About Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes is a disease caused by Insulin resistance.

Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas that tells your cells to absorb energy and store fat. Your liver also has a lot to do with how your body stores fat and digests your food.

As we age, and as we gain weight, our cells become more and more resistant to Insulin and our bodies will try to produce more of it. At some point, if we don't change our diet, it becomes too much for our bodies to handle and it can damage our pancreas permanantly.

Many doctors do not understand that diabetes is a dietary issue can be fixed by simply changing how, what and when we eat (all three are important).

They also commonly confuse Type 1 diabetes (which is a disease where your pancreas doesn't produce any Insulin) with Type 2 diabetes.

Giving a Type 2 diabetic Insulin just makes our problem worse, it makes us fatter and makes Insulin resistance worse over time.

The only true way to fix type 2 diabetes is to change your lifestyle. There are medications, herbs and foods that can help you along the way, but ultimately you have to limit the amount of carbohydrates you are eating, and exercise in the right ways to control your blood sugar.

If you are diabetic a calorie is not just a calorie.

I've tried just about every diet there is, and found a lot of stuff that just doesn't work. What I have learned is Insulin is needed to digest carbohydrates. If you are Insulin resistant then the carbohydrates you eat will not be broken down and your blood sugar will be high. So the trick to fighting diabetes is to restrict your sugar and carbohydrate intake. Fat does not take any Insulin to digest (although your pancreas does play a role in digesting fat), and Protien only takes a little bit. So by eating mostly Protien and Fat (and green vegetables for Fiber) your blood sugar will not raise out of control. Also over time, your body should become less Insulin resistant since your cells and Pancreas are under a smaller load.

Resources

These are books that I have read, and people that I follow on Twitter that have shaped how I approach my diet and exercise. For diet Ted Naiman has probably the best and most practical advice, and is the closest to how I eat. Jason Fung has a lot of good information about fasting and time restricted eating that is also great. His research is what led me to start changing my diet and using intermittent fasting on a daily basis. Cian Foley talks about the dangers of mixing fats and carbs, his work is really good and for most people probably enough. The book by Michael Matthews is what got me into doing strength training more than cardio. The longevity diet is also a great book that talks about how eating less can increase your life span, it was actually a book I read earlier on, but didn't realize how valuable the information was until later. And then the last link is a link to a youtube video that talks about how our bodies metabolize carbohydrates - kind of dry, but super interesting information.

I strongly recommend reading their books, but also following them on Twitter because they are posting new research and material all the time.

Charts and Graphics

These are mostly from Ted Naiman but show what you can / should be eating to avoid diabetes and be healthy

Products

Below are links to the blood glucose meter, strips and lancing device I use, as well as some of the foods I buy on a regular basis to help manage my diabetes.

Typical Day

Here is what I eat / how I exercise in a typical day. Please note, that I didn't start out by doing what I am doing today. Instead I slowly changed my diet and added exercise. I don't think I could have stuck with it, if I had tried to do this all at once. Ease yourself into it one change at a time - for example just start taking your blood sugar, then the next week cut something bad from your diet etc. Also every one is different, what works for me might now work for you - take what works, and throw out what doesn't.

Macros: 50% fat / 25% Protien / 25% Carbs ~ 1800 Calories per day

Wake up and check blood sugar
Typical Breakfast: Fage with Blueberries, Ground Flax Seed, Cinnamon and Almonds
Check blood sugar right before lunch
Lunch: 4 Eggs, Ample amount of Spinach, Salsa, Butter, Salt and Pepper to taste, Sour Cream
Take blood sugar right before dinner
Dinner: Hamburger Patty, Peas, Blue Cheese Dressing, Parmesean Cheese
No more food after 6pm!!!
Take blood sugar around 9pm

Snacks:

I don't always eat my snacks at the same time, it varies depending on my exercise and how hungry I am.
Protien Shake w/Banana and Flax seed (usually a morning thing, but sometimes around my exercise)
Protien Shake plain
Bowl of Cottage Cheese
Zip Fizz

Supplements:

GOLO Release: Works better for me than Metformin, without the side effects
Apple Cider Vinegar (if my blood sugar is high because I cheated)

Exercise:

Exercise is timed to be AFTER you eat (never before)
If blood sugar is high before bed, then will usually do strength (push ups / situps / squats to exhaustion)
In a typical day, I usually will do Cardio - like ride my bike, swim or play racquetball for an hour, and then 200 Pushups / Situps and Squats depending on how high my blood sugar is / if I need it.

