My first year of LCHF

[trotskyite]

Here is a meta analysis of 72 studies showing the link between fat and heart disease is unproven.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/03march/pages/saturated-fats-and-heart-disease-link-unproven.aspx

It would be wrong not to include the usual controversy though lol :
"study author, Emanuele Di Angelantonio of the University of Cambridge, says the main problem is that the paper was "wrongly interpreted by the media." "We are not saying the guidelines are wrong and people can eat as much saturated fat as they want. We are saying that there is no strong support for the guidelines and we need more good trials."

Willett says correcting the paper isn't enough. "It is good that they fixed it for the record, but it has caused massive confusion and the public hasn't heard about the correction." The paper should be withdrawn, he argues.

The controversy should serve as a warning about meta-analyses, Willett adds. Such studies compile the data from many individual studies to get a clearer result. "It looks like a sweeping summary of all the data, so it gets a lot of attention," Willett says. "But these days meta-analyses are often done by people who are not familiar with a field, who don't have the primary data or don't make the effort to get it.""
http://news.sciencemag.org/health/2...rors-controversial-paper-about-saturated-fats

 

[Pasha]

Just to play devil's advocate Dean Ornish's ultra low fat ,high carb vegan diet won this:
According to experts who rated the 35 diets below, the Ornish Diet is the most heart-healthy.

http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-heart-healthy-diets?int=9be246

Also came joint #3 in the diabetes section

Pity we dont know who these experts are .

 

[trotskyite]

Pity we dont know who these experts are .

That's very true lol
actually I just found out for interest
http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/experts

 

[sanguine]

Ok I am also a scientist by education and similarly sceptical without proof. I too have reduced carbs and rice, pasta, bread etc all previous firm favourites no longer feature in my list of foods. I too have had a pleasing reduction in weight 16+St to 12st 10lbs now with a target of 12st 7lbs, in six months. Regular readings are in the 5-7's blood pressure, Hba1c readings to 48 down from 93 on diagnosis. I fall off the wagon occasionally. I suffer with really dark days mentally occasionally. Ok to the point. I have been successful with a lot fat low carb diet. The thought of now increasing my calorific intake with a high fat diet fills me with a bit of concern. If you go to your doctor and say "I'm about to embark on a high fat diet" you would be unlikely to get unreserved support. My concern is that you would potentially swap one problem for another. I can't get past the possible negative impact of an increased fat diet. Arterial sclerosis, high cholesterol weight gain, heart attack and stroke. How can these be ignored? I'm not being negative but investigative. If there is argument that shows that an elevated fat diet comes without its own issues then I'd be interested to hear it and see the evidence.

Hi @ProjectMorris, thanks for your post. I too was initially sceptical about high fat, following the usual years if not decades of having the fat/cholesterol mantra pushed at us. But reading up about LCHF (hopefully you have looked at the links in my sig) and also books like Malcolm Kendrick's 'The Great Cholesterol Con' and Duane Graveline's 'The Statin Damage Crisis' convinced me otherwise - you have to get your calories from somewhere (and I would be worried about a LCLF diet such as yours) and in evolutionary terms getting it from fat seems entirely logical as opposed to the refined carbs we as a species have only had access to in the last couple of centuries. Eating fat doesn't make you fat, combining it with reducing carbs allows the body to preferentially burn fat as a fuel and makes it easy to judge when you need to eat and when you have had enough.

Obviously I can't tell you what to eat, I can only pass on my own very positive experience which, as a scientist, I am continuing to test and explore.

Best wishes,

 

[Gezzabelle]

Inspirational. As aT2 of almost 10 years duration I have learnt so much from those who advocate the low carb regime.

Well done @sanguine and thank you for sharing. I hope this will inspire others.

WOW......Inspirational.....thank you so much. I am going to make you my role model and follow in your footsteps. I can only hope I have the same success Well done

 

[sanguine]

Thanks @Gezzabelle and good luck on your journey

 

[bootyful0]

Thank you for sharing this, its both brilliant and encouraging.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Great post, Rod. My reversal of type 2 diabetes took a very similar path as yours (maybe because we're both geologists?). It just shows that LCHF is not a fluke, although my diabetes nurse seems to think it is. I think she is waiting to see my cholesterol numbers before really buying into it. I might print out your post and show it to her. I have a dream that she'll see the light and start giving advice to her patients that will actually work (i.e. LCHF real non-processed food) and that people higher up in the system will notice that she has a phenomenal success rate in reversing type 2 in her patients and they'll be interested in finding out how she is doing it and the whole system gets changed and we save billions of dollars and my taxes go down. Hey, it could happen!

