Sadly, some people in this community irritate the sh*t out of me, for a variety of reasons.
Something I notice is that a lot of people here act as 'know it alls'........they think they know everything there is to know about diabetes and caring for diabetes and just because they're doing well with doing things a certain way it MUST be the right thing for everyone to do.
The newest thing I'm noticing is that all these 'know it alls' feel that low-carb, or in some cases VERY low carb, is the only way diabetics should be eating, and those of us who choose not to should just shut up and change, or and deal with the fact that we're going to need amputations. (Which is pretty damn presumptuous.)
I don't think ignorant people (because that's what you are when you pass judgment on someone for not following YOUR plan) who know nothing about me or other low-carbers should insinuate that our choice is going to eventually lead to a decrease in quality of life, as compared to theirs.
It's not like eating a piece of cake is going to make my facking foot fall off. And if it does, that's my own damn business - I don't need some stuck-up nobody telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing.
We talk about the 'diabetes police' all the time. Well, the WORST of the diabetes police are diabetics themselves!
Very good point. The most important thing that any PWD must know and respect is that Your Diabetes May Vary - what works for one doesn't necessarily mean it's what works for everyone, in full or in part. Hope a majority aren't that way, from your experience, and those "know it all" bad apples don't ruin the full bushel.
Big Wow are you pissed off. Did something happen or just the constant chatter about what to eat or what not to eat? I agree with you however and have been eating carbs among many other things for almost 5 decades. I think the low carb folks are going to fry their kidneys and I would rather loose a foot (hopefully to cake) then to loose one or both of my kidneys. Like most things, living with the big D is individual and as I stated in an earlier blog, nobody but nobody understands this disease. This means there is no right answer. So live your life women and have your cake and eat it too! Jax
I realize that each of us with D are unique meaning our Diabetes is individual. When I give advice it's from experience and if people want to take my advice it's up to them. I don't pass judgment on others because I also am in that pool. I guess I haven't noticed how others give advice whether it's advice of judgment but I know most people have good intentions with whatever they say.
I do agree that some diabetics can be extremely "know it all" especially when they are in good control. I just have to ignore them and get on with my own life! I know my own diabetes patterns myself and am willing to hear suggestions but when people say that the problem is with me, then I get riled!
I was in church this morning and a woman came up to me and prayed along the lines that God should convict me of all my bad habits which must surely be my own fault!
I do agree with you on that. I hate this low carb is the only way thing. I have tried it and sorry it did not work for me.. Some one with hypoglycemia unawareness this is the worst thing i can do in my case. In fact i have more lows than anything and experienced more of what i call a diabetic fog. I do eat my cookies and cake too and im not stopping. I see quite a few thinking that the way they do it is the only way but not everyones diabetes it the same. There is one size fits all for diabetics.
Too ture! If anyone else has had to live with "the Diabetic Police" who are other diabetics themselves they kinda know where your coming from! I've got quite a few diabetic (Type 1 or Type 2) telling me what to eat and when I can eat it (even if I should or shouldn't) Hey I think I know what I can do and what I can't. I mean 37 years of diabetes has TAUGHT me something!
I noticed that they posted that right after. I don't think you were knocking people success with low carb but you are tired like i am of being told that they only way to good control is low carb. I fully support people use the method that works best for them. I have been told several times that my hypoglycemia unawareness would be better if i did low carb. Not so for me.
Yes, Tarra, you are right - I was not knocking anyone's success. I am simply tired of all the 'low carb is the only smart option' posts on TuD. That DOESN'T work for everyone, and some people are unwilling to accept that and act all high and mighty about how they're 'better' diabetics because they eat as few carbs as possible. Well, if it leads to a great A1c, GREAT for them. But they have no right to insinuate it's the ONLY option, and they especially have no right to insinuate it's the only SMART option. I've been diabetic over 18 years - I'm not a complete idiot about diabetes (if I were, I'd be dead right now, or I'd have lost a kidney, or I'd have neuropathy, or I'd be blind........you get the picture).
I am with you. Down with the low carb police. They scare the crap out of new members and they are just as bad as the food police. I always have run ins with them because I dont agree with the philosophy that a low carb diet is the only way to go. I tend to ride 12 miles a day on a bike, which by no means is as much as others here, but I need my carbs to get me from point A to point B. I will go from an insane 200 to 65 in 15 minutes no matter what I try. I will even eat 2 or 3 doughnuts before I go for a ride and still come down to 70 in 15 minutes into my ride. I tend to carb load because no matter what I do I will come down fast. I have tried every combination with carbs, no carbs, carbs and proteins and no matter I am going down faster than a roller coaster. So everyone is different so I always tell people that what I do may not work for them, its only my advice and not the Bernstein bible that the low carbers preach.
If I start at 120 or below I am not comming back, at least not on my own two feet. Not that I advocate that eveyone do carb loading before excercising but this is something that I have had to do for 2 years now with testing every 15 minutes during bike rides.