Quickstart Guide

This is my quickstart guide to beating diabetes. This guide summarizes the steps that I have taken to beat my diabetes.

This guide and is not comprehensive - hence the term 'quickstart'.

It is meant to be a brief summary of the steps I have taken to beat diabetes. It outlines what I have done, but does not go into detail about why I did it, or the exact results I have seen by doing it.

I've also included more details in My Story after this quickstart guide that goes into more details about how and why. After you read the quick start guide, please read My Story

Step 1: Admit you have a problem

It took me 9 years to fully admit that I had a problem with diabetes. For 9 years I struggled with my weight and my diet. I wasn't willing to admit that I might need medical help to beat my diabetes. I also wasn't committed to beating my diabetes enough to make the lifestyle changes necessary to beat my disease.

I finally admitted to myself that I could not win on my own. I got medical help. I made permanent diet changes. I committed to a daily exercise routine. I completely changed my lifestyle to beat my diabetes.

Step 2: Get a blood glucose meter and start measuring your blood sugar

I quickly realized that I could not beat my diabetes if I didn't understand it. The first step I took was to start taking my blood glucose.

I wasn't very good at this to begin with. I didn't like to prick my finger multiple times a day (who does?)

But I quickly realized that I needed to be religious about taking my blood glucose if I was going to control it.

Step 3: Get medical help

It took me 9 years before I admitted to myself that my diabetes would never get better on its own. My diet and exercise were not enough. I finally got to a breaking point where I knew that I needed help.

Measure your A1c and Blood lipids

You need to get the following tests ran by your doctor:

A1c Blood Glucose - which is a long term measure of your blood glucose
Full Blood lipids panel - (ie. Cholesterol and Triglycerides).
Blood pressure

These tests will give you a bigger picture of your health and what you need to change. High blood glucose levels often go hand-in-hand with high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. All of which are indicators of heart disease.

You should get these tests done every 3 - 6 months so you can track your progress and make sure what you are doing is being effective in your fight against diabetes.

Get on Medication or Herbal supplements

The medication that I used at the start of my journey was Metformin. But due to it causing a vitamen B-12 deficiency I switched to an herb called Berberine. Recently I switched to GOLO (see link above), which has Berberine as one of its ingredients. I wanted to avoid Insulin at all costs. I have friends who are on Insulin and I have watched them ride the roller coaster that Insulin causes. I didn't want that to be me. And I didn't want to be on medication for life.

Step 4: Change how you eat

One thing I learned quickly was that to beat my diabetes I had to change my diet. I quickly learned that I had to change what, how and when I ate.

I changed when I ate

As a diabetic, when you eat is very important.

Rule 1: I no longer eat after 6pm if I can help it.

Following this one rule helps me to have a lower blood sugar all night.

That is a full 8 hours, or 33% of a day when my blood sugar can easily be in a normal range!

For those of you who are wondering, this also includes not eating the late night or after dinner snacks. And yes, for me this one change was probably the hardest thing I did, but it also has had one of the biggest impacts on my blood glucose.

Rule 2: Don't eat out of habit

I have found that eating is really as much of a habit as it is a necessity. I quickly realized that I was often eating either out of habit, or because other people where eating and snacking. I had to re-train myself to only eat when I was truly hungry and not just because the food is there, or because other people are eating.

I stopped eating these foods

I realized that as a diabetic certain foods are just off limits for me. High blood glucose is not just caused by ingesting sugars. But also by insulin intolerance due to high levels of fats in your blood (triglycerides).

