Got my first 3 month HBA1c results this morning

sanguine

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3,340
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Intolerance, career politicians, reality TV and so-called celebrity culture, mobile phones in the quiet carriage.
Gudrun (or anyone else) - no disrespect to Andrew's app, but if you want a simpler Excel-based spreadsheet with graphs (which is where Andrew started I think) I can send you a copy of mine as a template. Just send me a PM/Conversation (envelope icon on red bar at the top next to your name) with your email address.
 
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BigStevie1973

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Well done Andrew!! I was diagnosed in March 2013 weighing in at 26 stone 6 lbs (370 lbs / 167.8 Kg) with an HbA1c of 97 (IFCC) / 11 (DCCT) and like you decided that that was the kick up the proverbial that I needed to get myself in shape. I took up serious exercising and managed to get my HbA1c down to 36 / 5.4 within about 3-4 months and as such was the first patient that my doctor was able to take off medication (Metformin). To date I have lost 6.5 stone (41.3 Kg) and am still going to the gym 4/5 times a week for up to three hours at a time!! It is a really tough slog but totally worth it as I probably feel better than I have done for years if not ever!! Keep up the good fight!!
 
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sanguine

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Intolerance, career politicians, reality TV and so-called celebrity culture, mobile phones in the quiet carriage.
Wow Stevie, respect!
 

AndBreathe

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Well done Andrew!! I was diagnosed in March 2013 weighing in at 26 stone 6 lbs (370 lbs / 167.8 Kg) with an HbA1c of 97 (IFCC) / 11 (DCCT) and like you decided that that was the kick up the proverbial that I needed to get myself in shape. I took up serious exercising and managed to get my HbA1c down to 36 / 5.4 within about 3-4 months and as such was the first patient that my doctor was able to take off medication (Metformin). To date I have lost 6.5 stone (41.3 Kg) and am still going to the gym 4/5 times a week for up to three hours at a time!! It is a really tough slog but totally worth it as I probably feel better than I have done for years if not ever!! Keep up the good fight!!
Fabulous Stevie. What sort of routine blood scores are you achieving these days, and what sort of eating plan did you adopt along the way?
 

memememeiii

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Messages
147
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Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
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Dunno. Strange question.
Wow. That's complicated, but I'd love a version of this. I still don't understand what you did to achieve these results. ie. diet and exercise.
 

andcol

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exercise was on the push bike or treadmill or running on the spot with the wii for 30 mins before breakfast and 1 hour after eating in the evening and also going for a walk at lunch time after eating my lunch.

Food was about 800 to 1000 calories a day for a couple of months and then increased quantities (to 1500 cals) to slow down weight loss. Had to be aware of muscle wastage after the easy fat has gone. Slowly increasing further to stabilise.
 
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brettsza

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H Andrew

Just wondering so you did not really do the newcastle diet but exercise and low carb low fat food is it?
Sorry I have just been trying to gather info as much as possible on NC diet
 

andcol

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well it was low carb and low fat but mostly low calorie. I would say I tried to have enough protein to maintain my muscles. I estimated about 800 to 1000 calories with about 300 calories exercise a day
 
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Living-by-the-beach

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520
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Diet only
My lifestyle before diagnoses (one week before xmas) was pretty awful. I got up, dressed, showered, 4 weetabix for breakfast with 2 deserts spoons of sugar (or 4 slices of white bread toast). Drive to work (75 mins) sit at my desk and rarely move from it except to get cups of tea or hot chocolate. Lunch time would be a cheese and ham baguette and a couple of chocolate bars then sat at my desk until I would leave work at about 7pm or 8pm. Then drive home (60 mins) and have dinner: huge plate of chips with some meat, and a large portion of something sweet. My drink with my dinner would be a pint of milk or a pint of coke/orangeade... Then it was either off to the sofa or sit on the computer and either play world of warcraft or work on my latest project. Then off to bed and start all over again. A lifestyle that I expect many recognise unfortunately.

When I was diagnosed, which wasn't unexpected as I had issues getting to work without wetting myself (I needed to go for a wee every 50 mins), I was still left in shock. I saw the doctor a week earlier when he did a finger prick test and I came out at 24mmol/L which meant nothing to me at the time and tested for ketones (there weren't any). He asked me to do a fasting blood glucose and HbA1c blood test with the nurse and gave me a prescription for 2x500mg metformin if the results of diabeties comes out positive and a load of literature from diabetes.org/nhs and for getting myself on courses etc. So I had all this information and just sat in limbo for week until the 18th December when I rang the surgery and got told yes my result indicated I was diabetic. So straight round, got the tablets, and decided "right time for a lifestyle change". The first thing though was to understand what I had and not just in layman's terms. So I got my daughter's biomedical science texts (degree) and read these cover to cover in the areas around the function of the liver and pancreas. I also researched metformin to understand what it was doing to help my body cope. I ordered a static stand for my bike which my wife wrapped up as a xmas pressie and up until xmas I started to cut down my portion sizes. So breakfast went from 4 weetabix with sugar to 2 weetabix no sugar through stages (still not had toast since the day of diagnosis). No chocolate bars or cakes, and my meal sizes were reduced. I added the only real veggies I like to my diet (raw carrots) and I scoff them even today. I also research nuts and found that hazelnuts were full of monunsaturated fats and arginine which stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin and started adding these to my diet.

