@MimiOfTheLusciousLawn that is what I did after the death of my parents when it was clear I was a child of mortals. It just took years for me to act on what my head was telling me to do. I am glad you were able to act in time to make a difference. The programming from our homes is strong be it right or wrong training.

Awesome to see families joining in!! My husband joined me in March and I'm still working on my parents. Offered to shop AND cook for us all. Who on earth turns THAT offer down??

I think my mother (who isn't fat but has a carb gut bulge along with fibro, IBS, etc.) wants to, but my father is.. I dunno. Thinking it would be inconvenient in the summer? He just started cutting back on kibble for the dogs, though, replacing it with beef. While they eat Ben & Jerry's every night.

My motivational wall of inspiration just became richer! Nice advice!

What I did after the death of my parents when it was clear I was a child of mortals.

I am about hope and have always been.

If you start to sound super geeky about the science, most people will get immediately bored, but they also start to think that you might just know something after all.

A silent example demands attention, much as the whispering adult gets more attention from out of control children than the screaming one.

You can't help stupid.

I was inspired as my dad died of congestive heart failure. He drank and smoked as a diabetic, terrible diet and it killed him.

I have a profound respect for diabetes and snapped hard into action and reversed my type 2 and lost 130 lbs

Unfortunately my mother died of breast cancer and I saw how devastating and quick it can kill

On diets, some learn and some don't.

I am an example always, either a good one or bad one.

So I really don't care about nay Sayers that deny the nose on their face. They are not in a teachable moment. Someone else may come along when they are.

The "blue zones" guy was on NPR yesterday pimping his new book, and he talked about the moai of Okinawa. A life-long social network that had a bigger influence on health and longevity than any aspect of diet:
http://nooga.com/155096/build-a-moai-for-better-relationships-longer-life/

The main factor is that somebody always has your back and checks up on you if you don't show up at the usual hangout, but it's also about the idea of contagious behavior -- the biggest influence on your behaviors, good or bad, are the people you hang out with.

That's why I like to hang out here.

The carb addiction is what gets me. Once I slip, I'm normally down for at least a few days, normally a month or so. Anxiety is back in full form, joints are aching, having heartburn and nausea...but still so hard to kick the carbage.

KittensMaster wrote: »

I was inspired as my dad died of congestive heart failure. He drank and smoked as a diabetic, terrible diet and it killed him.

I have a profound respect for diabetes and snapped hard into action and reversed my type 2 and lost 130 lbs.

This. My Dad, and 8 of his siblings, have type 2 diabetes. My Dad has severe heart trouble going to hospital about once every 3 months with a heart attack. He's had several strokes. He's also had a quadruple bypass about 15 years ago but did not take that opportunity to change his diet and lifestyle. Now at 65 he can't even walk to the letterbox and back. He can't have any more surgery as diabetes has turned his arteries into strings of pearls (thick and thin bits). He's on several different medications all with horrible side effects. The hard reality is that he will not go on like this for many more years.

He tries to eat low carb but struggles on his income, and he will always revert back to a bread based diet.

I am NOT going to die young from diabetes complications. It's just not going to happen. He was 50 when he had his first heart attack - the damage from diabetes already done, I'm 41 now. I refuse to accept that is my fate. When I see people sitting there tucking into cake or pizza or a great big bowl of pasta I don't think "I wish I could have some". I see diabetes, plain and simple.

I generally don't talk to people regarding my changed diet beyond saying I've given up wheat. I don't feel like I have enough experience to try to convince people that this is the way to go. That said, I can't believe how different I feel. I've been doing this since Aug 4. My anxiety is gone. My attitude has improved. I have more energy and feel very positive. If that wasn't enough I've also lost 8 lbs. I'm absolutely gleeful.

I really like this group. No trolls, lots of encouragement and great ideas. Thank you all.

I don't see my MD until Oct. We'll see what she has to say. She encouraged me to lose weight (30 lbs) and said the South Beach Diet was fine. I was surprised. I am unfamiliar with the ins and outs of SB but I have the impression that its an Atkins variation.

