- Messages
- 18
- Type of diabetes
- Prediabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
This is my first post based on my experience.
October 2020 I found out by accident from the nurse giving me my annual flu jab that I was prediabetic and I had been for at least a year. I am white, female, 68 years old, on medication for high blood pressure and in October weighed 10st 10lbs with a BMI of 24.9. therefore was not obese. Test result in August - Haemoglobin A1c level - IFCC standardised (XaPbt) 42 mmol/mol which was taken as part of a series of tests for a UTI.
I was totally shocked because I am not overweight and don’t eat sweet food, I don’t even like cakes, biscuits, puddings, chocolate, fruit juice, icecream, jam, fizzy drinks etc and I am very active for my age. I do like and was eating a variety of meales to include pulses, wholewheat bread, masses of veg/salads, diary, fruit, brown rice, oats, barley, nuts, seeds, fish/shellfish, poultry, game, lamb, pork etc infact all my friends considered my diet to be exceptionally healthy as did I. I drink 1.5 bottles of wine spread over a week, plus water, coffee and tea.
The nurse on realising I hadn’t been previously told immediately offered me support and said someone would contact me.
The support came from Diabetes UK charity (Chris Askew is the CEO and the NHS use them to help diabetic patients) and their recommendation was to basically eat healthily, exercise and loose weight. As I already did two of those things and apparently was a healthy weight I was shocked again as I couldn’t see how continuing with my current lifestyle would reverse my prediabetic situation, they wouldn't take on board that I was not overweight and didn't eat sugar or processed food. My parents who died at the ages of 82 and 92 had not been diabetic, overweight or sedentary. It just didn’t make sense so I started my research and found that low carb diets can reverse type 2 diabetes and assumed the same would be true for prediabetics. I asked for support to do that but was told they couldn’t support me on a low carb diet.
Since the beginning of October I have been following a low carb diet (below 50 carbs per day) and learning a lot on the way, it is complex and not easy and many websites worldwide say you should do this with supervision from your doctor, but I know that is not possible with the NHS. I am still not sure if I am eating the right amount of fat, protein and carbs each day, but I am detemined to reverse my situation as my husband died from cancer and diabetes - he didn’t heal from the cancer operation. I believe I have visceral fat and this may have developed over 12 years of severe stress.
I currently weigh 10st 8lbs and have a BMI of 24.6. Weather permittiing I walk on average 15 miles per week up and down the side of Bishopdale in the YDNP where I am lucky enough to live. Weather being bad currently I am cycling on my exercise bike (42 kilometers per week).
I have scientific/medical friends in California and they have just advised me to look up Dr Jason Fung and I have ordered his book “The Diabetes Code” which I understand advocates fasting to help.
My observations regarding diabetes is that the consensus in tackling this disease/condition in the UK is to follow a low calorie/low fat diet but there is growing scientific evidence world wide that low carb diets work much better (Dr David Unwin recommends this) and are more sustainable (I have looked at world wide studies and what people are saying, particulary on this website. The scientific and medical profession in the main appear to be against the low carb diet because there is no long term data to reference. Due to the growing UK population with obesity and diabetes the scientific/medical fraternity are only offering weight reduction as a solution but people like myself don’t fall within that category and if my predisposition to diabetes is not generic then further research is required to understand what causes diabetes and what can remedy a reversal/control through diet for those not overweight and presumably will help everyone in the long run.
I have written to Amanda Pritchard, NHS CEO, Professor Ron Taylor who advocates calorie controlled dieting for a short period and Chris Askew CEO of Diabetes UK, who's organisation said they couldn't support me and copied my MP Rishi Sunak. I have asked them why they are not acknowledging world wide studies and the work of Dr David Unwin regarding low carb diets.
Since writing I see there is a website commissioned by the NHS called "low carb program" and there is a page where NHS patients who have been referred by their healthcare team can register with a referral code and so presumably they don't pay everyone else has to pay. My question is what is the NHS criteria for patients to be referred, clearly I wasn't I was just lucky to find out that I was prediabetic when I did. Does anyone in the UK have a sympathetic GP who helps them reverse diabetes/prediabetes on a low carb diet? Is Dr David Unwin the only one? Has anyone been referred to the low carb program by their healthcare team?
I currently weigh 10st 8lbs and have a BMI of 24.6 so have only lost 2lbs in 2 months and I only deviated from my diet on Christmas day and boxing day. I don't have problems keeping to the low carb diet - I quite like it just miss boiled potatoes and sourdough bread.
I have found an envaluable website called diet doctor and I am currently studying 15 reasons why (less than 50 carbs per day) I appear to have plateaued. For anyone embarking on a low carb diet I recommend getting "Carb & Calorie Counter" by Chris Cheyette & Yellow Balolia this allows you to count all your carbs I am now also counting protein. I have a spreadsheet and know exactly what I eat each day and am building up a list of recipes that I use regularly. I have found that having a Thermomix (it is expensive) and Instant pot duo air fryer helps as they are all I need for my low carb diet. I am only cooking for one. I also have a spreadsheet to log my exercise and weight I either walk or use my exercise bike, from March to October I garden nearly everyday for most of the day.
To summarise I am unhappy that the NHS is not embracing low carb diets and that they bracket all prediabetics/diabetics together under the same heading obese/must lead unhealthy lives/need to loose weight therefore low calorie/low fat diet recommended with exercise. I am very happy with what I have discovered re low carb eating and will be continuing this and hope that my next HA1c test result will be lower. Does anyone know if I can ask for test at 6 months after last one?
