Well, an update after a long while.
Probably more of a blog to cover the story so far really.
I’m still here, and still definitely not on the LCHF. I hopefully will never need to be.
I hit my target BMI of 25 around Easter this year, by counting calories, and avoiding fat and the wrong carbs. So, after being diagnosed, it would be good to say I’m twice the man I used to be, but I’m actually three quarters the man I used to be. 4 stone down from the 16 to 12.
Not too difficult until the last 7 pounds, when I seemed to stall until I made a real push at counting the calories, and reducing them down further.
Then, I thought I looked too thin, so allowed my weight back up by the 7 pounds I just lost.
But I then tried low carbs as a variation on the calorie counting, which was a complete disaster as a lifestyle choice.
I found I very quickly lost most of my ability to cope with any change in diet that took carbs up even by a small amount. It was almost as if I stopped producing insulin, and then had to take time to turn it back on. Bloods all over the show.
So, unless I spent my life being a slave to carb counting, and panicking at the sight of a piece of white toast, it simply wasn’t to be. I couldn’t see any point in letting diabetes ruin my life this way either. I want to be normal. Well, as normal as possible.
It also wasn’t helped by the hobby I’d taken up, - scuba diving.
Fitting diabetes in was fine, but with others that ate anything you could cook with a kettle, it wasn’t easy.
So, a diet of Pot Noodle, Instant porridge, cup a soup, toast, maybe fruit, or fish or burger, and chips, if the van by the quayside was open wouldn’t work if my pancreas was permanently asleep until a week next Tuesday.
So, back onto a diet that provided some exercise for my pancreas as well taking care of the rest of me, and one that didn’t induce panic at the thought of white flour by the thimbleful.
Also my ongoing house restoration meant times without a fridge, or more than a one ring cooker, and a kettle. So, tins and dried food were the order of the day, and veg that wouldn’t go off overnight. It also meant I was away from home, and importantly, away from the gym. Exercise is also on the backburner until I finish in the autumn.
So, basically I’m still on the calorie counting, healthy(ish) balanced diet, but maybe accepting it was balanced over an extended period at times. (And a lot higher calories now, then when I was trying to lose weight)
This regime was supported by my GP, and a lot of blood tests to keep on top of the diabetes, and my ongoing response to it.
I’m mainly between 5 and 6 in the morning and a good steady 5.3 to 5.4 HBA1c for the past year. Tested every three months, as my meds have been gradually reduced to one 500mg Metformin and one 50mg Sitagliptin as my control improved.
I took to testing myself about 30 mins and again 2 hours after food, and I’m normally a maximum of 8 after most ‘bad’ foods, although I did hit a ten after a (very) sweet and sour soup, and a caramel fudge cornetto. Normally lower though.
Today I’m 5.8 after (a lot) of pizza and muffins. White flour, almond flour, soya flour, chickpea flour, in varying amounts in the mix. (Birthday, so again, the diets a bit on the backburner)
And so onto my latest test.
A HBA1C of 5.4 this week.
But, it was after my last reduction in medication, and coming near enough completely off my diet.
So, a ‘warts and all’ test.
The worst possible scenario for me.
Mainly due to a two week holiday in the Mediterranean. A program of deep dives to 100ft, night dives, a lot of pasta, crisps, ice cream, beer, wine, but then also still interspersed with ‘healthy food’, with salads, local sausage, cheese, white bread, but now in a reasonable amount, not the loaf I used to eat. But not entirely counting the calories as I normally do.
Preceded by a weekend diving in France, with the customary French bread, cheese, pate, and other bad stuff.
So, a really ‘heavy’ carbs diet, ‘junk’ food, and the last holiday until Saturday, then the blood test Monday.
And still 5.4 HBA1C, with a fasting level of 6.5. Sunday still counted as the holiday to me, so a bit higher than normal and also taken fairly late on in the morning, after a bit of work, so consider a liver dump in that, and from a well primed liver. Certainly not a figure I massaged to look good anyway.
But onto the downside as well.
I stopped the statins three months ago.
I have increased across the board, so I’ve been back in today to discuss it.
Trigs up from 0.6 to 1.6
HDL steady at 1.6
LDL 3.4 to 5.1
I stopped due to shoulder pains, not helped by the colder dry suit dives in the uk.
Maybe statins, maybe not, but the diving is more important.
But, today I agreed to go back on, and switched from Simvastatins to Atorvastatins, but half the dose.
So, we’ll see how it goes.
But, would I swop a ‘normal’ diet, drinking, eating when I want to, not worrying about what I eat so long as I’m sensible, keeping my bloods down to normal, enjoying diving, jetskiing, visiting the waterpark, for anything else?
No!
I’m not going to be a slave to diabetes, in any form.
I’m now advanced open water qualified, dry suit qualified, nitrox qualified, I have regular annual medicals that show I have absolutely zero diabetes complications, or any other health problem, and blood sugar levels well in the normal range. I can eat to enjoy, and keep levels well down, or if I need to alternatively just to stay alive, on whatever is available, without worrying my body can’t cope.
I would never have done these sports before, I was too fat and out of condition. I wouldn’t have jetskied, I wouldn’t have got to the top slide in a waterpark, I wouldn’t have survived the Mediterranean at +30c for two weeks.
So diabetes? Maybe not the best thing that happened to me, but certainly now the best result in my life.
I figure I have the support of my GP, they want regular three month blood tests to ensure I’m keeping control, so by November, I want my cholesterol back into the good numbers, then I’ll look at reducing my Sitagliptin down to zero.
And as to LCHF, I’m afraid, not for me. A sensible diet yes, I now need to fine tune it still to bring my cholesterol down again, but it still needs to be one that lets me live the life I want to, and not just replace one restriction with another set that limits my opportunities.
And after I finish this next house, it's time to semi retire, and live off the income, so even more overseas travel and diving, and grabbing food where I can.
I think more fresh veg, meat, is in order, but for me, relaxing over what I eat is the key.
