Cycling & Diabetes

Bob,

Look at this page: http://www.billcotton.com/

Bill is a legend here in the Philadelphia area. He is 72 and is an amazing
cycleist. He is a diabetic who has weaned himself from all medication. I
sugget you email him directly at [email hidden]

Jay Sitkin

"Bob Newman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:EVgPc.21851$fm2.19286@lakeread02...

Quoted message said:

Could someone please give me a web site that would address the nutritional
(and other unique needs) of the diabetic cyclist. I cycle in the 30-40
mileage several times a week in the warm Florida weather and realize that

my

Quoted message said:

nutritional needs may be quite different than the standard diabetic meal
plan. Could I find a site that would elaborate on these types of issues.

--
Thanks in advance... Bob

Quoted message said:

"Jay Sitkin" [email hidden]

wrote in part:

Quoted message said:

He is a diabetic who has weaned himself from all medication. I
sugget you email him directly at [email hidden]

That's good for him but Type 2 diabetics who attempt to "wean themselves" from
all medication are called "emergency room patients"--- if they are lucky. All
the willpower in the world will not prevent insulin shock or diabetic coma.
The OP should discuss the issue with his or her endocrinologist. The American
Diabetes Association may also be able to help.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Quoted message said:

"Bob Newman" [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Could someone please give me a web site that would address the nutritional
(and other unique needs) of the diabetic cyclist. I cycle in the 30-40
mileage several times a week in the warm Florida weather and realize that my
nutritional needs may be quite different than the standard diabetic meal
plan. Could I find a site that would elaborate on these types of issues.

--
Thanks in advance... Bob

Try contacting the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association. Better
yet, talk to your endocrinologist. The latter is the best option but either
choice will be much more helpful- not to mention more educated- advice than you
are likely to find by simply browsing a web site.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Hunrobe wrote:
||| "Jay Sitkin" [email hidden]
||
|| wrote in part:
||
||| He is a diabetic who has weaned himself from all medication. I
||| sugget you email him directly at [email hidden]
||
|| That's good for him but Type 2 diabetics who attempt to "wean
|| themselves" from all medication are called "emergency room
|| patients"--- if they are lucky. All the willpower in the world will
|| not prevent insulin shock or diabetic coma. The OP should discuss
|| the issue with his or her endocrinologist. The American Diabetes
|| Association may also be able to help.

What? I'm a T2 and have been since 23 (I'm 46 now). I'm off all meds and
have been for a couple of years now. Attempting to wean yourself from med
should be the goal of any T2 - via diet and exercise.

The ADA is the last place I'd go for help.

Bob Newman wrote:
|| Could someone please give me a web site that would address the
|| nutritional (and other unique needs) of the diabetic cyclist. I
|| cycle in the 30-40 mileage several times a week in the warm Florida
|| weather and realize that my nutritional needs may be quite different
|| than the standard diabetic meal plan. Could I find a site that
|| would elaborate on these types of issues.
||

Working with your doctor is a very good idea as is knowing how your BG is
acting in response to what you are eating and the exercise you are getting.

But since you seem to have been doing this level of activity long enough to
have established a pattern, I'm curious to know if you are having any
issues? Are you checking your BG regularly? Are you a type 1 or a type 2
and are you on any meds?

I'm a type 2 and I don't find any problem other than the fact that if I
don't eat enough carbs before, during, and after a long ride I'll have
serious hypoglycemic episodes afterwards. However, I think that is due to
the fact that I generally follow a low-carb diet to control BG and riding
for long periods without sufficient carb intake causes exercise-induced hypo
(ie, I don't think it is really related to my being a diabetic).

Of course, my experience is my experience and your could be totally
different. I get the impression you're fine, however, so I would not
automatically assume that you can't continue doing what you're doing just
because you're a diabetic. Obviously, knowing what your body is doing in
response to your activity is a very wise thing to do, as is keeping your
doctor in the loop.

Hunrobe said:

That's good for him but Type 2 diabetics who attempt to "wean themselves" from
all medication are called "emergency room patients"--- if they are lucky.

You're thinking of T1s (like my mother). T2s /ought/ to do their best to
get themselves off medication, preferably under medical supervision.

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo

Only some T2s will ever be able to get themselves off all medication, and it's an unrealistic expectation for all T2s to aim for this goal. At the same time it is possible for some T2s to control their weight/diet/exercise and lifestyle well enough to not need medication.

I'm a T1 and no amount of exercise/weight loss/diet will ever compensate for my body not producing any insulin. Life's not all bad though, I recently went on an NHS course that teaches you how to get better blood sugar control and yet eat normally. It's awesome, I can eat cakes, icecream, etc., now and it feels like I've been let out of prison after 8 years of only eating complex carbs, plus I have better control than before.

KakenBetaal wrote:
:: Only some T2s will ever be able to get themselves off all medication,
:: and it's an unrealistic expectation for all T2s to aim for this goal.

It is never an unrealistic expectation to aim for a goal, but certainly it
is to expect all to make it. However, I don't think it has a gloomy as you
make it sound as a lot of T2s have been able to gain control via diet and
exercise. Certainly not all can do it, so it definitely is an YMMV kind of
thing.