 

[Arab Horse]

Great post, Rod. My reversal of type 2 diabetes took a very similar path as yours (maybe because we're both geologists?). It just shows that LCHF is not a fluke, although my diabetes nurse seems to think it is. I think she is waiting to see my cholesterol numbers before really buying into it. I might print out your post and show it to her. I have a dream that she'll see the light and start giving advice to her patients that will actually work (i.e. LCHF real non-processed food) and that people higher up in the system will notice that she has a phenomenal success rate in reversing type 2 in her patients and they'll be interested in finding out how she is doing it and the whole system gets changed and we save billions of dollars and my taxes go down. Hey, it could happen!

And then you woke up!!!! My DN tried to disuade from the ND as I am already underweight, although I was a healthy weight before I cut the carbs. She said she could put me on more drugs so I could increse my carbs.When I insisted I wanted to give it a go she asked me to see a dietician first. The dietician also tried to dissuade me and said I needed to put on weight not lose it. When I told her that the object was not to lose weight but see if I could reverse my diabetes she said OK to the diet but once I had finished it I needed to go back to eating carbs with every meal! I agreed and left.

 

[littlelin]

Fantastic reading and so great to hear all the positives, I halved my carbs since diagnoused
and linger around the 6 magic number now having lost weight too, (that bit gets expensive but charity shops are doin g well!)
Now have to gear up to loose the next stone to 9
. I,M 4'10" SO THE BARREL IS SHRINKING WITH THANKS TO THE SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE.
THANK YOU XX

 

[Arab Horse]

Fantastic reading and so great to hear all the positives, I halved my carbs since diagnoused
and linger around the 6 magic number now having lost weight too, (that bit gets expensive but charity shops are doin g well!)
Now have to gear up to loose the next stone to 9
. I,M 4'10" SO THE BARREL IS SHRINKING WITH THANKS TO THE SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE.
THANK YOU XX

Well done, keep up the good work. I too have had to go the charity route but with little success as I now take a size 6 jeans and they don't seem to stock them!!!! Don't want to get rid of my size 8s as I hope to get back in them once I can eat more. Sadly my BG figures are not as good as yours.

 

[piersie]

Very good, pretty much my story. Diagnosis level 67, nurse said take these tablets. I said, wan't to change lifestile first. She said 'ooh dont think you can do that !'. Went on newcastle diet and started exercising (after 20 years sedentary occupation - the silent killer) lost 3 stone. Latest HBA1c 36. Doctor said to me, 'well done, most people are happy to take the pills and carry on getting fatter' Wife pointed out that the practice never offered an alternative ! To be fair to the doctors they have a parade of people coming through their doors, whom they tell should give up smoking,drinking and sitting on their a%%$s who never do, so no wonder they are cynical and less than supportive to those who are prepared to help themselves !

 

[Magsx1]

I am really impressed with your weight loss! I have just started (two weeks) on no bread,rice,potatoes, pasta, I need to lose at least 3 stone, I have lost 10 lbs so far, but had a drink the other night to my regret put almost 3lb back on overnight! But it's off again now, stories like yours really inspire me and I'm sure many other people.
My HBA1c is already down to 38 and my DNS seems pleased.

 

[Magsx1]

This is adapted from a presentation I prepared for my local surgery

Self management of Type 2 diabetes

My first year to April 2015

Summary

• Diagnosed Type 2, March 2014 (HbA1c 65 mmol/mol, 8.1%)
  
  
• No medication
  
  
• Self-testing
  
  
• Low-carb diet
  
  
• Now in non-diabetic range (HbA1c 38 mmol/mol, 5.6%)
  
  
• 20 kg weight loss
  
  
• Improved lipid profile

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Introduction and diagnosis

I had blood tests in March 2014 following reported listlessness and exhaustion. There were none of the ‘classic’ T2 symptoms of excessive thirst, need to urinate, blurred vision etc.

