7 ms·

I wouldn't ignore the effect that having surgery and then two weeks of a strictly controlled food intake has. That might account for a large proportion of the s

I wouldn't ignore the effect that having surgery and then two weeks of a strictly controlled food intake has. That might account for a large proportion of the success rate. I heard about a study that found that the fasting required for bariatric surgery actually provides a large proportion of the benefit of the procedure. If you catch type 2 diabetes before it gets so bad that it has killed off the beta cells, then your best treatment is to fast for a while. After a couple of days, you should notice a massive improvement in glucose control. A week of fasting a couple of times a year might be all it takes to give you a complete cure. YMMV, but in my opinion (and that of a whole load of people who know what they're talking about) it's better than filling yourself with drugs. After the beta cells have been killed off by overwork, yeah, you need insulin. But you can still reduce the amount you need by losing weight.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
nradov 2y ago
For type-2 diabetes, various forms of dietary therapy such as nutritional ketosis have proven extremely effective in reducing or even eliminating many patients' need for exogenous insulin. But we usually refer to that as putting the condition into remission rather than a "cure". https://doi.org/10.1530/EDM-22-0295 https://doi.org/10.1530/EDM-22-0295
- hal-eisen 2y ago
  This. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about two and a half years ago. After doing some research, I put myself on a strict keto diet. Within about a month, my A1C went from over 13 to hovering around 6 and has stayed there. Never took any diabetes medication. I do give myself a "vacation" from the diet about once a month, which I usually reserve for a special occasion.
  - anitil 2y ago
    Do you find that this requires an unusual amount of self-control? I have no reason to manage my food intake, but in the limited times where I have I've found it quite difficult
    - dham 2y ago
      I did keto for almost a year, and it wasn't that bad. My wife lost 50 lbs and I lost 45lbs. 190 > 145 (I had to put on weight afterward). First of all, you can eat things you enjoy, and you don't have to limit your intake. Basically, eat until you're full. When you're fully in ketosis (~2 weeks) you'll naturally not feel hungry. This is what makes keto great because you're never in a situation where you're hungry (at least after a few weeks). Eating out isn't as bad as you think when in that position. Get a steak with some low-carb vegetables on the side. You can still have blackberries and raspberries and if you really need to "cheat" you can find some deserts that are no carb. Although best to limit those types of sugars. Use an app / website to track carbs for the first few months. Just remember you're either in ketosis or not. There's no such thing as a "cheat" day on Keto as going over carb amount can kick you out.
      - ra7 2y ago
        Is there a recommended amount (or formula) of carb intake on keto? I use an app called MacroFactor and it suggests up to 45 grams of carbs per day, but I find it too low. I’m somewhat struggling to stay under that limit. Also the binary nature of either being in ketosis or not is somewhat disappointing. I unfortunately find it impossible to be on a keto diet for long periods of time due to social situations and eating out. Do you have any advice?
        dham 2y ago
        45 seems like a lot, honestly. I think we did 20 at first. The ketones blood test kit is a must have. You have to know if you're actually in ketosis. People can do it at different carb amounts. Societal pressures can be challenging but it's really not that bad. We ate out quite a bit because of birthdays and such. If you're at a nice restaurant, get a steak and a low-carb vegetable. At Ruth's Chris we did Tomahawk steak with mushrooms. Drink club soda with lime or lemon. Chipotle is a good meal. Chicken steak, guac, cheese, salsa (check their site) Wingstop was also goto for us. They have quite a few sauces that have no carbs. Eating out is planning. Check the menu; if it's not a chain, you might have to call. We did that a few times. Ask if they put sugar in certain things. Burger with bacon and cheese no bun is also an option. You have to be careful with chicken dishes because they might put a sauce on it. Remember, it's low-carb, not no-carb, so if you accidentally eat a few pieces of bacon with sugar in it, it's not the end of the world. It's probably not going to be enough to kick you out.
  - cadr 2y ago
    Same. Except then I subsequently found that I actually had adult-onset Type 1 diabetes. But I was still in the "honeymoon" phase, so my pancreas was producing enough insulin to get by still. I stayed on this for seven years until I finally had to go on insulin.
