Diabetes Type2 Reversed in 3 months

[AdamToth]

Great story - thanks for writing it up. My experience is similar - I'm only sorry I waited 4 years before rejecting the nhs approach and went low carb. I have lost over 2 stone and now consider myself in remission.

 

[mfactor]

Some of us, myself included make it too complicated , when it really is not..............

Cut out starchy carbs and sugars, sugars are self explanatory starchy carbs again simple ...spuds rice , pasta flour bread
,pastry etc.................


Cut out fruit, yep all of it , just for now, you can try berries and reintroduce stuff when you have control.....


Eat pretty much any meat and veg (peas and carrots can be a problem as are parsnips and swede etc)


Test 2 hours after every meal , meters can be had for free and some docs will give strips on
prescription...

The simplest way is just do normal meals but leave out the bad stuff, for example sunday lunch today as normal but leave the spuds off just have extra cauli and broccoli...... (now I have control I now allow myself a yorkshire pud and a couple of small spuds but still stay under my 40g day carb limit)

Use myfitnesspal if not sure of carbs


LCHF for the last 4 months, results of latest test this week


HbA1c = 44 down from 64

48 is considered the cut off point , so I am no longer in the diabetic range

Total Cholesterol = 5.4 down from 5.9

HDL (good cholesterol) = 1.5.... anything above 1 is good

TC:HDL Ratio = 3.6 ......the lower the better anything above 6 is bad

BP = 128/80 down from 140/90+

Weight = 111kg (down from 123kg)

 

[gardel0]

I would like you to tell me what you are eating meal by meal I am battling to understand the carb content of food ....my husband is type 2 gets readings of between 6 and 7 most days but would like to ditch all the medication we try to eat low carb when possible. ...thanks for any info you can give

Hi Jojo

Thanks for the response.

I think you have answered your own question....try to eat low carb when possible. I had to give up bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, cakes and biscuits. A change of emphasis..... completely ignore recipes and recommendations from all amateurs and professionals (they nearly killed me). It is what you don't eat that matters...If it is not in your mouth it cannot harm you. Anything less than total surrender took it's toll. No trying, I had to do it (at times I could murder for a slice of bread). I found 6-12-6 meal times made a deep impression into my readings and I swapped my main meal to mid-day for real benefit. My early morning reading was a killer and so dependent on what had been eaten the night before. Now I have 2 slices of processed cheese (or BabyBel) or 2 slices of cooked meat. I found that the 200 gram type packets divided up nicely. The real clue, I think, is in looking at food labels before putting them in the trolley and put back anything that has more than .5 grams per 100 grams. Bacon and beef fits the bill followed by ham then chicken but watch for any extras like honey roasted or barbequed in the title. Spartan is the watchword. I am not being self righteous, this was the only way I could get results which are now predictable, for me.

To show how sensitive some things have been in raising the blood sugar level I limit myself to just half a carrot at lunch time but if I have this at night then my next morning reading goes up. Other veg at lunch time requires vigilance. If I have canned pulses (not sweetcorn ) then 4 forkfuls is my limit. In the past I would have had half a can of pulses and snacked on the other half while cooking. This is how my shopping bill came down from £60 weekly to £15. I cook for my wife and she eats freely, which does not bother me, but I just might lick the spoon!

Typical meals. Breakfast, Half a grapefruit, 2 rashers of bacon microwaved and 1 egg with 1 plum tomato from a can.
Black coffee.
Lunch, 50g of beef or chicken (or 75grams of steamed fish) with 4 forkfuls of pulses and 2 spoonfuls of chopped
tomatoes from a can. I incorporate broccoli , brussel sprouts or spinach for the fibre.Tea or coffee.
Evening meal, 2 slices cooked beef, ham or cheese (5og total) with 2 baby tomatoes. I only drink water after
4.00pm.
If I must snack between meals then it is1 slice of cooked meat or cheese ( or 1 Babybe)l with 1 tomato, either mid morning or mid- afternoon...not both times. Absolutely nothing after 6.00pm. If I cheat and I do admit to trying then the meter tells the truth and I
cannot blame the meter.

Kindest regards

Philip

As an aid to willpower I tell myself that diabetes is life threatening.....no dipping of a toe in water. This worked for me as I have always been weak-willed. No hero here. It is now 8.00pm and I feel hungry already with the rest of the night ahead. A sip of water, a guess at what my next reading will be and thoughts about an eagerly awaited first cup of coffee does the trick.