Thanks for your comment PatientX. I notice the same thing when I bike! I must always have a form of glucose on me. Yesterday I was spinning at my local gym. I tested at 144 before beginning. I only went 10 minutes because they were closing the gym due to some people freaking out over blizzard conditions outside. In those 10 minutes of riding my BG went down to 106. Had I gone a full 45-60 minute session, I'd have had to stop several times to eat/drink. Typically for a 45-60 minute ride I need to replenish about 50g of carbs (which is more than the Dr. B followers recommend in a whole day).
Welcome. I am the same, on a typical bike ride that last about an hour I eat anywhere from 30 to 60 grams of carbs. I would like to see how many low carbers with diabetes can do a interval training session that last an hour on low carbs. If they are out there I would love to hear how that worked out. I have not been able to make it work for me.
I did an hour spinning session and I had to eat 15 to 20 grams of carbs every 15 minutes. So bottom line is we are all our own experiments and what works for some may not work for others. we just have to not cram a philosophy(low carbing) down people's throats and get mad at others when it does not fit.
So would you please tell me how you do eat!? I have been low carb for 31/2-4 yrs and am thinking of not wanting to do it that way anymore. Count cals? And Iām T2 if that would make a difference. Thanks
Darn, I cannot copy and paste what I noted in one of Richard's discussions /Starvation Diet ...something like this : " another fight on the horizon this time low carbers versus higher carbers and those who do marathons, hike , bike etc.???...tooo bad....I think I go on a cruise and watch the general public of cruisers fill up their plates for the next 2 weeks .
I eat to avoid loosing weight...end quote
I think Knorris , counting carbs is the preferred method for all people with diabetes. One needs to exercise ; this has many benefits for everyone , not only us living with D ...keeps muscles supple , gets heart rate up , blood pressure down , stress level down ..and one will loose weight , if less goes in , than what comes out ...if that's your aim .
Knorris, I eat an 1800 to 2000 calorie diet a day. It varies a lot from day to day. I am a type 2 also but the biggest chunk of carbs comes in during work outs. Plus like I said I am a bike nut so before i was diagnosed and ate bad I would ride a bike 3 to 4 hours a day. i settle for 1 hour now because I love it. I think finding a workout that someone loves helps alot to maintaining decent bgs.
Here is my monday meals -
breakfast is usually 2 wheat waffles with low cal syrup, the artificia one with poach eggs. I throw out the yellow. and a glass of skim milk.
Have a 10 grams of carb snack at 10:30 - some type of fruit
Lunch usually a sandwhich on wheat bread, a salad, unsweat tea.
Dinner - Here is where I get some more carbs in because of working out- could be anything like chicken or beef aobut 8 ounces of some type of meat. 2 veggies and some type of wheat bread.
during workout more carbs depending on the weather and how long I am on the bike.
Before I go to bed, 1 slice of wheat toast and 1 cup of skim milk.
In between all this testing 10 to 14 times a day to figure out the impact on the type of food I eat and how to mix it up to keep glucose from going too high. I do spike up to 200 on occation but it comes back down within an hour cause I tend to excercise right after dinner. I cant find a study that says that damage has occur when spiking and bringing it back down before the 2 hour mark.
so if you need more info I have plenty of other samples of what I eat. I think i eat a pretty normal diet. I used more the dash diet as my guide which is not like dr b's.
I have diabetes. The way it affects me is unique and different from the way it affects others, just as theirs is unique and different. The way I treat it/manage it/fight it/overcome it and in my mind (if nothing else) obliterate it is perhaps the same as some, and perhaps different than others. We all do what we need and want to do regarding diabetes. There are many things I don't know nor understand about diabetes. Most of the time I don't even know what I don't know. But I do know this much... while one method of treatment may not work for me, I understand enough about it to know that that same method might just be the one that allows another person to thrive. It's enough for me to know what works for me, but certainly not up to me to criticize someone else's method, let alone their effort. It IS for me to encourage them in their effort. So let me do that now. To me it really doesn't matter if it's low, medium, or high carb, no exercise or constant exercise. If it works for you keep doing it. And keep thriving... :-)
Knorris, I still count carbs, as that's the basis for my basal/bolus regimen of insulin. I just don't keep track of how many I eat in a day. I eat when I'm hungry, and I eat what foods I'd like to. When eating something that might spike me (rice, pasta) I eat in moderation. I turn down desserts most of the time. I portion-control. I feel I'm eating sensibly. I have no vitamin/nutrient deficiencies. But I don't have a limit on carbs. Some days I eat 80. Others I eat 250. My A1c is fine. By knowing my body and how I use insulin I can avoid almost all spikes by timing my insulin for what I'm eating, and eating certain things in moderation.
You diet is a personal choice, as should the other aspects of your treatment regime. It sounds like you have been able to meet your goals with only limited avoidance of high carb items, and perhaps most importantly to you, not feeling like you are deprived of any foods. In the end we all have to find a balance between our treatment goals, our individual bodies and the diets and treatment regimes that we can live with.
All too often, the sides the "Carb Wars" attempt to inflict their religions on the other side, and that is wrong. I should be free to believe what I want and you should be free to believe what you want. Just because I have a belief and have throught long and hard about it, it does not make it right and true for you, and vice versa. It is always important to remember this when we discuss these matters.
