[LMB] Type 1 diabetes, was Rise of the Medications was OT: if civilization fell

[Mark Allums]

Louann Miller wrote:
> Peter H. Granzeau wrote:
>> Most Type 1 diabetes is just a kind of ill health; quit eating so 
>> much, and it goes away.  Type 2, of course, means that nothing will 
>> control it except insulin in some amount.

> I think you swapped numbers, here.

Yes, and simplified a bit.  Type 2 probably means you need to lose 
weight, at least 8% of your current weight, and probably quite a bit 
more.  For example, I got up to about 440 lbs.  One scale read 436; 
another read 443.  I took an average.  Right now, I weigh about 391, 
nearly 50 lbs. lighter, or a loss of about 11%.  This is from a BMI* of 
well over 60, to a BMI currently of 56.1, or so.

This has made a tremendous difference in my health.  My blood sugar is 
down, and I need less medication.  While a lot of the difference is from 
not eating so much, hence less sugar to get into the blood in the first 
place, my insulin resistance (caused by fat cells) has gotten better as 
well.  My goal is to reach a BMI of 25.   This corresponds to a weight 
of about 175 lbs.  My doctor tells me if I do so, I can probably quit 
taking insulin and the meds completely.  I will still be diabetic, but 
only need diet and exercise to control it.

--Mark Allums


* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index

BMI is a general guide to determining if extra pounds translate into a 
health risk. The higher your BMI, the greater the risk of developing 
health problems.

The formula for figuring out BMI:

BMI = [weight (in pounds) / height (in inches)^2] x 703

Once you’ve figured out your BMI number, see where you fall:

BMI below 18.5 = Underweight
BMI 18.6 – 24.9 = Standard/Typical/Desirable
BMI 25 -29.9 = Overweight
BMI 30 – 39.9 = Obese
BMI 40+ = Extremely Obese

For those on the metric system the formula is easier:

BMI = weight (in kg) / height (in meters)^2