Diabetes Community

I would be extremely cautious about such a program myself. Some diabetes might be reversed by lifestyle changes. Maybe. IF it was caught early, and you are quite strict about your diet and lifestyle. But that is no guarantee about it. Diabetes is a very fickle and progressive disease.

There are tons of 'snake oil salesmen' out there preying on the unwary and claiming to 'cure' all manner of sicknesses. Also, lots of people offer medical advice that are not qualified to do so. [ie, friends who might mean well, but have no clue. They have heard of a friend of a friend of a friend who got 'cured' by a certain program, and tell you to try it too...Or the food police who think they are dieticians and tell you what you can and cannot eat...

Even a friend of mine who happened to have a degree in home economics, & knew something about food, tried to tell me 'dont eat sugar' when I was first dx'd. She is really quite clueless about diabetes or diet. Sure, we need to be careful of sweets, or avoid some foods; but her idea was very naive at best.>

A lot of friends have read things in the news, or elsewhere and think they know how to 'cure' diabetes. My brother tried to tell me about a certain brand of vitamins that supposedly CURED diabetes, and insisted he was right. I had a devil of a time trying to explain to him that if they made such a claim they would be in violation of the law. He finally saw where they claimed it 'helped to control blood sugars' --allegedly. I still think that particular company was walking a very thin line of legality there, and have refused to buy their products because of their shady advertizing.

I am not saying this is not a good program, but be extra cautious. If you have been eating mostly junk food, and other unhealthy stuff, you may need to learn new habits and diet ideas.

ALSO, are you T2 or T1 diabetic ? T1 diabetics CANNOT get off insulin without a pancreas transplant. Even if you are T2, that is no guarantee that you can get off of insulin. It depends on how much damage to your pancreas you have. [I was diabetic for years before it was properly diagnosed, and already had a lot of complications.>

EVEN IF you do follow their program and 'get off of insulin', do not be fooled into thinking you are 'cured'. You must still check your sugars and keep an eye out. A friend of mine thought he was 'cured' because he followed all the lifestyle stuff recommended now. He got rather cocky about it too. A few years ago, he had a massive heart attack with over 2/3 of his heart damaged. The docs tell him the next one will kill him before he hits the ground. He has massive health probs from it; and yes, he still follows the lifestyle changes they recommended.

Hooty

Yes..my doctor told me to NOT just drop the insulin...to take it gradually and over time if my A1C drops to 6's then get off it..the doctor heading up is Dr. Mark Hyman. If a dr. recommends it, its gotta be good..right?
Thanks for your feedback.diabetesfree

great post by Dr. Dansinger on changing food and exercise. Exercising 7 hours each week and changing foods.
http://blogs.webmd.com/life-with-diabetes-2/2009/07/a-diabetes-reversal-story-part-iii.html

Great read

Yes, I'd listen to your doctor about waiting until you bring your A1C down. Try to get it down to a 5.7 or 5.8. Realize that you have to be really strict off the insulin. Is there any way you can be tested to see how your pancreas is working? Some people cannot get off insulin, as Auriga said. Meanwhile, continue in your efforts to get this down. I got down to 5.8, went on a cruise, ate a little more during the cruise(even with walking on tours all day), and a little more after the cruise and my A1C went up a little. I'm now trying to get it back to 5.8. I test 2 to 3 times a day to check out how I'm doing. I can spike really easily with just something as simple as a small piece of pizza, pineapple, bread, etc. You have to know what sets you off, and then do something different in your eating plan. I pretty much know now after 4 years of being diabetic.

I have a feeling I will have to give up alot of high carb foods such as pizza and breads when I embrace the new diet plan. Another doctor that I reading is http://www.drfuhrman.com/ and http://drhyman.com/
90% adherence is the goal so I will include the pizza and small serving of dark chocolate.

