The Health Thread

[MichiganCardinal]

58 minutes ago, Stanley70 said:

I was diagnosed as a type 2 right when i turned 50. For the next 6 years i cycled through all of the type 2 medications (and side efects) all the while i kept losing weight. Finally i went to ER and was diagnosed as a type 1 and spent 4 days in ICU. I was seeing a Dr. regularly but he was an older guy and never thought to test for type 1 antibodies i guess.

Modern technolgy has made living with type 1 a lot easier than even 20 years ago, pre cell phone and closed loop pumps. Having a CGM gives me constant feedback on the effects on what i am eating and the effects of my activity. It is easy to gain weight on insulin so i limit my carbs daily to 80-100 a day and avoid high glycemic foods altogether. I also workout regularly, working out can drop your numbers fast. Especially cardio for me. So i have to bring snacks just in case. 

My advice is if you can get insurance to cover a CGM get one if you don't already have one. It makes controlling your blood sugar a lot easier.

In a past career, I worked in child welfare and became the primary caregiver of a kid with T1D. I learned so much, so quickly. He was a warrior and his parents made him just take care of it himself at like six-years-old. He somehow managed to do so until about 9 or 10, when he finally came to us. He could be a little **** head (like all kids in the system), and it became a little joke between us where I would tease him that he didn't need to prick his finger anymore because I could tell his levels just by what names he was calling me that day... Happy to say he got adopted, but not before we got his levels straightened out, his A1C steady, and got him on a CGM/pump combo. That last part made it so much easier.

Anyway that all to say, hats off to you. That's a hard diagnosis with occasional nonsensical stigma from the ill-informed. 

 

[MichiganCardinal]

It feels like I woke up some day in the last two months and all of a sudden every fast food joint, every ad, and every health craze, now just jacks up and advertises their protein levels. Is that the flavor of the month?

There's probably something to it. In the grand scheme of macros, protein and calories are the only two I pay attention to. But what's with Chipotle, Subway, and every other place that pretends to be healthy screaming at me about how much protein they have?

[Edman85]

1 hour ago, Stanley70 said:

My advice is if you can get insurance to cover a CGM get one if you don't already have one. It makes controlling your blood sugar a lot easier.

I do the finger pricks in the morning to get the fasting number. Because I was only at 6.5 last year when diagnosed, there's not much need to get Time in Range data yet, but will certainly bring that up with my doctor.

[romad1]

55 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

I do the finger pricks in the morning to get the fasting number. Because I was only at 6.5 last year when diagnosed, there's not much need to get Time in Range data yet, but will certainly bring that up with my doctor.

I don't know if this is the case but having a CGM might be a problem in some security situations.  I know there are waivers but I think it might actually be a problem for some situations. 

[Edman85]

18 minutes ago, romad1 said:

I don't know if this is the case but having a CGM might be a problem in some security situations.  I know there are waivers but I think it might actually be a problem for some situations. 

True. I could see that being not allowed in secure areas...

[casimir]

I like riding my bike in the summer.  We have a rails to trails that goes through our neighborhood and it goes to a couple of different parks.  I’ve been riding since we moved into this house.  In fact, we moved in late Sept about 10 or something years ago, and I made it a point to get a bike next spring.  I’ve been tracking distance and times beginning in 2021.  I’ll go 10 to 20 miles, done a couple of 30s.  I don’t know why I track it, but I do.  Over 1,000 miles is the goal this year.

[Biff Mayhem]

5 hours ago, romad1 said:

My paddle:  the one Joola that came with the $60 package.  

If you stick with it, you’ll definitely end up upgrading. There are plenty of “pro shops” that will let you try paddles. Handles can vary in circumference and shape and that was a big thing for me. I prefer the 4.125 handle and the elongated hitting surface. YMMV, however, once you try a higher end paddle, you’ll never go back to a beginner paddle. 

[Biff Mayhem]

3 hours ago, casimir said:

I like riding my bike in the summer.  We have a rails to trails that goes through our neighborhood and it goes to a couple of different parks.  I’ve been riding since we moved into this house.  In fact, we moved in late Sept about 10 or something years ago, and I made it a point to get a bike next spring.  I’ve been tracking distance and times beginning in 2021.  I’ll go 10 to 20 miles, done a couple of 30s.  I don’t know why I track it, but I do.  Over 1,000 miles is the goal this year.

Riding my bike is one of my favorite things to do. I started late summer 2025 and ride a little further each time. I plan to resume this spring. 

[chasfh]

19 hours ago, oblong said:

for those who struggle staying with it Isuggest group exercise. The social aspect is a great motivator. 

What if you hate people? 😉

[chasfh]

18 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

It feels like I woke up some day in the last two months and all of a sudden every fast food joint, every ad, and every health craze, now just jacks up and advertises their protein levels. Is that the flavor of the month?

There's probably something to it. In the grand scheme of macros, protein and calories are the only two I pay attention to. But what's with Chipotle, Subway, and every other place that pretends to be healthy screaming at me about how much protein they have?

It's all about the MAHA fight against the phantom War on Protein.

[chasfh]

15 hours ago, casimir said:

I like riding my bike in the summer.  We have a rails to trails that goes through our neighborhood and it goes to a couple of different parks.  I’ve been riding since we moved into this house.  In fact, we moved in late Sept about 10 or something years ago, and I made it a point to get a bike next spring.  I’ve been tracking distance and times beginning in 2021.  I’ll go 10 to 20 miles, done a couple of 30s.  I don’t know why I track it, but I do.  Over 1,000 miles is the goal this year.