I had to start thinking about food like a drug. And some foods are literally poisens to a diabetic

I knew that if I wanted change my body and my life then I needed to stop doing the following:

Stop drinking my calories (no soda, no milk, no fruit juice)
Stop eating fried food (Yes, that meant no French Fries, Onion Rings etc)
Stopped eating foods with vegetable oils in them
Stop eating sweets (cake, donughts, candy etc.)
Limit my bread consumption (unless it whole grain, high fiber - and then only sparingly)
Stop eating the Junk Food (bye-bye Strawberry Poptarts)

I started eating these foods

Since diabetics cannot eat simple sugars and carbohydrates, it is very important that you get the bulk of your caleries from protien, good fats and of course vegetables.

I try to eat mostly lean protiens like eggs, turkey, chicken and fish, but still eat a lot of lean beef as well.

Most importantly, I've added green vegetables into my diet.

This means that with every meal, I try my best to eat both a protien and green leafy vegetables.

Trust me, this was a hard change for me to make.

Fruit for a diabetic is a two edged sword. Fruit can be healthy, especially berries. But it can also cause your blood glucose to spike. So I only eat fruit in moderation either at breakfast when my blood glucose is at its best, or before a workout when I know I am going to burn my blood glucose down.

Finally there is a whole list of diabetic fighting foods that I eat regularly and have helped me to drastically reduce my blood sugar.

I drink Whey Protien every day mixed with Flax Seed, Chia Seed and Cinnamon. This has greatly increased my good cholesterol, keeps me feeling fuller throughout the day, and moderates my blood sugar. It also gives me something that I can drink that tastes pretty good and that doesn't raise my blood sugar.

I often eat Fage Greek Yogurt mixed with Blue Berries, Cinnamon and topped with mixed nuts - usually for breakfast.

I also drink Lemon water (I blend lemons in water - no added sugar). I have found that this also lowers my blood sugar. Lemons are one of the only fruits that don't raise blood sugar. I really like this because it gives me something that I can drink instead of sugar filled soda's or diet drinks.

All of these foods when prepared and ingested correctly have had a positive combined effect on managing my blood sugar and helping me beat diabetes

Step 7: Start exercising after every meal

One thing I learned was that my blood sugar often times would not come down on its own after a meal. Especially if that meal was too high in carbs or fats, or was simply too big for my body to handle. So to control my blood glucose I started to time my exercise to be after my meals.

On a good day, I exercise after every single meal. Doing this has given me more control over my diabetes and allows me to keep my blood sugar in a more healthy range. It also allows me to be less perfect with my diet. Although I try my hardest to not eat things I know aren't good for me.

I do both Cardio and Strength training. I started out with just cardio. I lost 60 pounds doing just cardio. However, it wasn't until I added Strength training that I noticed a more permanent change in my blood glucose numbers. I think both cardio and strength training have their benefits and I strongly suggest doing a mix.

Step 8: Staying committed

For me I have learned that beating diabetes means making permanent lifestyle changes. I have to change the way I think about life, food and exercise. I have had to be more committed to beating diabetes than I am to anything else in my life.

I have learned that it takes time to change. I have found that I have to be very consistant with my diet, exercise and medication over long periods of time to see small changes.

I have found that making new habits and changing old ones is hard. But at the same time it is so worth it.

Finally I have found that no one is perfect. But I try to be as close to perfect with my diet, exercise and medication as I can at least 80 percent of the time.

My Story

Today I am 42 years old, and I weigh around 180 lbs. My fasting blood glucose is right around 100 most days. My cholesterol is under 200 and my triglycerides are under 100. I am stronger and healthier now than I have ever been.

In contrast, in 2006 I was 29 years old and my health was at its worst. I was over 240 pounds. I was not happy with my life and my unhappiness was taking a toll on me and my family.

My family and I had just moved to Heber Utah for a new job. I had spent the last 10 years working a more than full-time job to try and support my family while at the same time trying to finish college.

I still had one more year of college left to graduate with Bachelors degree in Information Technology.

One morning I went to the doctor for a regular check up. As part of the checkup he took my blood sugar, and told me that I was pre-diabetic.

I had also been told earlier that year that I had high cholesterol and high triglycerides.

