Fixing a fat diabetic, how to change mindset?
Discussion
robsti said:
King Herald said:
EINSIGN said:
For example I was exceeding my daily sugar intake because I was having a very large glass of natural orange juice each day!
A common belief; that you can eat fruit until it comes out your ears, and it won't affect you, or make you fat etc. Wrong!
Harry Flashman said:
EINSIGN said:
I need some advice or suggestions on how to change someone’s state of mind. My diabetic father.
He is 62 years old and overweight (around 18st) although he is a strong well built chap he just has a big gut.
He is a very clever man, but has completely the wrong attitude (some would say old school) when it comes to the way he should eat and exercise. He doesn’t eat badly or drink beer any more, but wont understand that certain types of foods and exercise would make a huge difference to his condition. In fact if he sorted himself out he could completely cure himself.
Good luck with this. We all tried and failed with my father. He is now disabled and virtually homebound after a number of complications including kidney failure. This all happened to him 10 years ago, at 55, and it happened very suddenly. His body just cried "enough".He is 62 years old and overweight (around 18st) although he is a strong well built chap he just has a big gut.
He is a very clever man, but has completely the wrong attitude (some would say old school) when it comes to the way he should eat and exercise. He doesn’t eat badly or drink beer any more, but wont understand that certain types of foods and exercise would make a huge difference to his condition. In fact if he sorted himself out he could completely cure himself.
It has ruined my Mum's life as well as his, and the associated mental issues (depression, rage etc) are pretty unpleasant. e hasn't worked for 10 years either.
So it's a serious thing. Good luck. Happy to chat offlineif you want plenty of material to scare your Dad into sorting it all out.
EINSIGN said:
Harry Flashman said:
EINSIGN said:
I need some advice or suggestions on how to change someone’s state of mind. My diabetic father.
He is 62 years old and overweight (around 18st) although he is a strong well built chap he just has a big gut.
He is a very clever man, but has completely the wrong attitude (some would say old school) when it comes to the way he should eat and exercise. He doesn’t eat badly or drink beer any more, but wont understand that certain types of foods and exercise would make a huge difference to his condition. In fact if he sorted himself out he could completely cure himself.
Good luck with this. We all tried and failed with my father. He is now disabled and virtually homebound after a number of complications including kidney failure. This all happened to him 10 years ago, at 55, and it happened very suddenly. His body just cried "enough".He is 62 years old and overweight (around 18st) although he is a strong well built chap he just has a big gut.
He is a very clever man, but has completely the wrong attitude (some would say old school) when it comes to the way he should eat and exercise. He doesn’t eat badly or drink beer any more, but wont understand that certain types of foods and exercise would make a huge difference to his condition. In fact if he sorted himself out he could completely cure himself.
It has ruined my Mum's life as well as his, and the associated mental issues (depression, rage etc) are pretty unpleasant. e hasn't worked for 10 years either.
So it's a serious thing. Good luck. Happy to chat offlineif you want plenty of material to scare your Dad into sorting it all out.
bigandclever said:
Firstly, you can't "cure" diabetes. All you can do is mitigate it's effects.
I'm not so sure about this. It is most definitely possible to bring hb A1-c levels back from what is clinically considered to be diabetic (>6.4%) to what is considered normal (non-diabetic) with a combination of diet (weight loss) and other lifestyle changes.Essentially and frequently in the case of T2, the pancreas has a finite ability to produce insulin that 'processes' glucose in our bodies cells. If you increase the number of cells significantly, the pancreas struggles to keep up with the insulin demand.
In order to re-attain good glycemic balance the diabetic needs to maintain pancreatic performance and reduce the number of cells that the pancreas must 'service'.
Some drugs used to treat T2 diabetes can have a very negative effect on natural pancreatic performance. Some (sulphonureas, for instance) wring every last drop of insulin that the pancreatic T cells can produce and that eventually leads to pancreatic 'burn-out', where the organs ability to produce insulin is exhausted. Keeping pancreatic output going, throughout drug therapy is essential if there's to be any chance of recovery.
The other thing to remember is that higher than 'normal' steady-state blood/glucose readings are less harmful/destructive than wide ranging peaks and troughs, so very, very regular b/g testing (6-8 times daily) is essential to properly control hyper/hypo glycemia.
Current thinking seems to be more along the lines of monitoring carbohydrate intake, with less emphasis on sugars in the laymans sense of the word. As already stated fruit and fruit juices can have horrendous effects on some diabetic's b/g levels.
E21_Ross said:
tell him to stop being a t
t and sort it out.
Ross.
Sorry, but this.t and sort it out.Ross.
Tough love needed. He thinks he won't one day feel a sharp pain and then nothing. He will.
Please, look your Dad in the eyes and tell him he's "no good to you dead".
If that doesn't work, then there's no hope. It woke my Mum up enough (thank god) to finally speak to someone about her clinical depression. It wasn't easy to say, but I am glad I said it, even though it hurt her.
Edited by Soovy on Monday 25th October 19:33
The problem could be some of the medication he is on.
Some tablets, also some types of insulin, provoke hunger e.g Gliclazide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliclazide
Some types of Insulin also provoke hunger/sugar pangs.
Some tablets, also some types of insulin, provoke hunger e.g Gliclazide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliclazide
Some types of Insulin also provoke hunger/sugar pangs.
Matt Harper said:
bigandclever said:
Firstly, you can't "cure" diabetes. All you can do is mitigate it's effects.
a rebuttal, and interesting stuff way beyond my ken 
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Research/Archive/Funded...
bigandclever said:
Matt Harper said:
bigandclever said:
Firstly, you can't "cure" diabetes. All you can do is mitigate it's effects.
a rebuttal, and interesting stuff way beyond my ken http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Research/Archive/Funded...
I guess it depends on the clinical definition. Haemoglobin A1-C is a blood test that gives a pretty accurate picture of what blood/glucose levels have been, over the previous 3 month period - and are used to diagnose T2 diabetes.
With diet and lifestyle adjustment, it is possible to move the A1-C from a diabetic range to a non-diabetic range. It's not easy, but is absolutely possible.
As a result, it could be suggested that fat, diabetic people who have normally functioning pancreases, can be cured by losing enough weight, so that their A1-C returns to normal (non-diabetic) range.
The sad fact is that diet and lifestyle modification require discipline and it's usually a lack of discipline that gets T2's in trouble in the first place.
I believe that your link is referring to Type 1, which is a whole different disease, in a number of ways. From the description, the OP is referring to a Type 2 (late onset) patient.
Edited by Matt Harper on Monday 25th October 21:36
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