- readthenotes1 2y ago
  I need someone who control his type 2 diabetes with the ornish diet which is fat vegetarian no sugar or simple carbs... And maybe the secret is the no sugar nor simple carbs
  - beef234 2y ago
    The secret is lots of veggies, fruits, and whole grains. The calorie density is low so it's easy to stay in a normal calorie range or even a deficit which is key for reducing risk of type 2 diabetes. Fat, especially Saturated fat causes insulin resistance. Many studied show this. Please show me any long term studies or a culture that are metabolically healthy on long term keto diets. Take a look at Virta health. Tons of money spent on low carb diets that achieved very little. Try a book like "fiber fueled". That's a diet that is actually sustainable.
    - nradov 2y ago
      There is no "secret" here. While saturated fat might play some role in type-2 diabetes (there appears to be a genetic factor for some patients), the immediate cause of insulin resistance is excessive carbohydrate intake. The Virta Health approach of nutritional ketosis appears to be quite effective and sustainable for many patients. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-018-0373-9 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-018-0373-9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2014.06.011 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2014.06.011
      - consteval 2y ago
        To me, this just doesn't add up. For virtually all of human history, the human diet is mostly carbohydrates. If anything, we eat less carbs than we used to - instead, we now eat more saturated fats and protein, due to ready access to farm meats. Prehistoric humans however (that is, before the agricultural revolution) consumed most of their carbs through fruits, nuts, and vegetables. It's estimated their diet probably consisted of around 100 grams of fiber a day, as opposed to the typical 2 grams people eat today. Fiber slowly the blood glucose elevation by quite a lot. I don't think simply cutting out carbs is the answer or even sustainable. I think it makes much more sense to gravitate towards a diet of more whole food, which contain more fiber and thus don't raise blood glucose as severely. Carbs are important, and we've been eating them forever.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > But we usually refer to that as putting the condition into remission rather than a "cure" Because that’s accurate. Someone following this treatment plan is still at elevated risk of recurrence. Once you’re cured of the flu, your ex ante chances of catching it again are no higher. (We don’t have a cure for diabetes per se. Insulin controls but doesn’t cure it.)
crossroadsguy 2y ago
> A week of fasting a couple of times a year By “a week of fasting” you mean a week of intermittent fasting or something else? Can you give an example of such a regime (and are there different ways?)? Don’t have type 2 yet but has family history and it spiked to 6.1 one right after a hospitalisation so I have been spooked since (been 2 years). I get super stressed even at the thought of sugar related tests.
- koolba 2y ago
  A week of fasting is a 7 days of consuming nothing but water, salts and possibly some vitamins. You don’t have to try for 7 days on the first attempt, though for most people the first two days are the most difficult so riding it out past the third actually gets easier.
- raylad 2y ago
  The fasting mimicking diet works too. (https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(15)00224-7 https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(15)...). I'm ending my 5th day of this cycle today, and this morning my fasting blood glucose was 77. Usually it's around 100.
  - e40 2y ago
    Was excited to read this, but disappointed tjere was no information on the actual human diet, other tha a few hugh-level sentences. Do you know of other sources of information?
    - raylad 2y ago
      It's really just 1050 calories the 1st day, and 750 calories on day 2-5. The exact balance of protein / carb / fat doesn't seem critical.
      - e40 2y ago
        Is how it is spread throughout the day important? Can it be in one meal, any time of day? Counting calories has always been such magic to me, given all my meals are homemade and I don't made them.
linsomniac 2y ago
>the fasting required for bariatric surgery actually provides a large proportion of the benefit of the procedure Can confirm. My wife had surgery ~3 years ago. I supported her by eating the same things she was for prep and throughout the surgery. We lost about the same amount of weight, through ~1600cal a day and exercise. I wanted to get down about 25lbs lower than my lowest during that time. But, a year ago my wife was diagnosed with cancer, and that process totally screwed with our plans, and we both gained weight, her quite a bit less than me. The last ~6 weeks I've been restricting calories again, and have started the journey back to where I want to be. I will say that the surgery really impacted her hair badly, which she didn't love. Despite taking all the best vitamins, her hair went from thick to somewhat thin. If you can get rid of the things that trigger you and stick to low calories and exercise, you'll lose weight. The surgery helps, but committing to low calories is going to get the results. And a friend who got bariatric surgery but wasn't committed to lifestyle changes, within a year was back to her original weight.