At the time, I really didn't know what any of that meant.

And unfortunately the doctor didn't tell me that I needed to do anything. The only thing he told me was to exercise more and eat healthier or I would have a problem later down the road.

I knew that my health wasn't good. But I didn't know what to do to fix it.

Since I didn't really know the seriousness of what I was dealing with, I thought i could beat it alone.

Thinking I could beat it alone was my worst mistake

Over the next 9 years, I struggled with both my health and pre-diabetes.

I did make some progress, I went from 240 pounds down to 215 pounds working through several diets.

But my diet and my exercise was not consistent. And despite my weight loss blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides were all getting progressively worse.

At the end of 2014 a normal blood glucose reading for me was between 180 and 200. (For those who don't know a lot about blood glucose, a normal person is under 100, and anything over 140 can cause permanent damage to your body.)

I could get it lower, but I had to exercise for an hour to do it, and the lowest I could ever get was 130.

Finally at the end of 2014 things came to a head when the Doctor said my A1c was 10.7

Also my Triglycerids where over 900 and my cholesterol was over 350.

I needed to fix the problem or my health was going to continue to degenerate.

I have to admit I was super scared.

Why Diet and Exercise alone didn't work for me.

I tried for 9 years to beat my Diabetes on my own. I tried every diet out there to lose weight. I hit the treadmill endlessly and for hours (which was the wrong exercise for diabetes).

As a result, I did lose some weight but was not able to keep my Diabetes under control.

I wasn't able to beat diabetes on my own with just diet and exercise.

My main problem was and will always be will power - None of us can be perfect.

And when you have type 2 diabetes every slip up in your diet or missed excercise can have consequences. So to balance out your imperfections you need medication (or herbs) and a special diet.

Once I realized this, I was able to get my diabetes under control with a three-prong approach.

My Three Pronged Approach

I beat my diabetes with a three pronged approach:

Medication
Exercise
Diet

I don't think just one approach works. I think all three were needed to get my body to fully respond and change the way I wanted it to change.

How I beat Type 2 Diabetes with Medication

The biggest mistake I made was to resist / delay getting medical help. I did this for several reasons:

Doctor's didn't convey to me how serious the problem was
I thought I could beat it myself through diet and excercise
I was scared of being on a mediciation for the rest of my life
I was scared to admit how bad my problem was.

I waited 9 years before taking medication. I thought I could do it alone with diet and exercise. But it turns out I was doing the wrong diet and the wrong exercise.

Diabetes is a progressive disease that only gets worse and harder to beat if you do nothing, or if you don't do enough to stop it's progression.

Metformin

At the end of 2014 the doctor suggested I start taking Metformin, 2000mg a day.

Taking Metformin was initially a miracle for me. Before I started taking Metformin my blood sugar was consistently above 180, and sometimes above 200. In the first 6 months taking Metformin I actually lost 15 pounds. And my blood sugar stayed under 150 even with sporadic exercise and limited diet changes.

At first the worst side effect I had from it is really bad gas. After taking this for 2 years I ended up with a vitamin B-12 deficiency, and was experiencing numbness in my feet. So I had to get off the Metformin.

If you read all the information about Metformin, you will see it is relatively safe, but the vitamin B-12 defiency will happen, and B-12 is very hard to supplement.

Berberine

In 2016, I replaced Metformin with an herb called Berberine. Berberine has worked just as good as the Metformin, maybe better, but I have not had any side effects, and no longer suffer from the vitamin B-12 deficiency. I take 675mg each day of Berberine. It is an herb, not a medicine, and so far has had no side effects. I have been taking it daily since 2016 and have had no problems.

Why I Measure My Blood Glucose

One thing you need to know is that NOT all doctor's are experts on diabetes. One thing I heard from more than one doctor's is that I didn't need to take my blood glucose daily if I was on Metformin and was a Type 2 Diabetic.

This is terrible advice!

This advice mainly comes from the fact that there are differences between type 1 and type diabetics. Also if you are not taking insulin then you are not in danger of your blood sugar suddenly going too low.

