After reversing T2D questions

[Siorac99]

Hi,
I'm doing a diet and regular (and vigorous) exercise 6 - 7 times a week. Already lost 3+ stones.
I expect my doctor to take me off Metformin (2x 500mg / day) soon - even before my diet and weight loss the HbA1c was 49 - 50 and I'm hoping that it will be much lower than that now (I'll go for a fasting blood test after Christmas).
The meter says 4.8 - 5.8 in the mornings depending on how long I have been fasting (on weekdays sometimes I only have 5 hours to sleep).
Even during my diet, I have had some chocolate and cannot imagine a future without having some.
If I'm successful with reversing my diabetes and stopped the Metformin, can I eat some chocolate / cake (provided that I keep my diet under control and exercise 3 - 4 times a week when I reached my healthy BMI which is still 1.5 stones to go)?
Many thanks

 

[Prem51]

Hi @Siorac99, well done on your good fbgs and weight loss. Your diet and exercise should get you a lower HbA1c at next test.
The only way you will know if eating chocolate and cake will raise your bgs is to continue testing.
I have the occasional high carb/sugar treats too, which don't usually affect my readings too much. The danger is that one 'treat' can lead to another and I could let carb creep raise my bgs to diabetic levels again.

After the initial shock at diagnosis I lost about 3 stone and reduced my HBa1c to 39. But becoming complacent and eating more carby stuff again my weight has crept up, and so has my bg readings.
I am still 18 lbs below my weight at diagnosis, and my last HbA1c in October was up to 46, still less than the 47s I was getting before diagnosis. But I know I need to be careful not to go any higher.

 

[Bluetit1802]

One thing you cannot rely on is vigorous exercising to keep it all under control. There may come a day when you can't do this. Injury, illness and ageing come into play and life gets in the way. All you have to rely on really is diet. If eating chocolates and cakes brought you to being overweight and diabetes, then it can bring you back again. No harm in treats, but these can easily turn to regular daily treats if you aren't careful, especially if you have cravings. There is so far no cure. Just remission.

 

[Siorac99]

Hi @Siorac99, well done on your good fbgs and weight loss. Your diet and exercise should get you a lower HbA1c at next test.
The only way you will know if eating chocolate and cake will raise your bgs is to continue testing.
I have the occasional high carb/sugar treats too, which don't usually affect my readings too much. The danger is that one 'treat' can lead to another and I could let carb creep raise my bgs to diabetic levels again.

After the initial shock at diagnosis I lost about 3 stone and reduced my HBa1c to 39. But becoming complacent and eating more carby stuff again my weight has crept up, and so has my bg readings.
I am still 18 lbs below my weight at diagnosis, and my last HbA1c in October was up to 46, still less than the 47s I was getting before diagnosis. But I know I need to be careful not to go any higher.

Thanks @Prem51.
I know, I know One treat leads to another. I actually think that carbs are addictive...
But having some treats help me to stay on the path

 

[Siorac99]

One thing you cannot rely on is vigorous exercising to keep it all under control. There may come a day when you can't do this. Injury, illness and ageing come into play and life gets in the way. All you have to rely on really is diet. If eating chocolates and cakes brought you to being overweight and diabetes, then it can bring you back again. No harm in treats, but these can easily turn to regular daily treats if you aren't careful, especially if you have cravings. There is so far no cure. Just remission.

Well, it was not eating chocolates and cakes that brought me the extra pounds and T2D. Might have contributed though.
It was more the lack of exercise. Up until my 21st birthday I was a very fit guy and spent a lot of time outdoors and in the gym.
Of course, there was no internet (easily available for everyone...) back then. And I was not working in an office. Life has changed a lot since 1996...

When it comes to diet, many people try the often mentioned Newcastle diet. I tried too but it was not working for me. I can limit the carbs and fat but cannot follow a diet for long if it's under 1600 calories. Instead, I can go to the gym and do at least a 60 minutes workout (but it was 105 minutes yesterday). I can even do it if I go to the gym at 10:00 PM.
By vigorous, I mean that I keep my heart rate between 155 - 170, which is at the age of 43 is good enough for me.
I know it's not for everyone and actually, I didn't think that I had it in me.

When I reach my healthy weight I will keep controlling my diet, but wouldn't want to spend all my spare time in the gym so I will limit it to 3 - 4 times a week.

There's another benefit of regular exercise, or at least I think it's because of it. Year after year I was the first one to catch a cold, and it took longer to recover than it did for others. Just a year ago I had it twice.
This year everyone was sick but me

 

[Rachox]

Well done on your achievements so far! I’m just curious, do you test at any other time of day other than fasting and can you clarify that you have been counting carbs or just calories to lose weight? I just don’t want you to have any nasty surprises at your next blood test because you’ve been cutting calories but not carbs which could result in high post prandial readings

 

[Bluetit1802]

There's another benefit of regular exercise, or at least I think it's because of it. Year after year I was the first one to catch a cold, and it took longer to recover than it did for others. Just a year ago I had it twice.
This year everyone was sick but me

I am genuinely pleased for you. However, as another n=1 I do not do vigorous exercise. I do not go to gyms. All I do is walk the dog and general household stuff. I will be 71 in a couple of weeks. I have never had flu. I haven't had a cold in 20 years or more. It is not because of my lifestyle, it is because I have a strong immune system that takes care of things like that. I also lost 33% of my body weight, have maintained this and have had normal glucose levels since 2014. So for me, exercise has not been important.

All I was saying is, at present you are able to do all this exercise, and you enjoy it, so I take my hat off to you. However, you are just a babe at 43. The time may come when your body won't like all the exercise. It could come tomorrow if you break your leg (I sincerely hope you don't, but you get my meaning). I am not decrying exercise at all. It is good for us in many ways, but has far less to do with weight loss than a suitable diet does, and has nothing to do with not catching colds as far as I am aware. I was simply trying to say that if you manage to get yourself in remission from diabetes, exercise alone won't keep you there. Diet might.