- oh_nice_marmot 2y ago
  Gosh, what a journey. Hope you wife is doing better.
  - linsomniac 2y ago
    Thanks, she is. She's officially in remission. We regularly take a multi-day drive to her parents, and on one I noticed she had to use the bathroom a lot more frequently than usual. Another friend lost his wife a couple years ago to pancreatic cancer, that started with some lower back pain. The moral of the story: Don't ignore changes you notice in your body.
    - conductr 2y ago
      My wife’s hair thinned a bit too with chemo and she never got her eyebrows back. She been drawing them on for almost 10 years now. I first felt the tiny lump in her breast and then she couldn’t find it. I had to nag her for a few months to go get it looked at. She just waited for her routine appointment which was 4-6 months after I nagged her. In hindsight, I wish I was more insistent as I think it could have been removed without needing chemo earlier on. She was early 30s, and at that age at least, she’s of the opinion the double mastectomy and reconstructive surgeries were a breeze compared to chemo. I knew it was not good when I felt it the first time (in college I worked in a pathology lab, have handled a lot of cancers and I knew she had brca genetics) Who knows really if chemo could have been avoided but my point and learning was, you are with this person more than anyone, if you notice something and are concerned for them you need voice it and create action.
paul7986 2y ago
Similar with kidney disease ... caught mine at 55% kidney function in 2018. The neuphrologist told me prepare to go on dialysis i said ha whatever doctor not listening to you! Changed my diet .. no steak/beef or pork, no preservative laden foods (anything bought in store has only a few natural ingredients), more fruits, a gallon of water a day (some unsweet tea and splash of lemonade but never sugar or soda drinks.. why drink calories.. not for me), avoid all medications (only if dire ill take them) and maintain same weight of 170 (5'11) through daily exercise. My function within 6 months or so of doing such rose to 70% and years later i maintain it at 75 to 85% percent. It goes down when if and when I get sick due to taking meds but goes back up. What we put in our bodies means everything!
- beef234 2y ago
  Congratulations!! That's amazing! Keep going!
- _yb2s 2y ago
  That's great! Care to share the rationale of any of those specific interventions?
  - paul7986 2y ago
    Rationale possibly... - Drank zero water before... now a gallon a day which flushes my system many times a day - My nephrologist told me to avoid all medications best as possible which i do and have done. When I must take meds then in my monthly to bi-monthly CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel labwork) i see my kidney function go down albeit temporarily. For example I took a new drug recently out on the market and it dropped my function to under 60% in Nov/Dec last year. Back to 75% as of my last test received this week. Prior test showed function was 82%. - I ate beef (steak) many times a week prior and lots of fried food (cut that down to once or every other month)... i still eat out always at Cava (simple rice and chicken bowl), grilled nuggets at Chic Fil A and a fruit cup with unsweet tea/splash of lemonade, salads at Panera (Fuji Apple), pasta (spaghetti with marina from local pizzerias), maybe a Chix/rice burrito from Chipolte or a mini turkey and provolone sub from Jersey Mikes... for breakfast if I eat it at all healthy cereal with no preservatives or egg whites with potatoes and wheat toast (no bacon or pork) at a local diner. - I weigh myself daily and count my calories in my head. I recently been enjoying using chatGPT to do so, as it knows calories of all the places i go, counts them up and remembers them so i can add more later. I keep it between 1500 to 1800 calories a day(eat two meals a day and healthy snacks here/there) which i think isnt a lot for a dude my age (late 40s) and my size (5'11 170 to 175). I almost never drink calories ... unsweet tea and splash of lemonade for flavor is minimal.. water is zero. Rarely drink alcohol maybe one or two gin and tonics in a month. - Ive always been obsessed with fitness prior to kidney function diagnosis as i enjoy looking my best I can on the beach and elsewhere :) So im doing some type of exercise almost daily (hike, bike, gym, swim laps, weights) I think the amount of water