It is usually people who take Insulin that can have their blood sugar go low - which is very dangerous. You can die from low blood sugar very quickly.

Whereas high blood sugar will only kill you slowly over time via Heart Disease, Kidney Failure, Blindness etc.

So I guess if you are okay with that, then feel free not to check your blood sugar regularly.

I for one would rather live a long and quality life free from these problems.

What is normal blood glucose?

My wife's blood glucose stays under 100 all the time. This is a normal, metabolically healthy persons blood sugar.

it doesn't matter what she eats,
when she last ate,
or when she exercised

When she takes her blood sugar it is always under 100.

My blood sugar on the other hand (and anybody who has pre-diabetes or diabetes) has blood sugar that swing dramatically based on what I eat.

What I eat matters (eating carbs or sugar will spike blood sugar)
When I eat matters (eating after 6pm just isn't something I do anymore)
When I exercise matters (to control blood sugar, exercising after you eat is important)

What is dangerous?

If you blood sugar is over 140 on a regular basis, doctor's think it will cause organ damage, and heart disease.
If you have a fasting blood sugar of over 100 you are pre-diabetic.
If you have a fasting blood sugar of over 140 then you are diabetic

How Often Do I Measure My Blood Glucose?

I know nobody likes to prick their finger (especially not multiple times a day). But if you aren't measuring your blood sugar then there is no way for you to know if what you are doing is being effective.

I check my blood sugar 3-4 times a day:

When I wake up
Before Lunch
Before Dinner
Before I go to bed

Why do I do this?

The biggest reason is motivation.
When I see a high reading it motivates me to do something about it. Exercise, eat less, etc.
Likewise when I see consistantly good readings I know what I am doing is working so I can do more of it
Measuring my blood sugar multiple times enabled me to make better choices about when to excercie and eat
If I could measure my blood sugar constantly I would!

Medication isn't enough

Having my blood glucose lower was a great change for me. But 150 blood glucose level wasn't good enough for me. Remember anything over 140 was too high.

At that level I was still causing damage to my organs and at risk of Heart Disease.

Also it wasn't correcting my problem with High Triglycerids or Cholesterol.

So next I added exercise into my routine.

How I beat Type 2 Diabetes with Exercise

Keep in mind that up to this point I did exercise, but just not consistently. Some weeks I would do it 3 times a week for 30 minutes, and other weeks only once.

It was very hit or miss.

I was also doing WAY too much cardio. Over time, I have found that 20 minutes of strength training will lower my blood sugar more than 1 entire hour of Cardio.

At this point I realized that I needed to be religious with my excercise routine. I needed to do it every day to see a change.

I knew I had to make exercise a habit and part of my lifestyle.

How to Make Exercise a lifestyle

There are three strategies I found helpful to make exercise a lifestyle and a habit for me, and not just something I tolerated.

I found activities I enjoy
I find people to exercise with
I do less cardio and more strength exercises
I time my exercise to be after meals
I Measure my blood sugar before and after exercising to see the result

Finding an activity I enjoy

For me the number one most important thing that has kept me exercising is finding something I enjoy. I have to admit that I have always enjoyed running. But it is still running. And slogging away on the treadmill (no matter if you like it) really isn't that enjoyable.

So I started to play racquetball 3 days a week.

For me racquetball has changed my life. I can play racquetball for an hour, and enjoy it so much that a barely notice how much time has gone by. Now, don't misundestand me, it is a great work out. I am covered in sweat by the time I am done, but I really enjoy doing it and look forward to doing it each day.

I think the best thing you can do for yourself is to find the activity you love or look forward to doing. For me that was racquetball, but for you it might be swimming or rollerblading.

I also started riding my road bike and swimming. I enjoy both of these exercises and give me something I can do on my own, without a partner.

Finally, I do strength training every day, usually before bed-time. I will talk about that more later.

Find someone to exercise with

The second most important thing is finding somebody to do it with. If you have somebody that you workout with regularly you will be far more likely to stick with it.

For racquetball that is almost required. Although I do go by myself regularly and just hit the ball.

