5 ms·

I have type II diabetes, and swimming in cold water (SF Bay, temperatures 50°-65° F 10°-18° C) 3 times a week for six years has not changed my A1c (measurement

I have type II diabetes, and swimming in cold water (SF Bay, temperatures 50°-65° F 10°-18° C) 3 times a week for six years has not changed my A1c (measurement of diabetes). No one is "cured" of type II diabetes (exception: gestational diabetes). The best you can hope for is not to have to take meds, but the price you pay is an exercise regimen and an extremely disciplined diet (I haven't eaten rice, bread, pasta, or potatoes in 9 years). I don't take meds.

FPGAhacker 6y ago
If you don't mind sharing, what do you eat?
- brian_cunnie 6y ago
  Every morning: - 1 pint milk - coffee - 1/4 cup oatmeal During the day, a big salad consisting of the following: - kale - romaine lettuce - baby spinach - butter lettuce - arugula - carrots - mushrooms - sweet potato ribbons (uncooked) - shaved parmesan cheese - sunflower seeds - pumpkin seeds - peanuts - salt - pepper - unbelievable amounts of olive oil - avocado Snacks: - apples (1 or 2) - blueberries Once a week I might have eggs & bacon, or a quest bar (low carb), or diet soda (I still have a sweet tooth)
  - YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
    >> unbelievable amounts of olive oil Out of curiosity, how come? I have a close relative who has kidney disease and was forced to cut all salt from their diet. I cook for them (I don't mind unsalted food myself). I think I understand a thing or two about such a drastic change to one's lifestyle. It's not an easy thing. My relative was mad for everything salty - cheese, cured meats, chips, everything. But they have found the discipline to cut it all off. Unfortunately, cutting salt from one's diet doesn't bring kidney disease into remission. I don't believe anything does :/ Anyway, more power to you and all that.
  - vram22 6y ago
    That's an unusual diet, it seems. So did you calculate the weight in grams (and fractions thereof) of all nutrients humans need, or just use gut feel to work out the meal ingredients, particularly in the salad?
starwatch 6y ago
I believe there's a low-calorie treatment pioneered by a research group out of Oxford University a few years ago. The treatment was shown to send type II into remission. It's currently available on the NHS in the UK: https://www.england.nhs.uk/diabetes/treatment-care/low-calorie-diets/ https://www.england.nhs.uk/diabetes/treatment-care/low-calor...
- vram22 6y ago
  >The treatment was shown to send type II into remission. Does that mean the same as cured? Edit: The linked article says: >and even achieve remission (no longer have diabetes)
  - starwatch 6y ago
    Not an expert on this, but remission is defined as: > a temporary diminution of the severity of disease or pain. My understanding is that after the treatment, and while in remission, people would need to maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid relapse. It's still early days for this treatment so I'd guess that they're being cautious with their language.
    - vram22 6y ago
      Got it, and I think yours closer to the real meaning than what the article says - based on having read that word in context multiple times.
- brian_cunnie 6y ago
  The research group's definition of remission is, IIRC, "the diabetic no longer needs to take meds", e.g. metformin. But this doesn't mean they're cured. For example, they can't binge on chocolate cake or pizza. Instead, rather than using medicine to control their blood sugar, they use a strict diet & exercise. I'm a type II diabetic, and when I saw my doctor with a good A1c (5.8), she said, "Another doctor wouldn't be able to tell you were diabetic looking at these numbers. But make no mistake: you can't go back to your old ways of eating, or else it'll all come back. Those days are over." My metabolism is permanently broken. The symptoms are in remission, but I'm by no means cured.
vram22 6y ago
>the price you pay is an exercise regimen I read somewhere that N. Vittal, a prominent Indian civil servant, controlled his diabetes by walking a lot, daily. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Vittal https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Vittal >and an extremely disciplined diet (I haven't eaten rice, bread, pasta, or potatoes in 9 years). What about other forms of wheat products like semolina, couscous, etc? Other cereal grains?
- brian_cunnie 6y ago
  W.r.t. walking. Yes, it's a wonderful way to bring down your blood sugar. I once ate too much carbs, and my blood sugar spiked to 180 (I shouldn't let it get over 160, normal people's blood sugar rarely go over 120). I was able to bring it down 50 points, to 130, by walking vigorously for 1/2 hour. > What about other forms of wheat products like semolina, couscous, etc? Other cereal grains? I stay away from them, but I haven't done a rigorous study. I know that, as far as diabetes is concerned, white rice is terrible for you, and brown rice is just as bad. In general the only carbo-foods I'm comfortable with are legumes (beans) because their carbs take longer to digest.
  - vram22 6y ago
    Interesting, thanks.

