Guys im a gp
I do know what diabetes is and how its diagnosed but i was just confused about tge results. Im just a gp and no endocrinologist so whatever i studied about diabetes during college was not in depth as what an endocrinologist studied.
What i also know is that there is something called obesity related diabetes and thats not only because youre overweight...normal BMI people can even have it. Its because the internal organs that regulated glucose metabolism ( liver and pancreas ) are covered with a thick layer of fat and that causes them to function in a less than optimum manner. Ive had a fatty liver ( not alcoholic fatty liver ) for years and maybe thats the reason but ive always got regular blood check ups and everything was good. So thats why i was wondering if is was a phase or something is actually wrobg with my pancreas( but i think not brcause my OGTT was normal )or my tissue insulin receptors. And i wanted to know now if i stay at about 85 kg now but start eating more carbs but try not to gain a massive amount of food..will this keep my glucose levels normal or not?
And another question.. if i start taking metformin just to keep my weight at about 85kg and normal blood sugars but without qctually dieting...has anyone tried this before ? And did it work?
Sorry for the long post guys and thanks a lot for replying
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Ooh, we get to advise a GP! (Sorry, that is making me gleeful).
You have an impaired metabolism, and carbs will
always be a problem. You can still have carbs and reduce portion size, but in all likelyhood that will mean you will progress to full fledged T2. While going hungry in the meantime. You already were borderline diabetic with the HbA1c of 6.8. Just barely still in the prediabetic stage. You missed a T2 diagnosis by a hair. Remember, the weight came on because of your impaired ability to process carbs: When you're insensitive to your own insulin, rather than help you burn off the blood sugars, it just stores the glucose in available fat cells instead. You don't get diabetes because you're obese (or TOFI: Thin Outside, Fat Inside), you get bigger
because you are becoming a diabetic. It's when the cells can no longer cater to the storage demand, that the glucose spills out into the rest of your body, because it's got nowhere else to go. Blood, organs, saliva, tears. Voila, T2. In any case... Going for medication means you're opting for progression, unless you either combine it with a low carb diet, or just go diet-only. If you can keep up the low carb deal, all the better. No progression, no complications, no medication. And as a GP, you get to help your patients the same way you're helping yourself.
Anyway, whether you do that with or without metformin, well.. That's up to you, really, but the possible side effects are.... Unpleasant. (I ended up weak, dehydrated, and bleeding from ends I never ever wanted to bleed from. Living in the loo is not for everyone.)
As for the NAFLD, my liver was so fatty the endo thought it was one big tumorous mass, and I was mere weeks from dying. Took an additional MRI and CT to find out it was an "abnormal stacking of fat", and I was told there was nothing I could do about it. And to come back when the pain worsened and cirrhosis set in! Gee, that's helpful! Well... On low carb the fat melted off of my liver. Liver function is back to normal, and the only way to see I ever had NAFLD is to do an ultrasound, because it sure isn't showing in my bloodwork anymore.
https://www.drberg.com/blog/how-to-reverse-a-fatty-liver#how might help a litte too, Dr. Berg explains it better than I can. (Ignore the pop-ups, he knows a lot so it's worth it to click through.).
This is my own little quick-start guide,
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ which might help a little in picking your way forwards. But the absolute best things you can do? Read Dr. Jason Fung's The Diabetes Code and visit
www.dietdoctor.com. This forum's website (diabetes.co.uk , NOT .org!!!), has a load of information too. And maybe watch some of Dr. Eric Berg's youtube video's. He once was where you now are, after all.
And yeah... My own GP doesn't know much about T2 either. You guys have so much to keep up with it's practically undoable. But she agreed to see where things'd go on this diet, will let me test anything I ask for, and I am her guinea pig. I'm the only one in the practice to go from full fledged T2/metabolic syndrome to normalising everything: The T2, fatty liver, cholesterol, weight.... My bloodpressure already was low, but.... If this can help you help yourself, and the many patients you'll have in your career... I have a feeling you'll have a very successful practice in the coming decades.
Jo