I also have a buddy that I lift weights with. Having another person involved in my workouts has kept me going even when I didn't want to go. It has helped me stay motivated and workout even on days when I might not otherwise do it.

Strength training is better than Cardio for Blood sugar

As I mentioned above, when I first started exercising I was doing mainly cardio.

I still do my fair share of cardio - racquetball, biking and swimming are all cardio.

And while this works, I think it only works to a point.

I am definitely glad I started out with the cardio, because it allowed me to get into good enough shape to start a strength training program.

Strength training is very important and has made a huge difference in my blood glucose.

Gaining more muscle has lowered my Insulin resistance and made permanent, measurable changes in my bodies cells.

I have found the fastest way to lower my blood sugar is to do strength exercises. For me this is as simple as doing pushups, squats and situps. Although I do other exercises too, but those three you can do anyplace, with no equipment.

When I first started this, I could barely do 10 of each. Which wasn't much of a workout (even though it was hard).

Over time I have gotten stronger, and I can now do 200 pushups, 200 situps and 200 squats in about 20 minutes.

If my blood sugar is high (say 180 because I made a poor food choice), I can easily drop down to 100 with this short 20 minute exercise routine of these three simple exercises.

When you exercise is important

Since I am exercising to control my blood sugar, I always time my exercise to be after my meals. And after my nightly exercise, I do not eat. By doing this, I can ensure that my blood sugar stays low.

Usually after lunch and after dinner are times that I exercise. And I use it as a tool to lower my blood sugar and allow me to eat a more normal diet than I could otherwise.

I know that exercising after a meal doesn't sound fun, but for me it has really been life changing.

With the Metformin or Berberine helping me keep my blood glucose under 150, adding the excercise in two hours after a meal can push my blood sugar down into the 90 to 110 range.

Measure you blood sugar before and after exercising

Like I said, I always time my exercise to be after meals. That way I can take my blood sugar before my meal, then do my excercise. Then take my blood sugar again after excercising or before the next meal.

By doing this, it really let's me see the difference that exercising makes.

How I beat diabetes with Diet

At the same time I started to make exercise a habit in life, I also started to change my diet.

As a diabetic, I learned that I could simply not eat the same foods as other people and expect for things to be okay.

I found that my diet had to be very strict.

And that means unfortunately there are many foods I just can't eat.

But I also found that there are some specific foods that are really good for Diabetics and have helped me control my diabetes to an extent that wasn't possible with just medication or exercise

Lesson 1 - Cheating on my Diet

What I've learned is that nobody (especially me) is perfect. I found that I just can't be perfect all the time on my diet.

Food is just too good.

I love it too much.

Whatever your favorite food "crack" is (For me it is Pizza), you won't be able to avoid it all the time.

There will be times where you break down and eat foods you know are bad for you.

And that is okay, but only IF ...

It is less than 20% of the time.

Like most things in life, I try to follow the 80/20 rule, and things turn out okay.

I realized that I can minimize and offset the effect of what I eat by excercising at the right times, and eating better at other meals.

So early on, I realized (from sad experience) that I could not be perfect. I planned on not being perfect.

I made a promise to myself to not let an imperfect meal destroy my entire day, week or month.

I just remembered, each time, to tell myself to eat better at the next meal.

I have found that if I can follow my eating rules 80% of the time then I will be far better off than not trying at all.

When to eat

Diabetes is called the quite killer because often times there are no symptoms.

But for me, if my blood sugar is high, then I get tingly and burning in my feet and toes. It is entirely possible that this is the starting of permanent nerve damage, but I've never had that checked. All I know is that for me it makes it very difficult for me to sleep if my blood sugar is high.

So one of the best rules I have made for myself, that has literally been life changing for me is that ...

I simply do not eat after 6pm.

I know this sounds harsh but as a diabetic this is a fact of life you need to learn to live with.

Now, if I was on Insulin, then this would probably NOT be a good rule to follow, since I may need to eat in conjuction with my Insulin shots. But with Metformin, it works for me.

I make sure to eat dinner before 6pm, and if necessary I exercise around 8pm to get my blood sugar down to a reasonable level.