To justify this Spartan existence my nocturnal reading was 4.9 yesterday was 5.3 while before starting on this adventure my readings were higher than 10. I have stopped testing during the day for the past month as all readings were below 6. At the end of this week I shall stop testing completely. I may test just once a month for a couple of months.

 

[Moosepig]

Hi. I have been T2 for maybe 15 or more years, find the advice given to me by professionals to be basic, and am still lost when it comes to understanding carbs, sugars, can do, can't do. Could you possibly give me a run down of your diet each day? I notice you state gout to be a problem. Maybe I can help you by telling you of a natural cheap from any supermarket cure for gout. I promise you you will be surprised, it worked instantly on me, and has worked similarly on the people I have told about it.

Please can you tell me what you use to treat gout? I am really interested., thanjs

 

[Steam Engineer]

Welcome to the club, I reversed my diabetes in about four months, just through diet and exercise, just under a year ago.
I am sticking to it as I have no intention to go back to how I was previously.

 

[PenfoldAPD]

@gardel0 thank you for your inspiring tales, and congratulations! Your story (and others on here) has given me hope - 10 days in the world of a diabetic seems dismal at times, especially some of the 'information' online! Some real doom n gloom stories and I know I need to get in control - having lost one leg to cancer when 19 I'm not about to lose another to diabetes I'm getting on track with LCHF now and had an awesome dinner tonight!

Thanks again, your story is sending me to bed happier than I've been since diagnosed.

 

[specialk]

Great story - thanks for writing it up. My experience is similar - I'm only sorry I waited 4 years before rejecting the nhs approach and went low carb. I have lost over 2 stone and now consider myself in remission.

Does being in remission mean that you have stopped taking metformin?
I am trying hard to cut sugar intake and going lowcarb. Should I be taking metformin?

 

[4ratbags]

I kept taking Metformin while doing LCHF but it got to the point where I kept going below 4 just by running inside to answer the phone so that is when I stopped taking all my medication and at that point my Hb was down to 44 which is pre diabetic. If you are thinking of stopping your medication it is best discussed with your Dr first. How have your numbers been lately.

 

[runner2009]

I kept taking Metformin while doing LCHF but it got to the point where I kept going below 4 just by running inside to answer the phone so that is when I stopped taking all my medication and at that point my Hb was down to 44 which is pre diabetic. If you are thinking of stopping your medication it is best discussed with your Dr first. How have your numbers been lately.

I never could tolerate Metformin, but ( I know there has been disagreements about this ) you are not ever supposed to get dangerous hypos from it if you are not taking other meds that stimulate insulin response.

I've read a lot recently where Metformin is a great anti inflammatory and in mice its increased their life span.

 

[specialk]

I kept taking Metformin while doing LCHF but it got to the point where I kept going below 4 just by running inside to answer the phone so that is when I stopped taking all my medication and at that point my Hb was down to 44 which is pre diabetic. If you are thinking of stopping your medication it is best discussed with your Dr first. How have your numbers been lately.

Thanks for the reply. I am on holiday for a couple of months in Florida and hope to surprise my doctor on my return.think I will keep taking tablets till my return. Don't have a Meyer.

 

[AtkinsMo]

I would just like to add that the diet doesn't have to be misery either. Our breakfasts rotate between bacon, egg, low carb sausage (Black Farmer's daughter or similar) with mushrooms and a tomato, fried in lard, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, smoked haddock and poached eggs, lunch, any meat / fish with plenty of above ground veg (Brussels, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach) nearly always cooked in butter or served with a creamy cheese sauce (try microwaving Seriously Strong cheese spread with a tablespoon or two of double cream). Evening time any meat / fish/ cheese / eggs with as much green salad as you like and home made Mayo. We avoid all pulses / legumes, have very little canned anything, good fresh food, moderate protein, plenty of green veg (easily manage 5 a day) and plenty of healthy fat (that's olive oil, butter, lard, dripping) no 'industrial oils', no margarine, and our food is delicious and satisfying. There are plenty of excellent low carb recipe websites, your food doesn't have to be boring or unpalatable, quite the reverse!

