NON LOW CARB SUCCESS STORIES

[FordPrefect]

Well I wont have my hba1c done until beginning of next month but last one was in the right direction down from 9.2 to 7.2, and given my meter readings expecting to be around 6.5ish. But did have some great news today cholesterol down from 5.3 to 4.2. Not sure if its better diet, sugars under control to some extent or the benecol margarine I have been using

[cugila]

Hi Folks.

Well, finally the 'spring cleaning' of this thread is complete. Removing off topic and other stuff.
This has all been whittled away to the actual Success Stories which is what it should be. So if you post your story here, let's leave the congratulations to a pm or post something elsewhere. That way it makes this far easier to read.

[FordPrefect]

Well following on from getting a nice 4.3 in the cholesterol test I have now had my hba1c and am down to 5.6% ! Really happy with the result as its the first time in 2 years I have been below the target 6.5 to 7 %! Still got more issues as it hasnt solved the tiredness and other problems I have been having but at least I know something is sorted!

[nabser]

Wsa with my endocrinologist today first visit in twelve months on his say so,went well enough my cholesterol is under 3 and my hba1c was 5.2 which i am more than happy about even if it was 5.1 last year.

[Sid Bonkers]

A quick update.

I was diagnosed in May last year with an Ac1 of 12.9%, I was put straight on insulin and metformin. I read as much as I could about diabetes and found this and other forums very helpful in deciding my management of the disease. Following recommendations from my diabetes nurse and forum members here I set out greatly reducing portion sizes and cut down on the carbs I ate and opted for low GI foods wherever possible.

Over the first 6 months I managed to loose just under 4 stones in weight and started to reduce my insulin, I had started on 10 units four times a day but needed to increase this initial dose up to 12 units four times a day in the first week. As I started to loose the weight my insulin usage started to drop whilst keeping my bg levels stable. By January this year I had reduced my insulin to around sixteen units a day split into 5 units before breakfast, two before lunch, three before evening meal and six units at bedtime.

I had stopped taking steroids for a lung condition in November and by the middle of January my insulin usage started to drop faster than it had throughout the last year and on the 18th February after consultation with my d-nurse I stopped the insulin treatment altogether. That same week I had a blood test Ac1 result of 5.5%.

It is now 3 months since I stopped insulin and a couple of weeks ago I had another HB Ac1 done, I was hopping for a result under 6% but to be honest I would have been happy with anything in the 6's. I was over the moon when a letter arrived from my d-nurse stating an Ac1 of 5.7% and telling me she would be discharging me back to my GP for future management.


I feel that my moderate low carb diet coupled with reduced portion sizes and low GI foods have been solely responsible for my current level of control and as I have not had to cut out any foods completely (although pasta and breakfast cereal are now just an occasional treat) feel it is a lifestyle I can continue with and hopefully maintain the same level of control.

[griffy]

Now I know that's an unusual headline for posts in this forum, but I am very happy! I'm not here to gloat, just to share good news because when I was first diagnosed with T2 at the beginning of June this year I didn't quite know what had hit me and I want people to understand that you can make a difference (although I do totally understand that isn't always the case) but I hope this will inspire any newbie's that it's not ALL doom and gloom. So, this is what I did after I stopped the panic:

1. I cut out the rubbish in my diet and cut down the portion sizes. I allowed myself a little of what I wasn't allowed and a lot of what I was allowed! However, I do on the whole avoid chocolate, puddings, crisps and pre-packed foods unless there's an emergency! I now eat more fish and lean meats, fruit and veg.

2. I went to see a proper nutritionist who told me not to eat bananas and melons due to their sugar content. She diagnosed an intolerance to citrus fruits, so now I have mango, berries and apples. I also really love mango & berry smoothies (produced at a health food shop whilst you wait) . The nutritionist has also put me on Cholesterase with my doctor's permission, they both agree this is a good halfway house rather than statins to sort cholesterol problem due to diabetes(I have some liver problems so statins weren't ideal).

3. I cut down somewhat on the carbs but didn't cut them out significantly, I have new potatoes and the odd jacket spud but chips are out (apart from birthday treats!). I also shifted from brown bread, pasta and rice and switched to wholegrain, but I tend to keep all this to a minimum.

4. I started swimming, between once and twice a week and I walk the dog faster (important) rather than dawdling.

5. I stopped drinking alcohol, although I now drink a glass of red or a dark rum & diet coke once every 10 days or so - and enjoy it thoroughly I have to say, probably more so than when I drank regularly and didn't appreciate it.

6. Went on metformin, 1500mg per day.

7. I stopped worrying about the negative effects of diabetes and started to think about what I wanted to enjoy in my life. This was key I think in keeping me on the straight and narrow. If you sit thinking about all the negative stuff, guess what, you become negative. Now how does that help? If my diabetes gets worse thats when I'll worry, but for now I'm doing all I can for that not to happen.

