Type 2 Anyone on this forum that has reversed/controlled their diabetes without going very low carb?

[HeathKick2017]

Yes, it's a good plan but remember, that first you need to cut carbs a lot, even way below 100g (and no simple sugars of course, none!!). Only after you achieve a normal weight (close to or below BMI of 25) and get reasonably fit, you can slowly start increasing carbs to 100-120g. And by being fit I do not mean 20-30 mins walks etc. I mean real cardio/aerobic exercise of 45-60 mins 3-4 times a week in addition to daily walking/cycling etc. Start small and gradually increase exercise levels. Once you crank up your metabolism, you can increase carbs intake. Experiment and you will find a sweet spot, enough carbs to provoke a correct insulin response and stop liver from dumping. Basically, the more physical activity, the more carbs you will tolerate. If you spend a day on a couch, no carbs. In time, your insulin resistance will drop and you will stop spiking too. It's all about balance.

Good luck!

One more thing, eat breakfast, early. Getting something in your stomach early stops liver from dumping. In my case, if I skip breakfast, my liver continues to dump and my BG slowly rises, even if my FBG was low. If I didn't eat, by lunch time it'd climb to 6-7 or even higher, all on it's own. I eat small amount of carbs (15-20g) for breakfast and it puts my liver to sleep nicely. Some people advocate IF, in my case it doesn't work well, I need to eat smaller portions but more often.

Thank you!

I lost 43kg within 9 months just by cutting down on everything and doing lots of exercise. I am in remission from (have reversed) my diabetes. I am not on any diabetes medication now.

congratulations! Can you share more on what exactly you did? Like exercise wise how frequent, how long? What you ate/are eating.... thank you

 

[HeathKick2017]

Sorry don’t want to be annoying saying thank you to every single person for their contribution as I’m sure the notifications will get on your nerves haha! Just appreciate hearing it all as there’s no place better for me to get the support!

Also want to share my dad has actually been a long term type 2 diabetic, he’s usually well controlled on metformin but as he works a desk job he NEVER moves.... I encouraged him to get some exercise following things I’ve read on here and his hba1c has dropped from 87 to 50 in two months. JUST with exercise! So exciting seeing it done

 

[Pipp]

I didn't do the shakes version of Newcastle I did a 900 -1000 version with real food, for about 4 months. I found it hard but looking back it was dead easy compared to a lifetime of watching carbs. I was very hungry at times. Now I have almost no difficulty doing a maintenance diet and could barely describe to you what it is. I never eat breakfast - apart from 2 cups of tea. Have a medium lunch. Today it was a plain unembelished burger with roast swede and peas.No bun.Snack a banana. And a light supper yesterday - it was fruit (an orange and a banana) and a large handful of nuts. I weigh myself most mornings and have not put on any weight at all (or maybe one lb) since I finished the Newcastle in early Jan -3 and a half months ago. Obviously its very early days but so far the maintenance diet has been a doddle.

Do you still test your blood glucose daily?
It seems you are having a prolonged overnight fast with missing breakfast. That could help with maintenance. Please stay vigilant. I didn't see weight gain for about 2 years, and that was, I believe, due to the level of carbs I ate.

 

[Tannith]

Weekly

 

[ringi]

My x-pert course diabetes nurse said that we should have 100 grams of carbs per day as a min, because otherwise our brain won't function correctly. Up to 230grams for woman and up to 300 grams for men.

Please phone up the xperthealth office and ask them to confirm what your course leader told you.

 

[Tannith]

Do you still test your blood glucose daily?
It seems you are having a prolonged overnight fast with missing breakfast. That could help with maintenance. Please stay vigilant. I didn't see weight gain for about 2 years, and that was, I believe, due to the level of carbs I ate.

I 'd have no trouble putting on weight long before 2 years but not without noticing Then I'd try to take it straight off again before it became a problem.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I 'd have no trouble putting on weight long before 2 years but not without noticing Then I'd try to take it straight off again before it became a problem.

I can't remember the number of times I have said that to myself in the past, after various weight loss diets. It never worked for long!

 

[Pipp]

I 'd have no trouble putting on weight long before 2 years but not without noticing Then I'd try to take it straight off again before it became a problem.