I very much do the same thing here in Big Shoulders. I have routes going to the north, south, and west sides, depending on which way the wind can blow me home. I try to mix up routes to get a look at fresh things while I am riding. Been pretty lucky no cars have veered off their paths and clobbered me from behind in my 20+ years of doing this on the streets of the city. And all it would take is one to end at least my riding career.

Some may say I should move onto the sidewalk to ride to get out of the way of drivers who have a legal right to the road over me, but doing so is statutorily illegal in this city, plus, I have all the same rights (and responsibilities) on the road as a car driver does.

[MichiganCardinal]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

It's all about the MAHA fight against the phantom War on Protein.

I was hoping this was a joke. And it’s not.

[casimir]

20 hours ago, Biff Mayhem said:

Riding my bike is one of my favorite things to do. I started late summer 2025 and ride a little further each time. I plan to resume this spring. 

The first few times in the spring always seem like starting over again.  I tend to start out short and build up.  I guess it’s like anything else, if you don’t use it, you lose it.  I don’t bike for a few months and then start back at square one.

One of the things that I’ve noticed I cannot do now that I used to could do the is ride without holding onto the handlebars.  Can’t do that now at all.  I slow down to go one handed if I’m adjusting what I’m listening to on my phone or grabbing the water bottle for a sip.

[casimir]

8 hours ago, chasfh said:

I very much do the same thing here in Big Shoulders. I have routes going to the north, south, and west sides, depending on which way the wind can blow me home. I try to mix up routes to get a look at fresh things while I am riding. Been pretty lucky no cars have veered off their paths and clobbered me from behind in my 20+ years of doing this on the streets of the city. And all it would take is one to end at least my riding career.

Some may say I should move onto the sidewalk to ride to get out of the way of drivers who have a legal right to the road over me, but doing so is statutorily illegal in this city, plus, I have all the same rights (and responsibilities) on the road as a car driver does.

So, I stay on bike trails as much as possible.  I know the law is that bikes have a right to the road.  But the law of physics also determines that I will likely lose any disagreements about space between myself and a vehicle.  And if I am on a road, it’s only a two lane road, and I’m in the wrong lane facing traffic.  I want to see if I need to bail or not.

I don’t know what I’d do in a big city.  Keeping in mind that the neighborhood we live in has direct access to a nice trail and parks which was more or less the reason I got a bike to begin with, I don’t know if I’d bike as much without that easy access or not.  I’ve taken my bike to another spot or two just a very few times.  It’s just so much easier to get home from work, change clothes, and zip out for an hour without loading up the bike and getting back into the car and driving to a biking area.

[Deleterious]

On 2/16/2026 at 3:28 PM, MichiganCardinal said:

It feels like I woke up some day in the last two months and all of a sudden every fast food joint, every ad, and every health craze, now just jacks up and advertises their protein levels. Is that the flavor of the month?

There's probably something to it. In the grand scheme of macros, protein and calories are the only two I pay attention to. But what's with Chipotle, Subway, and every other place that pretends to be healthy screaming at me about how much protein they have?

They are jumping on the GLP-1 craze.  Those drugs burn muscle as well as fat.  So they recommend eating plenty of protein so you don't lose muscle mass.  These companies are just trying to take advantage of that.  

[MichiganCardinal]

Just now, Deleterious said:

They are jumping on the GLP-1 craze.  Those drugs burn muscle as well as fat.  So they recommend eating plenty of protein so you don't lose muscle mass.  These companies are just trying to take advantage of that.  

My one and only conspiracy theory in life (if you can call it that, maybe it’s just a soap box) is that I don’t think those GLP-1s are well tested enough as to the long-term side effects for long-term use for obesity. I’m worried what will happen in the next 10-15 years.

They went from a little known treatment for Type 2 diabetes to a lose-weight-fast magic injection seemingly overnight. Prescriptions for them rose 300% for them from 2018 to 2023 and they’re even faster spreading now. A recent article said that 1 in 8 adults are taking GLP1s. That’s insane to me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt they help people, I know they do. I know of people who are finally able to start losing weight thanks to them, and that’s a great thing.

But I adamantly believe there is no magical cure to obesity that doesn’t involve lifestyle change. Ultimately, long-term weight loss requires increased activity combined with a better diet. 

Today, I could download an app and order a GLP1 prescription with the relative ease of ordering a pizza. Not even see a doctor face to face. That alarming ease (when compared to getting an effective dietician or nutritionist or personal trainer) feels like a recipe for disaster. And I really worry that in 10-20 years, we’ll be seeing class action commercials on our $200 NetHulu Max Prime subscriptions saying “did you or a loved one take GLP1s and develop long-term effects? You may be entitled to compensation.”

[CMRivdogs]

Way back when I was riding a lot, there was a route from Lyon Oaks Park in Wixom to Kensington Park and back. That usually included a few of the trails in Kensington as well. Not a great distance, maybe about 10 miles or so. Then work got in the way again. 

One of my favorite rides in the Chicago area was along the Illinois and Michigan Trail. This was back when they had just started building it. I attempted 50 miles on my 50th birthday, probably finished 30 out and back. A very humid July day. 

I did spend a bit of time on the Prairie Path out of Lombard and Aurora/Naperville. Our apartment in Lombard was right off the path, as was the house in Aurora.

I really do need to get the bike out again. There are a few nice rides around here.  

[Biff Mayhem]

I ride on the sidewalk all the time but we don’t have a lot of foot traffic where I ride so it’s not an issue. I would imagine that it being illegal in Chicago is trumped by it causing lots of issues with pedestrians and bike riders colliding etc.