Then I can go to sleep with blood sugar in the normal range - which means for at least 8 hours each day I have blood sugar that is in a healthy range.

Just think - that means from this one simple trick (plus strategically timed excercising) ...

I can keep my blood sugar in a healthy range for 33% of the time!

When not to eat

I have found that eating, in some cases, is more of a habit than a necessity for me. I am not saying that I starve myself. But I am saying that I don't eat just because it is time to eat, or because other people are eating

If my blood sugar is high and I am not hungry then I will frequently skip a meal.
Likewise if I know that I won't be able to exercise after a meal, and I am not too hungry then I may also skip a meal
I have never skipped more than one meal in a row
And I don't do this very frequently, but it can be a good tool to control your blood sugar in specific situations

What Not to Eat

For a diet to be successful it has to be a lifestyle change.

As a diabetic, one of the main problems I have is that my cells and my blood are all messed up.

Which means Insulin can't get into my cells when my blood and body are in this messed up state.

I realized that fixing this can't happen overnight. It took me years of unheathly eating habits to put my body in this state, and it will take me years (and possibly a lifetime) to correct it.

To do this, to start this change, I realized I had to change what I eat.

I had to change the way I thought about food.

For me, I have changed my outlook on some types of food. I have reprogrammed my brain to see simple carbohydrates and sugars as diabetic poison.

Diabetic Poisons:

Sugar Drinks (Soda, Fruit Juice, Milk)
All fried food
Anything with vegetable oils
All Breads and Pasta
White Rice
Most Breakfast Cereal
Junk Food (Chips, Pop-tarts, Cookies, snacks etc)

I knew that if I wanted change my body and my life then I needed to stop doing the following:

Stop drinking my calories (no soda, no milk, no fruit juice)
Stop eating fried food (Yes, that meant no French Fries, Onion Rings etc)
Stop eating vegetable oils - these cause heart disease and high cholesterol
Stop eating sweets (cake, donughts, candy etc.)
Limit my bread consumption (unless it whole grain, high fiber - and then only sparingly)
Stop eating the Junk Food (bye-bye Strawberry Poptarts)

This list isn't exhaustive, there are other things I shouldn't eat as well, but I use my common sense to decide what is good or bad for me.

I can tell you from experience this wasn't easy. These things are hard to give up. Food is a drug and I am addicted to it.

But I knew that if you want to beat the disease then I had to change what I ate (at least 80% of the time).

Do I still indulge in a slice of Pizza occasionall? Or a handful of french fries? Of course I do, I wouldn't be human if I didn't.

But this has changed from a daily occurence down to a weekly occurence. And it has taken me over a year to get enough will power to resist these types of food at least 80% of the time.

What you should eat

So we've talked about what I try not to eat. Now let's talk about what I know I should eat:

Vegetables (yes - you need to eat these with every meal, seriously there is no way around this)
Protien (eggs, turkey, chicken, fish, beef, whey)
Fruit (in moderation and only before I excercise)
Animal Fats to satiety
Diabetes fighting food

I realize this list looks small, but it really isn't. There are hundreds of kinds of vegetables. I try to eat vegetables with every meal now. Which is actually a huge change for me. I used to never eat vegetables (ever).

You can also eat all types of meats, just try to stay away from processed meats. Protien has the most nutrients and fewest calories of any food. As a diabetic protien is your friend.

I do still eat Fruit, but it raises my blood sugar a lot, so I try to limit it to pre-workout snacks, or in the morning when my body is at it's most active.

Finally I have found a list of foods that have drastically helped me lower and control my blood sugar. These foods are foods that I call Diabetes Fighting Food, and I try to eat these every day.

Diabetes Fighting Foods

I have used all the following foods to drastically lower my blood sugar.

Keep in mind that I am doing this as part of a three pronged approach of medication, exercise and diet. I didn't try these foods by themselves.
Athough I suspect that they would work by themselves, but I don't think they will solve the problem unless you do all the steps.

