[Saccharomyces]

I've been up and down with my weight my whole life. When I've been successful at losing weight, it has been primarily by counting calories. Up until last year, I would typically settle in to a diet that focused on lean protein and carbs, since fats are generally of much higher caloric content. But diabetes runs in my family, and last year I had an A1C of 8.3. It was pretty tough to make the switch from primarily protein/carbs to a low(er) carb diet, but thankfully the current Keto diet fad has provided a lot of alternatives to certain foods that I had to cut back on. I was able to get my A1C down to 5.9 based on diet alone, although I do wear a continuous glucose monitor, so it is easy for me to see what various foods do to my sugar to learn what I can and can't get away with. I don't count carbs specifically, but I know what my safe choices are.

Please let me offer a different approach to diabetes eating.  Both my grandmothers were type 2 diabetics, one was insulin dependent while they other was not.   My mother was an insulin dependent type 2 diabetic.  I have been a non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetic since 2007.  I currently use extended release Synjardy. You are an Rx guy, so that brand name should ring a bell.  It is a combination of metformin and the brand name drug Jardiance.  I do not believe that type 2 diabetes runs in families.   What I believe is that metabolic syndrome runs in families and metabolic syndrome sets one up for diabetes.  I was pre-diabetic for years.  I ignored the fact that I was insulin resistant.  I did not even accept things when I was told that I was a full-blown diabetic.  It was not until I ran a 13.1 hbA1C in 2010 that I accepted the fact that things had to change. I have tried a lot of diets, but the one that sticks and works the best is a flexitarian diet based on whole foods.  The ADA diet just makes one dependent on a progressive drug regime.  I took my hbA1C down from 6.7 to 5.4 on a flexitarian diet.  As you are aware, an hbA1C of 5.4 is not considered to be diabetic, but I was taking orals at that point in time.  I follow advice from Dr. Joel Furhman.  Sure, he has a vegan bent.  There is no denying that reality, but he is onto something.  It is not how much starch you take in as a diabetic.  It is how much fiber you take in to offset the starch that you are consuming.  Human beings are not carnivores.  We are omnivores.  What the average American eats today is not what our metabolic system was selected for under pressure.  The Keto diet is a banaid.  We are not carnivores.  It tries to fix the problem that all our starch sources used to involve the ingestion of fiber.  Fiber slows the digestion of sugar and starch, as we know it as brewers, is an intermediate form of sugar.  By doing so, fiber regulates blood glucose.

[reverseapachemaster]

In my experience the "right" path is what works for you and what is medically appropriate for you. Some people can eat with a lot less discipline and stay in better shape than me. I can only do so much to maximize my body's functionality.

I count calories only although when I get serious about strength training I keep a rough count of protein. I generally eat low carb, moderate protein, moderate healthy fat and high fiber because my body responds well to that mix. I consume low sugar and low salt because it's what works for me. I generally only drink on the weekends and only at night although once or twice a month I overindulge or go out during the week. As fun as it is to take down a boozy barleywine I'm more likely to drink a beer 5% or less. There are plenty of flavorful beers in that range--especially if you are fond of yeast flavor-driven beer. I also work out 5-6 times per week. I also carb up flavored water which helps with water intake and get the satisfaction of a carbonated beverage without alcohol, carbs, or sugar. (I rarely drink soda anymore.)

In my experience as well it takes time to figure out the right mix of food/meals/calories and to develop discipline to eat that way consistently. When I fall out of discipline (as I am right now) it usually takes several months to get back to full discipline and when especially undisciplined usually requires making a few small changes at a time for a few weeks until they become habits again which helps backsliding. So don't give up if you struggle to stay on track with a diet or routine. If you find yourself struggling consistently think about whether it makes sense to adjust your plan and try something new.

