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| Forums: January 2011 Kickstart Forum: Diabetes, anyone? | |||
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turtlekaren
 Posts: 13 |
Diabetes, anyone? Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 8:50 PM Hi all. I've been kind of a sloppy vegan for the past 6 months or so, slipped up with the cookies during the holidays, so I'm trying to get back on the right track! I have Type 2 diabetes (insulin dependent) - and after watching Dr. Barnard's video last June, I completely went to the vegan/low fat/low glycemic thing - stuck with it strictly for two months, and lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks! It was great. Started getting low blood sugars, too, and had to cut back on the insulin. But since school started in the fall, everything creeped right back in - the higher glycemic stuff, the baked goods, and the weight, and the insulin...ugh. Is anyone else doing this to help with their diabetes? I'd love to hear some success stories, and to cheer each other on! |
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| Mariberry
Joined: 01/02/10 Posts: 297 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 10:26 PM Hi Karen - love your term "sloppy vegan" Interestingly, I weighed myself New Year's Day and I'm the exact same weight I was last Jan. 1. I lost some weight over the past year and clearly gained a few pounds back over the holidays, but actually, was quite delighted that my weight hadn't really increased. Still...room for improvement! (so here I am again!!) There is a PCRM diabetes forum as well but it's not very active for some reason. My numbers have improved on this program, no doubt about it. It's not animal products I struggle with but the dreaded f-a-t!! I just keep trying by surrounding myself with like-minded people on the same path to health (this forum), and believe that eventually it will click for good! I may lose some battles, but I will win the war! Off now to make a Hoppin' John for tomorrow's lunch. Hang in there! Cheers! All we are saying is "Give Peas a Chance" |
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suebcallahan
 Location: Seattle Posts: 5 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 10:30 PM Yes I am also Type 2 Diabetes. Sucks doesn't it? I have been on Metformin and now Glimpride. I was Vegan last year and then slipped into just Vegetarian so am back on Vegan diet now. My blood sugars have not improved much but I am fighting more meds and my Dr is working with me to try and lower the numbers with diet and exercise. I am hoping this does the trick. Need to lose 20 lbs , have already lost 30. Sue in Seattle |
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| philocrates
Joined: 03/18/10 Posts: 47 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 at 10:33 PM The other half does it for diabetes. We had to cut back on the potatoes. For some reason they trigger high sugar. Me? I can eat them til doomsday and it doesn't budge the sugar level. It has been a great success. So much so that medication was stopped. The only time OH had high sugar was in Hershey Hosptial where they insisted a Vegetarian Diet had fish [and that was the least of it]. I usually cut my losses at Hershey and say Vegetarian because Low Fat Vegan is going to have them going around in circles. Low Fat Vegetarian has them spasming enough and me tearing my hair out. I usually make out the menu. However I do think it is ironic that the only place their sugar is out of control and is insulin dependent is at a major teaching hospital. Scary isn't it? We don't do much sugar/sweets/commercial baked goods because I don't like sugar. If we had it the other half would munch it. I usually bake the bread so I can control what goes in it. I learned for me, one is too many and a thousand is not enough. Mine is the fat tooth. If I have that extra rich .... I'll want several more. The key is not eating the first one. The other half is much better at that than I am. Eat one, that is fine. I would be climbing walls until I got the second one. |
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| Pele
Joined: 01/03/11 Posts: 24 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 12:19 AM I'm a type 2 diabetic that's on 1000 mg of metformin and it will need to increase if I can't get it diet and exercise controlled. I'm still working on my success story as i'm just starting this way of eating but hopefully that will change over the next little while. |
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| Rayven
Joined: 01/04/11 Posts: 11 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 7:07 AM I'm also Type 2 diabetic. I'm new to vegan eating so this program starting at a perfect time for me. Lunches have always been a challenge for me so this should help. I'm hoping to lose weight and decrease the medications I am on. |
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| veganboo
Joined: 01/04/11 Posts: 1 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 7:34 AM I am also diabetic and on insulin at meals, metformin twice a day, and Lantus (24 hour baseline insulin) at night. I saw a show on PTV about this program and decided to try it. I've been plugging away since September 1st. |
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| Rayven
Joined: 01/04/11 Posts: 11 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 7:44 AM I know it is hard to be around meat eaters. When we get together at someone's house then I offer to bring a dish which is usually appreciated by the host anyway. I know there is something I will be able to eat. For restaurants, sometimes they will sub a veggie burger for a beef burger. I try to look at the menu/nutrition online before we go so I can plan what I will order. I started doing that because of my diabetes. I wanted to plan around carbs, fat, and sodium. I don't think of it as what I am no longer eating, but instead I've discovered a whole new world of recipes. |
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| Bugsmom
Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 8:32 AM Yes, that's why I started. I saw an "infomercial" program with Dr. Barnard and read his book on dealing with diabetes. Tried it but wasn't terribly successful going it alone, too much guesswork and not enough ideas for HOW to make the changes. Then I browsed online and found the kickstart in September. Lost 8 lbs and got my glucose back under control again in 3 weeks. I've slipped a bit but have still kept the weight off. I'm also type 2 but non-insulin dependent at this point. Diet, exercise, and metformin. My A1C had gotten up as high as 7.2 middle of last year. The kickstart got it back down to 6.9 (I happened to have my follow up blood work scheduled for not long after the kickstart, so that was interesting). I'm hoping that I'll be able to get it down even further the longer I continue to maintain this way of eating (and hopefully losing a bit more weight as well). FWIW my hubby is also somewhat following the kickstart (he's the head chef at our house so it helps that he's on board with cooking vegan meals) and he's lost a good amount of weight as well. We started heading to plant-based eating several years ago (4 or 5 now), not exclusively at first, after his dr. recommended the DASH plan to try to lower his blood pressure before moving to medication. DASH isn't veg*n but it does recommend eating mostly plants, with just small portions of meat if at all (reverses the typical SAD plate). We gradually stopped having meat at home at all, but were more vegetarian than vegan. We both started losing weight, then we added exercise when I was diagnosed with type 2. Doing the September kickstart really re-energized our weight loss and generally got us back into better patterns. --Deb R |
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| tampawebmaster
Joined: 01/04/11 Posts: 3 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9:13 AM Great to see that others have joined the fight to conquer diabetes through vegan lifestyle. I currently take 1500 mg of metformin daily (500 at each meal), 35 units of lantus injected in the am and 45 in the pm, and 14 - 16 units of humalog injected before each meal. That's 5 insulin injections and 5 finger pricks for testing, everyday for over a year now. Let's see, that would be 3,650 times a year I stick myself with a sharp painful object. I must be a masochist! I am so hopeful that this program along with the 6 days a week 1 hour gym workouts (that would be, ummm... 312 hours in the gym each year) I started 4 weeks ago will help me shed this extra 70 pounds of weight and get me off of insulin. I will need help though as I do all the cooking and shopping in my household, and although my wife and my sister and nephew who live with us are willing to try some of my vegan dishes, they are all meat and dairy consumers. Let's continue to help and encourage each other! |
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| Bugsmom
Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9:26 AM Something that we started way back when DS (now 12) was a toddler was to do mix'n'match meals most of the time. The meatballs/meat sauce was not poured over and mixed into the pasta (which I know many households do automatically) - each part, the pasta, tomato sauce, meat, butter, cheese, was separate so each person could customize their meal. Same for tex-mex, stir fry (to some extent, the veggies were mixed and the rice was separate), 'salad bar' nights, and so on. So, now, when hubby makes his veggie chili, we also put cheese and sour cream on the table but we can customize it - DS might want just cheese, I skip both, hubby goes back and forth. Very helpful when in a household of varying degrees of omniovore/veg*n eaters. Casseroles are pretty much the only thing that can't be separated out (or it wouldn't be a casserole, would it?) so those are totally vegan at our house now (except for any potential toppings - for example, adding a sprinkle of cheese onto shepherd's pie...which is made with black beans instead of meat and cauliflower and lots of veggies). --Deb R |
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| soon2BVeg
Joined: 08/24/10 Posts: 225 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9:56 AM I don't currently have diabetes, but I am very concerned about avoiding diabetes. My mother's mother lost a leg to it, and all four of her living children have it, so I believe I am at risk. My own mother died of cancer at age 50, but had she lived, she may have avoided it due to her lifestyle (she was always very diet conscious, whereas her siblings are all quite overweight). I struggle with my own weight, and have been getting blood sugar tests every year. So far, so good ... but my weight is now higher than it has been in about 13 years, so I am putting myself at risk if I don't do something about it right now...so here I am. Don't make a New Year's Resolution...make a Decision! |
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| Bugsmom
Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9:58 AM soon2BVeg wrote: I don't currently have diabetes, but I am very concerned about avoiding diabetes. My mother's mother lost a leg to it, and all four of her living children have it, so I believe I am at risk. My own mother died of cancer at age 50, but had she lived, she may have avoided it due to her lifestyle (she was always very diet conscious, whereas her siblings are all quite overweight). I struggle with my own weight, and have been getting blood sugar tests every year. So far, so good ... but my weight is now higher than it has been in about 13 years, so I am putting myself at risk if I don't do something about it right now...so here I am. Good for you!! We've talked a lot with our 12 yr old about diet/lifestyle related things since hubby's blood pressure and cholesterol and my diabetes became issues. He's learning now (while he's young) how to minimize the risks just as you're doing. --Deb R |
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LaniMuelrath
