[Bill Kuhl]

Bill Kuhl  asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Almost one year ago I was in the hospital and told I had type 1 diabetes. I had been losing weight but after getting out of the hospital my weight continued to go down because of the new low-carb diet and then leveled off. There are times when I get a little hungry, but not bad.

People say your stomach shrinks which I understand is not true but how is it that you adjust to eating less?

Bill Kuhl
USA

What do you think?

[Pwee]

You just don't need that much food to survive as average western people eat. The question should be reversed: How is it that people get used to eating much more than they need for their everyday activities?

Some researchers say that it's because we evolved in a food poor environment, where there were long times of food shortage and gaped by short times of food surplus. So the people of those times had to accumulate as much energy and food at the times of plenty as they could so that they can survive the times of food shortage. So we are hard wired to eat all that we can if we get food. The "problem" is that we are now living in a continuous time of plenty. There is no food shortage, but we non the less like to eat as much as we can get our hand on.
This is further emphasized by social conventions like not to leave food on the plate and the ever evolving food industry that can develop super-incentive foods.

[Scienceguyorg]

I have now joined the forum, Thanks for the reponse to my question. It is now looking like I might really have type 2 diabetes and just lately have stopped taking all the fast acting insulin because my blood sugar was getting too low. I think the huge improvement in my health is from a good diet.

Bill Kuhl

[Merrilee]

Bloodsugar101 is a great website for the newly diagnosed. Have you done any reading on Ketosis prone diabetes? There's an interesting blog by this guy in Detroit and it seems to be an atypical form of T1. Just mentioning it here in case your dx is still fuzzy.

[Scienceguyorg]

I will check out the website, I am now completely off insulin and in normal range with just diet and exercise.