Shortly after my 40th birthday, I found out that I had Diabetes II. It was a shock at first, but explained many symptoms that I had been overlooking for the previous couple years. (Frequent urination,thirst, tingling in my feet and others)
After the diagnosis, I began taking starter doses of a couple medications, and immediately eliminated sugary sodas and fruit juices from my diet. The remainder of my diet consisted of balancing protein and fat with the carbohydrates. My blood sugar dropped to near normal levels and the symptoms disappeared within six months. Pretty simple stuff, really.
Living with the disease is still a challenge after 14 years, but being consistent with my diet makes things easier. The diet doesn't need to be extreme, but it does require lifestyle changes.
Last edited by BroTiger; 16th September 2016 at 01:48.
Ok, sorry in advance for this post as it's not really about dieting per se... more like food porn 555. But with some diet consideration scattered in between.
Having watched probably thousands of food clips on YT over the years, this one channel Almazan Kitchen was just an absolute revelation to watch. (As an aside, just love having built a YT profile, and then waking up in the morning seeing what that binary algorithm will recommend me to watch next. Basically how I stumbled upon this channel... Which is kind of ironic given the back to earth style of cooking.)
So, it's set in a Serbian forest somewhere, with a running stream, there's no annoying commentary. No mention of "bad boys". No electricity used, just a fire, coal and clay, and knives as well as the crucial mortar and pestle. Again, it's not about dieting per se... but more like anti-processed food. Guess the hipper term would be honest cooking. Not hippie veggie stuff, but loads of bacon and burgers and pizzas etc. The annoying part is watching it and realizing just how amazing it all looks, how easy it is, and how far we've strayed from properly prepared food. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that it's not really the fat that we need to avoid or worry about... but rather the added, hidden sugars and the over-processed stuff.
The usual counter argument is that we simply don't have the time... I've also come to the realization that we really do in fact have more time than we think. Build a fire once in a while. I've never tried a spring roll as good as this home-made one ever in my time is Asia. And that clay fire baking of a bun (pita) really is amazing. Try marrying those with some Thai flavors... End of rant 555.
Last edited by sundancekid; 13th October 2016 at 23:02.
No carbs and Absolut /Soda works for me without making it too painful.
#MotoAsia - Ultimate motorcycle tours
Really fell of the wagon this time. Starting all over again
boobs by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
#MotoAsia - Ultimate motorcycle tours
Just a brief comment on this thread: Been up and down for me lately, but finally convinced by this Canadian doctor that intermittent fasting actually has huge benefits. Sounds absolutely terrible when you think about starvation... but that's not really what it's about. Try a week to only eat when you're hungry... what a novel idea, right? Not by the clock but by the stomach.
Or just stop eating crap... 55
Eat non-processed food and it should be near impossible to get fat...
Yes, I agree that should be the first and foremost advice given to anyone with health problems related to weight. The highly processed stuff is usually high in sugar and that's the absolute worst we can load up on as far my understanding goes. Fung speaks about eating real food as well above. But overdosing on carbohydrates basically means that we're introducing sugars in the way it is broken down and metabolized. And that's kind of contrary to the dietary advice we're often given. Should potatoes and bread really be a regular part of our diet? Loading up on it three times a day?
Just giving my experience of it of course. I've never been able to lose weight by eating potatoes and bread regularly. (And incidentally, my cousin who is a cook on an oil platform has just been diagnosed with diabetes 2). So just replacing potatoes or white rice with cauliflower has had a huge effect for me. Then intermittent fasting as that's what our bodies are biologically conditioned for. Go cauliflower 555.
Then again, a country like Norway was basically saved after the potato became a regular part of the diet in the 1700s. And domesticating grains was the bedrock of our entire civilization... What we've forgotten in the past decades is the importance of moderation. As Fung mentions above, most traditional cultures have introduced the concept of fasting in one way or another. Even the Greek thinkers used it as a way of sharpening your process of thought. But yet again, just my very own personal opinion and experience of course... I'll never be able to give up freshly baked bread entirely, but more a treat than a staple these days for me.
Last edited by sundancekid; 12th August 2017 at 08:01.
I'm certainly no expert on nutrition, but I still believe the excess intake of sugar is the main cause of the recent obesity plague. I linked to Robert Lustig's lecture (below) some years ago on sugars and how it is metabolized in the liver... and that convinced me to seriously try decreasing it. That would apply to refined carbohydrates as well. I found that following it, with a 5:2 fasting regime, I could fairly easily drop about 1 kg per week. But for the past year I've been sloppy, so trying to kick-start it again now. And the results for me at least are almost instantaneous.
I still like to learn more though, so interested to know why you think Fung's theory on insulin is horseshit. All I know is that staying off refined sugars, combined with intermittent fasting, is the only way I've found to lose weight. So as far as I'm concerned, the ideas of Fung and Lustig have kind of worked out... Empirically 555.
These articles contradict the ideas of Fung and Lustig:
Calorie for Calorie, Dietary Fat Restriction Results in More Body Fat Loss than Carbohydrate Restriction in People with Obesity
A review of the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity (Abstract only)
Your elimination of refined sugars combined with intermittent fasting probably just involves calorie restriction!
Here's the thing though... we can all find material that contradicts each other's studies. I've tried a low-carb diet by the books, but it didn't really work for me. Of course, if I substitute cauliflower with rice as a side-dish... I also get around 10 times less calories.
So I've tried various combinations, and a 5:2 with less than 600 calories on the "fasting days" (preferably back-to-back), 3 regular meals 3-4 days a week, and at least one cheat day. From my earlier experience, reducing (not eliminating) refined sugars had an added beneficial effect. Lots of white bread and sweets (high fructose) in the evenings do not work either. So I'm still on the Lustig side about how these sugars are metabolized in the liver. In any case, the above seems to work for me --- when committed --- as a combination of sorts 555. I'll never be able to give up bread completely, so any diet even proposing such apostasy is an immediate no-go... Flat breads made with Indian Atta flour work marvels in a curry...
Totally agree.
I still think Fung is full of shite though. Have a look at this Q&A - he's saying that taking in extra calories doesn't cause weight gain and reducing calories doesn't cause weight loss. Enough said!
Q&A with Dr. Jason Fung about his book The Obesity Code
Of course, it involves a shitload of calories. 555
If I stopped drinking alcohol I reckon I would be very shortly underweight.....but I don't want to look skeletal