i intake, changing my diet as noted above, maintaining my lifestyle of fitness ive always had & avoiding all/any meds are the keys to my kidney function success. My nephrologist who i still see a year later or so changed her tune and now advocates for the lifestyle i live to help with kidney function health. I see people here talking about fasting and im not eating a ton a day. Maybe that's an overall good thing for our bodies not eating a ton ant things that aren't healthy/natural (processed foods are really bad i thnk).. not stressing it to break down more stuff (just a thought/guess). My lifestyle isnt for everyone and the fitness portion is something ive always done to try and be the best I can be as well look the best i possibly can. Again im a bit obsessed with such and is a driver to my lifestyle.. ive never dieted i guess my lifestyle is a diet to others.
nashashmi 2y ago
Fasting during Ramadan improves my sugar levels significantly. That’s 30 days of no food/water during daylight hours. And controlled eating at sunset and dawn. And lots of water during the night hours.
krob 2y ago
Dr. Fung basically said that beta cell death is likely related to fatty deposits on the pancreas. So there is a fatty liver/pancreas cycle that requires a significant time duration of fasting. Eventually beta cells continue to produce normal amounts of insulin. T2D is not a death sentence, it just requires motivation from the patients and up-to-date knowledge of the treatment physician.
_yb2s 2y ago
I’ve noticed for me fasting has a long lasting effect on reducing overeating with leads to sustained weight loss way beyond the calorie deficit- and deliberately doing other mildly mentally and physically uncomfortable activities like cold showers and weightlifting have similar effects also. My theory is that overeating is basically an addictive behavior- a way to escape from stress, negative feelings, and emotional trauma. It is actually the mental discomfort of fasting that gives you confidence that you can deal with mental pain and discomfort without trying to escape it, that leads to eating less. This is likely the same mechanism behind weight loss drugs like semaglutide that also help with non food related addictions. Overall I think people are missing the emotional and psychological mechanisms behind the obesity epidemic, and looking too much at things like calories and nutrient content, which is why the whole phenomenon has been eluding understanding.
- astura 2y ago
  >It is actually the mental discomfort of fasting that gives you confidence that you can deal with mental pain and discomfort without trying to escape it, that leads to eating less. This is likely the same mechanism behind weight loss drugs like semaglutide that also help with non food related addictions. This is not true. For me at least the effect of fasting for several days is purely physiological, not psychological, emotional or spiritual. There's no extra "confidence" to deal with "discomfort," your body simply needs drastically less food. You also drastically increase your feelings of being satiated after eating. So after fasting (and its probably the same on GLP-1 meds) you don't get very hungry and when you do eat you feel very content and full after only a few bites.
  - _yb2s 2y ago
    Your experience being different than mine does not make mine "not true" nor is what you are saying mutually exclusive with what I am saying. There's most likely a lot of things going on at the same time here- that are interrelated in complex ways, and likely somewhat different in different people. Lots of research shows that overstimulation of the reward system, e.g. from high satiety foods overrides the feeling of fullness in a way that integrates both what you and I were saying in a coherent way - especially if you think of "mild discomfort" as a state of low stimulation of the reward system [1]. This is probably why so many different seemingly mutually exclusive diet protocols work equally well- anything that restricts some foods and not others, regardless of what they are, lowers the total reward system stimulation from food. For me, I am still hungry while fasting, but the hunger becomes easier to handle over time. I also notice afterwards that I am full with less food like you noticed, in addition to the other things I mentioned. It is also easier for me to stop eating while still a little hungry after fasting. In my case years of logging my bodyweight on a digital scale show I only gain weight during stressful events, but then keep it the rest of the time... and if I'm consistently taking cold showers or doing regular short fasts, it prevents that effect and causes gradual weight loss on top of it. So I have fairly convincing data that what I am saying is true for me, but it may not be true for everyone. [1] https://boingboing.net/2012/03/09/seduced-by-food-obesity-and-t.html https://boingboing.net/2012/03/09/seduced-by-food-obesity-an...