Precisely the point I am making. Having awareness. Monitor weight and blood glucose regularly and take action immediately should you see any gains, and you have best chance of remaining in control.

 

[Blyth Lass]

In 14 weeks I have lost 21 lb and halved my dose is metformin by going Keto. It’s very low carb high fat diet! I feel wonderful- full of energy and so empowered! For once I feel in control of my diabetes and not the other way round! The weight loss is just a bonus and have gone down a dress size. At first it was so strange going against what I had been told for my whole life about fat being bad for you. But you first get used to the new way of eating - then you research and see we have been lied to for years - and then you get more informed and embrace the new way of eating and learn new recipes and fat is not you enemy (sugar is!). I’m determined to continue to reverse my diabetes!

 

[PenguinMum]

Sorry don’t want to be annoying saying thank you to every single person for their contribution as I’m sure the notifications will get on your nerves haha! Just appreciate hearing it all as there’s no place better for me to get the support!

Also want to share my dad has actually been a long term type 2 diabetic, he’s usually well controlled on metformin but as he works a desk job he NEVER moves.... I encouraged him to get some exercise following things I’ve read on here and his hba1c has dropped from 87 to 50 in two months. JUST with exercise! So exciting seeing it done

Maybe you could persuade your Dad to reduce his carbs also and see even better results. It could be fun encouraging each other. Good luck.

 

[Mel83]

I had never heard of dietdoctor but thank you! I will check it out today. I will also try to make the Keto bread. Elsewhere on the forum they talk about Lidl protein roll, are these any good, Carb content wise?

Last I heard the Lidl rolls had been discontinued. I know there was a petition set up so not sure if Lidl have changed their minds about this. I was very disappointed to hear this as they were lovely!

 

[millenium]

Professor Roy Taylor

A body of research putting people with Type 2 diabetes on a low calorie diet has confirmed the underlying causes of the condition and established that it is reversible.

Professor Roy Taylor at Newcastle University, UK has spent almost four decades studying the condition and will present an overview of his findings at the European Association For The Study Of Diabetes (EASD 2017) in Lisbon.

In the talk he will be highlighting how his research has revealed that for people with Type 2 diabetes:

• Excess calories leads to excess fat in the liver
• As a result, the liver responds poorly to insulin and produces too much glucose
• Excess fat in the liver is passed on to the pancreas, causing the insulin producing cells to fail
• Losing less than 1 gram of fat from the pancreas through diet can re-start the normal production of insulin, reversing Type 2 diabetes
• This reversal of diabetes remains possible for at least 10 years after the onset of the condition

“I think the real importance of this work is for the patients themselves,” Professor Taylor says. “Many have described to me how embarking on the low calorie diet has been the only option to prevent what they thought – or had been told – was an inevitable decline into further medication and further ill health because of their diabetes. By studying the underlying mechanisms we have been able to demonstrate the simplicity of type 2 diabetes.”

Get rid of the fat and reverse Type 2 diabetes

The body of research by Professor Roy Taylor now confirms his Twin Cycle Hypothesis – that Type 2 diabetes is caused by excess fat actually within both liver and pancreas.

This causes the liver to respond poorly to insulin. As insulin controls the normal process of making glucose, the liver then produces too much glucose. Simultaneously, excess fat in the liver increases the normal process of export of fat to all tissues. In the pancreas, this excess fat causes the insulin producing cells to fail. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/archive/2017/09/type2diabetesisreversible/
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/4/1047

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160322080542.htm:
"The study also answered the question that people often ask me -- if I lose the weight and keep the weight off, will I stay free of diabetes? The simple answer is yes! - Prof Roy Taylor


For further info Google Newcastle University Prof Taylor
The thing about Newcastle is that it only lasts for about 4 months then you go on to a maintenance diet. I did it for about 4 months and lost 11 and a half per cent of my weight. ( you usually have to lose about 15 %). I got my HbA1c dow to 40 and my fasting bGs down to 5.6 where they have stayed ever since despite my eating normal carbs. I have kept the weight off without any effort - to my surprise. I think my stomach must have shrunk. I have been eating normal carbs. I consider my T2 reversed. I am greatly relieved to have it out of the way as I have other co mormidities to deal with which won't go away so easily.