Diagnosis was confirmed on 24 March with an HbA1c of 65 mmol/mol (8.1%). (It later transpired that in 2008 a blood test showed I had an HbA1c of 44 (6.2%), i.e. prediabetic. Apparently the trigger criterion was different then. Nothing was mentioned anyway, pity.)

No guidance was given, I was just told this was life-changing, to lose weight (I was 90 kg, BMI of 31.5), exercise more and make an appointment to see the diabetes nurse. The earliest appointment available was for 16 April, over three weeks away. Because of elevated blood pressure (spot reading of 160/90 when blood samples taken) I was told to take two weeks of readings to take to this appointment (how? where? – at a chemist or buy yourself a meter, great, thanks).

Because of total cholesterol of 6.9 I was prescribed Simvastatin without any explanatory discussion and without my prior agreement (I never took them).

Something about me

I’ve never been one for taking medication if I can help it. The human body is often underestimated as a self-healing mechanism. A few paracetamol a year is normally more than enough for me.

I’m a scientist by training so when faced with something like this my first reaction is to find out about it and not take anything at face value without assessing it myself.

On the other hand the T2 diagnosis was a wakeup call and the kick I needed to sort my weight and well being out. Immediately I started walking for about 30 minutes every day (average).

I got on the internet and found the diabetes.co.uk website and forum; learned about carbohydrates and the impact on blood sugars; could understand the logic of low-carb high-fat (LCHF) diets; and just went for it at 50 g carbs per day – no bread, no potatoes, no rice, no pasta. Fortunately I didn’t suffer the withdrawal symptoms sometimes experienced by changing so abruptly. I bought a blood glucose monitor and started testing myself. I started losing weight straight away as I got into ketosis and my body started to preferentially burn stored fat for energy.

I also read about cholesterol and statins and determined that I wasn’t going to touch them with a barge pole.

First DN appointment

Three weeks in and I was already making progress on diet and exercise alone.

Fasting BGs were down from over 10 mmol/l to around 6.5; pre-dinner BGs in the high 5s; and BGs two hours after eating in the high 6s and mid 7s, so I was learning what I could and couldn’t eat in terms of blood sugar control.

My weight was down from 90 kg to 84.5 kg, and blood pressure was down to around 140/80.

It was agreed for me to carry on with diet and exercise alone, no medication, with a review in three months time.

Interim progress

In July 2014my HbA1c was 45 (6.3%, down from 65), so I was now in the prediabetic range.

Total cholesterol was down to 6.0, but more importantly triglycerides were down from 5.66 to 1.97 mmol/l, and HDL-C was up from 1.22 to 1.62, with total/HDL and triglycerides/HDL ratios both dropping into normal range.

ALT liver function was down from 51 to 17 iu/l, indicating a reversal of fatty liver condition.

My weight was now 76 kg (BMI 26.6), a percentage loss of over 15%, and BP stable around 125/70.

I had also invested in a rowing machine to supplement the walking.

By October 2014my HbA1c was 42 (6.0%), weight was 72 kg (BMI 25.2) and BP around 120/65.

One year on, March 2015

A picture speaks a thousand words, so rather than more dull text some more graphs follow covering the period from March 2014 to March 2015.

My HbA1c is now 38 mmol/mol (5.6%) which is within the non-diabetic range. I am still diabetic of course but I am protecting the remaining beta cell function in my pancreas as best I can, and avoiding exacerbating my insulin resistance. This is all due to carbohydrate restriction, which has also reduced triglycerides significantly, and the fat component of the LCHF diet has helped raise my HDL-C to 1.95. In this context my total cholesterol of 6.1 is of no concern to me.

The slight rises and falls in fasting blood sugar (the points are two-week averages) reflect life conditions such as work stress – but at least through testing I know what is going on.

My weight is now stable at 70 +/- 1 kg (BMI 24.5), which represents a 22% loss in 12 months; and BP around 115/65. My waist is now 37 in (94 cm) having been 45.5 in (116 cm) a year ago.

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What do I eat?

I’ve done all this without any medication, and just with diet and exercise. So what actually do I eat with LCHF? This is a typical day’s meals:

• Breakfast – cooked breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomato; occasionally full fat Greek yoghurt with a few berries. Tea and/or coffee with double cream.
  