October 2020 I found out by accident from the nurse giving me my annual flu jab that I was prediabetic and I had been for at least a year. I am white, female, 68 years old, on medication for high blood pressure and in October weighed 10st 10lbs with a BMI of 24.9. therefore was not obese. Test result in August - Haemoglobin A1c level - IFCC standardised (XaPbt) 42 mmol/mol which was taken as part of a series of tests for a UTI.
I was totally shocked because I am not overweight and don’t eat sweet food, I don’t even like cakes, biscuits, puddings, chocolate, fruit juice, icecream, jam, fizzy drinks etc and I am very active for my age. I do like and was eating a variety of meales to include pulses, wholewheat bread, masses of veg/salads, diary, fruit, brown rice, oats, barley, nuts, seeds, fish/shellfish, poultry, game, lamb, pork etc infact all my friends considered my diet to be exceptionally healthy as did I. I drink 1.5 bottles of wine spread over a week, plus water, coffee and tea.
The nurse on realising I hadn’t been previously told immediately offered me support and said someone would contact me.
The support came from Diabetes UK charity (Chris Askew is the CEO and the NHS use them to help diabetic patients) and their recommendation was to basically eat healthily, exercise and loose weight. As I already did two of those things and apparently was a healthy weight I was shocked again as I couldn’t see how continuing with my current lifestyle would reverse my prediabetic situation, they wouldn't take on board that I was not overweight and didn't eat sugar or processed food. My parents who died at the ages of 82 and 92 had not been diabetic, overweight or sedentary. It just didn’t make sense so I started my research and found that low carb diets can reverse type 2 diabetes and assumed the same would be true for prediabetics. I asked for support to do that but was told they couldn’t support me on a low carb diet.
Since the beginning of October I have been following a low carb diet (below 50 carbs per day) and learning a lot on the way, it is complex and not easy and many websites worldwide say you should do this with supervision from your doctor, but I know that is not possible with the NHS. I am still not sure if I am eating the right amount of fat, protein and carbs each day, but I am detemined to reverse my situation as my husband died from cancer and diabetes - he didn’t heal from the cancer operation. I believe I have visceral fat and this may have developed over 12 years of severe stress.
I currently weigh 10st 8lbs and have a BMI of 24.6. Weather permittiing I walk on average 15 miles per week up and down the side of Bishopdale in the YDNP where I am lucky enough to live. Weather being bad currently I am cycling on my exercise bike (42 kilometers per week).
I have scientific/medical friends in California and they have just advised me to look up Dr Jason Fung and I have ordered his book “The Diabetes Code” which I understand advocates fasting to help.
My observations regarding diabetes is that the consensus in tackling this disease/condition in the UK is to follow a low calorie/low fat diet but there is growing scientific evidence world wide that low carb diets work much better (Dr David Unwin recommends this) and are more sustainable (I have looked at world wide studies and what people are saying, particulary on this website. The scientific and medical profession in the main appear to be against the low carb diet because there is no long term data to reference. Due to the growing UK population with obesity and diabetes the scientific/medical fraternity are only offering weight reduction as a solution but people like myself don’t fall within that category and if my predisposition to diabetes is not generic then further research is required to understand what causes diabetes and what can remedy a reversal/control through diet for those not overweight and presumably will help everyone in the long run.
I have written to Amanda Pritchard, NHS CEO, Professor Ron Taylor who advocates calorie controlled dieting for a short period and Chris Askew CEO of Diabetes UK, who's organisation said they couldn't support me and copied my MP Rishi Sunak. I have asked them why they are not acknowledging world wide studies and the work of Dr David Unwin regarding low carb diets.
Since writing I see there is a website commissioned by the NHS called "low carb program" and there is a page where NHS patients who have been referred by their healthcare team can register with a referral code and so presumably they don't pay everyone else has to pay. My question is what is the NHS criteria for patients to be referred, clearly I wasn't I was just lucky to find out that I was prediabetic when I did. Does anyone in the UK have a sympathetic GP who helps them reverse diabetes/prediabetes on a low carb diet? Is Dr David Unwin the only one? Has anyone been referred to the low carb program by their healthcare team?
I currently weigh 10st 8lbs and have a BMI of 24.6 so have only lost 2lbs in 2 months and I only deviated from my diet on Christmas day and boxing day. I don't have problems keeping to the low carb diet - I quite like it just miss boiled potatoes and sourdough bread.
I have found an envaluable website called diet doctor and I am currently studying 15 reasons why (less than 50 carbs per day) I appear to have plateaued. For anyone embarking on a low carb diet I recommend getting "Carb & Calorie Counter" by Chris Cheyette & Yellow Balolia this allows you to count all your carbs I am now also counting protein. I have a spreadsheet and know exactly what I eat each day and am building up a list of recipes that I use regularly. I have found that having a Thermomix (it is expensive) and Instant pot duo air fryer helps as they are all I need for my low carb diet. I am only cooking for one. I also have a spreadsheet to log my exercise and weight I either walk or use my exercise bike, from March to October I garden nearly everyday for most of the day.
To summarise I am unhappy that the NHS is not embracing low carb diets and that they bracket all prediabetics/diabetics together under the same heading obese/must lead unhealthy lives/need to loose weight therefore low calorie/low fat diet recommended with exercise. I am very happy with what I have discovered re low carb eating and will be continuing this and hope that my next HA1c test result will be lower. Does anyone know if I can ask for test at 6 months after last one?