You didn't mention if you are a T1 or T2. From anecdotal evidence in
your post you seem like a T2.
Diabetes is *not* caused by obesity, and or lack of exercise, as we
well know. If you are T2 odds are it is genetic. Other than just
trying to inform them of the truth, the only thing you could do, would
be to find an abstract on the causes, print it up, and say, "Read
this, then criticize"

5'9" and 180, and you are supposed to lose 40 lbs? Who is you Dr.?
Mengele? Wow, I'm 5'9", and 180 was a good weight for me, and that is
my target right now. I was 160 in High School, and not fat. But for an
adult weight, 180 would suit me fine. Criticizing them would be
counter productive, no matter how much satisfaction you would get by
doing it. It sounds to me, like you have a reasonably active
lifestyle. And Chris, one more thing, You are right, it isn't fair.

There is more wacko info out there than real info, it seems like at
times. One way to keep that to a minimum, is to ask where they got the
info, can they show you a printed copy, with double blind testing, and
a large testing base over a long period of time. Then say, when you
show it to me, I will consider it.

Given that, I would say that there is a definite genetic link.
Diabetes is also more prevalent among Native Americans,(proven
statistically) than the Gen. Pop. How do they explain your sister
being diabetic?

You are stuck in a shitty situation. The more they harp, the worse you
feel, and the harder it is to treat your disease. I know this sounds
like a cliche', but the longer you hear the BS, as long as you are
strong in your beliefs, the less impact it will have on you. Of course
that doesn't help you right now. It sounds like you live with your
extended family. Is moving, (or threatening to move) an option?
It to bad there is nothing called Di-Alon, like Al-Anon is support for
families of people with alcoholism. In Di-Alon, the significant
others, could be taught some diabetes basics, and how to deal with
you, and how to make it easier for you to deal with them.

Sleepy

========
COWBOY UP!
========

How do you deal with the constant stream of supposedly
sympathetic support offered by friends and family when
they learn that you have diabetes, and proceed to lecture
you about how it's your own fault for eating like a pig
for all these years?

I'm 42, 5'9" and 180, and I'm supposed to be losing 39-40 lbs,
but I'm still thinner than most of them. And none of them exercise
at all - they just sit on their couches and watch TV.  I don't go
to the gym, but I am a little bit active: I teach dance several
nights a week, and I also go out and do pretty aerobic dancing
each weekend.  (Of course, now with this condition, I also go
for a walk every day for at least a mile or two.)
It just doesn't seem fair, and I have never once ever
criticized their utterly sedentary lifestyles!

Besides, don't they remember who I was eating all those dinners
with for the last 20 years?

Some of them also insist on giving me bizarre advice, such as not
to drink diet sodas because that is one of the causes of diabetes.

They never raise their voices when criticizing my condition;
they offer it by way of sympathetic explanation.   But I can
hear the deadly accusations in their tone.

I'm a native American on my mother's side, and my father's mother
had diabetes, and my thin sister had diabetes, and so I tend to
think that I have a genetic predisposition for the disease.

But they can't accept that, and just harp on me about what a
fat pig I've been and now I'm getting the consequences.

I wish there were some way to get them to stop.
I feel bad enough already.