I don't tell other people they "are" something because they are or aren't doing what I do. I prefer to talk abut what people can do and try to offer support and encouragement on message boards. But I still don't agree that obesity causes T2. T2 is onboard and manifests itself in different symptoms in different people, which can include obesity. To say "exercise and eat right and you'll be fine" is a copout.

well said ar

Dean, no one is saying that being overweight is good. No one is saying that many people don't eat well, don't take care of themselves, don't want to lose weight.

What we ARE saying is that T2 ISN'T curable. What we ARE saying is that there are people who aren't able to lose weight despite their tremendous efforts. What we ARE saying is that not everyone with T2 is overweight, doesn't eat well, doesn't exercise. Blame is a useless exercise - how about a little compassion?

i agree totally. reading taubes´ book last summer was an eye opener for me. dean, you should read it, the informtion was surprising and went completely against the grain of the media´s ideas about t2.

wouldnt it tho!?!

I never suggested starving yourself. I know that isn't healthy. It is about healthy lifestyles. So your saying that eating right and exercising is a cop out?? Believe me, I know it isn't the answer or I wouldn't have t1. But I know for a fact that it would help t2, which is primarily brought on by obesity and poor health. So go ahead and keep your crutch, have your "excuses" for not taking your own health into your own hands. I get that responsibility is HARD!! So hard you would defend your poor habits as though changing them would do you no good. I have heard it all before. Notice just a page or two back I was raked over the coals because most people aren't "average" and don't know any better. Yet somehow you all know better, you all know it is okay to be overweight, because YOUR issue is something completely different from what everyone else deals with! Ya right!!

dean, this is from the ada webpage. i usually do not involve myself in skirmishes on here but it seems as if youre really on teensy bit of a rampage hre against our brothers in arms, the t2s!

ada is not my favourite place to cite, but it works and is respected.
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-myths/

Being overweight is a risk factor for developing this disease, but other risk factors such as family history, ethnicity and age also play a role. Unfortunately, too many people disregard the other risk factors for diabetes and think that weight is the only risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Most overweight people never develop type 2 diabetes, and many people with type 2 diabetes are at a normal weight or only moderately overweight.

i highly doubt that the majority of t2s could cure themselves with diet and exercise.

Of course you doubt that!! Otherwise you might have to exercise and eat differently than you do. That would be too hard. Easier to claim you can do nothing and just take the meds your doctor perscribes. Why take responsibility when it means you have to do something!!

Sorry but I do have compassion and I wouldn't keep saying these things if I didn't hope someone would get something from it! Perhaps "cure" isn't the correct word, but if getting off meds and especially not having to take insulin were possible, then why wouldn't you do it? I just spent another 10 minutes searching online. Not only are there a lot of stories to back up what I am saying, but lots of comments and testamonials of others who have gotten rid of meds and off insulin due to changing diet and exercising. So go ahead and make your excuses!! I really don't care how you choose to live your life. I just cannot stand the whining about how you can do nothing about it, how being overweight is okay. We all know it isn't!! Or at least enough know it isn't! I can see everyone here loves to be the victim of their own poor choices so nothing I can say or prove will change that!!

Exactly Judith....the same came be applied many other conditions....balanced, well treated...respected, but nevertheless still there.

You illustrate my point to a tee!! You don't want a cure do you. That is why you persist in this belief!! So maybe it never goes away, but if you live without taking any medication or insulin, then it is close enough to a cure for me. You can still say you have it, but you control it with diet and exercise. Again that means taking control of your own life!! Odd how you all seem to agree it is a metabolic issue but don't agree that your metabolism works better when not overweight. Can't have it both ways!!

If you guys want to keep patting each other on the back and supporting being overweight, then I am happy for you! Keep killing yourselfs slowly and whine about how sick you are and can nothing about it!!

I however, BELIEVE there is a cure, and that for Type 1!! We just haven't found it yet! I and will continue to believe that because I also believe that is how this existence works. I will create my world and that world has hope for a better life! Not the kind where I wallow in my own self pity and claim the victim status like you all are so invested in!! Truly sad!!

will you get off my case Dean...I exercise...eat well...care for myself AND AM NOT WHINING....GIVE IT A REST!

Dean, really... enough, please!! You're entitled to your opinions, but do stop casting blame and making everyone else wrong!