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

nradov 2y ago

For type-2 diabetes, various forms of dietary therapy such as nutritional ketosis have proven extremely effective in reducing or even eliminating many patients' need for exogenous insulin. But we usually refer to that as putting the condition into remission rather than a "cure". https://doi.org/10.1530/EDM-22-0295 https://doi.org/10.1530/EDM-22-0295

hal-eisen 2y ago
This. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about two and a half years ago. After doing some research, I put myself on a strict keto diet. Within about a month, my A1C went from over 13 to hovering around 6 and has stayed there. Never took any diabetes medication. I do give myself a "vacation" from the diet about once a month, which I usually reserve for a special occasion.
- anitil 2y ago
  Do you find that this requires an unusual amount of self-control? I have no reason to manage my food intake, but in the limited times where I have I've found it quite difficult
  - dham 2y ago
    I did keto for almost a year, and it wasn't that bad. My wife lost 50 lbs and I lost 45lbs. 190 > 145 (I had to put on weight afterward). First of all, you can eat things you enjoy, and you don't have to limit your intake. Basically, eat until you're full. When you're fully in ketosis (~2 weeks) you'll naturally not feel hungry. This is what makes keto great because you're never in a situation where you're hungry (at least after a few weeks). Eating out isn't as bad as you think when in that position. Get a steak with some low-carb vegetables on the side. You can still have blackberries and raspberries and if you really need to "cheat" you can find some deserts that are no carb. Although best to limit those types of sugars. Use an app / website to track carbs for the first few months. Just remember you're either in ketosis or not. There's no such thing as a "cheat" day on Keto as going over carb amount can kick you out.
    - ra7 2y ago
      Is there a recommended amount (or formula) of carb intake on keto? I use an app called MacroFactor and it suggests up to 45 grams of carbs per day, but I find it too low. I’m somewhat struggling to stay under that limit. Also the binary nature of either being in ketosis or not is somewhat disappointing. I unfortunately find it impossible to be on a keto diet for long periods of time due to social situations and eating out. Do you have any advice?
      - dham 2y ago
        45 seems like a lot, honestly. I think we did 20 at first. The ketones blood test kit is a must have. You have to know if you're actually in ketosis. People can do it at different carb amounts. Societal pressures can be challenging but it's really not that bad. We ate out quite a bit because of birthdays and such. If you're at a nice restaurant, get a steak and a low-carb vegetable. At Ruth's Chris we did Tomahawk steak with mushrooms. Drink club soda with lime or lemon. Chipotle is a good meal. Chicken steak, guac, cheese, salsa (check their site) Wingstop was also goto for us. They have quite a few sauces that have no carbs. Eating out is planning. Check the menu; if it's not a chain, you might have to call. We did that a few times. Ask if they put sugar in certain things. Burger with bacon and cheese no bun is also an option. You have to be careful with chicken dishes because they might put a sauce on it. Remember, it's low-carb, not no-carb, so if you accidentally eat a few pieces of bacon with sugar in it, it's not the end of the world. It's probably not going to be enough to kick you out.
- cadr 2y ago
  Same. Except then I subsequently found that I actually had adult-onset Type 1 diabetes. But I was still in the "honeymoon" phase, so my pancreas was producing enough insulin to get by still. I stayed on this for seven years until I finally had to go on insulin.
readthenotes1 2y ago
I need someone who control his type 2 diabetes with the ornish diet which is fat vegetarian no sugar or simple carbs... And maybe the secret is the no sugar nor simple carbs
- beef234 2y ago
  The secret is lots of veggies, fruits, and whole grains. The calorie density is low so it's easy to stay in a normal calorie range or even a deficit which is key for reducing risk of type 2 diabetes. Fat, especially Saturated fat causes insulin resistance. Many studied show this. Please show me any long term studies or a culture that are metabolically healthy on long term keto diets. Take a look at Virta health. Tons of money spent on low carb diets that achieved very little. Try a book like "fiber fueled". That's a diet that is actually sustainable.
  - nradov 2y ago
    There is no "secret" here. While saturated fat might play some role in type-2 diabetes (there appears to be a genetic factor for some patients), the immediate cause of insulin resistance is excessive carbohydrate intake. The Virta Health approach of nutritional ketosis appears to be quite effective and sustainable for many patients. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-018-0373-9 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-018-0373-9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2014.06.011 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2014.06.011
    - consteval 2y ago
      To me, this just doesn't add up. For virtually all of human history, the human diet is mostly carbohydrates. If anything, we eat less carbs than we used to - instead, we now eat more saturated fats and protein, due to ready access to farm meats. Prehistoric humans however (that is, before the agricultural revolution) consumed most of their carbs through fruits, nuts, and vegetables. It's estimated their diet probably consisted of around 100 grams of fiber a day, as opposed to the typical 2 grams people eat today. Fiber slowly the blood glucose elevation by quite a lot. I don't think simply cutting out carbs is the answer or even sustainable. I think it makes much more sense to gravitate towards a diet of more whole food, which contain more fiber and thus don't raise blood glucose as severely. Carbs are important, and we've been eating them forever.
JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> But we usually refer to that as putting the condition into remission rather than a "cure" Because that’s accurate. Someone following this treatment plan is still at elevated risk of recurrence. Once you’re cured of the flu, your ex ante chances of catching it again are no higher. (We don’t have a cure for diabetes per se. Insulin controls but doesn’t cure it.)

