Mandelbear ([info]mdlbear) wrote,
@ 2007-10-08 18:38:00
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Current mood:grumpy
Entry tags:diet, exercise, health, metabolic syndrome, walk

Old fat guy syndrome

(Cross-posted to [info]healthy_fen)

According to the neurologist I saw at Kaiser this morning, the kind of peripheral neuropathy I'm experiencing is normally associated with diabetes, but it's also not all that unusual with metabolic syndrome, which is basically the condition of being an old fat guy. The relevant symptoms include fasting hyperglycemia (borderline), high blood pressure (being treated), central obesity (check), decreased HDL cholesterol (check), elevated triglycerides (check, in spades).

So I'm about to start what amounts to an approximation of a diabetic diet, along with increasing my exercise. Meaning I can look forward to being sore, tired, and hungry for the rest of my life. Grumble.

My legs and arms haven't quite recovered from my exercise over the weekend, so I dropped back to my old walking pace with no arm motion. I did take in the extra hill on the way out; total distance about 3 miles.

Stats: 55 minutes, average heart rate: 111; max: 135. So not too bad, considering.


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Two things to look into
[info]hvideo
2007-10-09 04:20 am UTC (link)
The typical diet commonly prescribed for diabetics includes far too many carbohydrates to get the best results. A reduced-carbohydrate diet generally works far better, both in controlling blood sugars and ESPECIALLY in lowering triglycerides. For many people a reduced carbohydrate diet is also a diet that does not leave them hungry. You don't have to reduce carbs as far as Atkins numbers to get far better results that the typical "50 years behind the times" low-fat, high-carb advice that nutritionists generally give out for diabetics.

For diabetic neuropathy, a large percentage of diabetics get significant or even total relief from taking Alpha Lipoic Acid, an over-the-counter supplement. It's definitely worth looking into.

I can point you at some online resources if you like.

Meanwhile - definitely keep up the exercise.

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Re: Two things to look into
[info]mdlbear
2007-10-09 01:12 pm UTC (link)
Online resources would be good. Thanks.

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Re: Two things to look into
[info]soojaebi
2007-10-09 07:49 pm UTC (link)
Eating well has a diabetic recipe book out, and most of the recipes I have tried in their other cookbook are pretty good. Also they have online recipes on their site. http://www.eatingwell.com You will have to refine your search for diabetic recipes or you will get a slew of just healthy recipes in general. Hope you stay healthy, happy and wise. :)

Oh and thanks for the CD I received it a week a go and didn't have time to say THANKS!

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Re: Two things to look into
[info]mdlbear
2007-10-09 08:43 pm UTC (link)
The overseas shipments seem to be taking an awfully long time; hope it was worth the wait.

Thanks for the link.

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Re: Two things to look into
[info]soojaebi
2007-10-10 04:23 am UTC (link)
It was worth the wait! :) Actually I think the CD arrived earlier but we had so much mail, and without a car it took several trips to get all our mail home!

I hope the link helps! :) HUGZ

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Re: Two things to look into
[info]hvideo
2007-10-12 08:45 am UTC (link)
Regarding Type 2 diabetes (by far the most common, where your body is developing Insulin Resistance and slowly losing the ability to get insulin from the blood stream into your cells) and lowcarb diets in general:

Eating fat does not increase your blood sugar levels. Eating protein does not increase your blood sugar levels. Only eating carbohydrates (both sugars and starches) will increase your blood sugar levels. So why doesn't the American Diabetes Association and similar medical groups recommend a lowcarb diet? They finally admitted earlier this year that the reason was not that they thought lowfat diets were better, but rather that they thought that people would find it "more difficult" to stick to a lowcarb diet. So they have, for years, been recommending a diet that they knew was WORSE for you.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/news/a/adalowcarbdiabe.htm

Diabetic complications (blindness, peripheral neuropathy and many others) are primarily caused by the accumulated time your blood sugar stays over a threshold value. Though there is some disagreement as to exactly where that threshold lies there is general agreement that the key to avoiding complications is avoiding sending your blood sugar up above the threshold.

Simple logic would indicate that NOT SENDING IT OVER THAT LINE IN THE FIRST PLACE would be an excellent strategy. Instead, the medical community has been recommending a diet to 50% carbs and then giving people presciption medications to try to combat the rise in blood sugar.

Type 1 diabetics produce essentially no insulin and must take insulin shots. Most Type 2 diabetics are producing a LOT of insulin because their bodies aren't utilizing it very well (Insulin Resistance). one of the common progressions is that the beta cells in the pancreas simply burn out under the huge demand for insulin - and then a Type 2 has become a combined Type 1 and Type 2. Easing the demand for insulin helps prolong the life of the remaining beta cells. A lowcarb diet use useful in keeping demand low. A lowfat/highcarb diet makes the problem worse.

As for general weight loss (which improves the Insulin Resistance situation in many diabetics), lowcarb diets have pretty consistently done better for weightloss than lowfat diets.

The FAQ for the alt.support.diet.low-carb group is
http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc/faq.htm or the backup site
http://home.comcast.net/~agross/asdlc/

On the Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) front (it's also known as Thioctic Acid) it's a prescription drug in Germany for treatment of neuropathies, and there have been many people on alt.support.diabetes that have reported great success with it for this purpose - though there is a cautionary aspect as well. For example, Susan reported:

"Doses of ALA used for IR (Insulin Resistance) and for reversing peripheral neuropathies well studied are typically 600mg to 1200 mg per day, divided doses. It completely reversed my residual neuropathies, which were severe, after low carbing reduced them to mild.