:: At the same time it is possible for some T2s to control their
:: weight/diet/exercise and lifestyle well enough to not need
:: medication.
::
:: I'm a T1 and no amount of exercise/weight loss/diet will ever
:: compensate for my body not producing any insulin. Life's not all bad
:: though, I recently went on an NHS course that teaches you how to get
:: better blood sugar control and yet eat normally. It's awesome, I can
:: eat cakes, icecream, etc., now and it feels like I've been let out of
:: prison after 8 years of only eating complex carbs, plus I have better
:: control than before.

Why, I wonder, do you think that eating cakes, ice cream, etc, is eating
normally? When you think about it, the fact that so many think like this is
why we have such problems with diabesity.

:: Why, I wonder, do you think that eating cakes, ice cream, etc, is eating
:: normally? When you think about it, the fact that so many think like this is
:: why we have such problems with diabesity.

Misconception alert - eating treats (i.e. sugar and other refined and high glycaemic index foods) is not a cause of diabetes.

Since most people do eat treats that would be considered normal eating. Like everything it should be done in moderation, although that was a little hard in the first weeks after I went on the course. 😉

"Hunrobe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Jay Sitkin" [email hidden]

wrote in part:

Quoted message said:

He is a diabetic who has weaned himself from all medication. I
sugget you email him directly at [email hidden]

That's good for him but Type 2 diabetics who attempt to "wean themselves"

from

Quoted message said:

all medication are called "emergency room patients"--- if they are lucky.

All

Quoted message said:

the willpower in the world will not prevent insulin shock or diabetic

coma.

Quoted message said:

The OP should discuss the issue with his or her endocrinologist. The

American

Quoted message said:

Diabetes Association may also be able to help.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

That's not true. Type 2 diabetics can do without medication by a regimen of
diet, nutrition and exercise. I know people who have done it, including a
friend of mine. He was diagnosed type 2 and decided he hated the meds which
made him feel like [censored] if he went for a ride. He realized it was easier to
go for rides or run, follow a diet, test himself and he has never gone back
on meds- since 2001. He also lost 40 lbs (at the onset of the disease). In
fact, he's what they call a success story. IT's the type 1 who can't just go
off meds because often they are insulin dependent.

One thing diabetics have to worry about is falling and crashing and losing a
lot of skin. If they're under control okay, but otherwise all that skin
injury can be a problem. If that happens, go to a hospital!

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hunrobe wrote:
||| "Jay Sitkin" [email hidden]
||
|| wrote in part:
||
||| He is a diabetic who has weaned himself from all medication. I
||| sugget you email him directly at [email hidden]
||
|| That's good for him but Type 2 diabetics who attempt to "wean
|| themselves" from all medication are called "emergency room
|| patients"--- if they are lucky. All the willpower in the world will
|| not prevent insulin shock or diabetic coma. The OP should discuss
|| the issue with his or her endocrinologist. The American Diabetes
|| Association may also be able to help.

What? I'm a T2 and have been since 23 (I'm 46 now). I'm off all meds and
have been for a couple of years now. Attempting to wean yourself from med
should be the goal of any T2 - via diet and exercise.

Way to go! WIth t2 being a huge epidemic, the health care system could save
millions if more had your attitude. Anyways, what's wrong with the ADA? I'm
just curious (I live with a diabetic).

[email hidden] (Hunrobe) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Jay Sitkin" [email hidden]

wrote in part:

Quoted message said:

He is a diabetic who has weaned himself from all medication. I
sugget you email him directly at [email hidden]

That's good for him but Type 2 diabetics who attempt to "wean themselves" from
all medication are called "emergency room patients"--- if they are lucky. All
the willpower in the world will not prevent insulin shock or diabetic coma.
The OP should discuss the issue with his or her endocrinologist. The American
Diabetes Association may also be able to help.

Don't you mean "Type 1" (aka Juvenile Diabetes)? Type 2,
"adult-onset," is definitely manageable (once controlled) via diet and
exercise, without medications. I'm a Type 2, and I've been off meds
for many years.

RichC

It's true, huge respect to those type 2s who have managed to fix their lifestyles enough to get off meds. They've probably extended their potential lives for years and years and adopted a much healthier lifestyle. AFAIK many type 2s will not be able to do without meds no matter how well they control factors such as diet, exercise, and weight loss.

:: IT's the type 1 who can't just go
:: off meds because often they are insulin dependent.

Everybody is always insulin dependent. Type 1s just don't produce any in their own bodies and so cannot go without external insulin. I was once advised by a doctor in the A&E to not take insulin even though he knew I was a type 1, the idiot. Unfortunately I didn't know better at the time.

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004 12:29:36 -0400, Marlene Blanshay <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hunrobe wrote:
||| "Jay Sitkin" [email hidden]
||
|| wrote in part:
||
||| He is a diabetic who has weaned himself from all medication. I
||| sugget you email him directly at [email hidden]
||
|| That's good for him but Type 2 diabetics who attempt to "wean
|| themselves" from all medication are called "emergency room
|| patients"--- if they are lucky. All the willpower in the world will
|| not prevent insulin shock or diabetic coma. The OP should discuss
|| the issue with his or her endocrinologist. The American Diabetes
|| Association may also be able to help.