I know "for me"(everyone is different), I get set off by pizza, and I must admit, bread. I do have two slices a day of whole grain, though, as I don't want to live my life without it. I can give up a LOT of things. Bread doesn't set me off unless I eat it as part of my snack at night. If I have one slice, around 17 grams, I'm okay with breakfast or lunch. After that, no bread. I "can" eat a small amount of whole wheat pasta, IF I have more protein with it. Your BEST bet if you are trying to get your a1c down is to not eat the bread and pizza. If your goal is to get that down, and "TRY" no insulin, with your doctor's approval, then I would stay away from all of that while you're getting this down. Remember, you will have to be this strict, most likely afterward, and it's not a lot of fun. The good news "if it works", is that you would be off medicine, ONLY IF your pancreas is able to produce enough insulin on its own. I would NEVER tell anyone to go off insulin. If you have a doctor you trust, and you are going this whole route, then that's your decision. Again, I would go really strict at first, and get your a1c down. Skip the pizza for now. A little piece of dark chocolate may be okay, but you can add those later, if your pancreas can handle no insulin. Does this make sense?

I make my own pizza anymore. I start with a low carb flat bread-try to get whole grain-it tastes better. I use an unsweetened pizza sauce, some have added sugars. I do love my pepperoni, so I use that and then top with some lower fat mozzarella cheese. Oh yeah, I add some healthy fats, salt and flavor with some chopped green olives. Bake carefully in the oven to golden brown, and you have a great pizza. don't eat but one though!

Quesadillas are good also if you use a whole grain low carb tortilla, low fat cheese, unsweetened salsa, and chicken for protein. I even use some Quac.salad for a side with this.

This is the time of year that I do chili for the Holidays. I do a Chili that does not use chili powder. Instead I make a pepper mash with roasted mixed peppers, olive oil. onion and garlic. freeze in cubes in freezer store and then use a cube or two in anything. I use it fresh in the chili, and add about 4-6 tablespoons to start. It does not burn in the mouth-much, but builds a fire in the belly!

Sounds delicious, Betaquartz...Thanks!

Hi,

I went to this web site and read a bit (I didn't go through all the pages, nor did I look at the 6 week program you are referring to in your post), however, it concerns me when anyone writes an article that supports the sale of a particular product that they are profiting from. So as an example, the doctor writes that we are all so "stressed" by our lives that we don't eat well and don't get all the nutrients that we need for optimum health. He supports this with some research articles about nutritional supplements and lack of adequate nutrition in the foods we consume. There is certainly a lot of information to support his ideas in the scientific and lay literature, so I don't question that he is correct about the diets of many people. That said, there is also information available to all of us about how to improve the nutritional quality of our meals without paying too much for that information and without taking a lot of (potentially expensive) supplements. In fact there is information available to suggest that we don't absorb vital nutrients when we take them in pill form in the same way that we do by eating proper foods. So it is my belief that we are better off improving our diets by eating better, not by eating foods in certain combinations or by taking supplements. I recommend that my patients eat real food and skip on the processed stuff as much as possible. This means fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, fish/chicken/beef and dairy if they tolerate it. It means shopping the outside isles in the grocery store, the middle of the shelves on the inner isles for things like cereal, grains, and canned veggies and fruit. It means shopping local at farmer's markets when you can, because you will eat seasonally and local foods in season that haven't traveled a million miles to get to you have a greater nutritional value.

The program that you are looking at appears to have some links to great recipies and to bloggers who are supportive of others desire to eat in a healthier manner. There is nothing wrong with those things and if you find support and guidance from these sources that helps you to improve your health, then that's great! I think that it's wonderful that you are keeping your health care provider "in the loop" of your plans and that you are making an effort to keep yourself safe in this process. This is a very thoughtful way to approach this plan and I wish you well in your efforts. Please let us know how it goes! Laurie

Hi Laurie,
Thanks for your professional feedback. I am leery of buying alot of expensive supplements..although I was taking liquid supplements and felt great...I stopped taking/drinking them and can tell the difference. I finally got the package with all the details..Making that much change immediately is a challenge. I have stopped drinking diet cokes and exercising 45 minutes each day and limiting my processed foods..I am trying to move everything in so it stays that way..I am going to meet with my endocrine specialist and get his feedback. Fear of low sugars has keep me from the gym..getting off insulin, its high but I am working on getting my daily averages much lower. Thanks again.

