Discussion Board

If one with DM2 is extremely obese, the Twinkies diet would also probably reverse the DM!!! Many options are available but I think Dr. McDougall's make the most sense:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_hot_diabetes.html

"There were signs that the surgery itself — not just weight loss — helps reverse diabetes. Food makes the gut produce hormones to spur insulin, so trimming away part of it surgically may affect those hormones, doctors believe."

What I found more disconcerting was the total absence of any mention in changing eating patterns or eating a healthy diet...

Oddly enough, when facing bariatric surgery, the patient is often given a diet to follow to lose some weight before the surgery. It is very difficult for them but they do it. I saw a video of one woman who was morbidly obese, was accepted as a candidate for surgery but told to go on whatever diet they gave her in order to lose some weight before the surgery. She did and as she lost weight, thought to herself--if I can do this I don't need the surgery. And she went on to lose all the weight and never did have the surgery. I think she was interviewed by Diane Sawyer.

And evidently lots of people who have the surgery gain back the weight (Carnie Wilson for example who had by pass, gained weight, and is now having lap band surgery.) It is sad but they never learn how to eat properly so the eventual outcome is predictable.

Didi

didi, unfortunately, you are correct. If bariatric patients do not learn to eat right (and most of them don't) chances are they will regain the weight they lost. Unfortunately, because of the bypassed intestines, nutrients are malabsorbed for life, but the body adapts to eventually absorbing all of the calories.

This report makes me mad. My brother-in-law has type-2 diabetes and was never obese. He wouldn't even be a candidate for WLS. Also my daughter-in-law had the surgery even though she never had diabetes. At first they said she didn't weigh enough at 250 lbs. for the surgery, so she GAINED 50 lbs. on purpose in order to qualify for the surgery! Now she eats whatever she wants--bacon, eggs, etc. She just has to space it out throughout the day so she doesn't throw up. She is being considered for a photo shoot in some magazine promoting WLS. She looks good, but I don't know how healthy she is. She was recently rushed to the emergency room for severe abdominal pain. They said it was a twisted stomach pouch which was connected somehow to her weight loss surgery. And yet she wants my son to have the same surgery. The only thing holding him back is he hates the thought of going under the knife.

Gramma Jackie, that's the problem. Everyone looks at thin as healthy, and that is so far from the truth.

My health problems were caused by my obesity, but weight loss surgery helped me lose weight...it did not reverse my heart disease or give me normal cholesterol levels. My diet is helping me do that.

The twisted pouch would be tied to weight loss surgery. When they cut and staple the stomach, what is remaining is considered a pouch.

I saw this report on the NBC Nightly News last night, and it made me so angry. I hope Dr. McDougall comments on this.

See Dr. Hyman's article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-h ... thy-living

Thanks for that link pinkrose. I have read several of Dr. Hyman's books and while I don't agree with everything he says, he really hit the nail on the head with this article.

p.s. I just went to my library's website to look up Dr. Hyman's newest book, The Blood Sugar Solution and there are over 300 reserve requests for it. Dr. McDougall's new book will have some stiff competition I'm afraid.

gramma jackie, re, she looks good but I don't know how healthy she is.

Jim Fixx looked good and insisted if you could run a marathon in under four hours you could eat anything you wanted. He got this from a book by a doctor whose name begins with a B. Can't remember it. Which should tell you that if it is a book, even one that is reviewed by the New York Times, you should verify. After his death at the age of 52 while out running an autopsy showed blocked arteries.

At a picnic once a very thin friend was chowing down on all the high fat picnic goodies while I was carefully choosing what I was eating. I said I was jealous of her because she could eat all she wanted and still remain slim. She said her mother was the same way--she ate everything and was always slim. I asked her how old her mother was. She said she died at age 54 of a heart attack.

Didi

Yes, I've mentioned the example of Jim Fixx several times on this message board myself. My step-father also had type-2 diabetes and was not the least bit overweight. He died of complications of heart disease.

I've known three women who had this done. Two of them gained it all back, and one kept it off.

As for looking good, I think that rapid weight loss leaves the face looking too triangular and pointy, and the woman I know who has kept the weight off, still has that triangular look to her face, so I think they don't even "look good" with the surgery.

It certainly improved their energy levels and their self-confidence, though, at least superficially. I am no longer in touch with the women who gained their weight back, but the one who has kept it off still has some serious insecurity issues and her energy is great.

I would hate to have that done, and then gain everything back. Talk about a blow to the self-esteem!

One of the gals who did gain it back, i remember feeling kinda jealous of her, because she was wearing such cute clothes and sparkling with self-confidence...she and I weighed the same when she started...anyway, we went to a church function/banquet where cheesecake was served for dessert. She had already had her two ounces of dinner but she kept on taking little tastes of the cheesecake, until she finally said "will someone take this away from me? I can't stop and I'll make myself sick" I put a crumpled dirty napkin on top of it and said "There. Now it's garbage, and we don't eat garbage" but she still asked me to move it out of her reach.

so, yeah. I do not believe the surgery really gets to the bottom of obesity. Gluttony is the true issue, and that's a mindset, or a character flaw, not to be cured by solely physical means.

I still occasionally check in on a particular low-carb blog because the woman who writes it does excellent analysis of research. She posted this analysis of the report a couple days ago and I just now saw it.
http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2012/03/no-wls-does-not-cure-diabetes-study-by.html

If the blog lady did excellent analyses of research she would know that low fat high carb is not "crap advice" as she puts it. My results are equal to or better than the low carber's. When first diagnosed I began a Pritikin diet (don't forget initially he allowed up to 1.5 pounds of meat per week and egg whites and some fat free milk) I was put on sulfonylureas and in three months my HbA1c went from 9 to 5.3. So I took myself off sulfonylureas. I eat lots less animal food now, no milk and very seldom if at all, egg whites.

You will notice in the article you cited, there were two low carbers who report excellent A1c's--and they are on insulin! No one is questioning this? And they attribute their excellent numbers to their diets. I do not know if those other low carbers are not taking meds or insulin or if they are just not reporting it. One person reported that she has been doing well on low carb for 15 years. Nine years ago she started on insulin.

Pass me a potato.

P.S. It really was good research on the surgery. How different the facts are from the media hoopla.

Didi