If you are 30 pounds or more overweight, you are at least significantly overweight but also probably close to obese. If you have been that way for a while and you have not seen a doctor lately, you may be showing the signs of type II diabetes and not be aware of that. Significantly increased weight will generally produce increased blood pressure and a gradual shift in metabolism characterized by increased dependence on fat and decreased dependence on glucose to meet your energy needs. Plasma glucose concentrations gradually rise, and in response insulin-dependent receptors begin to decline. This produces a diabetic condition which, unlike childhood diabetes, is insensitive to insulin. This type of diabetes is thus hard to treat, but treatment can be achieved generally through dietary manipulation. A least two well known popular diets can be applied to the early treatment of obesity-induced type II diabetes—the Schwarzbein diet and the Adkins diet. There are other diets as well, but the Schwarzbein and Adkins diets are those with which I am most familiar.
In general, both diets promote increased protein and fat and decreased carbohydrate. The latter is reduced to as little as 15% of the daily calorie intake. One emphasizes meat, cheese, eggs and other high protein foods and non-starchy fruits and vegetables with a low glycemic (GI) index. This index refers to the ease with which carbohydrates are turned into blood glucose. Low, medium and high GI foods are characterized as < 20, 20-60, and > 60. These numbers roughly refer to the percentage of the complex carbohydrate which becomes plasma glucose. In both the Swarzbein and Adkins diets low GI fruits and vegetables are the most used, but some smaller use of medium GI fruits and vegetables are allowed. Some low GI vegetables are asparagus, bean sprouts, beet greens, broccoli, celery, cucumber, mustard greens, radishes and spinach. Medium GI vegetables include Brussels sprouts, chives, kohlrabi, leek, onion, parsley, peas, peppers, and beans. Common fruits are mostly medium GI and include apples, peaches, cherries, grapefruit, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and bananas.
Both the Schwarzbein and Adkins diets will reduce plasma glucose levels and after a while normal plasma glucose is achieved allowing a gradual movement away from their deranged metabolism. If one couples these diets with increased exercise, reduced dependence on stimulants, adequate water ingestion, and some emphasis on stress management, then one can begin to lose weight. To re-emphasize, one does not lose weight until the calories in food are consistently less than calories used to get through the day. Thus, increased exercise is important. Eliminating obesity will often eliminate signs and symptoms of diabetes II.