[fredthecat]

Please let me offer a different approach to diabetes eating.  Both my grandmothers were type 2 diabetics, one was insulin dependent while they other was not.   My mother was an insulin dependent type 2 diabetic.  I have been a non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetic since 2007.  I currently use extended release Synjardy which is a combination of empagliflozin and metformin HCl. You are an Rx guy, so that brand name should ring a bell.  It is a combination of metformin and the brand name drug Jardiance.  I do not believe that type 2 diabetes runs in families.   What I believe is that metabolic syndrome runs in families and metabolic syndrome sets one up for diabetes.  I was pre-diabetic for years.  I ignored the fact that I was insulin resistance runs in families.  I did not even accept things when I was told that I was a full-blown diabetic.  It was not until I ran a 13.1 hbA1C in 2010 that I accepted the fact that things had to change. I have tried a lot of diets, but the one that sticks and works the best is a flexitarian diet based on whole foods.  The ADA diet just makes one dependent on a progressive drug regime.   I took my hbA1C down from 6.7 to 5.4 on a flexitarian diet.  As you are aware, an hbA1C of 5.4 is not considered to be diabetic, but I was taking orals at that point in time.  I follow advice from Dr. Joel Furhman.  Sure, he has a vegan bent.  There is no denying that reality, but he is onto something.  It is not how much starch you take in as a diabetic.  It is how much fiber you take in to offset the starch that you are consuming.  Human beings are not carnivores.  We are omnivores.  What the average American eats today is not what our metabolic was selected for pressure.  The Keto diet is a Ban-Aid.  We are not carnivores.  It tries to fix the problem that all our starch sources used to involve the ingestion of fiber.  Fiber slows the digestion of sugar and starch, as we know it as brewers, is an intermediate form of starch.  By doing so, fiber regulates blood glucose.

i used to eat a lot more meat than i do now, and was getting gout in one foot's toe joint.

i agree wholeheartedly with your notion of "whole foods".

i had serious weight/health problems from age 12 to 19 because of the ubiquity of corn syrup and nearly free sugar foods/junk foods at that time in the late 90s/early 2000s. i  tried various stuff, but i would say i have no issues and cant imagine having any issues again until old age from essentially

-sufficient serious exercise
-cooking traditional style meals (whole foods) from scratch 80% of the time
-do not eat desserts/high sugar snacks at all

i know no one wants to hear the specifics or any further thoughts, but if you were born in north america from 1960 to ~2000 you are a victim of industrial food. don't eat industrial food.

i really wish all of you the best health.

[pete b]

Totally agree about industrial food. I was a kid in the seventies and teenager in the eighties, more or less. In the seventies sugar was actually expensive and my family had little money so soda and even cool aid was for special occasions like summer cookouts. My favorite thing was root beer and I probably had it about six times before I was a teenager. In the eighties corn syrup, practically free because of corn subsidies, made soda and candy cheap and I had my own money so gorged on the stuff, along with fast food (the fact that the Iowa caucuses are first and therefore so important is astonishingly a big reason America is obese).
Before long corn syrup and other cheap sugar was in pretty much everything packaged.

[tommymorris]

Besides changes to diet, exercise is also important. Walking is fantastic exercise. Work up to walking with your SO 2-3 miles per day. That’s 45 minutes to put down the smartphone and talk. So, you get a healthier happier marriage.

[Saccharomyces]

Besides changes to diet, exercise is also important. Walking is fantastic exercise. Work up to walking with your SO 2-3 miles per day. That’s 45 minutes to put down the smartphone and talk. So, you get a healthier happier marriage.

I started back to work this week.  Like you, I work on a university campus.  I purposely chose my parking garage to be on the opposite side of my campus from my office.  I have to walk 5,000 steps back and forth from my garage. Combined with walking around campus, I usually walk around 7,000 to 7,500 steps a day (a Fitbit is your friend).  Add exercise on top of that walk and anyone over 50 years of age sees results quickly. 

[erockrph]

Besides changes to diet, exercise is also important. Walking is fantastic exercise. Work up to walking with your SO 2-3 miles per day. That’s 45 minutes to put down the smartphone and talk. So, you get a healthier happier marriage.

Walking is great activity, but it doesn't really count as exercise unless you move at a pace that gets your heart rate up. That said, I've started walking with my wife during my son's football and baseball practices. It has been a boon to both our physical and mental well being.

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[tommymorris]

Besides changes to diet, exercise is also important. Walking is fantastic exercise. Work up to walking with your SO 2-3 miles per day. That’s 45 minutes to put down the smartphone and talk. So, you get a healthier happier marriage.