 Location: California Posts: 557 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 10:08 AM turtlekaren wrote: Hi all. I've been kind of a sloppy vegan for the past 6 months or so, slipped up with the cookies during the holidays, so I'm trying to get back on the right track! I have Type 2 diabetes (insulin dependent) - and after watching Dr. Barnard's video last June, I completely went to the vegan/low fat/low glycemic thing - stuck with it strictly for two months, and lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks! It was great. Started getting low blood sugars, too, and had to cut back on the insulin. But since school started in the fall, everything creeped right back in - the higher glycemic stuff, the baked goods, and the weight, and the insulin...ugh. Is anyone else doing this to help with their diabetes? I'd love to hear some success stories, and to cheer each other on! Turtlekaren, Thanks for starting this thread on such an important cncern - the growing levels of diabetes type 2. Indeed Dr. Barnard has done some phenomenal work in this department with his book, Reversing Diabetes. Also: In addition, you may be interested in several articles on the topic from one of Dr. Barnard's colleagues, Dr. John McDougall. Here's a listing: Take action for your health and energy TODAY! Name one thing you can do in the next hour. Then do it. Lani Lani Muelrath, M.A. CGFI, CPBN
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| oillee
Joined: 09/06/10 Posts: 10 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 10:12 AM I am a sucess story regarding diabetes type 2. After embracing Dr Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" I lost about 45 lbs in one year and no longer have diabetes. This is my third kickstart which I need to stay focused. I feel great when I am 100 (or 90)% vegan. I too got "sloppy" over the holidays with cookies and pie and gained weight-surprise, surprise! I am a stress eater and find myself eating without awareness. Actively making new recipes, checking forums like this one, exercise regularly and committing to health are key. I wish you all comfort in Vegan delights. |
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| turtlekaren
Posts: 13 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 7:24 PM It's great to see so many people in the same boat! (Well, maybe not. But you know what I mean...) I'm a stress eater too, and I had a phobia of needles before I started all this - still not fond of them, of course. Doctor says if I lose 20 pounds (well, maybe 30 at this point) I *might* be able to come off the insulin. Couldn't tolerate the metformin, so I'm on nothing but shots. I'd like to come off all that because one day, I want to hike the Appalachian Trail, and taking insulin along would be a pain. I'll definately check out some of the resources recommended, to be sure. I love to cook. Unfortunately, I love to bake, too! Well, if anyone has some low glycemic stuff they just love to make (or eat), lets post it! |
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| Bugsmom
Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9:09 PM oillee wrote: I am a sucess story regarding diabetes type 2. After embracing Dr Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" I lost about 45 lbs in one year and no longer have diabetes. Seriously? You can eat anything you want and your blood sugar/A1C doesn't go sky high (more than a 'normal' person's would)? Or, do you mean that you no longer need treatment for diabetes because you keep an eye on your weight and what you eat? Can you truly eat whatever you want (white rice, pasta, bread, sweets, etc - all the higher glycemic foods), whenever you want, however much you want, and still have normal fasting glucose and A1C readings consistently? Being cured of diabetes would mean just that, you'd have a normal glucose metabolism, using insulin properly, regardless of what you eat. --Deb R |
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Garka
 Location: New York Posts: 4 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9:32 PM Count me in. I got T2Diabetes several years ago and it very aggressively and quickly attacked my kidneys. About a year and a half ago my doctor told me there was no way I was going to avoid dialysis unless I had a transplant. I knew I had lots of loving family and friends that would step forward to help. I met with the head renal dietitian. She was elegant, well-meaning and totally uninformed. When she told me to cut back on animal protein, I knew she meant to cut it out but wasn't able to say it.I knew I had read Dr. McD's, Dr. Barnard's and Dr. Murray's books and decided I would become a vegan at that point. I year later I was not only not in dialysis but my indicators were lower or stabilized. Blood glucose very close to normal. I had the transplant in September (thanks, sis!) and as a consequence, because of all the immunosuppresion meds I take, my blood sugar is out of whack, as expected by my doctor. I take Prandin with meals and Lantus before bed. Since the transplant I have lost 35 pounds and counting. Looking forward to the sharing and meeting you guys over the next 21 days. Have lots of food ideas to share. There is no try. |
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| suebcallahan
Location: Seattle Posts: 5 |
RE: Diabetes, anyone? Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9:38 PM "LaniMuelrath said"Take action for your health and energy TODAY! Name one thing you can do in the next hour. Then do it." Lani I love that line. Why didn't I think that if I do just one little bit of exercise in the next hour it doesn't sound so hard. Thanks! Sue in Seattle |
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That sounds like me to a T. And yes, I'm also Type 2 but not insulin dependent. I know if I got to the gym more often I'd likely be off the metformin (1/2 tab 2x day). I need Lani to come and pick me up at 5:30 a.m. and kick my butt to the gym! (yeah, ok - bit far to drive every morning) 
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