 

[specialk]

I would just like to add that the diet doesn't have to be misery either. Our breakfasts rotate between bacon, egg, low carb sausage (Black Farmer's daughter or similar) with mushrooms and a tomato, fried in lard, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, smoked haddock and poached eggs, lunch, any meat / fish with plenty of above ground veg (Brussels, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach) nearly always cooked in butter or served with a creamy cheese sauce (try microwaving Seriously Strong cheese spread with a tablespoon or two of double cream). Evening time any meat / fish/ cheese / eggs with as much green salad as you like and home made Mayo. We avoid all pulses / legumes, have very little canned anything, good fresh food, moderate protein, plenty of green veg (easily manage 5 a day) and plenty of healthy fat (that's olive oil, butter, lard, dripping) no 'industrial oils', no margarine, and our food is delicious and satisfying. There are plenty of excellent low carb recipe websites, your food doesn't have to be boring or unpalatable, quite the reverse!

Thank you. Very helpful.

 

[TASX]

I would like you to tell me what you are eating meal by meal I am battling to understand the carb content of food ....my husband is type 2 gets readings of between 6 and 7 most days but would like to ditch all the medication we try to eat low carb when possible. ...thanks for any info you can give

Hi have you looked at the Banting LCHF approach.
This is covered in "The real meal revolution" book by Tim Noakes, on Anazon if you have a kindle you can download a sample of the book which explains why carbohydrates are a problem for people who are insulin resistant or diabetic. There is also a website (realmealrevolution.com) I haven't signed up on it but if you poke around on it you can find the Green, Orange and Red lists of foods that you can, sometime can and can not eat. There are also a few free recipes that you can view.
I was diagnosed in April 2015 following fasting tests and then an HBA1C test. Weight 92kg, BMI 32. female age 52, high BP since my 30s. Gradual weight gain for last 10 years although not eating HF or sweets etc.
I chose not to start taking meds like metformin or statins (although GP very keen for me to take statins) instead I agreed to have 3 monthly blood tests and checkups and try to manage by diet and exercise plus the nurse gave me a BG monitor.
I initially looked at the NHS advice booklets and websites I was given and then looked on sites like this and cut out all sugar based foods and some high carb foods like pasta and bread and by end of October had lost 1 stone with moderate exercise.
I then started Banting LCHF properly following the Green list (although I haven't been able to exercise much since October except walking as have a frozen shoulder). I cut out all foods in the Red list and very rarely eat from the Orange list. I have now lost another stone easily including xmas being in the way. And it's where it counts too, around my waist! I am no longer hungry as am eating more veg and fat. My recent HBA1C test was 39 and my diabetes nurse was really impressed, my HDL cholesterol has improved (even eating more fats) and my BP is coming down. My nurse said more results like this and she'd be happy to say I'm in remission. I'm 79kg now BMI 28 and hopefully weight and BMI will continue to go down. I will stay LCHF from now one as its a change of lifestyle not a diet and my husband has been very supportive ditching the potatoes etc and even he doesn't miss them that much!

 

[ValWoodward]

Hi everyone

I have reversed my diabetes type 2 in three months and I would like to share this success with you as some of your answers on the forum were helpful. I feel I could have achieved this sooner though if I had not persisted in testing the effect of known problem foods. This result was achieved as summarised in the highlighted paragraph below and the remaining text was how it manifested itself for me which can be ignored.

For over 3 years my GP had monitored my blood sugar levels, without treatment, as I had resisted his attempt to give me yet one more pill. I was being treated for high blood pressure, gout, high cholesterol and high tri-glycerides with a pill for each and aspirin just in case. Also, I was obese at 16 stone with a height of 5' 4" at the age of 75. My GP did not push the diabetes issue as I was always of a jolly nature, never ill and there were no outward signs that there was anything amiss on the inside, only his tests proved that and however disastrous these respective three monthly blood tests were my GP said there were plenty of people in the community that would happily change places with me. I do not drink nor smoke, which habits I gave up some years ago.

In September 2015 I followed the advice shown on this forum and invested in a blood sugar self test meter. Before purchasing the self test meter I scrutinized the forum and was rather concerned at the reports on a variation in accuracy. I checked with Boots pharmacy and they showed me a circular from a manufacturer that simply re-iterated their usage instructions. I can say that accuracy was never an issue with me as any abnormalities could be traced back to my diet. Man not machine error.