So, end result? Came back from my doctors today who's reported my cholesterol has come down from 9 to 4.1 and also the good/bad ratio has improved (still more to go though). He was very worried about my liver function (from yellow jaundice and glandular fever some 11 years ago) and one of the tests (that should have come out under 30) was 155 three months ago, today is 53.

Oh, and I've lost 2.5 stone . Sugar levels were 10, now averaging 6 - again some work to do there and still have another 2 stone to lose.

I had to share this with some of you who were really there for me in the early days. I haven't been on this Forum much over the last few months as I've been living life and I think that's where some people can get the wrong impression with this forum. Just because there's a lot of people asking for help here and there can be some negative messages, that doesn't mean you can't win (or keep diabetes under control). It just means that some people once they've got their head around it don't come back and report the up side and that's precisely why I wanted to submit this post.

I'm not saying everything's going to be fantastic in the future, no idea what will happen next, but I've found that I can hopefully take control.

So good luck to everyone and if I can answer any questions I'll try - but remember I am still a relative novice and this is only my own experience. An early valuable lesson was that everyone is individual and their symptoms/results can vary.

Griffy.

[Ka-Mon]

I was diagnosed two years ago and luckily my GP encouraged me to test and find out for myself what I can safely consume. After a couple of months I did find out what and how much of it was "safe" for me but I had to cut my portions so much that I was hungry all the time. I tried eating very small portions six times a day but that was not always possible, especially when out and about.

I then met a guy who introduced me to this forum where I learned a lot by reading in the background. The guy I met also helped me a lot and introduced me to Mediterranean diet. This diet helped me enormously in keeping both my BG levels at a normal level and also losing 2 stones in weight.

This is one diet that is easy for me to stick with and I don't feel hungry all the time any more. But obviously, I still have to make sure I don't over eat, If I do then my BG will hit the double figures. If I keep to normal portions I can even eat a bar of snickers as afters or a very small piece of cake, mostly home made but some times I nick a small piece of the chocolate cake that the wife buys for herself and our son. Not always possible though with both of them keeping an eye me.

It works for me but might not work for others, the only way to find out is to try it and test.

[Pac]

Shouldn't the message below - "My expanded story of Type 2 reversal
by wallycorker » September 16th, 2009, 11:38 pm" - be included as a LOW CARB SUCCESS STORY, rather than a non low carb story ?

My name is John I am 65 years of age and I live in the UK. I thought that others might be interested to hear my story regarding the reversal of my Type 2 diabetic condition by self-management.

I'm a Type 2 who was diagnosed nearly nine years ago in the very early stages of diabetes (at that time with a fasting blood glucose level just over 7 and with an HbA1c still in the 5s).

At that stage: FBS 7.4, 7.7 & 7.4; HbA1c 5.7%; TC 7.0; LDL 5.2; HDL 1.07; TG 1.6; BP 164/109; BMI 38.8

My GP prescribed medication to improve my cholesterol (simvastatin increasing throughout the period covered from 10g > 20g > 40g) and also tablets to reduce my blood pressure (bisoprolol and ramipril).

I was given the standard UK advice of "do not test" and "eat plenty of starchy carbohydrate". I'm a good patient and followed that advice!

Despite doing that, my situation gradually worsened over the next seven years with my HbA1c rising slowly and the health professionals continually telling me that things were generally “satisfactory".

HBa1c Progression: 5.3 > 5.7 > 5.9 > 5.7 > 6.2 > 6.3 > 7.1 > 6.7 > 7.4 > 8.2

Eventually, when my HbA1c eventually reached 9.4%, my GP prescribed metformin (500mg twice daily) but he and all the other health authorities still told me to follow the same advice of "do not test" and "eat plenty of starchy carbohydrate".

At that stage: TC 5.3; LDL 2.9; HDL 1.1; TG 2.85; BP 130/80; BMI 39.4)

For a while, the metformin seemed to make my levels a little bit better but after twelve months my HbA1c had climbed back to a level of 8.5%.

HbA1c Progression: 9.4 > 7.2 > 6.7 > 8.5

At that stage: TC 4.2; LDL 2.0; HDL 1.0; TG 2.56; BP 125/75; BMI 38.7

Because of this deterioration, my GP doubled the metformin dose (1000mg twice daily) yet at the same time he and the other health authorities still continued to tell me to keep following the "do not test" and "eat plenty of starchy carbohydrate" advice.

I decided that it was about time that I found out much more about what was happening and started looking for reading matter on Amazon. Motivated by a book that I read about reversing diabetes written by a US doctor called Dr Neil Barnard, I started my improvement programme by initially changing eating to a very-low fat, whole food diet with lots of fruit and vegetables and very low alcohol diet. At the same time, but as what I saw a separate exercise, I started calorie counting to lose weight and because of that inadvertently and unconsciously started reducing my carbohydrate consumption. I also decided to disregard my GP's advice and started testing.

Immediately that I adopted these dietary changes, my blood glucose levels improved remarkably and have continued to do so - my HbA1c readings over the last twelve months dropping from 8.5 > 6.8 > 5.7 > 5.5 and to 5.3% last time. My regular finger prick tests indicate that my present level is even lower today.