I started back to work this week.  Like you, I work on a university campus.  I purposely chose my parking garage to be on the opposite side of my campus from my office.  I have to walk 5,000 steps back and forth from my garage. Combined with walking around campus, I usually walk around 7,000 to 7,500 steps a day (a Fitbit is your friend).  Add exercise on top of that walk and anyone over 50 years of age sees results quickly.

Our campus is long and narrow. I walk a long way to the cafeteria and back each day.  When I take students with me they often complain. Walking the campus is a simple pleasure that I love.

[BrewBama]

Nice! Don’t buy new pants yet. One inch is manageable with a belt. Wait for two

How about 3”? 



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[tommymorris]

Nice! Don’t buy new pants yet. One inch is manageable with a belt. Wait for two

How about 3”? 



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Damn! Buy! Buy! Buy!

[pete b]

A pair of “skinny jeans” might be in order.

[BrewBama]

I’ve started looking into cold mashing to reduce carbs by extracting mainly color and flavor from malted grain without converting and extracting a lot of fermentable sugars. I am interested to hear if any others have tried these techniques.

I am looking at the Non Enzymatic Mashing technique: “using a bucket or other suitable container, mash in with cold water. Add enough water to adequately hydrate the grain. The brewer can measure how much they have added at this step and predict the total required water for the brew or wait until the wort is in the kettle to top off to the correct volume. Leave the mash to soak at refrigeration temperature for 8 hours or more. Gently move the bucket from the fridge to a position where the wort can be siphoned off. Siphon the wort into the boil kettle, it is important to not get all the gunk at the bottom of the bucket into the kettle. If added to the kettle, this will scorch, and be a pain to clean up. It will also add an acrid burnt flavour to the brew. Once in the kettle, raise the temperature to 149 F (65 C) and rest until conversion is complete. 60 minutes is fine, but it might not take that long. After conversion is complete, simply bring it to a boil and proceed with the brew day as usual (Source 10.2).” Ref: Ultra Low Brewing

Briess

Ultra Low Brewing.

Bison Brew

Brulosophy

[pete b]

I can't remember too many details, I probably have notes at home, but a couple years ago I tried something somewhat similar. I steeped specialty grains only, did a boil for hopping purposes, cooled and transferred to a small keg with spirits and carbed. I believe I did an IPA with whiskey and a stout with dark rum.
They really were not close enough to beer to do the trick for me. They actually did taste ok, just more like bitter seltzer than beer. I remember the IPA tasted like a whiskey and soda with bitters. If I had the time and inclination to tweak the recipes it seemed possible to make a decent beer substitution with very few carbs but regular amounts of alcohol.
I was much happier with my ultra loe carb beers that were just regular procedures but very low OG and enzymes.

[BrewBama]

Just a quick update. It’s been a cpl years and I have been hovering around 196 +/-2lb by eating the occasional carb — but overall limiting them — and drinking 1-2 session beers daily.

I wanted to gauge my beers against someone other than the usual suspects that hang around my kegs so I sent a couple off to some competitions (which I don’t normally do). I got some positive feedback on a Ord Bitter from a highly ranked judge at the NHC first round (but didn’t advance), got a third place for a Stout here in AL, and a second place for a Leichtbier in NY. All of these beers were in the ~ 3.8-4% ABV range.

Though I could probably still stand to loose another 10# or so, overall I have to consider this outcome a success.   I say that because I have not rebounded back into the 240lb + range I was in and the beers I’ve been brewing are pretty good based on trained judges’ opinions.

Also, I did buy new pants and shorts and had to cut another hole in my belt for an overall 4” girth reduction.

Cheers!

[Skeeter686]

Though I could probably still stand to loose another 10# or so, overall I have to consider this outcome a success.   I say that because I have not rebounded back into the 240lb + range I was in and the beers I’ve been brewing are pretty good based on trained judges’ opinions.

Also, I did buy new pants and shorts and had to cut another hole in my belt for an overall 4” girth reduction.

See?  That's the true cost of losing weight / being healthy!

Seriously, though, congrats on making a lifestyle change like this that has made a noticeable impact on your health. 

I would like to drop 15, but I'm trying to find ways to achieve that without altering my beer intake.  My optimism is slowly fading.