Wow ! 10.2 for starters and this was maintained throughout the day. Studying the forum suggestions I blitzed all the major known carbs. No bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, cakes nor biscuits (life was hardly worth living). Within two days my blood sugar levels were down around the 7s and 8s. Clearly I was on the right lines but not good enough. Further research revealed that the food packaging details were to be subject to close scrutiny CARBOHYDRATES OF WHICH ..... SUGARS. Surprise, I thought my diet was Spartan to say the least but further measures of the draconian variety were needed. The main culprits were the 5-a-day recommendations and cereals as I had turned to these since they were recommended! Wrong, wrong, wrong, this was like putting a fire out with petrol. A Holford recommendation that porridge was excellent had me peaking out after breakfast to over 10. I threw his book away after I had tried his GI load method which was neither helpful nor productive. l looked at food packaging and started to eliminate from my shopping basket anything that had sugars from carbohydrates at .5 per 100 grams and as a starting point I was restricting each meal to no more than 2.5 grams of sugar per meal and often below which turned out to be a very lucky guess indeed. This was followed for about a month with various attempts to ease the hunger. I had eliminated snacks on the way (no more apples, etc) with varying success until I was strict with my own diet. A 100 gram pack of cheese or meat conveniently broke down to 25 grams per slice and practically zero sugar content and no more than half a medium carrot or 3 spoons of pulses.. I was down to below 6 both pre and post meal testing during the day. I stopped testing in the daytime and stuck to my restricted diet. One thing that was noticeable was that what was good for cholesterol, etc was not good for diabetes. My GP confirmed diabetes as the greater threat of all.

Now for the nocturnal test. Perfect daytime blood sugar level readings but the nocturnal level was still in the high 7s. Disastrous and disheartening. I started to work backwards starting with the evening meal. I changed my main meal to mid-day and have a very light meal at night. My pattern of eating was breakfast 9.00, lunch 12.00 and evening at 6.30pm. Clearly this needed adjusting. Breakfast any time between 4.00am and 6.00am. This was easy as I suffer with alopea (disturbed sleep pattern shared by Hitler who took sleeping pills and Churchill who took frequent naps...guess who won). By now I had changed my meals to 6-12-6 with a resulting slight drop in the nocturnal blood sugar test but was still no lower than 6.9. I attacked the evening meal and restricted my protein to 2 slices of processed cheese or 2 slices of meat with 2 baby tomatoes and a handful of spinach. Voila! It was the middle of December and my nocturnal blood sugar level was in the lower 5s. All was normal. I tried to up the anti by slightly relaxing my diet but nature was not to be deceived. The previous rigours were re-imposed with success coming virtually overnight. 5.5 is now my nocturnal blood sugar test average.

I relaxed over Christmas by not taking any readings and allowed myself to overindulge. After the leftovers had gone, 5 days later, I started taking tests again and returned to my Spartan diet. 2 days and my readings were all below 6 and this included the nocturnal test. Two weeks into the new year and the only blimps are if I veer away from my own findings. I find I can be most experimental with breakfast, less so at lunchtime and not at all in the evening. The evening meal sometimes is taken between 4.00pm and 6.00pm., never later and nil by mouth after, except for water.

I am at the stage were I can roughly predict what the effect of introducing anything to eat above .5 per 100 grams (half a can of baked beans...I told you so). The time is arriving when I will do a monthly blood sugar level check only. As a side effect, without trying, I have lost 6 inches from my waist and a weight loss of 3 stone. My shopping bill has dropped from £60 per week to around £18. This reduction has more than covered the cost of the self test machine. If I do occasionally relax my vigilance and dine out on curries or fish and chips with the occasional steak dinner, all with rice or chips my blood sugar level goes over the top at the post meal stage but is normal in time for the next pre meal test which I assume is what the body does best. I have found that occasionally allowing myself 40 grams of rice (uncooked) with my mid-day meal now has very little effect. I always leave some rice for the birds.

As for my method of trial and error. I jotted down what I had eaten and their approximate quantities (I do not have a great memory so jottings were essential). If the post meal reading was over the minimum then I would adjust the quantity and sugar content the next time I had the same meal. To all you fellow sufferers. Take the 'carb of which sugars' test on the packets of food and replace them with a .5 per 100 grams, or lower, substitute. Prepare to be astounded. It has taken me 3 months to arrive at this conclusion. If I had been given this advice I could have had success within a month.

This has been a life changing exercise that worked for me and may possibly work for you. In closing I would add a word of caution. Beware what friends advise you to do, they just don't have a clue. My daughter in law told me how her mother had gone from a reading of 14 down to 10 and her doctor was delighted!!!!! and that I should follow her example. She, Holford and the NHS nearly killed me, all though well intentioned, through their recommendations.

