New diabetic taking the plunge

newbies
(Bob M) #41

I wonder if this is at least partly why some areas of the world have less obesity even though they’re high carb. Sweden, for example. They tend to eat high carb, yet have relatively lower rates of obesity.

My wife’s family, who live in Sweden, just visited. Carb city, multiple meals and snacks. Yet all 4 are thin. When we visited there, we went swimming in the summer in the local river, which runs down from the mountains. That water was freaking cold! And they swim in it near year-round.

And the Swedes start early, taking their babies outside in midwinter, for a long time. They have a saying that there’s no bad weather, only bad clothes.

I’d guess that swimming in ice-cold water 6-9 months a year probably does something.

(Tim Cee) #42

Artificial fat which is popular in America is a major contributor to metabolic syndrome. Do the Swedes have a diet low in artificial fat?

(UsedToBeT2D) #43

What do you consider artificial fat?

#44

I have NEVER tolerated ice baths. They are incredibly painful and make all my joints hurt. :cry:

(Tim Cee) #45

Artificial fat is what comes in a bottle or an aerosol can and was produced in a factory. Real fats are made in an animal or in rare cases a fruit such as coconut. Artificial fats are high in omega-6 and low in omega-3 fatty acids. They are usually disproportionately high in unsaturated fat and as such are especially susceptible to oxidative stress when in the human cells leading to accelerated aging and increased risk of cancer. One can recognize a real fat by the fact that it is visibly present in real food, such as the fat in a cut of lamb. Regarding the previous comment, although the Swedes are eating a high carb diet, I wonder if the fat they are getting is mostly from butter and fish or other meats. I don’t know anything about the Swedes. But if they were getting the small amount of fat from real food, and staying away from most nuts, and seed oils, that would be a factor.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #46

They also contain lots of other polyunsaturates that have unpredictable effects in the body, because we didn’t evolve with them in our diet. To me, that’s the scariest part.

(Tim Cee) #47

This is one of those things where Its impressive with the human capacity to be catastrophically led astray. That anyone would have ever thought manufactured oils were better than animal fat is astounding. But I fell for it too. The older I get the more distrustful I become.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #48

One of the triumphs of marketing.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #49

Some smart guy in the late 19th century looked at the enormous pile of waste left over after ginning the cotton and wondered if he could sell it instead of plowing it back into the fields. It was quite greasy but the axle grease market was already saturated…

(Tim Cee) #50

We can take comfort knowing there was no excuse for losing a wheel at that time.

#51

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I posted. When I found this place I intended to come back and ask a lot of questions, but I haven’t had many problems. Instead, I’m back to brag. No, that’s not the right word. Back to offer an encouraging story for the new diabetic who started the thread. I was diagnosed with T2D in June 2020 when my A1C hit 6.6. My doctor prescribed a low dose of metformin, which helped, but I was still at 6.2 in September 2021. In the second week of November I got serious about going on a ketogenic diet and managed to stay the course through the whole Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve holiday period. I had a few early errors – who knew peas had so many carbs? – but I got better and I started testing every day or so at various times to be sure I was on the right track. I went back to the doctor January 3 for my quarterly visit, and my A1C is now 5.5, which is pretty good, especially considering that I didn’t even have a full three months of keto under my belt. I’ve also lost around 30 pounds and pulled that belt in two notches. I guess I should probably still consider myself to be a person with T2D who would once again be symptomatic if I started eating SAD. I still have a BMI of over 40, so I obviously have a long way to go (even recognizing how imperfect BMI is). But it’s nice to come here where everyone understands and say THIS STUFF WORKS!

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #52

Dr. Andreas Eeenfeldt, who started the Diet Doctor site, compares keto with showering. He says that if you shower, you get certain benefits, but if you stop showering, the benefits go away again. He says life is so unfair like that. :grin:

#53

People know people well. And exploit it.

Food science isn’t about nutrition it is about selling cheap processed food by understanding physiological triggers and socially normalising addictions.

(Central Florida Bob ) #54

And it really helps if you buy off the (still-new at the time) American Heart Association and get them to push your product for you as “heart healthy!” It’s the latest science don’t ya know.

(Tim Cee) #55

Hey! I shower at least once a year whether I need it or not. But keto—that’s every day.

(Robin) #57

@PaulL Yes! I still think of myself as an alcoholic, even thought it’s been years. I’m not fooling myself. And yes, carbaholic too.

(Thomas P Seager, PhD) #58

Any progress with Aurora?

(Thomas P Seager, PhD) #59

Try going small. Underdressing in the winter is a good start.

(Thomas P Seager, PhD) #60

The northern European tradition of cold exposure has amazing mental and physiological health benefits.

(Central Florida Bob ) #61

None. I let her sniff all sorts of treats, from heavy cream to meats and to her they’re just not food. No reaction whatsoever after the initial “what’s that?” sniff. We just can’t find anything that she’ll try to eat.