crossroadsguy 2y ago

> A week of fasting a couple of times a year By “a week of fasting” you mean a week of intermittent fasting or something else? Can you give an example of such a regime (and are there different ways?)? Don’t have type 2 yet but has family history and it spiked to 6.1 one right after a hospitalisation so I have been spooked since (been 2 years). I get super stressed even at the thought of sugar related tests.

koolba 2y ago
A week of fasting is a 7 days of consuming nothing but water, salts and possibly some vitamins. You don’t have to try for 7 days on the first attempt, though for most people the first two days are the most difficult so riding it out past the third actually gets easier.
raylad 2y ago
The fasting mimicking diet works too. (https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(15)00224-7 https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(15)...). I'm ending my 5th day of this cycle today, and this morning my fasting blood glucose was 77. Usually it's around 100.
- e40 2y ago
  Was excited to read this, but disappointed tjere was no information on the actual human diet, other tha a few hugh-level sentences. Do you know of other sources of information?
  - raylad 2y ago
    It's really just 1050 calories the 1st day, and 750 calories on day 2-5. The exact balance of protein / carb / fat doesn't seem critical.
    - e40 2y ago
      Is how it is spread throughout the day important? Can it be in one meal, any time of day? Counting calories has always been such magic to me, given all my meals are homemade and I don't made them.

linsomniac 2y ago

>the fasting required for bariatric surgery actually provides a large proportion of the benefit of the procedure Can confirm. My wife had surgery ~3 years ago. I supported her by eating the same things she was for prep and throughout the surgery. We lost about the same amount of weight, through ~1600cal a day and exercise. I wanted to get down about 25lbs lower than my lowest during that time. But, a year ago my wife was diagnosed with cancer, and that process totally screwed with our plans, and we both gained weight, her quite a bit less than me. The last ~6 weeks I've been restricting calories again, and have started the journey back to where I want to be. I will say that the surgery really impacted her hair badly, which she didn't love. Despite taking all the best vitamins, her hair went from thick to somewhat thin. If you can get rid of the things that trigger you and stick to low calories and exercise, you'll lose weight. The surgery helps, but committing to low calories is going to get the results. And a friend who got bariatric surgery but wasn't committed to lifestyle changes, within a year was back to her original weight.

