Some of this data is approx, from memory. Will check with GP next time I visit to e.g. see when I was actually diagnosed.
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Height: 6ft
Approx. Duration of Diagnosis at start of ND: 4 years
HbA1C at diagnosis: Not sure. 7.5% rings a bell.
Maximum recorded weight: Approx 137kg ~12 years ago
Weight at diagnosis: 120kg
Weight at start of ND: 95kg
T2 medication: None
Other medication: None
History:
Diet controlled at diagnosis.
Went off rails for at least a year. By mid 2017, was off work, sleeping up to 20 hours a day, and had a HbA1C of 90. Was put on 4 metformin and then an extra type of medication on top was recommended. I tried to tackle things naturally instead, and stopped metformin. Started testing and taking it seriously. Typical bg during day was about 16 mmol/l. Highest recorded was 19.5 mmol/l. Couldn't get morning fasting readings below 9.5 while eating typical food types and quantities.
Last ~4 months before ND, have been doing various experiments and improvements. Generally in a better place, back at work full time, HbA1C down to 42 at end of 2017. Lost about 3 stone in those 4 months.
Have had serious problems with discipline, plus my stats make me a fairly good candidate for the ND approach. Might as well try something strict and regimented now. Next HbA1C is about 2.5 months away, so might as well try the ND until then to see what happens.
Approach:
Diet:
* 3 x Tesco Ultraslim or ASDA Great Shape shakes a day. These will be made with SKIMMED milk as per their instructions. These add up to 600 calories a day.
* Approx 200 calories from a wide mix of non-starchy vegetables.
* Other things which are on the 'allowed' list on the Optifast website, such as garlic and stock cubes, which will help make the veg into palatable soups.
* Supplements: One vitamin D tablet a day. One multi-vitamin & mineral tablet a day.
* Extras: One teaspoon of olive oil a day. Not every source recommends this, but some people suggest it is a good idea in order to avoid gallstones. In the spirit of keeping this a very low fat diet, I'll never use more than 1 teaspoon a day. I'll also be taking a small amount of Psyllium Husk in an effort to avoid constipation.
Overall it is a high-carb, low-fat diet, but the total carbs should normally be less than 100g per day.
Exercise:
No regime will be enforced.
Logging:
Daily I will record:
* Morning blood glucose. 1 reading, with meter inaccuracies balancing out over time.
* Exercise notes
* General notes
And once a week I will record:
* Weight (kg)
* Girth (around belly button)
* Morning 2hr postprandial reading after breakfast 'shake'. It will always be done with the same brand and flavour of shake. It will have about 25g carbs in it. I'll take 3 readings either side for accuracy. I will sit still for the 2 hours. This will be a mini carbohydrate tolerance test and a way of detecting any changes to metabolism.
Reporting:
I'll post the latest graphs here once a week. If anything interesting happens I'll also post here.
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Height: 6ft
Approx. Duration of Diagnosis at start of ND: 4 years
HbA1C at diagnosis: Not sure. 7.5% rings a bell.
Maximum recorded weight: Approx 137kg ~12 years ago
Weight at diagnosis: 120kg
Weight at start of ND: 95kg
T2 medication: None
Other medication: None
History:
Diet controlled at diagnosis.
Went off rails for at least a year. By mid 2017, was off work, sleeping up to 20 hours a day, and had a HbA1C of 90. Was put on 4 metformin and then an extra type of medication on top was recommended. I tried to tackle things naturally instead, and stopped metformin. Started testing and taking it seriously. Typical bg during day was about 16 mmol/l. Highest recorded was 19.5 mmol/l. Couldn't get morning fasting readings below 9.5 while eating typical food types and quantities.
Last ~4 months before ND, have been doing various experiments and improvements. Generally in a better place, back at work full time, HbA1C down to 42 at end of 2017. Lost about 3 stone in those 4 months.
Have had serious problems with discipline, plus my stats make me a fairly good candidate for the ND approach. Might as well try something strict and regimented now. Next HbA1C is about 2.5 months away, so might as well try the ND until then to see what happens.
Approach:
Diet:
* 3 x Tesco Ultraslim or ASDA Great Shape shakes a day. These will be made with SKIMMED milk as per their instructions. These add up to 600 calories a day.
* Approx 200 calories from a wide mix of non-starchy vegetables.
* Other things which are on the 'allowed' list on the Optifast website, such as garlic and stock cubes, which will help make the veg into palatable soups.
* Supplements: One vitamin D tablet a day. One multi-vitamin & mineral tablet a day.
* Extras: One teaspoon of olive oil a day. Not every source recommends this, but some people suggest it is a good idea in order to avoid gallstones. In the spirit of keeping this a very low fat diet, I'll never use more than 1 teaspoon a day. I'll also be taking a small amount of Psyllium Husk in an effort to avoid constipation.
Overall it is a high-carb, low-fat diet, but the total carbs should normally be less than 100g per day.
Exercise:
No regime will be enforced.
Logging:
Daily I will record:
* Morning blood glucose. 1 reading, with meter inaccuracies balancing out over time.
* Exercise notes
* General notes
And once a week I will record:
* Weight (kg)
* Girth (around belly button)
* Morning 2hr postprandial reading after breakfast 'shake'. It will always be done with the same brand and flavour of shake. It will have about 25g carbs in it. I'll take 3 readings either side for accuracy. I will sit still for the 2 hours. This will be a mini carbohydrate tolerance test and a way of detecting any changes to metabolism.
Reporting:
I'll post the latest graphs here once a week. If anything interesting happens I'll also post here.