It also made me just as ill as metformin did last year, by suppressing
my adrenal function, so I know it's potent as heck at high doses.

Susan"

Metformin (Glucophage and other trade names) is a widely used prescription drug here in the USA for dealing with Insulin Resistance.

Most people who tried it reported significant improvement in neuropathy symptoms and very few reported side effects as Susan did, but I wanted to include that warning. Just because it's non-prescription doesn't mean that it's ENTIRELY without risk of side effects. Taking it with some Evening Primrose Oil seems to help it work better.

A Google search on "Alpha Lipoic Acid neuropathy" gives 51,900 hits, starting with the Mayo Clinic item that starts "Antioxidant Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) Significantly Improves Symptoms of Diabetic Neuropathy"

A Medscape article http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/450372 has
A Dr. Laura Barkley reporting "March 7, 2003 — Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) rapidly and significantly reduces sensory symptoms and pain of diabetic neuropathy, according to the results of a double-blind trial reported in the March issue of Diabetes Care."

There are lots of others reporting similar successes.

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ARRRGH
[info]hvideo
2007-10-12 08:49 am UTC (link)
In that opening sentence, Insulin Resistance is the difficulty of transporting GLUCOSE (sugar) from the blood stream into cells, not INSULIN as I mistakenly typed. Insulin is supposed to trigger this transport but starts losing its ability to make it happen because of the insulin resistance that the cells develop.

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[info]braider
2007-10-09 11:55 am UTC (link)
The second week is always the worst (assuming doing regular daily or every-other-day exercise); after that, it starts getting better. Generally, by the end of the first month you actually crave the exercise.

It's a good thing, really. And your appetite will end up adjusting with the exercise as well.

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[info]mdlbear
2007-10-09 01:14 pm UTC (link)
One hopes. Of course, then I end up an old addicted guy strung out on endorphins, but I suppose it's better than the alternatives...

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[info]lapislaz
2007-10-09 03:30 pm UTC (link)
Have [info]flower_cat call me for good diabetic recipes if she needs ideas. I've got a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that will knock your socks off.

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[info]cflute
2007-10-09 06:56 pm UTC (link)
Make that "old fat person" syndrome, 'cause it's what LaCava said *I* had, last January. Since getting on the statin drug (a 40 mg/day dose of Lipitor, in my case), though, the blood pressure has gone down, as well as the triglycerides.

Adding my recent increase in exercise to that, I'm finding that both my "base" energy level and mood are considerably better lately. Hope that you'll get similar results!

One thing I've wondered, re exercise options for you - I know that the street you live on is very very busy, but it seemed to me that several neighboring streets were both wider and less-trafficked. Thus I'm wondering whether a combination of walking and bicycling might be an option. I've always loved the range that bicycling gives me, and the fact that it's a non-load-bearing (yet still cardiovascular) exercise means that if it works for you, you could get some good conditioning in while minimizing the risk of shin splints (which are very painful, yes, I know!). Just a thought...

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[info]mdlbear
2007-10-09 08:47 pm UTC (link)
I'll have to revisit cycling -- I've been plagued by tendinitis in the knees for over 30 years now, but might be able to work back up to it.

Of course, my bike will need a thorough tune-up as well.

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[info]mdlbear
2007-10-10 02:50 am UTC (link)
It would be nice to get back into cycling. The trail by Los Gatos Creek where I like to walk on weekends used to be most of my commute route 20 years ago when I worked at Zilog.

I think the problem I used to have with cycling might be that it's too easy to coast along without getting enough exercise, just as I used to do with walking. I need the heart-rate monitor to keep me honest. Guess that would work with cycling, too.

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[info]roaringmouse
2007-10-09 09:14 pm UTC (link)
Steve... I have been very lucky. I don't show any signs for this problem. Knock on wood. According to Diabetes for Dummies, whole grains carbs are good kind of carb. Using whole grain pasta, cereal and bread is good for you. In addition, using brown rice or basmati rice is a lot better than regular rice. If you go out for sushi,, get more fish like sashimi than sushi rolls. I have found also eating oatmeal products help also.

Mouse

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[info]jilara
2007-10-09 11:47 pm UTC (link)
I've been eating essentially a modified diabetic-friendly diet for years. Something to do with having several diabetic friends/boyfriend and having genetic blood sugar weirdness, which goes wonky at the mention of sugar. It's not that bad, really. You just eat things that are balanced differently.

But to lose weight, I had to do the following:
Cut out snack food. (Not for nothing it's called junk food.)
Cut out prepared mixes.
Cut out desserts. (I now have Cherrios with whole milk - no fruit, no sugar - as "dessert.")
Read everything: high-fructose corn syrup is on my "toxin" list

You might also want to bone up on glycemic indexes. There are some surprises, there.

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[info]mdlbear
2007-10-10 02:45 am UTC (link)
Glycemic indices -- the surprise for me was Basmati rice having a low GI. That's the stuff we buy in 10-pound sacks.

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[info]figmo
2007-10-10 08:19 am UTC (link)
As I'm sure you know, I've had to eat that kind of a diet for nearly 20 years now (I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia in January, 1988).

Like [info]jilara, I avoid high-fructose corn syrup like the bubonic plague.

It's really hard to get sugar out of your diet. The artificial sweeteners don't taste exactly like sugar, and it takes a while to get used to them.

The glycemic indexes are good things to watch. If you want a sweet you'll find the ones with the lower glycemic indexes to be easier to tolerate than those with higher ones. For example, ice cream has a lower glycemic index than sugar-sweetened sorbet.

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