oh_nice_marmot 2y ago
Gosh, what a journey. Hope you wife is doing better.
- linsomniac 2y ago
  Thanks, she is. She's officially in remission. We regularly take a multi-day drive to her parents, and on one I noticed she had to use the bathroom a lot more frequently than usual. Another friend lost his wife a couple years ago to pancreatic cancer, that started with some lower back pain. The moral of the story: Don't ignore changes you notice in your body.
  - conductr 2y ago
    My wife’s hair thinned a bit too with chemo and she never got her eyebrows back. She been drawing them on for almost 10 years now. I first felt the tiny lump in her breast and then she couldn’t find it. I had to nag her for a few months to go get it looked at. She just waited for her routine appointment which was 4-6 months after I nagged her. In hindsight, I wish I was more insistent as I think it could have been removed without needing chemo earlier on. She was early 30s, and at that age at least, she’s of the opinion the double mastectomy and reconstructive surgeries were a breeze compared to chemo. I knew it was not good when I felt it the first time (in college I worked in a pathology lab, have handled a lot of cancers and I knew she had brca genetics) Who knows really if chemo could have been avoided but my point and learning was, you are with this person more than anyone, if you notice something and are concerned for them you need voice it and create action.

paul7986 2y ago

Similar with kidney disease ... caught mine at 55% kidney function in 2018. The neuphrologist told me prepare to go on dialysis i said ha whatever doctor not listening to you! Changed my diet .. no steak/beef or pork, no preservative laden foods (anything bought in store has only a few natural ingredients), more fruits, a gallon of water a day (some unsweet tea and splash of lemonade but never sugar or soda drinks.. why drink calories.. not for me), avoid all medications (only if dire ill take them) and maintain same weight of 170 (5'11) through daily exercise. My function within 6 months or so of doing such rose to 70% and years later i maintain it at 75 to 85% percent. It goes down when if and when I get sick due to taking meds but goes back up. What we put in our bodies means everything!

beef234 2y ago
Congratulations!! That's amazing! Keep going!
_yb2s 2y ago
That's great! Care to share the rationale of any of those specific interventions?
- paul7986 2y ago
  Rationale possibly... - Drank zero water before... now a gallon a day which flushes my system many times a day - My nephrologist told me to avoid all medications best as possible which i do and have done. When I must take meds then in my monthly to bi-monthly CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel labwork) i see my kidney function go down albeit temporarily. For example I took a new drug recently out on the market and it dropped my function to under 60% in Nov/Dec last year. Back to 75% as of my last test received this week. Prior test showed function was 82%. - I ate beef (steak) many times a week prior and lots of fried food (cut that down to once or every other month)... i still eat out always at Cava (simple rice and chicken bowl), grilled nuggets at Chic Fil A and a fruit cup with unsweet tea/splash of lemonade, salads at Panera (Fuji Apple), pasta (spaghetti with marina from local pizzerias), maybe a Chix/rice burrito from Chipolte or a mini turkey and provolone sub from Jersey Mikes... for breakfast if I eat it at all healthy cereal with no preservatives or egg whites with potatoes and wheat toast (no bacon or pork) at a local diner. - I weigh myself daily and count my calories in my head. I recently been enjoying using chatGPT to do so, as it knows calories of all the places i go, counts them up and remembers them so i can add more later. I keep it between 1500 to 1800 calories a day(eat two meals a day and healthy snacks here/there) which i think isnt a lot for a dude my age (late 40s) and my size (5'11 170 to 175). I almost never drink calories ... unsweet tea and splash of lemonade for flavor is minimal.. water is zero. Rarely drink alcohol maybe one or two gin and tonics in a month. - Ive always been obsessed with fitness prior to kidney function diagnosis as i enjoy looking my best I can on the beach and elsewhere :) So im doing some type of exercise almost daily (hike, bike, gym, swim laps, weights) I think the amount of water i intake, changing my diet as noted above, maintaining my lifestyle of fitness ive always had & avoiding all/any meds are the keys to my kidney function success. My nephrologist who i still see a year later or so changed her tune and now advocates for the lifestyle i live to help with kidney function health. I see people here talking about fasting and im not eating a ton a day. Maybe that's an overall good thing for our bodies not eating a ton ant things that aren't healthy/natural (processed foods are really bad i thnk).. not stressing it to break down more stuff (just a thought/guess). My lifestyle isnt for everyone and the fitness portion is something ive always done to try and be the best I can be as well look the best i possibly can. Again im a bit obsessed with such and is a driver to my lifestyle.. ive never dieted i guess my lifestyle is a diet to others.

