It's "what you eat". I walk a lot at work , I ride 40 miles Sat and Sunday, plus one or two rides during the week of 12 miles. Some weekend rides are 50-60 miles and I thought I was pretty healthy even though I was over weight. I was active so i figured that was all I needed.
Well I was in for a big surprise after a routine checkup and physical. My A1C number (sugar level) was at 7.5 which diagnosed me as a type 2 diabetic. OK so that was no big shock as everybody in my family is diabetic so I knew it was coming some day.
BUT!!! What shocked me were other readings I would not have suspected would be dangerous. My liver numbers were up as well as my kidney numbers. This was scary news since my father's kidneys failed from diabetes.
I get the number reversed of the top of my head but IIRC, the liver was supposed to be 80 and my reading was 145. My kidneys were supposed to read 60 and were reading 120.
So the doc sent me for a scan of my liver to see if there were any serious problems. Luckily it was just fat in my liver. Doc said if I watch my diet, that and the kidneys would take care of themselves.
Doc also said if I chose the meds route, I could start right away. But if I wanted to watch what I eat, she would monitor me for a few months to see if I could do it without med. I knew I could since I have always been of the competitive active nature. Plus I hate taking meds of any kind worried about side effects.
So I drastically changed my eating habits. I dropped my A1C number from 7.5 to 7.1 in the first 5 weeks. The doc said she wanted me at 6.7 which would mean I could avoid meds. I actually dropped down to 6.2!!!!! Doc called after the results were in to congratulate me and asking what I was doing to lower the number so much. All a change of eating habits. I'm actually at normal levels now but continue to monitor my blood at home.
Plus my liver and kidney levels dropped 60% putting me way below the max acceptable levels!!!! B)
Blood pressure is good and cholesterol is now good too!
It wasn't the diabetes that scared me straight, it was the scare of failing live and kidneys. I'd be a fool to let them fail knowing I was in danger.
Plus my cycling speeds and comfort levels have increased with little effort.
My diet is pretty much:
1 cup Cheerios, fresh strawberries, half banana and 3 lean turkey sausage links for breakfast.
3 oz water packed tuna, 2 slices wheat bread, 2 tomato slices and small apple for lunch.
3 oz steak or salmon, one cup of mashed potatoes (red) big salad with balsamic vinegar as dressing, fresh strawberries.
I haven't gone hungry at all. But diabetics must eat 3 meals per day to flush the sugar from their blood. Too many make the mistake of thinking not eating is healthy, it's not, you need to flush the blood by eating healthy.
So I've dropped
45 pounds in three months without really being concerned about weight loss. Not tricks or gimmicks, just eat right!
So you may think being fat is OK like I thought. But until you take a blood test and get all your result stating all your levels are good you never know!