Be true to yourself. It costs nothing to check food labels...and put it back on the shelf. I personally only check carbs of which sugars (you are in for a few surprises here). This is the bayonet charge and over the top full frontal attack. Diabetes hates you to put anything back on the shelf. This tells me what is inside the packet and my meter tells me what is inside me. The meter is not a cure but it is the sharpest tool in the shed. If you want a breakdown of my meal by meal ingredients just let me know, there are not very many and one full basket does the trick. Before you ask I do not exercise as I am far too busy with art and music ( although I regard myself as a chef my kitchen time is now counted in minutes and I do use a frying pan). But please remember it is what works for you and stick with the forum ........it will sometimes tell you what not to do.

I am really looking forward to my next HB1AC test results to see if any of things I have been treated for over the last fifteen years, which in retrospect appear to coincide with increased weight and over indulgence, are also lower. This is a side effect of contentment and follows on the heels of maturity.

Best wishes to all for the new year and do let the forum know of your successes.

Hi
I would like a breakdown of a typical days meals. I too had come to the conclusion that eating in the evening is a no-no but am struggling with menus. I like the tip about checking the carbs on the packets! Val

 

[ValWoodward]

Hi
Great to read your story. I too had come to the conclusion that eating in the evening is a no-no. Good tip about the packets, and the side effect of saving money on the weekly shop is a nice thought. I would be grateful for more details of a typical days meals.

 

[Southbeds]

You really need a testing meter as you need to know that what your doing is right.you really don't need to do different meals just cut portion sizes and try not to snack between meals.make more of fruit and vegetables .

Do you now what you are talking about?

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

Wow ! 10.2 for starters and this was maintained throughout the day. Studying the forum suggestions I blitzed all the major known carbs. No bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, cakes nor biscuits (life was hardly worth living). Within two days my blood sugar levels were down around the 7s and 8s.

Well done, good to hear that simple steps like avoiding carbs is a great way of controlling BG.

However, and this is tongue in cheek, from a psychological point of view, "life was hardly worth living" is where the problems start. Life is worth living, so much so, that like you, I avoid all of the things you mention. What I have found interesting is that it's no big deal after a few weeks, probably because I felt so much better, being in charge of my life without too many pills.
I have three type II diabetic relatives (in both of my parent's families) and I have tried to get them to try to lower their carbs but my suggestions are met with comments like "I couldn't possibly go without spuds". I think they could, never mind, rant over.

Great results, good on yer.

 

[XtractorFan]

and started to eliminate from my shopping basket anything that had sugars from carbohydrates at .5 per 100 grams

Great post gardel0 - I'm currently on a similar journey, but please clarify carbs/100g - do you mean 0.5g or 5g/100g? - even tinned plum tomatoes have about 3g/100g.......

 

[AdamToth]

Does being in remission mean that you have stopped taking metformin?
I am trying hard to cut sugar intake and going lowcarb. Should I be taking metformin?

I have cut down from 3 to 2 a day. I didn't want to stop completely before my hba1c - which has now just arrived - 34! (This is about 5.2mm/l). Last year it was 47. My diabetic nurse is consulting with my GP to see if I should cut down - she was surprised by this result as it is in the low end of normal.

I will wait to see what they say. I did stop taking it for a few weeks while closely monitoring - my results remained low - but I also read a few articles which thought metformin was actually good for you - eg this one reckons a study shows it can slow ageing and fight cancer.l - so now I'm not sure whether to keep taking it or not!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/melanie...low-aging-boost-cancer-recovery/#5502c63243a6

 

[XtractorFan]

Well Metformin didn't stop me getting a bladder tumour - diagnosed in April 2014!
There are supposedly other cardiovascular benefits if you are fat/obese, but at 10st 4lb I don't fit the 'normal' diabetic profile......
I've been popping 2 x 500mg a day (along with 4 x 80mg Gliclazide) for the past 10+ years - a constant battle following GP's NHS dietary advise - until I discovered about low carb diets in early November last year.
So I started low carbing much against my GP's and his nominated Diabetic 'specialist' advice - which was to max out on Metformin (after 3 days they made me nauseous) and failing that going onto insulin, but I apparently didn't need that just yet.....
My HbA1c results graph (below) show the dramatic fall from 57 mmol/mol to my current 46 mmol/mol in a few months.
The 'specialist thought the 57mmol/mol reading was OK - nothing to worry about - just keep poppin' more of the pills!

Starting this week I'll be stopping the Metformin and reducing the Gliclazide dose - after proving a week ago that the Metformin didn't do anything - and that the Gliclazide gives me 3 am hypo's.
Go for it - just keep testing!