This is a fantastic post.

 

[darenu]

I am not sure it is possible for a Type 2 to reverse on up to 150 grams of carbs especially rice. I managed a 41 HbA1c on low GI, which included soda bread, oats and sweet potato. This required a lot of exercise. Switching to LCHF yielded much better results. To loose the 40 kg, optimally you will need to keep blood glucose / insulin low, this will be hard with high carbs coming in, unless you go low calorie, which drops your metabolic rate, which means either need more exercise and reduced food amounts by about 25 %. You could try low carb bread, such as Livlife and there is a Polish low carb bread that has been mentioned recently. Rice I think is around 33% carbs per 100 grams with just 1 gram of fibre and high glucose / insulin response for many - you will have to test. You could try the cooking with coconut oil, cooling, refrigerating, reheating trick, which lowers the impact of the starch in rice.

You might have a chance on a whole food plant based diet as this protocol included rice, but not much is said about this on this forum. I used to feel the same about oats; but better glucose control in my back to back tests mean I have long forgotten about these.

I found cooking, cooling and refrigerating rice and pasta, then microwaving had a lesser effect on my BG. The same with roast potatoes and chips. Par boil and allow to go cold then roast/fry in lard. Delicious, but be careful, adding more carbs back into your diet can make you start craving them again. Chips and roasties once a week, more of a simple pleasure than a staple.

 

[Tannith]

Precisely the point I am making. Having awareness. Monitor weight and blood glucose regularly and take action immediately should you see any gains, and you have best chance of remaining in control.

You are supposed to follow Newcastle with a diet of about two thirds of the calories you ate before you started it'
I now eat: No breakfast. main meals (lunch): low fat meat/pulses/fish/eggs + 3 x veg (above &/or below ground),& occasional pasta.Otherwise rarely big white carbs. No bread (salt content)

Snacks, (& suppers if eaten) : mostly fruit. Sometimes nuts or oatmeal

No dairy except at Christmas. ( saturated fat)

Fat mainly monounsaturated

No processed meats ( nitrates/nitrites)

 

[NewTD2]

I have been eating brown rice, brown pasta, brown bread approximately between 80-90g of carbohydrates per day.

It really depends on the type of carbohydrates. For me, absolutely NO starchy foods like potatoes, parsnips, white bread, white pasta, cereals, white rice, white flour and all high-glycemic fruits and vegetables.

And my HBA1c went down from 85 on diagnosis last Sept 2017 and now to 38 (Jan 2018).

 

[CherryAA]

Hello! I’m a newbie here and have spent about two months just reading everyones inspirational stories and adapting it to my life. I have reduced my carb intake and upped my physical activity. I have a lot of weight to loose at least 40kg. I found that 90% of the success stories on here are based on very low carb like less than 50g a day. For me, that is just not feasible, it will affect my quality of life. I don’t have a sweet tooth, I can cut out all desert, chocs and sugary drinks. But bread and rice are a staple in my diet, I can’t see a life without it. (I like to be realistic) well my main question here is, is there any chance of me reversing or controlling my disease with these “little” changes I’m making e.g. staying under 100–150g of carbs daily?
Is there anyone that has done it?

I love rice too. If you commit to LCHF properly to get started you may find as I have done that once you have normalised your blood sugars you can eat the occasional meal with rice. Im on holiday in Japan at present. I can now eat a bowl of rice with my main meal and still stay within non diabetic readings. So irs great to see the occasional treat is fine eventually !.

 

[Daphne917]

My hba1c has been in the 30s for the last 4 years and I still eat carbs - usually high protein bread, potatoes and 70% chocolate. I have pasta occasionally but will cook it, run it under the cold tap then reheat which seems to work for me.

 

[Brunneria]

I love rice too. If you commit to LCHF properly to get started you may find as I have done that once you have normalised your blood sugars you can eat the occasional meal with rice. Im on holiday in Japan at present. I can now eat a bowl of rice with my main meal and still stay within non diabetic readings. So irs great to see the occasional treat is fine eventually !.