FPGAhacker 6y ago

If you don't mind sharing, what do you eat?

brian_cunnie 6y ago
Every morning: - 1 pint milk - coffee - 1/4 cup oatmeal During the day, a big salad consisting of the following: - kale - romaine lettuce - baby spinach - butter lettuce - arugula - carrots - mushrooms - sweet potato ribbons (uncooked) - shaved parmesan cheese - sunflower seeds - pumpkin seeds - peanuts - salt - pepper - unbelievable amounts of olive oil - avocado Snacks: - apples (1 or 2) - blueberries Once a week I might have eggs & bacon, or a quest bar (low carb), or diet soda (I still have a sweet tooth)
- YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
  >> unbelievable amounts of olive oil Out of curiosity, how come? I have a close relative who has kidney disease and was forced to cut all salt from their diet. I cook for them (I don't mind unsalted food myself). I think I understand a thing or two about such a drastic change to one's lifestyle. It's not an easy thing. My relative was mad for everything salty - cheese, cured meats, chips, everything. But they have found the discipline to cut it all off. Unfortunately, cutting salt from one's diet doesn't bring kidney disease into remission. I don't believe anything does :/ Anyway, more power to you and all that.
- vram22 6y ago
  That's an unusual diet, it seems. So did you calculate the weight in grams (and fractions thereof) of all nutrients humans need, or just use gut feel to work out the meal ingredients, particularly in the salad?

starwatch 6y ago

I believe there's a low-calorie treatment pioneered by a research group out of Oxford University a few years ago. The treatment was shown to send type II into remission. It's currently available on the NHS in the UK: https://www.england.nhs.uk/diabetes/treatment-care/low-calorie-diets/ https://www.england.nhs.uk/diabetes/treatment-care/low-calor...

vram22 6y ago
>The treatment was shown to send type II into remission. Does that mean the same as cured? Edit: The linked article says: >and even achieve remission (no longer have diabetes)
- starwatch 6y ago
  Not an expert on this, but remission is defined as: > a temporary diminution of the severity of disease or pain. My understanding is that after the treatment, and while in remission, people would need to maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid relapse. It's still early days for this treatment so I'd guess that they're being cautious with their language.
  - vram22 6y ago
    Got it, and I think yours closer to the real meaning than what the article says - based on having read that word in context multiple times.
brian_cunnie 6y ago
The research group's definition of remission is, IIRC, "the diabetic no longer needs to take meds", e.g. metformin. But this doesn't mean they're cured. For example, they can't binge on chocolate cake or pizza. Instead, rather than using medicine to control their blood sugar, they use a strict diet & exercise. I'm a type II diabetic, and when I saw my doctor with a good A1c (5.8), she said, "Another doctor wouldn't be able to tell you were diabetic looking at these numbers. But make no mistake: you can't go back to your old ways of eating, or else it'll all come back. Those days are over." My metabolism is permanently broken. The symptoms are in remission, but I'm by no means cured.

vram22 6y ago

>the price you pay is an exercise regimen I read somewhere that N. Vittal, a prominent Indian civil servant, controlled his diabetes by walking a lot, daily. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Vittal https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Vittal >and an extremely disciplined diet (I haven't eaten rice, bread, pasta, or potatoes in 9 years). What about other forms of wheat products like semolina, couscous, etc? Other cereal grains?

brian_cunnie 6y ago
W.r.t. walking. Yes, it's a wonderful way to bring down your blood sugar. I once ate too much carbs, and my blood sugar spiked to 180 (I shouldn't let it get over 160, normal people's blood sugar rarely go over 120). I was able to bring it down 50 points, to 130, by walking vigorously for 1/2 hour. > What about other forms of wheat products like semolina, couscous, etc? Other cereal grains? I stay away from them, but I haven't done a rigorous study. I know that, as far as diabetes is concerned, white rice is terrible for you, and brown rice is just as bad. In general the only carbo-foods I'm comfortable with are legumes (beans) because their carbs take longer to digest.
- vram22 6y ago
  Interesting, thanks.