So not a huge change up to this point. After xmas I found that I wasnt fit enough to actually get on my bike and cycle for even 5 mins. Now that was more of a shock than the diagnosis. So I had to start gently using Wii fit plus (where I recorded my weight changes originally). I would start with managing about 10 mins of exercise at most. Within weeks I was doing 20 to 30 mins of jogging around the room before breakfast. My diet I also changed. I went thought the OMG carbs moment and my lunch went to a handful of chicken, 6 carrot sticks, 4 raspberries, 6 blueberries, 12 hazelnuts! I had this every day for the month of January and I cut my breakfast down to just one weetabix. The evening meals was a small portion of chicken casserole, shepherd's pie, etc (normal food) with more carrot sticks

Ok got to walk the dogs. Will continue in the next post when I get back

@Andrew Colvin

I read your blog from start to finish and like you I've upped the exercise & now lost 58lbs. I started at 18 stone or 252 lbs. My BMI is now down to 23.7 yet my BG numbers are still high. At what point did your numbers start becoming "Un-diabetic?"
 
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Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Well as you all can see from below I was diagnosed a week before Christmas just 3 months or so ago with an HBA1c of 91mmol/mol (10.5%) and a fasting of 9.4 mmol/L

So today I toddled down to see my DSN to get the results from a blood test I had taken on 26th March and it was hard work not to ring up at the beginning of the week to get the results. So my DSN was very pleased to see me and was really happy.

My HBA1c result has reduced to 40 mmol/mol (5.8%).

I showed her my fasting readings plotted alongside my percentage weight loss graph and she couldn't believe it either. You can see that I have lost over 20% of my body mass and managed to hit my target of being below 14 stone at the review (I am now 13st 13 lbs and 12 Oz as of this morning) . I have lost 3 stone 10 pounds (52lbs 24kgs) in the 3 months. She now doesn't want to see me until my annual review

Sorry I know it is a little bit of showing off but actually I'm quite proud. Another 2 stone to go though so will let you know when/if I ever reach it.
View attachment 3966
T
 
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
It is heart warming to know I can be normal to a great extent again. I was diagnosed with type 2 two weeks ago. I was really devastated I cried my eyes out. But since then I have been working off my weight on the threading mill and adjusted my diet kudos to you. You can pls share your methods with me.
 
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ron77

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Thanks. Still working on it. My levels have nicely stabilised now even though I am eating a lot more carbs and I am down to 13 st 6 lbs. Still trying for the 12 but slower.
Hope you all have as much luck as me

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

awesome job Andrew!
Have you had a recent glucose tolerance to see how close you are to a complete reversal?
You've inspired me!
 

andcol

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No Glucose Tolerance but several very normal HbA1c tests.
 

andcol

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3,176
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I reversed my Type 2
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If/when I overdo the carbs then I go up around 9mmol/l and stay around there. I never go double figures
 
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AndBreathe

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If/when I overdo the carbs then I go up around 9mmol/l and stay around there. I never go double figures

As a matter of interest, and education, Andrew, how long do you stay around 9mmol/L?
 

andcol

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I reversed my Type 2
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Ahh that depends on what I eat and how active I have been. If when at 8s or 9s and I do 10 mins of walking I am instantly in the 5s or 6s. I also find that if I have been low carbing when I raise my numbers then I stay higher longer than if I have been high carbing. My muscles seem to get some form of insulin sensitivity memory (physiological insulin resistance). I have also found that I am more sensitive on days I have been eating carrots; only just worked this out.
 

Time2Change

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Messages
63
Were you ever diagnosed with a fatty liver ? .... I believe that is the key to success ..... if the liver fat can be reduced/eliminated and essentially given a full service I think that can really help to sort out the rest of the engine.

As far as I am aware this is no easy task, I mean the last thing your body is going to want to do is burn that delicious fat off your liver .... too many easier options for it to visit first. Perhaps the fact that you took a relatively extreme approach actually got that liver functioning as it should giving the rest of your body time to reset.