This testing also quite clearly showed me that the starchy carbohydrates that I had been eating so enthusiastically on medical advice was, in fact, my worst enemy – especially in the morning at breakfast. I have almost eliminated cereals such as porridge, All Bran, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat etc from my diet altogether. My GP had been encouraging me to try eating porridge for lunch! Whenever I do eat cereal these days it tends to be a nut-based granola. By managing my carbohydrate intake, I have managed to normalise my blood glucose levels to largely achieve the following levels:

Fasting – Less than 6 mmol/l
One hour after finishing eating – Less than 8 mmol/l

These days my fasting blood glucose levels never reach the greater than 7 mmol/l level that is needed to diagnose diabetes – also, my HbA1c is in the normal range and less than it was at diagnosis. By using normal detection methods, medical people would not realise that I was diabetic unless either I told them or they were to carry out a glucose tolerance test.

At the same time, I have gained very significant and quite dramatic improvements in my cholesterol numbers, together with a further lowering of my blood pressure and, in addition, a major weight loss of 30kg to take me out of the obese category.

Today: TC 3.1; LDL 1.5; HDL 1.1; TG 1.18; BP 105/60; BMI 29.8

My blood pressure is now lower than that of my thirteen-year-old, always-active, sports-mad grandson.

I would summarise my current diet as being low saturated fat, reduced carbohydrate with lots of fruit and vegetables and with a very low alcohol intake - any alcohol that I do drink these days tends to be the odd glass of red wine on infrequent occasions. Also, any carbohydrate that I do eat I try to make low GI/GL – brown rice, spelt pasta, sweet potatoes and such like.

My GP who had initially refused to prescribe test strips has been left almost speechless – simply reduced to uttering words such as “amazing, unbelievable, very surprised” etc in a repetitive manner. Moreover, he now prescribes strips for me on a regular basis without my even asking – on the basis that it is cheaper than prescribing insulin. I remind him that was my motivation to ask for strips nine months earlier – and also to keep as far as I could away from the quite horrible complications that can come along with poorly-controlled diabetes.

I consider that what I have achieved to have been quite easy to do and simple. These days, I am in the process of questioning at every opportunity the advice that Type 2s are given in the UK – and, wherever I can, I am campaigning against the quite appalling "do not test" and "eat plenty of starchy carbohydrate" advice that is being given to most Type 2 diabetics.

At present, after nine years, I have no symptoms or complications whatsoever that I am aware of. However, I never consider that anything is forever and I am anxious to interact with others to learn what more is achievable in the long term.

I hope that my story may inspire and motivate others.

Best wishes - John

[noblehead]

Not really Pac, Wallycorker mentions he eats a reduced carb diet and if my memory serves me right his carb consumption was 120-130g of carbs a day (mainly fruit) although going by a recent poll on the forum this could still be classed as low-carb.

Nigel

[catherinecherub]

At the time that it was posted you were lucky to be called anything but a high carber if you were eating as described. Things have changed on the forum.

[Sid Bonkers]

Shouldn't the message below - "My expanded story of Type 2 reversal
by wallycorker » September 16th, 2009, 11:38 pm" - be included as a LOW CARB SUCCESS STORY, rather than a non low carb story ?

I would summarise my current diet as being low saturated fat, reduced carbohydrate with lots of fruit and vegetables and with a very low alcohol intake -

I think this must have been posted before wallycorker changed his mind and became low carb

That said I think this forum is redundant now as pretty much everyone reduces their carb intake this forum was set up I believe when there was a lot of bickering between the reduced carbers and the ultra low carbers who apparently are now low carb high fatters. Fashion eh

[Sid Bonkers]

To save bowell the trouble

[Pac]

Many thanks noblehead, catherinecherub and Sid Bonkers for your explanations and information.

It was this part of wallycorker’s message that threw me:

“... and, wherever I can, I am campaigning against the quite appalling "do not test" and "eat plenty of starchy carbohydrate" advice that is being given to most Type 2 diabetics.”

I’m still fairly new to the world of fighting diabetes, so I’m still susceptible to confusion, but I am so grateful to everyone who has and continues to contribute to the wealth of information on this forum.

[viviennem]

I've read this thread with interest. It just goes to show that everyone is different (again!), and I'm pleased people have had such success. When I've got the next 4 stone off I may well be able to become a 'reduced' carber instead of a 'low' carber, which would be quite nice - much as I love my present diet!

Viv

[Maddiemo1]

I haven't read this non low carb section before. I really don't understand it. Can someone explaine please. I am on a low carb diet and I feel really bad most days, no energy joint pain, and headaches. I feel so much better when I have carbs.
Now reading this post I don't understand as you are all eating carbs feel great and loosing weight. How have you done it when eating carbs? I have lost weight and don't want to loose anymore.
If I eat carbs my BS goes to high. So what is your diet like and also your BS leavels?
Your success story's are great