When you have rice, are you monitoring you blood glucose level for a prolonged period afterwards?

I think it was only yesterday that we had a type 1 thread where the OP discovered that rice gave a dramatic increase several (6+) hours after eating (sorry, can’t find the thread. Rice gets mentioned on this site 100s of times a day ! )

Just suggesting that you might want to monitor your bg for 6-8 hours and see what happens, just to check.

 

[Lil'Edgy]

Hello! I’m a newbie here and have spent about two months just reading everyones inspirational stories and adapting it to my life. I have reduced my carb intake and upped my physical activity. I have a lot of weight to loose at least 40kg. I found that 90% of the success stories on here are based on very low carb like less than 50g a day. For me, that is just not feasible, it will affect my quality of life. I don’t have a sweet tooth, I can cut out all desert, chocs and sugary drinks. But bread and rice are a staple in my diet, I can’t see a life without it. (I like to be realistic) well my main question here is, is there any chance of me reversing or controlling my disease with these “little” changes I’m making e.g. staying under 100–150g of carbs daily?
Is there anyone that has done it?

Yes, Yes and Yes. I eat quite a bit of carbs that are locked in whole grains and whole beans and whole fruit besides other not carb heavy foods like nuts brocoli, kale,, peppers etc. I try not to mess around with anything that is mostly intact grains and beans. I eat re fried beans non fat sometimes and that seems to be ok. I am officially non symptomatic coming down from 12 HbA1c
to 5.4 on my last reading. I still take Metformin because it has anti anticancer properties whether one is diabetic or not. I've replaced my morning meals with 1/2 can of black beans and a cup of cooked whole hulless barley with about 12 oz of non sweetened vanilla flavored soy milk and about a tablespoon of erythritol. Erythritol is because it tastes like sugar and it doesn't mess with gut bacteria at all and is an antioxidant. Tastes fabulous. Stevia does mess with gut bacteria but only a little bit according to studies. I am also nearly vegan. I'll eat a real pizza every couple of months and a can of sardines every once in a couple of months or so. I eat beans with or without steel cut oatmeal with a teaspoon of Herb Ox chicken flavored bouillon powder. It's fabulous. Steel cut seems to be ok with my blood sugars. I don't think of eating a carb heavy diet but whole plant based diet. There's a Doctor by the name of McDougall that writes about the Starch Solution but he isn't nearly as strict as I am. His food products have sugar and other things he shouldn't be putting in there but then again, he isn't selling the whole plant solution but the Starch Solution. But he's sort of on the right track. I lift weights every day so i eat a lot of beans and whole barley.

 

[Lil'Edgy]

Yes, Yes and Yes. I eat quite a bit of carbs that are locked in whole grains and whole beans and whole fruit besides other not carb heavy foods like nuts brocoli, kale,, peppers etc. I try not to mess around with anything that is mostly intact grains and beans. I eat re fried beans non fat sometimes and that seems to be ok. I am officially non symptomatic coming down from 12 HbA1c
to 5.4 on my last reading. I still take Metformin because it has anti anticancer properties whether one is diabetic or not. I've replaced my morning meals with 1/2 can of black beans and a cup of cooked whole hulless barley with about 12 oz of non sweetened vanilla flavored soy milk and about a tablespoon of erythritol. Erythritol is because it tastes like sugar and it doesn't mess with gut bacteria at all and is an antioxidant. Tastes fabulous. Stevia does mess with gut bacteria but only a little bit according to studies. I am also nearly vegan. I'll eat a real pizza every couple of months and a can of sardines every once in a couple of months or so. I eat beans with or without steel cut oatmeal with a teaspoon of Herb Ox chicken flavored bouillon powder. It's fabulous. Steel cut seems to be ok with my blood sugars. I don't think of eating a carb heavy diet but whole plant based diet. There's a Doctor by the name of McDougall that writes about the Starch Solution but he isn't nearly as strict as I am. His food products have sugar and other things he shouldn't be putting in there but then again, he isn't selling the whole plant solution but the Starch Solution. But he's sort of on the right track. I lift weights every day so i eat a lot of beans and whole barley.

Correction.....I try not to mess around with anything that is NOT mostly intact grains and beans.