I am very confused about your report. You say you have "stopped drinking diet cokes and exercising 45 minutes and limiting my processsed fods""-- Does that mean you have stopped exercising 45 minutes? ... Does that mean that you are or are not limiting your processed food?

I'm glad that you are going to see your endocrine specialist. Since he knows you personally, and not as just a customer as Dr. Hyman would relate to you in buying his program, IMO I would listen hardest to your own specialist.

Your last sentence also confused me --are you getting off insulin? You say, "it's high" Do you mean that your blood sugar is high or the insulin is high? Diabetes is a very tricky disease and it would be very hard to treat it by a program received in the mail without a "live" doctor that can see you in his office. Please be cautious.
I have read some of Dr. Hyman's information and believe that it is general in nature, not geared specifically toward diabetics.

Hi Flutetooter,
My reply late in the evening wasn't very clear.
The program is a 6 week program...so many changes occur today.

I did 3 things immediately after reading the report.

• stopped drinking diet cokes
• started exercising at local gym for 45 min per day..5-6 days/week
• Dramatically reduced consumption of white foods...pasta, white bread,potatoes,rice
• started research on buying supplements that have the recommended dosages according to the guide, etc.
• created grocery list for new recipes

--all the changes causing some mental challenges..when you have pasta on a regular basis..finding a replacement in 1 day is a stretch..but its happening.

Secondly, I am trying to get in to see a new endocrinologist.

Third...yes..I ran out of insulin...type 2 diab..and my sugars are not any different then when I was taking it...I hope to never take an insulin shot again..but will listen to my doctors recommendations.

My blood sugars in the morning have been 229 with or without insulin..

The program I am following is specific to diabetics...here are a few sources that I used to validate my decision.. source 3 shattered my understanding of diabetes..

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/the-diabesity-epidemic-pa_b_386066.html
source 2
source 3

Hope this clarifies..another book my tim ferris just released has content on meals and supplements.

Diabetesfree, I think it's great that you are following these other routines to get healthier, but your morning numbers are way too high.

Why don't you continue the insulin UNTIL you bring those numbers down, UNTIL you see the endochrinologist? Maybe with the exercise, and newer way of eating, you can get those bs numbers down better. Those numbers are causing damage to your body. I know just the few times my numbers went to 200, I could feel the tingling in my toes, and know it was causing nerve damage. Sometimes you don't feel the damage until it's too late.

AFTER you get those down, AND talk to the endo, you can decide to see if your pancreas is still working. If it is, THEN make the decision to try something else WITH the doctor.

I'm not a doctor. I can't advise you to do anything, EXCEPT get those numbers down, which you're trying to do. IF there's no difference, you should be using some medicine to get this down.

I wish you much luck in finding a solution for your higher numbers. If you were eating all this other white stuff, (pasta, etc.)that's the reason it was higher. Since I'm NOT on any medicine, it's especially difficult to keep numbers down. I CANNOT have too many carbs at one meal. I have to keep the carb levels lower, and eat smaller meals and more often. Why don't you try that. I take little snacks in the afternoon. Yesterday was a half an apple and some almonds. I do this between smaller meals. That seems to work for "me". Your system and pancreas might be different than mine.

If you crave pasta, I make the whole wheat varieties, and only once a week. I take "only" a few strands from the box, and don't cook up a whole bunch like I used to before diabetes. That way I'd have to boil the water again for 2nds, which I don't do.

Even when pasta or bread is whole grain, portion control is paramount in controlling the numbers. I can remember when we used to fill a plate with pasta and meat sauce for a meal, and occasionally go back for more. Anymore I few strands is all I allow myself also. Photo you have been so good with your even keeled suggestions-keep it up!