Lemons
Cinnamon
Whey Protein
Fage Greek Yogert and Cottage Cheese
Ground Flax Seed
Chia Seed
Blue Berries
Apple Cider Vinegar

Lemons

I found early on that using lemons in my diet lowers my blood sugar drastically.

The most effective way of doing this is by drinking lemon juice daily. Now when I say lemon juice, I don't mean sugar filled lemonade. I also don't mean squeezed lemon juice. I mean whole, blended lemons and water.

Below is how I make it

Peel 3-6 lemons (depending on size)
Slice the lemons up and throw them in a blender with some water
Blend them up, then strain them to get the seeds and bigger chunks out
Put in a 2 Qt pitcher and fill with more water to the top
Drink this every day (I usually take a drink with breakfast and dinner)

Doing this one simple thing has made a drastic change in my blood sugar.

Cinnamon

Just like lemons, I have also found that Cinnaomon lowers my blood sugar drastically as well. But I have to use quite a bit of it to make it effective.

Cinnamon is difficult to take by itself (unless you take Cinnamon pills). So I use Cinnamon in two things ...

My Whey Protien drink
On my Fage yogurt

And I use a lot of it. When I say a lot, I don't mean a little sprinkle. I mean at least 1 teaspoon or more. More if you can stand the strength. But don't put too much in - you still have to be able to eat it.

Cinnamon has a natural ability of lowering blood sugar and it has definitely worked for me, and is something that I use every day.

Whey Protein Drink

When I started doing strength training I also started drinking a Whey Protien powder. I use unsweetened almond milk, which only has 30 calories to mix the protein powder with. This also gives me something that tastes really good to put Cinnamon in, as well as Flax Seed and Chia seed.

Now one thing a diabetic learns early on is that they absolutely CANNOT drink their calories. This is because calories in liquid form go into the blood stream so quickly and will immediately raise blood sugar levels.

So I was super surprised when I started drinking the protien shakes and my blood sugar did not raise. In fact, not only did it not raise, it actually was more reliably even.

I do put a large amount of Cinnamon in. Also the almond milk is low in calories. But I still expected to see my blood sugar levels go up, instead of remain steady.

The protien shake also keeps me full longer. I normally use the protien shake in the morning as part of, or in replacement of breakfast. And then sometimes I use it just before or just after my strength training workout.

Fage Greek Yogurt and Cottage Cheese

Fage Greek Yogurt and full fat Cottage Cheese are both high in protien and low in carbohydrates. I usually sprinkle it with ground flax seed and nuts. This gives you lots of good protein and is another way to eat your flax seed.

Ground Flax Seed / Chia Seed Blend

These are both high in Omega-3's which for me is good because I don't eat a lot of fish. Some people call flax seed the most powerful plant food on the planet.

There is evidence that it may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.

Flaxseed is also a great source of Lignans which are extremely beneficial to a diabetic and of course Fiber which is beneficial to everybody.

Chia seed, similar to Flax seed, is very high in fiber and both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. There is evidence that chia seeds help digestion, heart health, and diabetes.

They also boost your metabolism and because they are high in calcium help you build stronger bones.

I put a chia and ground flax seed mixture in my Protien shake and I have seen a huge improvement in my blood lipids from doing this.

Blue Berries

I put blue berries in my Fage and Whey protien.

Blue berries are a diabetic super food and there is evidence that suggests blue berries help your body process glucose for energy more efficiently by both increasing insulin sensitivity and regulating blood sugar levels.

Where I am Today

I am super happy and blessed to be here today. I though I could never be as healthy as I am.

My fast blood sugar is now usually right around 100. It rarely goes above 130 during the day unless I cheat, in which case I bring it back down with exercise. I still have a bit more weight to go until I get down to the 160 pound goal the Doctor gave me. But I am building muscle and continue to lower my body fat percentage.

I really thought I was doomed to a life of medication and a early death due to my diabetes and probably heart disease.

People say that diabetes can't be cured. And in one sense I think they are correct. If I go back to my old habits I think that my body will return to its previously messed up state.

However if I continue with my health lifestyle I know I can maintain what I have earned.

worthingtonjg/DiabetesAndHealth.md