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

Have you watched Fathead? You can find it on YouTube. That might give you some quick things to reference. Though you wouldn't want to specifically say you learned all about this from some documentary. But you could say "Look, I have done a lot of reading. I am in contact with lots of people that have improved their health eating this way. I don't want to spend our time debating diets but if you are interested in a quick way to learn why this WOE is so beneficial you can check out the movie Fathead on YouTube. Until you do the research that I have done, I am not interested in a debate or advise. I won't push my preferences on you either".
Besides that, I always like throwing around a few big words they are sure to be unfamiliar with. That usually demonstrates you have done your homework. In response to you NEED carbs to live. Your response could be "Actually, you're right. The human body does require a small amount of carbs each day, which is why the body is capable of aquiring them through a process called gluconeogenesis. You don't have to consume carbs to get the glucose that the brain needs to function." If you start to sound super geeky about the science, most people will get immediately bored but they also start to think that you might just know something after all and stop thinking you are just on some fad diet.
I would try to refrain from "shaming carbs" in general because you will likely just get guilt fueled defensiveness in response. Saying things like "The science behind the way the body uses insulin to burn and store carbohydrate is very interesting and understanding that process and how it can become damaged with consistent overconsumption of carbohydrates explains why such a large portion of our society now suffers from so many chronic inflammation related and metabolic conditions." I don't know how anyone, not talking out their bum, could still think you don't know what you're talking about after making these comments.
Best of luck to ya!

I read a book about sugar addiction and curing yourself if it. I thought it was quite extream to start with before gradually realising it was me. I knew I had a problem with sugar but I thought I would be ok as long as I was aware. I'm not. The book deals with addiction very much like aa with 10 steps, the first is truly accepting you have a problem. If these relatives were addicted to alcohol and you told them they needed to go to aa and they said there was no problem you would accept they were in denial. That is their problem. They have not reached that critical point. If you continue to show a good example may be they will get there.

2Poufs wrote: »

I've also discovered a "bless your heart" works wonders here in the South, because pretty much everyone know that means "you're stupid" or "f off" or some of both.

LOL Really? I'm up in Canada, and a "bless your heart" means thanks for the effort or help, even if it didn't help.

I really understand the resistance. I had it, and i have a fear of falling off the wagon because it took me so long to get back.

About 5 years ago, I lost my weight following the Eat Clean Diet - I basically ate no processed foods = very few carbs. I felt great, and then I had the muffin.... I swear my diet fell apart after that and I slowly started to regain my weight. During that time I found out I had celiac disease and a wussy thyroid; I changed my diet and got on meds. I was put on steroids for a time, and by time I weaned off of them I was prediabetic and had gained back all of my old weight. That was a year ago.

I kept starting to change my diet but I was easing into it and it would fall apart within a couple of weeks. I couldn't or wouldn't fully commit. I needed to get worse before I could really change my ways because it felt like I was giving something up. That physical, dizzy need for sugars seemed like too much to fight for a lifetime.

Finally I developed sudden onset OA in my hips and knees... by age 40. That along with the prediabetes was enough for me to make a big change to a ketogenic diet. After two weeks I felt so good it was baffling that I hadn't done it earlier.

And it was easy to lose weight. My deficit should have me losing 1lb per week but it is usually 2lbs. If this keeps up, I'll have lost 45 lbs by February and be at my high school weight again.

I am honestly a bit afraid to slip. When I eat too many carbs (for me, it's over 50g) my fasting blood glucose is back into the prediabetic range. I don't want my knee pain back. I don't want all of the pimples back. I don't want my reactive hypoglycemia back. And I really don't want my brain fogginess back... I didn't even realize I was foggy until my husband commented that I seem sharper lately. He said in the past year, I would be talking but use the wrong word in a sentence - that's freaking scary. I'm only 41.

I'm afraid to slip because I am afraid it will take me years to get back to this because of that resistance and denial. Yikes.

nvmomketo wrote: »

2Poufs wrote: »

I've also discovered a "bless your heart" works wonders here in the South, because pretty much everyone know that means "you're stupid" or "f off" or some of both.

LOL Really? I'm up in Canada, and a "bless your heart" means thanks for the effort or help, even if it didn't help.

I have mastered Advanced Sarcasm, so between tone, body language, and facial expression, there's really no question as to my meaning. When I visit Canada, I will remember that phrase doesn't mean what I think it means, at least up there!

Sorry, but the phrase, "Bless your/her/his/its heart" isn't always used as an insult in the south. I was born, and raised, and still am, in extreme south Mississippi. I personally use the phrase to display empathy. Please don't assume it's always used in a negative way!

Karlottap wrote: »

Sorry, but the phrase, "Bless your/her/his/its heart" isn't always used as an insult in the south. I was born, and raised, and still am, in extreme south Mississippi. I personally use the phrase to display empathy. Please don't assume it's always used in a negative way!

Yep. It's a multipurpose phrase. It's all about context and tone.