I’ve Delayed Type II Diabetes for 16 years…..and counting!
Changing Your Lifestyle is Hard at First, but has Big Payoffs in the Long Run
Imagine my surprise during a routine check-up in 2005 when my primary care physician told me that I had an elevated fasting blood sugar level — for the third year in a row. Sure, I had elevated blood sugar levels during my pregnancies, but they had returned to normal after the babies were born. My Dad had Type II diabetes and took insulin, but I was not overweight. This couldn’t be true — could it?
My physician told me that it was time to take my elevated blood sugars seriously. If I modified my diet, I could probably stave off Type II diabetes for seven (7) years. He explained that some people just had a pancreas that simply did not produce enough insulin. After I learned that my maternal grandmother had also had Type II diabetes, I guessed my physician was right — my pancreas just wasn’t built to produce enough insulin to process the diet I was currently eating.
I didn’t want to take insulin. The needles (not only for the insulin itself, but for the testing, too), expense and consequences if I took too much insulin by mistake were lifestyle changes that were not appealing to me. But I would have to make other lifestyle changes that also weren’t attractive. The only difference was….now I had a choice. If I didn’t change my diet and my habits now, perhaps later I wouldn’t have a choice.
The first thing you learn about having high blood sugar is that you are going to have to carbohydrate count. An easy way was proposed by Dr. Wolfgang Lutz, MD and Christian B. Allan in their book “Life Without Bread”. They proposed that people limit daily carbohydrate intake to 72 grams per day. An average medium slice of bread is 12 grams, so they propose limiting carbohydrate intake to the equivalent of six (6) slices of bread per day. Instead of memorizing a carbohydrate counting book or constantly checking an app, it is easier to figure out the carbohydrate content of favorite foods and estimating the “bread equivalent.”
I have also liked the works of Dr. Jason Fung, MD, a nephrologist who proposes using diet and intermittent fasting (timing of food intake — three (3) meals per day) in his book, The Obesity Code . Some of the advice he recommends:
1. Cut sugar from your diet. Your “bread quotient” will go much further if you give up excess sugar. Don’t forget about all of the sugar in drinks — especially specialty coffee drinks, juices, sport drinks and sodas. I have switched to unsweetened herbal tea to add flavor and variety to my beverages. Bad news-processed grains such as refined wheat products, white rice, etc., all are processed in the body like sugar, so that bagel or fried white rice may be as high in carbohydrate as a sugary sweet treat.
A. Social sugar. When I first started limiting sugar, I found that there were many social situations that became awkward (the monthly office “birthday party”; potlucks of various kinds including “so and so’s” famous cake/pie/other high carb treat). I learned early on — just tell people you are controlling your diabetes through diet — they will back off of the guilt trips. As Dr. Fung says: “You can have birthday cake on YOUR birthday.”
2. Cut out fast food. Even with dietary labeling, I have found that when I eat at fast food restaurants my blood sugar rises to unhealthy levels even when I am trying to make “healthy” choices.
3. Exercise won’t fix a “bad carb” day. Blood sugar is blood sugar — if you binge on sugary treats, your blood sugar will show it!
4. Buy single portion treats. It is difficult to live with kids and deny them things…….so buy single servings. If your child really wants X treat….let them get one serving. Make it an ice cream date…they can have it, you don’t have to. Yes, it costs more….but there will not be extras in the house to tempt YOU.
The best news is that after following these simple guidelines for 16 years….I am still NOT on insulin. My new physician told me “you don’t have diabetes” — and I don’t — because I changed my lifestyle.