  
• Lunch – ‘tapas’ style platter, choose from salami, olives, a little hummus, guacamole, cheese, mackerel pate, tomato, salad leaves.
  
  
• Dinner – avocado vinaigrette, meat or fish with above-ground vegetables or salad, berries and double cream, glass of red wine.
  
  
• Snacks if necessary – cheese or brazil nuts.
  
  
• Plenty of water. Decaffeinated tea or coffee after midday.

Selected reading

Trudi Deakin (X-Pert Health) - Eat Fat, Step-by-Step Guide to Low Carb Living http://www.xperthealth.org.uk/shop/details/p/handbook-lowcarb-highfat-lifestyle

Trudi Deakin - High fat, low carb diets and the evidence, Diabetes UK Conference March 2015
http://www.xperthealth.org.uk/Portals/0/Downloads/High fat, low carb diets and the evidence_Diabetes UK 2015_reduced memory.pdf

Dyson PA, et al. - A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective in reducing body-weight than healthy eating in both diabetic and non diabetic subjects, Diabetic Medicine, 2007

Andreas Eenfeldt - Low Carb, High Fat Food Revolution and the website www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

Feinman RD et al. -Dietary carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management: Critical review and evidence base, Nutrition 31,1 Jan 2015, http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext#bib94

Zoe Harcombe (diet and nutrition blogger)- http://www.zoeharcombe.com/

Malcolm Kendrick - book The Great Cholesterol Con and blog at www.drmalcolmkendrick.org

Jenny Ruhl - books Blood Sugar 101: What They Don’t Tell You About Diabetes, and Diet 101: The Truth About Low-Carb Diets; and the website www.phlaunt.com/diabetes

Scientific American (after meta-analysis by Krauss RM et al in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2010) - Carbs against Cardio: More Evidence that Refined Carbohydrates, not Fats, Threaten the Heart
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbs-against-cardio/

Shai I, et al. - Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet, New England Journal of Medicine, 2008.

David Unwin - Diabesity: Perhaps we can make a difference after all? Diabesity in Practice 3, 4, 2014
http://www.diabesityinpractice.co.uk/media/content/_master/3963/files/pdf/dip3-4-131-4.pdf

Westman EC, et al - The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus, Nutrition & Metabolism (London), 2008.

Amazing, wish I had seen this when first diagnosed!

 

[Klangley]

A truly inspirational story. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

 

[lbd]

Fantastic job.
May I suggest that you may have done better than you think. I advocate hflc diets for diabetics, but before I knew about hflc I lost a similar amount of weight from bmi 31 to 25 using a high carb low fat diet. I was, and am now normally glycemic with an hba1c of 36 , even on 400g of carbs a day. If you tested yourself with a ogtt you may find you now have a normal tolerance of carbs. I only say this because it is good for me to know I can occasionally splurge on high carb meals and know I am not going over 7 so I don't feel guilt etc You may also confuse the gp as mine said it was impossible before I did it
Best of luck.

Hi Trotskyite... I'm very interested in hearing your results from HCLF, were you able to track your Blood markers ala the types that Sanguine reported before & during that period ??
Cheers

 

[littlelin]

Fantastic reading and so great to hear all the positives, I halved my carbs since diagnoused
and linger around the 6 magic number now having lost weight too, (that bit gets expensive but charity shops are doin g well!)
Now have to gear up to loose the next stone to 9
. I,M 4'10" SO THE BARREL IS SHRINKING WITH THANKS TO THE SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE.
THANK YOU XX

Thank you for my medal - made my day xx

 

[trotskyite]

Hi Trotskyite... I'm very interested in hearing your results from HCLF, were you able to track your Blood markers ala the types that Sanguine reported before & during that period ??
Cheers

Hi. I haven't got them to hand at the moment but they are in a drawer. From memory at diagnosis my total cholesterol was 8.5. vldl off the scale. triglycerides off the scale. I got results for my cholesterol 2days ago : total 4.8, hdl 1.02, ldl 2.85, trigs 2.11
I lost 30kg and had a bmi of 24 however I could not get cholesterol down below 6.5 on any "normal" diet (I tried for 3years) in the last year I tried fully plant based low fat (15%), high veg and fruit, 15% prot and this has done the trick I have also started to lose a bit of fat as well which I needed so all good. Hba1c still normal 33mmol.