nashashmi 2y ago

Fasting during Ramadan improves my sugar levels significantly. That’s 30 days of no food/water during daylight hours. And controlled eating at sunset and dawn. And lots of water during the night hours.

krob 2y ago

Dr. Fung basically said that beta cell death is likely related to fatty deposits on the pancreas. So there is a fatty liver/pancreas cycle that requires a significant time duration of fasting. Eventually beta cells continue to produce normal amounts of insulin. T2D is not a death sentence, it just requires motivation from the patients and up-to-date knowledge of the treatment physician.

_yb2s 2y ago

I’ve noticed for me fasting has a long lasting effect on reducing overeating with leads to sustained weight loss way beyond the calorie deficit- and deliberately doing other mildly mentally and physically uncomfortable activities like cold showers and weightlifting have similar effects also. My theory is that overeating is basically an addictive behavior- a way to escape from stress, negative feelings, and emotional trauma. It is actually the mental discomfort of fasting that gives you confidence that you can deal with mental pain and discomfort without trying to escape it, that leads to eating less. This is likely the same mechanism behind weight loss drugs like semaglutide that also help with non food related addictions. Overall I think people are missing the emotional and psychological mechanisms behind the obesity epidemic, and looking too much at things like calories and nutrient content, which is why the whole phenomenon has been eluding understanding.

astura 2y ago
>It is actually the mental discomfort of fasting that gives you confidence that you can deal with mental pain and discomfort without trying to escape it, that leads to eating less. This is likely the same mechanism behind weight loss drugs like semaglutide that also help with non food related addictions. This is not true. For me at least the effect of fasting for several days is purely physiological, not psychological, emotional or spiritual. There's no extra "confidence" to deal with "discomfort," your body simply needs drastically less food. You also drastically increase your feelings of being satiated after eating. So after fasting (and its probably the same on GLP-1 meds) you don't get very hungry and when you do eat you feel very content and full after only a few bites.
- _yb2s 2y ago
  Your experience being different than mine does not make mine "not true" nor is what you are saying mutually exclusive with what I am saying. There's most likely a lot of things going on at the same time here- that are interrelated in complex ways, and likely somewhat different in different people. Lots of research shows that overstimulation of the reward system, e.g. from high satiety foods overrides the feeling of fullness in a way that integrates both what you and I were saying in a coherent way - especially if you think of "mild discomfort" as a state of low stimulation of the reward system [1]. This is probably why so many different seemingly mutually exclusive diet protocols work equally well- anything that restricts some foods and not others, regardless of what they are, lowers the total reward system stimulation from food. For me, I am still hungry while fasting, but the hunger becomes easier to handle over time. I also notice afterwards that I am full with less food like you noticed, in addition to the other things I mentioned. It is also easier for me to stop eating while still a little hungry after fasting. In my case years of logging my bodyweight on a digital scale show I only gain weight during stressful events, but then keep it the rest of the time... and if I'm consistently taking cold showers or doing regular short fasts, it prevents that effect and causes gradual weight loss on top of it. So I have fairly convincing data that what I am saying is true for me, but it may not be true for everyone. [1] https://boingboing.net/2012/03/09/seduced-by-food-obesity-and-t.html https://boingboing.net/2012/03/09/seduced-by-food-obesity-an...