Local 10-Year-Old Determined To Help Find Cure For Type 1 Diabetes

WHITE LAKE, Mich. -- Brennan Surman of White Lake, Mich., is like many 10-year-old boys. He loves playing baseball, watching the Detroit Tigers and eating ice cream sundaes. Brennan is also one of the 3 million Americans living with Type 1 diabetes.

"I don't let diabetes stop me from doing the things I love to do, but my diabetes is always on my mind," said Brennan.

He has to constantly think about monitoring his diabetes, making sure his blood sugar doesn't get too high or too low. That means a long list of questions running though his mind.

"What is my blood sugar? What time is it? What was my last blood sugar? How many carbs is my snack? How many units of insulin do I need? How much insulin did I get the last time?" said Brennan.

Brennan was diagnosed when he just 5 years old.

"We noticed that he was excessively thirsty, asking to use the bathroom a lot, hungry all the time," said Ashley Zoltowski, Brennan's mother. "Then one day, I picked him up from preschool, and he was almost unconscious at his desk."

Brennan ended up in the hospital, where tests confirmed he had Type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Frank McGeorge explained there are two types of diabetes -- Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 2 is the most common and can sometimes be controlled with diet and exercise. It's often related to obesity. That's not the case with Type 1.

McGeorge said Type 1 diabetes used to be called juvenile diabetes because it's most often diagnosed in children or teenagers. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops producing insulin, leaving the body unable to control blood sugar levels. Without insulin, blood sugar builds up in the bloodstream, creating a life-threatening situation.

"It started to sink in that this was a life-changing illness and that he'll never get better. There was no cure," said Zoltowski.

Instead, Brennan and his parents and stepparents have to constantly monitor his blood sugar.

"The fear factor set in that, the things that we do for him, if we screw them up, could have dire consequences," said Keith Zoltowski, Brennan's stepfather.

"Brennan has to check his blood sugar six times a day. Anytime he puts a bit of food in his mouth he has to test his blood sugar," said Erica Surman, Brennan's stepmother.

"I poke my finger about the minimum five, maximum, there's no maximum," said Brennan.

How To Count Carbs - News


Local 10-Year-Old Determined To Help Find Cure For Type 1 Diabetes

He also has to count the "carbs" or carbohydrates in everything he eats and adjust his insulin accordingly. "We have to measure all his peanut butter for his peanut butter sandwiches; we have to count how many grapes. If he wants to eat a bowl of



Starks hopes gluten-free diet will yield results

"I've been feasting off of carbs thinking it was good, but my body didn't react to it the right way," Starks said. "That played a big part in the healing process." Starks put on the good kind of weight. Just ask family and friends.



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Tracking (logging) what I eat, staying away from processed foods and white carbs, staying away from most carbs, really, not grazing. Lots of brightly colored vegetables and good (non-meat) protein. There are probably as many theories on running and




mental emotional physical self help health + lose fat weight + ...

The second phase of the Atkins diet is called Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL. After the rapid weight loss of the 2-week Induction phase, you’ll be slowing your weight loss down just a bit. You’ll add in specific carbohydrates that will make your diet a little easier and your weight loss just a bit slower. However, you will continue to lose weight at a steady even pace with ease. During the OWL phase you will boost your bodys ability to burn fats. Although you’ll be adding carbohydrates slowly, you’ll still remain in the state of ketosis. You will continue to use your excess fat as fuel for your body, and the pounds and inches will continue to come off.

The OWL phase will also teach you to make better carbohydrate choices. The recipes and guidelines for OWL will increase your knowledge about nutritious food. you’ll replace the poor carbohydrate choices that you relied on in the past with new and better choices.

You’ll also learn how many carbohydrates you can consume and still lose weight. The process of the OWL phase is an experiment in what your specific body does with carbs. During the OWL phase, you’ll gradually increase your daily carb intake from the 20-gram level that you used in induction. Each week you’ll try adding another 5 grams of carbs and then take note of what happens. When weight loss slows too much, you’ll know that youve exceeded your personal carb limit.

OWL also prepares you for your permanent weight management program (called maintenance). The habits and practices that you develop during OWL will go a long way toward your long-term success. Treat this period of your diet as training for the real test your post diet life.

During the OWL phase, you’ll still be getting most of your carbohydrates from vegetables (just as you do during Induction). Its important to continue to eat a wide variety of vegetables, as they are good for your overall health and good for maintaining intestinal health during the Atkins diet. You will be able to add more portions of vegetables, and then gradually be able to add nuts, seeds and even berries. However, the main focus of the diet will still be protein.

In a way, the Induction phase is easier than any of the other phases of Atkins. The strict plan always works and always produces weight loss. As you enter the OWL phases, you’ll need to be more mindful of your carbohydrate count and keep better track of your weight. You’ll have more choice and that may lead to more temptations, which could result in a stalling of your weight loss or even weight gain.


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Amy Faith @ when you said you count carbs, you know you're not meant to count how many you can consume before you pop, right?


Trish Treacy @ wel id hate to count how many calories n carbs i ate tonite!ha


Ophie Nava   My co worker keeps counting our calories. Fool, how bout you count ur fat daughters carbs/calories.Get back to me in a year! Haha


How To Count Carbs - Bookshelf

Dana Carpender's Weight-Loss Tracker, A Daily Calorie, Carb, Protein, Fat, and Exercise Journal to Help You Lose Weight and Inches

Dana Carpender's Weight-Loss Tracker, A Daily Calorie, Carb, Protein, Fat, and Exercise Journal to Help You Lose Weight and Inches

portion, depending on the carbohydrate count, how rich the dish is, and, ... How to Count Carbs It's important to know about "impact carbs," "usable carbs," ...

The Diabetes Carbohydrate & Calorie Counter, 3rd Edition

The Diabetes Carbohydrate & Calorie Counter, 3rd Edition

LET'S TALK ABOUT COUNTING CARBS {v .4Cx Everyone who has diabetes should know how to count carbs.Some people do it every day,some do it a few days a week to ...

The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, Third Edition

The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, Third Edition

CoUnTinG CarbS {v .4Cx You don't have to be on a diet to count carbs. People with diabetes regularly keep track of how many carbs they eat. ...

Pumping Insulin, Everything You Need for Success on a Smart Insulin Pump

Pumping Insulin, Everything You Need for Success on a Smart Insulin Pump

7.7 Use Labels To Count Carbs Let's say you want to eat 2 cups of yogurt as part of your meal 1 . Look at the Nutrition Facts label from a yogurt container ...

American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide

American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide

“Carbs” Count! Carbohydrates: they're important since glucose is the only form of energy your brain can use! Besides being the main power source for your ...

Help Guide Directory


How to Count Carbs | eHow.com
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Carb Counting | Diabetesnet.com
Carb counting is well worth the effort to learn when you consider the impact it has on your control. To learn how to carb count effectively, you need to: ...

Counting Carbs
The first step of carbohydrate counting is to establish a carb target for each meal. ... How do I know the amount of carbs in my meals and snacks? ...

How To Count Carbs with a Gram Scale | How To Do Things
There is another way of counting carbs instead of computing food's carbohydrate content. With the use of a gram scale, you can count carbs in the food you eat.

How To Count Carbs to Lose Weight | How To Do Things
If you're unfamiliar with how to count cards and want to see if this would help you lose weight, here are the steps on how to do this.