What? I'm a T2 and have been since 23 (I'm 46 now). I'm off all meds
and
have been for a couple of years now. Attempting to wean yourself from
med
should be the goal of any T2 - via diet and exercise.

Way to go! WIth t2 being a huge epidemic, the health care system could
save
millions if more had your attitude. Anyways, what's wrong with the ADA?
I'm
just curious (I live with a diabetic).

The ADA give the party line of saying that diabetics should eat a large
amount of carbohydrates. This is weird, considering that it's insulin
that's a problem for diabetics, and carbs cause quite an insulin spike.
Low carb diets are espoused by some people for the lack of insulin
spikes.

I've eaten both low fat and low carb, and I'm insulin resistent (and
probably darn close to becoming a T2 while eating low fat). With low
carb, I've been able to lower my fasting blood sugar level, raise my HDL,
lower my triglycerides and better my total cholesterol/HDL ratio, all the
while riding my bike more than I did when I was on low fat.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

Let me mention Dr. Richard Bernstein's books for both type 1 and 2. I
hope I'm not carrying coals to Newcastle. He is a good scientist who
developed type 1 as a youth, and did many of his early experiments on
himself -- he even rigged up a blood testing machine for his own use
long before such things were considered appropriate for individual use.
Although trained as an engineer, he went back to school to obtain a MD
in order to give credence to his research. His advice differs
considerably from the ADA with respect to carbohydrates.

Bernstein, R. 1997. Dr Bernstein's diabetes solution. Little Brown. ISBN
0-316-09344-0.

Quoted message said:

The ADA give the party line of saying that diabetics should eat a large
amount of carbohydrates. This is weird, considering that it's insulin
that's a problem for diabetics, and carbs cause quite an insulin spike.
Low carb diets are espoused by some people for the lack of insulin spikes.

I've eaten both low fat and low carb, and I'm insulin resistent (and
probably darn close to becoming a T2 while eating low fat). With low
carb, I've been able to lower my fasting blood sugar level, raise my
HDL, lower my triglycerides and better my total cholesterol/HDL ratio,
all the while riding my bike more than I did when I was on low fat.

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

Quoted message said:

Bob in CT [email hidden]

wrote in part:

Quoted message said:

The ADA give the party line of saying that diabetics should eat a large
amount of carbohydrates.

This is simply not true. What the ADA *does* say is eat a balanced diet, track
your BG closely, and listen to your physician. They also help sponsor several
programs (in and around the Chicago area anyway) that refer diabetics to
specialists at lower costs than most would find otherwise.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Quoted message said:

"Roger Zoul" [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

What? I'm a T2 and have been since 23 (I'm 46 now). I'm off all meds and
have been for a couple of years now. Attempting to wean yourself from med
should be the goal of any T2 - via diet and exercise.

The ADA is the last place I'd go for help.

Congratulations but did you wean yourself off those meds while following your
doctor's advice or did you simply read a website?
I know/have known numerous T2 diabetics, including my wife. The ones that have
lost a limb (one), been taken to the ER by ambulance (four), and suffered fatal
heart attacks (two) had all disregarded their doctor's advice in favor of
"special" diet and exercise plans they formulated all by themselves because
after all, "I know what my body needs better than some doctor."
That was the context of my response.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Quoted message said:

Michael Warner [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

You're thinking of T1s (like my mother). T2s /ought/ to do their best to
get themselves off medication, preferably under medical supervision.

It is true that Type 1 diabetes is a much more immediate threat than Type 2 but
as I've posted elsewhere in this thread, I've known Type 2s that have had very
serious, even fatal, complications arise from their Type 2 status. Either they
were all misdiagnosed Type 1s or its foolish and downright dangerous for *any*
diabetic to disregard the advice of their endocrinologist in favor of some bit
of advice they may glean from a website. That was the point I was attempting to
make. Apparently I made it poorly. My bad.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Quoted message said:

"Marlene Blanshay" [email hidden]

wrote in part:

Quoted message said:

"Hunrobe" <[email hidden]> wrote in:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Type 2 diabetics who attempt to "wean themselves"
from
all medication are called "emergency room patients"--- if they are lucky.

---my words snipped here---

Quoted message said:

That's not true. Type 2 diabetics can do without medication by a regimen of
diet, nutrition and exercise. I know people who have done it, including a
friend of mine.

I overstated my point somewhat. What I should have written is, "That's good for
him but Type 2 diabetics who attempt to wean themselves from all medication
*without medical supervision* are *sometimes* called 'emergency room
patients'--- if they are lucky."
I'm glad for your friend but as I posted elsewhere in this thread, I've known
more than a few diabetics that weren't so lucky with their own self-formulated
programs. I do stand corrected on my overstatement though. Fair enough?

Regards,
Bob Hunt