'Couch potato' diabetic tells how he saved himself

By Nanci Hellmich
USA Today

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Type 2 diabetes on the rise, treatable It is the most common form of the disease, affecting 95 percent of the more than 17 million Americans who suffer from diabetes. It is associated with a combination of genetics, excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle. It is on the increase in almost all ages and ethnic groups. It is increasingly being diagnosed in children, something that rarely happened 20 years ago. It can be prevented in people at risk for developing it with moderate lifestyle changes such as losing 5 to 10 percent of body weight, making healthier food choices and increasing physical activity. See www.diabetes.org or phone (800) 342-2383. Source: American Diabetes Association

In his lighthearted new book, "Confessions of a Couch Potato" (American Diabetes Association, $14.95), Furst, 48, recounts the trauma of growing up obese. He describes himself as a food addict and talks about the high price that years of overeating has taken on his health.

Furst, who lives in Los Angeles, now weighs 175 to 180 pounds, but for years he was severely overweight, carrying as much as 320 pounds on his 5-foot-10 frame.

"I sat, I ate, I grew," he writes in the book. "I felt different from everyone else — like an alien. The looks I received when I was 320 pounds were ones usually reserved for three-eyed monsters, half-man half-woman reptiles, creatures with hideous rolls of skin that sweated profusely and jiggled when they walked. That last one really was me."

He has seen firsthand the high price of diabetes. His father, who also was a diabetic, died at 47 of a heart attack, one of the major complications of the disease. One of his two overweight sisters also has diabetes and is blind and on dialysis.

The actor was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes when he was 17, but he didn't take it seriously for years. A doctor told him once that he was committing "slow suicide." Furst just scoffed at the remark and kept eating.

He describes himself as a food addict. "My bourbon is bonbons, my martini is manicotti with extra cheese. Forget cocaine; bring on the Cocoa Puffs. Actually, when I was a child, I used to eat sugar Frosted Flakes with chocolate milk, but I digest, I mean digress."

But not paying attention to his diabetes and his weight eventually caught up with him. Furst had a cataract removed from one eye, and he has a diabetic condition called neuropathy in his feet, which has left him with very little feeling and poor circulation.

It wasn't until he was 40 and landed in the hospital with an infection on his left foot — and doctors talked about amputating part of it — that Furst decided he had to lose weight.

He met with a dietitian, and much of what he learned was "common sense," he says. "You can eat a lot more vegetables than you can cotton candy. Bring on the veggies. Stay away from the fluffy carbs."

He figured out ways to cut fat and control carbohydrates. He revamped his cooking style. He made lots of soups, and when he was on the road and hungry, he drank coffee.

Furst lost about two pounds a week for a year. "One of the key things I did to stay on my diet is I never allowed myself to get hungry. As soon as I got hungry, I'd eat healthy foods."

At first he couldn't exercise at all, but he took the batteries out of his remote control and started walking over to change the channels on the TV. And he'd go upstairs to get things he needed instead of sending his children.

Later, he began doing yard work and started with 10 minutes on the StairMaster. Now, he goes to the gym three times a week and does the StairMaster for 20 to 30 minutes and lifts weights on machines for 20 minutes or so. On the other days, he takes extra-long walks with his dog.

He no longer has to take insulin shots and is down to one pill a day for his diabetes. He had to have surgery to remove eight pounds of extra skin around his midsection, arms and thighs.

Furst is worried about the increase in Type 2 diabetes in this country and hopes others are motivated by his success and will try his recipes.

"I hope this book helps them find humor in a serious situation," Furst says. "They can laugh their way to being thin."